Grazza

That's odd, I was thinking of the 2nd game, Robocod, within the last few days. Must admit I didn't like the first game, but Robocod was magical, highly indicative of what the Megadrive was all about. When I turned on that cartridge, I was entering another world. Higher and higher, level after level... it seemed to never stop. I've never had the same feeling of literally such a "tall" game world to explore.

Ah, I could tell it was a character from Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door, but I couldn't remember her name, so I assumed "Madam Flurry" was correct. It was well-drawn as usual though. I knew who it was straight away (just not her name!)

Yep! Ah, that was good fun. Was surprised at the "Does this appeal more to Male or Female players?" question as, quite honestly, how do I know? I just said "Male" for everything because that's what I am. My scores: Excitebike - 3/5 Kid Icarus - 3/5 Metroid II - 3/5 Mighty Switch Force - 4/5 Zen Pinball - 4/5 Super Street Fighter IV - 4/5 DOA Dimensions - 4/5 Super Mario 3D Land - 4/5 Pilotwings Resort - 4/5 Letterbox - 5/5 Ocarina of Time - 5/5 Metroid Fusion - 5/5 Not rated - Fire Emblem (undecided) and Tales of the Abyss (played 2 hours but it's not eligible). Didn't have the heart to give Excitebike less than 3/5 in the end because a) it was free and b) I've got very fond memories of it. It was my No.1 game for a quick play during 2011 - always good for a quick zoom. Mario and Pilotwings had moments where they felt 5/5, but at the end of the day, to me they are not in the same league as Ocarina of Time or Metroid Fusion. If nothing else, it was an opportunity to tell Nintendo how much I love Metroid Fusion (hint, hint)!

I've never hot-swapped a cartridge (I do it with USB leads on the computer, but not with games on my consoles). I just can't get the "Megadrive" mentality out of my head - people used to write to the magazines saying they'd ruined their Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge by doing so. When my mate got a SNES, he even boasted it had a lock to stop you taking the cartridge out whilst it was turned on. I know times change, but I don't think I'll ever be able to hot swap a cartridge! As for the logic of no replies (by the thread-starter) in Letterbox, I guess it's to save space and bandwidth - just generally to stop the threads getting out of hand and needing to download 40 letters every time you load it up. Maybe that's another thing that makes me weird, but I do actually understand the logic of it!

I'm hoping Marvel Pinball will become available. [EDIT - it is!] As much as I like Zen Pinball on the 3DS, the higher-res the screen the better. Sometimes I just can't see or understand which bits of the table do what. I expect it uses Wi-Fi, just doesn't need the internet. So yeah, I'm expecting it to be just like StreetPass. Is there a really good site about downloadable games for Vita, like Nintendolife? I'm totally out of the loop and I'd love to see clear lists distinguishing between PSP games, download-only Vita games and optional-download/retail Vita games.

Is that from Groose's machine or the whirlwinds? If it's the former, you have to pull the cannon back so that the translucent circle is visible on The Imprisoned, otherwise you overshoot it. However, I'm guessing you know that and have completed the game. Must give this whirlwind method a go.

The thing about handhelds though is that they are like your personal entertainment centre, especially nowadays as they have so many features. I don't play my 3DS much outside the house, but I do have a little play of pinball or something if I've got a few minutes. Also, maybe it's just me but I like to play them in bed whilst watching 24 hour news, just playing with the built-in/downloaded software, browsing photos etc. That's not to say I'm not worried about the Vita. If the 3DS had totally flopped (which thankfully it hasn't), you at least knew Nintendo would support it for the next 5/6 years. To me, that means a lot. But what happens if Vita doesn't get 3rd-party support? Maybe I'm just unaware, but I haven't seen a lot of upcoming games from Capcom, Konami, Square Enix... Personally, I'm getting a "Dreamcast" vibe, as it's a machine I want just for the hardware. But very lovely hardware it is, there's no doubt about that. By the way, does anyone know if you can save photos from the web and view them offline? I know it has a "Photos" app, but the offline is important to me.

I'm interested, but I genuinely don't know how to do it. Had quite a good look at it too, but I can't find any "How Do You Rate This Game?" links. Of what I've downloaded, I would probably rate them like this: Excitebike - 2/5 Kid Icarus - 3/5 Metroid II - 3/5 Mighty Switch Force - 4/5 Zen Pinball - 4/5 I am interested in the eShop, but it's just a waiting game for me. Really want Shantae on the Game Boy, as well as some original platformers, preferably Metroid-like.

