Julius

Japanese overview trailer and two commercials: Getting excited but still very nervous for this one. The look I'll probably get used to after a few hours (even if the hands continue to serve as prime nightmare fuel) but it's mostly the music, it seems so up and down in quality based on what we've heard in the marketing so far compared to the originals, and even other compositions. The Route 209 composition for Smash sounds better to me than what we hear glimpses of in the above... Might go through the original soundtrack and pick out my favourites to do a comparison with their Brilliant and Shining counterparts. I'm curious to see what events eventually look like for this game, especially with Legends: Arceus on the way. I'd very happily just take the Key Items we got back in Gen IV and have those small events over just doling them out haphazardly like they do these days. Also curious to see how the Battle Zone island is going to be handled this time around, as I remember before you had to see every Pokémon in the Sinnoh Dex - in both Diamond & Pearl, and then in Platinum - to go beyond the Fight Area. I remember being able to help my friends find the Pokémon they needed to see (more often than not it was telling them to see Dialga or Palkia in Celestic Town through the book) and all I needed to see was some lowly Burmy. Somehow I hadn't come across one in the wild, and eventually I found a trainer hiding in Eterna Forest who fought with one. That was not fun. Let's hope we don't need to do that again

Ah okay, that makes sense! Just has me nervous seeing that jump onto that narrow ledge, I know where I'll inevitably end up... looks down at giant chasm Oh yeah, I don't care much either, like you say so long as the gameplay - and game by extension! - are enjoyable, I'll be more than happy. I'd argue that most of the greatest achievements in entertainment stand tall on the shoulders of what came before, which is just as true for games as it is films, so I love to see it. For example, Star Wars is a mish-mash of what was going on in the industry during George Lucas's formative years as a storyteller in the East (samurai films of the 50's and 60's), the West (cowboy westerns of the 50's and 60's), the Flash Gordon serials he grew up on, what was going on in Vietnam and had happened in World War II, the progression in film technology from 2001: A Spacy Odyssey and a heavy smattering of influence from Dune and Eastern philosophies. I just found it hilarious watching the preview because that's immediately where my mind went, imagining that Souls is the realistic take on these funny looking Dragon Quest monsters and yeah, the Berserk references have been very liberal in what I've experienced so far in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, and seen of the other games, which is great because Berserk is awesome. Elden Ring in particular through its trailers I feel has had more Berserk references than some of the marketing campaigns for the earlier games. Kind of hoping we get a nod to Kentaro Miura in this game somewhere, the mangaka for Berserk, as he passed away earlier this year. And yeah, actually now that you mention it, that's something I forgot to mention before: I love what they're picking to bring over from Breath of the Wild. In particular, waaaaaay more open world games need to have pins you can drop on a map and then see in the distance, I've no doubt other games have done this too, but nearly not enough. I'm also glad they basically just said "haha yeah, NOPE" to traversing up difficult terrain with the spirit springs, because it's something of an inconsistent nightmare in many open world games these days not called Breath of the Wild (Horizon and Ghost of Tsushima, for example).

Following on from yesterday's quarterly report, Nintendo have shared some more details (and graphs!) with us. First off, 32 million paying subscribers for Switch Online! That's pretty incredible considering how much the quality of the service is questioned, though of course that's typically the vocal minority of the gaming community compared with the average user. For reference, the number of PlayStation Plus subscribers was sitting at 47.6 million subscribers as of March 2021. PlayStation Plus didn't surpass 32 million subscribers until around the end of December 2018 (back when they reported having 34.2 million subscribers), with the service starting back in 2010. Not to argue about which is more successful (they launched in very different circumstances, especially in terms of accessibility to the internet!), but Switch Online is going very strong considering it only launched in 2018. Think this is pretty incredible too, that the number of people to play their Switch in the first half of this financial year (and I would assume this is only those with internet access, so it's probably even higher) isn't far off the total number to play their Switch in the last financial year. I think seeing the demographics is always interesting too, you can see the dip in the teenage years before you see that massive spike at 21 (after people are graduating from university and getting into their first jobs I assume?). Anecdotally I also feel like hitting your 20's makes you a prime candidate for nostalgia-based purchases, not just because of the access to cash, but because of the way you can now use your free time (and typically have more of it). There's not really much to say about this one that yesterday's figures didn't. Just kind of killing it in software and hardware sales. And it's always good to see Nintendo putting the pile of money back into the machine to make more piles of money. Yay capitalism.

