Whatcha Been Playing?

[Alex79]

Yeah I was going to say, the only Mario Golf game I ever played was the GBA version, which was quite RPG-like. It was even made by Camelot, who were also responsible for the excellent Golden Sun JRPGs on the GBA.

[ratsoalbion]

Indeed, Camelot also make the 3D Mario Golfs - it was they who started the Everybody series for PlayStation.

[Feirsteax]

I've been zelda-ing an absolutely astonishing amount. getting loads of extra hours of exploration out of the DLC too. encourages me to visit these mad geographical landmarks I had completely missed through my first playthrough

[Jobobonobo]

Just finished world 4 of the Super Mario Bros 3 remake on GBA. Never properly played this before and while not as complex and large as Super Mario World it does a lot of cool, unique things for its time. The fact that you can collect different power ups and try them out before trying a particularly level can be a fun way of figuring which suit is best for which levels (Frog suit makes swimming so much nicer to control for example). Also the use of certain powerups to traverse the world map such as the hammer and cloud is also a nice touch and is a nice precursor to the more full on overworld exploration in SMW. But I do not recall SMW utilising items like this in the same way, cool mechanic, really dig it. Also the level design is unbelievably tight and for such short levels they are hard but not cheap so completing them is actually satisfying. So yeah, having a good time with this so far.

[Joshihatsumitsu]

Currently playing:

The World Ends with You - DS cart on my 3DS - for after-work exercise bike handheld gaming; and

Okami HD - PS3 version from a few years ago - for relaxing on the couch in front of the TV.

I'm at a point with both games where you have enough powers and freedom to just really just enjoy it at your own pace.

It's interesting playing them both side by side: both are JRPG's; in TWEWY you use the stylus to draw, and in Okami it's the celestial brush; and both have very distinctive, unique art styles.

Still a long way to go on both, but it's nice to go from the "push through until" to the "being pulled through". Slow starts in JRPG's are pretty common, so nothing unusual about that.

[Stanshall]

PS4:

GT Sport - a beautiful driving game with the best handling feel of any I've played. Online racing is actually fun, people generally try not to play bumper cars, the tracks are learnable, the driving school is a triumph, the cars handle consistently, and ultimately - if you know the track and know your car there's a wonderful sense of reward when a hot lap comes together. Forza is a mighty fine looking game and plays great but GTS takes the title this year, no doubt.

Jamestown - I've been in a bit of a minor shmup phase of late and this is a little cracker. Easy enough to make progress on one credit (on normal difficulty!) but lots and lots of opportunities for racking up multipliers and mad scores (not that I'm there yet). Finally time to listen to the C&R episode on it!

XB1X:

PUBG - A game I wish my mates could come over and watch me play, and vice versa. A well executed concept, pretty simple but very engaging. The little moments feel massive. It's the kind of thing we daydreamed about as kids and refined in the playground. It feels incomplete, yes, but so it is. I'll look forward to every update.

Overwatch - I started playing Overwatch! I don't know why I didn't bother sooner, possibly because I had several online shooters ongoing and couldn't be arsed with another. That's still the case, really, but I had the disc sitting there so gave it a shot, and I'm really enjoying it as Pharah. She suits my thoughtless offense, it seems, depending on the map. I expect I'll drop this and return to Titanfall 2 at some point soon. That's my favourite FPS of the generation and it looks smoooooth with the One X patch.

Switch:

Odyssey - I finally got 500 moons and did what comes next. Very sweet little moment. I think Dave Turners possibly talked it up a little too much, because its tone is beautifully understated and not something to 'look forward to' but nevertheless, I felt satisfied with that as my conclusion to the game. I won't be going for maximum moons.

ARMS - A lot of Party Crash action, a lot of Lola Pop and a fair bit of local multiplayer battling with my mate who's getting a Switch for Chrimbo. Delighted to know that I'll have a pal round the corner who's as into ARMS as I am. This game gets better and better and the imminent 5.0 update sounds like it's bringing even more. Next to the slightly disappointing Zelda DLC for twenty quid, this looks like the best supported game on the system, alongside Splatoon.

Gorogoa - I heard some great things, I expected something light but pretty, turns out it's exceptional, in the vein of The Witness. It doesn't share any mechanics as such but it genuinely breaks ground and will surprise you again and again. I really do recommend this, on whichever format you have available. It's tickled my brain for a good hour this evening and I don't want to stop.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - I really love the goofy sincerity of this game and the world. It's also possibly got the best soundtrack of the year. It's got its flaws certainly but as a place to spend time, and with a loveable cast of well-intentioned misfits, it's another Switch belter. Essential gaming, as long as you can stomach anime to any degree.

