VideoGame_Discussion

niceeee. I probably won't have time for it, but glad I can make it up at some point if I don't!

That will be a make up for me as well. I'm trying not to play it until I finally get a PSVR2 (same reason I haven't touched RE8 yet).

Ended up picking up Stray on the Xbox. Since I had some credit expiring. Was pleasantly surprised it's a play anywhere title so I could play on PC if I choose. Not sure if I'll be able to get to it this month but I've been wanting to play the cat sim for a while.

SwiftJAB wrote:


Weird, I thought that was console exclusive to PlayStation.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

I was a timed exclusive. It appears to have released on Xbox back in August this year.

Badge for RE4 was made. I was waiting for someone to complete it... turned out to be me

I’ll definitely be beating RE4 Remake again eventually as a makeup, but I’m waiting for the PSVR2 version to come out too.

20 Questions for November?

Is there a November game?

We really should make sure we get a Dec game since it's already past half way through Nov... maybe a game staring now that can be in either month?

December will have a great day game

???

Frank wrote:

Sorry for the delay guys (and the weirdly typed typo last month)

This month will be Spider Man month.

We already had the first one, so this badge is for Miles Morales and/or Spider Man 2.

Oh no! I just finished Spider-Man 2 last month and beat Miles Morales when it first came out. Those are both great games though.

Frank wrote:

I haven't played any of them. I do own the first game though, and I'm pretty sure Miles Morales is in the PS+ Extra Game Catalog, and I've heard that game is on the short side, so I could definitely finish it before the month ends. But is Miles Morales a big improvement over the first game? Like, would it feel like a step backwards gameplay-wise when I eventually go back to play the first game?

Miles is a step up in that it feels a bit more arcadey and the pace is faster. The remastered original is a bit slower combat wise but not terribly- and it feels more relaxed to me. Spiderman 2 actually lets you play as both so it’s a mix of styles.

If you enjoy MM then going back to OG would feel fine.

Okay, I'm going to try to participate this month. I loved the first Spider-Man game and want to play Miles Morales before jumping on the sequel.

Bought Miles Morales during the last Steam sale. Good excuse to give this a playthrough if I can make the time.

Renaissance2K wrote:
I'm in a similar boat. I enjoyed the first one (PS5 remaster) and have had Miles Morales sitting here in the backlog.

I was going to pick a Christmasy game, but the only one I could come up with was Dead Rising 4

Yeah, I can't really think of too many games that take place on Christmas. The only two that come to mind are that NiGHTS Into Dreams little spin-off on the Sega Saturn, and Batman: Arkham Origins.

Elf Bowling

Don't forget the Grinch games. And the Home Alone games.

And Deathsmiles 2. (Not actually sure if it takes place at Christmas but the full title is Deathsmiles II: Makai no Merry Christmas)

benstylus wrote:

I'm not trying to make people suffer

I love platformers... but I don't think I could sit through this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oavqcVuDWC0

Someone tell me that looks good.

Frank wrote:

*looks at his E.T. badge*

Frank wrote:

I remember playing it on Dreamcast back in the day. It was thoroughly run of the mill. It wasn't wretched, just that everything had been done a hundred times before by a hundred other similar games.

Renaissance2K wrote:
|lol the month of April is my only exception.

Would've been too long, but the first Division was sort of set at Christmas time... dang I miss that game, I sunk so many hours into that. 2 was alright but the feel of the first game with the snow and all of that was a blast.
As for participating this month... I didn't care for Spidey too much and don't currently have Miles nor a PS5 to seek out S2 so I'm likely to pass, though maybe I'll load up the first game and finally finish the handful or more small side things I left unfinished... maybe.

There’s an October 2023 release grinch game.

Frank wrote:

Not clear if this is intentional or not, but Miles Morales takes place during Christmas.

I might have subconsciously remembered that. Otherwise it's a happy coincidence.

More Christmas games!

https://youtu.be/YwVRY9L1Uvw

https://youtu.be/6JBDWq2nzTA

Finished up Spider-Man 2. I really hated the last 1/3 of this game.