So I watched it again a few hours ago, and I've got to ask: am I the only one concerned about the jump? It looks...incredibly floaty, especially when they were trying to sneak around the side and jump onto that small ledge. Also, maybe I've just managed to blank it out the two times I've watched the preview (so please correct me if I'm wrong!), but we haven't seen the character falling inside yet have we? I'm really curious about that as we see ambitious leaps from great heights and it seemingly does no or very little damage, at least based on the animation used when this is executed (or rather, the lack thereof?). It makes sense in the open world for traversal and stealth reasons, as seen in the trailer, but I just wonder if fall damage is going to be more prominent in these dungeons/castles/etc., seeing as shots we saw here (such as the several storeys of wood plank floors) or in previous footage, because a potential lack of / reduction in fall damage could drastically change how you approach dungeons. I feel like it's been a big part of the dungeon traversal so far in what I've experienced from From is all, so it was something I weirdly latched onto; I'm curious if anyone else feels the same? Do find it funny how even though the earlier From games I've played clearly have points of inspiration from Zelda and Ueda's games, just how on the nose a lot of it is here, the underground dungeon we saw in the preview immediately gave me a Zelda vibe from what I've experienced of the first Zelda on NES: very cramped and seemingly very direct dungeon design (oh, and also the above-ground entrance). It's funny though, because even though I've heard Dragon Quest has inspired From games before, I can really, really feel it with the spirits you can summon; it's like they took some of those designs and throwed an ugly, gritty, freaky From-made coat of paint all over them. For instance, the pot dude really reminds me of a Dragon Quest pot (urn?) mimic (which I find kind of funny because he has the appendages of a Dark Souls mimic!)... ...and the hefty guy we see summoned to face the boss really reminded me of a Hood, just the way he awkwardly lumbered around and swung his weapon. And now that I mention it, Asylum Demon, Stray Demon and Demon Firesage from Dark Souls are all a dead ringer for Clubbers! I feel like this is a rabbit hole I'll never escape from

As they did last year before the launch of the PS5, Sony are chartering some planes to help get the consoles distributed ahead of Christmas. And this time it's three Boeing 747's... I don't know what they're doing speaking to The S*n, but hey-ho. Anyways, has anyone else noticed or seen more PlayStation advertising around than normal as of late? I was out in Birmingham earlier today and there was a massive billboard with Nathan Drake, Aloy, Atreus and Kratos plastered over it. Cool to see out in the wild, they're definitely gearing up for Christmas!

It's entirely possible that it will fall just short (20 to 22 million maybe), but there are remakes of the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl out in just two weeks too, and mainline Pokémon is always a system seller. Mainline Pokémon games releasing two months apart like this has never happened before, one being remakes of the fourth best-selling pair of Pokémon games and the other one being much closer to an open world Pokémon game than we've seen before, releasing in consecutive quarters, and not to mention the fact that they're bookending the Black Friday and Christmas period, where the majority of console sales go down anyways? I think they'll be fine. I'd argue the second half of their last financial year only had two massive games too, neither of which were ever going to do Pokémon numbers when it comes to software, being Age of Calamity and 3D World + Bowser's Fury. It's worth remembering too that these projected sales are almost always low balling things so that they can turn around to investors and say they outdid themselves. Will be an interesting one to watch for sure!

Today's gameplay preview: Yeah, I'm definitely going to be saving my From appetite for this.

Collector's edition has leaked through a Twitch ad, and it looks real nice (well, minus the digital OST). Pretty sure a 40 page book isn't going to be quite that thick, either would imagine that we'll see confirmation of this after today's stream?

Daniel Dae Kim has been cast as Melon Lord Father Lord Fire Lord Ozai in Netflix's upcoming adaptation. It's not Kim's first Avatar rodeo, either. He actually voiced Hiroshi Sato in Legend of Korra!

