Glen-i

Absolutely, I was definitely thinking "Wait, what?" And then I saw the subtitle, and just burst out laughing. It's so effective.

What is even this Boo model!? It's proper demented! I love it!

Man, that's pretty cool. Gotta ask the important question now. ...Does it fit over your head?

Hope you don't mind UFA bringing in a friend. Feels weird that half of us had a similar vehicle setup, and it's not the one you see online with randoms though...

Seeing as it's Boxing Day today, I can imagine some of you might be a bit too preoccupied to play Mario Kart. If a decent amount of people still want it to go ahead tonight, let me know.

You won't be able to get all of them right now. Some are in the post game dungeon. You could probably break the 100 medal threshold now though.

Now if only there was some way to figure out who he gave the Meteorite Bracer to...

Wallace & Gromit was amazing! Then again, not much new there. Definitely watch if you haven't yet.

This guy is getting insanely good at blurring the lines. Pity Judy didn't show up, though.

OK, time for my swag! Fair warning, horror awaits. Can you tell these are the gag gifts? Hopefully, I don't end up in prison for being associated with Balan Wonderworld... I'm gonna trawl through that colouring book, and if I don't see a Kecleon, I'm asking for a refund! Oh, but it gets much worse. I'd put this in spoiler tags for your benefit, but that would mean the rest of the post gets spoiler tagged, so I'm afraid you're seeing this raw. Sorry if you get fired from work. That is a Switch Game Case... featuring an AI generated picture of me... apparently. Of course it's not even close! How dare you!? There was 75 quid worth of eShop vouchers inside, not enough compensation for the never ending nightmares I'll now have. ANYWAY! Good gifts now! Starting with shirts! Somehow, I'm not surprised someone's made a Kecleon style shirt. Very much appreciated. I have too many actually stylish Pokémon themed shirts anyway. Omori never bloody goes on sale! So it's nice to not have to pay full price for it. It's the American version, because a European physical copy doesn't exist. Hard to tell from the picture, but that particular Kecleon plushie is based on the Mystery Dungeon one. I know that because the tag says "Kecleon (Little Brother)". And yes, I do have the older brother one, it's purple, so I've got a set now! The cardboard box behind them contains a ridiculous amount of sweets that will last me for a good long while! But the best gift? Amazingly enough, it's from @Dcubed. He's not even responsible for the gag gifts this year! "A GameCube controller? That's it?" Ah, but it's no normal GameCube controller. Notice the lack of wires? Dcubed fiddled with it, and this is now a GameCube Controller, with Bluetooth capabilities! So it can be used on a Switch! No longer do I have to choose between wireless or rumble! And he also included a bluetooth receiver that you can plug into a Gamecube/Wii's contoller port, so it works on those consoles too! Naturally, this will make me unbeatable at Smash! Sorry, everyone else who plays with me. Merry Christmas!

Monster Pile-On is your best friend. Assuming you've been keeping up with monster wrangling, mind you. Failing that, using the Stormlord Sword as an item can take care of those irritating crabs.

Yup, I did get it mixed up. Got three of them now.

I think it's more that he won't be in one place on Christmas Day, so he got the presents from that place today.

Aw yeah! With Christmas right around the corner, it's time to bust out this thing again. A thing that's totally my idea, and definitely nothing to do with @Jonnas, NOTHING! What were your favourite games released in 2024? What yearly GOTY discussions usually talk about, what were the best 2024 games for you? What were your favourite games played in 2024? Once you include older games you played this year for the first time, what are your favourites? Do they surpass this year's releases? Feel free to include replays and such, it's your opinion. Any 2024 release that you wish you had played? I mean, surely we didn't buy every new game, right? Any game(s) you feel like you missed out on? Answer all of them, or one of them, or none of them and just waste valuable internet space adding nothing of note to the topic! Guess I should go first. Glen's Best 2024 Games 9. Balatro A game that will make you addicted to Poker, according to PEGI, at least. Well, I can't wait to use my newly acquired Poker knowledge to win big with 5 holographic King of Spades! Beautifully simple to learn, yet surprisingly complex to master. Sign of any good game really. Just don't spend too long on the toilet. 8. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes I'm still thinking about this game, you know? It's made quite an impact on me. If I had to describe it, it would be "Resident Evil, but with almost none of the survival horror" (Shout out to @Julius, for no particular reason) Just a ridiculous avalanche of puzzles set in a hotel that has far too many locked doors to be sensible. It's brilliant! Be warned, though, it is a demanding game. Get that notepad and pen ready, you'll need it. 7. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island A game that actively hates you! Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but there's something satisfying about overcoming such ridiculous odds. It definitely scratches that itch that Pokémon Mystery Dungeon has left behind. For real, though, Spike Chunsoft, release a PMD entry in the first 2 years of Switch 2, and you'll sell a bajillion copies! 6. Super Mario Party Jamboree Quite possibly, one of the finest entries in Mario Party history, and there's still 2 boards I haven't played yet. And you know that's possible because Boo is there, attached to skis... somehow. That's the true essence of Mario Party! My only criticism would be that the pace is a tad slower then the other Switch entries, but it's worth it when we've got very cool boards, and by far, the best side modes ever. Koopathalon and Bowser Kaboom Squad are loads of fun, and it runs like a dream online! I can't believe the 20 player minigames run so well! So you know, if any of you have this, do hit me up. Always up for a game. 5. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake OK Japan, I get it. I get why this game was such a huge deal in the late 80's. This game is so influential, even Zelda ripped it off! It's definitely simplistic these days, even by Dragon Quest standards. But well, it's Dragon Quest! Simple is the whole point of it! Sometimes you just need a good, straightforward, traditional RPG. And sometimes that good, straightforward, traditional RPG needs to be given a gorgeous HD-2D makeover. Take notes, Final Fantasy, this is how you do a Pixel Remaster. 4. Mario & Luigi: Brothership Lunging in the other direction as far as visual styles go, the new Mario & Luigi (Which is surreal to be typing in 2024) foregoes pixel art, for full 3D models, and it nails the landing impeccably. Right up there with Wonder Boy and PMD as one of the best looking games on Switch. I'd write more, but I'm waiting for my N-E review to go up. 3. Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore Sometimes you can tell when a game is a major passion project. Arzette proves that, yes, the Zelda CD-i games could've been great! It fixes the jank and frustrating level design of the Unholy Triforce, and makes a tight, enjoyable 2D romp. All while preserving the... "style" that the CD-i games are well known for. It's a game that manages to laugh with, and not at, it's source material. Highly recommended, it's better then Echoes of Wisdom. And I'm not even joking! 2. 1000XResist Criminally overlooked. That's the best way to describe this game. OK, the gameplay is admittedly light, but if you're looking for excellent narratives in your video game, then you owe it to yourself to give this a go. Games can be art, and 1000XResist is excellent proof of that. 1. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Hey look, another criminally overloooked game. Funny that. Almost like you shouldn't take some awards seriously. It was a long time coming, and it was certainly a bumpy road travelled. But the wait was so worth it! This nails pretty much everything I consider a good RPG. It looks gorgeous, the characters are varied and fun, the music is excellent, and the battle system is expertly crafted! There's no such thing as a perfect RPG for me, but this game comes damn near close! Also, you can recreate Romeo and Juliet with a horce racing commentator, a feral dragon, and a Kangaroo with a thick Aussie accent (And he's the best actor!). If that doesn't convince you, nothing will! Honourable Mentions: Some games that I thought were good, but not good enough to be highlighted above are The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, a Zelda game that managed to not put me to sleep, and Princess Peach: Showtime, a decent, if breezy game with a lot of cool ideas. Gonna have to leave it there for now, but I will be back with the games from previous years that I only got around to playing in 2024.

Even the Grunty's Revenge transformations are there? That's proper commitment! Like you said though. It's early, will have to get back to you on that.

Note to self: Ike here's trying to cover it up, must sell story to newspaper later.

Dude, did you just admit to a crime?

It's kinda why I prefer the new method of Bonus Stars more modern Mario Parties do. The N64 games too heavily favour those who win minigames. 9 times out of 10, the person who wins the most minigames in the N64 entries will automatically get 2 extra stars at the end, due to the Minigame Star and the Coin Star being complimentary. Here? Sure, you can still get a bonus star from minigame wins, but it's not a guarantee. It's a better balance, minigame wins are still important, but not the be-all, and end-all. Makes for more exciting finales as well. A run of bad luck can end up being beneficial in the long run, or a inconsequential decision to not use an item to lower the chances of a Plunder Chest being successful biting the person back later, even if no-one realises it until the very end!

TWO SPACES!? TWO SPACES!?!? Are you trying to tell me if I used that random Mushroom I was given in the Last 5 turns event, I would've gotten that Bonus Star instead of @BowserBasher, and won!? It's enough to make a ghost fall off a tightrope! My track record for coming last on the turn order roll is incredibly impressive!

It needs to be said, this has to win "Most stylish KO" tonight.

Oh, I wasn't literal with Pikachu being the only one, more of a general consensus that Pokémon names rarely match the Japanese ones. Like you said, it's for the better. That one is very amusing, it's in the same generation, did no-one think to ask if it was too similar?

You're American, right? Do you think that might be it? Different regions getting different rollouts?

Ugh, man. I am proper beefing it lately with not getting jokes.

OK, as you already know, I'm moving the next theme night forward to tonight. Secret Smash Santa No images here, as you each have personalised ones I sent to you via PM. ( @BowserBasher and @RedShell need to just choose their free spaces, then I'll send their pictures) As you probably realised, Ugh First Aid would like to join in tonight. So, as a reminder, and for the benefit of RedShell, a reminder. Because she's partially sighted, a fast paced game like Smash can be a bit hard for her to follow, so to level the playing field, I'm turning on handicaps when she joins in. Some stages with bright or fast moving backgrounds will also be removed. I'd like everyone else to set their handicap to 60%. You can do this on the character select screen. I will also set the Damage Ratio to 0.7, this way, she'll be harder to KO, but everyone else should be able to take the expected amount of punishment. Custom stages from 7:30. EDIT: Oh right, yeah, format. Format: 3 Stock, 10 Minutes FS Meter: On

Huh, that's very weird. Oh well, Scarlet/Violet has a decent soundtrack, not as amazing as Sword/Shield, but it doesn't fall into the BotW trap of going minimalist like Legends: Arceus did, at least.