S.C.G

R.I.P Philip Seymour Hoffman

I just don't understand why Sega don't keep things simple when it comes to Sonic as this is where the original games excel because they are a relatively straightforward idea executed with perfection; Sonic runs fast throughout the acts, interacting with the environment feels natural because of the well-tuned physics with the odd simple puzzle usually involving a switch or a lever which helps to break things up intermittently. Other factors include rings equal life, collecting one hundred gains you an extra life - why they initially left this out of Lost World I have no idea - plus either fifty rings by stage end or jumping at a Star Post gains you entry to the special stage where you can collect one of the seven Chaos Emeralds which are your ticket to becoming Super Sonic in all of the acts aside from those which lack enough rings. Power ups must at least include invincibility in addition to the standard bubble shield, speed shoes and of course extra lives/rings though obviously the elemental shields from Sonic 3 + Knuckles are always welcome. Keeping it to a minimal amount of characters always seems to be the best option, just having Sonic, Tails and Knuckles is always the ideal outcome for Sonic games just providing they still control in the traditional way. To me these seem to be the main core elements which are preferable to have in any Sonic game which is to have a decent chance of matching the original quality of the first games, of course there are other considerations including variation of Zones, a concise number of acts but really I just can't understand why a large number of these considerations seem to be repeatedly overlooked. :p Sonic can be good again, indeed in recent years we've had more successful games then all-out failures so the series is already on the up but Sega could definitely do with going back to the very start in order to ascertain just what made the originals such a hit in the first place but I can only hope that they don't over-think things and come up with some half-baked idea like the 'werehog' ever again. The market may have changed considerably but most fans love for the series hasn't, Sega just needs to find some way of respectfully adapting Sonic for the modern age without compromising the series roots or playing too heavily on nostalgia while forgetting about the physics, as a fan who has played just about every Sonic game there has been over the years... it makes sense in my head at least.

Sonic Colours/Generations/Lost World were all good... ...but none have ever touched the quality of the original games. [/discussion] There really isn't anything more to say than that. As for the next Sonic game, I'll be very interested to see what route this one takes, especially as it's a multi-format release. Personally I'll be hoping for a brand new 2D/3D Sonic game which harks back to the original Megadrive era... ...what we'll probably get is Sonic Heroes 2.* :wink: *Actually 'sort of want' in a weird way

Well being that they would be classed as VC games then 'Yes' as I will almost certainly be reviewing them. As for games that I would willingly part with money for to play on the big screen... Advance Wars: Dual Strike Advance Wars: Days of Ruin Dragon Quest V: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Mario Kart DS Phantasy Star 0 There are probably more, but those are the ones which spring to mind, obviously with online for those titles which originally supported it of course. :p

OK I'll bite... time for a random game idea. What about another Nintendo/Treasure co-developed title? This has happened before when we got Wario World on the Gamecube so how about either... A sequel to Wario World (the easy but unlikely option) Shmup game utilising Star Fox (Treasure is famous for these types of games plus it might increase brand awareness) Side-scrolling beat-em-up/run-'n-gun title (featuring characters which would fit in with either genre for instance you could have Samus, Mega-Man, plus maybe characters from similar Treasure titles including Alien Soldier or Gunstar Heroes) Obviously that last idea would need slight involvement from Capcom as well, but yes anyway... they are ideas at least.

Pretty sure it will yes. That's exactly what I plan to do next time I have a go on NES Remix and of course to have this kind of controller support from the very start for the inevitable SNES Remix would certainly be something.

Well I suppose I did actually end up getting mine for around £58 as opposed to £80 so it didn't seem that bad at the time, plus I figured that I would need the space eventually being that I'm reviewing all the VC games that come out plus the odd retail game too which tend to be mostly download only now, gone are the days of receiving fully boxed games sadly. But I have no doubt in my mind that I would have certainly needed to buy a hard drive at some point anyway as the 32GB certainly won't last; it was a worthwhile investment.

That's actually amazing, as I don't think I've ever heard of an N64 breaking at all, I always thought they were built to last. (mine still works when I last played it months ago) It literally doesn't work any more... at all? No power and/or refusal to read cartridges? Really genuinely surprised at this.

rizz, don't tell us you've broken the site! :p It must be the sudden influx of N-E members joining, it's all too much. Just a small update from me, we're still messaging... not all the time but keeping in contact which is good, nothing else to report really, just happy to be exchanging messages. : peace:

You wait for ages for one girl on the bus to talk with you, then two come along and invite you back to their place? :p ... Wait, no that's not it. I hope it's true in @Ike's case though seriously I've caught the bus for many years and every now and then you do get to talk to some extraordinary people - regardless of if you're attracted to them or not - but yes... I hope you get to talk to 'bus girl' again Ike, if not though here's hoping that someone equally amazing catches the same bus as you one day. : peace:

