S.C.G

The total amount of 'game time' in the podcast, is about nine minutes total of the nearly two hour podcast, there's a small game at the opening which I thought was fine and then Or Wars at the end, which I think works pretty well as the rest of the show was all game talk, with recently announced games being talked about and some reasonably good Love & Respect questions. I would say that it's worth a listen, though... games aside, whether it's Kyle, Jones or anyone else hosting it, if there's a bit which I don't like in the podcast such as a game I have little interest in hearing about because I don't like it or if I think there's going to be a potential spoiler from a game I haven't played or finished yet (this happens often) then I just skip that part of the podcast and just enjoy what I can from it. I think Jones did a good job on the Podcast though, plus it was always going to be a bit different, at least for a bit due to it going to being a live call now but it still works pretty well and is worth a listen, even if it's just in the background while you're playing a Switch game or trying to get stuff done. I've been doing that a fair bit recently, putting a podcast on while either posting News articles or features or while playing Animal Crossing sometimes, I've ended up with a bit of a backlog of videos though, as there's plenty to do at the moment just generally but it's nice to have an episode of Frame Trap to watch/listen to and of course... the N-E Café Podcast every week, which I've ended up listening to later and later in the day now as it's just a better time to listen for me, but I'll always make time for it.

Remembering the Nintendo GameCube in 2020 Well, that's another year gone by then as the GameCube is officially Eighteen years old now since its release on May 3rd, 2002. I knew this date was coming up again too, the other week, then all of a sudden I realised that it's that day again. What better way to celebrate than to re-use last years header, add 2020 to the article title, reuse images of my collection and go through the different spines. Yeah, it's definitely an eleventh-hour idea which I started posting almost in the eleventh hour and just finished it but it still counts. Anyway, enjoy(?) and if you have any favourite GC boxarts or spines or ways of displaying your games, let us know, I'd be interested to hear about them at least.

A Smashing Cast - Animal Crossing Episode 1: Come Whine With Me is now available Now up on the main site! Thanks once again to everyone involved in this latest venture for A Smashing Cast which is our first foray into Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Cheers to @LazyBoy for getting this episode up on our YouTube channel and to @Nicktendo and @Vileplume2000 for showing off their islands. (There was a technical hitch, which means that we didn't get to see Ryan's island this time and although my island is there... well, it is there but there isn't much of it) But the important thing is, that we all had fun playing the game together, I was certainly amazed to see just what can be done on the game and it all went pretty well. There will be more episodes in the future and we're hoping to feature other islands from members of our N-Europe community or anyone who has watched the video. We're always grateful for any feedback, comments or suggestions. Until we Smash again!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Donkey Kong vs Kirby tournament is now live The latest tournament in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate which went live today, lets you choose characters from either the Donkey Kong game or Kirby. You'll be able to duke it out for the next three days until the event ends. (Kirby probably wins the N-Europe vote by default though... because Rick!)

Congrats bob. If it's a boy, you could call it bub.

Well, after playing Streets of Rage 4 for a good three hours on Normal mode and only now clearing Stage 6, I can say that the game is brutal but fair, with some brilliant set-pieces so far and a difficulty curve which had steadily ramped up to a point where each new area is taking a good few tries to get through, but you learn more as you play and it's really rewarding when you finally beat the stage you were on with just a sliver of health left. I really want to finish the story mode at least once in a single sitting but that will all depend on how the game plays out from here, I could just leave it there until tomorrow but I want to keep pushing forward as the game is just so much fun to play; the trio of developers who worked on this game have really done the Streets of Rage series proud, as not only have they managed to retain the core elements which were so enjoyable from the original games but they've expanded on the formula in ways which make complete sense when you take into account the just over a quarter-of-a-century which has passed since the last entry in the series. This is how you bring back a beloved series in style in a way which will have anyone who plays it raise a big smile on their face from throwing the first punch in the game and realising that this is a new zenith for the Beat 'em Up genre which can proudly sit alongside not only its own older brethren but also any modern-day 'Classic' example which you care to mention... Wulverblade, River City Girls and Ninja Saviors; it's up there with the best and then some. Streets of Rage is back, in 2020 and I couldn't be any happier than in this moment, playing through this game for the first time which I never thought would see the light of day, but dawn has broken on the streets of Wood Oak City and it's time to reclaim them from the shadowy criminal syndicate, one stage at a time. Annnd... Stage 10, you win for now, I'll be back though.

