Dufniall

I haven't posted on N-E for a while but I've been meaning to pick it up again, so here we go! Especially with the Switch 2 being announced and released (hopefully!) this year it will be fun to get back into the conversation again with you guys. My first finish in 2025 is Call of Juarez: Gunslinger that I played on pc and Steam Deck. It's an FPS arcade shooter set in the Wild West, and has you chasing down famous villains such as Billy the Kid and Jesse James. The main gameplay is going through pretty linear environments shooting down baddies with your weapon of choice (pistols, shotgun, rifle or dynamite). There is a skill tree that unlocks stuff like being able to dual-wield guns or increase your ammo capacity. The main gimmicks are a sort of bullet time that slows time and highlights targets, and a meter that when full lets you evade deadly shots. For the rest it is pretty straightforward shooting, with some QTEs thrown in the mix. Once in a while you'll have a duel where you face off against someone in a shootout. Here you have to fill two meters by adjusting your control sticks to increase your focus and draw speed. When your opponent draws you'll have to outspeed him which is easier the higher your meters are. It is a fun change of pace but not the best executed part of the game. The campaign is pretty short, around 5-6 hours which is perfect. There's also an arcade mode that is just plain shooting without a story and going for a high score. Speaking of the story, it is nothing too special, but it is told in an original way. Basically the main character is sitting in a bar drinking and telling his tale while you're playing, and the rest of the bar visitors commenting on that. It leads to some funny stuff, like you're shooting down indians and someone comments "wait, there are no indians there" and the enemies suddenly change back to gang members. All in all a fun game, straightforward, nothing complex so it works great as a palate cleanser between or during other games. It's often on sale on every platform so worth picking it up for a quid or 2.

Yeah, I've played it on the Switch indeed! Had to dig it up, but found my 2021 Gaming Diary post: I remember enjoying it quite a lot, so it's a shame to read it probably didn't get a big player base. One of the risks of putting out a game these days with the flood of titles being released every week, especially if you're another 2D pixel action game.

Wait, a mention? Who summoned me back from my non-posting existence? Ah, 'twas Glen! But yeah, I'm on Amsterdam time so I'm usually up for something at your 7pm already. Let me know if people want to play something early in the evening. Although l don't have NSO+, just regular NSO.

Well... https://www.serebii.net/scarletviolet/teraraidbattles/event-mightygreninja.shtml

It should be, but if you have Apple Arcade it's available on there now as well. With some adaptations to single screen of course.

The credits have rolled and Ed Sheeran has been heard in Pokémon Scarlet. Finished the game with these 'mon: The verdict? It's a very tricky one. There is a certain addiction to it and I like having three main objectives. Area Zero was nice but I think they could have integrated it a lot more in the story. Some of the new Pokémon designs are cool. Some QoL changes are useful as well (such as not getting the nickname prompt). However, there are a lot of negatives. The open world is a bit of a mixed bag. Where in for example Breath of the Wild you actually find cool hidden stuff, there never is anything special here. Just the ruins that are always the same, or a TM or item. No amazing rare Pokémon, nothing that triggers me to explore the map. Speaking of, an open world game without the ability to put multiple flags is bad. Where I wasn't bothered in Arceus, the world feels too empty here as well. It's a shame they cut the catching without battling mechanism from Arceus, I loved that. And somehow Arceus runs better. I mean, the game is no looker (except for the Pokémon models), pop in like mad, every single cutscene or transfer has a small stutter, if there are a number of Pokémon in sight in a fight it slows down to a crawl, and at the Psychic Gym Test the resolution just tanked! Battles also feel a lot slower, for example switching in takes quite some time, and when a Pokémon faints and you get the XP, takes too long. I can't believe how bad it runs actually and I thought I could get over it but despite liking bits of it, for me it is (one of) the weakest Pokémon games. Still no voice acting, so here you are in a dramatic scene and mouths are moving and you hear... nothing. Oh, and the Nemona is one of the most annoying NPC's ever! I may go do a bit of the post-game but getting to this point felt like a slog so I'm not sure how far I'll get. The part after completing the 3 main events was the best part of the game so far, but it still couldn't redeem the game from being a non-polished title. Has this been given a half a year to a year extra and we could have had an amazing game. 6.5/10.

There are persistent rumours that Universal Studios is going to buy back Port Aventura in Spain. Meaning there is a chance that in the future, we may get a Nintendo World over here. Small chance and it will take a while, but that would be cool!

Since we don't have a general Pokémon thread, I'm going to post it here. But Ash is finally retiring, and the new Paldea series will have new protagonists. There will be a bunch of specials for Ash leading up to his retirement. Something not many can say, retiring at 10 years old.

How do you have 38 games played with less than 10 hours on them? Are they demos? Or do you just start a lot of games and never finish them? Indeed like @Mindfreak said, a lot of short (<10 hours) indie games I played and reviewed like Once Upon A Jester, LOUD, Spidersaurs and Dragon Ball The Breakers. Some games I just dabbled in now and then like Horizon Chase Turbo, Pinball FX and Kirby, demos like Splatfest and the Strikers demo. And some random games I redownloaded on my OLED, booted up and then thought, nope.

48 different games played this year, with the top 10 being: 1) Pokémon Legends Arceus 80 hours 2) Splatoon 3 29 hours 3) Xenoblade Chronicles 25 hours 4) Roguebook 21 hours 5) Bayonetta 3 17 hours 6) Monster Hunter Rise 15 hours 7) Cuphead 13 hours 8) LEGO Jurassic World 12 hours 9) Mario Kart 8 DL 12 hours 10) Kingdom Hearts Melody Of Memory 11 hours

I've watched 4 episodes of Wednesday, and I'm loving it! The combination between the Addams Family, Tim Burton's typical style, Harry Potter-like mood, teenage drama and nice soundtrack works well. It's feel-good on the one end, dark humour on the other and a bit of action in between.

You can play with her if you equip a cookie to an equipment slot, which are usually used for stuff like extra damage, extra hearts etc. So you lose a slot there, but she has one extra heart compared to Cuphead/Mugman. Further, she has a double jump which is extremely useful, and a dodge roll. So basically a bigger moveset for mobility and dodging. And I agree with HoT, the game is difficult but not insanely difficult. I've seen your reaction skills in Mario Kart and Smash Bros. so I'm guessing you're fine. Have you finished the final level of Mario 3D World? Because I haven't but I have finished Cuphead. It's all about learning patterns and choosing the right loadout.