What are you currently playing? 4.0

[Spark Of Spirit]

The Mighty Switch Force update is up. The new levels are HARD, but the improved 3D is pretty great. I hope we see more free updates for the eshop in the future.

[Foggle]

Got to play through the PS3 version of House of the Dead Overkill at my friend's house. It's still a good game, the frame rate has been cleaned up, and the new collectibles/music tracks are amazing, but I honestly think that the Wii version is better overall.

For one thing, the new levels aren't very good, and don't feature Agent G or Detective Isaac Washington at all. Their level design is kind of bland and the humor in them is a lot stupider than that of the main game. And they greatly disrupt the pacing of the original story due to them being injected into the middle of it instead of added on at the end. Shaking off certain enemies has been replaced by shooting targets and then watching a short cutscene, which is funny at first but gets old very quickly. Each boss battle now has a few target shooting sequences that add absolutely nothing to the game. There's new dialogue recorded for some of the original levels (and the boat ride conversation in The Fetid Waters is fixed), but the new voice actors sound nothing like G and Washington. Scream Train has some bad audio glitches now, which sucks because it contains my favorite BGM in the entire game. The PS3 port also features tons of added load times. They aren't really game-breaking, but they can be very annoying.

Overall, even if you have a Move, you should just stick with the Wii original.

[Kiddington]

I'm on the verge of completely finishing Super Mario 64. I've got about 10 or so stars to go (basically just have the rest of Tick Tock Clock and Rainbow Road to finish up, at this point).

You know, as I think about it, I don't think I've ever collected all 120 stars in this game. As I play through Rainbow Road again, I can see why; I've just never had it in me to finish this level for some reason.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'm on the verge of completely finishing Super Mario 64. I've got about 10 or so stars to go (basically just have the rest of Tick Tock Clock and Rainbow Road to finish up, at this point).

You know, as I think about it, I don't think I've ever collected all 120 stars in this game. As I play through Rainbow Road again, I can see why; I've just never had it in me to finish this level for some reason.

I started this last week because I couldn't find my sunshine copy and just got bored trying to get all the stars. Most of the alternate stars in that game basically amount to busy work. Look at the alternate stars in Whomp's Fortress, for instance. Most of them involve you doing the same thing you did before, or doing something trivial to get another star.

Add to the part where the level design falls to pieces in the basement, and I just couldn't keep going.

Sorry guys, I guess the Galaxy games are the only ones that do it for me.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I never cared about getting all the stars in the first place. What I liked about the game is that so many of them were optional so I could skip plenty of the levels that I didn't like, and most of the levels that I played were fun. So yeah, shove it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I never cared about getting all the stars in the first place. What I liked about the game is that so many of them were optional so I could skip plenty of the levels that I didn't like, and most of the levels that I played were fun. So yeah, shove it.

The thing is, Galaxy 2 pretty much got it right. While there are still filler stars, most every level had 2-3 stars that frequently involved going on alternate routes or featuring completely different levels to play through. It made going for the full 120 engaging and felt a lot more worth it, especially considering the bonus you get.

Still, I don't see why the games need 120 stars. Mario games don't need filler, they're infinitely replayable!

[Kiddington]

I'm on the verge of completely finishing Super Mario 64. I've got about 10 or so stars to go (basically just have the rest of Tick Tock Clock and Rainbow Road to finish up, at this point).

You know, as I think about it, I don't think I've ever collected all 120 stars in this game. As I play through Rainbow Road again, I can see why; I've just never had it in me to finish this level for some reason.

I started this last week because I couldn't find my sunshine copy and just got bored trying to get all the stars. Most of the alternate stars in that game basically amount to busy work. Look at the alternate stars in Whomp's Fortress, for instance. Most of them involve you doing the same thing you did before, or doing something trivial to get another star.

Add to the part where the level design falls to pieces in the basement, and I just couldn't keep going.

Sorry guys, I guess the Galaxy games are the only ones that do it for me.