Hmm, that's odd. I thought you had to attack the toes, at least the first time you fight him, as he doesn't have hands at that point. So, it's possible to land on top of him before he's fallen over? I must try that! For the record, I thought the hardest bosses were Ghirahim and Demise. The Imprisoned didn't cause me much trouble during the main game, but he was one of those bosses you could fail at if you panicked, and so could be frustrating in the Boss Run. Didn't find Koloktos hard at all, even though he has the most clout. Really liked that one.

Wow, this game looks fantastic. So much like Guardian Heroes, except the animation is even better - it's as good as having a direct sequel. Heck, it even has the 3-plane gameplay, which I haven't seen since GH on the Saturn. I just hope this isn't seen as niche, because I don't think there's any reason to classify it as that. We need this in Europe!

Nope. The "Sega fan" part of me has never liked Tekken. Childish perhaps, but I do have DOA and SFIV on 3DS and I don't play them much, so I just don't really think I'd get much use out of Tekken.

Dragon Quest VIII for me, so I'd say the formula is: * Silent Protagonist * Loyal Sidekick * Likeable Female * Dependable healer OK, maybe some of the those adjectives aren't as important as others, so I'll break it down and be very specific about why I liked those characters so much. I should say, I wouldn't necessarily say these characters are the reason I adored the game (and I do adore it). Nonetheless, they are still the best team I can think of. Hero The important thing about an RPG protagonist is that it really is meant to be you. Therefore I am a big proponent of keeping them silent. That doesn't mean they can't have any character, but the slightest flash of (for example) arrogance or cruelty can really take you out of your immersion in an "I wouldn't do that" way. Sidekick The sidekick has got to be loyal and dependable - a man-at-arms, if you like. In DQVIII, I really was moved at the unflappable loyalty Yangus had towards the Hero. Physical strength is also important, which is why I created "Dave" in DQIX. It's an RPG convention that the Hero is actually not the strongest character. His sidekick is. So, for instance, whilst the Hero uses weapons that require some finesse, like swords and spears, the sidekick often uses cruder weapons like axes and clubs. There's something psychologically comforting about the idea that, though you may fail, your stronger friend is waiting to back you up. Female Well, let's be honest, this is something of a token role, but an important one nonetheless. DQVIII's Jessica, like most female RPG characters, is a mage. She also provides some T&A, which as far as I'm concerned is a perfectly legitimate part of any game. Interestingly, she is not actually a love interest for the Hero, just a friend, and a likeable one too. Healer The healer is often a more gentle male. DQVIII's Angelo doesn't quite fit the bill here, which is not necessarily a bad thing. He's probably the most interesting healer I've seen, actually. I wasn't 100% sure whether I could trust him. Cool and aloof, he never truly seemed like a friend of the Hero, but his unusual backstory was a winning feature. ... Ah, I enjoyed that opportunity to ramble on about DQVIII again. The thing about those characters was that none of them were arrogant, none of them were pretentious, none of them had any affectations. In short, they felt like adults. Actual adults, not the sulky kids you get in a lot of RPGs. Typing this has reminded me that, though character creation tools (such as in DQIX) have their uses, there is no substitute for some properly-authored characters.

Yeah, tried the DS remake but couldn't get to grips with ATB at all. Sorry, think it was the usual 40-60, probably much closer to the latter... But I do know I didn't try to max-out all the vocations. I just picked what I thought was the best for each character and stuck with that. Part of the reason is the way the game gives out the vocations, ie. very deliberately paced. Therefore, I assumed the last set it gives you were the best. Hmm... yes, that'd be appealing. The advantage of 2D/sprites is how crisp the controls are - the way you can interrupt the animations and change what the character is doing immediately (I read an article comparing Street Fighter III and IV in this way, but I can't remember where), whereas polygon games have always felt more "floaty", as you're watching a set animation rather than individual frames. 2D also looks so nice. I would prefer it if everything had been 2D on the DS. Take Etrian Odyssey - absolutely gorgeous enemy designs, but a really jarring forest. That said, now we have a handheld that can do really nice 3D graphics, I'd like to see that too. Argh, can't decide which I'd prefer, but I'd buy either/both! (End of ramble.)

Totally agree with that. It's one of the most straightforward RPGs I've played. I'm not sure what classes I used to complete it, but I know I had two "fighters" of some kind, the girl was a Summoner and the other boy was the best type of healer (whatever that was called). For the fighters, I remember I liked the Knight classes as well as Viking and, my favourite, Dragoon. I loved the way you could disappear into the air for a turn. The last dungeon was indeed hard, but I eventually got to the last boss and it didn't give me too much trouble. I'd love to play Final Fantasy III again. It needs a graphical spruce-up, in my opinion, so a remake for 3DS would be great.

