Off Topic Nintendo

[Rob]

40 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Trying to stay grounded but this is the first direct in a year, surely they know the pressure and it'll deliver! Obviously a new Smash character is coming but this week is the week of the Zelda anniversary so hoping for a collection and BOTW2 info. 

Imagine some BOTW2 proper gameplay! And some MK8 Deluxe DLC tracks. Maybe Metroid?

[Ashez]

That would be the dream, I do think it's still too early for Metroid Prime news but maybe another one from Mercery Steam could happen. I think that's who made the 3DS one anyway. 

That's the beauty of direct days as the possibilities are endless! 

[Rob]

So.... any thoughts? I always liked the look of Skyward but never got around to playing it. I imagine a fair few are like me so that’s a smart move.

[Real_Random]

I’m trying to limit my hype, but a Pokémon presents is coming tomorrow and I’m over the moon https://www.ign.com/articles/pokemon-presents-broadcast-coming-tomorrow-amid-remake-rumours

[Ashez]

On 26/02/2021 at 01:46, Real_Random said:

I’m trying to limit my hype, but a Pokémon presents is coming tomorrow and I’m over the moon https://www.ign.com/articles/pokemon-presents-broadcast-coming-tomorrow-amid-remake-rumours

Not keen on the BD/SP art style but I'll get it as it's a good game, Legends however blew my mind. That game has unlimited potential but so much could go wrong. It's going to be a long year waiting to see how it develops. 

I can't believe the Nintendo Switch is four years old today, how time flies. 

[Real_Random]

3 hours ago, Ashez said:

Not keen on the BD/SP art style but I'll get it as it's a good game, Legends however blew my mind. That game has unlimited potential but so much could go wrong. It's going to be a long year waiting to see how it develops. 

I can't believe the Nintendo Switch is four years old today, how time flies. 

Agreed, the art style was off-putting, as was the fact it’s being developed by a third party studio. Still I’m buying it nonetheless, need to get that nostalgia fill lol, although I played platinum so idk how different D/P were. Legends looks great, the catching mechanic was a dream come true and the Pokémon running around was awesome. It sort of felt like a culmination of all the recent Pokémon games innovations. The roaming Pokémon of Let’s go combined with the (attempted) open world of Sword and shield. 

[Rob]

The most beautiful thing ever ❤️

[Rich]

4 minutes ago, Rob said:

The most beautiful thing ever ❤️

You called?

[Ashez]

18 hours ago, Rob said:

The most beautiful thing ever ❤️

Thanks for reminding me to watch this, I saw it uploaded but forgot to check it out.

The world looks compact yet bloody awesome. 

[Rob]

23 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Thanks for reminding me to watch this, I saw it uploaded but forgot to check it out.

The world looks compact yet bloody awesome. 

Totally agree. It looks mad compact doesn’t it? But there seems to be so much in it - almost too much. I kinda like the ‘playing a game’ element, but not sure about the rides, especially MK. Like the reviewer said it’s very much dependent on the AR headsets.

Here’s hoping we get some MK8 DLC to go with it. 🤪

[Ashez]

10 hours ago, Rob said:

Totally agree. It looks mad compact doesn’t it? But there seems to be so much in it - almost too much. I kinda like the ‘playing a game’ element, but not sure about the rides, especially MK. Like the reviewer said it’s very much dependent on the AR headsets.

Here’s hoping we get some MK8 DLC to go with it. 🤪

Agreed, I think once it expands to add the Donkey Kong expansion and into other areas for say Pokemon and Metroid it won't feel as compact as that looks. 

Dunno how else they'd have done a MK ride tbh, I wasn't expecting much more than normal Go Karts so that AR stuff is pretty neat. I can't see how it was ever going to live up to expectation though, MK doesn't translate well haha

[Ashez]

@Rob

[Rob]

2 hours ago, Ashez said:

@Rob

Looks really, really smart that. Thanks. 

[Rob]

On 18/03/2021 at 20:03, Ashez said:

Agreed, I think once it expands to add the Donkey Kong expansion and into other areas for say Pokemon and Metroid it won't feel as compact as that looks. 

