S.C.G

Price: GB £6.29, EU €6.99 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo R&D1 Released: 2003 System: GameBoy Advance The legendary Super Metroid will always be remembered as the 'fan favourite' that players enjoyed the most and quite rightly so because it is in many ways the game that put Metroid on the map so it's almost ironic that the iconic Samus Aran was almost 'forgotten' about as it took a good console generation for her to return; thankfully the GameBoy Advance was released which graced us with 'Metroid 4' or as it's more commonly known 'Metroid Fusion' but little did we know just how brilliant it would be, it would seem that the return of this well-loved series was most definitely worth the wait. Set after Super Metroid we see Samus return to planet SR388 – home world of the Metroid – alongside a research team but it isn't long before disaster strikes as she is infected by the 'X-parasite' which causes her to fall unconscious during the return flight home; her ship crashes and she wakes up in critical condition at the Galactic Federation who manage to create a vaccine from Metroid DNA which saves Samus but it transpires that her power suit is damaged beyond repair. This is where you acquire the Fusion Suit which while being rather weak – not to mention a rather striking blue colour – allows Samus to absorb X-parasites which proves useful as she sets off to the 'Biologic Space Labs Research Station' to investigate an explosion which has occurred there and the place is overrun by the troublesome creatures so it's just as well to have a defence mechanism against them. Docking your stop-gap ship – which is a rather striking purple – at the station this is where you take control under the guidance of the ships computer – based on Adam Malkovitch – as you explore your surrounding area while blasting any 'X' as you go, doing this will release the parasite from the creature it infected allowing you to absorb it as either energy or ammunition which proves a rather useful mechanic throughout your mission and is used to particularly great effect upon defeating bosses which will grant you a significant upgrade ranging from anything like the simple Screw Attack to the deadly Diffusion Missiles which pack more than a punch. It's well noted that while Fusion is undeniably more of a linear affair than Super Metroid it's actually here from where it draws strength because you always know roughly where to go which spurs you on and while it may feel like having a computer giving you intel somewhat breaks that feeling of isolation, it's kept in check by the tension which is created by the SA-X which is an X-parasite copy of Samus in her original Chozo designed, fully powered-up battle armour which stalks you throughout the game making for some incredibly tense moments especially being that you're too underpowered to take on the creation until near the end of the game. In the visual department Fusion truly excels featuring graphics eerily reminiscent of the great Super Metroid except even more detailed thanks to the GBA hardware which allows for some impressive effects indeed including an excellent representation of space just outside the ship along with some subtle lighting which really helps bring the six sprawling areas to life the most spectacular section being a replica of of SR388 which has to be seen to be believed. Naturally the audio complements the action perfectly featuring accompanying pieces both old and new along with a diverse range of moods conveyed brilliantly managing to masterfully build then disperse feelings of tension as required which only adds to the already deeply engaging experience. A simply amazing title which goes some way to proving that length isn't everything in a game because while Metroid Fusion is significantly shorter than previous entries it most certainly captures every single positive aspect within the series, presenting itself in such a spectacular way which will utterly absorb you from start to finish. To put it another way this is one of the finest Metroid titles to date so quite honestly if you haven't played it yet then I really don't know what you're waiting for, especially considering that you can now play on the big screen with SNES style controls at your fingertips. So please I urge you to enjoy what could easily be considered as Samus Aran's finest hour in recent years, who knows when we might again witness the brilliance of another painstakingly crafted 2D Metroid title, at least this is another chance to spend some quality time with the finest intergalactic bounty hunter ever to grace our screens be they large or small; Ms Samus Aran we salute you. Verdict : The most masterful Metroid title since the 16-bit era.

Muramasa Rebirth for free? Don't mind if I do.

Ah good, that should give me enough time to finish... Tales of Symphonia Chronicles Tales of Graces f Tales of Xillia Fortunately I've just started Tales of Symphonia - played it before on the Gamecube but you know, 'dat game! Hnnnnnnnggggg! - but yes, this is a good release date.

I'm really sorry to hear that @Fierce_LiNk I realise that words will probably be of little comfort to you at a time like this but if you need anything or just need to talk then just say the word.