Yes, I tried using one with a Y cable and it was very unreliable. Ever since I bought this hard drive which is a mains powered one... http://www.tesco.com/direct/toshiba-2tb-desktop-hd/525-2138.prd ...I've had no problems. : peace:

This would be the perfect point at which to end the thread, we know that 'It will never happen' in either case. I know the debate will rage on though, which is fine... this is a forum after all but until something interesting happens to indicate that one of the above - unlikely - scenarios is actually going to happen I don't see any point in discussing it further. :p

It's fine for PS4 games... it would feel plain wrong to be playing something like Mario with it though also I would go as far to say that the Dualshock 4 is the first Playstation controller that actually doesn't feel like a cheap toy. People can say what they like about Nintendo controllers but ultimately at least they feel like exactly that... controllers, not some cheap piece of plastic which only barely resembles such a device. I'm actually amazed that this discussion is still going though, I have no problem with it existing but come on, it's never going to happen and nor would I will it to; Nintendo always has been both a hardware and software manufacturer... its even been famously said I'm sure from within the company that the day Nintendo stops making consoles is the day that they stop making games and this was some considerable time ago if I'm correctly remembering this so. Let's just see what happens on Thursday in any case. : peace:

I'm somewhat surprised that this hadn't already happened... :p Gears of War has always famously only appeared on platforms either owned by or associated with Microsoft - Xbox 360/PC - so this seems to be a no-brainer really. Sadly I lost interest in the series after GoW3... well not really sadly, I just found other games more worthy of my time to play. But the games always seem to have been consistent just not really worthy of the full price-tag since Judgement in my opinion.

Well things will certainly become interesting if they do decide to go the 'en-mass' release route... for me it would mean that I could effectively choose which games that I review for VC Weekly, would definitely shake things up. Oh speaking of... VC Weekly #277 : peace:

Well seeing as I've reviewed the game, it seems almost wrong not to... Enjoy! Points: 900 Publisher: Square-Enix Developer: Squaresoft Released: 1995 System: SNES While here in Europe we have been graced with a DS remake of Chrono Trigger in recent years, when it comes to the original we've never actually had the pleasure of playing this wondrous game owing to its release only in Japan and USA; until now that is. Yes the game that is considered by many to be not only one of the best SNES games ever made but also one of the greatest RPG's of all time is now available in its original form for the first time in Europe and it's all thanks to the Virtual Console along with Square-Enix finally seeing fit to release it. After all these years I'm sure that many of you are wondering just how good the game is, assuming of course you haven't imported the game by now – which I did myself a few years back – well let me state right now that it is quite honestly one of the finest and more importantly most memorable RPG's that I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. There's just so much to love from the fantastic cast of characters, lavish locations, tightly scripted story and much more besides that all comes together in a uniquely charming way. Breaking it down your party travel across a world map but unlike Final Fantasy there are no random encounters as these are saved for when you enter each area and though it's undeniable that time travel plays a prominent part in the game it's the battles themselves that really make the adventure. Utilising the ATB (Active-Time-Battle) system as a base there are some notable improvements namely the ability to use Techs which are specific moves that can do epic amounts of damage to enemies, these can be combined across party members for double and triple attacks which you'll be using a lot as there are some particularly fierce battles later on. Many games within the genre are guilty of including random encounters at alarmingly annoying rates but here you can actually see the enemies before either battling them or choosing to avoid some; this is most refreshing also there isn't a huge amount of grinding needed, only if you so choose to which also speeds things along. Not that you'd want to rush through of course because you'll want to get strong to a point plus there's plenty to discover in the games vast world throughout the various time-zones plus thirteen different endings that are obtainable; this is an epic in the truest sense of the word. From a visual standpoint Chrono Trigger is easily one of the most beautifully crafted games of its generation featuring a lavish amount of detail accompanied by colours so rich and vibrant that they make the world believable, taking it from being just 'another RPG' to an experience like no other. But of course this would still be all for nought if the music wasn't up to scratch but thankfully this never even enters your head for the aural accompaniments are astounding and the score - composed mainly by Yasunori Mitsuda along with Nobuo Uematsu – is nothing short of a modern-day masterpiece which becomes the heart and soul of this unforgettable adventure. Quite simply this is one of the most memorable RPG's you are ever likely to play on any console and for that reason alone it comes highly recommended, it's so well polished in all the areas you'd expect but also manages to surprise and delight in ways that you wouldn't have thought previously possible. This title is responsible for raising the bar within its genre far beyond reach of any who try to imitate it and remains testament to its excellence to this very day; if you've yet to play this then you should consider yourself fortunate that there is an experience so spectacular just waiting for you to download and enjoy, don't even consider the price-tag for the feeling of reward gained from playing is priceless. Verdict : A truly terrific and timeless classic. 97/100