Dunno how else they'd have done a MK ride tbh, I wasn't expecting much more than normal Go Karts so that AR stuff is pretty neat. I can't see how it was ever going to live up to expectation though, MK doesn't translate well haha

Meant to reply to this yesterday: you heard any rumours about what sort of ride that’ll be?

[Ashez]

1 hour ago, Rob said:

Meant to reply to this yesterday: you heard any rumours about what sort of ride that’ll be?

Can't say I have, I suppose how successful everything is depends on how big they go with everything. 

Just googled it and it's reportedly rumoured to be a Minecraft rollercoaster/ride which makes so much sense I'm ashamed I didn't guess that the second I saw your question 😂. 

[Rob]

56 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Can't say I have, I suppose how successful everything is depends on how big they go with everything. 

Just googled it and it's reportedly rumoured to be a Minecraft rollercoaster/ride which makes so much sense I'm ashamed I didn't guess that the second I saw your question 😂. 

Oh man, that would be phenomenal. A DK version of Space Mountain. Even the queues seem awesome.

[Ashez]

23 minutes ago, Rob said:

Oh man, that would be phenomenal. A DK version of Space Mountain. Even the queues seem awesome.

Obviously meant Minecart but it changed to Minecraft 😂. 

I wonder if they'll add more extreme adult rides or keep everything child friendly. 

[Rob]

They’ll keep them all child friendly I guess. It’ll be interesting if the American versions are exact replicas or not. I guess cost effectiveness means it’ll just be the same blueprint, size permitting.

 

[Rob]

https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/beach_buggy_racing_2_island_adventure
 

Anyone likely to give this a whirl?

 

[Ashez]

12 hours ago, Rob said:

They’ll keep them all child friendly I guess. It’ll be interesting if the American versions are exact replicas or not. I guess cost effectiveness means it’ll just be the same blueprint, size permitting.

 

Just wish Nintendo had more market share in the UK so we'd have a chance of getting one

1 hour ago, Rob said:

https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/beach_buggy_racing_2_island_adventure
 

Anyone likely to give this a whirl?

 

Not on my agenda sorry 😂

[Woody]

15 hours ago, Rob said:

https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/beach_buggy_racing_2_island_adventure
 

Anyone likely to give this a whirl?

 

Ive played it on android and loved it.

[Rob]

6 hours ago, Woody said:

Ive played it on android and loved it.

I think it looks awesome in the videos I’ve seen. Like Mario Kart-lite. 

[Ashez]

56 minutes ago, Rob said:

I think it looks awesome in the videos I’ve seen. Like Mario Kart-lite. 

Give it a try 

After @Woody's comment I looked and it's free to play/start. Might as well give it a try and see what you think.  Continue with the free, buy it on Switch or bin it off haha. Let me know if you try it!

[Rob]

8 hours ago, Ashez said:

Give it a try 

After @Woody's comment I looked and it's free to play/start. Might as well give it a try and see what you think.  Continue with the free, buy it on Switch or bin it off haha. Let me know if you try it!

Interesting. Wonder if there is a demo on other things too? I’ll have a gander later.

[Woody]

8 hours ago, Ashez said:

Give it a try 

After @Woody's comment I looked and it's free to play/start. Might as well give it a try and see what you think.  Continue with the free, buy it on Switch or bin it off haha. Let me know if you try it!

Itsa brilliant little racer. Closest you can get to Mario Kart for me.

[Ashez]

What I've Been Playing 

February 2021

This is rather late isn't it? The February update landing at the end of March isn't ideal but life's been bloody hectic recently with February especially being a nightmare. March wasn't that bad but I've been extremely busy so I've basically fallen behind in everything. I know noone really cares about this but as I always say I do this for myself and post it because why not, as for the March update that should be out soon enough as it'll be very brief as I've hardly touched any games this month, outside of some FMM anyway. I doubt anyone is still reading but if you are at the very least check out the two included songs, they're awesome 😂. 

Switch

Xenoblade Chronicles DE - I wanted Xenoblade because I've always heard good things and I enjoyed what I'd played of the original version. You see I actually own the Wii version and I did start playing it but for whatever reason I dropped the title and never returned (Around the 5-6 hour mark according to this playthrough). I was a very different gamer back then however as I wasn't into RPGs at the time but it's a genre I've grown into in more recent years, don't get me wrong I'm incredibly picky about what RPGs I like but the ones I love I really, really love (Dragon Quest etc). I guess the question to answer is did Xenoblade live up to the hype and become a game I'd cherish forever? The short answer is one hundred percent yes, but the long answer is more complicated so let's jump into it. My main gripe with Xenoblade and the reason I was nervous about playing the game is because it uses a real time MMO combat system, basically your character attacks automatically and you control their movement and arts. Arts are the only attack you have any input on as you will select when to use them as each one has a benefit, for example one does more damage when you attack from behind. However you can't spam such abilities as they all have a cool down timer so there is some strategy to the battle system, especially against bigger enemies or bosses. For what it's worth I found the battle system functional but I never liked it, in fact at times I hated it but I did get used to it but it never grew on me, this type of battle system just isn't to my taste unfortunately. However the fact I played a RPG for 70 hours while not enjoying the battle system is a testament to how incredible the rest of the game is. As with any RPG the story is the main hook and Xenoblade doesn't disappoint as it shows you a massive adventure, I'm not going to go into detail as I couldn't do the story justice and considering the game has over 10 hours of cut scenes it's safe to say it's gigantic! In short two giant titans called the Bionis and the Mechonis battle and both fall to death bows, these titans in time became the world of Xenoblade with the Bionis being natural and the Mechonis being more mechanical and machinery based. Homs who are essentially the humans of the world live on the Bonis while the Mechon live on Mechonis, there are other tribes and species as well but the war of the Homs and Mechon is the main meat of the story, especially in the early goings. The story is full of twists and turns with plenty of shocks and heartfelt moments throughout which really gave you the drive to continue to see how everything unfolds. Basically the story is the driving force of the title and it's incredible, but what's a story without characters and this is another area where Xenoblade delivers. The main character is a boy called Skulk who has a long and twisted history which is revealed throughout the game but his journey begins with the Monado which is a sword of immense power, with its main ability being to foresee the future, which is actually used in gameplay as you'll see deathblows before they happen and you'll have time to react and so on. Shulk is a fantastic character who I really grew to love over the 70 hours I spent with him but what's a protagonist without his reliable side kick! Reyn is this character and he's a cliche hot head but equally as loveable as he sees himself as Shulks protecter as he's basically the muscle of the group. Sharla is the last party member I'll mention as that's the core team I used for 95% of the game and she's your typical healer with a tragic backstory. The cast of characters however is massive and everyone of them is voiced with a story to tell, unfortunately some seem to duck in and out of the story but you get to know most, as for the playable cast you do gain access to a decent amount of characters but I stayed with the original three as I was comfortable with them and enjoyed using them. The final thing I want to discuss is the world because it is fantastic! One of the key reasons I wanted to actually finish this game is because it heavily inspired Breath Of The Wild with the developers helping Nintendo make the game, specifically the world map and it's clear to see. As I said the world of Xenoblade is the remains of the titans so you'll have a massive lush field located on the Bionis leg or whatever and it is so clear to see how this led to BOTW. Admittedly the locations can be pretty barren but there are plenty of secrets to find and enemies to encounter but what I love the most is finding new landmarks gave big experience so you were really encouraged to explore every nook and cranny, partly because you never knew what you'd find but also to gain experience, as I wasn't the biggest fan of the battle system being able to level up this way was a godsend! While on the Bionis you'll find plenty of wild life to battle as enemies are everywhere and boy are they impressive, you know the famous scene in Jurassic Park when they first see the dinosaurs, the game has that feel as massive monsters will just be roaming around, some will ignore you while others will attack or sight. It's pretty wild really as these monsters aren't level capped either and stupidly high leveled enemies are on the map early on, there is nothing more thrilling then trying to sneak past a monster 30 odd levels higher than you that will smite you in a single hit. Thankfully however death isn't that punishing at all as you'll just respawn at your last landmark so you're encouraged to take risks to find new locations or to try best a monster you likely aren't ready for, but seriously some of these locations are absolutely jaw droppingly gorgeous! All in all Xenoblade Chronicles is an absolute masterpiece and I couldn't recommend it highly enough, especially if you can get passed the battle system. It's an incredible epic that not only lived up to its reputation it absolutely obliterated it! I'm actually really surprised how highly I think of this game, especially with my issues with the battle system but I could see myself playing it again in the future, I'm not sure it topples DQ11 for my favourite straight Switch RPG but it runs it close, it's easily one of the best games on the console and one of the best games ever made. I absolutely loved it, it says alot that I smashed through it in a matter of weeks and it's the most I've played the Switch since Animal Crossing! My average "days played" on Switch for 2020 was 11-15 days out of the month (not time, as in out of the 31 days I played it 11 times etc) but during my Xenoblade months it jumped to 24 and 25 for those two months, I was hooked! Oh and the music is bloody incredible too! 

Xenoblade Chronicles DE Future Connected - Future Connected is an added section to the original Xenoblade that functions somewhat like a DLC bonus story. It's only a fraction of the main games length taking roughly 10-12 hours to beat and it's a more streamlined adventure compared to the main game, however it does have its own map. The story focuses on Melia from the main game while introducing two new playable characters alongside Shulk but the other original cast members don't return. While adding a nice bow to Melia's arc I did find the story a little unrewarding as while it answers a few questions I had about the future of the games world it did feel a little slapped together, especially replacing characters I really liked and grew to love with two new characters I didn't really care for. Gameplay wise it's mostly the same but the battle system is more simplified and you have a new special attack system, while appreciating something new it still didn't really appeal to me but it did make battles quicker at least, the final boss however was a right handful but beating it thankfully did feel rewarding. All in all I could have done without this extra content but it was still worth playing through to get the story beats and to explore more beautiful environments. 

Mario Galaxy HD - I've finished my walk down Mario lane as I've played the last game in the Super Mario All Stars collection after playing Mario 64 and Sunshine in previous months. Mario Galaxy is hands down the best game in this collection (even if I miss the movement options Sunshine gave) and to my surprise its way more Mario 64 than I remembered. In Mario Galaxy Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and sets out to create his own universe, as the opening plays out Mario meets up with a new character to the series in Rosalina who has a space ship which runs on power stars, obviously the ship is out of juice so it's up to Mario to collect various Stars to power the ship so you can use it to chase down Bowser and save Peach. Gameplay wise Galaxy offers what you'd expect from the series at this point as each Star is a mission and the game covers various locations, however the main gimmick of Galaxy is like the name implies it's set in space. Gravity becomes a real tool in Mario's arsenal as you'll run around mini planets, make spectacular jumps or bounce around using gravity or the lack of it to your advantage. The concept is very fresh and mixes well with the games tight yet condensed level design, unlike Sunshine's massive levels Galaxy is more akin to Mario 64 with each level being rather small with a well defined task leading to the star. Thankfully Mario Galaxy is also pretty easy and a relaxed time compared to 64 and Sunshine especially as nothing really gave me any trouble as I breezed through the "normal 60 star run" to beat Bowser (I finished with closer to 70/120). Talking about beating Bowser and bosses in general this is one area where Mario Galaxy really shines as it has some of the best and most creative boss battles in the series, admittedly a few concepts are over used but compared to the bosses in the more recent titles going back to these in Galaxy was a pleasure. However one area where Galaxy did fall a tad short to me was with the power ups as they're used very sparely, old staples like the fire flower return but unfortunately they're time limited. We do have one new cool ability in Bee Mario which allows you to hover and stick to honey, the other new power up is Spring Mario which lets you jump higher than normal by springing around but the controls are horrendous, it is used in one my favourite world's though being the toy world which holds my favourite level where you destroy a toy robot by removing it's screws, it's cooler than it sounds. All in all Mario Galaxy is a classic of the series and a must play for any platformer fan, when I first started the game I did get that dreaded feeling of "oh no this isn't as good as I remember" but once I got out the earlier more tutorial levels I really got into the title and remembered why it's so highly rated. Before I forget I have to mention the soundtrack as it's absolutely incredible, Mario Galaxy was the first Mario title to use an orchestra and it's mind blowing! 

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered - In February I'd basically just started this game but I finished it in March so it'll be the only game covered in the next update as it's all I played. 

Game Of The Year

Spoiler

 

New Releases

1.
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 

I think this will be empty for a while, looking at the release schedule and nothing interests me for ages, I might get Skyward Sword remastered but even if I do I've played that before so it won't be eligible for this list. 

First Time Played This Year

1. Xenoblade Chronicles DX
2. Yokus Island Express
3. Red Faction Guerilla Remarstered
4. Max The Curse Of Brotherhood
5. 

A little early to place Need For Speed yet. 

 

Recent Pick Ups

Hasbro Family Game Night - £15 - Switch - I picked this up on a whim for Valentine's Day as the missus is a massive Monopoly fan which is included in this collection alongside Jeopardy and Risk. Unfortunately due to unforseen circumstances we've not got around to playing it yet but it is on our to do list. Interestingly this Monopoly is the exact same as the one which has a solo release yet this one is cheaper with two extra games? Work that one out. 

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered - £19.99 - Switch - The only person you can blame for this impulse buy is Vibe old timer @liam1872! We were talking about Need For Speed Most Wanted and I just got an itch I couldn't scratch, I tried putting it off but seeing a Need For Speed title I hadn't played for a reasonable price I decided to gamble hoping it would scratch the Most Wanted itch, find it if it did in the next update which will he fairly soon. 

[Rob]

Reading that Galaxy bit has made me want to play it tonight! I’ve completely forgotten about it. 

[Ashez]

11 minutes ago, Rob said:

Reading that Galaxy bit has made me want to play it tonight! I’ve completely forgotten about it. 

It's so good! It's crazy how much better it is than Sunshine and 64, I do like all three and the older games have there place but Galaxy is such a step up. The only thing with Galaxy is the camera and gravity stuff can screw with your head but once you've got accustomed to it again it's a total blast. 

It's funny I finally posted that today considering Mario dies tonight. Mario 3D All Stars goes off sale today, I still can't believe Nintendo are doing that. It's sold over 8m copies and they're pulling it from shelves and the eshop, it's utter madness but the Disney Vault approach I guess. I don't agree with it at all, video games shouldn't just disappear. It's like Sony shutting the older online stores soon, think how many games will be lost to time and basically impossible to play in the future. Physical is the only way to go, I dread the days games go digital only as so much will be lost every generation. It sucks man. 

[Rob]

2 hours ago, Ashez said:

It's so good! It's crazy how much better it is than Sunshine and 64, I do like all three and the older games have there place but Galaxy is such a step up. The only thing with Galaxy is the camera and gravity stuff can screw with your head but once you've got accustomed to it again it's a total blast. 

It's funny I finally posted that today considering Mario dies tonight. Mario 3D All Stars goes off sale today, I still can't believe Nintendo are doing that. It's sold over 8m copies and they're pulling it from shelves and the eshop, it's utter madness but the Disney Vault approach I guess. I don't agree with it at all, video games shouldn't just disappear. It's like Sony shutting the older online stores soon, think how many games will be lost to time and basically impossible to play in the future. Physical is the only way to go, I dread the days games go digital only as so much will be lost every generation. It sucks man. 

Any rumours on whether they’ll release them separately?

I hope they release Galaxy 2. Deffo going to smash the first one on the telly soon. Got a sound bar the other day so hopefully it’ll sound good.

[Ashez]

On 31/03/2021 at 11:30, Rob said:

Any rumours on whether they’ll release them separately?

I hope they release Galaxy 2. Deffo going to smash the first one on the telly soon. Got a sound bar the other day so hopefully it’ll sound good.

Doesn't look like it, they seem happy in the fact they've pulled it. 

It is just the Disney approach, they know they can release it in a few years time and it'll sell again. 

In theory it's meant to be the Zelda anniversary now so I think any Mario news is dead for months now. 

Nice, what soundbar did you go for? I've looked into them in recent months on and off but yet to pull the trigger. Undecided on what I want to spend and I have too many questions that seem to have conflicting answers haha. For example I would like a sound bar that would connect to my Bluetooth headphones, now state it as a feature and most don't seem to transmit yet some reviews so they do and some say they don't. It's one of those I look into until I get frustrated then I bin it off for a few more weeks.