An exceptional review there @Hero-of-Time which makes me want to play the game even more right now. I'll be playing it later on the Xbox One with any luck, then again on the Switch at a later date. I would have asked you if we could use your review for the site but it turns out that there might well be an N-Europe review for this game and that's about all I can say. I'm really glad to hear that you enjoyed the game though, it's fantastic to hear that this really does sound like the sequel which everyone, fans and newcomers alike have been waiting for and that there really isn't any reason for anyone not to get the game if they can, on any format.

Tempting... as with all games attached to GamePass but I just can't do it... I have to at least purchase it to own if I'm buying it digitially on one platform. It's a good point though, for anyone who already has GamePass, then... you might as well play Streets of Rage 4 using the service. Ultimately, I just hope that loads of people get to enjoy playing this game as it sounds like it's the sequel many have been waiting for.

The video which Digital Foundry made seems to suggest that all versions run smoothly, although they've still got to do all their tests across all versions. Right, I've come to the realisation that the Physical Version for Switch and PS4 from Limited Run Games will not be shipping for a while and I definitely cannot wait that long. So I'm going to be doing what I did with Sonic Mania and will be buying the digital version for the Xbox One seeing as that console likely won't be getting a physical version. At least that way I can play the game, enjoy it and have an opinion on it because this is a monumental release which I really cannot miss out on and if I wait for that physical release... who knows how long that will really take even under a normal time-frame, let alone a 2020 and beyond time-frame or if those versions will ultimately come out. Limited Run Games have started sending out e-mails which sound like damage-limitation to me (just my opinion) but it does seem that they are doing everything they can. Streets of Rage 4 will be played today, one way or another, on one of the three consoles, probably the Xbox One though for now, at least it will give me something to play on it. I can still look forward to the Switch version, as I'm sure this will be a game which I'd gladly play many, many times over. To anyone else who is playing the game today, on whichever platform, be it Switch, PS4, Xbox One or PC... enjoy!

Thank you @Hero-of-Time you saved me a job there as I was going to post both of those videos, not that I'd have minded posting them but great minds and all that. Although... I hadn't seen that third edition of the game from Limited Run Games and now I'm kind of wishing that I hadn't seen it as while it does look really cool, I already pre-ordered the Standard Edition and even that will presumably take a while to be released, it's going to be a long wait for that as it is, it's usually longer for special editions; plus I only just about justified getting the standard physical version. Really nice set though, the statue is cool, the metal cartridge is nice and it has a full CD Soundtrack... if they are selling that separately, I'd consider that but I bet they won't. Anyway, physical game collecting ramblings aside, I really cannot wait to play Streets of Rage 4! But I'll have to... so I'll get playing other games in the meantime and will probably replay the trilogy.

So it begins... More than 10% of the Xbox Live subscribed user-base has Game Pass. Of course, this is a good thing for Microsoft but I can see them easily being the first to scrap physical games even if Sony don't. The other angle is, with manufacturing taking a hit worldwide for pretty much everything (I'd have thought) that there may be less physical games in general. With regard to the Xbox Series X though, is anyone seriously considering buying this machine at launch at this point? Or is it too early to tell? I'm undecided but maybe leaning towards Sony being able to sell the PS5 to everyone more easily, though I still think £400 + for either machine in 2020/21 and beyond(?) is a hard-sell.

Splatoon 2 Special Demo goes live tomorrow on the Nintendo Switch eShop A good chance to try out the online modes in Splatoon 2 if you don't own the game already. There will be a third off the game until 10/05/2020 as well. Plus that Splatfest at the end of May. It would be a good move if they decide to discount the Octo Expansion separately as well, if so then I might finally buy it.

