dartmonkey

I am very occasionally dipping back into NG+ but after 100 hours I don't think I can stomach any more for a few years. Demon's Souls is on sale on PSN too, and again I like the idea, but just don't think I'd enjoy it enough. Same with Bloodborne. I'm waiting for the inevitable DS3 (which will obviously include a Dark Souls Trilogy Remaster pack) thread. That title's gonna take some digesting!

If you have the space and the dollar, I would buy a nice slim if the lens cleaner fails. It's a lovely little object and probably represents many happy hours for you. If I had the space (and, indeed, the dollar!) I'd have all my old consoles displayed in cabinets or something, in a 'study' with all my accumulated games, books and films on shelves. And a red leather backed chair next to the fireplace. Pipe and jacket. Cognac. Large Georgian-barred window overlooking the grounds... Ok, got carried away there. Still, it seems a shame to have them pugged away in the loft, or worse, sold because the HD catalogue is on some hard drive.

Had a realisation about Best GameTM Banjo-Kazooie while firing her up after a few years away. B-K is the source of my camera inversion confusion. After training myself to push the stick in the direction I want the camera to point I realise now that Banjo instead pivots the camera around the characters, so pushing right makes the camera scooch around them showing more of screen left. It's unalterable and I've played more Banjo than any other game. It must be the source.

Just finished Castlevania Mirror of Fate on 3DS. It was new and super cheap (in price) and I thought 'why not?' And I enjoyed it! I save stated though the NES original a while ago, but this is the only other Castlevania I've played. As a tourist I enjoyed the shlocky story and the generational stuff and the iconography it pilfers. Slick design, shallow but satisfying combat, decent music. An enjoyable blast. I also got round to finishing Project Rub (or Feel the Magic: XY/XX outside EU) as I journey through outliers in the DS catalogue. It's a nice little showcase for the console that gets a little frustrating towards the end. Nice to see Sonic Team's name on something worth playing. Next up I've got Canvas Curse (or Power Paintbrush as it's called here - Christ knows why.)

I know this is nothing new for the US, but it's amazing to see actual games in the EU Stars Catalogue! 1300 for A Link To The Past seems like the best SNES deal. I think I might make mine Super Metroid though.

I tried to download Rusty's Real Deal Baseball this morning and can't find it on the store. Have they removed it?

The NX drums up images of an Nvidia Shield-alike for me, but with a more integrated and weirdly shaped screen. If it does end up being a 'homeheld' console, making it affordable with decent specs is going to be a nightmare, unless there's some crazy Wii-like gimmick that can be powered by Wii U tech in a new form.

Iwata specifically said that game development will be handled by Nintendo - they've just got someone with a decent track record in to handle the 'boring' backend online stuff. As a way to spread awareness I think this was inevitable. It's a relatively cheap way to get access to anybody with a smartphone. I'm sure the games will be at the top of their category, whatever that may be. However, if the first splash screen of their first app isn't a squidgy tugable Mario 64 face, Nintendo are doomed, etc Re: the NX, I LOVE how 90s that sounds. I mean, it's got an X in it! Ultra rad. As a man who's a couple of weeks away from a New 3DS it kinda took the wind out of my sails to hear there's new hardware on the horizon, but they were right to announce it, even if it's a nothing announcement. All told, everything's gooood.

Each one has various little bits. For example, in Sonic you can add the spin dash and a CRT style curve to the screen. The arcade games have cabinet view modes and other things. Save States are a boon for me. I can't quite muster enthusiasm for Altered Beast or Ecco but I'd recommend picking up your favourites, if only to support M2.

3DS eShop is killing it this week with the deals - all the above plus the Sega 3D Classics on sale. Plus Outrun 3D getting released! Think I'll have to upgrade to a 32gb SD.

Somehow I've accumulated 10 Wii U games on the shelf in a matter of months, some of which are stone cold winners, some excellent multiplatform ports, plus a couple of flawed-but-decent attempts at something new. And Just Dance and Wii Party. Right now Assassin's Creed 4 is IGNning me. It's my first one and I'm in awe of being able to scale ANYTHING. I'm collecting every last doohickey just because it's such a pleasure to play. Reminds me of the best collectathons. For me there's plenty to keep me going on the console now, but I guess it depends on the types of games you're into. Need to find Pikmin 3 and probably Capt Toad at some point. Wouldn't mind playing Human Revolution either. It's a boon having an uncluttered screen and the offTV option. And Mario Kart DLC is coming soon! Shweet.

I like the bass. I like the buttery bass. I like the buttery biscuit bass.

Tengami is 50% off on the Wii U eshop, bringing it much closer to the App Store price. Have heard good things.

I completely missed Rock Band the first time round. However, just before Xmas '13 £25 on eBay got me the Beatles bass, mic and drum kit set for Wii which I supplemented with the Gretch guitar and boom! I was knee deep in plastic and DLC. And now my Wii is essentially a Rock Band machine. It's a shame the Wii is a cul-de-sac in terms of this announcement, but it's understandable. Interested to see what new slant they can bring to it. Here's to playing this in 2020!

Link Between Worlds is £19 on amazon.co.uk. Can't see it ever being cheaper than that.

I've had Prime sitting waiting for a couple of years. Must get back to it - my first Metroid! I think I got an hour or two in but never returned. I developed a 'system' (patent pending ) for Galaxy involving a couple of cushions on my lap on which to rest my arm - it's crazy how quickly constant pointing can get tiring/painful. I'm hoping the 3DS Xenoblade will be the equal of the Wii version so I can play it on the go. 60-100 hours is much easier to stomach on a portable. Dark Souls II is the only recent game to keep me in front of the TV for that length of time, but I can only really do one of those a year, max.

