I generally follow the Retronauts rule of something having to be at least 10 years old to be considered retro.. but also that thinking would include the PS4, which is definitely not a retro console.
Love love LOVED this game on Wii U and Vita back in the day.
I remember back when the original Bit.Trip games came to Switch in 2020, someone on Twitter asked about Runner2, and Choice Provisions replied that it was definitely coming. Took a few years, but here we go! Excited to give it another run!
As much as I'd LOVE for it to happen, I always knew it was a long shot that Rare Replay would ever come to Switch, since about a third of the games in the collection are completely reliant on Xbox 360 backwards compatibility that's natively supported on the Xbox backend. I can't imagine they'd want to put in the extra legwork to natively port those individual Xbox 360 titles to Switch (and emulation wouldn't be an option). It would be a ton of work and resources to port NINE Xbox 360 titles over just to bundle them in a $30 package, the ROI would certainly not be worth it for them.
I always knew it was a long shot that Rare Replay would ever come to Switch, since about a third of the games in the collection are completely reliant on Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, and I can't imagine they'd want to put in the extra legwork to natively port those individual Xbox 360 titles to Switch (and emulation wouldn't be an option). It would be a ton of work and resources to port NINE Xbox 360 titles over just to bundle them in a $30 package, the ROI would certainly not be worth it for them.
That said, neither Battletoads in Battlemaniacs nor the SNES version of Killer Instinct were included in Rare Replay, so that's pretty nifty.
Also, as someone who is a MASSIVE fan of Battletoads, VERY HAPPY to see one of them make it over to Switch (even if it's the worst one). Hoping this means we can expect many more classic Rare titles across all NSO platforms in the future.
Was really hoping for the Battletoads reboot and/or Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition to come over personally, but the four titles that have been rumored are good too
@EarthboundBenjy I think it's safe to assume that these collections exist solely due to Limited Run's proprietary Carbon Engine, which offers to fairly quick, turnkey, and presumably inexpensive solution to bringing these retro games over to modern platforms.
Alas, it certainly doesn't have the capability to emulate XBLA games.
I maintain they the Game Boy game is actually very solid and alone makes this collection worth the cost. Crazy that the license expired less then a year after the game released though, but hey, true to their name, it's a LIMITED RUN.
They also understood the assignment when they priced the game £/$__.69
I just want cross progression for when I inevitably buy this game again on Xbox Series X down the line for like 10 bucks or something (like I did with MK11), but Switch doesn't seem to be included in that either -_____-
Don't care for Fortnite Battle Royale much, but boy oh boy, am I enjoying Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival. Haven't touched Lego Fortnite yet, but it sounds pretty cool. No better way to get me to play Fortnite than to offer other completely different and fun experiences that aren't Fortnite
It might just be because I was a bit more starved for games to play on my Wii U and 3DS at the time, but Origins and Origins Blackgate are the only Arkham games I've actually finished and I LOVED them, though I have played all of the games to varying degrees. Looking forward to giving the Rocksteady trilogy another go on Switch, but really hope WB releases an Origins collection at some point. I know it's treated as the stepchild of the series, but I just adore the Christmas in Gotham vibes of the main game. Perfect to play this time of year!
None of these games are particularly amazing or anything, but I have fond memories of literally every single one of them and love the idea of having them in one modern collection, so this is a buy for me.
Used to just boot up the first game on NES or GB, and just stand there listening to the first level theme for extended lengths of time. Ocean Software didn't make the best games, but the soundtracks often slapped HARD.
Reading all of the reviews and comments for this collection is giving me whiplash. Literally all they promised and all they did was put the first 3 MGS and MSX/NES MG games on modern consoles with extras and that's exactly what they did. But then Push Square and Game Reactor are out here complaining about these games not getting any upgrades (which would make this a COMPLETELY different project in terms of scope, budget, and release timing) and being relegated to 4-5 separate apps on the console, which is frankly the epitome of nitpicking.
Also been seeing a lot of people complaining about Switch MGS3 being 30fps when the original PS2 MGS3 was 60fps, which IS NOT TRUE. The original game was also only 30fps, only the HD Collection version was 60fps. It was fine then and it's fine now.
And the complaints about everything not being on the cart? We're 6+ years into the Switch lifecycle, and outside of what, The Witcher 3 and maybe some LRG releases, just about every large and/or multi-game third-party release is like this. The games alone take up almost 22GB on Switch, And if you add the language packs and bonus video content, it's already north of the 32GB max card size (that again, they surely ran the numbers and did a sales analysis and concluded it would be financially unwise to ship on the larger carts, like most have). It's disappointing for sure, but it's happened SO MANY TIMES now it seems odd to continue to hammer on about it.
The bugs that are currently present in the collection though, that's a good reason to reduce the score. Hopefully they can iron those out soon.
