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RedShell

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Posts posted by RedShell

  1. Posted

    OK, my thumbs actually have the imprint of Switch Joy-Con buttons... Send help. :heh:

    19 hours ago, killthenet said:

    I was two feet from the line, nailed on for my first win, when I blew up and crashed out.

    Yeah, final laps on this are a blast, literally: :hehe:

    :D Love how player names are left at each explosion zone. :grin:

     

    I did not want to land there:

    :laughing:

    Can't wait for Fire Field to be added, that track is going to be a right shitshow on this game. :bouncy:

    BTW, has anyone managed to KO a rival yet? Seems impossible. Getting KO's in general (against other players) is pretty tricky. :hmm:

    • Thanks 1

  3. Posted · Edited by RedShell

    Words cannot describe how much I love this!!! :bouncy::yay:
    As a big fan of the F-Zero series (but especially the SNES version :love:) this is just a dream come true! :)

    The steering doesn't feel completely authentic to the original, but it's definitely close enough. They have absolutely nailed the look and sound though. :cool: The use of the comic book artwork, that font, those tunes... man, nostalgia is off the charts for me with this game! :hehe: And I'm really impressed by how fluid it is, the sight of so many F-Zero racers on screen simultaneously is mind-blowing! :o

    I knew there had to be a bigger reason as to why I suddenly felt compelled to resubscribe to Switch Online a while back, my subconscious mind must have predicted that this game was on the way. :heh:

    On 14/09/2023 at 6:53 PM, BowserBasher said:

    I'm really hoping this has been done to gauge interest and we get a new F-Zero with the next console now.

    I'm actually thinking it could even mean that a new F-Zero is already in development and this is a way of getting the series back in the limelight before its reveal, although I'm probably slightly delirious from all the excitement of F-Zero 99. :laughing:

     

    • Like 4
    • Thanks 2

  4. Posted

    On 14/09/2023 at 3:20 PM, Julius said:

    Bet @RedShell is chuffed right now :laughing:

    I am, for anyone that'll now be able to play this masterpiece! :grin:

    On 14/09/2023 at 4:11 PM, Dcubed said:

    @RedShell? This one’s for you :D

    Already got my trombone champ fix. ;)
    Plus I'm sticking to my habit of only buying Nintendo exclusive stuff on Switch, and absolutely everything else on PC.

    22 hours ago, Glen-i said:

    Considering how obviously inspired by Wii Music this game is, it would've been nice to see Mii support, but oh well.

    Oh wow, yeah. They really missed a trick there. :blank:

    BTW, here's a little tip for anyone that just started playing:

    Spoiler

    Don't get rid of duplicate cards, especially the Hot Dog one, as you need 10 of them to unlock something.

    :peace:

    • Thanks 1

  5. Posted

    23 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

    God I hate that gaudy RGB "Gamer" shite!

    You basically can't buy any decent PC gaming hardware these days without it being covered in tacky rainbow lights!

    Yeah, it's absolutely ridiculous. I remember being so perplexed by this rainbow light trend when I got my current PC. I ended up with the most modest one that I could, but it's still pretty stupid looking. :laughing: And there's no way to turn the damn lights off while it's running either! :shakehead
    On the plus side, it made finding a spot to place it in easy... anywhere where I can't see the damn thing! :heh:

    • Thanks 1
    • Haha 2

  6. Posted

    On 29/08/2023 at 7:13 PM, Ike said:

    Not a fan of that colour myself. Seems like it might be a little distracting to me.

    I'm a fan of the colour, but I agree that it would probably be distracting.

    I got a new game controller a while back that has hall effect sticks on it, but it also has other "features" that I'm not interested in, one of which is internal LED lighting. :heh: Anyway, every time you plug the controller in the whole thing (it has transparent casing) lights up like a bloody Christmas tree! :laughing: Even when you're not looking directly at it it's distracting as hell.

    Luckily there's a shortcut to quickly turn the lights off. :hehe:

  9. Posted

    Been a loooong time since I posted in one of the gaming diary threads on here, so long in fact that I doubt I'll even be able to remember everything I've played! :hehe:
    But yeah, time for a catch-up post where I'll just mention whatever I can remember, in no particular order. :heh:

    Exoprimal:

    Not something I probably would've played normally, but seeing as it also launched on Game Pass I decided to check it out. Wasn't too sure about it at first, but it did grow on me quite a bit. It's just a fun (and very silly) arcadey game that's easy to pick up and play without having to think too much. You team up with/compete against other players and go around shooting a ridiculous amount of different types of dinosaurs for some reason. :D It's stupid, but also pretty damn entertaining. Think Capcom missed a trick by not releasing it as a F2P title though, especially as there's already a battle pass and other purchasable content in it, but at least including it on Game Pass was a smart move.

