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Darren

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Posts posted by Darren

  2. Posted

    Hey! I always planned to come back to this and respond, but unfortunately life got busy, as it does for us all. However, I am here to reply to those who kindly sent a message back. Apologies for the length of time, and hopefully you're still around!

    On 03/10/2022 at 9:21 AM, bob said:

    You might need to specify which days were the good old days before you draw Glen's ire.
     

    Good to meet you @bob the good ol' days for me were the late 90s and early 2000s era of Pokémon, so the first two or three generations that I grew up with and have fond memories of.

    On 03/10/2022 at 9:51 AM, Glen-i said:

    Pokémon natter, eh? Always up for that.

    You refer to the "good ol' days" in the title, but that's subjective. (EDIT: Damnit, @bob! I hate that you predicted me perfectly!) Most people's favourite Pokémon game tends to be the first one they played when they were a kid.

    Not me though, I'm weird.

    Despite being a fan of the series since the Game Boy, I think the DS era of Pokémon is the pinnacle of the mainline series. Specifically, from Platinum to Black2/White2.

    The four different games here are just constant high quality, with the fifth generation being my favourite mainline games ever.

    The series hasn't quite gotten to those heights since. Sword/Shield was getting there, but with Scarlet/Violet going open world, I have little confidence it will reach it anytime in the near future.

    @Glen-i Good to meet you, Glen! I think you're right, there's a lot of people who deeply appreciate the games they have their first experiences of, however as i've got older, I have appreciated other generations, such as Emerald and Platinum a lot more. I also feel that HeartGold & SoulSilver are far superior games to my beloved Pokémon Crystal, however the latter still remains my favourite. The DS era was the strongest, in my opinion. In 2020 I had the chance to obtain Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. It blew me away, and I can't believe how I slept on it originally.

    I would be interested to hear your thoughts on Scarlet & Violet in the time since your last message!

    On 08/10/2022 at 5:53 PM, martinist said:

    I only really played Pokemon seriously for the first two generations. Got all 150 in Pokemon Blue around 2000 or so with my friend that had Red but I never had a gameboy printer so I couldn't print out my tiny little certificate on that crappy heat transfer paper. I also played gold but I didn't complete the Pokedex in that one. Was a real surprise when I found out I had to do Kanto again after beating the pokemon league in Johto though lol.

    I've dabbled in pokemon Platinum years ago but I never really took it seriously. Still fresh in the box and I see the price on that thing has went way up so I might consider selling it one day.

    Dissapointed I never jumped on Fire Red or Leaf Green on the GBA when I could have. I have the same regrets with Heart Gold and Soul Silver actually. I really liked the first two generations of pokemon but then I kind of grew out of it I guess.

    Hey @martinist this post could be me. I appreciated those first two generations the most. I had Blue, and I bought Crystal soon after. Taking my first steps into Kanto while playing Crystal blew me away, as it did for so many others who played. I doubt we will see something as noteworthy in the modern era and beyond.

    You definitely missed something special with FireRed & LeafGreen, and HeartGold & SoulSilver TENFOLD! It saddens me how expensive these games are these days, and I truly hope you get the chance to lay your hands on them and enjoy them in some form in the future.

    On 08/10/2022 at 6:07 PM, EEVILMURRAY said:

    I also can wade in here too. 

     

    Side note: It all went downhill after Gold/Silver ¬_¬

    I disagree, give Emerald and all the DS games another chance, including the spin-off titles such as Mystery Dungeon. There are some fantastic moments!

    On 09/10/2022 at 1:45 AM, Dcubed said:

    Yeah.  Pokémon Black/White and White 2/White 2 was the series peak.  A soft reboot of the series that was brave enough to ditch the entire cast of previous Pokémon (until post-game), with a brand new set of 151 mons, an interesting new story driven focus that moved beyond the usual Team Evil & Pokémon Gym concept (a story that even dared to challenge the very concept of mainline Pokémon games themselves, essentially being cockfighting simulators!), excellent level design and pacing; a huge, exciting and colourful handcrafted world to explore, masses of post-game content and excellent battle mechanics.  Gen 5 really had it all.

    Gen 6 (X/Y) attempted to recapture some of what made Gen 5 so incredibly good, but fell flat on its face while doing so.  And the shift to 3D meant that much had to be sacrificed in terms of level design and such… Still, it had the best rendition of the series’ signature battle system; especially with the introduction of Mega Pokémon, as a much needed rebalancing that made previously useless Pokémon now competitively viable! If you love the battle system of Pokémon? This is the game for you.