I admired Birdman technically. The CG stitching of takes distracted me and made me wonder why they bothered. If it was to focus unflinchingly on the scene and the actors, a swift classic fade to black would have worked better. However, maybe the intention was to make me consider the technicalities of filmmaking as I watched the technicalities of the theatre. Either way, I wanted to enjoy Birdman more than I did. Whiplash is the film I want to see again.

Shinobi 3 3D Classics on 3DS. Save stated my way through this. Really enjoyed the reek of Sega on this, even if I'm just a bit too rubbish at games to get the most out of it. The music is pumpin'. Trip World (GB) on 3DS VC. I heard Jeremy Parish recommending it. It's an innocuous little Kirby-esque jaunt through some bouncy worlds. Cute but unremarkable. Some nice tunes. Shovel Knight (3DS). Throughly enjoyed this. I never had Mega Man games as a kid so it was Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers that came flooding back for me. It pulls off a similar trick to the Zelda 3DS remakes where it looks and plays how you remember the originals did despite a load of modern refinements. Again, killer soundtrack. Can't wait for the update. Need For Speed Most Wanted (Wii U). I can probably count on one hand the games with road cars I've played and liked...*counts - Most Wanted on GC, PGR4, Forza 2...does Sega Rally count? I'd heard this was great and had missed the various Burnouts which really inform it. And it's really great! The Wii U version is the pick too - you can turn off the traffic and change from day to night at the touch of the screen (lighting looks very cool as the sun/moon races overhead in seconds), plus swap cars and browse the map, offscreen play, etc. All cars feel meaty and satisfying, the sense of progression is nice and I really want to go back and smash all the remaining billboards. Reminds me a bit of Arkham Asylum where I went back in to get all the doohickeys because it was fun, not because of some terrible OCD. Bayonetta 2. Basically, what everyone else has said. Went through on baby mode and enjoyed every last second. Want to do the first game now and then maybe return to this for the 2nd and 3rd climaxes. And the Arwing. While playing these last two (along with Mario Kart and 3D World) the Wii U has really clicked for me. I used the offscreen play multiple times, and really settled in to the controller. I've got Red Dead Redemption waiting to be played on my PS3 but going back to a flimsy screenless Sixaxis is going to feel strange now.

Having now caught up with all the Zeldas (except the Oracle games and the new Majora's Mask), I wouldn't mind returning to TP at some point. I played it at release on Wii and thought it was fine, if frustrating, but playing the GC version would be interesting. I remember being disappointed at Midna's reveal. She instantly went from intriguing to bland.

I'd go straight for Ocarina 3D. If you don't like that, you're not going to like 3D Zelda. Wind Waker is really lovely, but I'd go to the (remade) source, especially if Wind Waker would mean buying another system.

I've realised the only Molyneux game I've ever played is Fable II. And although flawed, it was pretty special. Damnit, I really did love that dodgy clipping-riddled dog.

Dang. Although there was the usual joyless moaning from some quarters, I thought the Ambassador program was a really sweet deal. Without it I would never have played Zelda 1, 2 or Minish Cap. Or Warioware Inc. Or Fire Emblem, which means I would never have played FE Awakening either. And I've still got Metroid 1 and Fusion, Yoshi's Island and Wario Land 4 sitting there when I can summon the beans to save-state through them. Granted there's plenty of stuff I'll never play (Ice Climbers, Wrecking Crew, Mario & Yoshi, etc) but I've got hundreds of hours out of that bundle. I downloaded the Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire demo and what first struck me was how technically ropey it is. After coming off A Link Between Worlds it's a bit choppy and disappointing - why couldn't they manage 3D outside the battles? I was hoping it could lure me back in to Pokemon after... *calculates* ...18(!?) years, but it didn't grab me. Imagine if they released Red/Blue on VC with some Streetpass/internet trading tagged on...

For me the whole problem here is that he's moved on to some new game. Delays, problems, etc, are to be expected but by abandoning the project, stripping down the dev team and starting some new game, he's sending entirely the wrong message. I guess there's financial pressure but I think this whole thing would go away if he just doubled down and did the damn work. Without it, I don't think The Trial has any chance whatsoever after such an erosion of trust and goodwill.

Yep, that's pretty much it. After a stern talk with myself, I've decided to get one or two per wave that I actually like. I had some hair-brained idea of getting them all, but after spending many hours on ebay and google and buses to distant Toys R Us' I realised I don't actually know who the fuck Ike is. I don't like Ike, I like the prestige of having him, which is BS. So, consequently it's bye-bye to Little Mac, Pit and Wii Fit Trainer, and hello to these guys: Toon Link and Mega Man next. And the hunt for Villager... *back to ebay* Edit. I've also been considering how Lego is going to get into the toys-to-life game. Throwing an NFC chip in a minifig is a no-brainer but thinking about the Minecraft-esque possibilities is pretty mind-bending.

A couple of promos meant I got New Leaf and 3D Land digitally. Sale prices made me download Resident Evil Revelations and Bit Trip, and impatience got the better of me with Fire Emblem. I intended to go with carts whenever possible, which used to be the cheapest way. Since Nintendo embraced promos and sales it's not always the case anymore. I'll be getting Majora's on cart to match Ocarina and LBW, but certain games (like New Leaf) are probably better as a download. The convenience of all-digital is undeniable especially if you're not a box or shelf-collection fetishist, but if you're absent-minded or live someplace where security is an issue I'd stick with physical until Nintendo implements an account system.