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WackerJr

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Everything posted by WackerJr

  1. Sonic Origins (23rd June)

    I still don’t understand Swag’s love for the Game Gear games, when the Master System versions of most benefit so much more from the extra screen space.
  2. Awesome! Hope you’re enjoying it! I remember enjoying the original Pikmin and then Pikmin 2 came out and improved on just about every aspect! It’s sales figures never really reflected it’s quality, so while I can’t see it being a massive seller on Switch, but it’ll be interesting to see how these remasters sell on Switch.
  3. Princess Peach Showtime (March 22 2024)

    After how strong and capable Peach was in the Mario movie, I’m glad they’ve given her a chance to shine again in her own game. I really REALLY hope they’ve learned from the first Princess Peach game, and that this one doesn’t focus on using Peach’s emotions to get through it, and shows her for the strong character she is.
  4. Your Gaming Diary 2023

    Slay the Spire (PS4) Finally got around to playing it after getting it on PSPlus and having friends recommend it. Combining a roguelike with a deck-building card game seemed like an ideal match to me, and the developers did a great job with this - it's really good! I was a little overwhelmed at first and it seemed really difficult to come up with an effective strategy, but once you started deciding on a particular way to play depending on what cards the RNG Gods decided to offer you on each run, it got slightly easier and is great at giving you that feeling of satisfaction (and relief!) when a plan pays off and you win a battle against seemingly overwhelming odds! Each run is a little long for my liking, taking potentially a couple of hours if you manage to make it to the final boss at the top of the spire. I enjoyed it enough to play it enough to beat the final final boss, although not enough to beat the 'ascension' challenges with any character, which are different rules for a playthrough (such as enemies dealing more damage, shops charging more, more bosses, etc.) of which there are 20! Ultimately it is repetitive, it is effectively a lot of turn-based battles where you choose what cards to play each turn, I enjoyed it.
  5. Your Gaming Diary 2023

    In what way out of interest? Just playing it in general? Only as I have fond memories of the SMS version and have the Switch 'remaster' but haven't touched it yet...
  6. I’ve only played the first level so far and it shows just how far the motion control technology has come. I’m getting to grips with it though, and it’s played well so far. I can imagine being completely floored by the technology at the time this came out!
  7. Ghost Trick

    I really hope it sells enough copies for Capcom to finally make a sequel. I feel bad as I’d love to add to its sales on Switch, but I’ve replayed the game on DS a few times already…. 😃
  8. Spider-Man 2 (20th October 2023)

    It looks very nice, and smooth (as expected), and that trailers feels like it continues the gameplay from the previous game(s). Silly question, should I know why Peter Parker is wearing a black outfit with venom-escque powers? I haven’t played Miles Morales so it may have happened there. If it’s only explained in the comics or is something which will happen in the game then that’s fine, I don’t need it spoiled, I just didn’t know if it was something I should have already known about before the trailer?
  9. PAC-MAN 99 (April 2021 - October 2023)

    I hadn’t really tried it until that announcement. I’ve had a few games over the past week and it’s good fun (even if I have no real idea what the power ups and ghost trains actually do!). A real shame it’s shutting down.
  10. Games that were almost great

    Good idea for a thread! Here are a few off the top of my head: Sonic Adventure 2 DX (GameCube) That camera! Oh, that camera! Sega were still getting to grips with how to get Sonic to work in 3D (some would say they still are…) but this was a huge improvement over the first Sonic Adventure game. While the speed of the Sonic / Shadow levels were the better ones, the mix of gameplay types for the different characters added variety, but every good idea was completely ruined by a terrible, TERRIBLE camera and the frustration it caused. Star Fox Adventures (GameCube) I was excited when this was first shown as Dinosaur Planet on the N64. A Zelda-esque adventure from a games developer on great form sounded like a sure-fire win. When development moved to the GameCube and the Star Fox crew were swapped in, the game looked wonderful (the fur, look at the fur!). The linear gameplay though, was just so dull though. I didn’t mind the flying sections, which were short and broke things up. It was just the on-foot action, which had little flexibility and just had something missing. Smash Bros 3DS (3DS) Cramming everything onto the small 3DS was a monumental achievement! Before the Switch was a thing, being able to play Smash on the go was a marvel. I found it a real shame that they removed so many of the single player features from previous games in the series. Smash Run couldn’t fill the void left by the lack of other modes. Local multiplayer I’m sure would’ve been a blast, but sadly I didn’t have other friends with the game, so I was left with the lack of single player modes. Settlers IV (PC / iOS) I loved Settlers. I spent hours playing Settlers 2, and Settlers 4 seemed to play similarly, but improving the interface and ease of placing buildings. The Dark Tribe was where the game shifted down into mediocrity and frustration for me though. It was tough, very tough! Settlers was never an easy game, but the relentlessness and volume of Dark Tribe enemies obliterating any plans was soul destroying. In a game where you had to trust the CPU pathfinding skills, the game created a element where if any characters came into close contact with bad terrain they were killed instantly, meaning you lost many of your characters when you simply had no control. I feel I’ve used my reply to simply vent about some games I had such high hopes for, and ended up so disappointed with the experience I ended up having! Thanks! [emoji23]
  11. Volunteering

