RedShell

Great games everyone, cheers! @Vileplume2000, I felt so guilty when you fell off my custom Miitopia stage during that 1v1 with @Glen-i! You did a really great move to dodge under the logo towards the lower ledges and would’ve survived had I not made those two ungrabbable. The idea was for that section to be a high risk area, but think I’m going to modify it after seeing that. It’s funny how I always seem to do better at Smash when I’m not really trying and messing around instead, even when using a character I completely suck with, i.e. Olimar. Anyway, see you lot next time!

@Glen-i, you hosting a battle arena tonight?

Yep. Sad but true. It’s not as much of an issue when you game exclusively on Nintendo systems, but once you spend time playing on higher spec consoles and PC in particular, that’s when it becomes crystal clear just how much room for improvement there actually is. While there are certain Switch games that would massively benefit from more horsepower, the fact is they could all be significantly improved, either by higher/smoother frame rates, increased resolution/image quality, or all of the above and more. When I saw a video of Bowser’s Fury being emulated on PC at 4K/60+FPS that was a real eye opener as to just how much the current Switch hardware is now holding back even Nintendo’s own development teams! That said, there has been some straight-up wizardry on the Switch as well. For me the best example still has to be Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. That game looks so good and runs amazingly (including online) it actually defies logic! But even it would benefit from a hardware upgrade as it’s still possible to completely tank the frame rate with an 8 player all Ice Climbers battle, or a custom stage with too many moving parts etc. Or worst of all, an 8 player all Ice Climbers battle on a custom stage with too many moving parts! Anyway, it’s going to be really interesting to see exactly what the impact will be for existing software running on a more powerful Switch, so bring on that reveal!

Be funny if they simply called it that and you end up correctly predicting it in the very first sentence of this thread. Yep, I’m going with Switch 4K now, for that reason alone.

A couple more games finished, first up is... The Wild at Heart. This caught my eye on Game Pass so decided to check it out, I then ended up playing pretty much nothing else until finishing it. This game is basically a massive homage to Pikmin! I suppose you could call it a massive rip-off too, but I feel that would be unfair to the devs, as while it does indeed borrow heavily from the Pikmin series (understatement ) you can tell they had good intentions, not to mention a lot of love for Nintendo's work. The fact they were able to replicate the vibe of Pikmin and its gameplay mechanics so well is proof enough of that. The game looks, sounds and plays great, but there are some issues. For example, when you have more than 20 or so Pikmin following you around (they're obviously not called Pikmin in the game, but I can't actually remember their name now so will refer to them as Pikmin ) things can get pretty choppy, it's nothing game breaking but it's certainly very noticeable at times, especially during the later stages when you have the maximum amount accompanying you. There were also a few occasions where it wasn't too clear how to traverse the environment in order to progress, meaning I was left wandering around for a while. Now this could be seen as a negative of a positive I guess (depending on how you like exploration in games) but for me it did get a little bit frustrating once or twice. Apart from that stuff though I had a blast playing The Wild at Heart, and in some ways I think I even found it more enjoyable than any title from the genuine Pikmin series! Next up is the game that would've been completed first (if it weren't for "Pikmin" ) and that is... Just Cause 4. Every once in a while it's nice to just play something that's dumb and doesn't take itself too seriously, and this series fits the bill perfectly! I mean it's basically the video game equivalent of the movie Commando. One guy running around taking on an entire army using an absolutely ludicrous amount of fire-power and spectacularly blowing up pretty much everything in the process. What's not to love? Right?... WRONG! Yeah, for everything this game does well, it also gets a hell of a lot wrong. Like the mission/level design, well, I say level design but it's difficult to see what exactly the designers have actually done in this, other than create a handful of mission objectives and then repeat those over the course of the entire campaign. After a few missions you've literally seen it all, they just have you running/driving/flying from one waypoint to another, activating switches and shooting at goons/various mechanical structures until they explode. It's seriously lacking in variety. Having said that, the spectacle of all the explosions going on combined with the completely unrealistic physics does help to make each mission more enjoyable, and there's often something unexpected/funny going on which helps keep you going. The same cannot be said for the story, which is unsurprisingly atrocious. And the cutscenes are even worse! For some bizarre reason they appear to be pre-rendered (using the lowest visual settings) and then massively compressed to add insult to injury! Why they weren't done in-engine I'll never know. Anyway, repetitive mission structure and awful cutscenes aside, I did still manage to enjoy most of my time with Just Cause 4, but definitely not as much as I did with 2 or 3 for that matter. Even so, if Just Cause 5 happens I'll probably still play it, you know... just 'cause. Completed: Tetris Effect: Connected (PC) Doom Eternal (PC) Dragon Quest XI (PC) The Medium (PC) Yakuza 3 Remastered (PC) UnderMine (PC) Ring Fit Adventure (Switch) Levelhead (PC) Superhot: Mind Control Delete (PC) Sea of Thieves (PC) Doom (PC) Monster Hunter Rise (Switch) World of Demons (Apple TV) The Wild at Heart (PC) Just Cause 4 (PC) Played for a while: Cyber Shadow (PC) Control (PC) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PC) Yakuza 4 Remastered (PC) Wreckfest (PC) Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat (Apple TV) Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker (Apple TV/Mobile) Clap Hanz Golf (Apple TV) Dragon Quest Builders 2 (PC) Older games that I'm still playing regularly: Mario Kart Tour (Mobile) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) Rocket League (Switch/PC) Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) Tetris 99 (Switch)