NES all the way for authenticity and nostalgia reasons, but GBA comes in 2nd for me because the added sound effects and e-reader bonuses make it feel like a meaningful DX upgrade. SNES version is perfectly good as well (really just down to 8-bit or 16-bit preference), but I'll pick the NES original over it 90% of the time.
Big fan of the Evil Dead films AND a big fan of overly ambitious yet clearly compromised ports to Switch (see: Mortal Kombat 1), so bummed to see this game has been cancelled and coming to an end on other platforms as well. The official website still said " Coming Soon to Nintendo Switch" literally days ago (yes, I checked on a somewhere regular basis), but considering the amount of time that's passed with no updates, I'm not surprised.
@BTB20 I hear you, Metroid Prime has been my GOAT since 2002, and the remaster is the best version of the game, which therefore makes Metroid Prime Remastered the GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME (IMHO).
But in the case of modern AAA third party games with photorealistic(-ish) art design performing on the Switch, yeah, I think this one's a real looker and one of the better examples on the system. None of these games can hope to achieve what Nintendo has with native first party software (namely Metroid Prime Remastered, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pikmin 4), but at it's best, this game looks WAY better on an OLED screen than any YouTube footage will have you believe.
Been playing this on Switch myself and can't really disagree with anything brought up in this review, but I've been enjoying it nonetheless. A lot of posts and memes I've seen point out how "terrible" it looks compared to the PS5 version, but by and large it actually looks REALLY GOOD at times for a Switch game (glitches and stuttering aside). Especially when playing handheld, there are some stages where the fights are quite impressive from a visual standpoint (probably helps to play on an OLED; the art direction is much more colorful and vibrant than MK11 was, and it can really pop on that screen). Graphically I'd say it's an improvement over MK11 on Switch.
Load times are indeed atrocious. Particularly when playing local VS mode, it loads the fight while the kombatants are clashing against each other.. which is seamless on other platforms but here, they just stare angrily into each other's eyes, silently writhing for like 30-40 seconds. It was honestly hilarious the first time, but quickly started to feel very strange and awkward.
Load times are slightly less cumbersome during Story Mode, as they're usually loading in the background during cutscenes (which probably contributes to the occasionally stuttering and screen tearing at times during the cinematics), but sometimes an extra load screen will appear before the transition to a fight if the cutscene is on the shorter side, which can be jarring.
Hopefully they can patch up some of the more glaring issues and polish things up sooner rather than later, but can't really rekommend it to most people in it's current state. UNLESS, like me, you have a long history of adoring and admiring "impossible" handheld ports of modern console games that are punching way above their weight, warts and all. For me, it's an 8/10, and could be a 9/10 if they fix some of the technical snafus. For most though who expect Nintendo levels of polish, 4 or 5 out of 10 sounds right at the moment.
@anoyonmus I played this game for an extensive amount of time right from launch and never found it to have any noticeable issues whatsoever. The art direction is stunning and vibrant, so it is very possible that the colors popping on the OLED screen may have done some of the heavy lifting, but this review really over exaggerates any performance issues in handheld mode in my opinion. The game looks and plays perfectly fine on the Switch and if you're interested at all, I'd recommend going for it.
@anoyonmus wound up putting about 40 hours into this game on Switch and I loved every minute of it. One of my favorite games of last year for sure. Game looks and plays great on Switch too. I completely disagree with the review here on just about every level.
And yeah, the original GetsuFumaDen is only in Japanese, so I'd recommend having a guide handy when playing it.
Was really looking forward to playing this today, bought the premium edition and everything for early access.. and then I wound up playing F-Zero 99 instead -_____-
I feel like this game has been getting a ton of negativity since release, but all's I know is that it allows me to play one of my favorite games of all time - Sonic 3 & Knuckles (a game that hadn't seen an official re-release in 11 years) - on the Nintendo Switch with widescreen support, and with this update, now with the CRISPY PIXELS I CRAVE.
I still long for the missing OG MJ music, but having also played the PC release a ton in the early 2000's, I still dig the alternate tunes.
@Serpenterror Ubitus is strictly a cloud-gaming service provider, so anything they work on is 100% going to be cloud based.
I know it's a very unpopular opinion, but I am actually a fan on what they're doing. Would I prefer native ports? By a long shot. Do I feel stand-alone cloud SKUs should cost less than their native counterparts on other platforms? Absolutely.
But I can play Resident Evil 2 on my Switch after the baby is in bed and my wife is using the TV (without having to spend $400-$650 on a Steam Deck), and that makes it worthwhile for me.
On that note, hoping Resident Evil 4 Cloud is in the works!
Played thru the Japanese version last year, VERY much a Kung Fu Master-like. Very short and simple retro style experience (with a second campaign that unlocks after you beat it). Definitely nothing on the level of The Ninja Saviors, but nails what it sets out to do. Very much my jam.
