dartmonkey

Hi everyone. I'm halfway through listening to On The Road and I'm on the cusp of throwing the towel in. I started reading it years and years ago but couldn't get very far with it, so I thought the audiobook would be a good way to tick it off the list. But i've spent 5 hours feeling nothing but creeping boredom. The period is relatively interesting, and I get that, in context, it must've been quite something. But I just can't seem to find a way into it. I'm guessing that there's nothing in the second half that'll grab me if the first half hasn't. Has anybody here read it and, if so, what did you take from it?

Has anybody heard much about NES Maker? Essentially, it seems to be engine software a la Gamemaker that outputs Family BASIC that can be played on actual hardware via a flash cart. They just ran a kickstarter but you can still get the software and a cart for $88 at their store. There's something very attactive about being able to create something simple that actually runs on a NES connected to your TV.

In the past few years I've taken a much greater interest in 'retro' games, primarily trying to reassemble my childhood collection. I tended to keep most things anyway, though a few games fell through the cracks. For example, Star Wars fever has reminded me of the fun times I had with Episode 1 Racer and Rogue Squadrons 1 & 2. I gave them away (I think I was tired of being fobbed off with pods and X-wings when all I wanted was a lightsaber) but I have some great memories of them all so I hit ebay. These ones certainly aren't in the pristine condition my other N64 games are in, but it's nice to have them back. Likewise Mario Sunshine, Wave Race: Blue Storm and F-Zero GX. I'm also poking around trying to assemble a few choice NES games. I never had one until a few years ago but I spent hours playing my brother's. So far I've got SMB3, Probotector (Contra), Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers, Battletoads Vs Double Dragon and Dragon's Lair (yes, a regretful impulse purchase, that one). Ghostbusters nostalgia triggered a purchase of HAL's New Ghostbusters II, which I've never played but it's supposed to be one of the three 'good' Ghostbusters games. Looks a lot like Pokemon. I'm on the lookout for a zapper with Duck Hunt, and all the usual suspects but NES games in decent condition are at least the price of a brand new AAA release. Slow progress. I know emulators and VC and remasters, etc. make all this seem like a needlessly expensive pursuit but there's a lot of pleasure to get from having a little library of the 'real' things. The older I get, the more the idea of a study appeals. I tracked down a SNES pad and an adaptor so I could play Super Metroid on VC with the proper pad. I also picked up Konami Arcade Classics for DS for next to nothing last week. It was made by M2, the same guys responsible for the awesome Sega 3D Classics on 3DS, and is a beautiful little compilation. I'm playing arcade Gradius, Contra and Track & Field for the first time. Although DS (and Wii) games are hardly retro, it's probably best to nab them now while they're cheap and plentiful. Wireless, single-cart multiplayer Bomberman for a fiver? Yes, please. Anyway, this can be a catch-all thread for retro purchases or ponderances. Pics might be good. Anybody got a nice collection or been to a retro festival (I've got one coming up this weekend near to me)? Jonesing to pick up a decent Atari 2600 (woody) or a CIB Game Gear? I'm off to fire up Rogue Leader and relive the 2 months when I had a Gamecube and the game, but not a memory card.

Just watched the final episode of Discovery Season 1! It started slow, got much better, peaked around episode 12 and finished decently. Much of the writing was very TAB A > SLOT B but it had some nice ideas and more homages and fan references than I was expecting. Overall, much more good than bad. Shit, even the ship grew on me and I can now name 50% of the bridge crew. Saru really grew over the course of the season, and I hope the wider cast get a look in next time round. Robot lady FTW. Oh, and Jason Isaacs is great. No spoilers but I'm sure everyone in this thread will have a strong reaction to the end of the last episode. Brought a tear to my eye but I'm a wreck, mind. Looking forward to Season 2.

I finally got Super Sonic in Somic Mania after getting the 5th, 6th and 7th emeralds in quick succession and beating the final boss 👍 Man, feeling like I'm on the cusp of missing the Celestegeist. Might go for it tomorrow morning.

My bad - I thought the tech analysis was interesting but didn't think it would generate much conversation.