     

    Sea of Thieves - Monkey Island update:

    I always love an excuse to return to Sea of Thieves so this was a nice surprise, and even though I'm not super familiar with Monkey Island I really liked this crossover. :) It's a lot shorter than the Pirates of the Caribbean stuff they added previously (for now at least) but I still enjoyed this update a lot more and am looking forward to the next instalment.

    I just hope that one day Rare will do a SoT crossover with something that I'm familiar with but also a fan of... Mysterious Cities of Gold would be particularly awesome! :cool:

     

    Trombone Champ:

    No other video game has ever made me laugh as much as this has. I think I've been close to passing out at some points from laughing so much. :laughing: It is an absolutely hilarious game. Also, this simply would not exist if it weren't for Wii Music. The devs were obviously very influenced by that, and it's glorious.
    The game is still being updated frequently with new features and tracks and then there's the mod scene, which I haven't experimented with yet, but it looks bonkers!:

    Spoiler

     

     

    Noita:

    This game is amazing. But it's brutally difficult!! :shakehead I still haven't managed to complete a single run after months of play, and you know what? I don't think I ever will. That doesn't change my opinion of Noita though, I love it. And I'll keep coming back to it, more than anything for the spectacle of its particle system, which is simply incredible! :o
    I never tire of watching how the various elements interact, it's all so unpredictable and dynamic.
    I also can't help but think back to my early gaming days (on the NES and C64 etc.) while playing this game and just being completely blown away by what I'm now seeing. It's like playing something from an alternate timeline where technology and processing power improved but the transition to 3D graphics never happened. :cool:

     

    Hi-Fi Rush:

    An action packed brawler/platformer that's also a rhythm game? Sounds good to me! :bouncy:
    Yep, I jumped into this one the second it launched back in January. Really interesting mash up of genres, but they managed to work in the rhythm component without really impacting traditional gameplay, so it can mostly be played just as a standard action game, but everything is synced up to the soundtrack and you get rewarded for keeping the beat so it's generally much more satisfying to play it with the rhythm in mind.

    Presentation is amazing too, easily the best use of cel shading I have ever seen in a video game, combined with stellar animation work this thing is basically a playable cartoon! Funny characters and voice acting as well. Only thing I didn't particularly care for with this one was some of the pacing, there were times when stages seemed to go on forever, would've been better to break some of them up into smaller chunks I reckon.

    An enjoyable experience overall though, and it's very nice to see a dev team taking a risk with something so unexpected and unique. :bowdown:

     

    Ghostwire Tokyo:

    Another Tango Gameworks title now, had been wanting to play this for ages so was glad to see it pop up on Game Pass. I wasn't all that sure about it initially, but eventually it picked up and I ended up digging it. The game's setting is awesome, but it's not scary at all though, which I was quite surprised by and disappointed about, given the way it comes across in its advertising, and of course Shinji Mikami's involvement. :hmm:

    Also, they added way too much in the way of side missions/collectables, there were times when I couldn't even see the map properly due to the thousands of icons all over it! :grin: But yeah, once I saw the absurd amount of superfluous content that was in this I just stuck mainly to the story stuff, which was actually really good. And it was certainly interesting to play what is essentially an FPS where you don't actually use any guns.

     

    Jet Dragon:

    Decided to see what was going on with Apple Arcade recently as well. Mainly planning to revisit Pocket Card Jockey, which I did play for a bit, but having already played it so much on 3DS it wasn't long before I was checking out new stuff. That was when Jet Dragon caught my eye, actually, it was more the developer, Grezzo. That's right, the same devs that have done various projects for Nintendo, including the 3DS version of OoT, StreetPass Garden, Link's Awakening remake on Switch, etc.
    As far as I can see, this is their very first original and self-published title. :o

    Anyway, the game is pretty weird. You get the impression that it's just a racing game, but it's kind of more like a management sim. You do race (a lot) but it's always an on rails type of setup where all you're in direct control of is boosting and (if you choose to) attacking/defending. Outside of races you have to train riders, recruit and allocate staff to oversee various areas of your base, breed and level up dragons, and set the price of products to sell in order to finance all of the previous activities. Then it's simply a case of progressing through multiple seasons of races while keeping an eye on dragon/rider stamina and condition with the goal of rising a dragon up to master rank.

    It's nothing remarkably interesting and the gameplay loop is super repetitive, but I somehow found it compelling enough to play through to the credits (reaching master rank). I think the foundations are definitely there for something pretty cool, but it probably needs a few more ideas and some extra polish. ::shrug:

     

    Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:

    The only new Switch game I've played this year, but what a game! It's basically BotW on steroids, but that's absolutely fine by me. :grin:
    How they managed to get something as ambitious as this running so well on Switch is a complete mystery, but the tech wizards at Nintendo really outdid themselves this time. The way you could solve puzzles and tackle combat in such unexpected and creative ways was always one of my favourite things about BotW, and TotK takes that aspect to an entirely new level with the addition of Ultrahand. Being able to combine objects so intuitively in order to make all sorts of creations is pretty much a game all by itself! :cool:

    There were just so many surprising moments while playing this game, countless occasions when I'd think to myself "surely that won't work" but most of the time, it did! It's a game that massively rewards experimentation, creativity and exploration. An exemplary showcase of adventure game design, which I'm sure will continue being a blueprint for many years to come.