I agree on the top 3 here wholeheartedly, but Mega Party Games, Smooth Moves, and Game & Wario are all much higher on my list cause the multiplayer modes are just SO DARN FUN.
First collection is definitely the better one, as the PC Engine versions of Valis: The Fantasm Soldier and Valis III are actually quite good! Solid 8/10 action platformers in my book.
Valis IV on PCE (and in this collection) is vastly better than Super Valis IV on SNES and NSO.
Valis for MSX plays like absolute garbage, but I'm glad it's here nonetheless.
@Discostew From Code Mystics, developers of the Xbox version: "Xbox is emulation too, not a port. Limited alterations are reverse engineered patches/hooks to the original ROM."
The original 1982 prototype was one of the bigger surprises for me in Atari 50 and Jeff Minter's Tempest games are absolutely sublime. Really loving everything Atari's been putting out since the Recharged series began.
@nocdaes rights issues can be far, far trickier than simply "throw money at it." Sometimes rights holders simply do not want to play ball. Other times rights are held up in a convoluted legal web involving multiple parties that becomes an impossible nightmare to untangle. Sonic 3 is my favorite Sonic game in part because of the amazing soundtrack, so this is definitely a blow.
But as someone who also dabbled in the late 90's PC port with the MIDI renditions of the alternate beta tracks (and wondered "what the hell are these songs? where's my Ice Cap??"), I'm also pretty excited to hear what Jun Senone can do with those. It's not gonna be the same, but after 11+ years without an official release, just happy to see the game back on modern hardware.
I once again find myself completely disagreeing with Stuart and yet fully supporting his opinion and writing style.
Much like his Dr. Mario 64 review, the entire thesis seems to be "well actually, this game is bollocks and was never good because other games do what it does better." Maybe a fair point, but I always felt that Snow Bros. had enough to differentiate it from Bubble Bobble, especially if you're a score chaser. The mechanic of getting to the top of the stage, balling up an enemy, and trying to chain as many enemies as possible while snowballing down is a solid bit of arcade game design of you ask me.
@Tasuki the press release mentions that the 16-bit version is getting reissued later this year. Not sure if it's SNES, GEN/MD, or both, but apparently it's coming!
Some people love to hate on the Battletoads series, but it truly is one of my favorites of all time. It's admittedly bullcrap hard, but the gameplay variety, impressive (for the time) 8-bit animation/technicality, and jammin David Wise soundtracks always pulled me in. Heck, the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Battletoads Double Dragon was actually the first game I ever purchased with my own money! Needless to say, ORDERED.
@Wurstsemmel753 The first Battletoads got a Deluxe Legacy Edition reissue via iam8bit in 2020, and a Japanese reissue of the (much easier!) Famicom version last year from Columbus Circle. Battletoads Double Dragon was the logical next step. Not to mention that unlike the first game, the NES version of Battletoads Double Dragon is pretty rare.
Put about 6 hours in (all handheld) and personally been loving this game so far. The art style still shines through in handheld, so I can't really figure out what the complaint is here (maybe it's just cause I'm playing on an OLED?). Not as fast, fluid, and fun as Dead Cells, but definitely a 7 or 8 in my book.
Granted, I also put about 15 hours into Contra: Rogue Corps and found it to be a fun and rewarding twin-stick dungeon looter. I also loved Deadly Premonition 2 and THOROUGHLY enjoyed Devil's Third on Wii U back in the day.. so maybe I just have a propensity to really gravitate towards flawed yet interesting games?
There was a physical re-release of the NES version last year from iam8bit as part of their Legacy Cartridge Collection.
Also, I LOVE the Famicom version of this game and play through it from time to time because I can actually beat it without too much trouble (Famicom version is pretty much "Easy" mode, with the Genesis/Mega Drive version being "Normal," and the NES original being "Hard")
@BloodNinja focusing on the "doesn't have many new ideas" bullet point is really a disservice to the excellent experience this game offers. I'd even argue it's inclusion here as the only "con" in a sea of "pros" is a nitpick (after all, how can a game have no cons and not receive a perfect score?).
The game takes inspiration from many other sources, and unifies and presents those ideas in clever, charming and fulfilling ways. A near perfect marriage of various systems and ideas woven together - no different than how a game like Shovel Knight is both derivative of many other games and yet uniquely it's own thing.
Yes, it clearly takes a ton of inspiration from Zelda games and the like, but the moment to moment combat and gameplay is a vastly different beast. In no way is Death's Door a redundant experience.
As a lifelong Nintendo fan, Vicarious Visions was a developer I was VERY familiar with, having been responsible for so many excellent ports and conversions to Nintendo platforms (THPS2 for GBA, Guitar Hero series for Wii, Skylanders Superchargers for Wii U), as well as some truly great original handheld Spider-Man and Crash Bandicoot games.
