Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

So how hard is it just to get to Bowser and clear the game? I'm not really planning on 100% completing it, just reaching the credits.

@RR529 I can now go for the final boss if I want. 70 stars is the minimum you need. I have 71 so far because I’ve got every single star in the first 10 courses, 1 from 100 coins in Whomp’s Fortress and 10 secret stars. I’m going for every star at this point, I’ve pushed through some truly horrific platforming sections!

@Ralizah It... gets worse in Shifting Sand Land. One tip I’d give is that Mario can inexplicably run up the pillars at a 90 degree angle. That’s better than trying to fly across to them directly which I did until I discovered Mario defies gravity. Just wait until the last star of that world though, you think you hate the pyramid until you do that one. Some of the levels are extremely obtuse as well. I dunno, I can get past that though as I’ve proven that I really do love the game as I’ve binged it massively the last two days

Ok so I got Mario3D Allstars and homed in on Sunshine which is why I bought it really. My thought with this collection is that this is a very basic port. I mean, the game is good, I like playing on the go and it looks good on the tv but not necessarily amazing and certainly not worth the whole limited edition hoopla. Plus controls are wonkles on Sunshine. Don’t regret it but not the Wind Walker Style do over that they so deserve.

Today in 64 I finished off the last 2 missions in Cool, Cool Mountain (getting the snowman's body, and the wall kick tutorial challenge), went back to Bob-Omb Battlefield to do it's Wing Cap mission & get it's 100 coin Star, and then did the first two missions in Jolly Roger Bay (the treasure in the sunken ship, and getting the Star the eel has).

A bit of trial & error for some of them (such as the wall kick thing), but nothing too bad for the most part other than that darned eel (I died so much there, and there were many times I swear I touched the Star, but it registered it as an eel touch).

It's definitely aged, but there's just something about it that makes me want to come back for more though.

Just to add about Hades, it’s basically got an entire dating sim rolled into it as well. And yes, you can be gay af, it’s based on Greek mythology after all.

I've beaten the second Bowser fight in Mario 64. Gone back and collected the red coins in both of his dark world stages now, putting me at 47 stars. The amusing thing is that I'll very soon be able to unlock the third boss door, despite not having played any of the stages in that area yet.

I think I'll go mess around some more in Dire, Dire Docks before torturing myself with Shifting Sand Land again.

@nessisonett ...you can date people in a roguelike hack n slash game?

@Arugula Ha ha - don't worry. I mean, I bought it and am playing it so it is doing something right!

I've got 41 stars on sm64 now, Ive been trying to get all the stars on one level before moving on to the next which has proved erroneous in some instances such as pole jumping for red coins (I was trying to get them without the poles being present 😭) also I've been getting the castle stars when I see them so I don't forget where they are. Sure some stuff is frustrating and it was hard to get used to the slippery was but that is part of the frustrating fun of the game! Many times I have shouted "**** you bowser" out loud even if he isn't present 😂

@RR529 ah yeah I see others have replied to you about the flying level, I was going to say you can access it later in the game but I wasn't sure when. Incidentally I tried it when you mentioned it and I was far enough in to trigger the level - which is a good thing actually because my next level to do is the sand level which requires the cap

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy @Ralizah I really like 64 DS, it was the first time I ever played this game and I finished it all 150 stars. I could never get into the original because I thought the DS one was better. But of course I'm giving the original a good go now that I've paid top 2020 money for it lol. I played it using the DS thumb strap (that came with the original DS) using the bottom screen as an analog pad. It kind of made sense at the time being that it was in the middle and the analog stick would've been in the middle of the original N64 controller. Oh well it worked and was way better than using the d pad! I guess using the 3ds circle pad would give you better directional movement but you'd still have to hold a button down in order to run

@Ralizah Every single character has a relationship meter you can increase through giving them nectar or ambrosia, which you earn through runs. You earn rewards and dialogue with them. There are two characters who give you a choice later on to full on date which is cool. Most characters are your family since it’s the Olympians (not that incest stopped them before) so romancing them is somewhat complicated and I’m glad they stuck to the ones they did. There’s a male and a female option, so there’s at least a choice. For a roguelike, it’s the incidental dialogue and overarching story that are the highlights which is brilliant because I’m used to games like Isaac and Dead Cells having nonsensical plot and bundles of lore that you have to google.

