WackerJr

Haha! I forgot I posted on that, nice spot! Anything to help promote it as I have a real soft spot for the N64 (& I really enjoyed the book).

Five Dates (Switch) Conceived, developed, released & set during the pandemic lockdown. Five Dates is an interactive rom-com that I enjoyed more than I expected to. You watch video dates between protagonist Vinny and five female matches. Occasionally you’ll be given a few seconds to select a response from multiple choices, and these can affect how the date plays out, and whether you are able to get any follow-up dates. Since the actors are all real and this was filmed during lockdown there’s no way for the characters to meet up in person. I liked it as, while I guess it’s classed as a dating sim, the game focuses more on the rapport between the characters instead of just trying to hook up. Vinny is likeable and sincere, the actors are good and the writing is pleasant. I didn’t find it laugh out loud funny, but I did find it charming and chuckled on quite a few occasions. I didn’t mind the reminder of being in lockdown, and found it to be a short and simple feel-good experience.

If only so I can show off my copy too 😃, but I agree this is an outstanding and comprehensive summary of the N64 library. His writing and summaries are excellent.

I heard really good things about this on a Podcast recently and glad to hear you’ve backed up those opinions! How long would you say it is out of interest?

I was relieved and pleasantly surprised watching this. I thought it looked really good and very promising. I know it’s a little too early to really tell, but look at the backlash after the initial Sonic movie reveal and I don’t foresee anything like that happening here now. It was a little odd not hearing the regular voices, but I was ok with them. Jack Black in particular looks like he could have some fun with his part!

It’s out! Has anyone played this yet? The reviews I’ve seen have been positive and once I’ve finished the games I’m on I think I’ll be getting this and getting my Grog on! (Ok I know that sentence doesn’t actually make any real sense but you get the sentiment!)

You don’t often get trailers for a trailer! 😁 There’s so much intrigue and dread behind this first look. 4 days and counting… place your bets now: great or disastrous, I can’t see there being many opinions in between!

I don’t often buy games at launch due to my backlog, but after the reviews and praise for Tunic, I’ve downloaded the Switch version. I’m only 30 minutes in so far and I enjoy the art style and controls (Monument Valley meets Link to the Past so far!). I’m intrigued and excited and can’t wait to see where the game takes me next!

Similar here! Although I only played them both recently. I must have been a lot more patient when I was younger to put up with the controls & numerous deaths! I can also see now why I never got far with Flashback! Still, I’m glad to have played them, just for the experience, but I won’t be going back to either of them again.

Flashback (PS4) - 2018 The original Flashback was an important sci-fi cinematic platformer back in 1992. The lack of updates to this 2018 version makes it feel as though it exists here for nostalgia only. I made copious use of the new rewind function, but beyond that there's very little updated here from the 1992 version. It plays in a similar vein to the likes of Abe's Odyssey, Another World, and the original Prince of Persia, with you controlling Conrad across non-scrolling stages, with now awkward controls for leaping, sprinting, climbing and shooting. It's certainly better than it's predecessors, such as Another World, thanks mainly to the rechargable shield allowing me to take a few hits, whether through my own poor choices or because I was waiting for the pistol animation to finish. Set in 2142, but very much now just a historical artifact of gaming.

There is no Game: Wrong Dimension (Switch) Despite the name, this is most definitely a game! This is a clever 4th wall-breaking point & click game, which sees the narrator sticking you in various situations to stop you playing their so-called “game”. Reading that back, it sounds incredibly confusing, but in reality it really isn’t. For example, he may plant a large sign up. Clicking on certain letters causes certain tapping sounds and then the letter may drop. At which point you could use the sharp end as a screwdriver to unlock the screws to the sign. It’s hard to really describe many other puzzles without spoiling them, but most do make you think outside the box as you figure out how to use the items on the screen in unfamiliar ways. It’s all light-hearted and doesn’t take itself too seriously. My favourite parts are where it parodied other genres, such as RPG, mobile games, and even point & click adventure games themselves. There’s always a hint system available so you’ll rarely get stuck if you decide to use it. The story isn’t as memorable as your class graphic adventure games, and ‘gamers’ will definitely enjoy this more than ‘casual players’. Ultimately, I found it short but satisfying, and it did make me feel smart at times like a good point & click game should!