A 3D Classics version of Metroid II? Yeah, it'll be interesting to see if they branch out from NES games. I remember hearing about a potential 3D Classics version of Link to the Past. If that happens, of course there are loads of other SNES games that should get the treatment too. And indeed, NES games. If there is ever a (free) 3D Classics version of Metroid, I would replace my Virtual Console version with it. Best option of all would be Metroid V on the 3DS, with really good 2D graphics, then a remake of Metroid II on that engine. Add Zero Mission, Fusion and Super Metroid (either SNES or 3D Classics) on the Virtual Console and you'd have the perfect 2D Metroid machine. The way I see it, it'd just help players get that sub-3 hour completion time.

It took me 6-7 hours, so I just missed out on the 2nd-best ending, but missed out on the bikini ending by a long way! (It seems bikinis are a hot topic, these days!) Basically, there are endings for 9+ hours, 6+, 3+ and less than 3. But none for collectables, apparently.

That was a genius post, @Ronnie. I can't believe we disagreed so much about the game. You make a really good point about getting swept away. Skyward Sword had some moments that were absolutely brilliant, like the 4th dungeon and its boss. I remember I was high as a kite for an hour and a half after playing that bit. I wasn't exaggerating at all. And yet, I truly believe the overall game these moments are framed in was severely misguided. I hate to say that, as I'd rather sit there enjoying Zelda games than criticising them, but something just didn't feel right. But hey, Skyward Sword did fix a lot of problems. Skyloft, the enemies and the NPCs show they deeply understood which way Zelda needed to be pointed. But overall I had this nagging feeling that it was improvement-by-numbers. I'm quite convinced that next time there's a truly brilliant, AAA, 10/10 Zelda game it'll be because they simply had a great idea. It may be imperfect, but masterpieces can be. I just don't think they can have any fundamental flaws.

Had my first proper go of this last night, getting 19,475,000 on Excalibur. Wow, all the King Arthur mythology is in place! I can see this is going to be the game I play every time I'm fiddling about with my 3DS.

Oh, so that's where they went? I never worked it out, although I thought they were stealing something. Not a good gameplay mechanic, in my opinion as, like the Eggplant Wizards, they seem designed just to irritate the player. I almost totally agree (I'm not sure about vertical levels). Putting Kid Icarus into 3D would have been a good opportunity to make a 3rd-person version of Metroid. As you say, similar to Other M, but add analogue control and lock-on. If I really think about what the core essence of Kid Icarus is (and therefore what to keep) I'd say it's: platforming/exploring, Training Chambers, Sacred Chambers and of course the bosses. From this game, I wouldn't have thought flying was an important part. ... On another note, I completed Metroid II. It's a very different take on Metroid. For instance, there are no real bosses (apart from at the end), just Metroids. Also, beams don't stack. New beams totally replace the previous one, which actually causes some difficulty when, say, the Plasma Beam doesn't have all the properties of the Wave Beam. Unusually, you can actually go back and get whichever beam is your favourite. A few thoughts: * Though I loved the b&w Game Boy, Metroid II would actually benefit quite a lot from colour, particularly to differentiate the areas. It's a bit of a shame there wasn't a "DX" version. * It would be better if Save Points replenished your Health and Missiles. There are replenishing points, but they're not always easy to find and therefore I still spent quite a lot of time doing it the slow way. * Most importantly, it really needed a map. I heard Metroid II was quite linear. Well, maybe, but not linear enough not to need a map. But overall, I'm really pleased I've played it as most of the Metroid gameplay is in place and it's actually quite "important" story-wise.

I thought she was a woman with a big coat.

Oh yeah, what I consider my "permanent" games collection is tiny: Wind Waker and Dragon Quest VIII because they're awesome, Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission because they're also awesome, Twilight Princess on GameCube because it might be difficult to get hold of the GC version again... and that's about it. Everything else leaves once I've played it! Indeed. Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy just reading a book. Focus, focus, focus on one thing at a time, that's the key. I consider it every 3DS owner's duty to inform us all when there are bikini babes available. I mean, bikini babes... in 3D!!!

Argh, please tell me I haven't really missed out on bikini babes!

I wonder if it's a bit weird that I had a dream about holding the Circle Pad Pro...!

Ah, that takes me back. I'm probably thinking of the same device as you - joystick, light, magnifying glass and wing-like stereo speakers? I wanted one so much! Thought it'd turn every Game Boy game into a masterpiece!

Well, there have been ones like: * Red Bull "sport" videos * Circus acrobatics, juggling etc * Dance routines ...All valid in their own way, it just depends on your preferences. Urgh, this is a real issue. Regularly, I get rid of all the games I've either completed (and don't want to play again) or ones I've decided I don't like enough to complete. Recently I've enjoyed short games like Aliens, Thor, Kid Icarus and Metroid II. On the other hand, I spent a whole year playing Dragon Quest IX, so I suppose it's all about focusing on what you like.