    That's not to say it was all roses in the garden of Hyrule though... :heh: Yeah, I really wasn't a fan of the underground area. Not being able to see where you're going half the time, while simultaneously getting attacked by enemies and the terrain itself was not so fun. :blank:

    Also, there were a couple of occasions where I kind of struggled to make progress and consequently even lost the motivation to return to the game for a while. It's weird, but with there being so much going on in such a massive world, it makes it difficult to decide what to do/where to go next. The sheer amount of content and freedom you're presented with can become a hindrance. A strange thing to criticise a game for, I guess, but from what I can gather I was not alone in being overwhelmed by TotK at times. Don't recall that being an issue for me with BotW either, I think they just may have packed a little bit too much into TotK.

     

    Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen:

    Brilliant action RPG! It feels like a 6th gen Elden Ring mixed with Monster Hunter. It's also got a really cool asynchronous multiplayer mechanic whereby you create an additional character at the start of the game (a pawn) to accompany you on your adventure, which other players can also hire to aid them in their own playthrough, further leveling up your pawn and earning you rewards based on their performance.
    Despite Dark Arisen being a slightly revamped version of Dragon's Dogma (which originally released in 2012) it continues to have an old-school vibe in both its presentation and gameplay, but as is the case with other stuff I've played (the older Yakuza and Monster Hunter titles spring to mind) that simply adds to the charm for me. :geek:

    If there's anyone reading this that has never played it I highly recommend checking it out! It's also frequently available at a very reduced price (got my copy for around 3 quid! :eek:) but there is a lot of content in it, so yeah, that was definitely bargain of the year (perhaps even decade) for me.

    One thing is for sure, while the original may have slipped under my radar for a long time, I sure as hell won't be sleeping on the sequel.

     

    Resident Evil Village:

    The most recent game I've played through, and in doing so I'm all caught up with my Resident Evil marathon on PC. :yay: Well, apart from RE4 remake, but I'm not in any hurry to start that having played the original version so many times on multiple platforms!
    Anyway, Village was yet another fantastic RE experience. I like how they managed to keep the style of RE7 but made the gameplay much more engaging, it's pretty much a perfect balance between the slower paced horror/puzzle aspects of old and the newer action based stuff.

    Yep, you definitely get the best of both worlds with this Resi, OTT action and some super creepy horror. Actually, I'd go as far as to say that this game might just have the best horror segment of any other entry in the entire series! Won't mention the specifics here in case anyone is yet to experience it, but those that already have will know exactly what I'm talking about. ;)

    The only real issue I have with Village is there being quite a lot of unskippable walking/dialogue parts (especially at the beginning of the game) which have hampered my enjoyment on subsequent playthroughs. I wish developers would stop adding sections like that, or at the very least make them optional after the first instance. It really messes with replayability and speed running. :hmm:

    But aside from that, a truly excellent game. Capcom are still very much delivering the goods with the Resident Evil series, and it's now only a couple of games away from entering into my top 3 most played games by franchise! Which currently looks like this:

    1. The Legend of Zelda
    2. Super Mario
    3. Pokémon

    Game Freak, get your shit together if you want to hang on to the 3rd spot! :p

    OK, that's all for now.

    :peace:

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 3

  13. Posted

    Not too long to go for this now! Will definitely be checking it out via Game Pass. :)
    The ship creation aspect looks so cool, :cool: that's like an entire game for me already with that feature alone. :D

    Anyway, hopefully Starfield as a whole lives up to the hype and is fun to play. I just love the look and vibe of it all, but then again the same was true of No Man's Sky... which I couldn't seem to get into. :hmm:

  14. Posted

    14 minutes ago, Julius said:

    I think for me it's more the way it would look in the current climate, and just the idea of the timing of it. Announcing a potential VA job - for maybe one of the most recognisable "voices" in gaming at that? - going to AI and retiring a veteran who has played him for decades at the same time, while strikes are going on around regulating AI's impact on and utilisation in creative media, would seem very tone deaf. 