Alas, while I loved their work on the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy and THPS1+2 remasters, the fact is the studio hasn't been quite the same since founders Guha and Karthik Bala left in 2016 to start Velan Studios (Mario Kart Live and Knockout City).
I'm saddened by the news of VV being no more, but I was already planning on never purchasing an Activision Blizzard product ever again until Bobby Kotick steps down, leadership is completely replaced, and all reported issues with company culture are satisfactorily addressed. Instead, I will continue to look forward to what the Bala brothers and Velan Studios continue to do in the future.
Maybe it's because I lived thru the N64 era's middling frame rates, or maybe it's because I truly find the expectations of modern gaming needing to reach ever higher technical benchmarks to be unnecessary and unsustainable.. but I have put 10 hours into this game so far and find the performance in the open world to be perfectly fine. Like it's for sure not buttery smooth or anything, but it's not THAT janky. It serves the needs of the gameplay just fine.
Been playing this on Switch for the past few days and LOVING it. Survival runs are so quick, fun and unique, I could see myself coming back for YEARS. And since you gain experience and unlock new moves for each playable character, there's always something more to work towards.
Still quite confused about the eShop technical issue - I actually was lucky enough to win a Siliconera / DotEmu Twitter Switch code giveaway, and much like the review codes, it downloaded and worked flawlessly. So the content is on Nintendo's servers and applying to the game just fine. The backend "bad link" theory is the best guess I have.
Box art aside, I recommend the Famicom version to anyone who bemoans the ridiculous difficulty of Battletoads. It a SUBSTANTIALLY easier version of the game.
Y'all doin Super Mario Run a little TOO dirty. (Here's my list, for what it's worth.. solely rated from a single-player gameplay perspective)
1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Super Mario World
3. Super Mario Maker 2
4. Super Mario Maker for 3DS
5. Super Mario Bros.
6. New Super Mario Bros. U
7. Super Mario Maker
8. Super Mario Bros. 2
9. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
10. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
11. Super Mario Run
12. New Super Mario Bros. 2
13. Super Mario Land
14. New Super Mario Bros.
15. Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
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Re: Random: New Pokémon Ad Positions 3DS As 'Retro', And The Internet Disagrees
I generally follow the Retronauts rule of something having to be at least 10 years old to be considered retro.. but also that thinking would include the PS4, which is definitely not a retro console.
Re: 'Runner2' Leaps To Switch Next Week, Complete With Charles Martinet
Love love LOVED this game on Wii U and Vita back in the day.
I remember back when the original Bit.Trip games came to Switch in 2020, someone on Twitter asked about Runner2, and Choice Provisions replied that it was definitely coming. Took a few years, but here we go! Excited to give it another run!
Re: Random: Some Rare Fans Are Upset About The Latest Switch Online Announcement
As much as I'd LOVE for it to happen, I always knew it was a long shot that Rare Replay would ever come to Switch, since about a third of the games in the collection are completely reliant on Xbox 360 backwards compatibility that's natively supported on the Xbox backend. I can't imagine they'd want to put in the extra legwork to natively port those individual Xbox 360 titles to Switch (and emulation wouldn't be an option). It would be a ton of work and resources to port NINE Xbox 360 titles over just to bundle them in a $30 package, the ROI would certainly not be worth it for them.
Re: Five More Classic Rareware Games Come To Nintendo Switch Online Today
I always knew it was a long shot that Rare Replay would ever come to Switch, since about a third of the games in the collection are completely reliant on Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, and I can't imagine they'd want to put in the extra legwork to natively port those individual Xbox 360 titles to Switch (and emulation wouldn't be an option). It would be a ton of work and resources to port NINE Xbox 360 titles over just to bundle them in a $30 package, the ROI would certainly not be worth it for them.
That said, neither Battletoads in Battlemaniacs nor the SNES version of Killer Instinct were included in Rare Replay, so that's pretty nifty.
Also, as someone who is a MASSIVE fan of Battletoads, VERY HAPPY to see one of them make it over to Switch (even if it's the worst one). Hoping this means we can expect many more classic Rare titles across all NSO platforms in the future.
Re: Microsoft To Bring Four Xbox Exclusives To Other Consoles, But Won't Name Them
Was really hoping for the Battletoads reboot and/or Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition to come over personally, but the four titles that have been rumored are good too
Re: Konami Is Bringing Back Rocket Knight Adventures And Felix The Cat
@EarthboundBenjy I think it's safe to assume that these collections exist solely due to Limited Run's proprietary Carbon Engine, which offers to fairly quick, turnkey, and presumably inexpensive solution to bringing these retro games over to modern platforms.
Alas, it certainly doesn't have the capability to emulate XBLA games.