    Gen 7 (Sun/Moon) went way too far with the story, with so many incessant cutscenes that just wouldn’t stop, you’d think that Hideo Kojima directed it! And the amount of linearity and handholding was utterly suffocating.. and on top of that? The new Z-Move gimmick broke the careful balance achieved during Gen 6.  Thoroughly disappointing.

    Gen 8 (Sword/Shield) actually took things back to more of a Gen 4 kind of structure, and it was all the better for it.  Some excellent new Pokémon designs, interesting gyms and cool set pieces; with some actual non- linear exploration!! A real breath of fresh air after Gen 6 and (especially!) Gen 7.  Unfortunately, the game was blatantly unfinished, with a massive chunk of Pokémon cut, and huge portions of planned content cut (including Mega Evolutions, and most traditional handcrafted Route/cave/dungeon environments).  Game Freak simply stretched themselves too thin during this time period, and it really really shows in the final product.  It’s a real shame, because conceptually it’s a real return to form for the series; but just not in the state it was released in.

    And unfortunately, it seems that Game Freak have given up on the idea of making a traditional handcrafted game in HD… as they’ve switched to the Open World format with Legends Arceus and Scarlet/Violet… Damn shame.  Sadly, it seems that Pokémon isn’t really for me anymore; but hopefully the battle mechanics will at least return to something closer to the heights of Gen 6 this time around.

    I regret that I never played White 2, nor owned it until a couple of years ago, when I purchased it from a friend who was offloading her collection. I plan to play it soon, however I have been saying that for the past year or so...

    I have mixed feelings on the series beyond the DS era, and too many to list here today. I do however really appreciate some of the new Pokémon designs, and it was great to see a region based on my home country of the UK with Sword & Shield.

    A lot of my love for Pokémon does remain firmly in the past these days, but I do appreciate that it's still going all the same.

  5. Posted

    I think this is a game i'm going to have to pick up, whether it be launch day or further down the line. It seems to be the final Wii U exclusive game, and that alone is a good enough reason for me to pick this one up. It doesn't look terrible and I hear the writing is really good! I think it's something I could enjoy for sure!

  9. Posted

    Hey there N-Europe

     

    It's been a while since I posted here, I just figured I would pop in again and attempt to reconnect with old friends (and new friends!) on one of my favourite communities.

     

    I guess i'm pretty excited as a fan right now, we are about to enter a brand new generation of gaming with Nintendo with the NX and the company is branching out into new areas such as mobile. It's all very new and I haven't really felt this excited about Nintendo since the transition between GameCube and Wii. While I don't have the same amount of time to play games like I did back then, I am very interested to see just what the future holds.

     

    Anyway, it would be good to chat with some people again!

  10. Posted

    12069835585_e9ff16ba06_o.jpg

     

    HARMONY OF HEROES: A SUPER SMASH BROS FAN ARRANGEMENT ALBUM LAUNCHING IN 2014

     

    Facebook

    Twitter

     

    Hey there N-Europe!

     

    I am here to talk about a project I am currently working on, Harmony of Heroes. Some of you may know me already, as i've been a member of these forums for some time, but for those of you who don't, i'm Darren, the Director/Producer of this project. My team and I are creating a fan-arrangement album based on the Super Smash Bros franchise. It is a diverse album covering Super Smash Bros (N64), Super Smash Bros Melee and Super Smash Bros Brawl in a variety of genres to suit a wide number of musical tastes. It is already shaping up to be one of the most ambitious I have ever been involved in.

     

    12070493593_50996f5835_o.jpg

     

    Our history

     

    I have been involved in two previous projects that were focused on the Metroid franchise called Harmony of a Hunter and Harmony of a Hunter: 101% Run. With the support of musicians and various other communities and websites on the internet, we released a fitting musical tribute to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Metroid franchise which has been download and enjoyed by thousands of people and is still being discussed today. The response was so overwhelming positive that we received a follow-up called Harmony of a Hunter: 101% Run on the anniversary of Metroid Prime & Metroid Fusion's 10th anniversary that received a similar reception. Harmony of Heroes builds upon the success of our previous albums with a notable franchise, a greater number of musicians and content to work with and a much larger fan base.

     

    The Team

     

    Due to the scale of this project, I have required the assistance of a dedicated team who have been super helpful in giving feedback and support to musicians. Stephan Wells and Buoy were both involved in our previous album 101% Run, and are long time supporters from the Newgrounds community. Both of them have been a huge asset to the project so far. We also have Pyro Paper Planes who has been a long time supporter, involved both of our previous albums. We have recently had a new addition to the team, Rozen. He was previously involved with the Video Game Music Choir and has already provided an incredible arrangement of Final Destination for us, which has been performed by a 40 piece orchestra and choir. Their support and dedication to the project so far has been much appreciated.