SP1 was fantastic and an unexpected treat, solid A and a great game a couple years ago.
SP2 I was back in and enjoying more of the same with some cool upgrades, enhancements, QOL improvements, cruising through NYC in another solid fun romp. I enjoyed 20+ hours through a fantastic opening and setup. The back end of the game finished so poorly. Act 3 became a chore and was full of bad design and bad decisions in my opinion.

I'm not hugely into Spidey and don't know much about the various villains. I was onboard how the game was setup and just scratching my head when it went where it did by the end. Curious to what others thought as they finish it up.

I enjoyed it all the way through and thought it was better than SP1 and Miles Morales. I liked how they switched up the gameplay in various ways so it wasn't just all Spider-Man doing the same stuff the whole game. The trophies were also much less annoying than some of the ones in SP1.

hobbes21 wrote:

Just unlocked the Into the Spider-Verse suit. Highly recommended.

I found all of the parts with MJ unnecessary and tedious. I tend to feel the same in other games where they go to a side character enemy base stealth mission. Guards are always laughably unaware where you can basically run up and taze whoever you need to without issue. Rather it just be a cut scene and skip the whole segment.

Spider-Verse suits are great. I love how they animated them in the same strobe-style from the movies.

Well, that was awesome.

I was not on team Miles at first. I think all the electricity-based powers just add noise to an already heavy powerset. But man, once you get out of the "Where we last left our hero" story intro, the game really runs on four legs. I had as much as a blast as with the first game, possibly even more so because the story was so focused and didn't branch out into a ton of subplots.

Really wanting to play Spider-Man 2 now.

Sorry for the inactivity here. It's been a busy end of the year.


So looks like @hobbes21 and @Renaissance2K were the only two to complete this month's game? If I'm missing someone let me know.

I haven't started, but maybe I'll cram in 8 hours of play time in 2 days

What do we got lined up for January?

I won't be revealing it until Monday, but if you wanna play a speed run of 20 questions I'll give a hint.

It was released in 2023

Hey I beat Spider-man 2 in December too! I finally did a game of the month without even realizing lol

theJaw wrote:

That was fast. I’m still working on it.

Feeb wrote:

Yah I was loving the story so I didn't do a ton of the side stuff the same way I did in the other two Spider-man games. Barely upgraded the gadgets or health/strength/etc. I think my health and strength were only like halfway complete when I finished the game, but that kept it interesting as far as difficulty goes.

I'll keep playing the side stuff so I'm all powered up for the inevitable DLC.

Frank wrote:

1. Was it nominated for anything at The Game Awards this year?

2. Is it an indie game?

3. Is it exclusive to one particular console?

1. Was it nominated for anything at The Game Awards this year?
1. Yes

2. Is it an indie game?
2. No

3. Is it exclusive to one particular console?
3. Yes

Happy New Year!

We're going to start out the new year with Hi-Fi Rush. I'll update the OP and create badges for last month and this month as soon as I can. January is a busy month for me.

Doh. I beat that last year on GP and certainly liked it, but not enough to replay.

I finally have the OP updated with badges for December and January. If anyone is missing a badge please let me know.

Next month's game was chosen, so 20 questions can start whenever.

Also totally slipped my mind, but @PizzaTheHutt is offering up a $15 Xbox Gift Card to be raffled off to a randomly chosen member who completes Hi-Fi Rush this month.

Had an hour to spare tonight so I decided to start it up. I got through the first boss. The art style is amazing. The game feels so fluid. I've never been great at rhythm based games, but I'm doing alright. I probably get more Good than Perfect combos. The music is pretty good as well. Good choice.

I started this myself yesterday. While. I'm not doing the best, I'm averaging B to C ranks. I think keeping rhythm is what's helping me. I'm also getting S rank clear times on most waves.

I'm definitely enjoying it more than I thought I would. Gameplay-wise it's strangely giving me Ratchet & Clank vibes. Something I was not expecting.

I really hope parrying gets easier. I feel like I'm just mashing buttons hoping that it works out. Just finished the level that introduced the mechanic of it. Still enjoying the game but getting a bit overwhelmed with all the upgrades you can buy.

