RedShell

My copy is on its way, hopefully it'll arrive tomorrow. I've also been keeping clear of spoilers (thanks to my D.I.Y addiction ) so I'm really looking forward to checking out all the new stuff in the game. Talk about entertainment overload: SMG2, World Cup and E3... Good times!

"Hardcore" enough for you?... My ears are actually bleeding right now. http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/portals/play-wii-17841.html?redirectid=4c65115d5db82e33b4f3c33fc3edf53d

You are not alone my friend. Anyway, I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I've really enjoyed every single one of the "Wii Something" titles. Yeah, especially that one. And I'm sure it'll be no different with this, the more the merrier I say. : peace:

Posted this over in the Wii Channels board, but just in case anyone misses it over there...

The long awaited Super Mario Kart Album by the OneUps was released today! Jazz/Funk meets the SMK soundtrack and it's seriously rad. Check it out here: http://theoneups.bandcamp.com/album/super-mario-kart-album Music Vid: : peace:

You could always stick it in a Wii Points box, to make it fit in.

Absolutely loving Battle Hall... I wish this continued to play during the actual battles: Audio The vibe, the music, the fact it seems to be the easiest of all the battle modes. Seriously what's up with some of the insanely tough Pokémon at the Battle Frontier!? I managed a winning streak of 49 at Battle Hall really easily, then when I faced Argenta... SMASHHHHHHH! One super effective hit and it was all over. Was I just really unlucky, or is that 50th battle always like that? Might have another go tonight. But it looks like my Pokémon journey is coming to an end now, it's almost time to swap those Pocket Monsters for some D.I.Y.

Received another "shiny" via the GTS. This thing: These dodgy Pokémon can't actually mess your game up or anything, can they? Anyway, I'm now really getting into the Battle Frontier. So much going on in that place though it's crazy! I never realized there were quite so many different sections / types of battle mode. Loving how they've all got their own theme music too, this one really took me by surprise: Audio Awesome track. :awesome: Headphones all the way with that one though, listen to it through the DS speakers and half of it disappears.

Loving the DK toys, Steve. Here's my current collection, in the order they were bought/received:

It's crazy huh? I can't actually remember the last time I went to a GAME store, they've been that bad for such a long time now. And while you're right that HMV are much better with new releases, their prices tend to be a bit OTT for my liking. When we had the Silent Hill launch fiasco I went to HMV on the Friday and sure enough they had it in stock, but for £40! I just ordered it online from Zavvi for over 15 quid less. I know buying online isn't always ideal, what with the risk of stuff getting lost in the post and obviously not being able to trade-in games etc... But when the difference in price is soooo immense, I think it's pretty pointless going to game shops these days. Then again, I still remember the good old days of going to John Menzies and buying C64 games for like 99p! So maybe that has something to do with it too.

I've made quite a lot of progress on this now, got all 16 badges, caught most of the special Pokémon (in standard Pokéballs of course ), defeated Red, etc... Why does it still seem like there's loads of stuff left to do? I love the bit when you visit Game Freak and get the GB sounds item after collecting all the badges. Suppose I should concentrate on creating a decent team and get into the whole battling thing now then, but I get the feeling that all the Pokémon I like (i.e. the cute / funny looking ones) are rubbish at fighting.

Nice one! I managed over 90% on mine, but then it just got stuck there. Have you got all of the profile icons now, Adam?

The people behind localisation at NoA/E really need to sort it out, they've completely ruined the humour in this version of the game. I'd been slightly disappointed by the dialogue since I started playing anyway, but when I got to Celadon city's gym, that was the last straw. Seriously, how's it possible to go from this: Brilliantly funny moment on the GBA game, notice how the pervy old man doesn't even turn to face you as he's too busy checking out the women. Quality. To this?: Now we get this politically correct crap, that isn't funny in the slightest. I'd be really interested to know if the Japanese version of HG/SS was written like that, highly doubt it though. Not cool. Come on Nintendo, if you want your games to entertain and appeal to a broad audience you've got to stop with the pointless censorship. This might seem trivial to some people, but at the end of the day it's little details like this that make all the difference.

