Grazza

See, I enjoyed Other M, I really did. Overall, it was a much better game than Zelda: Skyward Sword. I just don't think it excelled as much as Fusion does as a 2D game. In Fusion, all the movement is locked to the d-pad, diagonals are mapped to L, missiles mapped to R. I guess my point is that Other M made a good effort of translating the 2D games into 3D, but just wasn't as good as if it had actually been 2D.

The 4th dungeon boss has all the mechanics of an outstanding boss fight. It's like I was saying in the Super Metroid thread about the bosses in Metroid Fusion. I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that the reason it's so good (and Metroid bosses are so good) is down to this formula:

Now Merlin is brilliant. There's never been a bad episode of that. To be fair, there's less variety than in Doctor Who, but the consistency works in its favour and the chemistry between Arthur and Merlin is sublime. Richard Wilson, Anthony Head, John Hurt... these are very good actors!

I agree with most of your post, @Fierce_LiNk. I just don't think swordfighting is a very good mechanic for boss fights.

I'm a bit concerned that there hasn't been anything this brilliant for a long while. Metroid Fusion was 2002 and Zero Mission was 2004. It's very personal, but I don't think they've made a game as good as Zero Mission since 2004.

See, I've never understood why people dislike this one. I should point out that I never liked Doctor Who in the '80s and '90s, so didn't actually watch it when it was brought back. However, I've always liked Peter Kay and so watched this one episode. Well, I was truly impressed with how inventive it was. The story was told from the viewpoint of Elton, as he strived to find out more about this strange character he had seen in his past. Along the way there is humour, snobbery, cultural reference and - eventually - sadness (without being sentimental). The Doctor is hardly in it! Rather than an episode of Doctor Who, it felt like I was watching an incredibly fresh and original piece of writing. (Of course, I went back and watched the others.)

Ah, that makes me want to play Super Metroid again (looks at Wii...) Whilst I didn't enjoy Super Metroid quite as much as Fusion or Zero Mission, I would like to play a slightly spruced-up version. Not a remake, just a full-res handheld version running at 60hz, maybe with slightly improved controls. This article (and this thread) actually reminds me of the few reservations I had about the game: in particular the wall-jumping (which I think they could tighten up), the "run" button (which is easier to not know about if you don't have a paper manual) and the general size/confusion of the map. In my book, Metroid Fusion fixed many of the series' imperfections. But... I do love 2D Metroid. There's never too much story, there's loads of exploration and upgrades, and I can't describe the excitement that runs through my veins or the endorphins in my brain when I dodge a boss then fire off a volley of missiles. Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission are in my Top 5 Games of all time. How I wish gaming would get back to the sheer, instant pleasure of games like the 2D Metroids.

I don't think "kids' show" is a derogatory term, I just genuinely don't think it is one, but I accept you know more than me about how it's created. With Gridlock, it's just that I had been blown away by every single Russell T Davies episode before that (especially Love & Monsters!) and probably expected too much.

It's interesting that @Oxigen_Waste showed a clip from Gridlock, because that was one I didn't much enjoy either (sorry if you worked on that one, Hamish - I know it was written by Russell T Davies and I think he was absolutely fantastic for the show). You know when I said half of Season Three was brilliant? Well, that's exactly what I meant. Whilst Gridlock wasn't one of my favourites (although I liked the crabs ("Macra"?)), I LOVED Smith & Jones, The Shakespeare Code, Human Nature, Utopia and The Sound of Drums. Also, I don't know how anyone could think Blink is not a cool, neat episode. As for whether it is well-acted... well, it is fine. Whilst there is rarely a performance of the level of Alan Rickman or a Benedict Cumberbatch (for instance), Derek Jacobi was outstanding in Utopia and David Tennant was the most natural fit for the role of the Doctor that I could imagine. And what about Christopher Eccleston's speech at the cliffhanger of Bad Wolf? Chilling stuff. I also disagree that it's a kids' show, because Russell T Davies filled it to the brim with cultural references for adults. Maybe it is a little bit too earnest now, aiming for a "Harry Potter"/fantasy feel, with less satire, but I don't think it's a kids' show.

@Oxigen_Waste How familiar are you with Doctor Who since, say 2005? Unfortunately, I no longer enjoy the programme and don't even know why I watch it. However, the 2005 season with Christopher Eccleston (generally called New Season One) was absolutely brilliant, as was Season Two (with David Tennant) and about half of Season Three. Season Four and the specials were very patchy and though I admire Karen Gillan and Matt Smith, I'm afraid the show has now become something I hardly enjoy. But... if you've watched some of the best episodes like "Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways", "The Girl in the Fireplace", "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday", "Smith and Jones" or "Utopia" and you don't think they're good, we simply have very, very different tastes.

This sounds like I'm being awkward, but I don't mean to be (it's a genuine question): How do you know if your goals are Achievable or Realistic? I'm trying to build my strength to how it was four years ago, but at this stage I'm not 100% sure that's possible. In other news, I can do unassisted wide pull-ups now, it's just the very widest grip I have trouble with. It must isolate your lats so much that you can't rely on your biceps. My biceps themselves seem OK, but my lats seem woefully underdeveloped after years of not using them for anything.

I love this quote. It's like you're buying fruit or something. (Thanks for posting it though. I genuinely did want to read it.)

Don't let them put you off, @Charlie. I want to hear your theory!

In answer to both your questions, @Fused King - Yes, unless I misunderstood the story. Nice to hear your opinions on this game. Personally, I think it's near-perfect and just want more of the same, basically. To me, there is just no substitute for 2D Metroid. Mighty Switch Force shows sprite games can use the stereoscopic effect just as well as (if not better than) polygon games, so I hope there's one on 3DS, with all the lasers, missiles, bosses, jumping and exploration we've come to expect.

I think this all comes back to the fact the Wii is working hard, even if you can't tell by the graphics. If you compare Skyloft to previous Zelda towns, there are more buildings (all of which you can enter), more NPCs, various tunnels/passageways and no loading times between sections. It's also set on quite a few vertical levels and is probably the best-ever Zelda town, technically (even though I think Windfall Island is better-designed). Skyloft gets a massive thumbs-up from me, it really does.

Personally, I think the difficulty of Mario games has become silly. I completed Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros DS 100%, but it was Star 242 in Galaxy 2 that ruined it for me. Since then, I haven't even tried to 100% a Mario because (to me) they're too hard to be worth it.

You make some powerful points, @darkjak, but from many moments in the game it is clear that Skyward Sword does push the Wii to its limits, whether it looks like it or not.

It should be to the left, Nyubi, next to things like the Globe and Achievements.

I didn't know you could get Miis in your Plaza without StreetPassing them. Is it just Mario Kart 7 at the moment that gives you Miis?

Thanks for the replies @londragon and @welsh_gamer. @darksnowman - I did a genuine LOL at your Fakemon!

Easy, I'm afraid. I have a job, but am not very ambitious. My biggest problem is deciding I want to do something. If something is important to me, I go for it... I'm just not committed to doing that with many things. At the moment, the only thing I'm tackling with any tenacity is going to the gym, which I do four times a week and put a lot of effort in. BUT.. I do enjoy life, I want to stress that.

But it really did happen, honest!!

I played it years ago, @darksnowman. Got up to the 5th boss, then gave up. Personally, I think it becomes very obscure and inconsistent from the 4th boss onwards. But yeah, I can see the charm. I don't want to say it's a bad game or anything, I just didn't want to play all of it. Hope you enjoy it as much as @Fused King though, dude.

Flippin' heck, you don't muck about, RedShell!!! :o