Re: Bill & Ted's Excellent Retro Collection Is About To Be Delisted On The Switch eShop
I maintain they the Game Boy game is actually very solid and alone makes this collection worth the cost. Crazy that the license expired less then a year after the game released though, but hey, true to their name, it's a LIMITED RUN.
They also understood the assignment when they priced the game £/$__.69
Re: F-Zero 99 New Update Now Live, Adds "Limited-Time" Frozen Knight League
This update finally got me to jump back in and complete the King League Grand Prix. Hadn't played since October, but now I'm addicted again 😅
Re: Mortal Kombat 1 Cross-Play Release Window Confirmed, But There's No Mention Of Switch
I just want cross progression for when I inevitably buy this game again on Xbox Series X down the line for like 10 bucks or something (like I did with MK11), but Switch doesn't seem to be included in that either -_____-
Re: LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, Fornite Festival - Which Is Best? Everything You Need To Know
Don't care for Fortnite Battle Royale much, but boy oh boy, am I enjoying Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival. Haven't touched Lego Fortnite yet, but it sounds pretty cool. No better way to get me to play Fortnite than to offer other completely different and fun experiences that aren't Fortnite
Re: Video: Batman Arkham Trilogy Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison
It might just be because I was a bit more starved for games to play on my Wii U and 3DS at the time, but Origins and Origins Blackgate are the only Arkham games I've actually finished and I LOVED them, though I have played all of the games to varying degrees. Looking forward to giving the Rocksteady trilogy another go on Switch, but really hope WB releases an Origins collection at some point. I know it's treated as the stepchild of the series, but I just adore the Christmas in Gotham vibes of the main game. Perfect to play this time of year!
Re: Review: Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection (Switch) - A Fair Flock, But Far From 'Classic'
None of these games are particularly amazing or anything, but I have fond memories of literally every single one of them and love the idea of having them in one modern collection, so this is a buy for me.
Re: Jurassic Park: Classic Games Collection Launches Later This Month On Switch
Used to just boot up the first game on NES or GB, and just stand there listening to the first level theme for extended lengths of time. Ocean Software didn't make the best games, but the soundtracks often slapped HARD.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online NES And Game Boy Library With Three More Classics
This is actually an AWESOME update. Love to see it.
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1
Reading all of the reviews and comments for this collection is giving me whiplash. Literally all they promised and all they did was put the first 3 MGS and MSX/NES MG games on modern consoles with extras and that's exactly what they did. But then Push Square and Game Reactor are out here complaining about these games not getting any upgrades (which would make this a COMPLETELY different project in terms of scope, budget, and release timing) and being relegated to 4-5 separate apps on the console, which is frankly the epitome of nitpicking.
Also been seeing a lot of people complaining about Switch MGS3 being 30fps when the original PS2 MGS3 was 60fps, which IS NOT TRUE. The original game was also only 30fps, only the HD Collection version was 60fps. It was fine then and it's fine now.
And the complaints about everything not being on the cart? We're 6+ years into the Switch lifecycle, and outside of what, The Witcher 3 and maybe some LRG releases, just about every large and/or multi-game third-party release is like this. The games alone take up almost 22GB on Switch, And if you add the language packs and bonus video content, it's already north of the 32GB max card size (that again, they surely ran the numbers and did a sales analysis and concluded it would be financially unwise to ship on the larger carts, like most have). It's disappointing for sure, but it's happened SO MANY TIMES now it seems odd to continue to hammer on about it.
The bugs that are currently present in the collection though, that's a good reason to reduce the score. Hopefully they can iron those out soon.
Re: Talking Point: Which Version Of Super Mario Bros. 3 Do You Prefer?
NES all the way for authenticity and nostalgia reasons, but GBA comes in 2nd for me because the added sound effects and e-reader bonuses make it feel like a meaningful DX upgrade. SNES version is perfectly good as well (really just down to 8-bit or 16-bit preference), but I'll pick the NES original over it 90% of the time.
Re: Evil Dead: The Game Has Been Cancelled For Nintendo Switch
Big fan of the Evil Dead films AND a big fan of overly ambitious yet clearly compromised ports to Switch (see: Mortal Kombat 1), so bummed to see this game has been cancelled and coming to an end on other platforms as well. The official website still said " Coming Soon to Nintendo Switch" literally days ago (yes, I checked on a somewhere regular basis), but considering the amount of time that's passed with no updates, I'm not surprised.
Re: Review: Mortal Kombat 1 - A Superb Fighter, But Severely Kompromised On Switch
@BTB20 I hear you, Metroid Prime has been my GOAT since 2002, and the remaster is the best version of the game, which therefore makes Metroid Prime Remastered the GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME (IMHO).
But in the case of modern AAA third party games with photorealistic(-ish) art design performing on the Switch, yeah, I think this one's a real looker and one of the better examples on the system. None of these games can hope to achieve what Nintendo has with native first party software (namely Metroid Prime Remastered, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pikmin 4), but at it's best, this game looks WAY better on an OLED screen than any YouTube footage will have you believe.