    I have friends that volunteered at the 2012 Olympics and they loved it. Good for you @Sméagol, how did it go? I hope you get it! I’m the Head Coach of a Trampoline Club and we’re run completely by volunteers. I absolutely love it & it’s such a buzz seeing someone’s delight at successfully pulling off a skill they’ve been working hard towards & knowing you’ve contributed to that feeling of excitement. I’m actually pretty highly qualified and could charge a decent rate. I’ve been asked before why we do it voluntarily and myself and others do it as we love it, plus we can make it much more affordable (we are one of the cheapest sports clubs in the area) and so more people can do it. We have a British Champion, and myself and the other volunteers get just as much of a thrill whether someone’s completing a routine at a National competition, or whether it’s someone landing their first ever somersault. I’m a huge fan of doing sports and the benefits of it. I know it’s not the same type of voluntary work as helping those in need, so I’m not going to pretend that it affects society in the same way. I love doing it though, and was humbled to be shortlisted for the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ at a regional Sports Awards evening a few years ago.
  12. The Wrasslin' thread

    I agree. Wrestling needs stories and variety. Great wrestling is important of course, but seeing just great wrestling matches with no story one after another gets a little stale. Some light-hearted was sprinkled in can help and provide amusement, when done right of course (and wrestling of course has more than it’s fair share of cringe over funny moments). I thought Wrestlemania was a really fun weekend. Night 1 was so much better overall than night 2, which had some good matches, whereas Night 1 had solid and fun matches and stories throughout I thought. I’m now very jealous of my sister, who has just secured tickets to AEW at Wembley in August. I fully expect them to go all out (excuse the pun) on making their first stadium ppv an exciting event.
  13. General Retro Discussion

    Following @Dcubed’s post about Tim Stamper, the Rare co-founder is back to tease us all some more!
  14. Your Gaming Diary 2023

    Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX (PS5) The initial bars of the intro music brought a smile to my face, as I owned a Sega Master System and spent many hours playing the original Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Being built into the console, the music would start up if there wasn’t a game inserted, and over the years I used to be surprised to hear it as the console all-too-regularly failed to recognise the game I was trying to play, and so reverted to starting Alex Kidd up instead! Sadly, this remake was a huge disappointment for me. Poor controls and very questionable collision detection made it a frustrating experience. The developers kept this aspect faithful to the original, and while 30 years ago it was acceptable, it’s just puts a dampener on the whole thing. The development team did update the graphics now, and the colours are much more vibrant and have heaps more character than the original sprites. The only downside to this is that I occasionally lost enemies, who became fairly camouflaged in the new backgrounds. There are a few short extra levels, to help make it a more “deluxe” version, and while keeping with the tone, are largely insignificant. Most levels have new music too, although it feels very generic and a little bland compared to the original. The only other extras are some collectables hidden throughout the game (which are for achievements only), a slight change to some of the later boss patterns to make them more challenging, and a ‘boss rush’ mode. This would be ok, if it not for the fact there are only 4 bosses included, it takes one hit to die and, most importantly, each battle is preceded by a 40-second unskippable game of rock, paper, scissors! I know the rock, paper, scissors was a key component of the original, but I didn’t understand the need for it then, and I still don’t see the need for it now! Deluxe in name only, and for me a missed opportunity. Not even my rose-tinted glasses could make me recommend this now.
  15. I gave my Wii U to my parents around Christmas and they had the error on start up. I assumed it was an issue with my console and bought a 2nd hand one to replace it. Now I hear that the issue is commonplace, which is a little frustrating! Still, at least now I have a working one and Nintendo transferred over my account. I bought Kokopolo 3D as my final purchase on 3DS. I did realise I had some Themes I’d bought for free with Platinum coins that I’d failed to download. Thankfully Nintendo have extended the ability to use codes for another week, so I’ve been able to get them.
  16. Great stuff @Cube, really enjoyed your write-ups. I thought I was aware of most Sonic games, having owned some of those Tiger LCD ones, but the sheer volume and array of titles you’ve managed to find is astounding! 👏🏻
  17. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 7th UK)

    Good trailer, not that it needed much more to really hype the movie up mind. Doesn’t spoil much, but if you’re going to see the film anyway and are worried about seeing too much beforehand then you’re not missing out here. They really are including plenty of gaming references and displaying a strong knowledge of the franchise. So far, so good!
  18. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

    I’m hoping this waves surprises me as it’s the one I’m least excited about so far. It’s probably the volume of Tour courses, which all begin to merge into one as look so similar with their aesthetics. I am looking forward to the new course, and seeing how the GBA course plays now it’s revamped. It’s always nice to have more courses so I’ll keep an open mind and let’s see how it goes!
  19. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 7th UK)

    Even Disney seemingly promoting it, with this poster-I’ve-never-seen-before being displayed on the side of the IMAX cinema outside Disneyland Paris:
  20. A joke not lost on Rare it seems… 😂
  21. I loaded this up because I can finally play those extra Super Mario 3 levels that were originally e-Reader ones. I’ve played the first few and enjoying them. Having a slightly smaller screen area take a little getting used to, but this was a great little bonus. Loved the Oracle games and how they linked up, so looking forward to revisiting those.
  22. Your Gaming Diary 2023

    It Takes Two (played on PS5) I played this through with my wife and really enjoyed it! It initially seemed a questionable decision to put ourselves in the shoes as a bickering couple who are getting a divorce, but thankfully it all ended well and we're still together! The fantasy scenario where the main characters are shrunk down and objects in the house take on anthropomorphic forms isn't new, but allows for a lot of very creative levels. I liked that there was a lot of variety in this adventure game. One minute you might be playing as a typical 3D platformer, the next you're both given a different type of gun, then a racing game, then an on-rails shooter, etc. Each level boasts it's own gameplay style and while a couple last maybe a little too long, the variety and way it works in the need to play cooperatively really helps the game. I thought they did a good job of making the boss battles seem harder than they were. Lots of elements would be thrown at you to make players panic, but when you understood what to do then most seemed intense, but were easier (although not easy mind!) then they initially appeared. The length was about right, and I know there are the obvious restrictions of being forced to play with another person, but I wish there were more couch co-op games adventure games like this.
  23. The Wrasslin' thread

    So tonight is my 2nd favourite event of the wrestling calendar: WWE Royal Rumble. Despite some exciting moments & surprises over the past couple of years (Mickie James & Christian for example) I’ve been disappointed overall. Here’s hoping tonight can get back to the fun, unpredictability & surprises that this event can bring. My predictions are for Cody Rhodes to win the Mens, with Rhea Ripley winning the Females. They surely too favourites for each? I know there are rumours of The Rock and Stone Cold and while I’d love to see them, I think they are just rumours. Still, surprises I would love to see, despite their unlikeliness, include Nick Aldis, Mickie James, Matt Cardinal, Chelsea Green, and Dark Asuka. Watch me look back on this post in the morning and how wrong I was about it all…. 😂
  24. amiibo (NFC)

    Thanks! Found it strange that they’d promoted the release of the figures on Twitter, but didn’t have them on their own store. Glad they got them up in the end. Sounds like they’ve been snapped up in the few others places they were being sold at.
  25. Your Gaming Diary 2023

    Chase: Cold Case Investigations ~Distant Memories~ (3DS) A download-only game that will be lost after March. I got this for free years ago through My Nintendo, and I have to say that playing it now I'm so relieved I didn't pay anything for it! It's an incredibly short visual novel crime mystery where you read a few short interviews between detectives and a few people involved in an explosion a few years prior. Occasionally you choose an answer to a question, but getting them wrong isn't really punished as a 'Game Over' reverts you to the start of the conversation. One short case later and that's it. Where the likes of Phoenix Wright have enigmatic characters, the few here are really devoid of personality. I despised the lead detective, who spends most of his time shutting down and insulting his colleague, belittling her with comments such as "idiot" and insulting her in front of others. This was apparently made from some of the Hotel Dusk developers and you can see their fingerprints on it (despite appearances the detective is not Kyle Hyde!), and the writers clearly understand how to write a crime story, but the whole presentation of it and lack of gameplay makes this all feel like a one-hour pilot or a demo to try and create a larger game or series. Why this was released as an actual game I'm not sure.
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