Messages

106

Classic Video Games / Re: It's the Wii U, underrated? - Wii U turns 10 years old.

« on: November 25, 2022, 10:57:48 am »

Super Mario 3D World is my favorite 3D Mario game.

107

Classic Video Games / Re: It's the Wii U, underrated? - Wii U turns 10 years old.

« on: November 23, 2022, 02:23:08 pm »

I wrote the Wii-U off the second they said it would use the Wii controllers as the primary controller outside of the ridiculous tablet controller idea. The Wii was such a horrendous turnoff with the forced motion controls that it took Nintendo advertising the Switch with a Pro controller day one as "Play How You Want".

The Wii U Pro Controller was available alongside the console on its release day. Wii accessories were also compatible but were certainly not the "primary" alternative controller to the gamepad.

That's how I saw it as advertised. I didn't even know of the Wii-U's pro controller until the system was basically already canned in favor of the Switch. That's how poorly Nintendo advertised it. Then forced motion controls during the Wii's lifespan implied the same for Wii-U. Nintendo taught me to despise motion controls and they did it so well that they had to have a mulligan on the entire generation with Switch.

I bought my Pro Controller with my Wii U. I knew about it because they had one on the original Wii, too. And I already knew that it was a must-have from the Wii. I have one on the Switch, too.

108

Classic Video Games / Re: Why are the NES era Consoles 3rd Gen and not 4th?

« on: November 21, 2022, 08:22:55 pm »

Historically, a new generation begins once a major upgrade in graphical quality has been reached.

With that said, Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 are formally considered to be a part of the second generation.

Going from the 2600 to the arcade quality 5200 was a leap in graphics.

It is probably best to not compare the items on their own but instead within the generation as a whole and the many systems which were released concurrent to them.

I'm not familiar with this generation of consoles, so I don't have any opinion the quality of the 2600 and the improvements the 5200 had over it.

Judge for yourself.

Donkey Kong on Atari 2600:


Donkey Kong on Atari 5200:


It's a big difference. One sort of looks like Donkey Kong. While the other is a near arcade-quality port.

And 5200's contemporaries were the Intellivision and Colecovision, both of which are improvements over the 2600 (especially the Colecovision).

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Classic Video Games / Re: Why are the NES era Consoles 3rd Gen and not 4th?

« on: November 21, 2022, 04:43:01 pm »

Historically, a new generation begins once a major upgrade in graphical quality has been reached.

With that said, Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 are formally considered to be a part of the second generation. The Atari 7800 made the shift to third generation.

It is similar to the Wii U and Switch, which are both a part of the eighth generation.

Going from the 2600 to the arcade quality 5200 was a leap in graphics.

110

Classic Video Games / Why are the NES era Consoles 3rd Gen and not 4th?

« on: November 21, 2022, 04:08:07 pm »

Something to chew on:

The Atari 2600 is a 2nd generation console. The Atari 5200 is it's successor making it a 3rd generation console.

That would mean the Atari 7800 and it's contemporaries (NES/Master System) are 4th generation consoles...so who decided they were 3rd generation consoles?!

111

Classic Video Games / Re: It's the Wii U, underrated? - Wii U turns 10 years old.

« on: November 21, 2022, 11:28:41 am »

I have a soft spot for the Wii U (My favorite console is the N64, I don't know why I do this to myself), but I wouldn't say it's underrated.  It had a bad name, they struggled to justify it's gimmicks, the poor sales led to a pretty lackluster library, it wasn't a well powered system, but I still generally liked it.  The Gamepad was a decent enough idea, though I think other than a second screen, the only game I played that I liked the gimmick of using it for was Zombi U, where you open your backpack and have to look away from the TV to do so, but it doesn't pause the game so you have to make sure you are in a safe area or you can get attacked.  That's a good idea along with I think it had something to do with scanning things.  Embracing the gimmick in a very reasonable way. 

I did think the console not having a Pokemon Snap game on it was maybe their greatest missed opportunity.  We finally got one with Switch, but the Gamepad was tailored for them to utilize it as a camera within the world.  I wonder if they even attempted to try and make one or if they just didn't care at all.

While I agree about it's 3rd-party library being lackluster, it's first-party library of games were stellar. And the fact that Nintendo pulled from it to add to the Switch shows they felt the same.

New Super Mario Bros U, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Maker, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros, Splatoon, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess HD, Wind Waker HD, Captain Toad, NES Remix, Star Fox Zero, Pikmin 3, and I have no idea what Pokemon games because that's just not my thing, and plenty I'm sure I missed.