Re: Review: Mortal Kombat 1 - A Superb Fighter, But Severely Kompromised On Switch
Been playing this on Switch myself and can't really disagree with anything brought up in this review, but I've been enjoying it nonetheless. A lot of posts and memes I've seen point out how "terrible" it looks compared to the PS5 version, but by and large it actually looks REALLY GOOD at times for a Switch game (glitches and stuttering aside). Especially when playing handheld, there are some stages where the fights are quite impressive from a visual standpoint (probably helps to play on an OLED; the art direction is much more colorful and vibrant than MK11 was, and it can really pop on that screen). Graphically I'd say it's an improvement over MK11 on Switch.
Load times are indeed atrocious. Particularly when playing local VS mode, it loads the fight while the kombatants are clashing against each other.. which is seamless on other platforms but here, they just stare angrily into each other's eyes, silently writhing for like 30-40 seconds. It was honestly hilarious the first time, but quickly started to feel very strange and awkward.
Load times are slightly less cumbersome during Story Mode, as they're usually loading in the background during cutscenes (which probably contributes to the occasionally stuttering and screen tearing at times during the cinematics), but sometimes an extra load screen will appear before the transition to a fight if the cutscene is on the shorter side, which can be jarring.
Hopefully they can patch up some of the more glaring issues and polish things up sooner rather than later, but can't really rekommend it to most people in it's current state. UNLESS, like me, you have a long history of adoring and admiring "impossible" handheld ports of modern console games that are punching way above their weight, warts and all. For me, it's an 8/10, and could be a 9/10 if they fix some of the technical snafus. For most though who expect Nintendo levels of polish, 4 or 5 out of 10 sounds right at the moment.
Re: Review: GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon - A Dead Ringer From Konami That Struggles To Succeed
@anoyonmus I played this game for an extensive amount of time right from launch and never found it to have any noticeable issues whatsoever. The art direction is stunning and vibrant, so it is very possible that the colors popping on the OLED screen may have done some of the heavy lifting, but this review really over exaggerates any performance issues in handheld mode in my opinion. The game looks and plays perfectly fine on the Switch and if you're interested at all, I'd recommend going for it.
Re: Review: GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon - A Dead Ringer From Konami That Struggles To Succeed
@anoyonmus wound up putting about 40 hours into this game on Switch and I loved every minute of it. One of my favorite games of last year for sure. Game looks and plays great on Switch too. I completely disagree with the review here on just about every level.
And yeah, the original GetsuFumaDen is only in Japanese, so I'd recommend having a guide handy when playing it.
Re: Mortal Kombat 1 Gets A Day-One Update On Switch
Was really looking forward to playing this today, bought the premium edition and everything for early access.. and then I wound up playing F-Zero 99 instead -_____-
Re: Sonic Origins Plus Update Goes Live On Switch, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
I feel like this game has been getting a ton of negativity since release, but all's I know is that it allows me to play one of my favorite games of all time - Sonic 3 & Knuckles (a game that hadn't seen an official re-release in 11 years) - on the Nintendo Switch with widescreen support, and with this update, now with the CRISPY PIXELS I CRAVE.
I still long for the missing OG MJ music, but having also played the PC release a ton in the early 2000's, I still dig the alternate tunes.
Re: Super Famicom Horror Classic Clock Tower Is Officially Coming To The West
@Serpenterror we got Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti in the Namco Museum Archives collection a few years back!
Re: Aliens: Fireteam Elite Is Coming To Switch, But It's A Cloud Version
@Serpenterror Ubitus is strictly a cloud-gaming service provider, so anything they work on is 100% going to be cloud based.
I know it's a very unpopular opinion, but I am actually a fan on what they're doing. Would I prefer native ports? By a long shot. Do I feel stand-alone cloud SKUs should cost less than their native counterparts on other platforms? Absolutely.
But I can play Resident Evil 2 on my Switch after the baby is in bed and my wife is using the TV (without having to spend $400-$650 on a Steam Deck), and that makes it worthwhile for me.
On that note, hoping Resident Evil 4 Cloud is in the works!
Re: Xiaomei And The Flame Dragon's Fist Is A 16-Bit Kung Fu Throwback That Packs A Punch
Played thru the Japanese version last year, VERY much a Kung Fu Master-like. Very short and simple retro style experience (with a second campaign that unlocks after you beat it). Definitely nothing on the level of The Ninja Saviors, but nails what it sets out to do. Very much my jam.
Re: Best WarioWare Games Of All Time
I agree on the top 3 here wholeheartedly, but Mega Party Games, Smooth Moves, and Game & Wario are all much higher on my list cause the multiplayer modes are just SO DARN FUN.
