Nintendo Megathread 2024

[Ruki]

11 minutes ago, Maxx said:

Did they just confirm Eiyuden Chronicles' release date?

They did! 2024 is gonna be huge. 

[Maxx]

I'm all for a Star Ocean 2 remaster, and I'll probably play it again because its been soooo long, but I can't understand why they would heavily remaster the world and then leave all the characters looking like sprites. It's a bit jarring. 

And last time I played Star Ocean, I clearly only stuck to 4 characters because I don't recognize half of the ones in the video.  Claude, Blue Haired Girl, Blue Haired Girl's Guy Friend, Kid with Dragons Growing Out of Him

[King Ellis]

I know it's hardly anything new and everyone does it but damn Nintendo does a lot of remakes. Thousand Year Door does look gorgeous though.

For the Peach game, all the different costumes are neat in that they seem to have their own game mechanics tied to them which will help keep things fresh but it also feels like it will be a bit gimmicky. Like, this is the one designated chef level and you'll never use it after that. Unless you actually can go into the kung fu level and just spray everyone with whipped cream?

And F-Zero seems like an excellent choice for a '99' game. It has that sense of speed that lends towards that tense atmosphere but also you have the added danger of all the hazards on the side of the track, along with the damage you get from crashing into everyone else. But with that damage you get a risk/reward decision in whether you want to hang back and re-charge in the designated zones or push through, maybe gain some places but are at risk of being blown up.

[K]

spent the weekend being humbled by Fzero99 while my wife was just naturally quite good at it

[King Ellis]

Anybody else get the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder?

I'm still very early on in the game but the one word that instantly springs to mind is refreshing. I have no qualms with the NSMB series, but it's been the dominant 2D Mario experience over the last 15-20 years between the DS/3DS games and the spin offs on Wii/Wii U/Switch. Granted you had the Mario Maker stuff too but, whilst I haven't played them, I know they obviously take the various 2D games of yore as their base so whilst making your own levels is obviously new, it's still based on the old engines.

I suppose there's only so much you can do with a 2D Mario and this isn't breaking the mold massively but it feels like a lot of little changes that add up. Like, on the world screen it starts off very traditional in the tutorial section where you're just going from level to level but in the first real world it becomes more akin to the Mario/Rabbids game or something out of Final Fantasy where you can run around in a small area to pick levels or interact with stuff, even if it's just a question mark block or a pipe hidden away behind scenery.

Granted, there's always been flexibility to some degree in these games where it's not just super linear one level after the other, whether that's the branching maps like in SMB3 or being able to skip around with warp pipes, but it feels novel having that limited degree of exploration on the overworld. In that first world for example, it starts up and shows you the castle at the end which has X number of macguffins required to access it so the implication is you go back to the first couple of levels in that world to earn them. But, I wandered off and found the path to another area where I was able to use some other in game macguffins to get through and unlock other levels and mini-games to help unlock that castle. Those mini-games are neat too, it's a useful way to learn about the new mechanics of the game but you also get that sense of progression by earning the stuff to unlock more levels.

It makes you feel more in control too, I went back to NSMBU to compare and there's times on the map screen where you're waiting 5-10 seconds for Mario to run between areas as he's automatically jumping on scenery and stuff to get there. Whereas here you're the one choosing where to go, though I suppose there might be auto stuff later on.

Feels like there's a lot of quality of life improvements too. Like, I've seen comparisons between NSMBU and this showing how quickly you can get back into the action if you die because it doesn't boot you back out to the map screen. Or, if you want to replay an old level, you can just pull up a list from the pause screen on the map screen. Again comparing it to NSMBU, you had to go find a warp pipe on the map screen there, shoot back over to the world you wanted and then run around to the level. And, whilst they haven't gone as far as getting rid of the archaic lives system, there's no time limit in levels so you're free to wander about as you please to try and find hidden stuff. No doubt this will be a welcome addition in the post game when you're trying to 100% everything by trying to find all the stage coins, secret exits etc. The in game 'badge' system feels like it might help offer some puzzle like elements but without the backtracking of getting certain powerups. Like, in previous games you might find an area you can only reach if you're tiny Mario or the Koopa Shell Mario and you have to remember where to even find those powerups again. Well here, you can pick a passive ability to enter each stage with, the ones I have so far is using Mario's hat as a parachute like you've probably seen in the trailers, or earn more coins from defeated enemies. So there's potential to cut out the backtracking if you can just be like 'Oh, I need that badge here' and quickly restart with that one selected.