Thank you to @Vileplume2000 @Nicktendo and @LazyBoy for letting me visit their islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as it was eye-opening to see what can be done in this game with a little bit of imagination, a few (hundred?thousand?hundred-thousand?) bells and clearly a lot of hours and effort. I've only really dabbled in the game so far but after witnessing your islands first-hand and trying out visiting new islands for the first time, I'm starting to see why it's such a great game once again; as I've always been a fan of the games but I've just never really invested that much time in the series as a whole. Indeed, looking through this very thread has been interesting to me as well, it's nice to see the N-Europe community getting together to enjoy Animal Crossing and really make the most of it, more than I ever would have thought possible but again, this is clearly a series which defies expectations every time for the most-part and although it has some elements which aren't always going to be that popular, overall it would seem to me, to be the very best the series has ever been even if some of the earlier games have more going for them on the nostalgia front. I'll definitely try to make more out of my island than I have been so far, especially now that I should be able to use the ladder as well It's funny to me that as I was showing you all around my island, that was the first time that I'd even seen all of it as well, though it made for a great shared moment and I'm glad that there were some items in my newly opened shop that you were interested in, so at least you were able to take something away from my island, especially as you all helped me out with various gifts which I'm grateful for. Hopefully, I'll be able to show you all around my island again at some point later on down the line, when I will have probably invested some more time into making it a bit more of an interesting land mass, hopefully with a few more things so see and do.

Well done on putting together another excellent edition of the N-E Café Podcast this week. I finally got around to listening to it after taking part in the latest recording of A Smashing Cast (more on that soon) and I thought what better time to listen to N-E Café than in the evening, while playing a bit of Super Mario Odyssey (which I shockingly, still haven't finished by am working through now) to try and relax for a bit. Both the game and the podcast certainly didn't disappoint. It was nice to hear a bit about Mechstermination Force, as that's a game I plan to play just as soon as a certain retail version becomes available which should be soon. I really enjoyed the Back of the Box quiz as well, though I do think that I probably guessed most if not all of them, there were some great games in there though. The highlight for me (aside from the excellent transition tunes) is hearing about Nick completing Xenoblade Chronicles 2, finally the more than two years and over a hundred? or so hours was it? has paid off; it's really inspiring to hear about how much you enjoyed playing through the game and it's making me want to return to it soon so that I can finish it before Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition comes out. At the moment though, it has been so long that I can almost hear a sound coming from the box to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 saying... "Don't forget me! Don't forget me! D-don't forget... D-don't forget me!"

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits event titled 'The Spirits of Mana' launches today The latest spirit event for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has just gone live, titled 'The Spirits of Mana' the event focuses on characters from the new release of Trials of Mana. This event will run for five days, giving you ample time to add any number of these heroes to your spirits collection, after which time they will appear in regular rotation. A pretty nice way to commemorate the release of this remake as it seems like quite a low-key title for some reason? I still need to play the original as part of the Collection of Mana but maybe I'll pike the remake up later on down the line.

I think all of your save data is handled by the sd card or the Switch itself, so all you should need to do is just rebuy the game. Not sure with mixing save data from a retail copy with a digitial copy but... it would probably work? My only experience of that is the other way around, I bought Sonic Mania digitally (only option at the time) then they released is as Sonic Mania Plus so I bought that and that seemed to keep the save data from the digital version, though it's even more of an oddity because the 'updated data' is on the game card. But yeah, Super Mario Maker 2 should be a much more straightforward setup for save files.

That... is actually a useful feature, so many games on the eShop I'll be looking at and I'll be thinking... ''Can't tell if probably shovelware or not..." *hovers over the game icon* "Yep..." *sigh* "probably..." Onto the next one... It happens quite a lot, where you'll get a really nice title screen or game icon image which makes the game look perhaps better than it possibly is and then you look at the screenshots and... it's nowhere near what you were expecting it to be from the main image. Of course, it can work the other way... I've seen some games with a game image or icon which... doesn't exactly sell the game and then you look at the screenshots/video and the description which then shows a pretty decent game or what looks to be at first glance. Anyway, I'm glad that this new feature is there on the eShop, I'll certainly be using it.

