Grazza

Whoah! Risky's Revenge on iOS is going to be completely free! https://wayforward.com/news/2015/03/celebrating-25-years-of-games/

I got the Speed Run wallpaper on Wii U as well, shaving 13 seconds off my time to get 1:43:06 (didn't know you could skip entire conversations with the Minus button).

Excellent advice, but if you don't have a 3DS I wouldn't actually avoid the Wii U versions. Shantae (haven't played MSF 2 yet) doesn't look bad on a GamePad.

Yep, you, Wii and others were proven to be wiser! That said, I couldn't not buy it straight away. I had to! My Activity Log says 17 hours for the 1st game, with just under 11 hours for the 2nd (subtract time spent just listening to the music ). The 2nd game is quite short if you don't go for the Par times though. The best way to explain it is this: Mighty Switch Force (3DS) - 16 stages + 5 bonus stages Mighty Switch Force 2 (3DS) - 16 stages Mighty Switch Force (Wii U) - 16 stages + 5 bonus stages + all those remixed (42 total) Mighty Switch Force 2 (Wii U) - 16 stages That's my understanding anyway (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). They've just made a port of MSF 2 for iOS, so maybe there will be some bonus stages for that one day? Who knows? Great games anyway, all three of them, and I hope they get a bigger audience now.

BUMP So, after getting the Par times for Mighty Switch Force, I thought I'd try to do it with the 2nd game. Most went smoothly, although I genuinely didn't know if I'd be able to manage 13 and 14. I beavered away at it until... You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse A well-deserved thumbs-up from Patricia You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse Let's get the negative out of the way first. In my humble opinion, they have added one layer of complication too many to the puzzles. Whereas the original game had Red and Blue Lock blocks, this adds Green Lock blocks to the mix. Arguably this is just too many colours to keep track of, and whether they're phased in or out. That said, it's a brilliant game - its aesthetics and music both convey the feeling of a hot summer. As soon as you hear the theme song (incredible vocals by Jeff Luke), complete with fire horn, you know you're in for an exuberant ride. The pixel work is outstanding. You can really tell the main character has all her power in her legs. Randomly pausing the game reveals a staggering level of animation, as Patricia puts all the weight onto a particular leg to stop abruptly or change direction. I particularly like the way her calf muscles shake under the force of the hose! Will WayForward ever make another pixel art game, I wonder? It'd be a shame not to see what they could do with higher resolutions. Overall, I've had an intense and exciting few weeks playing WayForward games. I'd love to see Patricia Wagon again - and if she leaves those Lock blocks behind, even better.

Brilliant! Was just about to get Mighty Switch Force on Wii U and now it's cheaper!

Wow! Didn't think they'd do that. Best three games on the eShop, in my opinion. It may be a cliché, but WayForward's games just make me happier than any other software.

This gave me such a big belly laugh: You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

Wow, people are being pretty harsh on Wii for daring to - shock, horror - get some discussion going about a game. It'd be different if it outright wasn't coming to Wii U, but it presumably is (right?) and being realistic, many Wii U owners won't read the Other Consoles board.

BUMP So, I decided to get back into Mighty Switch Force. I heard about this, as an upcoming game, from the much-missed @darksnowman. Though I didn't know exactly what it was, it was made by WayForward, so when it was released in December 2011 I gave it a try. What I found was an excellent yet difficult game that demanded its players have platform skills as well as puzzle-solving abilities. Whilst I could set the credits rolling, the "Par" times seemed off-limits to me. I remember when the Wii U version was released, @RedShell showed me the title screen you get for achieving the Par times (I think @dazzybee can get them too?) As much as I wanted to get them, I believed I hadn't the skill. For some reason, I went back to it. And yes, more than three years later, I got them! You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse Really smashed some of them too! Maybe it's strange, but I'm actually ecstatic at achieving this, and now rate Mighty Switch Force higher than I have before. To play it requires jumping skills, reflexes, puzzle-solving abilities - it's the ultimate hardcore game! This piece of software felt like WayForward creating something very special for the platform, with the soundtrack one of Jake Kaufman's true 10/10s (they're always good, but really, this is amazing). At the moment I have a penchant for simpler, reflex-based games, and have become less enamoured with adventure and RPG. WayForward's games fit the bill just right for me - they're a treat for the ears and eyes, with the best controls and gameplay anywhere. Now, onto the eight Par times I'm missing on Mighty Switch Force 2...