That's a helluva first-party line-up, especially since it's a "failed console".

112

Classic Video Games / Re: It's the Wii U, underrated? - Wii U turns 10 years old.

« on: November 20, 2022, 04:25:47 pm »

I loved mine, when it was current. It has great 1st-party titles and the gamepad was a cool feature. And it was Nintendo's 1st HD console. (3rd-party support sucked though.)

But in 2022 I hardly ever use it. Most of it's best games have been ported to The Switch, which is the definitive way to play most of those games, especially since The Switch fixed Wii U's most glaring problem: Making the gamepad portable.

I still have mine for a select few exclusives like Star Fox Zero, NES Remix, and the HD Zelda ports. But it really does mostly collect dust since getting my Switch.

I think down the line it will be a valuable console, though, since it's a Nintendo console, it will be rarer than a lot of other Nintendo consoles due to poor sales, and it physically stands out because of the gamepad.

113

General / Re: November 2022 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: November 19, 2022, 08:14:29 pm »

Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (Xbox Digital)



I'm a big Capcom guy. Best 3rd-party game company on the planet, IMO. Been wanting this one since I heard it released back in July. It was on sale for $30 for every game on it on XBox Live Marketplace.

114

General / Re: Is "hype" for games dying off along side of physical media?

« on: November 18, 2022, 11:52:39 am »

Hype isn't dying at all, I'd say it's bigger than it ever has been, games are doing insane numbers these days.  The lack of interest in physical media is certainly changing how this might be perceived though,  as I've done a handful of midnight launches over the years, but this isn't as important anymore unless you have a real reason to get something physical, like a brand new console.  Why drive the half-hour or more to a store, to maybe stand outside in the cold or rain sometimes, wait for 50+ people in front of you to buy the game you already paid for most likely, when you can just buy it online, pre-load two days before release, and then play it the second it releases all within the comfort of your own home. 

There's definitely a lot of problems with the current gaming landscape that need to be fixed eventually, but I think gaming is still going strong despite a lot of issues related to it, and the greater overarching issues that have been happening globally lately.

I think the problem many of us have is that with digital, you don't even own the game after paying, often, the same or even more for the physical copy. You own a license that can be revoked at any time.

Bingo.

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General / Re: Is "hype" for games dying off along side of physical media?

« on: November 15, 2022, 04:12:57 pm »

COVID, recession, and console/supply shortages have far more to do with it I think. It's hard to get excited about a new game if you can't get a console to play it on, or can't afford to keep up with gaming anymore.

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General / Re: November 2022 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: November 15, 2022, 01:24:12 pm »

Just got Sonic Frontiers on PS5

So I haven't been able to play it yet but I'm actually intrigued. I was originally interested in this game due to my morbid curiosity of terrible Sonic games. But turns out this one might be kinda ok? Looking forward to playing this with my daughter and having some fun exploring an actually functional 3D Sonic game.

I got it, too. Seems alright so far. Not great, but not bad. But I am only on the 1st island.

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General / Re: November 2022 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: November 14, 2022, 10:53:42 am »

Bought Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration for Xbox

If you are into gaming history, this is a must buy! It has a collection of retro games spanning the earliest days of arcade all the way to the Jaguar and everything in-between by Atari (including computers).

But even better, it has basically what is an interactive documentary section that is so cool. It tells the history of the company, games, consoles, and computers. It includes many interviews with programmers and other Atar people. It has  commercials and ads. And even inter-office memos, designs, and planning paperwork.

For $40, this game is well worth it for retro enthusiasts!

118

General / Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:

« on: November 14, 2022, 10:49:10 am »

A thought:
Someone needs to make a 2nd generation version of the Retron 5. A modern way to play physical 2600, 5200, 7800, Intellivision, and Colecovision games.

I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

119

General / Re: Pre-Ordered/Waiting for...

« on: November 11, 2022, 12:00:58 am »

Resident Evil 4 Remake for Xbox Series X

This is a big one for me. Love me some Resident Evil!

120

General / Re: November 2022 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: November 10, 2022, 11:56:06 pm »

Some decent additions to the collection lately:

-C64 Collection (Evercade)
-Ghost Song - (Xbox One - Digital)
-God of War: Ragnarok - Launch Edition (PS4)
-Resident Evil Village - Winters Expansion (Xbox One - Digital)
-Sega Genesis Mini 2 Console
-Sonic Frontiers - Steelbook Edition (Xbox One)