SwiftJAB wrote:
From what I understand from what I played, the upgrades are optional replacement moves that you can swap in / out. So if you end up with a move you don't like you can re-equip your old one.

Frank wrote:

The first types of upgrades, yes. Just play a little more :)

Trying to get this finished by the end of the month. I'll probably have to sacrifice some sleep to do it. I'm about half way through the game. Still enjoying it. There are some QTE style moments that are a bit frustrating. I'm mostly playing remotely on my phone, which is not ideal when I'm trying to land precision button pressse6s.

SwiftJAB wrote:

FYI, the final fight was a PITA for me. Based on your (and/or other's) comments about not nailing the QTE stuff or not being solid in fights - I was pretty similar and the final boss took me a bunch of tries. I almost wanted to give up, but being so close to the end kept me trying it. I would surely suggest not playing remotely on your phone for that fight.

Slickriven wrote:
Thanks for the tip.

Frank wrote:


Did the game release within the past 10 years?

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

1. No

Is it a co-op game?

Feeb wrote:
2. Not yet No

Made it through the fourth boss last night, just two more to go. That battle was actually pretty fun. The dialog in this game has me cracking up some of the time.

3. Is it a 2d game?

SwiftJAB wrote:
3. Yes

4. Does it feature any characters from Super Smash Bros Ultimate?

Is it pixelated?

SwiftJAB wrote:
4. Yes

citizen_zane wrote:
5. Yes (kinda?)

Well, it feels good to finally complete one of the monthly games. It's been a while. Parrying got a bit easier for me as the game progressed. I wish I bought and used more companion attacks earlier on. They certainly elevated the combat.

Hi Fi Rush was a fun pick. I enjoyed the style, disliked some of the QTE, but overall a good game. If they made a sequel, I'd play it. Heck, I might even do some of the post game quests I this one.

What do we have lined up for February?

I'm guessing Prince of Persia

SwiftJAB wrote:

The Prince isn't in Smash Bros. Ultimate, unless he's an obscure assist trophy or something. The Smash roster and "2D game" qualifiers are probably the best way of narrowing down the list.

Based on that, it seems like the most likely franchises would be:
- The extended Mario universe (Piranha Plant, Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Dr. Mario, Wario, Bowser Jr.)
- Dragon Quest (Hero)
- King of Fighters (Terry)
- Donkey Kong / Country (Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, King K. Rool)
- Zelda (Link, Toon Link, Zelda)
- Metroid (Samus, Ridley)
- Kirby (Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede)
- Pokemon (Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Pichu, Mewtwo, Pokemon Trainer, Lucario)
- Earthbound (Ness, Lucas)
- Ice Climbers
- Fire Emblem (Marth, Roy)
- Mr. Game & Watch
- Kid Icarus (Pit, Palutena)
- Metal Gear (Snake)
- Sonic
- Mega Man
- Punch-Out!!
- Pac-Man
- Duck Hunt
- Street Fighter (Ryu)
- Castlevania (Simon)

Some of those are just plain impractical, and others we've already played through a bunch. Based on the "not yet" co-op answer, I'm leaning towards something from either Donkey Kong or Sonic as both of those games feature multiple semi-playable characters on screen, and both franchises have upcoming titles that we know about.

I'm probably wrong, though. Especially if the Smash Bros. response factors in assist trophies.

Oh right, it could be Mario vs DK. Switch version does have co-op that the GBA version didn't.

Renaissance2K wrote:
I love how in-depth you got into narrowing down the options!

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

It's Mario vs Donkey Kong!!!

@PizzaTheHutt it looks like @SwiftJAB was the only one to complete Hi-Fi Rush for January.

Frank wrote:

There were about fifty other more important things I could have done with my time, but I can't resist a good brain teaser.

Renaissance2K wrote:
It does not go unnoticed good sir.

Looks like this includes the GBA original?

Renaissance2K wrote:
Yessir. Those who want to play the original can get a 16-day head start.

That said, the original was only about 5 hours long, so I'm just going to wait for the remake myself.

Excellent choice! I'll be playing this one on my work breaks.