Spoke too soon. Looks like the latest update has added that very requirement. 100% completion just got more annoying. Anyway, have once again done all the available quests. The new content is pretty good, and the Valstrax and final boss quests are plenty challenging before you’re able to upgrade your gear!

Say what now? Pretty sure their games are still handcrafted. Unless of course all Nintendo staff have been replaced with robots/AI.

Yep, that’s right. Was that “Special” tab always there in the forge armour section though, or did it appear alongside this event quest? Can’t remember now. Anyway, this is indeed a pretty good sign that stuff like the shadow shades (and the usual silly armour) will eventually appear.

Like a Dragon PC mod: Never really got into the whole modding thing, but thinking I should start after seeing that.

Time for an update, starting with... Monster Hunter Rise: Have been pretty much glued to this since it launched, really enjoying it a lot. So much so that I basically replayed it from scratch (using a 2nd profile) immediately after completing it with my 1st character! Yeah, I just could not get enough of this game! Needless to say this is probably my favourite entry in the Monster Hunter series. While there are certainly some issues with it (especially for anyone that's been playing these games for a while now) ultimately it is a fantastic experience. I absolutely love the traditional Japanese theme they went with, the presentation is also phenomenal considering the limited power of the Switch, and the new gameplay mechanics are such game changers that I won't be surprised if they become permanent additions to the franchise. I can't even imagine playing another MH game without the Wirebug! Wyvern Riding is so much fun too! While I certainly got my money's worth from the game already, with additional content still on the way and hopefully some more N-E online hunting sessions too (plus the worrying possibility of me double-dipping when the PC version arrives ) the Monster Hunting fun in Rise isn't over yet! Spending so much time with MH Rise meant not much else has been played, I did however manage to sneak in a few games when I saw Apple had added a bunch of new titles to Apple Arcade a while back. Just couldn't resist checking some of them out, especially as one of them was from none other than Platinum Games! World of Demons: I'd never heard of this before seeing it in the new Apple Arcade line-up, but apparently Platinum had been working on it for over 3 years! So yeah, being a big fan of most of their stuff I had to check it out. To best describe this game I would say it's what happens when you take the humour of Viewtiful Joe, the art style of Okami and the gameplay of Bayonetta and then mix that all up in a blender. I was super curious as to how it was going to play given it's a fast-paced action game primarily designed around mobile phone touch controls, and sure enough the answer was not very well. You can tell they tried to simplify certain aspects in order to make it work, but on-screen buttons were never going to offer enough precision for something like this. Luckily though, the game is also playable on Apple TV which is where I ended up playing it using a DS4 controller, and that made it infinitely more comfortable and enjoyable. In terms of gameplay it was pretty straightforward, the areas are all quite small and very much on the simple side. There is some mild exploration/puzzle solving in there but seeing as you have to unlock paths by defeating Yokai (which gets pretty repetitive after a while) that kind of put me off looking for secrets, backtracking, etc. I think the best thing about the game for me (other than the superb art) was actually its dialogue, it's super cheesy stuff but some of it really did make me laugh a lot. Also, some of the monster designs are so completely out there, I was particularly surprised they got away with the ones that had... Anyway, a reasonably enjoyable game IF you can play it with a controller. In which case I'd recommend at least giving World of Demons a go for anyone who's a fan of Platinum Games. Hopefully it'll make its way to other platforms at some point too so more people get the chance to play it. Quick mention on another Apple Arcade game that I unfortunately didn't spend as much time with as I'd have liked, and that is Wonderbox: This is basically like The Legend of Zelda x Captain Toad, with the added awesomeness of a level creator. I'm no longer subscribed to Apple Arcade, but if/when I do again, this'll definitely be one of the first games I jump back into. Right now I'm back on Game Pass though checking out the latest additions there. I started with Dragon Quest Builders 2, but initial impressions were not good (unsure if I'll return to it) so I'm currently playing Just Cause 4 instead, which I'm happy to report is proving to be as entertaining as I was expecting it be: Physics? Completed: Tetris Effect: Connected (PC) Doom Eternal (PC) Dragon Quest XI (PC) The Medium (PC) Yakuza 3 Remastered (PC) UnderMine (PC) Ring Fit Adventure (Switch) Levelhead (PC) Superhot: Mind Control Delete (PC) Sea of Thieves (PC) Doom (PC) Monster Hunter Rise (Switch) World of Demons (Apple TV) Played for a while: Cyber Shadow (PC) Control (PC) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PC) Yakuza 4 Remastered (PC) Wreckfest (PC) Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat (Apple TV) Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker (Apple TV/Mobile) Clap Hanz Golf (Apple TV) Dragon Quest Builders 2 (PC) Older games that I'm still playing regularly: Mario Kart Tour (Mobile) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) Rocket League (Switch/PC) Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) Tetris 99 (Switch)