@nessisonett Oh, that's cool. I did play BoI, but aside from my amusement at the premise, I found it to be quite boring after a few runs. It's also one of those games that doesn't explain itself fully when you encounter something new, and that irritates me.

Enter the Gungeon got boring after a few runs as well.

I did eventually beat Crypt of the Necrodancer, but it's hard to say I enjoyed it.

So I'll add Hades to my wishlist for when the price drops, but I'm not expecting to like it. But who knows? Maybe the reward of getting to know the people in the game will motivate me more.

@ralphdibny Yeah, I heard a lot of complaints about having to hold a button to run in the DS version, but I feel like that must be a decent trade-off for the character not feeling like he's running around on ice 24/7.

@Ralizah Yeah, Isaac’s one of my favourite games of all time but mostly because of Steam Achievements and some great mods. I also play far too much Tales of Maj’Eyal, an impenetrable classic literal Rogue clone with over 1600 achievements on Steam. As much as I am a fan of that style of game, I really do think you would enjoy Hades for its characters and plot more than anything!

@nessisonett I suck at most roguelikes - my issue is that I am pretty bad at most games so I use repetition to get better. So when I die and then have to figure it out, I suck. I struggled with Enter the Gungeon because the game was great, died on a boss, came back, different boss died again. Then I get frustrated with lack of progress and go off in a huff. Which is not the point.

F*** Lethal Lava Land. Naïve, fresh-faced 12-year-old Sam didn’t know any better and so accepted the flaws with a smile on his face. Cantankerous 35-year-old me is not amused in the slightest. The camera is appalling and I swear is even worse here. I do have to say that listening to the Hollow Knight soundtrack while I play is nice. The repetitive Mario tunes were starting to grate a little.

@mookysam I thought that volcano was bad. They just keep coming. Shifting Sand Land, Tall Tall Mountain and Tick Tock Clock are made by satanists.

@mookysam @nessisonett those are some of the best levels haha! What fun is it if it is too easy! Well I've 6 starred lethal lava and shifting sand. I'll look forward to those other ones mentioned! Also Ness, did you mean sadists or Satanists or both?!

Mario 64 always feels like I'm trying to keep myself every minute. The other 3D Mario games aren't as intense.

@nessisonett @ralphdibny
The volcano is awful mainly because of the camera, especially when it gets to jumping between poles. Something about the game feels off on the Switch. I don't know if it's simply the different controller, because the game was obviously made with the N64's more precise analogue stick in mind. There's a lot Nintendo could have done to improve the game, even in emulation, but it's very bare bones.

Shifting Sand Land is actually one of my favourite levels! Tick Tock Clock on the other hand. Ugh. I've now got the six main stars in Lethal Lava Land and Hazy Maze Cave, but am leaving the 100 coins in those for now.

@ralphdibny Both, absolutely. The camera really starts to get on my nerves on those levels, along with Mario having a turning circle larger than a horse and carriage.

I actually kind of liked the volcano level, but Shifting Sand Land can bite me. Seriously one of the most irritating levels I've ever encountered in a video game.

Surprisingly, I'm enjoying Big Boo's Haunt as well.

The game controls a lot more nicely in handheld with the Split Pad Pro. I feel like it's the larger joysticks. The N64's analog stick was tall and stiff, and Mario's controls are very mapped to every twitch of the stick.

Have to add here that the Pro Controller is brilliant. Easily one of the most comfortable controllers I’ve held, mostly in part to the grip being shaped a specific way that just feels really good. The sticks are nice too and the buttons are huge but have a good click to them. The D-pad is a bit inaccurate but that’s probably my only complaint. A massive step up from those bloody joy-cons.