Dcubed

Because anime, that's why

Stupid bloody Tetris Company. Their rules regarding licensing are so ridiculously backwards!! It makes it so bloody hard for anyone to re-release past versions of Tetris! I mean, what sodding harm is it going to do to sales of Tetris Ultimate for people to have the option of getting Tetris GB on the VC!? It's not like people can't just choose to buy the cart, or the physical versions of any other Tetris game instead of Ubisoft's rubbish anyway!

28 levels and 40 Challenge Mode stages is significantly longer than the original Canvas Curse/Power Paintbrush (which had 21 levels, 3 minigames and 3 boss battles; not counting the final boss battle. That's it!) The stages in the DS game were also longer than your typical Kirby level as well, so I'd assume that the same applies here. Unless you're playing multiplayer, then the 3 Waddle Dee players get to play on the TV

Yeah, I've got it on PS3 and it really is a great little game! Completely playable without Japanese knowledge too, it's easy enough to just fumble your way through; even the simple story is understandable enough without knowing the language! I do think that the 3DS version plays better than the PS3 one myself, so I'm considering picking it up... There's a few I've got my eyes on, like the 3DS Taiko Drum Master games and the Puyo Puyo games (I'll probably still get the PS3 version of Puyo Puyo Tetris though for the sake of that all important local multiplayer, just waiting for a price drop on the digital version cause I want it on my system at all times!) I'm not gonna get anything that will probably come out in English though, so I'm gonna give stuff like Final Fantasy Explorers or Band Bros P a miss for now. Speaking of which though, I do like the demo for FFExplorers; it's pretty fun and is also more FF esc than I was expecting (the music in particular is really nice!) It's not a game I can really fumble through though, I'd definetly need a translation guide to be able to figure out how to do quests, but I'm pretty certain that it'll see an English release (when was the last time we didn't get an FF related game in English? FF5?) so I'll just wait it out The camera control sans Circle Pad Pro/New3DS is terrible though! It definitely assumes that you have either one!

If you can't wait that long, check out my own impressions that I posted a little while's back when I got mine http://www.n-europe.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1722633&postcount=6202 Using my Japanese 3DS that I just got as an Xmas present feels like such a huge step back after getting comfy with the New3DS! (A necessary evil mind you, now that I can at least play Japanese games!) The JPN eShop really is overwhelming and bursting with content! I'm having a blast just ploughing through all the demos and free stuff on there right now! And now after playing the 3DS versions of Ex Troopers and Puyo Puyo Tetris, (well, their respective demos at least) I'm even more gutted that they haven't been released in English

Could've been Lost World and it would've also have qualified

It's out in Australia right now, doesn't come out in US/EU till next year. Australia is the same region as Europe, so you can play UK games on it (I have one myself, and yes, it is AWESOME! ) Well the Zelda Monopoly has been out a while now... Could've easily have gotten it for a birthday before now :p My microwave also does toast as well! It has a built-in grill that makes some belting cheese on toast!

Creepy! We got that Zelda Monopoly game for my brother!

Oh come on, as if we'd ever have anything here waiting for you And as if we could ever hope to top Deal or No Deal DS... Though at the very least... There's at least a chance to finally try out Flipnote Studio 3D!

I got an AWESOME haul this year! Japanese region 3DS (Monster Hunter 3G special edition model) A Virtual Boy console (complete in original box with ALL original inserts! MINT!! ) Virtual Boy Wario Land A Game Boy Light Taiko Wii 2 & 3 A new juice blender Some Alan Partridge memorabilia Shovel Knight T-shirts All of Amiibo wave 1 (outside of Link, which I already had) Dragon Quest 5 and 6 for DS Dragon Quest Heroes Rocket Slime Bishi Bashi Special for PS1 Yeah! Not bad at all! And with that, my Nintendo console and handheld collection is now officially complete! Now I just need to get started with that Game & Watch collection outside of my G&W Ball...

That is just random as hell! Why now? After almost 10 years since Path of Radiance came out? Does it mean something? (Certainly wouldn't mind a Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn New3DS re-release!) Or is it just Nintendo being their usual weird selves? Hmm... Either way, that OST collection will be mine!

Yeah me too. I have a morbid curiosity for it, just like with 06! Once it gets dirt cheap, it'll be good for a laugh Yeah, the demo is more polished than the retail game itself (just like 06 actually!) I know that the Knuckles infinite jump glitch was fixed in the demo for instance... (Which in a way is bad because using it to break the game actually looks like it could be fun )

Motion controls are a standard now. They may no longer be the new gee-wiz "gimmick" that they were seen as when they first came to be, but they are now an every day feature of games on every machine imaginable to different extents. You have them on the Wii U, the 3DS, the PS4 (via DS4 and PSMove), the Xbone (Kinect), your smartphone and even the PC! (Kinect for Windows, Razer Hydra, Occulus Rift etc). They're just another tool in a game designer's arsenal now. While you rarely see games that are designed entirely around them now outside of Nintendo platforms (especially their 1st party games which often make extensive use of their console's features) and smartphones (Kinect only games these days are very rare), you do still see "traditional" games making augmented use of them, like the spray can in Infamous Second Son, or the Kinect gestures in Dead Rising 3 for instance. It's yet another input mechanism that Nintendo pioneered that has now become a standard, just like everything that came before it :p As for its application within games themselves? It has more than proven its worth, both with Nintendo's own games and 3rd party titles (yes including ones from other platforms, like House of the Dead 4 for example). It might not be the new and exciting thing anymore, but it's here to stay! Even with games that aren't designed purely around them, there are huge gameplay benefits that they bring to the table (I don't really need to mention the likes of RE4 Wii or Tiger Woods or Bully or The Godfather Wii!) Really the industry at large has only really scratched the surface of what you can do with motion and touch controls. There's still much that has never been done with them and if the big publishers like EA or Activision aren't going to do it, then you'll continue to see independent developers take up the mantle. Look at what Knapnok games are doing with the likes of Affordable Space Adventures and Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party! (Speaking of touch controls, Shovel Knight also makes great use of them on Wii U/3DS; really improves the pacing of the game, being able to select items on the fly without pausing! One more reason why it's the best game of the year )

You know what? For all the negativity in here about things changing, I still have to say that this place is still, by far, my favourite online forum. I've been a regular for over a decade for a reason after all! You guys and gals are still cool and though it can get a bit personal and heated at times (particularly here in the Wii U General Discussion thread!), I still love you all (well, ok, not in THAT way, but you all know what I mean :p ) It's easy to look at the past and lament the loss of some of the great members we've had here, but it's even easier to lose sight of the great members who have continued to stick around, many of which have been here since the days of Cube Europe! This place may change with the times, but it's still awesome. It's cozy and close to home! And you also have to consider the possibility of people coming back. Some will come and go and then perhaps come back again. Like with me, back around 2006-2010 I joined GAF (back when it wasn't the complete shithole that it is now; it's still the best gaming news aggregator out there mind you! - Which is why I still lurk, plus it's still fun to lurk and laugh at the kids who bitch amongst themselves over losing two pixels of resolution ), I ended up posting less here during that time; but I eventually came back to kick arse here Sounds like a good idea all round (and really, I keep telling you this, but you really need to stop letting yourself get wound up so easily!) So yeah! Merry Xmas Eve and happy posting! I'm sure that 2015 will kick even more arse than this year! (And I KNOW it'll be my year for the N-E Mario Kart league this time! :awesome: )

The worst type of games are not the ones that are terrible (be they broken, clunky or otherwise unfun), but rather are the ones that are completely unmemorable IMO. A game that is boring is worse than one that is broken. At least you can laugh at something like Sonic 06! Something like the new Medal of Honor games? What is really memorable about it that makes it stand out from other military shooters? Not a damn thing. The same thing also applies to games of the past that played follow the leader. Those beat em ups that just aped Final Fight and Streets of Rage, with nothing to call their own. So yes, a game needs to be memorable somehow. It needs something about it that makes it stand out in some way. Who needs a thousand Flappy Birds clones when Flappy Birds already exists?

Looks like we know what's probably gonna hit next week in Europe I'm more than OK with this!

Right! Before I start, I have to preface that I have not yet played Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2, Fantasy Life or Captain Toad (amongst others) due to a sheer lack of time this year (plus I was playing a lot of games from retro consoles this year, which obviously wont be counted in this list). I am also not counting re-releases (Sorry Bayonetta Wii U). With that being said, here's my top 10 across all platforms for 2014... 10, Mario Golf World Tour The image says it all really. It's as colourful as a bag of skittles and just as fun as it looks! It also has an utterly ridiculous amount of content on offer, that utterly dwarfs every previous game in the series. It's not my favourite in the series, but it's still an essential entry that plays a mean round! 9, Sayonara UmiharaKawase A game that I'm sure that 99% of you have never heard of and one that has gone tragically overlooked; it's actually a 3DS sequel to a game that first came out on the Super Famicom back in 1994 that by some divine miracle, actually got a digital only EU release! (It was a retail title in Japan). Imagine Bionic Commando if your bionic arm was replaced with a bouncy fishing rod, complete with realistic elastic physics, and you're on the right lines. It is simply speed running bliss! And open to completely mad skillz! Videos are kinda hard to come by, but there's a good one I found that demonstrates some of the skills you can put to the test in this game... (Yumi's Odd Odyssey is the name for the US version of the game) It's quirky as hell, tough as nails (though nowhere near as punishing as the original, in fact, it actually has a pretty smooth difficulty curve) and ridiculous fun! 8, South Park: The Stick of Truth I haven't actually completed it yet myself, (though I have seen it played through to the end) but Glen-i is pretty much spot on. It's a playable South Park episode in RPG form with a battle system ripped straight out of Paper Mario. Matt and Tray wrote the script themselves and boy does it show! It is SPOT ON! It's basically the South Park game that you always wanted. My only real complaint is that the gameplay outside of battles is a bit dry and basic, but the writing alone is enough to carry the whole thing (let alone the excellent battle system!) If you're even slightly a South Park fan, buy it without hesitation! (In fact, why the hell don't you own it yet!? RESPECT CARTMAN'S AUTHORITAH and play it ASAP! : peace: ) 7, Hyrule Warriors This is my real surprise hit of the year by far! I absolutely HATE Musou/Warriors games for their mindless button mashing gameplay, but I had a good feeling about how this was turning out... ... and I ended up not being wrong! The Zelda elements (such as the lock-on combat, the giant boss enemies, the equipment items, the fairy barriers etc) go a long way towards spicing up the gameplay, while the stronger focus on time management alleviates the problem of repetitive button mashing against hoards of braindead enemies and instead focuses the gameplay around managing the battlefield as a whole; an aspect of gameplay that is FAR more interesting than just killing swarms of enemies (and is made doubly fun in co-op! It really works very well and I urge you to try it if you can!) And of course it would be impossible not to mention how utterly ridiculous the fan service is. It takes a real cold heart of stone to not cry tears of laughter as you pull down the moon from Majora's Mask to smash Argorok in his face! A ridiculous amount of content (and very generously priced/sized DLC!), globs of fan service and (mostly) satisfying gameplay. What's not to love? : peace: 6, Kirby: Triple Deluxe Continuing in the same vein as the absolutely stellar Kirby: Return to Dreamland/Kirby's Adventure Wii is another stellar entry in the traditional Kirby series. A fantastic showcase for the 3DS' S3D effect (that is actually taken full advantage of for gameplay purposes), KTD is meticulously polished, with a fabulous soundtrack and the series' trademark high NRG action! While I don't feel that it quite hits the same highs as its Wii predecessor, it is nonetheless a very solid entry in an underrated series and one that will no doubt bring a smile to even the most cold hearted of faces 5, Theatrhythm Curtain Call It's Theatrhythm with three times the amount of music! It's nuts! Take an already great game, pull in music from the spin off games (MYSTIC QUEST AND CRYSTAL CHRONICLES!? YES!!!), make the Chaos Shrine even MORE awesome and add a VS mode with crazy powerups and you have Theatrhythm Curtain Call! You'll be playing for hundreds of hours and STILL be unlocking new content! And if that's not enough, there's even MORE songs via DLC! (and more still to come, including music from Bravely Default, Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana!) It's a celebration that just keeps going on and never gets old! : peace: 4, Super Smash Bros for Wii U You knew it would be here and here it is! What is there to say that you don't already know? 8 PLAYER SMASH!!! YES!!! Just... YES!!! It's polished to perfection, with everything and the kitchen sink thrown in for good measure. Oh and Smash Tour is ridiculously underrated! If you don't like it, then you don't like fun! : peace: 3, Mario Kart 8 After the disappointing Mario Kart Wii and the better-but-not-the-best Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8 was a HUGE return to form. Probably my favourite driving mechanics in the series; the handling is just right, no set vehicles/characters are overpowered, every item is useful and balanced just right (except the star, stars pretty much suck now lol!), the courses are some of the best designed in the whole series and they finally removed the ability to hold two items at once! The best thing they have ever done since Super Mario Kart! No more will you see one person zoom ahead of the pack with 6 bananas where it's simply impossible for you to catch up to them! If there's a complaint to make though, I can't really let the dismal battle mode slide. No mincing words, it's just terrible. Thankfully the main racing gameplay is just so good that it really makes up for it! An essential entry in a stellar series. The best Mario Kart game in a long, long time! : peace: 2, Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS Oh what's this? Another person putting Smash 3DS over Smash Wii U? You betcha! Can't really argue this one. The Wii U game might have Event Match, Master/Crazy Orders, 8 Player Smash and Smash Tour, but the 3DS game simply has the better and more interesting stages (sorry, but nothing on Smash Wii U tops the likes of Magicant and Tortimer's Island) and the better exclusive multiplayer mode (As good as Smash Tour is, Smash Run is just better. It is just simply THE DOG'S! ) While both games are absolutely essential, I have to give the nod to Smash 3DS over Wii U. They're absolutely separate games that stand apart as much as they stand together, but the 3DS game is just a little bit more special for me!