    Though honestly the extent of that hypothetical but totally plausible tone deafness is honestly a very compelling argument for Nintendo doing exactly that :laughing:

    Oh, I see.
    Yeah, don't think Nintendo would be particularly aware of or bothered by any of that, at least not in Japan. NoA/E might get their knickers in a twist over it though. :heh:

    • Like 1

  15. Posted

    19 hours ago, Julius said:

    There's no way Nintendo are going to resort to using the existing sound files they have as input for AI to voice Mario...right? @RedShell seems to be a fan of the idea (I mean I'm not totally against it, it would go further in immortalising Martinet's voice if the AI were to be generated using his voice, even more so if they credited the AI voice as being based on Charles Martinet's) but I imagine that would cause a lot of heated debate, especially if they did make the change for a game releasing in a few months and not whatever's next for everyone's favourite plumber. As if we need further heated AI debates!

    I mean as long as it were all agreed upon beforehand and Martinet was also happy for his voice to continue being used in that specific way (which based on how he comes across in interviews and how proud he seems to be of playing the role/s, I reckon he would be) then yeah, don’t see the problem. ::shrug:

  17. Posted

    3 minutes ago, BowserBasher said:

    Great matches, I think we sorted the custom stages debacle in the end afterwards @RedShell shame we couldn't get any in tonight. But those few on omega stages were fun,

    I kept checking but could only seem to select standard stages. :hmm:  Not to worry, was fun all the same. 
    Cheers for the games!

    Oh and @S.C.G, thanks again for the suggestion of the Ethernet switch, got one setup now and it seems to be working great! :) 

    No more messing about with swapping cables around. :cool:

    :peace: 

    • Thanks 1

  21. Posted

    19 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

    Check out this stream from just under a month ago, when @Josh64 and I decided to play some Wave Race 64 and Pokémon Puzzle League...

    Oh wow. :o:laughing: 

    I can’t stand the sound it makes when trying to catch up, it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. :shakehead

    24 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

    I will say though... @RedShell about the ethernet situation, have you considered using an ethernet hub?

    Nope. Will definitely look into it now though, thanks for the suggestion. :) 
     

    30 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

    I've been using a four or five port hub for a while, and am about to upgrade to an 8-port hub, as with the amount of wired consoles that are online and still functional, it's definitely required. (DC, GC, Xbox OG, Xbox One, Switch, PS5... (soon) plus a PC etc)

    I always forget that the Dreamcast had online capabilities. Probably because I got mine many years later and never once used it online. :hehe: 
    Anyway, that’s cool how you have all of those consoles connected at once, and are still making use of them too. :cool: 
    Pretty much all of my retro systems are buried in a cupboard somewhere. :heh:

    • Thanks 1

  22. Posted

    2 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

    Can really vary quite wildly.  Sometimes it ends up being flawless and sometimes it's lag central.  Kind of luck of the draw really.

    I jumped in with WiFi.  I normally use Ethernet when we play N64 online, but I was only jumping in for a few mins so I couldn't be bothered to set up with Ethernet this time (Wasn't even gonna be able to join originally, as I was supposed to working a night shift at work originally but ended up having to call in sick).  Using Ethernet does help a bit, but our home connection can't usually handle 3 Switches trying to play N64 online at once. N64 NSO is just more demanding than most other Switch online games (which I guess makes sense since it's translating button presses over the internet in real-time for four players).

    The other NSO apps aren't as demanding as the N64 one.

    I see. Yeah, I'm not a fan of setting up Ethernet either, as it means swapping the cable over from my PC to Switch, and I'm starting to notice that the connection on my PC can be a bit flaky after doing so. :blank: But yeah, next time I play the N64 app online I shall try to remember to use Ethernet.

    Anyway, cheers for the info, and hope you feel better soon. :peace:

    • Thanks 1

  24. Posted

    On 08/08/2023 at 7:59 PM, Glen-i said:

    As well as Ronald, make a habit of checking the Challenge Cup Venue after each club medal you get. Challenge Cups in progress will go away if you get another medal, and they have some promo cards too.

    Whoops. :heh:

    Are there Pikachu promo cards in this? Asking for a friend. :laughing:

    Anyway, I have to say this game is actually pretty cool. Don't have any memory of playing it back in the day, but have put a few hours into it on Switch and it's definitely growing on me.

    Thought it was absolutely atrocious initially, mind you (came very close to giving up on it actually :hehe:) but once I better understood what the hell was going on a bit more, I started to enjoy it. :) Soundtrack helped a lot too!:

    :bouncy:

    Calm down composer! We've only paused the game. :laughing:

    • Thanks 2

  25. Posted

    14 hours ago, Glen-i said:

    It did clear up once you left though.

    Yeah, I saw that in S.C.G's stream. Looks like the connection was a bit iffy again when DCubed joined though.
    Does it just not handle 4 players very well, or is it another one of those cases where a wired connection is basically a requirement? :hmm:

    I only ever use Ethernet on Switch when playing Smash Bros. really, so was on Wi-Fi last night, perhaps that was the problem. ::shrug: What connection type was everyone else using?

    • Thanks 1
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