Shame you didn't divulge the theme earlier, as I would've prepared something for it. Or perhaps that's exactly why you didn't. Anyway, catch you lot later on for some... Superrrrrrr Smaaaaaaash Brotherrrrrrrs!

Yep, the Zinogre Light Bowgun using mainly Slicing ammo taking full advantage of Weakness Exploit Lv 3. It’s pretty sweet. *EDIT* Lv 3 skills list: Weakness Exploit Spare Shot Ammo Up Reload Speed Recoil Down Rapid Fire Up

New PB for solo Narwa hunt: And that was without eating for Felyne Weakener, although not sure how much that weakens Narwa, if at all. But yeah, pretty pleased with that time.

I get a worrying feeling that all of the event quests in Rise are only going to reward things like stickers, gestures and titles rather than cool armour/weapons based on Capcom and Nintendo games. Meaning we either won’t be seeing any of that stuff at all, of worse yet they make it paid DLC. Anyway, I’m only 2 awards away from 100% completion on the guild card now, but they’re both pretty straightforward and just a matter of collecting and hunting a certain amount. Glad you don’t need to bother with the monster size crowns this time. But yeah, I’ve been enjoying this game so much that a while back I actually made a 2nd character and blasted through all the hub keys again! Will probably start using that character on N-E hunts now too (for a bit of variety) so if you’re ever joined online by Zia, that be me.

Hahaha! Oh man, that is hilarious. They should make playable duck Kiryu DLC.

Thanks. I was only planning to fix the camping spots on Great Smash Ball (which was just a simple case of moving the top 2 cannons slightly) but then I got carried away (as is often the case when using stage builder ) and made a few more changes. First I added a mild wind to slowly push any characters on the ice towards the cannons, then I noticed it was also sliding the items and they were all accumulating on the sides. So to fix that I cut a small section from each side and placed a couple of warp spots to bring any lost items back into the stage via the Smash Ball itself! I didn’t predict the possibility of some items going through a loop though, like what happened with that Green Shell yesterday! Anyway, cheers for the games and for enduring my custom stages.

Yep, I need this.

Don’t know about the console versions, but they certainly weren’t bad on PC (installed to an SSD). Those little tips on the loading screens? Blink and you’ll miss ‘em! I imagine Rise on PC is going to have no loading times whatsoever.

Nope. Looks like I will soon though. Ooh! Just Cause 4 next week as well.

Man, am I jealous of anyone playing this for the first time. Great game. Also, Nintendo need to be patching those additional Mii customisation features into the Switch system Mii editor right now!

Yeah, I did a double-take at that. Very cool surprise.

Nope, I haven’t played it yet either. Hopefully a PC version is on the way though as I’d still like to play it at some point.

Is anyone else’s All Software section on their Switch displaying incorrectly when set to filter it by longest total playtime? On mine I noticed it had Mario Tennis above stuff like Zelda! Which is just unbelievably wrong. So I booted up both of those games to get them back on the play activity list, see if that would fix the problem. Zelda has 165 hours played, Mario Tennis is at 35 hours (somehow ) but still they show up in the wrong order in the all software section. Restarted my Switch... still wrong. Weird. Obviously not a huge problem, but it is somewhat annoying seeing Mario Tennis Aces pretending to be a game with actual content.

Yeah, perfect timing. Would’ve liked to hunt with you guys for longer, but I was struggling to see the monsters at that point! I just can’t do “late” gaming sessions anymore, I literally am too old for that shit now. Anyway, I’m sure we’ll have plenty more opportunities to hunt alongside each other. @Hero-of-Time, was nice hunting with you again too, it’s been a while. Still a legend with the Long Sword I see. I’ve been doing quite a bit of experimentation with various weapon types recently. I’m currently trying to figure out the Great Sword, but I spared you lot from that last night as I didn’t want to sabotage Mokong’s keys/urgent. It’s incredible just how much the game changes when using an unfamiliar weapon though.