Not in the NSO GBA library 😞 I guess I'll be doing a makeup one this month. I've been meaning to play Stray or I might also finally beat Borderlands.

Just finished the first two worlds. This game is quite fun! I've had to replay a few of the levels to earn a high enough score for a star, which is based on time. About halfway through the second level, the difficulty started to increase some. I'm sure It's going to get more difficult as I progress, so I won't be burning through the rest of the game as fast as I did the first two worlds.

Like Citizen Zane, I too just finished the first 2 worlds and similarly I did replay just 1 stage in world 1 to get the star and I think I ended up with like 8 or 9 as after that I didn't bother. In world 2 I did sense the difficulty spike a little as well, but some of that was from meh controls on the ropes and me pushing a little too much as I got a hair frustrated at times - typical for me and a Mario title. I think I only got like 2 stars in the 2nd world and a few I didn't even get all of the 3 presents. So it's hit or miss, but it is fast and I think I'll stick with it and knock it out and clearly not focus on getting all of the stars and just target completing all 6 worlds.

Just did world 3 and yeah the difficulty and controls started to get worse IMO. Took me likely as long to beat w3 as it did w1&2 combined. But oddly enough I got stars on all but the first 2 stages so <shrug>
Will stick with this and might look at doing just half a world per session to avoid too much annoyance.

1 and 2 were a breeze. 3 is when things started to get real. I really struggled with 4 and am starting to worry about my stockpile of lives.

It's fun, though.

Got another session in, beat world 4 now. First 4 stages weren't too bad so I just kept going. Ended up with just 2 or 3 stars and I think 2 levels where I didn't get all the presents as I have enough lives to not care too much. Then I got stumped in the toy box level and had to look up a solution - sad, but I'm fighting a head cold so I'm a little foggy.

Another session, world 5 sucks so far, only could tolerate 3 stages before my frustration/annoyance boiled over and I took a break.

Another session down, world 5 is done and the toybox and DK fight stunk - nearly ran out of time in the toybox but still got a star, so they simply don't give you much time. Then took several tries to get a good understanding on where to stand to avoid damage and managed to beat DK w/o getting hit. Got 6/8 stars in this world which feels absurd b/c I'm not great at this, but I've tried to collect all 3 packages most times and as long as I grasp what progress path they expect, I can get most stages fast enough.

I've just finished level 4-3. There's no way I'm getting a gold star on this one. I'm gonna give up on trying to get those.

Thankfully that's over with, proof in spoiler tags below.
To zero surprise, world 6 got even worse... and then the final showdown was a bit unexpected at first, but you only get 1 hit which stinks, I ended with lots of lives but I likely used them all by using save states. The final toybox wasn't too bad, but either my d-pad up was already bad or it's now toast as you need that a bit in the final world for swinging on tightropes or throwing things up to the next level and mine seemed sporadic at best. Might have to retire that controller, at least for older games that rely on it more.

I'm going for a make up badge this month. Last night I finally started up the Resident Evil 4 remake on PSVR2. So far so good. I've beaten the flat version back in 2005 on GameCube and then around a decade later on Steam. Now playing it almost a decade later again, but in VR, it feels like a totally new game because I barely remember any of what I've played through so far. I look forward to that minecart section in VR coming up later on.

@Frank - I just noticed that a Secret Santa badge can be obtainted if somone "Participate(s) in at least one GameTZ Secret Santa or High Roller Gift Exchange." It looks as though I did way back in 2013. Check our trade history and gimmie dat badge!

citizen_zane wrote:
haha well played sir. I STILL have that same CAH deck in my small curation of card games

@PizzaTheHutt also earned a gold badge a while back, but never claimed it. I went ahead and granted it.

@SwiftJAB Is one badge away from claiming that sweet sweet image

And I'm going to get it! I'm just a few quests away from finishing Borderlands.

Finally figured out the fool-proof way of transitioning to a moving rope without falling half the time. Really wish I had known this thirty levels ago.

Oh well. Almost there...