The game just oozes charm as well, just lots of little things like the animations when you go in a pipe such as Mario reaching back out to grab his hat or, when in elephant mode, the characters are having to squeeze themselves in like Santa going down a chimney after one too many mince pies. Then there's the sheer look of terror on a Goomba's face when he sees elephant Mario smack his mate, his life flashing before his eyes as he realizes he's next. Or even individual levels like Piranha Plants on Parade which is reminiscent of something out of Rayman Origins/Legends.

[Colly]

It's in a box upstairs for Christmas (with all the preorder bonuses) so now I'm jealous. Sounds great.

[apsham]

Wonder is indeed flat out amazing.

I got interested after years of New Super Mario Bros fatigue after a reviewer specifically said that it was like playing Mario 3 again, and getting shocked at new, innovation gameplay concepts and surprises instead of just doing the same thing over and over again like 2D Mario games became for a while.

Mission accomplished in that respect. Going through it a bit slow as I'm playing it with my wife so we're only on the second world right now - but whenever we get the time, it's what we go straight to.

[gunnar hendershow]

I'm deep in BG3 right now so Wonder is just going to hit my "video game my mom buys me every year for Xmas" list. Looks so good and glad to hear people's experiences match that.

[Ruki]

It is currently hiding away in my room, gonna be the big Christmas gift for my son. 

[Krabby]

I never finished the OG Paper Mario so I have been playing that since I got the Nintendo Online Expansion Pack - further than I ever got back in the day (never owned it but rented it a bunch though) - having a lot of fun with it!

[VerbalPuke]

So my son really wants a Nintendo DS. I thought they were hard to find and expensive. 

Actually not the case, like 120? 

Is there anything I'd need to know about those? Still making gameds? Are there different models? I know he wants some of the mario games not on Switch.

[Bobfoc]

15 minutes ago, VerbalPuke said:

So my son really wants a Nintendo DS. I thought they were hard to find and expensive. 

Actually not the case, like 120? 

Is there anything I'd need to know about those? Still making gameds? Are there different models? I know he wants some of the mario games not on Switch.

No major companies are still making DS games. There might be the odd hobbyist developer here and there, but nothing on a big scale.

There's the original DS, the DS Lite (smaller, longer battery life) and the DSi (plays a few extra digital games, but they can't be purchased now anyway - also lacking in GBA backwards compatibility, which is present in the two aforementioned models). I'd say the DS Lite is probably the best option when it comes to battery life and feature completeness.

Something to bear in mind is that there are a lot of people selling fake/hacked game cartridges online. Pokemon games are especially notorious in that regard. There are online guides that detail how to distinguish between official and bootleg games, though.

[Lineker]

 

[RPS]

15 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

So my son really wants a Nintendo DS. I thought they were hard to find and expensive. 

Actually not the case, like 120? 

Is there anything I'd need to know about those? Still making gameds? Are there different models? I know he wants some of the mario games not on Switch.

The DS is likely super cheap because its inferior to the 3DS with no added benefit. A DS only plays DS games; a 3DS plays both DS and 3DS games. 

I saw some used 3DS in the wild at a decent price; grab it if you can find it sub 150-200$. If you get DS or 3DS, you have a few options. You can go full Johnny Depp in that movie where he's in a ship. There are guides to do that online. There are cartridges you can buy on Amazon with 500 games in one. You can also buy physical cartridges, but your mileage will vary. Any good games will be hella expensive; moreso DS than 3DS. The E Shop is closed so no ability to buy digital games. 