Nintendo's Q2 2021 earnings report is out, which covers the period from 1st July 2021 - 30th September 2021. The Big Takeaways - 3.83 million units sold this quarter between the Switch (3.14 million units sold) and Switch Lite (6.8 million units sold), bringing the total for the midway point of this financial year up to 8.28 million units sold. This brings the overall lifetime tally for the Nintendo Switch to 92.87 million units sold. - as reported earlier this week, the projected number of Switch consoles to be sold for this financial year ending in March 2022 is now 24 million units. This is due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, which has seen Nintendo reduce their sales forecast from 25.5 million. - worth noting, the Nintendo Switch passed the lifetime sales of the PS3 last quarter, when lifetime sales were at 89.04 million units sold, compared with the approx. 87 million units sold for the PS3. The next console in its sights is the Wii, which it will likely surpass over the holiday season, standing at 101.63 million units sold. - in game sales news, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has finally overtaken Mario Kart Wii, with lifetime sales of 38.74 million units sold compared with its Wii counterpart's 37.38 million units sold. This makes it the best-selling Mario Kart title to date, and the third best-selling title in Nintendo history, behind Super Mario Bros. (approx. 40.24 million units sold) and Wii Sports (approx. 82.9 million units sold). It will more than likely have sailed by Super Mario Bros. by the end of the year. - Pokémon Sword/Pokémon Shield are within touching distance of becoming the second best-selling pair of Pokémon games, with 22.64 million units sold to date, just behind Pokémon Gold/Pokémon Silver at 23.1 million units sold. It will likely claim that second spot by the end of the year. - Ring Fit Adventure has sold 12.21 million units to date, which leaves it within touching distance of Splatoon 2, which is at 12.68 million units sold. Who would've thought that was on the cards when it first launched? - when it comes to titles that launched this year, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury unsurprisingly leads the way with 7.45 million units sold. It is followed by The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD at 3.6 million units sold (which made its debut this last quarter), New Pokémon Snap at 2.19 million units sold, Mario Golf: Super Rush at 1.94 million units sold, and Miitopia at 1.37 million units sold. Top 10 Best-selling Switch Games as of 31st October 2021 1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 38.74 million 2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - 34.85 million 3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 25.71 million 4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 24.13 million 5. Pokémon Sword/Pokémon Shield - 22.64 million 6. Super Mario Odyssey - 21.95 million 7. Super Mario Party - 16.48 million 8. Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu!/Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee! - 13.83 million 9. Splatoon 2 - 12.68 million 10. Ring Fit Adventure - 12.21 million

15 minutes of gameplay coming tomorrow at 14:00 GMT.

Nikkei are reporting that Nintendo will be making 20% fewer Switch consoles due to the current chip shortage through to the end of the fiscal year in March. Not exactly the news I imagine they want coming out just days ahead of the next quarterly report and Investors Meeting, so I would have to imagine that we'll be hearing more about this there. But it's not like 24 million isn't a pretty crazy number anyways, and it should more than comfortably cruise by the 100 million mark after the holiday period.

Yeah, I definitely got the sense going through that there were areas you could make it through earlier with different items, not to the extent that both of you mention though! Also had no idea I wasn't supposed to get that Super Missile first, especially as I'm pretty sure I didn't come across any until coming to the green doors on Norfair, but I think that just goes to highlight my point about the sense of discovery in the game being really intuitive. I do wonder if going in knowing that this was a remake of an NES game is what made me pay attention at points like that, as I know that some of those games can be very archaic to return to in their original forms. No doubt I'll return to the game at some point for those other ending screens, I had a hunch there might be something like that after seeing the ending screen I got in the Gallery after beating the game, but didn't expect there'd be a few! No plans to yet, think it was more I wasn't quite ready to move on from the game so quickly wanted to check it out, but will definitely keep that in mind if I ever play it in the future. I'm not totally against the idea of playing the original before Samus Returns, as not only is the latter a bit expensive to get your hands on these days (~£60 secondhand), I can appreciate what you mean Dcubed about it being different to the remake just considering things like the parry and modern QOL improvements. I think my biggest concern over playing the original would be that I imagine the map is either very basic (or it lacks one completely), which wouldn't be too bad. If that's the case, though, is it a bit more linear, or would I be best off looking for a map to accompany me through the game? Oh, and completely unrelated... ...my Wii U Pro Controller has arrived! First impressions are that it feels very nice in the hands, I'm looking forward to giving it a whirl. Probably needs a bit of a clean, but is in by far the nicest condition of any of the secondhand controllers I've bought over the last 18 months. I should have a few Wii and Wii U games arriving over the next few days, so will probably give an update on my first wave of pickups and Virtual Console raiding once they're here