Re: Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection II Scores A Surprise eShop Release
First collection is definitely the better one, as the PC Engine versions of Valis: The Fantasm Soldier and Valis III are actually quite good! Solid 8/10 action platformers in my book.
Valis IV on PCE (and in this collection) is vastly better than Super Valis IV on SNES and NSO.
Valis for MSX plays like absolute garbage, but I'm glad it's here nonetheless.
Re: Video: GoldenEye 007 Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison (Switch & Xbox)
@Discostew From Code Mystics, developers of the Xbox version: "Xbox is emulation too, not a port. Limited alterations are reverse engineered patches/hooks to the original ROM."
SOOO yeah, it's 100% emulation.
https://twitter.com/CodeMystics/status/1619150496161464321?t=DVIcAQ5HnLKMTTIzoJiD-Q&s=19
Re: Atari Announces Ultra Rare Arcade Shooter 'Akka Arrh' Is Coming To Switch
The original 1982 prototype was one of the bigger surprises for me in Atari 50 and Jeff Minter's Tempest games are absolutely sublime. Really loving everything Atari's been putting out since the Recharged series began.
Re: Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Coming To Switch In 2023
Legit wracking my brain trying to figure out how they're gonna split these up between the 2 volumes.
Re: Jun Senoue To Adapt Some Of Sonic 3's Music For Sonic Origins
@nocdaes rights issues can be far, far trickier than simply "throw money at it." Sometimes rights holders simply do not want to play ball. Other times rights are held up in a convoluted legal web involving multiple parties that becomes an impossible nightmare to untangle. Sonic 3 is my favorite Sonic game in part because of the amazing soundtrack, so this is definitely a blow.
But as someone who also dabbled in the late 90's PC port with the MIDI renditions of the alternate beta tracks (and wondered "what the hell are these songs? where's my Ice Cap??"), I'm also pretty excited to hear what Jun Senone can do with those. It's not gonna be the same, but after 11+ years without an official release, just happy to see the game back on modern hardware.
Re: Review: Snow Bros. Nick & Tom Special - A Tired Bubble Bobble-Alike That's Finally Affordable
I once again find myself completely disagreeing with Stuart and yet fully supporting his opinion and writing style.
Much like his Dr. Mario 64 review, the entire thesis seems to be "well actually, this game is bollocks and was never good because other games do what it does better." Maybe a fair point, but I always felt that Snow Bros. had enough to differentiate it from Bubble Bobble, especially if you're a score chaser. The mechanic of getting to the top of the stage, balling up an enemy, and trying to chain as many enemies as possible while snowballing down is a solid bit of arcade game design of you ask me.
Re: Classic Beat-Em-Up 'Battletoads & Double Dragon' Gets An NES Re-Release
@Tasuki the press release mentions that the 16-bit version is getting reissued later this year. Not sure if it's SNES, GEN/MD, or both, but apparently it's coming!
Re: Classic Beat-Em-Up 'Battletoads & Double Dragon' Gets An NES Re-Release
@Gitface In the press release, they mention that they're also reissuing the 16-bit version later this year
Re: Classic Beat-Em-Up 'Battletoads & Double Dragon' Gets An NES Re-Release
Some people love to hate on the Battletoads series, but it truly is one of my favorites of all time. It's admittedly bullcrap hard, but the gameplay variety, impressive (for the time) 8-bit animation/technicality, and jammin David Wise soundtracks always pulled me in. Heck, the Genesis/Mega Drive version of Battletoads Double Dragon was actually the first game I ever purchased with my own money! Needless to say, ORDERED.
Re: Classic Beat-Em-Up 'Battletoads & Double Dragon' Gets An NES Re-Release
@Wurstsemmel753 The first Battletoads got a Deluxe Legacy Edition reissue via iam8bit in 2020, and a Japanese reissue of the (much easier!) Famicom version last year from Columbus Circle. Battletoads Double Dragon was the logical next step. Not to mention that unlike the first game, the NES version of Battletoads Double Dragon is pretty rare.
Re: Best Nintendo Switch Kart Racers - Every Kart Racing Game Ranked
Been playing Chocobo GP all day, and it's a ton of fun and has some great ideas. But like, CTR is EXPONENTIALLY better.
Re: Review: GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon - A Dead Ringer From Konami That Struggles To Succeed
Put about 6 hours in (all handheld) and personally been loving this game so far. The art style still shines through in handheld, so I can't really figure out what the complaint is here (maybe it's just cause I'm playing on an OLED?). Not as fast, fluid, and fun as Dead Cells, but definitely a 7 or 8 in my book.
Granted, I also put about 15 hours into Contra: Rogue Corps and found it to be a fun and rewarding twin-stick dungeon looter. I also loved Deadly Premonition 2 and THOROUGHLY enjoyed Devil's Third on Wii U back in the day.. so maybe I just have a propensity to really gravitate towards flawed yet interesting games?