Why does he want a DS? Unless he is going Johnny Depp, imo not worth it. I still play my 3DS but it's because I bought Pokémon, Fire Emblem, SMT, Mario 3D Land, Ocarina of Time, etc. when the games came out. I also have some DS games. Getting into the physical market is a rich man's game. 

[Bobfoc]

I agree with most of that, aside from factoring in that the 3DS doesn't play GBA games. If that's not important to you, then yes, the 3DS is probably the better bet.

[VerbalPuke]

So he really just wants it for the Mario games not on other consoles. Keep in mind the lad is a Super Mario fanatic. 

He's actually been asking for a few years and I tried telling him it was a sorta obsolete system. But when I saw they weren't too expensive and the games he wanted were under 50 I figured why not. 

(Besides....my parents are gonna get it for him once I figure out what to get, and they have fuck you money for the grandkids now). 

@RPS

You mentioned those cartridges with a shit ton of games. I saw one on Amazon, is it sketchy or no? They didn't list the games so I wasn't sure but that wouldn't be a bad option.

Also, DS games can be played on 3DS? I think I might go 3DS for him if that's the case.

[RPS]

27 minutes ago, VerbalPuke said:

So he really just wants it for the Mario games not on other consoles. Keep in mind the lad is a Super Mario fanatic. 

He's actually been asking for a few years and I tried telling him it was a sorta obsolete system. But when I saw they weren't too expensive and the games he wanted were under 50 I figured why not. 

(Besides....my parents are gonna get it for him once I figure out what to get). 

@RPS

You mentioned those cartridges with a shit ton of games. I saw one on Amazon, is it sketchy or no? They didn't list the games so I wasn't sure but that wouldn't be a bad option.

They don't list the games in the description but typically the listed games are a picture. This is likely to avoid getting in trouble for selling them. I bought one for my daughter. They work and you can save the games. 

I'd get him a 3DS. The DS cartridge would be compatible plus you'd get access to more Mario Games. There is Super Mario 64, Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros for the DS. I didn't include Mario sports games, Mario Party or the Mario and Luigi games as I never played. Those games would all be on most of those 500 in 1 carts. For the 3DS he'd have access to Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, New Super Mario Bros 2, Luigi Mansion Dark Moon, Ultimate NES Remix, Super Mario Maker 3DS. Mario Maker servers will be shut off in March of 2024, so don't buy before. Again - didn't include the Mario sports, party or RPG games. 

Again - the DS games are easy. There will be a cart to buy. The 3DS games are expensive and hard to get through legal means. The 3D Land game is A+ though. 

[King Ellis]

The DS/3DS flashcards (or 'upgrade chip' as I recall some people charitably calling them) are a bit of a rabbit hole in themselves. Some will work in a 3DS, some won't. Some will play 3DS games, some won't. There's limitations in some on the microSD they'll accept and lots of imitations out there so it might need some research if you go that route. I think you might be able to mess with the system itself rather than need to use carts but I never looked into it much.

You can play normal DS games on 3DS but it's just a bit off visually because the screen sizes are different. You can do a button combo whilst starting the game to force native resolution but then it only uses half the screens and looks a bit weird itself. If he's never played DS in the first place then he won't know any different so probably wouldn't even be an issue. 

[VerbalPuke]

Thanks everybody. This information has been great. The 3DS can be had used on gamestop for around 120 or so. After reading up on the 208 in 1 cartridges I might get one but transfer the games to a better SD card based on what I'm what I've read. 

[RPS]

The DS and 3DS are great systems, so grabbing them is ap great idea. I think lower budget, 2D, original titles have been lost in the Switch franchise and the modern budget of games. Pokemon Black, A Link Between Worlds and Mario 3D Land are great examples. A new original game like either would never show up on new hardware. Smart, fun, designed for the platforms, but not so ambitious in terms of fidelity and scope.