Got back to Metroid: Zero Mission yesterday to wrap up my first game on the Wii U! Finished the game with 7 Energy Tanks, 150 Missiles, 18 Super Missiles and 4 Power Bombs, and (I think?) every unlockable suit upgrade. This being the first Metroid game that I've played through to the end, I've got to say...this has set the bar impossibly high for what I now expect from the other games. I gave myself the night to sleep on it so that I wouldn't say something over-the-top while running on fumes, and I'm glad I did, because now I can earnestly say that this is an instant favourite. If it wasn't for the glut of other games I want to experience for the first time, and now having a serious desire to get to other Metroid games, I would have instantly started playing this again immediately...and heck, in a way, I kind of did, spending about an hour playing the copy of the original Metroid for NES that you unlock after the credits roll. It definitely felt slower and much more laboured in ways compared to Zero Mission, but it was still a good bit of fun to try it out. I do have some criticisms of the game, but I think they just become glaring in the face of everything else I enjoyed about the game. I think my main criticism of the game remains the same, being that the bosses don't really come close to matching the depth of the rest of the game, and I say this realising that with this being a remake of an NES game, perhaps my criticisms are also in part aimed at the original. I think I feel this way because there were far fewer puzzles than I expected when facing them, with only one (the giant larva / centipede looking thing hanging from the ceiling) really matching what I wanted to see more of from the bosses, as you needed to freeze a turtle flying around before jumping on top of it, landing two missiles on the boss, before trying to freeze the turtle again, all the while doing your best to evade a spray of shots from above. It's challenging enough to feel rewarding, designed well enough to be engaging, but not anywhere near as silly as the bullet hell fights you see from most of the other bosses, especially the final two, which seriously boil down to brute forcing your way through and hoping your dodging is up to snuff. On the topic of criticisms, I do have some other minor ones, the first one being that while I really enjoyed the upgrades you got throughout, as far as I could tell there was no way to turn individual upgrades off? This resulted in me going from extremely confident with my platforming in the game, to a bit less confident when learning how long to hold and not hold A down to use Hi-Jump, and flat out "okay now there's only a 70% chance I jump the way I want to" once getting access to Screw Attack. Space Jump also just felt way too unreliable - though this probably down to getting access to it late on and not having time to get used to the timing for it - to the point that I genuinely resorted back to my Bomb-bouncing ways a couple of times. Less a criticism and more of an observation: I might be wrong, but it looked like there was some slowdown towards the end in that final area when things got a bit hectic? I do want to talk about exploration (mainly some of the my favourite moments of discovery!) and the rest of the game some more, but given how much I enjoyed it, I'm sticking those points in a spoiler tag. Masterclass in level design and discovery; great music which helped perfectly set the tone and atmosphere throughout, along with some amazing sound design; and some really great puzzles and platforming sections. I have my criticisms of certain aspects, absolutely, but they don't get in the way of this game being a tremendously lean but expansive experience. One heck of an introduction to Metroid, and I can certainly understand and agree with the excitement for Zero Mission...they need to hurry up and bring GBA games like this to the Switch! For now, though, I think I'll take my time before I get to the next one, partly as my expectations really are astronomically high for the next Metroid that I play now, and also because it will involve tracking down a copy of Samus Returns -- I don't want to miss whatever happens next!

Yeah, I got back from a party after it finished, figured I had a bit of energy so would sit down and watch it. I was exhausted by the end, made watching paint dry look like Splatoon. I actually came here to type my thoughts straight after but was that unenthused by it that I decided I'd leave it for the following day (yesterday), where a less tired me made the correct decision that it was too bad an event to really comment on. Little Devil Inside looks great...and that was kind of it, but we didn't even get a date for their show closer and the only game we were told would be present beforehand. The new Star Ocean has a Xenoblade vibe to it which could be okay...if it didn't have faces from 2002 and fewer frames than an emptied out art gallery. Happy for KOF fans that the beta isn't too far away, but they built up to it like it was this weekend. Oh, and that OFK trailer was terrible, they could cut the awkward preamble and terrible jokes (the first minute or so of the trailer?) and I feel I still wouldn't have a grasp on what it was until they outright said it was an episodic release with choices to make. Not the worst show of the year, I think Gearbox still lays claim to that honour, but it's very close. My score: I'd call this a 3.5/10.