As far as I know, it costs currency to move your character between ships and you need to have a free character slot available on that ship. Yeah, there's a lot to take in with the game it seems, no idea what that ship token is but that three million meseta will surely come in handy for buying stuff for your character; it looka like the only way to get that premium pass is to get some US region Xbox Live giftcards but as Gadwin has said, it does sound like a risky thing to do. If it pays off though and you get the pass, I guess you can get those awesome looking original PSO outfits at least.

You can't buy Arkz Cash outside of NA... at least not without going through a few loopholes and it's so complicated that personally, I wouldn't bother but I think @Gadwin mentioned that there is a way but I can't even find it and I did have a quick look as well but I'll ask him next time we catch up or next time he's on the forum. How are you finding PSO2 anyway? Is it keeping your interest? Are you finding all of the different elements a bit overwhelming? Or is it exactly what you wanted from a PSO sequel? Which ship are you on? If you're on Ship 02: Ur then we could probably get a game in sometime if you like?

Streets of Rage 4 will be released on April 30th, 2020 And the battle mode is returning to the series. Less than two weeks to go! (I'm still waiting for that physical version though) But still, I cannot wait to return to the Streets of Rage once more.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Screw Attack tournament is now live The latest tournament started yesterday, revolves around the famous screw attack and will be live for three days. Will anyone be screwing around in this tournament?

Sounds just like Nintendo to do something like that. Out of interest... what Splatoon 2 content did they send you? If it's the Octo Expansion then, that would have been pretty good if you had the game as it's £17.99 to buy... ...if it's a code for some gear which you can wear in game, that's... less generous and still no good if you don't own the game, though I'm not aware of any other DLC apart from the Octo Expansion being available. Anyway, if it is a code for the Octo Expansion and if you still have it/don't want it then I'd give you the £17.99 for it if you like? It'd pay for your online subscription at least. Also, are there any games which you own that you'll be playing regularly online now? Let me know if you want to play a game of anything sometime. We usually have a game of something going on each week either for A Smashing Cast or just a general gaming hour or so each week on Tuesday at 8PM on Discord.

Yep, again... both Gadwin and I can vouch for the private servers of PSO Blue Blurst. Ephinea is the private server which we play on, you download the game and launcher all in one go after signing up on the website and then you use that login to get online. I can tell you that there are 118 Hunters Online right now and that usually gets to closer to the two-hundred mark either in the evenings or when there is an event on. Having said that... I did log on there last night as despite there being players on there, I couldn't find a game to join sadly as they were either already in progress or the game name implied that it was a reserved run, so I didn't join any runs last night, in fact... I even tried the Schthack server on the original GameCube version as well and I couldn't find a game either but there's usually only about 20 - 30 Hunters online on there, but when you do get a game it's great. I think it's just to do with where I'm at on both versions now... I have a level 140+ HUmar on the PC version which is fun but I don't have as much attachment to my character being that it's all server side saving, though the community it generally pretty cool and on the GC version I currently have a level 72 FOnewearl so I'm only less than eight levels off ultimate but Very Hard mode is still challenging if you're playing solo. PSO is definitely better when you're playing with people you know and I was playing with someone I know on the GC version until recently, hoping to get back into getting a team together again soon but again it just depends on who is on; I would imagine that PSO2 would be more enjoyable playing with people you know but even then, it's still a very different game, I hear that it's a bit of a mindless grind up to level 40 and then it gets better? I'd still rather play PSO2 than any other free to play game though, so it's not really that bad as such and there's still plenty of stuff to check out on there, it's just an odd combination of everything on there being overwhelming and at the same time kind of playing the bigger quests on autopilot for exp until you get to a certain point and I'm sure they will be rebalancing the game at some point soon, because it surely needs it.

Well, at least it's almost released across both platforms. Even if it is 'US Only' on PC as well, isn't it just available from the Microsoft store? If so, you should only need to change the store region to US, download and then be good to go. Also, it has now apparently officially launched on Xbox One, if anyone on here decides to get PSO2 on either platform, @Gadwin and I are on Ship 02: Ur It would be nice to get some N-E games of this on the go. I'm not playing it a huge amount at the moment but I do want to play it a bit more.

It will be interesting to see if re-adding it to your library while it's Free, overrides the PS Plus version if you already downloaded it or added it to your library, cool if so. It's a good move anyway and will mean that more people get to play these classic games.