S.C.G

I completely forgot that it was Thursday, 8pm just passed me by without a second-thought. I won't join part-way through, my place on the leaderboard is all but finalised in any case. All the best though, and thanks for all the GP's and Battle mode runs we've had this year, it has been fun.

N-E Café Episode 56 now available! Now up on the main page. - - - - - I think its been a good week for the podcast on the news front, which made for some really decent discussion, what with Sephiroth being announced for Smash, and The Game Awards in general, especially as a new Perfect Dark game was announced, also, I know there hasn't been a lot to talk about on the Nintendo front with games, but it is interesting hearing about some Nintendo games, plus games from other platforms, obviously it depends on what you've all been playing each week, it definitely adds a good bit of contrast though. Thanks for answering my Listener Question as well, I thought it was a standard question, but one which didn't seem to have been asked before, plus it's always interesting to hear about how everyone plays their games, and what their favourite ways to play are as well, especially with games that you're familiar with. The next edition should be interesting, as I'm assuming that the main topic could well be the Nintendo Indie World Presentation which aired today, I can almost hear Greg's response to a lot of the Indie games... it's likely the same for me, as although a lot of titles with a great deal of variety were shown, only a couple of games genuinely interest me on a 'I can see myself playing that' level. Anyway, looking forward to next weeks episode, and I'll update this weeks episode with the YouTube embed, as soon as it's available.

Nintendo Indie World 15/12/2020 Presentation Roundup All up on the main site, N-Europe's Roundup of the presentation. Full press release and video embed. I had no expectations for this, games were shown, plenty that I probably won't be purchasing, though there's clearly a lot of variety on offer. Cyber Shadow looks decent.

Zarude code just came through from GameStop Ireland.

Indie World Showcase to be broadcast on Tuesday 15th December at 5PM UK time Up on the main page. We'll have the full roundup article with the press release etc up on the main page shortly after the event airs tomorrow. Zero expectation for this, we'll just see what happens.

I'm a simple man, I see that someone mentions Phantasy Star Online on a forum, and I instantly like that post, then proceed to talk about it. PSO is a fantastic game, there is no other title quite like it, and that is thanks to its unique type of cooperative gameplay, which can't be found anywhere else. It is a title which you can also play in solo, which is good for testing out the general limits of your character, but the game really comes alive when you play it online. Up to four players can go off to one of twelve different locations, (adding up the original four from Ragol in episode one and each area of Gal Da Val island from episode two, not counting episode four from Blue Burst) where you will do battle with various creatures, using a robust, combo-based battle system, which rewards timing and patience, more than your average button-mashing, action RPG. There are plenty of weapons to use, tweleve different character classes, lots of item management, and that great feeling of getting a red box rare item. Four difficulty modes are available to you over time, Normal is for lvl 1-20, Hard is 20-40, then 40-80 for Very Hard, with Ultimate being available for level 80 all the way up to the cap of 200, but you won't really be holding your own on Ultimate until around level 130 - 155 depending on various factors. But the whole fun of it is getting there, it's a fantastic shared experience, and one which I've continued to this very day, thanks to the Schthack server and people on there who I play online with on at the very least a weekly basis, I've got a FOnewearl called NiGHTS who I've gotten from low level up to around 127(?) I think it is now, currently working my way through the levels so that I can equip a high level armour which was kindly gifted to me by a player on there, there's also an event on there now where you can hunt rare rappies and the lobbies and Pioneer 2 has seasonal decorations applied to it, which makes it all the more fun to come back to, as a shared online game, just as it was always intended. I don't really play many other games these days, but PSO will always keep me coming back to it.

I'll be Default Sephiroth and Friday or Saturday should be fine. Oh yeah, and thanks for the games the other night @Glen-i and @BowserBasher I really enjoyed our battles, there were some really close matches there. And some of the match-ups we got were really good, I don't remember the random character selection picking a character that I didn't really want to play as.

The Game Awards 2020 Roundup N-Europe's general roundup of the The Game Awards 2020 with a Nintendo focus is up on the main page now. A brief write-up, all of the awards, the official Nintendo Press Release relating to all Switch announcements, and all the trailers plus the main embed. Same time next year then? All going well... who knows, that new Perfect Dark game might be out by then. Anyway, Sephiroth in Smash, what an opening to the main event.

A brand new Perfect Dark title, released over twenty years after the original, and more than fifteen years after the prequel, in the hands of a new developer? We'll see what they do with it, the trailer already gives an idea of the direction that they're taking, and there's definitely potential here. The logo is somewhere inbetween the original and the prequel, I almost want it to change completely back to the original logo before it releases but, it's a compromise, and they have kept it recognisable at least, which is good, as it's a great logo. Everything else is potential, until we see some gameplay, which I reckon won't be for a while. I'm still not buying an Xbox Series X console... yet. If any game has the potential to sell me on the idea though, then it's this, and it is good to see someone finally doing something with the license again. Afterall, this is too perfect a chance to waste, just don't keep fans of the original games in the dark for too much longer.