*sigh* Nintendamned if they do, damned if they don't... ...I don't know what to say, on the one hand it is DLC which is something people have been asking for, if it's not on the card then I don't see the harm. On the other hand, I prefer to have all of the game on the card/disc on day 1 but I think that further down the line DLC can be good, in the cases of Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart 8 I think it could extend the life of the games greatly providing it's implemented in a non game-breaking way; so in those respects they would have had to prepare that kind of DLC in advance. For instance, Super Smasn Bros comes out with all the characters that have been announced so far, then 3 months down the line we get a Nintendo Direct saying that 'Due to popular demand we are adding new character to the game... new challenger Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia arrives and will be available as DLC for £2.99 on November 26th 2014' but in order to have that DLC ready they would have effectively had that character in the game since around 'launch' time but due to extended testing etc more time was needed so DLC. I can see the pros/cons but this is going to be a tricky situation to start with but the future could be quite hopeful, just so long as it doesn't turn into 'day 1 pre-order bonus, Tanooki suit for all Mario characters in Smash Bros' type scenario. Fierce Deity Link costume however 3 months down the line for £0.99 however, although I'd hate to admit it, would probably buy... but I'd still feel like hmm that really should have been in the game. We'll see what E3 brings... : peace:

That reminds me, I still have the original 1000 points from when I originally purchased my DSi... ...just goes to show what a worthwhile purchase it was at the time!

Due to the pricing I've only been buying what I deem to be the 'essential' titles or just ones that I wanted another chance to play, so far that means I have purchased... Advance Wars Golden Sun Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Metroid Fusion Of course it would be nice to have F-Zero: Maximum Velocity and perhaps Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island on the Wii U but then I must remember that I do have them all on the GBA plus on 3DS as ambassador titles... oh and I have a GBA player all hooked up ready to go for those games which I'll either only ever have a 'quick go' on or for those titles which might not immediately make it to the VC such as Tales of Phantasia which I would purchase again on the Wii U in a heartbeat now that I know the USA version is superior. For now though, only the real 'must-have-again' titles, especially at that price, I mean it's not bad but yes a discount for quantity would be good Nintendo seeing as you don't seem to like supplying us with regular download codes for VC titles.

Hmm well assuming that MH4 will stay 3DS exclusive - that could still change though at E3 so Wii U version please! - why don't Capcom remake the very first Monster Hunter but with all the modern day advancements that have been introduced to the series since? It'd work wouldn't it @Hero\-of\-Time? What's your take on a tenth anniversary remake of the original? Potential or potentially not worth it? Loving those T-Shirts and the jacket, I would buy all of those if Zenny was no object... : peace:

I was under the impression that in the first game you can merely 'take turns' but NES Remix II seems to have support for two controllers though this is only alluded to through a small message on the retry screen, I searched the manual for details and not much seems to be there but I will try it out.

NES Remix II takes the spirit of Nintendo, combines it with Wario Ware and provides a fun and challenging experience which fills a small part of the huge gap in the release schedule for a reasonable price plus it even includes a Championship mode which not only harks back to the golden age of competitive Nintendo gaming but it also uses all of the content from the previous game. I don't see what's not to like about it? : peace:

Oh wow, to think I'm actually older than this landmark gaming machine that's something in itself but actually owning a GameBoy changed my life forever as it properly introduced me to Nintendo. I'd played on lots of early gaming machines during the Eighties when I was barely a few years old, had a Sega Megadrive from very early on but I always got play the great SNES games too because my best friend who lived next door at the time had one so I didn't really feel I was missing out as such because I got to play all of the great games on both machines. Then we moved house - only down the road, across the street so I'd still visit my friend but not as much - and I ended up being bought a second hand GameBoy by my parents as an early birthday present, it came with a handful of classics including Super Mario Land 2 and of course the immortal Tetris... basically from that moment I was Nintendo all the way with Sega every now and then depending on which of their consoles was going cheap at the time as I got a Mega CD when the Playstation came out, then my home-console cycle seemed to go N64 - Dreamcast - Gamecube - Saturn - Xbox - Wii - Xbox 360 - PS3 - Wii U - PS4 and now here we are. But I would still end up buying every single iteration of the GameBoy plus each natural evolution of Nintendo's portable hardware to this very day all off the strength of one monochrome-screened grey brick of awesomeness which I have treasured right up to this very special day. Happy Birthday! : peace:

While I'm not Adverts to welcoming new members, I would have to be a little 'warey' aBOuT this one.