Wii U:

I'm starting a playthrough of Metroid Prime Corruption via the Wii channel, ten years after I last played it on the Wii in Japanese, which I didn't understand. Great times. I was surprised at how good the Wiimote controls feel and how much it strangely reminds me of PSVR! I'm tempted to go back to Prime and Echoes first, which I never played much, but I've gone with what's familiar for now. The music and stings are so iconic.

Super Mario Maker - this needs to be ported or given a sequel on the Switch. It's an absolute stormer. Presentation is perfect, the concept is marvellous and there are thousands of brilliant levels. It's too good not to follow up in some way but for now, I'm enjoying dipping back into the original.

[ColinAlonso]

Speaking of golf, I played about 2 to 3 hours of Everybody's Golf Vita online tonight. The servers close on Thursday morning after over 5 years. There was about 10-15 on tonight (6 needed for an online tour, rather than a private room), so I played a good few games.

I'll actually miss the online, the game says I played just over 1,000 rounds over the last 4.5 years and most of those are online.

[Suits]

Just finished world 4 of the Super Mario Bros 3 remake on GBA.

Cool.

Interestingly, if I remember rightly back back in the day, when I bought my GBA on launch, I bought it with Super Mario Advance and Tony Hawk.

Having never really got on with SMB2 previously, my arm was twisted in that unique way that a lack of launch games twists it and I spent a lot of time with Super Mario Advance. Changing my opinion of that game vastly.

Wonderful little ports those games with some essential upgrades to gameplay, that make them great to go back to if you’ve played the originals.

[Suits]

**The Nintendo bits you mentioned.

Xenoblade - I’m enjoying this so much, I’m so surprised. Like you say, it’s s great place to spend time in and I’m very much enjoying learning bits and bobs about systems. Usually, I get stuck, not being able to win battles, then I spend some time in the menus and whathaveyous and soon realise that I’ve not been doing something which has handicapped me tremendously.

Metroid - Now, I do wonder if we’ll see some sort of remaster that will release on Switch next year, something like a Trilogy for the Switch but in HD. It would tie in nicely with M4 coming probably 2019 - this dream is the only thing stopping me going back and playing them again. It would be perfect on the Switch.

Mario Maker - Agreed, this needs to hit Switch SOON !!!

[KSubzero1000]

Metroid - Now, I do wonder if we’ll see some sort of remaster that will release on Switch next year, something like a Trilogy for the Switch but in HD. It would tie in nicely with M4 coming probably 2019 - this dream is the only thing stopping me going back and playing them again. It would be perfect on the Switch.

How would it work in practice? The Trilogy was perfectly built around the Wiimote and Nunchuk combination. Even if the motion controls can be remapped to the Joycons, how will it work in handheld mode? If handheld mode only supports traditional controller input, Metroid Prime 1 and 2 have tank controls which means that everyone will start complaining about those again. And Corruption is motion controls-only anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I'd be all for it. But I don't think it would logistically work as a simple port or graphical remaster.

PS: I don't currently have a Switch, so this is all based on secondhand technical information. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

[Feirsteax]

AHhhh yiz are all making me feel bad that I haven't set my wii u up again since i got my switch

really wanna go back and complete metroid trilogy on it as well as the first xenoblade!

I think i'll do that tonight. Set it up.

[Suits]

How would it work in practice?

Good question man, good discussion point.

I honestly don't know, although I'm sure there's someone at Nintendo with more than a good idea about it.

There's a steady gust about Skyward Sword coming over to the Switch in some sort of re-master also, which would have the same sort of discussions surrounding controls.

[Feirsteax]

Don;t know if i would buy Skyward Sword if they re-released it on Switch.. hmmm. I didn't dislike it, just didn't love it either.

I kind of really want Mario 3d World to be re-released on Switch, I just feel like that'd be a thing of beauty to play on the go with it's traditional style of "levels" to play thru.

Also it's like one of my favourite mario games ever

[ratsoalbion]

An ‘HD Collection’ of both 3D Land and 3D World for Switch would be amazing.

[Feirsteax]

now theres an idea... that would be unreal

[KSubzero1000]

I honestly don't know, although I'm sure there's someone at Nintendo with more than a good idea about it.