I'm going to keep putting this out there, until Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia is announced as coming to Smash. Also, let's not forget Rick the Hamster from Kirby who is long overdue as a playable character.

N-E Café Episode 55 now available! Now up on the main page. - - - - - A really enjoyable podcast, it was good to hear about what you've all been playing, even if it isn't that much in one particular week, it's still interesting to hear about, for instance, it was nice just to hear that Nick has purchased and started Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition as that is such a great RPG, especially when you just start playing in that first area, I started playing Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitve Edition this week, and it was good to just finally start playing an RPG which I'd wanted to try out for a while. (I know, I've got other games to play, and reviews to finish, but sometimes all you want to do is just play an RPG and grind for a bit) In fact, that might as well be a listener question, because I think it's a great topic... What is your favourite game to grind experience in (if it's an RPG) or just play for a bit, even though you've probably played the game many times before? For me, it would be Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II on the Nintendo GameCube, but you probably knew that already I'd like to know what your favourite 'Gaming Grinds' are. Also, thanks for highlighting Freedom Planet at 50% on the eShop, that's another title I'll likely buy as I enjoyed it on the Wii U and the PC, but it would be nice to have on the Switch. Anyway, looking forward to next weeks episode, and I'll update this weeks episode with the YouTube embed, as soon as it's available.

An excellent episode, from what I've listened to so far, I'm an hour in and I'm enjoying the talk about the update and online services. I'll promote the latest episode dreckly (soon) but for now, I just wanted to have a 'guess' at this weeks music...

system update... be right there... damn that Nintendo Switch Online Icon is ugly...

In an attempt to get the discussion going in the Streets of Rage 4 thread, I thought it best to quote you here, and refer you to the post I made above at the time, which I'm aware that you probably wouldn't have seen, but everything in that post still rings true, although I haven't checked the game in recent months to see if the game has been changed since in any way. I still haven't beaten the final stage of the game since the update though, and I've run through the game countless times before, I just think that changing the A.I of the final boss characters, really doesn't help the game, but nearly every other change which was made, improved the game overall, it's a bit of a shame because it has partly killed a lot of the enthusiasm I once had for the game, and unless it has been tweaked again since, or until i go back to it and relearn the attack patterns, which I suspect won't help because of just how much has been changed, I can't see myself wanting to go back to it, aside from the odd multiplayer game.

N-E Café Episode 54 now available! Now up on the main page. - - - - - Great episode, I enjoyed listening to your recent games, including Greg's take on Panzer Dragoon Remake, and there's not much I can say because I haven't played the remake yet, but it sounds like the remake is as divisive as the original game was back in the day, as yes, on the Saturn it was a technical showpiece, though I get the feeling that Panzer Dragoon is still very much a niche series overall. I'm still looking forward to it, and I think I will produce a review for it when I finally get that physical copy, but I will say that for anyone new to the Panzer Dragoon series, if you only play one game in the series, and you have access to either an original Xbox or an Xbox One/Xbox Series X, or just know someone who has one, then definitely check out Panzer Dragoon Orta as it's easily one of the best examples of its genre. Some decent discussion on buying games on day one versus waiting it out, I understand that game development can be trying/taxing at any point in time, it has long been the case, but I still think that if it is possible to delay a game, then that is always the best way to go about it, ensuring that you're releasing the best possible product, within the limitations being worked with, coupled with the capability of the studio, because it seems to me that it's better to do the very best you can, without then trying to cross that boundary of trying to deliver more, but possibly overstretching and then not meeting those demands which the studio might have imposed on themselves. But when it comes to just releasing games with little to nothing in the way of testing etc, there's not much to say except better standards are needed. As for updates, it's a catch 22... some games are vastly improved with patches, Panzer Dragoon Remake has had a fair amount added to it since launch, including a new soundtrack as I understand it, but in other cases, updates can either change or break a game, such as the most recent update for Streets of Rage 4, which imrproved probably around ninety percent of the game, but the final stage is now perhaps less enjoyable when it comes to the final boss battle, and the online seems to have been broken, at least on the Xbox One version. Anyway, looking forward to next weeks episode, and I'll update this weeks episode with the YouTube embed, as soon as it's available.

If you already own One Strike (which was given away for next to nothing last year) then you can choose to download one of the following games from the same publisher for free... Akane Akuto: Showdown Coffee Crisis I believe it works the other way around, if you own any of these titles, but I think it was a weekend only deal, so it either ends at midnight, or at some point tomorrow, I was going to post about it here, the other day but I only just remembered, as I went and claimed Coffee Crisis, which would seem to be the best game out of the lot. I know @Ashley owns One Stirke, so I thought it was worth mentioning. Also, I just went back to check exactly how long is left, it looks like it says '1 day remaining' so it might be there until the afternoon, and it seems that if you own just one game out of the four, then you get ALL the rest for FREE, so the deal is even better than I realised, I'll be downloading the other two titles now then.

