General Chit Chat

Maybe they just want to say "please note, there will be no updates on the Switch 2 during this Direct" one final time 

Just spent last night doing Side-Ops, one of which involved bailing out a sheep, another of which went pretty sideways and so I went against my preferred stealth method to Kratos-level deliverance of death.  Yeah...I think I'm just going to go back to the main Missions for now and tackle Side-Ops as and when I feel like I've got something to actually gain from them, or am open to the distraction. They're good fun but already feel just a little bit repetitive, also not helped by the fact that they just keep adding more every time I complete a pair of Side-Ops. The potential for emergent gameplay feels great, but yeah, these early Side-Ops all feel pretty similar, and honestly while I'm impressed with the world visually, there's a lack of interconnectedness to the rest of the open world as soon as you take out their relays/radios and the game feels incredibly narrowed in scope. They feel like Peace Walker Side-Ops spread across an open world, but without much to connect them besides a continuous open space – again, at least so far.  Also, have me a good chuckle being referred to during recon for one mission as "the Head Hunter" (funnier yet as at that point I was just putting the guys on a snooze rather than on ice) and hearing that they're considering starting to wear helmets 

Indeed. For me it was a superior version of the game thanks to being able to use standard controls. I imagine the same arguments for Star Fox Zero would pop up if it ever got ported. I think most of the ports have sold very well on the Switch. If there is a low cost but high return then I imagine Nintendo will continue to release them. 

This is the one physical VB game I currently own, and it’s worth the price of the console by itself.  An EXCELLENTAH game, and one that was surprisingly highly influential! It was the first 2D platformer that really allowed your playable character to go in and out of the screen, allowing you to explore levels on different planes of depth.  A mechanic that has since gone on to heavily inspire games like DKCR & DKCTF, Sonic Mania, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Yoshi’s Crafted World, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge and countless indie 2D platformers like Mutant Mudds.  You have this game to thank for pioneering the ability to go in and out of the scenery, but few games have ever pulled it off as convincingly as VBWL.  The S3D effect is just such a natural fit for this kind of gameplay, and it really does help with judging depth, especially as enemies come forward from the background and into the foreground to attack you. The game itself takes mainly after the original Wario Land, keeping the same linear progression, but introduces keys that you need to find throughout the level to go through the exit.  Like Wario Land 1, you also have the optional treasures to find that affect the ending, but it maintains a focus on action platforming in a mostly linear fashion.  It’s very much the natural sequel to WL1 in that regard, before the series would go down the more puzzle platformer route. It’s such a massive shame that it didn’t get a 3DS port/remake; it really deserves the treatment, and it’s also a massive shame that it’s still locked to such an incredible failure of a console.  But it would also lose a lot from the loss of S3D, so whichever platform will eventually go on to inherit this game really should have some kind of S3D support.

Virtual Boy Wario Land NA release: 27th November 1995 JP release: 1st December 1995 Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Often said to be the one shining gem in the putrid mess that is the Virtual Boy. While I disagree that the rest of the Virtual Boy’s library is as bad as people say, I will agree that Virtual Boy Wario Land is a great game, one that shows that the Virtual Boy could be used for, both in terms of gameplay and graphics. Like a few other Virtual Boy games, Wario Land starts off looking a little bit bland. I suspect this was due to helping people’s eyes focus, but it creates a poor first impression. After a few levels, though, the background and level design gets a lot more complex and the game looks gorgeous, even with the red and black colour scheme. It makes each level feel unique and the depth really adds to the style of the game. While you could play the game entirely 2D, you would be missing out on some of the impressive effects. Even character and enemy sprites have depth to them, which creates a really lovely look that’s hard to get across in screenshots. The gameplay is also really strong. It’s a very solid 2D platformer that feels nice to play, Wario’s jump is precise and easy to control. Wario can collect various hats which change his main action, which starts with a shoulder barge and can be upgraded to a short-range flamethrower or the dragon hat, which fires a longer distance and lets Wario fly for a short period. Another gameplay mechanic are sections that shoot Wario into the back of the screen, giving another layer of platforming that can be used for exploration and puzzles. Exploration is a key part of Wario Land, as the exit to the level is locked. You’ll need to find a key hidden in the level before you can progress, but there are also hearts and coins hidden everywhere, with some utilising hidden blocks or walls you have to destroy. Each level is also hiding a piece of treasure, often very difficult to find. While you can finish the game without them, if you want Wario to unlock the secret vault for the full treasure, you’ll need to hunt them down. And then for the best ending, you’ll need to know the game well enough to do it all in under two hours. It really is a great shame that this game is hidden in the Virtual Boy’s collection, and has never been re-released. It’s an immensely enjoyable game that feels long enough the first two times you play (once to complete and second to find the secrets), yet once you know the game, it’s also short enough for a quick blast. There’s also an extra unlockable difficulty that makes enemies more aggressive and adds extra spikes and obstacles. This alone is worth modifying your 3DS for. Great Remake or remaster? This really should have gotten a remaster on the 3DS. However, it will still make for a great remake (or perhaps as part of a Wario Land remake collection) with the right effects to pull of the style of the game.