Renaissance2K wrote:

That mechanic was easily the worst in the whole game IMO. I fell off SO MANY TIMES from those ropes. Hitting Mario's head too when jumping from them from being too high up was also BS. But I think my X1 controller's dPad up was also flaky which didn't help and possibly L/R wasn't great either.

Slickriven wrote:

That too. Between jumping and just pressing a horizontal, I could never remember which would fall straight down and which would fall diagonally.

Resident Evil 4 in VR has been pretty amazing so far. I don't want it to end.

I'm planning to start the Switch version tonight.

I'll likely have it available for sale/trade when I finish if anyone thinks they'd want to play the new version. My original GBA cart is enough for me

Finished the GBA original earlier today. The final boss was maddening, but I sent the stoopid monkey packing.

Please ignore the obvious date mistake. I swear I didn't beat this ten years ago.

And just like that, I started the Switch version minutes later. I considered starting MvDK 2 on the DS, but I prefer the hop-and-bop stylings of the original to the Lemmings-esque gameplay of the sequels (I played through the DSiWare entry shortly after that shop opened up), so that one won out.

Renaissance2K wrote:
lol like the Analog Pocket even existed 10 years ago.

If you haven't played the Donkey Kong GB port from 94, definitely go play that. Mario VS Donkey Kong is 100% its spiritual successor.

I started DK '94 way back in the day, and yeah, I need to pick it up again at some point. It rocked.

The Switch re-release is way easier than the GBA original. All you need to earn a star is to get all three presents, the monkeys with the hanging tails pause when the reach the end of their route, and I'm pretty sure they changed how fall damage works because I haven't been able to stun Mario with a fall yet.

I'm stuck on 6-3. This one seems like it would be fairly simple, but I'm missing something. I've gotta figure out the timing on when the hit the red and blue switches.

Yeah 6-3 was a little annoying for me as well, got to get those robots into the right spots and hit the switches at the right time. Annoyingly I found that if the robot was over the red divider it was a little hit or miss as to if they'd get turned around or just keep passing through.

6-3 was rough. I looking forward to seeing if it's any easier on the Switch with the more forgiving mechanics all around.

The two new worlds are interesting. The first is a breeze, but I slipped up quite a bit on the second.

Ha.

I started the Switch version last night. Made it through world 3 or 4. Game is a breeze so far.

I finally had to cave in and watch a YouTube video on how to complete 6-3.

I never thought to...

And... that's it for the Switch version.

It's more than just a nice coat of paint. They made a lot of subtle tweaks to the mechanics and physics. I finally managed to stun Mario with a big drop, but it's a lot tougher to do so and doesn't cause him to lose a life. I also noticed that the strategy that finally got me through Stage 5-2 in the GBA version - Stage 7-2 in this version - flat out doesn't work on the Switch, either because of physics changes or slight layout changes.

It made for a breezier experience, which I appreciated. The game certainly can't stand toe to toe with flagship Mario titles, but it's a yummy snack and a worthy remaster. It's also a trip to see Donkey Kong as a villain again.

Taking the advice from earlier in the thread, I'm moving on to Donkey Kong '94. I actually started the Virtual Console version on 3DS way back when that first dropped and made a decent amount of progress, but Loopy has my 3DS at the moment, so I'm going to start from scratch and hopefully duplicate the progress.

citizen_zane wrote:

I think I did too, but I do recall they showed that in the pre-level hint screen if you didn't skip that. I likely didn't pay attention properly myself, oh well.

For February, I finished up Borderlands. I was playing this with my brothers on PC. Let me tell you, the network code on this is terrible. So much lag, people jumping around, and shots only landing like 60% of the time. I'm glad to be done with that. Overall it was pretty fun and there were some funny dialog spots throughout the game.

I went for a make up badge this month and played through Resident Evil 4. I didn't get to take a proper photo because I still had the headset on (played it via PSVR2) so I hope this screenshot is good enough and the trophy would be in my PSN profile as further proof.

lol @ such a high number of saves. I'd make adjustments to my inventory, then save. Then realize I should organize it better, so I'd save again after that. I was probably 3/4 through the game when I realized there was a button that would auto-sort everything for me. Also I'd save after beating a chapter, then not long after the next chapter begins there'd be another merchant and typewriter, so of course I'd save again, buy stuff from the merchant, save again, and then continue on my way.