I saw that earlier, I've been wondering whether or not to cancel that Polymega console, which I pre-ordered near the end of 2018. It would probably be the more sensible (and cheaper) option, though I did buy a few games in preparation for it a while ago, some TurbograFX CD and TG-16 cards. If I got a refund, it would be a lot cheaper and I could maybe buy a TurbograFX 16 plus a CD add-on instead, but again, for the amount of time it would actually be played... probably a refund and then don't buy any more consoles, plus maybe not even keep the TurbograFX games/controller would be the really sensible option.

N-E Café Episode 53 now available! Now up on the main page. - - - - - Another really enjoyable episode, highlights for me were hearing about Greg's experience with the PS5's Resistive Haptics, seemingly the new 'HD Rumble' equivalent,, Nick's updates on games he's been playing, I was interested to hear about how you've been finding Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and I look forward to hearing more about it in future episodes, as it is a game I'm planning on playing soon... though maybe I should keep it sealed for now? Lee's impressions on Invisigun Reloaded were interesting too, a game I've never really looked into, and while it sounds like a unique concept, I think the art of the game is more interesting to me at this time, another example of a 16-Bit aesthetic title in-game, which has wildly different promotional art, which I decided to look toward for the banner this week. The Game Awards discussion was fantastic as well, and while I don't think I'll bother watching it live this year, unless they've seriously rejigged the style of it, which I don't think they will have... because money, adverts etc, I will be on the look out for any Nintendo focused announcements. Indeed, last year I did put together a roundup article of the event, we'll see how the evening goes, I might do the same again this year if there are enough Nintendo related awards and announcements. Oh, and I'm here to claim the crown this week for the transition tunes... Looking forward to the next episode, and I'll be sure to update the main article with the YouTube embed, as soon as it's available.

NEO: The World Ends With You announced for the Nintendo Switch Up on the main page. Full press release and trailer. - - - - - Thanks to @Helmsly for the heads-up, I've credited you in the article. A sequel to the DS original then, this is great news for fans of the series, I know the Switch HD rerelease of the original had some criticism, but it's an option to catch up. With this being a title built from the ground-up for current gen/lastgen hardware, it has potential. I reckon @nekunando might be interested in this title.

Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise demo launches on the Nintendo eShop Up on the main page.

Oh well, that's that then. I'll just pick it up on the PS4 instead, now that we know there's no physical Switch release. I still play the multiplayer on Doom (2016) on the Switch, and I think that's all I'll use it for now.

Comm error, GP1, first race. Annnnd I can't seem to reconnect to the race session either. Error Code 2306 - 0502 - An error has occurred. Please try again later. Ah well, I've just rejoined for what I assume to be the third race of the first GP.

N-E Café Episode 52 now available! Now up on the main page. - - - - - Thanks for putting together another excellent episode @Londragon @Nicktendo & @nekunando It's always nice to hear about what you've all been playing, Lee's continued devotion to Paper Mario: The Origami King is encouraging, it reminds me of another Nintendo title this year that I'd like to go back to, I enjoyed Nick's slew of gaming achievements, Civilisation is a series I'll likely never get into but it must have been good to score a win in it, the same with No More Heroes... it has been a while since I played that game, though it's a rewarding title once you get past a tough battle, plus Greg's reliving of poast Wii games is making me want to go back and play Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Stars all over again, as I have really fond memories of that series, there really isn't anything like it, and I felt compelled to devote the banner art this week to it. This weeks topic definitely strikes a chord, Gaming as a hobby is fantastic, and when you have people from the outside looking in, declaring games as 'a waste of time' well... you could say the same about anything, people should do what they feel enjoyable to them, obviously not to the exclusion of everything else, but at the same time, if you're spending a few hours playing a game that you're enjoying then... who is it hurting? No one. Therefore it's fine. I find myself playing games less and less these days, but that's just where I'm at. When I do choose to dedicate time to a particular game though, it's always well worth my time, and if I'm not enjoying a game for any reason, I just stop playing and leave it, maybe coming back to it at a later date, or just leaving it completely as there's plenty of games out there, generally though, I do return to the same games when I can't think of any new game which I might want to play. Also, this weeks podcast felt like the perfect length to me, some weeks there will be more to say, others less... I really don't listen to that many gaming podcasts now, N-E Café is the only podcast I make time for now, and I'm glad that I do, plus I'm grateful to be promoting it on the main page each week, certain aspects of the news, especially the Nintendo's Annual Sales stuff really comes across much better in this format than in an article, and it's great that the YouTube version of the podcast has been going up on the N-E channel so promptly, I've updated the previous episode, as for this weeks, I've just put the YouTube embed in there straight away.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Winter Update and Save Data Transfer Details Up on the main page. - - - - - It's nice to see Nintendo rolling out these seasonal updates, and about time on the Save Data Transfer capability.

True, but I get the sentiment behind it. "Play the damn games now, give the Yakuza series the respect that it surely deserves... you heathen!" Or something to that effect. I could set myself a challenge, to get through the entire series, up to Yakuza 6, before Yakuza 7 gets that standard physical version release.