Well, A Link Between Worlds is brilliant - probably the fastest and most fluid Zelda ever, with one of the best soundtracks (all the best Zelda tunes re-mastered!) It's also a nice length and doesn't outstay its welcome. I must admit I'm not into the Smash Bros series, but wouldn't that be something you'd play over a greater duration, maybe online too? If I played both series, I would spend the eight days or so it takes to complete Zelda enjoying that, then move onto Smash Bros.

I've gone back to tinkering with Ocarina of Time 3D, and honestly, Majora's Mask is the better game. OOT feels so slow and plodding without the Bunny Hood to zip around in! The warp system is also incredibly incoherent compared to MM (and indeed Wind Waker) - different songs warp you to different places, and by no means all the useful places. It's really quite hard to remember which song's which. Then there are several fixed camera angles, which make it feel quite outdated. I'm doing the sidequests, and the Big Poe one is crazy! You have to ride over ten very specific spots to get them to appear. That said, I've just collected them all, which is nice considering it's something I never achieved before on any version. Then there are the Gold Skulltulas - the reward for collecting all 100 is a rupee! This remake could really do with a Notebook system to keep track of all the sidequests and Heart Pieces, like MM. Don't get me wrong, I have had the utmost respect for OOT since it was released in 1998 (and I agree with the comments that MM is for those used to 3D Zelda), but it's now starting to feel outdated in a way that MM doesn't.

White and gold for me. It's genuinely strange, as I can look at exactly the same picture as someone else, on the same screen, and they think it's blue and black. Also, as others have said, I just can't make any adjustments that let me see it as blue and black. I'm sure it's just about colour perception, but it's freaky, as nothing else has ever made me think I'm colour blind, and this actually reminds me of the disconcerting "Double Slit" experiment.

I've had an outstanding February's gaming: You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse First up was Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. My most-anticipated game for years, it's a class act all the way through and easily my favourite game on the eShop. You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse After that was Majora's Mask 3D. Tiring and arduous at times, my interest waned in the 3rd quarter, but it genuinely is one of the greats. Can't imagine another month that'll beat this one! Completed Wind Waker HD Axelay Afterburner II Streets of Rage New Super Mario Bros U Shantae and the Pirate's Curse Majora's Mask 3D To be Finished Super Mario 3D World After that I suppose I'll be looking at Sega's next wave of 3D Classics.

You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse So, I got right back into this game and remembered why I love it. In many ways, it's the "stripped back" Zelda that some desire. Only the best items - Fire Arrow, Ice Arrow, Light Arrow, Hookshot, Bombs and Mirror Shield - are included. Despite what I said earlier, I've always considered Majora's Mask one of the "Three Great" 3D Zeldas. That's not to say it's perfect though. My opinion is exactly the same as ever - the dungeons just don't suit the time limit. Most of this game's genius revolves around the sidequests and mini dungeons, and of course, they are enhanced by the 3-day cycle. In all honesty, however, I can't say the same about the four full-length dungeons. Of course, you can do them within the time limit, but they're much faster when you're familiar with them. The whole point about Zelda, I thought, is that it's sometimes slow and ponderous, giving you time to work out the puzzles. When you set that against the clock, you do lose something. As with every time I've played this game in any of its forms, the only one I outright cannot do first time is the Stone Tower (far too complicated for a time limit, I feel), but I had to comb them all twice for the fairies. As with Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker, Grezzo has done an excellent job with the remake. Most of the changes are extremely welcome, such as permanent saves at owl statues. Others, such as changing the bosses, are highly questionable, but to me do not detract from the game. As far as I'm concerned, Majora's Mask 3D is easily the definitive version for now. That doesn't mean there should never be another remake. There's still more to be done, I feel, such as taking these brilliant character models and running them at 1080p/60fps. Also, I personally would go further with the revisions, letting the player keep all fairies and significant items (such as keys) from the dungeons. Grumbles aside, I got a real thrill from completing this 100% (possibly the only Zelda I've done this with). Normally I avoid the mini-games, fearing I'll fail at them. I was pleasantly surprised, however, at being able to succeed at them within a few tries. By the time I was taking on Majora's Mask - first normally, then as Fierce Deity - I had truly remembered what this game is all about, and why it's quite rightly so revered. The Grezzo-specific credits are set to brilliant, remixed music, and I parted with Majora's Mask 3D feeling the true spirit of the Zelda series once more. You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse

Yeah, I'm not saying "The games are crap" or "It's underpowered". But using USB even just for communication would genuinely improve the experience for me.

The fact you can't plug the GamePad in via USB is my single biggest irritation with the Wii U. I thought that was standard by now.

Thank goodness for that - I thought it was just me. I loved the first half of the game - Woodfall, Snowhead, then Romana Ranch. Then got to Great Bay and... it's actually tedious. I'm at Ikana now, with just the dungeon to do, and I'll be glad to be done with it. As a bit of a back story, this is the 3rd version of Majora's Mask I've had - N64, GameCube and now 3DS. I most enjoyed it on GC, funnily enough, even with that awful glitch - I suppose I was just "in the zone" then. When I played the original in 2000, however, although I was impressed, it did give me a "Games are a waste of time" feeling. Soon after I sold my N64 and everything with it. Unbelievably, this 3DS version is now making me think the same about my 3DS! Even though I enjoyed OOT, MM is making me think "I don't need to play this or OOT again." Majora's Mask isn't overrated. I do "get" it - I just think its genius has always been tempered by its structure. As much as this remake fixes, it remains a very arduous game.

Does anyone know if it's true that the reverse Song of Time no longer slows the pace as much as it did in the original? I thought the 2nd and 3rd dungeons seemed a little bit harder to clear within the time limit than when I played it on GameCube a few years ago.

I'm playing Majora's Mask at the moment and, whilst I do get the urge to control the camera, I'm glad I didn't buy a New 3DS for it. It's a huge amount of money for yet another hardware revision and, in my opinion, not worth it.

This is an excellent point, and the main reason my gut instinct about retail downloads is that they're overpriced. I downloaded Code of Princess and Conception II on eShop (only option) and felt neither were really worth it. I also got a couple of Nintendo's own free (Super Mario 3D Land, Animal Crossing: New Leaf) but have deleted the latter. That's three retail downloads I either have or will delete, and get nothing back for. On the other hand, I don't feel this way about made-for-download titles like Shantae 2 & 3, Shovel Knight and Steamworld Dig, because I generally think there is no intentional greed with them. Like anything though, if Nintendo can get people to pay that much then fair enough. My gut instinct though is that they're too high.

GameCentral didn't mince their words either: http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/11/shantae-and-the-pirates-curse-review-two-dimensional-art-5058836/ I still say it's fine on the GamePad, but there you go. TV Pixel sprites: terrible Character art: excellent GamePad Pixel sprites: good Character art: very good 3DS Pixel sprites: excellent Character art: good NZ Gamer did a nice review too: http://nzgamer.com/reviews/2207/shantae-and-the-pirates-curse.html

Starting playing this last night (normal 3DS XL) - what a brilliant remake. So far I like every change they've made. For a game that is about rushing around, you could spend ages inspecting all the models and posters in the buildings. The game world feels richer than ever. The graphics are also amazing - I genuinely didn't know the 3DS could depict areas like this, particularly in terms of textures. The Southern Swamp area looks like a real woodland. As much as I loved the N64 Zeldas, I did sometimes get a sense of disorientation. With this though, it's so much more enjoyable as you can see clearly into the distance. Another simple pleasure is playing it with headphones in - it's so much easier to keep up with the monkey and the butler. Also, it was easier to actually give the potion to the witch.

I shudder to think how many of these I will buy. Streets of Rage 2 would be a definite, as would the arcade version of Golden Axe and their System 32 brawlers. Anyone going for Fantasy Zone? I'm not sure whether to get it or not. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/3d_fantasy_zone

Two more screenshots from the Wii U version: