Nintendo Switch Online: Game Boy / Game Boy Color

[Dcubed]

 

Castlevania Legends!!!

The only 2D Castlevania I've never played... And while I hear that it's meant to be total arse, I'm still excited to get the chance to play it and finish off the 2D series proper... especially considering the ludicrous prices on eBay that it commands!

[Jonnas]

Yeah, I haven't played it, either! That's quite the Halloween treat!

[killthenet]

I played through Gargoyle's Quest over the last couple of nights and was really pleasantly surprised by it - it was much more sophisticated than I was expecting. One thing to note though is how absurd the sprite flicker is when there are more than a couple of enemies on screen, probably the worst I've even seen. It would obviously not have been as noticeable on the original GB screen with all the ghosting but it's hard to ignore when running it on an emulator.

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, killthenet said:

I played through Gargoyle's Quest over the last couple of nights and was really pleasantly surprised by it - it was much more sophisticated than I was expecting. One thing to note though is how absurd the sprite flicker is when there are more than a couple of enemies on screen, probably the worst I've even seen. It would obviously not have been as noticeable on the original GB screen with all the ghosting but it's hard to ignore when running it on an emulator.

Have you played Demon's Crest on the SNES? Basically the big boy sequel of the Game Boy game. It's very good.

[killthenet]

16 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Have you played Demon's Crest on the SNES? Basically the big boy sequel of the Game Boy game. It's very good.

Yeah, I actually played that a few months ago - I assumed that the first game would be much simpler but in terms of movement and abilities it is actually pretty close, amazing what developers were able to do with such strict limitations.  I think the GB has to have one of the widest gamuts when it comes to complexity, the very early games were so simple but as soon as the developers understood the limitations there were games that gave the NES a run of its money

[Dcubed]

Dr. Mario, Mario Golf GBC and Mario Tennis GBC come to NSO on March 12th.

[WackerJr]

Seems a good a time as any to revisit the N-E Cafe Podcast and the chance I got to talk affectionately about Mario Golf GBC 😄

YouTube link

Thanks @nekunando for your patience and the enjoyable chat back then.  Listening back there were some responses I still cringe at, but it was fun nonetheless!  Thanks @Londragon too for keeping the chat on the internet!

[Hero-of-Time]

6 hours ago, WackerJr said:

Seems a good a time as any to revisit the N-E Cafe Podcast and the chance I got to talk affectionately about Mario Golf GBC 😄

YouTube link

Thanks @nekunando for your patience and the enjoyable chat back then.  Listening back there were some responses I still cringe at, but it was fun nonetheless!  Thanks @Londragon too for keeping the chat on the internet!

I remember listening to that episode. Good banter. 

[Nicktendo]

On 15/03/2024 at 2:42 AM, WackerJr said:

Seems a good a time as any to revisit the N-E Cafe Podcast and the chance I got to talk affectionately about Mario Golf GBC 😄

YouTube link

Thanks @nekunando for your patience and the enjoyable chat back then.  Listening back there were some responses I still cringe at, but it was fun nonetheless!  Thanks @Londragon too for keeping the chat on the internet!

This was a really fun episode to record. Thanks for bringing back good memories, Wacker. 

[Hero-of-Time]

Nick posted!  

[Nicktendo]

15 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Nick posted!  

I still check in often to read the Nintendo board and the Gaming Diary, but I went back and listened to episode 50 when I saw Wacker's post and wanted to say thanks. 

If you want the first hot take from me in a good three years, I hope Nintendo delays the launch of Switch 2 for as long as possible. I'm good with what we've got right now. 

[Hero-of-Time]

7 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

If you want the first hot take from me in a good three years, I hope Nintendo delays the launch of Switch 2 for as long as possible. I'm good with what we've got right now. 

I think this is a feeling amongst many gamers. People, myself included, have still a Switch backlog to get through. 

[Nicktendo]

5 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I think this is a feeling amongst many gamers. People, myself included, have still a Switch backlog to get through. 

Yeah, it's mostly the backlog, but I've been very impressed with what they've released in the past 18 months. Had a really great time with Splatoon 3, Tears, and Metroid Prime Remastered. Splatoon 3 DLC is just what I wanted. I've picked up a lot of the smaller stuff like Advance Wars, Super Mario RPG and Pikmin 4. Still working my way through all of them. The key thing though is that I feel all of those games either look or run fine, especially in handheld. Sure TotK's framerate has issues, but Metroid in particular looks stunning on the TV and runs like a dream. 

More power will eventually be needed given how old the hardware is now, but I'm pleased to see them eeking as much out of the OG Switch as they can while throwing out a few fan-favourites and lost treasures. I really want to pick up Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition and go through that once more, but I'm not paying £50 again for it after owning it on WiiU and 3DS. Can't find a physical copy new or used for love nor money here. Been on my e-shop wishlist for 2+ years and has never had a discount. 

They've also been supporting NSO really well. I know there's a lot of support for releasing VC games individually for purchase, but I've already done that 2-3 times on past consoles, so don't mind dropping what is ultimately a small amount a year to have access to them. Beat Blast Corps last weekend in a couple of sittings and struggled half way through JFG before giving up. I did manage to snag an N64 controller from My Nintendo though, and hopefully it'll be here soon so I can continue. Diddy Kong Racing is surely next, no? 

Looking back, there was a big dip in positivity from myself and some of the Nintendo hardcore around the midway point in the Switch's life, but they have done a stellar job turning everything around to get me to the point where I actively don't want new hardware just yet. 

[Hero-of-Time]

21 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

I really want to pick up Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition and go through that once more, but I'm not paying £50 again for it after owning it on WiiU and 3DS. Can't find a physical copy new or used for love nor money here. Been on my e-shop wishlist for 2+ years and has never had a discount. 

It never seems to drop in price. Its weird because all the other Nintendo based Warrior games have been reduced over time but Hyrule Warriors refuses to budge.

23 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

Yeah, it's mostly the backlog, but I've been very impressed with what they've released in the past 18 months. Had a really great time with Splatoon 3, Tears, and Metroid Prime Remastered. Splatoon 3 DLC is just what I wanted. I've picked up a lot of the smaller stuff like Advance Wars, Super Mario RPG and Pikmin 4. Still working my way through all of them. The key thing though is that I feel all of those games either look or run fine, especially in handheld. Sure TotK's framerate has issues, but Metroid in particular looks stunning on the TV and runs like a dream. 

Yeah, last year was a treasure trove of releases. Pikmin 4, Advance Wars, Pikmin 1 and 2, Metroid Prime, Mario Wonder, WarioWare...the list goes on. It's great to see this kind of support from Nintendo at the end of a consoles life. They usually drop it like a brick. I suppose they need to make sure that the user base that they've built on the Switch makes a smooth transition to their next model.

26 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

Looking back, there was a big dip in positivity from myself and some of the Nintendo hardcore around the midway point in the Switch's life, but they have done a stellar job turning everything around to get me to the point where I actively don't want new hardware just yet. 

I've certainly enjoyed playing on my Switch more over the past couple of years than I did early on in the systems life. The quality stream of software definitely has a lot to do with it. I know there are a lot of remakes and ports heading our way and that have already been released but I think it's great that they are now readily available on newer hardware.

31 minutes ago, Nicktendo said:

More power will eventually be needed given how old the hardware is now, but I'm pleased to see them eeking as much out of the OG Switch as they can while throwing out a few fan-favourites and lost treasures. 

Honestly, I'm quite surprised just how well the hardware is holding up. Sure, at times you get games running like garabge but when you have developers tailor making games for the hardware limitations, you do see some fantastic results.

[Glen-i]

Oh cool, I'm not the only one then. And I don't even have a backlog anymore!

You know, except for games that I'm waiting for a sale on.

For me, it's just the increasingly diminishing returns on more powerful hardware. Visually speaking, generational leaps just no longer impress me. And let's face it, stronger hardware won't fix problems like frame rate, because they'll just use said stronger hardware for graphical upgrades, and games will run just as well as they do now.

[Dcubed]

I don’t actually want better graphics, I just want the same graphics we have now with better performance/higher resolution.

The thing I really want more than anything else though is some new & interesting control input/communication/screen gimmicks; or at least the return of some of the hardware innovations we lost with Switch (dual screens, stereoscopic 3D, Streetpass, IR Pointer, Active Stylus, cameras, microphones etc).  I miss the wacky hardware and interesting gameplay possibilities we used to have in the Wii/DS/3DS/Wii U eras.

Edited March 17 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

17 hours ago, Glen-i said:

For me, it's just the increasingly diminishing returns on more powerful hardware. Visually speaking, generational leaps just no longer impress me. And let's face it, stronger hardware won't fix problems like frame rate, because they'll just use said stronger hardware for graphical upgrades, and games will run just as well as they do now.

Spot on.

To be fair, things like frame rate don't usually bother me. I mean, over the past few weeks I've spent 60 hours playing Age of Calamity, a game which reviewers tore apart for how it ran, and when I did notice it happen I wasn't fussed. I was too busy enjoying hacking down hordes of enemies.

It's like when I played The Last of Us Part I and Pokemon Violet close to each other. One was a graphical master piece that ran perfectly and the other was mess that needed far more time in the over. Despite that, I still played Pokemon more than TLOU and had a lot more fun with it.

