S.C.G

Day 28 - Favourite DLC/Expansion Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Some of the best DLC/Expansion content released for any game in recent times, which offers incredible value for money if you're a regular Smash player.

I'm OK with that.

Day 27 - Best Boss Battle Conker's Bad Fur Day - The Panther King Alien What a great final Boss Battle, just because it gives you the chance to fight an Alien from within a Power-Loader, the mechanics of the boss fight are a bit like Punch-Out, mixed with Super Mario 64 and maybe Blast Corps and just in case you don't get what you have to do in this boss battle, the warning system will tell you if you take long enough, to... "Throw the Alien out, and shut the bloody door!" which isn't featured in the above video, as the boss is beaten quite quickly, but it's just a really great battle, which must have been a lot of fun for the guys at Rare to make at the time.

Day 26 - Favourite NPC Quest Gal from Monster Hunter Generations Just a really great NPC, who has some funny dialogue and is fun to visit when you need a quest.

Day 25 - Best Online Multiplayer Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II It could only ever be this game, I've spent thousands of hours playing it over the years for a reason, it's a fantastic game which is enjoyable in itself even in single player, but the game comes into its own when you play it online, especially when you get a team of four players, each playing as a different class; HUmars dealing damage with bladed weapons, RAcasts taking out enemies from afar with rifles, FOnewearls providing support techs and casting all of the elements plus maybe a RAcaseal for some extra firepower. There really isn't any other game like it, you'd log on to the official Sega servers (when they were still operational) after paying a monthly Hunter's License fee of around £5.99 or so and then you could play all that you wanted, especially if you had broaband and the adapter for the GameCube, rather than 56k which was typically metered internet access. Technicalities aside though, when you get online you would find yourself in the lobby area, which is where you would meet other players, you could sit in a chair and talk using a keyboard if you had one. An official screenshot taken on the GameCube version, saved onto a memory card and uploaded from the console, yes this is the default image size, but it's a cool feature. From there, you could make games or join one which was already open, though you couldn't join if a quest was already in progress. All of the Episode I areas were available; Forest which is your starting area, the Caves which are intermediate, Mines which contain a lot of annoying robotic enemies and then the Ruins which is a case of 'Nope!' if you're just starting out, but it's all beatable in time. Part of the joy just comes from finding your own drops from creatures, building up your armour set with slot items, or just finding a new weapon to use, of which there are many types to try out, depending on which character class you choose, of which there are twelve different types and also twelve different section I'ds depending on what you name your character. Episode II which was the GameCube versions biggest selling point, is a whole new set of areas, this part of the game is set on Gal Da Val island, with three main areas, Mountains, Seaside and Jungle. Upon completing these areas, the Central Control Area opens up, where you get to fight the Gal Gryphon, which is this episode's equivalent of the Dragon, then you get to venture to the Seabed area, which is easily the most visually impressive part of the game, in addition to being quite a challenge for a group of four experienced players, let alone playing it solo, as when you get the the main boss, it will make everything which came before it, seem rather trivial. Playing the game online has always been great fun, it was a sad day when the original servers got shut down, though fortunately there are now private servers which are kept running and so long as you have the original hardware to run the game, you can still play the game online, which is exactly what I've decided to do this year, playing as a FOnewearl character called NiGHTS who was originally just an extra character, as I didn't want to risk my main character, just in case. An off-screen picture taken with a camera of NiGHTS on the new server, I reduced the image size and quality to try and keep it authentic. Its all worked out pretty well so far, I've been playing the game again on a reasonably regular basis, have since gotten NiGHTS to over level ninety, I've met some new players on there and it has been great fun just playing PSO online again, which I didn't think I'd be doing in 2020, but there we are, Phantasy Star Online lives on, some eighteen years after this version of the game originally came out, that's pretty amazing. One thing I wasn't so hyped about though, was typing on my third-party keyboard from back in the day, which is a Datel Powerboard, essentially it's a PS2 style connector keyboard with an adapter that connects it to the controller port on the GameCube, it works for a short period of time usually and then cuts out as the circuitry in the adapter is less then ideal. I'd always thought about getting one of those Official ASCII keyboard controllers but they always seemed out of reach, as they were Japan only, cost a reasonable amount back then, understandably they can cost even more now and I just never got around to it, or talked myself out of it. Until now, that is... The Officially licensed ASCII Nintendo GameCube keyboard controller. A boxed unit came up for sale recently for a reasonable price (just over £100, they can go for £200 or so) and I decided to get it, seeing as I knew that I'd get a decent amount of use out of it. The controller arrived today, that's a picture of it above after I'd cleaned it up, I just edited the background out quickly so that you can see the keyboard controller itself without anything detracting from it. Now, it does look pretty huge but the keys are about half the size of standard keyboard keys, so it's a reasonable size and it's susprisingly comfortable. Anyway, I'd planned to post this significantly earlier but it took a while longer to type all this up and clean the keyboard, but I think it came up quite nicely, all things considered and being that it will be used, it'll probably get dust and debris in it again, so I didn't see any point in buying a really new condition one for over double the price and it is in reasonably good shape, considering how many years ago it came out. Hopefully now it will continue to live on as a functioning Keyboard Controller for many years, I think I'm going to try it out for a bit, it will be nice just to play PSO again online with a reliable keyboard, plus it should be a lot more comfortable to use.