He's just copied the list from Nintendo Life, who are going by the US release dates (Bravely Default was February 2014 there, as was Layton 6).

Right! Before I start, I have to preface that I have not yet played Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2, Fantasy Life or Captain Toad (amongst others) due to a sheer lack of time this year (plus I was playing a lot of games from retro consoles this year, which obviously wont be counted in this list). With that said... my vote goes to... WHAT A GAME!!! It was every bit as amazing I was hoping it would be and absolutely worth the long, gruelling wait! A perfectly crafted tribute to everything amazing about the 8 bit generation of games, while also a groundbreakingly bold new take on the familiar sidescrolling platformer concept. The checkpoint system is an absolute stroke of sheer genius, the boss battles are amazingly well designed and all innovative in their own right, new concepts are constantly introduced and discarded as quickly as in Mario Galaxy (with most of them being all new to the platforming genre; it doesn't just ape what came before it!), the economy system is balanced and polished to a mirror sheen that has never shone so strongly in a platform game like this before and everything about the game is fine tuned to perfection. The soundtrack is the stuff of legends, as are the beautifully crafted visuals (adhering closely, but not strictly so, to the NES' limitations - incidentally, the music was actually composed using the NES' sound chip; well, the enhanced VRC6 chip anyway!). The game is packed with globs of content and more gameplay depth than a mineshaft! Even the lightly told story is actually very well crafted, with just enough characterisation to make you feel for your shovelbound protagonist and his shield at arms and told in a unique (and gameplay driven!) manner that you never really see in a platformer! Really, the game is a true treasure (and to think it was unearthed by just a mere team of six!) It's a real miracle of a production and an absolutely stellar game that truly stands tall alongside the 8 bit classics that it was inspired by. I'm easily comfortable in saying that it's every bit as good as the likes of Mega Man 2, Castlevania and SMB 1-3! It's pretty much a perfect game really. It's tough, but amazingly accommodating to less skilled players thanks to an incredibly well thought out series of assistance tools like the checkpoint system and the various armour/health/magic upgrades and the many items that you can pick up along the way; all balanced by a carefully crafted economy system that always encourages exploration and always feels rewarding. It's a game about shovelry and doesn't let you forget it! If you haven't dug into it yet, stop what you're doing right now and get stuck in!

We're getting those next year. They've been PEGI rated, but aren't here yet. Just NOE being their typical usual selves and taking a dump over a Kirby release Anyway, I'll be adding my own two cents soon enough when I get some time to really do a proper writeup. (I'm probably only gonna post in the overall Game of the Year thread, because I don't like the idea of separating download games from retail ones )

Go back to your crappy Candy Crush! You're just not cool enough to roll with Puzzle League/Panel de Pon! :awesome: You wanna know why Pokemon Puzzle Challenge (well, the whole Puzzle League series actually!) is awesome? Here's why! The skills that you can pull off in these games are SICK! : peace: And PPC is even pretty basic in comparison to the other Puzzle League games due to GBC limitations!

HECHEHUM!!!!! Excuse me! But Pokemon Puzzle Challenge only just came out a few weeks ago you know

Doh! Fixed. Cheers : peace: And best of all is that we have even more songs coming on Jan 8th! So it IS part of a whole new season of DLC!

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=957094 MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS!! AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

There's a very simple way of putting VC prices into perspective... Can you get the US version of Duck Hunt for cheaper on eBay? Doing a quick search just now, the answer is no. The cheapest copy is roughly twice the price at £7.99 (and that's the inferior PAL version, with no instruction manual) - not to mention that the game doesnt work on modern HDTV sets, nor does it come with any of the Wii U VC features, is second hand and features much worse image quality by virtue of low quality composite being the very best video you can get out of the NES. Ergo, it is actually very good value