I beat the Switch version:

https://twitter.com/fabledlife40/status/1761500978...

I'll try the plus levels as well.

Since we already have a Secret Santa badge, why not a Secret Satan badge?

@Frank only 4 days left in February! Do you know what we're playing for March? I'm going on vacation and deciding on what I'll try to fit in during down periods.

Finished it.


Overall, I thought it was pretty good. The final battle with DK was a joke. Actually, of the battles with him were way to easy. Despite that, it was still quite enjoyable to play. I'm glad it was in Game of the Month club.

Finished the GBA version...

image

I got the credits, that's enough for me for now! Not ready to go through all the plus worlds.

Should be up to date on badges. Lemme know if I missed something/someone!

citizen_zane wrote:
What do you think @benstylus? If I do it, I'm having fun with the badge

SwiftJAB wrote:

Yep sorry, just decided between some options. Won't be revealing until Friday...unless 20 questions can guess!

Frank wrote:


Doesn't bother me. I don't really go chasing badges but it could be fun for people that want one

Frank wrote:

I think I earned the gold badge with this last completion :)

SwiftJAB wrote:
I think you're right.

Updated for March.

Pick any one of the first 3 Tomb Raider games. Doesn't have to be the remaster and certainly doesn't need to be all 3 games.

Folks that are hungry for more badges or more Donkey Kong should stroll over to the Retro Talkshop Thread where we're exploring the entire Donkey Kong franchise. Barrel badges for all!

@Frank Good call on Tomb Raider this month.

Frank wrote:

I may try to complete Tomb Raiders instead.

Which of the first three Tomb Raiders games is the best?

citizen_zane wrote:

1 obviously because it's the only one that was good enough to be released on the Saturn.

It was also released in the US 12 years to the day after Urban Champion's Famicom release. So that is another unassailable point in its favor.

citizen_zane wrote:


IMO, you can't go wrong with the first two. The third one, while not terrible, I believe was handed to a different dev studio and was also when the series started to decline for a while.

Whichever one has the Venice canals is the one I did not love.

Feeb wrote:

That's Tomb Raider 2 and is considered to be one of the best. I'm pretty happy they remastered it but it still kinda looks like crap. I can't get out of the cavern at the start, lol... admittedly that was my issue back in the 90s too and it took me a long time to get into it and get out of there. But it ended up being a favorite. Venice was pretty fun to me!

I really liked the Tomb Raider II demo, even after being fairly "meh" on the original back in the day. I'll probably pick it up at some point, but not until Rebirth is done.

I've still never played through a Tomb Raider game

I don't recall ever finishing the original trilogy. I've got Shadow of Tomb Raider on my backlog left out of the newest trilogy. I enjoyed the story and gameplay from the first two in that series.

I've beaten them all except TR3 because it was so unbearably boring. I still can't put BG3 down long enough to do anything else lately. Ghost of Tsushima for PC comes out in May so I'll probably hop over to that. Those of you may remember how on PS5 my oldest accidently overrode my save, just as I was about an hour from 100%ing it. I still haven't touched it since then.. that was around launch. But now enough time has passed and my time has finally come.

Has anyone completed a game for this month?

My wife and kid are going to be out this Friday and Saturday. I might try to squeeze in Stray. I tried my hand at Shovel Knight on the Switch during my vacation, but I'm terrible at the game. It probably took me 40 tries just to get through Specter Knight's level.

SwiftJAB wrote:
That's the character with the scythe, right? Took me a bunch of tries to defeat him.

nonamesleft wrote:

Yeah, once I decided to be more patient in the fight, it was much simpler. I've tried a few other knight levels since then, but haven't made it to the boss fights in any of them. That being said, I just learned that breaking the checkpoint means that I go back to an earlier checkpoint instead of the furthest checkpoint that I reached. In my case, I broke every checkpoint along the way , making me start every level back at the beginning no matter how far I got. I'm going to try again without breaking checkpoints and see how much of an improvement that is.

SwiftJAB wrote:
It was a fun challenge for me, beating Shovel Knight for the game club here. Certain bosses more difficult than others. Good soundtrack too.

Frank wrote:

I tried it, but I just wasn't feeling it. I guess things would have been different if I had played it back in the day, but as it is now, I just couldn't get into it. As much as I didn't care for tank controls in the past, I have even less tolerance for it now

citizen_zane wrote:

Same... I tried to fire up TR2 because it's my favorite, but got stuck in the beginning at the cave because the jump controls are bullcrap, just like back in the day honestly. I know if I got past that first part I'd be able to rock right through it, but my tolerance due to lack of time is super low...

Were you guys playing the remasters? I thought they fixed the controls and tank controls were just an option now?

Yes I was playing the remaster on PC. Still as frustrating as ever lol.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

I was playing the original on my modded PS Classic. If I ever get a hold of the remastered version, I'll give it another go.

What are we playing for April?

No game for April. I've got some personal issues to attend to this month and never had a chance to pick anything for the club.

Consider this a double make-up month. May will have a dedicated game.

I started up Stray yesterday. I've been enjoying it for the most part. I was a bit bothered by the lack of exploration at the beginning and I'm still slightly disappointed in the limits that they've placed on the platforming. Some objects you can jump on, but the same object in another area is impossible to jump on. Other than that, it's been fun to find things and pretend to be a cat.

I finished up Sackboy A Big Adventure last tonight. An overall well designed game but I was frustrated and over it by the end. Glad to be done with it.

image

I'll update the OP shortly.

20 questions anyone?

Was it released before 2020?

Is it available to play on a cart?

SwiftJAB wrote:

1. Yes

citizen_zane wrote:

2. Yes

Is it 2D?

citizen_zane wrote:

3. Yes

Does it feature a character from Super Smash Bros Ultimate?

SwiftJAB wrote:

4. Yes

How about a character from the first Smash Brothers?

citizen_zane wrote:

5. Yes

hobbes21 wrote:

I really need to give it another chance. I got it early on and something about it didn't jive with me.

I also didn't like 3D World until they sped up the characters for the Switch release. So maybe I'm just picky with how 3D platformers control.

My guess is Donkey Kong Country.

So close! It's actually Yoshi's Island.

image

Assuming that Super Mario Advance 3 counts, I'm in for this one.

Frank wrote:

that would have been my second guess. Good choice! It's one of those games that I've started a few times over the years but never finished.

Renaissance2K wrote:

I'm sure it does. I'm debating as to which version to play. From what I've read, it seems that most prefer the SNES version for having superior color and audio, but the biggest reason I've seen for the GBA version is the control scheme. I found this on GameFAQS:

If there's one thing that improved about both Mario World and Yoshi's Island when they were ported to the GBA, it was the controls. The moves that were previously mapped to the A button were now mapped to the shoulder buttons. It feels far better being able to perform the spin jump in Mario World or aim and shoot eggs in Yoshi's Island using R. It feels easier to move and jump around when your thumb doesn't have as many extra buttons to deal with simultaneously.

citizen_zane wrote:

There's a ROM patch for the GBA version that changes the audio and visuals to be more accurate to the SNES. Haven't tried it myself, but I'm likely opting for the SNES version to avoid the crying Mario.

GBA is a lot easier to access, and gives me a reason to use my Analog Pocket... Delemas delemas.

Frank wrote:

Technically, you can play the SNES version on the Pocket as well. The SNES core is great.

I'm gonna play it on my Switch.

Been a while since I've played this. I think my last playthrough was on 3DS, when Nintendo gave the GBA version as one of those free games as an apology for tricking you into overpaying for 3DS at launch.

I believe both SNES and GBA versions are available on the Switch for NSO/Expansion Pack subscribers, but I will choose the SNES version for one reason and one reason only: GBA's lack of SuperFX Chip meant it couldn't do the "Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy" level justice.

I recall beating this for the RTT GotM when it was selected in late 2020... not sure I would want to beat it again on the SNES, but maybe on the GBA.