Is this randomly given out or based on how long you've had PS Plus for? It seems odd if it's random, if it was given out to anyone who has either subscribed or have an active PS Plus subscription, that would make more sense. I suppose it's a nice gesture from Sony, but it seems a bit arbitrary, some accounts have it while others don't it seems, it would be interesting to know what the variable is.

Day 24 - Best Final Mission Metroid: Zero Mission If you've played it, then you know the bit and you know the boss and if you haven't... then... I would recommend it. That entire last section, the build up and the boss battle which is harder if you've obtained 100% of items... I won't say it's my favourite boss battle but, it's an interesting concept. Metroid: Zero Mission is definitely a fantastic remake of the original game though.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday... from 8pm. That should offer a bit of scope.

Thanks for the games everyone, some great matches tonight. Some solid matchups on those final battles @Glen-i especially Byleth Vs Isabelle on the Arms stage. Incidentally, I opted to use a newer controller tonight, instead of my old knackered launch day (probably) controller, I think it made a difference as more of my inputs were recognised in time than normal, which was nice.

Comm Error first GP second race. Just me? Or... everyone? Starting over? (I was winning on that last race, it would never have lasted though)

Day 23 - Licensed video game Turok From this... ...to this. And then came the Turok game on the N64 which most will recognise. What was done with the Turok license, taking it from the original Turok: Son of Stone comics from decades gone by, to the reboot of the comics in the Nineties when Acclaim bought out Valiant and had their own comic company, to then making an N64 game series based on the new Turok: Dinosaur Hunter brand, is nothing short of brilliant for its time. There was quite simply nothing else like it and the fact that the remasters of the first two games are so popular these days, clearly shows that there's still a market for the franchise to this day, and that it could do very well again if it was to get a new entry. I could write more, but it's a subject which interests me and I am considering writing a Turok feature in the future, also... while looking for images of the original box art for the game, I was quite shocked that there didn't seem to be that many decent quality pictures of the box, so I might have to do something about that by taking pictures of the Turok games I have in my N64 collection; it's good to preseve this stuff for history if we can.

Yes, I have the game, I've recently unsealed it and it's ready to play, it just depends on when we'd all be playing.

Day 22 - Favourite Playable Character Samus Aran Because of course, it has to be Samus... Metroid Prime was the first time I can really remember properly getting into the series, though I was familiar with Samus before, of course seeing her appear in the Super Smash Bros. games helped as well, though I did go back and play Super Metroid, along with the two GBA titles; Fusion and Zero Mission... Metroid II would have been at some point after playing Super Metroid, then the rest is history. Samus plays differently in each game, but her core skillset remains the same, whether it's in 2D or 3D, you'll always be able to run, shoot and roll into a morphball, ready to either bomb-jump or blow up your enemies, then you have all the interchangable arm-cannon upgrades, missiles and some amazing suit upgrades in the Prime series, with the Gravity Suit still managing to remain one of my favourites to this day. Whichever game you choose to play, Samus will never let you down, unless you expect her to not blow up whatever planet she's supposed to be saving or whatever, that tends to happen a lot at the end of many Metroid games, though I think she left a few planets reasonably unscathed... yeah, in fact, during the Prime series there were at least one or two planets which were saved and only one deliberately exploded(ed) and the only other deliberate one would be the Metroid homeworld planet, so it's more of an unfair reputation, the more I think about it.

If you dig up 1,000 bells, rebury it in the same shining spot and you'll get a money tree within days which will get you at least three times the amount of bells each day. Burying larger amounts of up to around 10,000 bells should get you more, I've not tried anything beyond this but it seems to work quite well. Try not to place trees too close together, or they won't grow. Tools break frequently, gather plenty of materials and be prepared for your tools to break as you were just about finished (but not quite) with using them, so long as you have enough materials though, you'll always be able to make more easily enough.

Day 21 - Game that takes you back to your childhood Streets of Rage II It's the original Sega Mega Drive version which I remember, ever since I picked it up in a second hand games shop for what would have been a very reasonable £20 or so at the time. I had no idea just how much fun would be had playing this game, but it was clear just from the cover art that this would be something that I needed to play. The above video is the ending sequence which was put into the 3DS version, which I'd forgotten all about until now, well worth checking out. I can still go back to Streets of Rage II on any format and it will take me back to playing it on the Mega Drive all those years ago.

Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase July 2020 Roundup All up on the main site, N-Europe's Roundup of the mini presentation. Full press release and video embed. Cadence of Hyrule dlc plus physical version was the highlight for me.