I don't even care if NES Remix II is 'lazy' at least it's a 'new' game to play and it's actually fun/challenging/nostalgic and brilliant in its own small way. Expect a full review soon. : peace:

The Nintendo Gamecube start-up screen, hold down the 'Z' button when starting up the console the next time you play if you haven't already, such a silly little Easter egg but it never fails... i smile every time. #Jim Babur! @Fierce_LiNk

Oh yeah, just thought I'd reassure people that NES Remix II is everything the original was plus a whole lot more, this might seem like stating the obvious but it is really enjoyable as the selection of games really make the package a lot more attractive overall. I played through pretty much all of it in the space of two days but there are many reasons to come back if you like beating high scores or just revelling in a bit of nostalgia. : peace: Championship Mode seems to be quite fun, though it requires Miiverse to get the most from it - no EU community yet - so I look forward to having a few score battles with you all when the game get released. All controller support from day one is very much welcome, I've been playing this with my SNES pad, naturally and can't wait until we get the inevitable SNES remix... it will happen, it has to. :awesome:

*Presses the 'B' button* Nope...

I officially have a new desktop background...

Say what you like about Killzone - it was only ever a 'bundle' game for me - and slate Knack as much as is humanly possible by all means as it's a really terrible game which Sony should never have green-lit... ever. :p But inFamous Second Son is the first genuinely compelling retail game that I have purchased for the PS4, I've played the previous games - very close to the release of Second Son as it happens - and I can confidently say that there is a clear difference in the new inFamous game... night & day difference even, just like there is a clear difference between Pikmin 3 plus the games that preceded it. In both cases it might just be 'visuals' and improved levels of performance, these are two things which come from a generational leap though; it would be amiss to label either game on either platform as 'last gen' even if we were to note that Pikmin 3 was held back for the best part of a generation, it was still released on the piece of hardware that made sense, it's the same case with inFamous Second Son. They are both fantastic games, both of them are without a doubt 'current' generation - as in by definition both consoles are now out so this is the 'next gen' that we've all been referring to - but it doesn't matter too much, I'm just trying to make the point that I don't deem either of them to be 'last gen' titles. : peace: As for which console has the most compelling software... Wii U easily but it's going to be an interesting year indeed, I for one am looking forward immensely to Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros but in the meantime I'm really glad that I have inFamous along with whatever free games I get with Plus to tide me over until then. If I was to advise someone of which console to buy right now I'd still say the Wii U has the clear edge with the games but for the future I'd probably recommend the PS4 as even though we know games are coming for the Wii U there is still a fair bit of uncertainty even now. In an ideal world I would say to people 'buy both' but if I could only have one console then it would be the Wii U as I wouldn't want to miss out on all the quality Nintendo titles but I'd still feel gutted that I'd be losing out on any major third party games coming out over the next few years. But there we are, that's the situation right now and an odd one it is granted but let's see what happens at E3 as hopefully both Nintendo and Sony might just surprise us...

So this has always been a 'download only' series up until now, but I gather that you can either download it as normal or buy it at retail... so what's the difference apart from the price? Is there extra stuff with the retail version perhaps?

Yeah I was looking the prices up on eBay and was pleasantly surprised at the price of both those games but I think I'll be keeping it, especially as you've given it a recommendation Hero. : peace: (I must admit I just looked at it and thought... 'fighting game... Capcom... £1... buy it!') It doesn't have a manual - the only game that did was Blood Omen - but the discs seem ok so at least it's perfectly playable. I'll likely sell both Final Fantasy games though as I already have them both physically and digitally.

Went to the car boot this morning with my brother, spotted a stall unpacking some Playstation games to which I enquired the price of... £1 a piece, so I went for these ones... And my brother decided to get these... (I already have 'D' on the Saturn) Not bad for £5... : peace:

I agree, on the business side he should be asking for permission. On the art side I actually quite like some of his pieces, especially as they seem to be at least part inspiration for the graffiti you get to spray on the buildings in inFamous Second Son...

So is anyone else considering picking up Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn today? I'm considering getting it today because I have a friend who plays it on the PC so being that it's cross-platform it seems like the perfect time to get into it, I was just curious as to whether anyone from here was picking it up as well though. : peace:

I'm game is Sakurai is! Perhaps it will be an alternative costume labelled 'Non-Zero Suit Samus' hmm now there's a thought...