Agreed on some things. The level design in the basement levels is quite utterly terrible, for the most part. Lethal Lava Land and Shifting Sand Land are just an absolute chore to finish (but I love Hazy Maze Cave), and they throw so many stupid gimmicks at you in those levels that they're not much fun to deal with at all. I mean, that damn bird in Shifting Sand Land that always steals your cap... I cannot stand that thing. And the Bowser battles... don't even get me started on those. I'm afraid to even tackle them most of the time; not because they're hard (they're not), but I'm always afraid the constant spinning of the joystick is going to ruin my controller. You know those things barely hold up as it is (the N64 joystick is so cheap).

Honestly though, in spite of all that, I still love 64. I'm not sure if it's just the nostalgia talking or what, but I'll always hold a special place for this game. A lot of the levels I do legitimately enjoy (Hazy Maze Cave, any of the levels with a slide, etc. etc.), and the music, how can you possibly NOT love this music? In spite of its flaws, I still think it's an enjoyable game.

[Avaitor]

I got all 120 stars, but there's one I still don't remember how I got the last of them. I still remember Yoshi meeting me at the top of the castle though.

[talonmalon333]

I remember Yoshi on the castle. Honestly, some of my favorite memories of SM64 were just flying around outside the castle with the wing cap, without a care in the world. It's those simple things that help to make games.

Still, after SMG, I'm honestly not sure if I can go back.

[Kiddington]

Haha, noticed a mistake on my part. It's "Rainbow Ride" not "Rainbow Road". 

Whatever, this level still sucks. Again, now I know why I've never beaten this game completely. Some of the stars here are just ridiculously hard.

[Spark Of Spirit]

IIRC the camera on Rainbow Ride is REALLY atrocious.

I remember the last time I played it, that level really annoyed me.

[Kiddington]

The camera does let you down in this game A LOT, I agree. Probably one of the other complaints I have against it that I didn't mention before. Tiny-Huge Island is another level where it really fails more often than not, especially on the small-half.

...of course, this is pretty much par for the course in a lot of N64 games (looking at you, Earthworm Jim 3D), so I guess that goes without saying.

[gunswordfist]

11:40-something this morning, I started playing Ocarina Of Time for the first time. This what happens when you don't grow up with a N64 and your friend doesn't let you touch the game. So I of course started from the beginning and then got up to the spider of whatever first boss before E3 started on G4 and then stopped there. My little cousin came over and apparently he has a N64 and also Majora's Mask (hank God) and Mario Kart 64.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, I was digging through my brother's collection of old XBOX games, and I came across Splinter Cell, and then I decided to pop the game in for the hell of it. The stealth mechanics themselves are fine, and the game has a nice set-up, but it quickly reminded me of why I can't get into stealth games. Admittedly, I suck at them, and I think its because I just don't "get" them and how they are supposed to work. I'm not against the idea of sneaking (I think its a great concept), but I can't seem to figure out the best way to avoid enemies. I crouch and slowly sneak up on them but they still seem to hear me coming a mile away. I shoot out the lights to mask myself in the shadows, but somehow they still seem to know the exact direction I'm coming from. And I try and throw bottles to distract them, but they seem to be able to pin-point where I am as I try to sneak past them without me even having a chance. I'm sure I'm just playing the game "wrong," but I can never understand exactly what I'm doing wrong.

I suppose this is how other people must feel who such at games like Ninja Gaiden and DMC1/3, since those games are way too hard for people who just don't "get" how they work. That's just how it is, though. Action games that involve quick reflexes and strategy make sense to me. Stealth games just don't click with me for some reason no matter how strategic I try to be.

[Foggle]

The original Splinter Cell is pretty hardcore with its different movement speeds and stuff. It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea. You should try Metal Gear Solid (the first one) or Deus Ex Human Revolution for stealth that's both satisfying and simple. Those are both very good starting points for the genre.