     

    12070940984_dcd5bf2901_o.jpg

     

    Our objective

     

    Super Smash Bros is a franchise that I have grown with and admire greatly. It was my first introduction to characters like Samus, and I have seen just how passionate and committed its fan base is, whether you play the games casually or professionally. It is a collection of everything that is great about Nintendo, and more! My aim for this album is to pay the greatest possible tribute to the music of Super Smash Bros and the series as a whole. I believe Harmony of Heroes offers that, and continue to do that with your support. This is where I am hoping you guys can help!

     

    12070660803_185304da65_o.jpg

     

    Thanks for your time!

     

    If you would like to follow the progress of Harmony of Heroes, you can do so via our social media platforms which can be found at the top of this post. Harmony of Heroes is a non-profit album that will launch this year free of charge!

     

    Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

  11. Posted

    I've played my last online games now! (as I'll be out the house tomorrow)

     

    It really does feel like the end of an era, not just because WiFi is down, but because that was one of the few things that has kept me gaming! I've been less interested in games in the last few years and now I really don't see myself getting much else. As much as I've loved my Wii U, 360 and 3DS, they've never kept my interest in the same way the Wii and Gamecube did.

     

    I could say it's because the games just aren't as good now but I think maybe I'm just over it now. I mean, I have been gaming a long time so it would make sense. Heck, I'm not even sure when the new Mario Kart releases other than 'a few weeks' wheras every past release I've been dying for it to come out.

     

    Back in 07, I religiously kept up to date with all the Smash Dojo updates and did my own spin on them on HM-Fusion, but I haven't checked for about a month now and honestly, they were never that interesting for me in the first place.

     

    An end of an era in many respects! Other than the odd 'non-gamer' title like Tomadachi Life, I think I'm done here. It's been a good ride though.

     

     

    ...Now I just need to find a new hobby :p

     

    Well Josh I don't know what to say! I've had a hell of a lot of fun playing games with you over the past couple of years or so. I never imagined I would enjoy Boom Street as much as I did, you and our friend in common Foo really made that game for me. I definitely got my moneys worth and I loved every second!

     

    This really doesn't need to be the end though, we can move on and play new games together, it can be a hobby in addition to your other hobbies. I think you just need new games that you can play with friends together to help bring that spark back.

     

    But yeah, thanks for everything Boom Street, so many good memories :bowdown:

  16. Posted

    Hey guys

     

    I picked up a load of SNES games a few years ago, I keep looking at them and know deep down i'm never going to play them, so I figured perhaps I could try and sell them at some point. Problem is, I have no idea how much they're worth, and was wondering if you guys had a better idea?

     

    I may sell them in the future depending on whether I feel they're worth it or not, otherwise they're taking up space and my local charity shop can probably have them instead.

     

    Goldeneye (N64)

    Troddlers (SNES)

    TinyToon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose! (SNES)

    Tom and Jerry (SNES)

    The Pagemaster (SNES)

    Super StarWars (SNES)

    Super StarWars: The Empire Strikes Back (SNES)

     

     

    All of the above games come with their original boxes and instructions with various levels of quality. Some boxes are a little worn, but reasonable condition. Let me know what you think they'll fetch!

  21. Posted

    I got kinda lucky today, I missed my bus for an appointment which was later re-arranged for another date, and on my way home I looked inside a charity shop and noticed they were selling games for £1 each outside in a box. I got Pikmin, Medal of Honour: Rising Sun, Second Sight and two copies of Waverace. But the best deal came from within the charity shop...

     

    I wanted to see if they had any other games, and while I was waiting to see what they had, I noticed on the desk behind me that there was a Gameboy Pocket in official case, with Link's Awakening DX for £3! On closing inspection of the system, I found an additional surprise....Zelda: Minish Cap jammed into the top of it -_- I hope it works, I shall be testing it out later.

     

    Anyway, all in all I spent £8 on this little lot, best haul i've had in a while!

     

    original.jpg

  23. Posted

    As much as I feel ShopTo has changed, I was really impressed with them on my 3DS, my bank cancelled the transaction as they though it was suspicious. I contacted ShopTo afterwards and they were really helpful and re-ordered my console for me and I still got it earlier than launch. They seem to be quite responsive via Twitter.

  25. Posted

    ShopTo/TNT were great with my 3DS. I was expecting it a day early. However, TNT tried to deliver two days early. Nobody was in so they left a note saying they'll try again tomorrow.

     

    Then the driver turned up at 8:30PM the same day with my 3DS.

     

    Same! My 3DS came a day or two early, I was very happy with the service.

     

    I have a backup plan. I have a friend who is a manager at Tesco, will just get her to get me one at midnight :D

     

    Good luck with that, they'll all be allocated, so you should secure one all the same.

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