Yep, I've got a 4K TV on the list this year, but I just got a new laptop so it's going to be a while. It's tough because the original game was incredibly ambitious to the point where the PS2 couldn't handle it. I guess some people might argue that dropped frames actually helped convey the vastness of the world - 'wow it's so epic, the console can't take it, man!' - like how slowdown caused by explosions sometimes felt cool, in a Hollywood way. I don't think I agree with that but the original game worked with its limitations cleverly. At least multiple options exist: if you're a stickler, there's always the original; PS3 cleans up the fuzziness somewhat; PS4 reimagines it in 4K. Interestingly, USGamer have since published an article criticising the changes and the loss of atmosphere - they highlight the fog and lighting but go further. It's definitely different.

Thought this was probably the best place to post the Digital Foundry tech analysis of the new Shadow of the Colossus remake. I didn't realise it was a ground-up remake. It seems they've taken some delicate liberties with world geometry (moving trees, adding bumps and outcrops and detail) to modernise the game, but otherwise it looks very faithful. There's something about the foggy, bloom-esque light in the original which I personally think they could have captured more authentically - the 'fog' in the forest, for example, is scaled back dramatically and it really alters the atmosphere. It's not 'bad' - the foliage and the clarity are beautiful, but the tone is different and this game is all about tone. Regardless, the video shows the top-class job they've done, and it makes me want a PS4 Pro just to play ICO and this and Last Guardian.

From the notification on the Switch itself:

Heads up - there's a chunky 75% off Oxenfree at the moment.

What would that be? I think it would need a jif. Waluigi, wearing MeUndies and riding a big dog, jumps over a Casper mattress, vomits a meme to the tune of The Nutcracker, looks at the camera - "Stay spicy, 20XX" - then gallops away before a grenade rolls down a hill and destroys them. "Threat a-neutralized!" Edit. Ok, that whole image of someone riding a big dog is giving me deja-vu. Did they talk about this or something similar on the podcast? On topic, is anybody using the backwards compatibility? I'm hoping to pick up a second-hand One S this year as 4K bluray player and I'm glad I'll be able to use it as a 360 too (sold mine years ago but kept the games.) It'll be nice having the ability to play Nuts & Bolts again, but does anybody actually use it?

Excitebike Switch announced!... sort of. Not really. Some crazy shit going on at Nintendo but it looks kinda fun. And recyclable. Time to have a kid.

I found this video essay discussing intertextual references in The Return - an interesting 15 min watch. The blu-ray isn't releasing until late-Feb here :) Has anybody got the Criterion edition of Fire Walk With Me? I've read that it's a great transfer and it's got a 2017 interview with Sheryl Lee. If I saw it for a good price, I'd pick it up. But it's tough to justify when I've already got the film in The Entire Mystery boxset. Also, I saw this little nod in Steamworld Dig 2:

A pretty packed 14 minutes. - Any reason to revisit Odyssey is good. The balloon thing looks limited, but it's free. - I've wanted to play The World Ends With You for years. - Dark Souls Remastered! Sources told Kotaku that the goal is to release the whole trilogy They're steadily getting through my pie-in-the-sky wishlist! - Rocket League Doom Inside Dark Souls 3/Dark Souls Trilogy Spelunky The Witness Firewatch Portal/2/Orange Box Undertale Downwell FTL

Thanks, I picked it up. And Thimbleweed Park and Thumper! Trying to tick off a few of my list. In ten months I've got nearly 30 games of various sizes on Switch. A couple of those are demos. Seems like a big number - I'm starting to think a 128gb SD card won't last the life of the system. Man - everyone's losing their minds! http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-01-11-nintendo-fans-spent-all-of-last-night-waiting-on-a-direct-announcement

I'm in a similar position. I'm about halfway through season 2 and I ended up watching seasons 1-3 of Voyager instead (which has had some real turkeys too.) I should go back and just finish it. Actually, the newest episode of Discovery made me want to go back. It was good! The story is moving nicely now, although the writing is still cumbersome. If anyone needs encouragement to get back into it, Jonathan Frakes directed the latest ep, Lorca's becoming a touch more Captainly (in the non-bastard tradition of other Capts) and there's a first glimpse of a ship we've seen before in Trek. And if you're a fan of Tilly, she gets some fun stuff to do.

There's a 'Nindies' Sale on for about a week at the moment, all 25-33% off. Some decent stuff, but I'm looking at Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Has anybody here played it? My wife and I have almost 100%ed Overcooked, have enjoyed Death Squared in spurts and I'm looking to itch scratch that couch co-op itch again. How would it go down with a novice who got super in to Overcooked?

Okay, Gorogoa report: it works great on Switch on the touchscreen. You can double tap to zoom in on on every square while the whole grid moveable to one side. On TV it's stick controlled with a cursor rather than pointer controlled. A little cumbersome but fine. I'd stick to playing undocked. Also, I'd recommend the Nintendo Power Podcast. It's Nintendo's own new podcast and the first episode has interviews with BotW devs. Lovely. Happy Holidays everyone X

Plus Klungo's music

Hi guys! 2015 here. Rocket League's a bit of alright, isn't it? After a couple of games I managed to score two beauties. I love my Delorean. I want an Ecto 1. It's on sale over xmas 👍

As an aside to the critiques, I realised last week that the title was in my head as a singular (e.g. Luke Skywalker is The Last Jedi) but canonically (very important!) it's plural (e.g. They are The Last Jedi.) I only noticed this because the Spanish title is Los Últimos Jedi and it shattered my perception things. /drama Languages are fun!

Eurgh, double posted when I meant to edit.

Finn's story is the weakest for me. He starts as the same desperate and selfish person he was in Force Awakens (laser-focussed on Rey to the point where he says 'fuck everyone else, I'll lie to everyone just so I can get to the base and rescue the girl I fancy') but without the background of fear and the drive to escape that justified his thoughtlessness back then. Here he finishes the movie just as he started it - with absolutely no regard for the bigger picture. It's Poe (showing his own shred of growth) who has to hold him back from running out onto the battlefield AGAIN to help Luke. He fits in with the theme of failure, but we haven't seen him learn from it. I think the film might have benefitted from reducing his screentime here and saving his arc for the next one, finally exorcising his First Order demons by confronting them, Star Wars-style, head-on in the form of Phazma. Or better yet, having Phazma captured and him having to interact with her, or even work with her. I guess that's still possible if Phazma returns. Would have been nice to give Finn some more development and free up some space in this one, though.

I've got it but I'm waiting for an evening when I can sit and play it with my wife. I've read that it works fine - touchscreen is supported undocked. It's a 10€ premium over the mobile versions but I think it'll be a good 'couch co-op' game. I'll report back. Also, Mini Metro is coming!

I think it has some really wonderful moments and lines. There's a strange tension where it feels baggy but it couldn't be made faster without removing the slower, meatier island bits. Finn's road trip is the obvious candidate for the cutting room but it sets up important things. Phazma could have waited until the next film and been given something meatier to do, I think. Maz's appearance and the whole lapel pin thing seemed superfluous. I suppose it's more enigmatic than just saying a Star Wars name - "Go find Elon Musk!" I thought Laura Dern was great but her character was really just a narrative tool for Poe's development. Ultimately I think Leia could have performed that function and taken her place. Everything with Snoke was wonderful. Some cracking CG, there. And I very much enjoyed the reclaiming of the word 'spunk'. I loved when Rey 'reached out' on the rock ("ooo the force is strong with you!") I thought Mark Hamill gave a really really top performance - he had A LOT to do and he melded all the weariness with humour and flashes of the Dagobah Luke we knew. I loved how Kylo's character was deepened. Obi-Wan's 'certain point of view' line really echoes with him and there's real and relatable complexity there. Yes, this is it exactly. EVERYONE fucks up. Obi-Wan does, Yoda does, Anakin does, Han, Leia, Ben, George(!) The movie hinges on the line from that one character. If Force Awakens felt like a New Hope retread, this seemed like they'd crammed both Empire and Return of the Jedi in. And I know it was too long. But I liked it. Edit. Ooo, and one more thing! The music was a delight, as always, but I don't recall hearing a new theme while watching. It seemed like there was SO MUCH to reprise that there wasn't much space for anything new. I'm going to get the soundtrack today, but it did feel somewhat like a 'greatest hits'.