Oh, come on. You said it would be perfect on Switch, and that's the best you can come up with?

I'm currently replaying the Prime Trilogy on WiiU. They're perfectly playable the way they are and at least Prime 3 was built on the foundation of an idiosyncratic control scheme. Which means I'd rather not see any fundamental concessions being made (like say, dual analogs *shudder*) in order to accommodate a frankly redundant port. If you have the means to do so, I would suggest playing the Wii or WiiU version instead.

I get that nobody bought a WiiU and that the Switch was their first Nintendo home console in a decade, which would explain this constant talk of ports and remasters. But... There are more than enough classic Nintendo games in dire need of a remaster before going for the technologically inaccessible ones.


And now I'm proof-reading my post and feel like I'm raining on everybody's parade...

[Suits]

Oh, come on. You said it would be perfect on Switch, and that's the best you can come up with?

Consider my parade well and truly soaked .

I still think it would be a perfect on Switch, from the perspective of sitting on the sofa playing it handheld as opposed to sitting on my own in my office playing it. However, that could be said of everygame so I appreciate it’s not a valid reason.

Controls – I’m fine with, honestly I like Tank Controls, I like them in Desert Strike, I prefer them to this day playing console versions of Doom and I thought they made Metroid Prime feel great. The potentially non-intuitive nature of them, I think enhances the immersion of some games – Resident Evil for certain. It encourages panic, forces mistakes, creates better memories.

However, Corruption, I don’t know and is potentially the biggest sticking point, like you say.

I do have the option to play all the old titles on original hardware, and I also have the digital version of the Trilogy on my Wii U but I want it on my Switch, I’ll play more of it. I’m not bothered by textures and aspect ratio but ease of accessibility is a big plus for me nowadays – personally.

The Switch has made me thirst for older, longer games that I fee I can apply the hours properly to now, as oppose to just playing old games for an hour or two at time for a Quick Rinse.

[KSubzero1000]

Consider my parade well and truly soaked .

Nooo, I'm sorry!

I still think it would be a perfect on Switch, from the perspective of sitting on the sofa playing it handheld as opposed to sitting on my own in my office playing it. However, that could be said of everygame so I appreciate it’s not a valid reason.

I think it is a valid reason. The comfort and ease of accessibility provided by the hybrid functionality of the Switch is a big plus for a lot of people. Personally, it wouldn't be my thing as I prefer to play spectacular action games like these on a big screen while using headphones, but I can certainly understand the appeal.

Controls – I’m fine with, honestly I like Tank Controls, I like them in Desert Strike, I prefer them to this day playing console versions of Doom and I thought they made Metroid Prime feel great. The potentially non-intuitive nature of them, I think enhances the immersion of some games – Resident Evil for certain. It encourages panic, forces mistakes, creates better memories.

I love tank controls as well and will always defend them in games like Resident Evil and God Hand. Resident Evil especially profits from them due to the slow, methodical pace of the game and the way the enemy AI and pathfinding works. But the thing is... I don't really like them in Prime. Samus' movement feels a bit too clunky when compared to the hyper-mobile enemies she's facing and both the combat and platforming are too rigid for my liking. I honestly think that the motion-controlled Trilogy is the best available version of Prime. I guess I'm just a fake purist after all!

[Michiel K]

Went back to Super Mario Odyssey after dropping it for a while in favour of games I needed to play for the podcast and, well, work, and it has its highs and lows for me. It's not doing the Super Mario Galaxy thing for me, where I just could not stop playing, going for one star after another. Part of that is the fact that you accumulate moons much faster, but part of that is also that some of the mainline tasks are not that exciting and/or filled with wonder to me. Luncheon Kingdom was a world where I had to push myself a little to keep playing, however charming sections of it were. Also, I can't fully seem to get to grips with the way Mario controls in this game. Maybe it's the joycon sticks, but he feels way too sensitive for me and I find myself inadvertently dropping off smaller platforms over and over again and I never had this problem with other 3D Marios.

I guess the game works as a greatest hits (and greatest misses) of 3D Mario and it has its amazing and incredibly joyful moments, but for now I guess I even prefer 3D World's focused 3D platforming challenges over this one, overall. My kids love it though and are already in the post game. I'll keep on playing and see if I'll feel differently later on.

[ratsoalbion]

I feel pretty much exactly the same way.