darksnowman

You'll be able to say which one/s are almost great.

Credits: played. When the first stage on the approach to Castle Bowser was a victory lap, I de-calibrated expectations accordingly. It was a fun finale nonetheless. And fun game overall. Did the level that opens up. One (?) remaining. It threw medals at me. Bought the remaining badges to get the Poplin shop the green stamp and bought more standees. Don't think I'll finish the standees as I'd rather not turn Mario into a grind, tbh. Now to go back and read all the spoilers in this thread! Early on it seemed I was getting more duplicates than it was worth with the random standee purchase so I shifted to the 30 as it seemed better value. ...pretty average, I'd say...

Thought the amiibo section was just to save your time trial ghost to take it over your mates house. Scanned one of my knock-off Animal Crossing Sanrio cards and got that helmet. It's a start!

The very one. Return of the Jack and his Lackey's. I'd at least one retry there which wasn't great because it was the Mr Kipling of exceedingly long encounters. You know how those spirit-dampener things are in play? A morphed cards still came up for me so I think even the game was getting fed up with the nip-and-tuck battle. Based on our yin and yang experiences I just knew it wouldn't be such a spanner in the works for you. I'd no more wipe-outs from then on so there could be tough times ahead for you and your lot. How you liking the story? Probably a cheesefest to plenty but it was working for me. If someone isn't invested by this point they should have called it quits tens of hours ago. Yeah the part when someone comes forward with intel that conveniently makes for one note for each of you. When I got to Mizuti's, I took one look at it and tried to press on to Cor Hydrae but the game was having none of it. Still wondering if they're optional or not without having to resort to an exploit like you did for science/ dinner.

I've been trying to get some as I go from the vendor that sells guaranteed new ones. Not sure yet if I'm on course to naturally finish them by the end or not but I reckon I'm getting there and I think I still need 50 odd. Plus, badge prices and Poplin rates seem to be going up so I'm worried grinding may be on the horizon.

Sounds like you're saying both are great but RE4 is overrated? It's definitely a darling of the Internet, I'll give you that. To begin with, they worked Nintendo gamers into a frenzy with REmake and the ports, courting a new generation of RE fans with those dated and archaic entries (couldn't even grace them with the N64 RE2!) before blowing them away with an all-new title that was unlike anything anyone imagined RE could be. And with a chainsaw controller! All the while, series veterans on Playstation looked on in envy as their beloved RE entered uncharted territory graphics and gameplay-wise—it was beyond their wildest dreams and a bitter pill to swallow seeing it on GameCube. So when it went back over to Playstation, they were wound up with more tension and anticipation than anything the Spencer Mansion ever whipped up in them. And the game's status endures. Probably influenced by those pesky Nintendo mags that went overboard with acclaim just because an (at the time) exclusive RE was on their dinky little console. If those reviews weren't out there in print they'd have scrubbed them from the annals of history from their pain and anguish at the Playstation port getting expanded content. Now they were left looking on enviously, barely clinging to the fact it at least had inferior graphics. And to this day, both sets of fans can't get enough of it. Notwithstanding any of that, you're right: RE4's a daft game. Personally, I've only got REmake and RE5 (from the eShop) and neither is almost great, they're both outright great. Five's controls and pace took me some getting used to but after a while I adjusted to the new gameplay style. I agree that survival horror takes a backseat in favour of frantic action. It's unfortunate but still makes for an enjoyable game of a different kind. And like you're getting at, the storyline flows just fine jumping from one to five. I wonder if four's story was different before they scrapped what they were working on and re-did it in the new style. It says a lot about the gameplay of REmake that I'd gladly play the rest of the pre-4 games if they were to get the REmake treatment. How about starting with getting the N64 RE2 on NSO or even just selling it on the eShop!? The Nintendo audience is so far down Capcom's list of priorities it's not even funny. Anyway. This is getting a bit off the topic of the current thread. If you like RE5 maybe you could start a new file in 4 keeping in mind the aspects of 5 you like that are present in 4 and see if you gain any newfound appreciation for what they were going for.

I always wonder how you lot have these. Figured they're unlockable with enough online play or something... but they're behind amiibo? That's pish!

I often see that video come up as recommended but I invariably scroll past it because of the length. So thanks for highlighting that it's divided up. I watched the parts for Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow and it was good to see he gives HoD a fair shake. With the AoS refresher, it's clear it's the better game... which I have no problem with, it just bugs me the way people feel the need to put HoD down when (rightly) praising AoS. Imo they're all good/great games in their own right, and it'd be alarming if the sequel didn't improve on what went before. Tbh, I don't think we knew how good we had it with Castlevania on the GBA and DS. I thought Legion was pretty stinking in Portrait of Ruin with the way the bodies fall away. *shudders*

Glad to hear it. If I learned anything in Baten Kaitos, it's keep retrying and you'll get there sooner or later. Yeah, that prat that was calling down Malpercio like Magus summoning Lavos. I'd have squashed him behind some blocks in the Tower of Zomsa without a second thought. Clown. The battle went smoothly for me however I'd have had a similar problem to contend with as Mizuti would have been foisted into my party for that. It was a feel-good battle after they opted to get out of dodge then turned around to face Malpercio head on. The story is kicking up a gear. Don't forget to check your equips (if you can find them in the menus) are up to date. After that "kitty" duo, there's only one more I lost to. It'll be interesting to see if it's a doddle for you. Depending on how much you get through before you next report in, pay attention when it presents you with the party member sidequests. I want to know if you have to do them or if there's a way to cancel out of them because I seemed to be locked into them with no way to back out.

Thanks, Helmsly. Yeah I liked the way it follows on from the first two films. They pulled it off pretty effortlessly. I noticed in the credits Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis were part of the team of writers so it's cool that they were on board with it and didn't just phone it in with any old ghost story. Same goes for everyone involved, really. Unfortunately, I didn't see me getting thanked in the credits so it gets a minus point for that. I did plenty of jumping and bashing into things so I can see why you would play around with the tether. Mostly, I defaulted back to the standard beam to feel more like a Ghostbuster and just torched a lot of stuff. Especially Central Park. Being in the Ghostbusters company is such a big part of it that you feel it when you're separated in the sewers with not even one of them on the comms. Down there I played with the tether at the part you hit a door with no team members to tip you off on what to do to drain the slime. The PKE Meter basically said "get creative". I was stringing up wooden and metal barrels off the columns down there like something Spider-Man would do and catapulting them at that sliding door. It was a fun timewaster but obviously not the solution! Actually, by the time I opened the door, I'd unknowingly scuppered myself because there was still a barrel there so it didn't fully open to trigger the next bit. But the tether's a cool inclusion because the others were maybe a bit too much like guns for the bustin I was after. Saying that, in one level I went on a freezing streak which was pretty satisfying. I figured Spirits Unleashed must be pretty solid to be keeping you off Fortnite recently. Good to read your impressions on it. The cartoon style looks well done! Nice that they seem to have put some care and effort into it.

Looks like I did this, just three years later. Got Ghostbusters The Videogame Remastered during the summer for a few quid (thought I'd be better pouncing but it's still going cheap if anyone's interested) and left it for this past week. I had to retry the early streets part time and time and again. Kept getting one-shotted by offscreen ghosts and gargoyles. It was tough to take it on the chin because it seemed unfair. I finally took Ray's chatter on board, and after reading through the menus I figured out you can press L to slam the ghosts you won't be capturing which helped get them out of the way and turn the tide, because trying to whittle them down with the blast stream takes a good while. I noticed the other Ghostbusters actually pull their weight so I put more stock into keeping them alive rather than trying to zap n trap everything myself. It wasn't too much of a great time there when it was taking longer to reload to the checkpoint than the time I was able to spend trying to bust those ghosts, but when I figured out these aforementioned things it got me through and stood me in good stead for the rest of the game... even if I still got tangled up with the buttons now and again... and had to die and retry at various points later on too. With the various upgrades it became more of a shooter and less the Luigi's Mansion sort of experience I expected. It felt great to roll out with the Ghostbusters. The atmosphere, the settings, the cutscenes and in-game banter. Just having a nosey around the firehouse (the employee of the month board, haha) was fun and interesting, as was looking around the various levels. The way you can read notices and placards right there without the need to press A and listen to information on the exhibits in the museum. The way it makes you feel like you're right there is really well done. Then when you're in first-person mode with the PKE meter it's like a horror game. The sound effects had me on edge. A rudimentary character editor might have been nice because the Rookie you play as is as generic a placeholder as they come. A bit of personalisation may have gone a long way. It was a fun time that didn't outstay its welcome. Well worth the couple of quid. Wonder if the Rookie went on to open up his franchise...? I was expecting it to end with a Lylat Wars-style invoice because we absolutely laid waste to everywhere we went.

I played about a fortnight's worth of in-game time. I was only starting to give in to what the game expects of you because there truly seems to be no "good" or even "less bad" way to go about playing this. I just wanted to build up the camp and feed off the follower's devotion positively but nope, every upgrade goes against that and there's that entity reminding you your followers are to be treated as objects to be used and abused. Last thing I did was perform a ritual that sacrificed a follower! Thought it was going to be a celebration that'd level them up. I was horrified! Benevolent cult leaders need not apply. Boo. It'd be great if you can unlock the option to build them a toilet. I wanted to give them beds, provide the foundation to be self-sufficient with cooking and cleaning up after themselves (poo and puke!) and build from there. Like, if they could take care of themselves and leave me free to venture out on crusades, I'm sure we could build a little utopia. The first time I died, a dissenter rose up in the ranks because apparently, my leadership credentials were a sham if I was getting bested out there in Darkwood. The game told me I should either put him to death or in prison. I left him free to roam around and tried engage with him in the hopes of re-education and reintegration into the flock. My attempts fell on deaf ears because he disappeared. Not sure if he's defected to another cult and I should expect him back to steal my followers away. By the second time I'd a dissenter I'd built a stockade so I put him there and re-educated him before he could leg it. The others would wander over and point and laugh at the confused fellow. One follower told me it'd be funny to feed another one a bowl of poop. I didn't want to but if you say no you lose 25 faith with the requesting follower. So I begrudgingly did it and I think it cost me with the victim. Then he came back and said it was such a lark we should do it again. I declined and took the -25. So even though I said I was starting to give in to what the game wants from me, I suppose I wasn't exactly all in on it. Moral quandaries aside, it's reminiscent of ActRaiser, Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing and the gameplay feels great—can't fault it there. The dice minigame is cool, fishing's not bad. It's cute that load screens are labelled summoning, but I just wish it was better optimised to load quicker but this seems to be a thing with pretty much all rogue-like/lite games that aren't Shiren the Wanderer. They've unapologetically gone for it with their vision... as troubling as that can be.

Fantastic. Well done. I've been off AC for about a year (only went back to get Paradise Planning up to 30). I still want to get on it again regularly as there's plenty of those Nook Miles challenges to tick off, and I've a vague design plan in mind for the back-left area of the island. The thing is, when I did those last few paradise homes to get me up to the 30 reward, I wasn't seeing the charm of the game any more, I was seeing the "hassle" of it. Still. My island is perpetually decked out for Halloween so I can't believe I haven't been on it recently to enjoy that now it's in season. Are you still claiming the daily Nook Points on the NSO app? I've 5,000+ and no sign of anything new to spend them on.

(video should play @ 1min) I'm hoping people will try out the Mysterious Murasame Castle and be like "oh yeah, Mario Maker's on the shelf" and get back on it.

In the first one to three levels when I was trying to figure the game out, at one point I considered that you might need to talk to all the flowers to get that green stamp!!

Kitties? I thought they were damn dirty dogs. If I remember right, I got them at the second time of asking by going after the one on the right because on the first go, it smugly boosted their attack allowing them to do a swift number on me. I didn't expect that tweak in tactics to work immediately so the cards must have come out right for me and less favourably for it on that second go. Once it was dispatched with, the other one pretty much just sat there and buffed its defence while we (Kalas, Gibari, Xelha) dealt with it at our leisure. I'm sure you can leave those levels for after if you double check to make sure your best ATK and DEF cards are in your decks.

These news story round-ups are handy. Skimming back up them, I'd missed that MK1 was already patched on Switch. I've seen people on my friends list on that Suika game but tbh I thought it looked like shovelware. If N-E is covering it then it must be well-known and somewhat of a gem? I gave Speedstorm a go the other week. It plays well (just had to get used to shoulder button to go)! Obviously, it wants you to spend money but you can just play through the races, complete the objectives and progress pretty painlessly. It's paced well in that respect but I wouldn't be surprised if it's set up so you hit a wall later that you have to grind past races to proceed beyond or, inevitably, get your credit card. It's from Gameloft so if you've already tried Asphalt 9 on Switch you'll know what to expect because it's very much like it except with a Disney coat of paint.

Wasn't it part of your contractual obligations to speak like that anyway? Now that's what you call "Work Time Fun".

*reins Ha, cod bro. That's pretty good. They knew what they were doing with that. Nothing similar's springing to mind except TMS is SMT backwards and I like the way it feels to say DQB2, so I've found this potentially smirkworthy list, some of which you might have sold. Tony Hawk's Underground (THUG) League of Legends Master of Orion Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (apparently lovingly known as STFU) Kung Fu Chaos N.U.D.E.@ Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment Work Time Fun

These stages in the Fungi Mines are very cool indeed. And seasonal to boot. Had to go back through one just to find the Wonder Flower—it was the first time it had been hidden that particular way, I think. And the Didn't know I needed that movement option until I was doing it! Currently got it parked at a level the dude advised me to revisit with the sensor badge equipped so it looks like it's time to temporarily doff the parachute cap.

https://www.n-europe.com/news/play-cult-of-the-lamb-for-free-with-nintendo-switch-online/ There's still time to try out the full game. It seems to have some pretty satisfying gameplay. Send it to your Switch and start your cult today! https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Cult-of-the-Lamb-2210770.html

Meanwhile we've been like martinist? martinist?

If you're enjoying that, I can also do you some Castlevania Anniversary Collection and Contra Anniversary Collection. I'm also willing to hand over the reigns if you want to take over as father figure to Glen-i.

I just did this level earlier. That was a fun segment. Those wee pull-chord guys could be in the running for my favourite new enemy. Think they're called Revvers but I'll know for sure when I see the enemy roll call at the end of the game.