If it's any consolation I would rate the books over the films - so far - even though I applaud the books being brought to life in a new way as movies. So I would say that it would be better to read all of the books before the final two films come out - the last book Mockingjay is going to be split across two films - or at the very least you might as well read the first books which you've already seen as films and then see how you feel? : peace:

Well I watched The Hunger Games last night and while I thoroughly enjoyed it I couldn't help but feel that there were plenty of concessions that were made in the translation of book to film. But then I think to myself that there always would have been a certain amount of differences in any case, particularly with the first film and yet they still pulled it off rather well which makes me think that this is definitely a lovingly produced endeavour of bringing the books to the big screen so naturally I can't wait now until the release of Catching Fire on Blu Ray/DVD in a few months. Meanwhile I'm now onto chapter fourteen of Mockingjay literally almost 50% through the book according to my kindle - #NotEnoughSpaceForPhysicalBooksInMyLife :p -so quite possibly at the point where part one of the film might end and I'm still very much enjoying the reading experience and I can't wait to see how it all ends, even though I'll be sad when it's all over but then remember that at least I have the future films to look forward to.

Haha! I'll make a note of that... just in case. :p Either way I still can't wait for MH4U, but then that's half the problem... the wait even though it will be worth it.

This is actually 'perfect' in a sense... there's still a good 4 months + left until E3 which means in that time there will be plenty of feedback from everyone in Europe/America about this, being that the game is slated for 2015 over here there is already a good chance that Capcom are already secretly working on the Wii U port/ground up built version but even if they aren't, once they see the demand for it then they would be mad not to have already gone ahead with it at that point. Obviously Wii U sales between now and then will no doubt contribute towards the likelihood but if Nintendo wanted to make a smart move along with hopefully their 'resurgence' which I reckon will take place very soon after the Nintendo Direct on 30/01/14 regarding marketing, re-branding etc and just well... getting the other games out there! :p So I am almost certain that we will get an announcement of a Wii U version at E3 2014 - as a side-note I have just realised that I have time off work for E3 - and that is going to be a very interesting year indeed for Wii U/3DS owners/Monster Hunters alike! Either that or I'll have to force myself to buy COD on the Wii U so I can talk to @Hero\-of\-Time & co while hunched over the 3DS version...

Surely this now means that in Europe we will simply get MH4G/U on 3DS and Wii U respectively when it eventually arrives? There's surely no point in porting across the original version which will now look like it's light on content in comparison to the new Japanese version which they will still probably get before we even get a chance to play MH4 in any form! #MonstarHuntarFoarGeeUltimataVersionoAtEeeFreeForEuropeanWeleaseBeeleaaafPleashUndershtand! Not that I'm bitter of course...

Thank you Animal. And that's exactly the kind of thing I wanted to hear, makes me want to read Mockingjay right now... it's there on my desk, taunting me but I promised myself that I'd save it until a little later in the day... still though. *twitches from reading withdrawal* Will definitely be watching the first film tonight though.

So I've actually been getting into The Hunger Games recently, finished reading Catching Fire last night as I've read the first two book within a matter of days after trying to limit myself to a certain amount of chapters... just doesn't work as I haven't read many books over the past few years but now seeing as I've had some time off I decided it was time to get properly back into it. Really enjoying the books so far I'd been meaning to give them a go for a while but never got around to it but decided to after a recent recommendation and now I'm wishing that I'd just started reading sooner. :p Very enjoyable storyline so far, liking the setting, characters seem decent too; I do like Katniss Everdeen even though I'll admit that Peeta, Haymitch and other characters do seem more interesting at times but overall I just can't stop reading, wanting to find out what happens next so for me the pacing seems to be pretty much spot-on. I managed to get a copy of the first film on Blu-Ray in the red-case two-disc edition for around a ten pounds second hand in decent condition which I was quite pleased with, hopefully I'll give it a watch later tonight but before that I'll have almost certainly have started reading Mockingjay. I'm now looking forward to buying Catching Fire on Blu-Ray too when it's released though I don't know quite how I feel about them making the final book into two films I suppose it depends on the quality of the final book but either way I'm sticking with it for the duration now as it has certainly been worth my time so far. : peace:

I'm really sorry to hear about Nero @Cube we only lost one of our cats a little over three weeks ago so I know how sad it can be. Just try and remember the good times, I find it helps at least a little bit.

Well you see... it's because... ...essentially, what it comes down to is... ...that I have absolutely no idea why either.