I’ve mentioned recently my dislike of people leaking information that would be so much better when the developers surprise us. I’ve deliberately avoided watching any of the leaked stuff and feel for Rockstar on this. Hope they catch the guy! (Actually I rather hope Rockstar staff catch him first…!)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is one of the latest retro game re-release / update. Over recent years I’ve found that a growing number of titles that I could never complete as a child have been given HD updates or re-releases. This collection in particular contains another of the games that defeated me as a child: the dreaded side-scrolling NES TMNT game. I’ve found it incredibly satisfying to play these games and finally reach the end. To such extent that I’ve delayed playing some of the better modern games in order to finally get some ‘closure’ for the younger me! Does anyone else get that same gratification or ever have the urge to return to a game they could never defeat and finally complete? The introduction of rewind features to many of these has helped and I think that will finally enable me to defeat Shredder and finally justify the countless hours I spent as a child getting my butt kicked by the hordes of respawning enemies, losing heroes to the infamous underwater section, or being squashed by the tanks wandering the overworld. Examples over recent years for me have included Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Flashback, Aladdin & Lion King (Disney Games Classic Collection), and even one of the first games I ever played and used to terrify us in primary school: Granny’s Garden (a BBC game that saw a re-release on mobile). The latter in particular is a very dated game for children, that I probably gained more joy for finally completing as an adult than I really should have! This image alone haunted many schoolchildren in the 80’s! Is it just me? Or do you have any games you’ve been determined to finally beat, even if you’ve had to return to it many years later?

As expected, Goldeneye is seeing a simultaneous release on both NSO and GamePass.

I’d like to think it’ll make those leakers think twice before vying for attention in future, but I doubt it. Think you’ve got a good point there on Prime 4.

There were a few announcements which seemed to be there to appease the market, or to effectively ask people to stop asking about a game, and that it really is being developed! I couldn’t tell if that was joy or sarcasm from Miyamoto when he revealed that t-shirt. Either way, it made me chuckle!

There are enough known games we’re expecting by the end of Winter that could fill the Direct (e.g., Monkey Island, Bayonetta 3, Pokémon S&V, N64 NSO games) so I expect to see plenty of these. I’m hoping they’ll spring some new surprises on us, such as the Zelda ports (not only two of the few WiiU ports left that I’d be excited about, but two of the only WiiU ports left, period!). I don’t think we’ll see anything on Mario Kart or GameBoy for NSO, but I’m cautiously optimistic for a bunch of other surprises….

I’m impressed DYKG were able to sit on this for so long as it sounds as though they’ve been collecting info and trying to find and interview people for a while. A real find to discover this without more details being leaked earlier, and also speaks to the credibility of those who worked on it for not revealing more. The premise and story sounds interstate and different. I agree with others though, the actual gameplay doesn’t sound too good. All very interesting to hear about though!

I agree. I enjoy speculation and discussion about what could be released. It’s the “leaks” for the big surprises that frustrate me. What does it gain the leakers? Just attention really. It spoils things for developers, who are already under enough pressure it seems.

Thanks all for this evening. Was bonkers and fun!

If I get back in time tonight then I’ll try to join in for once. @Glen-i & @BowserBasher if you notice a friend request from “Mike” then that will be me. Thanks.

It certainly seems to be helping that some of the AEW EVPs are gamers and reportedly big fans of No Mercy. It looks and feels like a modern day No Mercy and I actually like the rather bloated AEW roster. I’m not sure how they’ll differentiate the characters, with there being so many, and I wish graphically it was a little stronger, but if the gameplay works then I’m pretty sure that’ll all be forgotten!

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (3DS) ‘Charming’ is the word that springs to mind having now completed this puzzle-platformer. Bereft of the ability to jump, but with the ability to pluck & launch vegetables a la Super Mario 2, you navigate miniature levels with the aim of collecting the power star in each. Paths will often be out of sight, so you’ll use your skill rotating the camera to help figure out routes around obstacles, as well as working out how to find & collect 3x hidden gems along the way. Each level can also be replayed to try and find a hidden toad sprite (taking Super Mario 3D World’s sprite Luigi Easter Eggs and rewarding you now for locating them). The bonus levels based on another Mario title were neat, although I wish there were more of them. It looks impressive on the 3DS, although I had to squint occasionally when the screen zooms out. The 3D effect didn’t really add much to me & while a few compromises were made, it’s essentially the same game as the Switch one (& for me a lot cheaper too!). While playing it, it felt like a snack - a fun game to play as one inbetween larger adventures, although was so enjoyable it turns out I stayed a lot longer at the buffet table than I expected to!

It had to come at some point, but I’m still very pleased to see this added. Another decent addition to the NSO catalogue.

Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PS4) I was, and still am, a huge fan of the old-school point & click games by the likes of LucasArts and Revolution Software. I remembered loving 'Day of the Tentacle' back in the day and so while I expected to enjoy it, I wondered how well it would hold up. Thankfully it's still one of the best graphic adventure games I've played. The HD remaster cleans up the visuals so it looks how I remember it, with the option to toggle the pixelated visuals it actually was! The writing is still good, although you really need to appreciate quippy and slapstick humour to enjoy the jokes and comedy of it. Then again, when the premise is to prevent a mutated purple tentacle from taking over the world in a cartoon adventure I don't imagine players would expect a serious or mature tale! The premise of three characters traversing the same compact mansion over three different time periods is clever, as it means thankfully each character doesn't have a huge area to explore, and while it allows for puzzles where items in one time period can affect another it doesn't overdo these (if anything it doesn't do enough with this). I may have rose-tinted glassed, but I thoroughly enjoyed my few hours revisiting the mansion.