*High five!* I thought I was the only one on here with that obsession, nice to know there are more cool Pokémon trainers on N-E. Anyway, I'm now exploring Kanto. Loving what they've done with some of the music: Audio Audio Sweeeeeeeet.

Well, I loved it when it came out and still love it now.But yeah, each to their own, ey? : peace:

Ahh, I see. I really should pay more attention. But if someone can create fake Pokémon anyway, why bother trading? Oh well, I still have my Shiny Parasect. That one's definitely real.

Really!? How can you tell if that's the case? I traded a Rotom for it, here's the summary of the shiny:

I've caught Ho-oh now, in the good old regular Pokéball. And I'm getting quite a collection of other Pokéball types in my bag (without buying anything but the normal type) around 50 Great, over 20 Ultra and 4 Masterballs. (although 2 of those were traded over from Diamond). In other PokéNews... I got my second shiny Pokémon ever the other day: And the best thing was I didn't even need to catch it myself, as it was via the GTS!

I know some luck always comes into the equation with Mario Kart, but the version that puts the most emphasis on skill is this one, trust me. It might not seem like it at times, but it is. You see depending on which character you're playing as, you'll have 2 main rivals. For example, if you're Mario it'll usually be DK Jr and Peach. If you hit them their recovery time from the attack won't be any less than your own, or any of the other CPU characters for that matter. It's just that they will catch up a heck of a lot quicker in order to remain being your rival, the game is just programmed like that. So don't think of the main CPU rivals like this: But rather like this: Basically they will stop at nothing to kill beat you. An incredibly well timed hop, it's a fluke more than anything though. I've only ever managed it a couple of times before and just over nanas. The CPU casually hopping over everything in their path is merely another way of taunting the player in this game. The best course of action to avoid enemy attacks is just to use anticipation, they're mostly quite predictable anyway so it's not that difficult really. If you see the character ahead of you preparing an item, just get out of their racing line, or if you've got a shell fire at the obstacle to clear it. The same goes for whenever you're in the lead, the map view will switch to rear view, giving all the warning you need that a projectile is incoming. Has anyone experienced a CPU kart jumping to avoid your red shell though? Now that one's a real kick in the balls.

I was expecting the hyperactive CPU and difficulty level of Super Mario Kart to cause a stir with newcomers, but must admit I'm quite surprised to hear it from people with previous experience of the game/older gamers. To me the "cheap AI" is part of what gives SMK its charm, I mean you want to be challenged right? If the CPU just let you be, it'd be a pretty boring ride. Plus, it's nothing like on newer versions (especially MKWii) where it's possible to get completely battered by multiple CPU attacks in a matter of seconds, SMK generally sticks to the formula of only your closest rivals attacking, meaning you usually have ample opportunity to get out of trouble. The fact that DK Jr keeps spamming the bananas and Luigi keeps turning invincible etc... is annoying, but it's intentionally designed that way to make you raise your driving skill level to be able to deal with it, and if you play enough you will find it becomes increasingly easier to avoid the CPU attacks by jumping over hazards, cornering better, and so on. Also, due to how cheeky the CPU can be, the pure satisfaction of taking out one of your main rivals with a shell is simply immense ... That beefy hit sound effect, the spinning animation... Oh man, I love it! For me, that will never lose its appeal. it's just classic. Yep, people often describe those that hold retro titles in high regard as donning the rose tinted glasses, but having spent hours on SMK today I can definitely say it's still my favourite Nintendo game of all time. Lovely visuals, brilliant and genre establishing gameplay, absolutely exquisite music, and just filled to the brim with fun. I actually can't play this game without cracking up at some point or at least smiling from ear to ear. Anyway, I hope those that are finding it too difficult, or dislike the CPU AI stick with it for a while. At least try to get into it a bit more. You've got to remember though this game is 18 years old, going in with expectations based off modern games (even modern MK) is not a good idea. When Reggie described MKWii as "not your father's Mario Kart", he wasn't kidding. This is your father's Mario Kart, and it's a whole different ball game son!

Just a bit, yeah. Happy fooooools, people! : peace: