S.C.G

I feel when you're about to purchase something like this, it's good to ask yourself a couple of questions... How often will I realistically use this device? Don't I already have a better way of playing these games? Do I really need another handheld? I realise that I'm possibly trying to talk you out of buying something which is a relatively minor purchase, yet I've made some pretty crazy purchases myself lately. Indeed, I just bought another Neo Geo Pocket Color console... but but... this one has a modded backlight, so I'll likely use it.

I really can't fault this list of games that NEED to be on Switch...

P-Switch 4? I thought it was just the Switch that had mandatory downloads for certain physical game compilations? Now they're doing it on the PS4 as well? Seemingly for the fun of it too... unless all the games really wouldn't fit on the disc.

No wonder I came in a respectable place in that race then! And the second race... this is almost unheard of. Back down to 5th place for the third race, balance is restored. Joint Third though... I'll take that!

While I don't have any intention of upgrading to 4K (at the moment) as I feel like I still haven't got the best out of 1080p yet, this is an interesting video.

Many moments when playing Ecco the Dolphin for the first time... Jumping "high in the sky" at the start, swimming past the arms of the Octopus, being dropped into the "Open Ocean" stage or just meeting the "Big Blue" for the first time. The game generally has this very effective, unsettling and forboding atmosphere to it which not only terrified me as a child but it stuck with me years later. It's partly why I made myself play through it again when it got re-released on the 3DS (click the link for the review if you like) as I wanted to see how effective the game is today. I still haven't played through the 3D version of Ecco on the Dreamcast to this day... maybe one day though, I'll take the plunge back into those dark digital waters.

Well, I started playing this just after 9PM and I only stopped a little after 11PM... ...taking a break but the withdrawal symptoms are already setting in. I managed to play through the "intro" segment of the story, if you like, for each character and that's as far as I've got so far. The coins system is pretty useful here, I like that you can opt to just continue if you fail but at a cost of your coins, it seems like there are a few ways to obtain coins as well. On my first go from the capsule machine I got the amiibo paint thing, I don't know if you always get that on your first try, anyway, suffice to say, I'll likely be scanning in three per day. They've really gone all-out with this game, I love the voice acting and the mini-stories which move the plot along nicely while keeping things fun. Jimmy T. is still one cool cat... You KNOW it!

Ah right, fair enough. Strangely enough, I mostly got this for the multiplayer but only wanted to bother with it if I could play the game how I wanted without odd match restrictions. I think it might have been better for me to have just repurchased Mario Tennis on the N64 though... I wish I'd never sold that. I've got it on the Wii or Wii U VC though but it just isn't quite the same as playing it on the N64... but it's good enough I suppose. Come to think of it... Mario Power Tennis on the GC was pretty good too, I think it's just from the Wii era onward that I haven't really bothered with Mario Tennis much.

Yeah, so this is good that Nintendo seem to finally be listening to feedback on this game. Will you be picking up the game following this update or at a later date when/if game releases quieten down? I picked up the game, didn't have time for it, thought about playing it and then realised that there were a lot of things wrong with it. It's good to know that the game should be greatly improved by the time I decide to play it... ...equally though, a sequel could be out by the time I get around to it.

I think this is the big main addition out of all that... 【Free Match】 【Swing】 "Tottoko" (6 game 1 set match) added. This is what people were asking for on launch day, right?

Thank you for your input @Hero-of-Time and @Grazza I think you are both right, it is a big undertaking, I think maybe I'll build up to it... but soon though. In the meantime, I have other games to play but I shall not be forgetting about Octopath Traveller and I look forward to starting my adventure hopefully this year. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that that N-E community is enjoying the game, I've done my bit in a way by at least buying the game, I do have the intention to play it, which I look forward to.

Well, my copy of WarioWare Gold arrived today. I had to order it over the weekend as I thought I had it on pre-order but evidently I did not. Anyway, it's here, I've unsealed it and it's in my 3DS which is "fully charged" but it's in the charger for now just to make sure it's topped up to maximum capacity. I was toying with the idea of starting Octopath Traveller last night, but after careful consideration I think I'm going to be playing WarioWare, here and there instead. I'm sure it's the right choice... at least for now... right @RedShell?

I remember this, good times! I was playing it as well, or probably just before as I was reviewing the game back in the day alongside our very own @D_prOdigy As this was in the days when we still got sent physical review media, we got sent two game cards so that we could try out the multiplayer aspects I believe. Anyway, I remember going through all those various randomly generated high level grottos, searching for loot etc... I must have put easily over a hundred hours into the title, playing the post-game for a fair bit well after the review was finished, it was fun piecing together a co-op review as well, I can't believe that was just over eight years ago... Check it out here for anyone interested http://www.n-europe.com/reviews/dragon-quest-ix Getting back to Octopath Traveller though... I've had this game since it came out, I even bought the limited edition, it's still sealed though. Reading about you all playing it is kind of making me want to jump in to be "part of the story" as well but equally I could just leave it for now and play it later... ...but then, when will that later be? Tomorrow? next week? next month? or maybe next year? And if I start it now... will I stick with it? Plenty of other RPG's I've started have been on hiatus for a long time now, something is telling me that this could well be the equivalent of Dragon Quest IX all over again for me though so it's probably well worth just jumping in, especially before the onslaught of August to October and beyond begins. What do you reckon N-E? Should I just... actually play a damn RPG properly for a change? And if so... who should I start as? Does it even matter? Is it possible to go for full game completion with the true ending in one playthrough and in under one hundred hours? I haven't really played and "finished" or put a lot of time into a really long game since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild so... it's surely about time, right?

Heroki Review written by @Hero-of-Time Thank you on behalf of N-Europe. And thank you to @RedShell for introducing us to Heroki.

Happy Birthday Serebii

The presentation still looks good overall and I am fine with how these games look, for being what they are but I just hope that next years game will take on a more interesting graphical style. Maybe taking inspiration from Black & White but more realistic, with some elements from Sun & Moon but with a more realistic/retro approach. Basically, I want the next Pokémon game on the Switch to be up there with Octopath Traveller in terms of a style with works really well for their next mainline game. This will still do nicely for now though and I do get the feeling that I may warm to the game more when it releases... right now it's just kind of coming out in November and I'm not really that excited yet. Super Smash Bros Ultimate comes out in December and I'm heavily hyped for that already.

I must say, I do agree here. I mean... I wouldn't say that the graphics are offensively bad but... there's definitely something a little off about it. I am buying it, mostly out of morbid curiosity than anything else and that damn nostalgia as well.

You did show her Sonic and not Wolfenstein... right? Either way, I'm going to assume that kids are hard to please these days when it comes to games or just have different tastes. Have you let her play any of your other games? What ones do you have so far? Obviously Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8 DX I'd recommend. How about... Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker surely no kid could dislike Toad.

Wolfenstein II The New Colossus... ... ...what? OK, as for a serious suggestion though... Sonic Mania Plus I first started playing Sonic games at around the same age, plus you could play it co-op with her if it proves to be too difficult. Plus it's a game that you'll likely definitely want to play anyway, if you haven't got it already.

Another day, another handful of indie titles headed to Switch. Click the images to check out the trailers on the main site, they seem pretty interesting.

Sorry to keep you waiting... Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles - (MD) The ultimate original Sonic game, in its ultimate form... until it gets remade using the Sonic Mania Plus engine of course. While it's no longer the most technically impressive 2D Sonic game, the experience of playing the games first seperately and then joined as originally intended was nothing short of mesmerising. Getting all of the original Chaos Emeralds and then suddenly... there's more of them?!? Then you have the amazing selection of zones... the ability to play as either Sonic, Tails and Knuckles (&Knuckles) with different routes, the incredible soundtrack and the feeling that the Megadrive was being pushed right to the edge of what was technically capable at times; all of this culminated in what would become my most played game of the Nineties and beyond. Metroid Prime - (GC) While the majority of the Metroid series is set firmly in the second dimension and is without a doubt one of the most influential series ever created, Metroid Prime took the core concept of the series and successfully transplanted it into the third dimension thanks to the talents of a previously unproven developer based in Texas and something of an intervention from Miyamoto which likely helped set them on course to deliver one of the most memorable games of its generation and easily on of the best titles available for its platform of release. Easily the most absorbing game I played on the GameCube and one of the greatest games in existence to date owing to its intense atmosphere, attention to detail and respect for the series which helped to firmly put Samus back on the map as one of the all-time greatest Nintendo characters. Ultimately though if I had to sell the game in two words, all I'd need to say is... Phendrana Drifts. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II - (GC) Quite possibly the most amount of collective time I have put into ANY videogame is into PSO over a period of many years, it was my first online experience on the Dreamcast with the original release and version 2 but when news of the impending GameCube release of the original base game plus a brand new episode surfaced, I was destined to purchase this game on launch day. Fifteen years later, I have my GC console on my desk, with the original copy of the game in the disc tray most of the time and my memory card with my characters on never far away, just in case I ever want to play it again... this always happens after a certain period of time as the game still had a hold over me seemingly not content with the two and a half thousand hours of my life it has collectively consumed. Play it and find out why, good luck hunting for those red drops! The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - (N64) I didn't properly get into Zelda until I was around thirteen years old, despite dabbling in A Link to the Past and the original NES games, it wasn't until December 1998 that my gaming life would change forever. I'd already been playing N64 games for the best part of a year after gratefully receiving the console a family present from my late grandparents the year before. Every moment experience in this game was nothing short of pure magic, stepping out into Kokiri Forest as Young Link, going off on an incredible adventure which transcends time itself and takes you to a world which was made to be as believable as possible for its time of release. Hey! Listen! If you haven't played this game yet then you really owe it to yourself to, don't make excuses... just play it and enjoy. Panzer Dragoon Saga - (SS) Ever since fatefully picking up my original copy of this game for the princely sum of £4 complete in a second-hand shop around fifteen years ago, I have considered myself incredibly lucky enough to have enjoyed one of the most original RPG's of all time which belongs to one of the most original and boundary pushing series of its time. Panzer Dragoon Saga has everything you could want from an incredibly tight and focused RPG which rather than having you recuit a huge party, has you rely on only yourself and your dragon, who most of the time exist as one unit. Taking the innovative 360 degree flight system and incorporating it into the battle enounters was not only a stroke of genius but it's amazing to think that it all works on the original hardware, not only that but there's an impressive amount of cutscenes which help to fill out the games 4 discs but I'm really deliberately underselling it here. If you really want to experience the game then you will need to buy a copy and I would advise doing so while you still can, as for the future we can only really hope for some kind of technical miracle to come about which would allow the game to be recreated for modern platforms since the presumed loss of the original source code. Both a rarity and a gem of the gaming world which still shines brightly even today. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - (GC) Very few RPG's have managed to captivate me in the same way that the sequel to the original Paper Mario did when it came out, even within its own series it is still the very pinnacle for me as everything from the story, setpieces and range of characters you can recruit into your party just fit so perfectly. The battle system is so finely-tuned and it really baffles me that they saw fit to keep messing with the best part of the game for the other games which came after. What's more is that quite simply, this is an adventure worth going on, not like in some RPG's where you're just kind of "there" just for the grind, this game is one of the best packages you could ask for in the genre and it's all wrapped up with some excellent humour and a visual style which holds it all together, like the glorious piece of papercraft that it still is today. Perfect Dark - (N64) In recent years this game has been bettered by its re-release which you can experience through Rare Replay but for pure nostalgia value and all of the hype leading up to the game pre-release, you really can't beat the original N64 release of Perfect Dark for what it achieved off the back of Goldeneye at the time. It took everything from that excellent FPS template established in its spiritual prequel and simply refined it, then built upon it ten times over, taking us for what was back then seemingly pretty far into the future. Walking around the Carrington Institute for the first time which not only acted as the games main hub but was brought to life with NPC's, interactive elements and a full firing range... it was just a joy to behold. And then you pressed start, navigated through the menus and played through the main game, which had plenty of missions which differed across multiple difficulties, had plenty of unlocks and one of the best multiplayer modes in existence which was only made better with the addition of online in its later re-release. In a weird way, Pefect Dark still feels like the future while in other ways it surely either helped to shape it or even predicted some elements. Regardless of inspiration or possible real-world "coincidences" if you are to play the more modern version of the game today, you'll find a very playable and enjoyable FPS which will feel like a revelation if all you've ever played in the genre is the same tired old modern-day sequels to a certain prolific series. F-Zero GX - (GC) In the early days of the SNES it was F-Zero which really pushed the boundaries of the system with its unique graphical capabilities and intense sense of speed, this carried over into the N64 era with F-Zero X which then took the series into the polygonal dimension, gave rise to a whole host of new racers, unique crafts and had a rockin' soundtrack to boot which accompanied the even more blisteringly paced action at an incredibly impressive framerate even if it came at a cost to the overall visuals. Then the technical wizards at Amusement Vision came along and helped to deliver the most fleshed-out and technically impressive games in the series with F-Zero GX which is the home console counter-part to F-Zero AX which was released in arcades on the Triforce system which has to be one of the best collaborations in videogame company history purely for bringing this game in existence. Featuring a huge amount of cups, tracks, vehicles, a story mode, parts to collect and even an emblem editor... there really isn't anything more you could add to this already mechanically perfect game other than add some HD polish, a track editor and an online mode. Coming back again to the Switch in 2019? I most certainly hope so. Pokémon Gold/Silver Version - (GB) When the original games came out, my brother and I played them for countless hours, not stopping until obtaining all 151 critters, the whole adventure was nothing short of captivating, the trading and battling via link cable was mind-blowing (isn't technology amazing?) surely nothing could top these portable gems? Oh yes they most certainly could... Gold and Silver versions came out, the import versions were bought, all 251 critters were obtained, the game was played from start to finish through both regions and "that" battle proved to be the ultimate end game. The series only ever went on a downward spiral for me since that point until Black & White versions came out. But the G&S era for me will always have those precious memories which have outlasted my original save file. Conker's Bad Fur Day - (N64) Platformers may have come and gone over the years but Conker is surely eternal, "Long live the king!" indeed as what Rare achieved with this title is nothing short of impressive even today, now that the game has come out again as part of Rare Replay, anyone with an Xbox One really doesn't have an excuse any more... unless they really want to play it on the original hardware, in which case be prepared to pay around £100 + in order to do so. However you experience this landmark anti-platformer then just make sure you do so as you really will not regret it. Super Mario 64 is ground-breaking, Banjo-Kazooie is postively charming but Conker is unapologetically savage in its execution in more ways than one and it hits that sweet spot on the humour scale which only a British developer can truly muster in a certain way which will surely have you grinning from ear to ear as you try to find your way home through a thoroughly original and marvelous adventure which stood out back in the day and still does today for all of the right reasons.

Bomb Chicken Review written by @Hero-of-Time Thank you on behalf of N-Europe.