[RedShell]

18 hours ago, Dcubed said:

I don’t actually want better graphics, I just want the same graphics we have now with better performance/higher resolution.

I’d be fine with the same graphics and just better performance!  Think I may have mentioned this before, but I still consider 1080p to be more than adequate when it comes to resolution.

I’ve experienced quite a few games at 4K now and while the extra clarity is nice, in my opinion it is nowhere near worth the additional power required to process it, certainly not natively at least. Then again, I don’t use an enormous screen by today’s standards (42”) meaning 1080p content is still crisp on a 4K panel of that size, so even if I’m playing a title that my PC can easily handle at 4K I always drop the resolution down to 1080. And if I’m still using the same size display when Switch 2 arrives, I reckon I’d do the same with that too.

18 hours ago, Dcubed said:

The thing I really want more than anything else though is some new & interesting control input/communication/screen gimmicks; or at least the return of some of the hardware innovations we lost with Switch (dual screens, stereoscopic 3D, Streetpass, IR Pointer, Active Stylus, cameras, microphones etc).  I miss the wacky hardware and interesting gameplay possibilities we used to have in the Wii/DS/3DS/Wii U eras.

Switch wasn’t completely devoid of hardware innovations.

We got HD rumble, which has been criminally underused.  Having messed about with it extensively in both LABO and Game Builder Garage I became a lot more aware of its potential, so it’s always incredibly disappointing when developers (even Nintendo themselves sometimes ) seemingly put minimal effort into utilising the feature at all! 

Err... We also got the IR camera on the right Joy-Con, which managed to be even more neglected than HD rumble.  

It briefly became a bad VR headset.  

The Ring-Con and leg strap?  

Yeah ok, it would be cool if Nintendo have some new quirky tech ideas for their next console. I get the feeling they won’t though, at least not anything particularly bonkers as it’s obviously a risk, meaning they’ll probably play it safe. This time.  

Oh-oh! I just made a prediction about Nintendo! Watch them go and release the wackiest hardware ever now.  

 

 

[nekunando]

On 15/03/2024 at 12:42 AM, WackerJr said:

Seems a good a time as any to revisit the N-E Cafe Podcast and the chance I got to talk affectionately about Mario Golf GBC 😄

YouTube link

Thanks @nekunando for your patience and the enjoyable chat back then.  Listening back there were some responses I still cringe at, but it was fun nonetheless!  Thanks @Londragon too for keeping the chat on the internet!

I'll maybe have to listen back to that 😅 In fact, I sometimes think about listening back to a few old episodes (particularly those with a quiz) to see how they hold up. Hopefully won't be too embarrassed about some of the stuff I came out with 😂

Like @Nicktendo, I too had a bit of a dip during the Switch era where I ended up focusing on PS4 for a while but that feels like a distant memory now. Switch has been killing it for years now and I have too much to play on there as it is without even having to think about any other platform. 

In fact, while 2024 absolutely felt like the perfect time for the successor to arrive, I don't feel particularly aggrieved that it isn't!

Time is, as always, a precious commodity and I'm taking what time I can to allow myself to play and enjoy the games I already own on Switch. After finishing Mario vs Donkey Kong, I recently started playing through Resident Evil 5. It's one of many games I've had access to for ages but has just been existing in the background without too much thought as to when its time might come.

With the supposed delay of 'Switch 2' to 2025, I've suddenly felt the freedom to take pleasure in going through games that may not have found the opportunity otherwise.

I'm certain I'll never be able to play everything I would like to play but I'm also assured that there is no desire to throw something like a PS5 into the mix. I'll just be waiting for the next Nintendo console, whenever that may be!

 

[Hero-of-Time]

10 minutes ago, nekunando said:

After finishing Mario vs Donkey Kong...

I thought I was the only one on here to buy and play it. Did you enjoy it?

[nekunando]

2 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I thought I was the only one on here to buy and play it. Did you enjoy it?

That is a good question!

I'll share these posts first..

 

I certainly didn't hate it. I remember having fun with it on 3DS as part of the Ambassador Scheme (way more than I ever expected) and was up for experiencing it again as I didn't remember any of the puzzles specifically after all this time.

I didn't have quite the same fun with it here, sadly. It's still a good game with optional extra challenge there if your want it but I just wasn't feeling it the same this time and little frustrations were magnified closer to the end when I just wanted to be done with it.

There were a few occasions where I died from hitting an enemy from an angle that the game didn't consider to be quite right but would likely have passed in every other Mario game I've played over the years. It wasn't a huge issue but I definitely noticed it happen more than once 😅

Mario vs DK was the third of a trilogy of games I ordered together towards the end of last year due to getting a good deal on The Game Collection. This selection also included Super Mario RPG and Another Code: Recollection.

To be honest, they've all felt a lot like the late lifecycle filler titles that they probably are and I don't think I properly loved any of them.

I never played Super Mario RPG before. I'm glad I've played it now and it is a very pleasant game but when I break it down and think about the cycle of moving a few steps, taking care of an absolute danger-free procession of a battle, taking a few more steps, clearing another battle and so on, I just don't know how enjoyable or satisfying that is, ultimately. Great vibes but as someone who isn't an RPG guy, it was only really that which pulled me through it, I guess!

Another Code was more of a disappointment. I have decent memories of both of the original games (particularly Two Memories on DS) but without the novelty of the control schemes and the accompanying puzzles, Recollection ended up falling flat.

Again, it was a nice enough game with good spirit but very little actual game to it. Hardly a huge surprise given the genre but I still felt it could have offered a little more on this department. The second game ends up just repeatedly asking for button inputs to unlock doors!

I'm all for games coming back and there are many more remakes and remasters I would hope to see in future but beating all of these recent ones hasn't been as fulfilling as I hoped.

[Hero-of-Time]

19 hours ago, nekunando said:

I certainly didn't hate it. I remember having fun with it on 3DS as part of the Ambassador Scheme (way more than I ever expected) and was up for experiencing it again as I didn't remember any of the puzzles specifically after all this time.

I didn't have quite the same fun with it here, sadly. It's still a good game with optional extra challenge there if your want it but I just wasn't feeling it the same this time and little frustrations were magnified closer to the end when I just wanted to be done with it.

There were a few occasions where I died from hitting an enemy from an angle that the game didn't consider to be quite right but would likely have passed in every other Mario game I've played over the years. It wasn't a huge issue but I definitely noticed it happen more than once 😅

Sounds like a similar experience to mine. It was enjoyable enough, nothing spectacular but far too easy. 

Agreed about the enemy collision. It's a problem a few players have called the game out on. You think you've jumped enough to land on top of an enemy but it turns out you died instead.

19 hours ago, nekunando said:

I never played Super Mario RPG before. I'm glad I've played it now and it is a very pleasant game but when I break it down and think about the cycle of moving a few steps, taking care of an absolute danger-free procession of a battle, taking a few more steps, clearing another battle and so on, I just don't know how enjoyable or satisfying that is, ultimately. Great vibes but as someone who isn't an RPG guy, it was only really that which pulled me through it, I guess!

It was hard for me to be disappointed by the game as I have played the SNES version on the VC. I was curious to see if my opinion had changed from when I originally played it all those years ago but sadly I felt the same. It's a fine game but nothing to write home about, with far better JRPGs being available on the Switch.

19 hours ago, nekunando said:

Another Code was more of a disappointment. I have decent memories of both of the original games (particularly Two Memories on DS) but without the novelty of the control schemes and the accompanying puzzles, Recollection ended up falling flat.

Again, it was a nice enough game with good spirit but very little actual game to it. Hardly a huge surprise given the genre but I still felt it could have offered a little more on this department. The second game ends up just repeatedly asking for button inputs to unlock doors!

I've yet to pick this up. I was gonna get it on release day as I thought it may have had a limited print but there are plenty copies floating about and so decided to hold off on it. I never played the sequel and I can't remember a thing about the original other than it being a pretty short game. When I do end up playing through this version, it will be like I'm playing a new game.

[nekunando]

Another Code will basically feel like a new game whether you remember the original games or not. The change of perspective and the redesigned puzzles add up to a different experience almost entirely.

Spoiler

Everyone always seems to remember the stamping puzzle, somewhat replicated but Phantom Hourglass, where you had to completely close the DS to solve it.

The one that always stuck with me was one where you had to fold the screens over the reflect the bottom screen in the top screen to discover a code.

Unfortunately, there's nothing as inventive in Recollection as to what you will find in the spoiler above for Two Memories.

Also, I didn't remember as much about A Journey Into Lost Memories on Wii other than it being considerably longer but the remake here reminded me that a lot of it involved inputting button combinations to unlock doors there too.

However..

Spoiler

At least the Wii version had a slightly sneaky one that involved using the layout of the overlay of the Wii Home menu to solve one of the codes.

Again, I only finished it relatively recently but I don't recall anything as creative here at all, sadly.

It's a pleasant enough game, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't really do anything impressive other than somehow trying to paint Richard's actions over the years (and even during the game) as anything other than completely abhorrent 😂

[Glen-i]

Anyway!

@Dcubed and I played a quick round of Mario Golf. I was Joe, he was Blue Knock-off Joe.

I won by 4 holes.

Edited March 22 by Glen-i

[Glen-i]

EDIT: Oh my sweet giddy aunt, you cannot make this up! Literally go back to playing Mario Golf after posting that, and...

 

Edited March 23 by Glen-i