I'll figure out a better place to put my thoughts on it another time, but for now I really need to get my early thoughts on Metroid: Zero Mission off my chest. Holy heck is this game freaking awesome! I'm a couple of hours in and having an absolute blast. So far I've made it to Kraid, where I just finished up exploring the place as much as I could after defeating the boss, after making it through as much of Brinstar as I could, as well as Crateria, some amount of Norfair (I say that because I have a nagging feeling I'll be back), and these Chozo Ruins. I've picked up three Energy Tanks, got my missile capacity up to 80, and have picked up the Morph Ball, Long Beam, Charge Beam, Power Grip, Ice Beam, Speed Booster, and Bomb, and haven't had too much trouble so far outside of the bosses, though the first of which (the giant purple worm in the room with acid?) took me a few minutes to figure out. I think at this early stage the bosses have probably been the weak link for me. Yeah, the purple worm took a few minutes (it was also nice to have the opportunity to just get my health and ammo restored!), but the giant lizard and most of the enemies in this game so far have come down to just unloading every missile and their mother at them. It's cool and kind of fun, I just don't think - again, so far - that it's matched the depth I've seen from the rest of the game. Because that's where it has really sunk it's hooks into me: the exploration. Before this I'd only played the first few hours of Super Metroid a few times, but other than that, my understanding of Metroidvania concepts comes from it's clear influence on other games. Here, though, it's like every other room I walk into has something to do other than get to the other side, whether I need to come back with a new item at a later point to reach an item, figure out another way around, or solve a puzzle. And boy have I loved some of these puzzles! My favourite so far I think was on Kraid with the floating purple turtle dudes and the zip line up above. Been plenty of other times too. The first time I walked behind what appeared to be a wall to gain access to a hidden room, or any and every time where I get to use a Bomb on a worn or damaged block which takes me in a completely new direction (especially the ones underfoot and giving you access to tubes!), I absolutely love it. Also got pretty handy with the Bombs, the first time I scaled a massive room with them felt awesome. And then you have the map! I didn't know how I'd approach this game, and though I'm sure I won't 100% it going in blind, I'm having so much fun just trying to figure out every room's secret. Heck, on Kraid, before reaching the Map Room, I genuinely forgot some doors that I walked past trying to just look around the place, I was that absorbed in it! Anyways, need to close saying the Power Grip is awesome. The sprite work on Samus depending on if she's looking to the left or right of the screen while gripping to the edge, and when she can manoeuvre her arm cannon from these ledges, just looks fantastic. But a final shout-out to Brinstar, because this theme is just phenomenal: Can't believe how excited I am to get back to this

While the case gives you a bit more grip than without, it honestly doesn't feel like enough grip to give you the confidence that it's not going to fall out of your hand when it gets the chance. It could just be me not getting used to the phone yet, as my Pixel 3 was more than an inch smaller, noticeably lighter, and the fingerprint scanner on the back was a great groove to rest your index finger in and get more of a grip on the phone, which I would say was actually enhanced by having a case (as it gave you a deeper groove to rest your fingertip in). I'd probably say I have medium-sized hands, so maybe someone with larger hands would be completely fine with it, but for me so far the case has been a mixed bag. The camera "visor" serves as a pretty decent place to rest the outside of your index finger for a better grip and for more balance without a case on, but because this case (and most other cases I've seen for it) tries to create a more level surface across the back of the phone, it's not as pronounced with the case on, which I think only adds to the feeling of having less of a grip on it by comparison. The case does look quite nice though... Oh I feel you on this, the fabric cases were fantastic! I do find it funny that the first time they decide to make both the higher end and standard version of the Pixel more than 6 inches in screen size, the grippy, fabric cases are tossed out when we needed them most. How are you getting on with yours so far? I'm really feeling the growing pains so far moving to Android 12 on a new phone, and the fingerprint scanner feels like it takes an age compared to my old phone, which is really odd. And I still can't get over the fact they've decided to stick both your mobile network and WiFi under "Internet"

Still waiting on the Pro Controller, but my Wii U arrived today! The GamePad is in better condition than I thought it would be, just a really small scratch at the bottom of the screen, so that's pretty cool. My early impression is that the menus are a bit slow, and the eShop in particular tends to drag things out when compared to most other systems. It also gives a very strange first impression when setting it up for the first time that most of it is not done while looking at the TV, but instead at the GamePad's screen; I understand what they were going for, but it did in a way make the setting up of the console feel a bit less premium. It's one of those things where I'm sure I'll come up with more negatives than positives out of the box, I think they tend to just be a bit more glaring at this early point, but there are some positives. There are these things called Folders, which for some bizarre reason still aren't available on the PS5 or Switch, so the Wii U has them beat there! While using the GamePad for initial setup did feel less premium, typing on it through the touchscreen rather than using the controller to work a keyboard on the TV felt so much better. Most importantly for my experience so far, though, is that the eShop music is way more fun than I was expecting (apparently it's been in use on the 3DS for a while too, which speaks volumes of how often I use my poor 3DS). For now I'm working my way through some of the Virtual Console titles on my list and picking those up, think I'll get to ordering a few Wii and Wii U games on the weekend to help build a bit of a library up, but I might try and take my first bite at a game on the Wii U later this evening (likely Zero Mission). @sumo73 you were right about the eShop cards being the only way to add funds now, it's been a while since I've had to pick up codes like this! Think I'll need to sit down at some point and meticulously plan exactly what I'm buying digitally, to figure out just how many eShop cards I need to buy. @Dcubed thanks for the in-depth list, appreciate it! Ogre Battle 64 is something I'm not familiar with, but I've heard a whole lot about Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (what a title), so that's definitely being added to the list. I've actually added all of them except for the ones which require modding, only as that's not something I'm looking to do (yet, anyways!).