Re: NES Classic Battletoads Is Getting A Physical Re-Release, But Only In Japan
There was a physical re-release of the NES version last year from iam8bit as part of their Legacy Cartridge Collection.
Also, I LOVE the Famicom version of this game and play through it from time to time because I can actually beat it without too much trouble (Famicom version is pretty much "Easy" mode, with the Genesis/Mega Drive version being "Normal," and the NES original being "Hard")
Re: Review: Death's Door - Much More Than The Sum Of Its Zelda And Soulslike Parts
@BloodNinja focusing on the "doesn't have many new ideas" bullet point is really a disservice to the excellent experience this game offers. I'd even argue it's inclusion here as the only "con" in a sea of "pros" is a nitpick (after all, how can a game have no cons and not receive a perfect score?).
The game takes inspiration from many other sources, and unifies and presents those ideas in clever, charming and fulfilling ways. A near perfect marriage of various systems and ideas woven together - no different than how a game like Shovel Knight is both derivative of many other games and yet uniquely it's own thing.
Yes, it clearly takes a ton of inspiration from Zelda games and the like, but the moment to moment combat and gameplay is a vastly different beast. In no way is Death's Door a redundant experience.
Re: Vicarious Visions Staff Left "Blindsided" By Reported Merger With Embattled Blizzard
As a lifelong Nintendo fan, Vicarious Visions was a developer I was VERY familiar with, having been responsible for so many excellent ports and conversions to Nintendo platforms (THPS2 for GBA, Guitar Hero series for Wii, Skylanders Superchargers for Wii U), as well as some truly great original handheld Spider-Man and Crash Bandicoot games.
Alas, while I loved their work on the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy and THPS1+2 remasters, the fact is the studio hasn't been quite the same since founders Guha and Karthik Bala left in 2016 to start Velan Studios (Mario Kart Live and Knockout City).
I'm saddened by the news of VV being no more, but I was already planning on never purchasing an Activision Blizzard product ever again until Bobby Kotick steps down, leadership is completely replaced, and all reported issues with company culture are satisfactorily addressed. Instead, I will continue to look forward to what the Bala brothers and Velan Studios continue to do in the future.
Re: Digital Foundry Explores The Two Sides Of No More Heroes 3
Maybe it's because I lived thru the N64 era's middling frame rates, or maybe it's because I truly find the expectations of modern gaming needing to reach ever higher technical benchmarks to be unnecessary and unsustainable.. but I have put 10 hours into this game so far and find the performance in the open world to be perfectly fine. Like it's for sure not buttery smooth or anything, but it's not THAT janky. It serves the needs of the gameplay just fine.
Re: Hands On: Streets Of Rage 4's Mr. X Nightmare DLC Is A Dreamy Add-On
Been playing this on Switch for the past few days and LOVING it. Survival runs are so quick, fun and unique, I could see myself coming back for YEARS. And since you gain experience and unlock new moves for each playable character, there's always something more to work towards.
Still quite confused about the eShop technical issue - I actually was lucky enough to win a Siliconera / DotEmu Twitter Switch code giveaway, and much like the review codes, it downloaded and worked flawlessly. So the content is on Nintendo's servers and applying to the game just fine. The backend "bad link" theory is the best guess I have.
Re: Hell Yeah! DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods - Part One Is Out Now On Switch
I can confirm that the TOTAL size of Doom Eternal with the Ancient Gods Part One DLC is 24.1GB.
It's not 24.1GB just for the DLC (despite the wording on the Bethesda FAQ site).
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Duel #86 - Battletoads
Box art aside, I recommend the Famicom version to anyone who bemoans the ridiculous difficulty of Battletoads. It a SUBSTANTIALLY easier version of the game.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Duel #86 - Battletoads
Throw the Mega Drive/Genesis cover in as a bonus and I'm sure the voting would be a bit more split.
https://www.retroplace.com/pics/genesis/packshots/35953--battletoads.png
Re: Review: Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash - A Solid Street Fighter EX Spin-Off For Connoisseurs
@DrDaisy there is a practice mode, but you need to fork out for the full game to access it
Re: Feature: Every 2D Super Mario Game Ranked
I just realized.. where's Super Mario Maker for 3DS? That game had a surprisingly solid single player component.
Re: Feature: Every 2D Super Mario Game Ranked
Y'all doin Super Mario Run a little TOO dirty. (Here's my list, for what it's worth.. solely rated from a single-player gameplay perspective)
1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Super Mario World
3. Super Mario Maker 2
4. Super Mario Maker for 3DS
5. Super Mario Bros.
6. New Super Mario Bros. U
7. Super Mario Maker
8. Super Mario Bros. 2
9. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
10. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
11. Super Mario Run
12. New Super Mario Bros. 2
13. Super Mario Land
14. New Super Mario Bros.
15. Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels