Glen-i

Makes me feel better. I know Mario 64 like the back of my hand so it's not too surprising that I can rocket through it. Once I check out Animal Crossing and update the N-Europe Games thread, I'm gonna get back on that. I did use a blue coin checklist for Mario Sunshine, but I was still surprised how quick I got through that. I have to assume some of the more notorious Shines were a bit of a fluke, especially the pachinko machine. But it really speaks volumes about how good Mario's athletic abilities are in these games. Take some risks and there's all sorts of shortcuts to exploit.

Well, OoT was hilarious (So many disappointing rupee chests). But I did have to resort to looking up the included cheat sheet. (A text file that you get when you download your randomised seed that tells you where items are located) Ocarina of Time is huge and has a lot of chests so we went ages without even finding the Kokiri Sword. So you have to get real imaginative. The customisation in that mod is amazing. You can have dungeons randomly be the Master Quest versions if you want more of a challenge. Songs can be randomised. You can even have shops be included in the item pool, so maybe you'll find the Lens of Truth in a shop. I also did a Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door randomiser. That one is much more straight forward. Simply shuffles items and badge locations. But it being an RPG means you'll be using different strategies than you might do in a normal playthrough, just because you might not have your favourite badge. Anyone who has finished that game could probably enjoy that randomiser. Then there's my favourite one, the Link to the Past X Super Metroid randomiser. You've probably heard of that one. You're tasked with playing both Super Metroid and Link to the Past simultaneously. The awesome thing is that Link might find items for Samus in Hyrule and vice versa. The Master Sword on Planet Zebra is fair game here. You swap games by entering certain houses in Hyrule or certain Map Rooms in Super Metroid. It's a miracle that runs on original hardware. Absolutely bonkers!

The original was inverted-y. I've noticed the cannon controls have changed from inverted-y to normal-y as well. I'm so used to Mario 64 that I keep aiming down by instinct. Very annoying. And yes, I remember where the warps are. My memory for certain games is borderline scary at times. (It's how I finished the Link's Awakening remake and wrote up a review in a day, after all) Anyway, 74 stars collected in Mario 64. I've stayed up all night, but now sleepiness is starting to set in, so will probably finish that when I wake up.

Nice of @Dcubed to not even bother... @Will mentioned the idea of a randomiser for the Mario 3D All Stars collection. But some games just don't work as well as others. That's not to say something like Mario 64 doesn't make a good randomiser. But it changes the game to scouring every nook and cranny for wherever the star happens to have spawned. Compare it to something like Ocarina of Time or Super Metroid. In Zelda, every chest is full of wonder and suspense and it makes you really want to open every one. Metroid style games are exciting when randomised because you use your slowly expanding moveset to get to more upgrades and you might be forced to use certain things without having other things (Screw Attack without Space Jump for example) The likes of Mario 64 doesn't quite work as well in my opinion because you're just figuring out where stuff is with the already complete moveset he has. It's fun, but not interesting. Long story short, not every game needs to be randomised. It's not as fun when you're not forced to work with limited resources. (RPG's work well for this reason as well) There's also the issue of having to have extensive knowledge of the game to get the most enjoyment out of it.

1 game down, 2 to go.

My word, I hate Noki Bay and it's dodgy collision detection when you're shimmying along an edge, making you fall off through no fault of your own. I hate how mean the blue coin hiding spaces are. Spray random parts of the cliff to make the wall go back and maybe reveal a blue coin! Fun!

We'll probably get a release date for Banjo when the next Smash character is revealed. So be very prepared to snap one up once that next presentation shows up.

That was some quality card chucking there. Last Card was absolutely ripe for comedy though. I'm pretty sure all of us jumped the gun with declaring Last Card at least once, surprisingly easy to do. Oh, and @Ugh first aid was watching and says this next one was the best moment of the night. She's right.

5 is the lowest.

They seem to be back to how they were before Covid. So try and avoid travelling at peak times would be my advice.

Room's open now, @drahkon, @viceview51 and @S.C.G

Ah, important questions, all of them. Each main level has 30 Blue coins. So if you check the guidebook, you can figure out where ones you are missing are. (Delfino Plaza, Corona Mountain and the Delfino Airstrip after you've seen the credits) make up the last 30. The only issue is that some blue coins only appear in a specific episode. Not to mention how bloody impossible some are to find. So my advice is, find a Blue coin checklist and use that to help. Also: Yes, Each of the 7 levels as well as Delfino Plaza give you a shine for finding 100 coins. Also: The guitar is custom made, computers implanted into the Piantas brains determine what tune they want to play and then play it whenever they start strumming. Also: E.Gadd definitely has data on Mario after the Luigi's Mansion incident. (Sunshine is actually confirmed to happen sometime after Luigi's Mansion, there's a Pianta who asks Mario why someone can't suck up the Ghosts with a vaccum, then says, "Why are you looking at me like that?)

Shout out to @S.C.G, @drahkon and @viceview51. Card games start in just under 45 minutes. Don't get too distracted playing with Italian plumbers.

62 Shines now. Just done The Manta Storm on my first attempt. Suck it, Japanese Advert Guy!

@S.C.G nominated @BowserBasher for the Loser's Gambit and gets 6 extra points for GP3. Next League Night: 24th September 8pm Room 1: @BowserBasher is host @Glen-i @BowserBasher @S.C.G @Jayesse @martinist @viceview51 Sign up Now!

Also, DKC2 isn't out until next week.

Yep, this. Fludd controls fine, but they changed the vertical controls and I keep aiming down when I want to aim up.

Yep, that's Mario Sunshine. So, so rough. All fun and games until you have to take Yoshi for a boat ride. I know none of you will believe me, but I managed to do the dreaded pachinko machine without losing a life. Anyway, 43 Shines down, 104 Blue Coins. No I'm not trading them in until I have all 240.

Yeah, that doesn't help. Not if you fight everything. @Dcubed can attest to me spending hours drawing everything to 100. Sooner or later, the enemy strength from level scaling will overtake the boost you get from junctioning.

"OK, if I just fight everything like I do in every Final Fantasy so far, I shouldn't run into any major roadblocks" - Me, before regretting all of my life choices with the final boss.

The Yoshi Circuit race was proper tight throughout! Positions constantly changing everywhere.

Orange Pink and Green.

I doubt I'll be able to stay awake for Smash tonight. So I'm gonna give it a miss this week. Nothing stopping you lot from playing without me, of course. (Still gonna be there for Mario Kart)

The first game is among the best RPG's on the 3DS. Criminally underrated game. Also, Epona was a cameo in it for reasons.

The actual huge surprise from that Mini Direct. I'm so happy!