My Pixel count has doubled... ...and like a true Wii Sports champ, gone Pro Pretty happy the case arrived today after hearing in some of the reviews that the phone was a bit slippery, it originally wasn't supposed to arrive until the second week of November! Also had my new vacuum (a Dyson V15 Detect Absolute) arrive yesterday, so it's been a fun week of new tech arrivals!

First trailer for Lightyear and...I'm not a fan of his face. Or his haircut. Still, that aside, I'm very excited for this. Crazy how far animation has come since the first Toy Story, this really looks like Pixar going for it in terms of visual prowess. It's probably the most intriguing movie they have coming up, so fingers crossed it's good! Really hoping for some Buzz Lightyear of Star Command nods, and there's a lot of red-eyed robots around looking like the ones from Toy Story 2, so hopefully with this being like the Star Wars of the universe in Toy Story (a lot of references clearly, the planet he lands on definitely having a Dagobah vibe to it), that box opening at the end is Zurg. Also pour one out for Chris Evans, poor guy keeps getting cut off and–

Huh, you know, the thought of picking up the first Splatoon didn't even cross my mind, but at the very least checking out the single player could be a lot of fun! Game & Wario looks like it's a bit steep in terms of price for the physical version, like you say, but I'll keep an eye out for a good deal on that. Some of those mini-games do look like a hectic fun time. And Affordable Space Adventures looks like a charming and novel way to implement the GamePad. All added to the list, thanks! From what I can find it seems like you'll still be able to pick things up through eShop cards and the website, but not directly to the Wii U through a debit/credit card...which seems like a real pain. Of course I had to go ahead and jinx it! Thanks for the heads-up will definitely consider it, I might focus on picking up all of the Virtual Console and digital-only games I'm interested in before that happens to save the hassle. Looks charming as heck! Yeah, a lot of reasons for and against both at the moment, you're right. I might play it smart and just wait until the remakes release, and if it seems to be the general consensus that those are the definitive versions for whatever reason, I'll probably end up going for the Switch release. That being said, I do find the GBA sprites much more charming than the 3D models in the remake, I don't think I'd be particularly interested in online modes in a game like this, and like you said, the originals on Virtual Console are going to be the more affordable option, so I'm definitely leaning towards those at the moment. Just hope Nintendo doesn't do anything underhanded once the remakes release! Thanks for the advice! Yeah, I'll probably go straight to Blazing Blade, mainly because it's been a little while since I played Awakening and a refresher on Fire Emblem wouldn't hurt! Just had a look at the eShop and, funnily enough, it looks like they're all in the Wii U's Virtual Console! Drill Dozer in particular is one I've been curious about for a while (because Game Freak, plus those sprites) but had completely omitted from my mind when looking at the Wii U Virtual Console. Thanks! Damn, a lot of love for RE4 on Wii, it's nice to see! Well timed too with all of the hype around RE4 VR, I might just bite the bullet and play the Wii version first then based on the recommendations here! Heard of some of the others like Excite Truck before, but will definitely have a look into the others too! Will do thanks for the recommendations Jonnas, appreciate it!

Legendary and WB have confirmed that Dune - Part Two is aiming at an October 2023 release, and Deadline is saying that it's specifically going to have a slated release date of 20th October 2023. What's more, it will be a theatrical exclusive release. Not much of a surprise given the buzz, how some of the WB and Legendary higher-ups have hinted at this the last few weeks, and most of all Josh Brolin pretty openly saying they were gearing up to start filming next summer. May the spice flow

Official trailer for the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop:

Updates on Xbox from Microsoft's Q1 FY2022 earnings report. Just a heads-up, it's a pretty lean update... Got to imagine the decline in third-party sales might in part be down to the success of Game Pass. Still bizarre that - unless I'm mistaken - we haven't had any sales figures for Series X|S, and that because Game Pass seemingly didn't meet their earlier expectations for the quarter, that they're staying quiet about it this time around