Cadence of Hyrule Physical Version confirmed! (glad I waited) WWF Wrestling Game - looks good for anyone who likes Wrestling games. Shin Megami Tesei III HD Remaster. Shin Megami Tensei V trailer. Wow, this really was a mini direct.

Day 20 - Saddest Moment Sonic the Hedgehog 2 I don't know what it is, but the combination of the music and the ending, it's the saddest moment in the game for me, it always has been and still is to this day. It seems I'm not alone in this either, a few comments down on the above YouTube video (which is a recoloured version of what was originally a monochrome ending at the start) someone states that "the song is sad for me" so there must be something in it. It's easily one of the best endings to a videogame for me personally.

No real expectations for this, but we'll be sure to have the full roundup article posted on the main page, shortly after it finishes airing, all going well.

I played this for an hour or two the other night, got as far as the bit where you end up in one place after the main opening story event happens, I've got past that and have just headed back to the place I was at previously, so I've learned the basics and now I suppose I must be in that tutorial area which others have already mentioned. The visuals are nice, soundtrack seems decent, the humour is still there, the accompanying main helper character isn't bad, I've noted that you start off with 50HP so I guess that won't change now for the rest of the game, I'm not really sure what to say about the battle system and the lack of FP and BP, which I'm assuming you just don't get in this game. It just turns the game into more of a story game, with light RPG elements and a focus on interacting with the enviornment around you; which is fine, there's still plenty to see and do but it makes it seem like a game where you're more there to complete a main quest, which possibly won't have much of a challenge to it, due to the only real 'barriers' to progress are likely to be the boss battles. I like it though, the world feels more alive and vibrant but if I want that old style Paper Mario type game, I'll just go back to Bug Fables... in the meantime, this game is a new Paper Mario title, with an emphasis on exploration, interaction and a good bit of humour.

Day 19 - Melee Combat Ninja Gaiden II (Xbox 360) I think the above video amply demonstrates just how brilliant Ninja Gaiden II still is to this day, the guy who made the video has clearly spent a lot of time playing the game and mastering it, also, this video was made in 2015, the game came out in 2008... it looked great then, apparently it looks even better on an Xbox One X as well, so there's that too. But just the mechanics, settings, bosses, combos, all of the different weapons and difficulties, plus lets not forget the hidden areas as well, they were true tests at the time; other series such as Bayonetta and Devil May Cry are brilliant in their own ways, but to me, nothing matched the feeling of playing Ninja Gaiden II at its time of release. If you've never played the game, then there really is no better time.

That list seems almost too real for it not to be true. Some cool things in there, which would be some nice surprises if they are true, so I'll say no more but I couldn't not look at that list.

Day 18 - Best Mini Game Pokémon Stadium 2 - Delibird's Delivery It seems that @Jonnas and I are similar in our choices once again, except he beat me to it this time, albeit, this is a slightly different choice, being that it's from the sequel. My brothers and I, had a lot of fun with the mini-games on Pokémon Stadium 2, but the one which we have the fondest of memories for is Delibird's Delivery. It's a great mini-game, the rule are simple; grab as much stuff as you can and put it on the converyor belt to net a load of points, but be careful, as the more items you have on you, the harder it is to make it back to the other side and if you should collide with a charging Swinub, then your Delibird will lose all of those items, so there's even risk/reward in there too. Whenever we used to play it, the game would usually devolve into just seeing who could nab the most N64 and GameBoy items, just because. This mini-game probably got played more than either of the main modes in the Pokémon Stadium games combined.

Day 17 - Racing Game F-Zero GX How could it be anything else? This is the last truly monumental F-Zero game which came out on home consoles, it was a triumph for Nintendo, Sega and everyone involved in its development, it pushed the GameCube on a technical level and I'm still amazed by it even today because there is just so much brilliance packed into a single entry in the series. It not only carries on the legacy of previous titles, it expands upon it in all areas, to the extent that there are many racers, all of whom have their own theme tune and bio entry, plus their own ships... if that wasn't enough you can also make your own custom ship, there was cross-connectivity with the Arcade version, multiple difficulties, a brilliant story mode, the mechanics are amazing, piloting the ships feels perfect, it's one of the most enjoyable games I've ever had the pleasure of playing, the visuals are astounding, that solid 60fps framerate and a god-tier soundtrack. I could go on, but instead all I will say is that if you haven't played it yet and can do so easily, then please do, you'll love it I'm sure, you're welcome and if not... there are no words.

Streets of Rage 4 - While it follows the basic template of the earlier titles, the newly introduced combo system - which has also been improved since launch - offers an innovative way to play Streets of Rage, especially as landing large combos will net you a higher score, which in turn will improve your grade at the end of each stage. Weapon juggling is now a thing as well, not only can you pick up a weapon and use it on the enemies, but you can also throw certain weapons, watch the bounce off the enemies as they get knocked back and then catch the weapon to use again, providing you time it right; in areas where there's a pile of weapons and lots of enemies, things can get... interesting.