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Episode 493: A Worthy Entry to Your Nintendo Pinball Collection

by James Jones, Jon Lindemann, Jonathan Metts, and Guillaume Veillette - September 18, 2016, 11:44 am EDT
Total comments: 11

All games should be pinball games.

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The NFL season is in full-swing, so Greg had to take a sabbatical in order to observe the proceedings. The outcome was predictable. In his stead we are joined by Dr. Jonathan Metts, giving this episode a very 2014 sort of feel.

The good doctor starts New Business with impressions of Picross 3D Round 2, the block-eliminating, life-consuming puzzler. Jonny is in deep, and he's going to need to chisel his way out. He then shares thoughts on RIVE, the final game from Toki Tori developer Two Tribes. He's having a lot of fun with the PS4 version, and with a Wii U version on the way it's worth keeping an eye on. He concludes his New Business with a look at Nesbox, an NES emulator officially available on the Windows 10 store and Xbox One. Meanwhile, Jon assesses the validity of Metroid experiences with his thoughts on Metroid Prime Pinball for Nintendo DS. Is this the best Metroid game in decades? Yes. As we established in last week's Listener Mail, Guillaume is getting old so he now hates games; as a consequence he also hates Mega Man Legends on the PlayStation. Okay, "hate" is a strong word, but he has thoughts on the downside of towns in 3D games. James concludes New Business with a statement on Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice, before turning his full attention to his recent upgrade to a New 3DS (regular).

After the break, it's Listener Mail. This week's topics include: release date delays, homebrew and piracy on 3DS, and storytelling in gaming. You can have us brew you a story via our inbox.

We have a winner in our RetroActive Open World poll: LEGO City: Undercover! We'll open up the comment thread soon. We don't have a date for this one, but it will be at least a few weeks. We'll be taking next week off, so we should have a date to announce when we return, but don't wait for us to get started.

This episode was edited by Guillaume "I'm Not Angry, I'm Disappointed" Veillette. The "Men of Leisure" theme song was produced exclusively for Radio Free Nintendo by Perry Burkum. Hear more at Bluffs Custom Music's SoundCloud. The new Radio Free Nintendo logo was produced by Connor Strickland. See more of his work at his website.

This episode's ending music is Southern Island (Sunny) Theme from Wave Race Blue Storm. It was requested by Greg in honor of the 15 year anniversary of the GameCube's Japanese launch. All rights reserved by Nintendo.

Talkback

mereelSeptember 18, 2016

The Wii U version of RIVE was cancelled, I believe.
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/07/exclusive_rive_delayed_for_wii_u_and_could_switch_to_nx_two_tribes_tells_us_why

I read that interview before we recorded, and it doesn't say the game has been canceled for Wii U -- just that it's unlikely at this point.

Gui continues down the path of destruction and misery with an astonishing level of nitpicking about a game that hardly has any indoor areas to even go looking for NPCs.

Already, I have a feeling that that 'blessing in disguise' maybe isn't...?





Okay, seriously though, unlike with the Order of Ecclesia new business where I was right incensed, I am fully aware of Mega Man Legends being a game that got hit with the 3D video game puberty stick a bit too hard. it looks amazing and the voice acting is astonishing in how well done it is, but it has a stiffness that at the same time has a strange finesse to it that I can't quite describe.

the NPC thing is just a bizarre nitpick in my opinion, though. running around Kattleox city is some of my FAVORITE parts of the original MML that makes me prefer it to the second game! that, and the interconnected metroidvania feel to everything. I actually HATED the revelation of the auto-gabbing NPC when you walk by. it feels stupid and impersonal to just like... be trucking along and have annoying pop-ups that make me want to install NPC-Block Plus... of course, then game companies would make it so your NPC-Block Plus would allow for good NPC dialogue to still pop up because they've payed NPC-Block Plus a fee instead of just... y'know filtering out all the clutter pop-up bullshit.

I digress.

Yeah, I like stopping and talking to NPCs. I also like dialogue boxes that are big enough to read and not in tiny ass font because it's an HD game.

azekeSeptember 19, 2016

I think it is highly reductive "good plot" is just drama, mostly derived from someone dying. Developers thinking that good story amounts to nothing but (cheap and predictable) attempts at wringing some tears out of a player make game uniform and boring, not even speaking at the damage this inflicts to gameplay.

What about game like kid Icarus Uprising or Wonderful 101 which also have dramatic even apocalyptic moments, but also feature into much more diverse and wide spectre of emotions like sense of wonder, satisfaction and even outright euphoria of the grand finale.

Clex - My point wasn't that you have to enter too many buildings in MML, it was more of a general observation about 3D games: going from 2D to 3D, towns became town-sized, which makes them longer to traverse, which IMO is to the detriment of pacing.


MML isn't the worst offender, but even with Kattlelox (and you call yourself a fan, smdh) being compact, I still find it annoying.


For what it's worth, I'm still playing the game. I'm in the Clozer Woods sub-gate, and enjoying MML a bit more now than I was when we recorded.

Dragon Quest 7 is chock full of TARDIS houses, by the way.

ejamerSeptember 19, 2016

It might not be confirmed as cancelled, but the fact that it's delayed (or worse) is still sad. This game looked fantastic, and I'm a big fan of what Two Tribes has offered in the past. Wanted to support their final effort - but right now it's not released for anything I can actually play the game on.

SorenSeptember 19, 2016

I mean, damn. I thought I had Rive on my radar but its released has gone completely under it. I can imagine it's the same for others. This does not bode well for the game. Thanks for signal boost Jonny!

Quote from: Pandareus

Clex - My point wasn't that you have to enter too many buildings in MML, it was more of a general observation about 3D games: going from 2D to 3D, towns became town-sized, which makes them longer to traverse, which IMO is to the detriment of pacing.


MML isn't the worst offender, but even with Kattlelox (and you call yourself a fan, smdh) being compact, I still find it annoying.


For what it's worth, I'm still playing the game. I'm in the Clozer Woods sub-gate, and enjoying MML a bit more now than I was when we recorded.

You got me there, Gui. XD I always think of Barrel Casket when you first arrive on the island pronouncing it's name wrong.

Mega Man Legends 2 has a lot less jank in the controls and is far more linear and less sprawling, so... I think Dr. Metts is right on the money in that you will like that one more.

one little trick that I'll mention for you to potentially put to use is that you can actually run-stop cancel your buster shots and bypass the normal rate off fire restriction that having a low rapid stat would force upon you. pretty much just hold the fire button and feather up on the D-pad to fire your buster more rapidly. this does not work while using the strafe or while jumping. this is because when you stop running, Rock Volnutt goes back into his hold the buster out to fire animation, and on frame one of that animation, the game is hard-coded to fire a buster shot, so he fires the shot every time he goes back to standing still.

Another thing that becomes more important in Legends 2 but is handy here is that the the side roll you get when you hit the jump button while pivoting (L1, R1) is totally invincible. feel free to roll through explosions, robots charging you, traps within the dungeon... as long as you're not in the danger zone when your feet hit the ground, you're good!

Make sure to try not to take hits when the little metal bar above your health bar is open and the health meter is red. that little thing is actually a sort-of precursor to Halo style regenerating shield health. it can get broken to the point where it won't shut until you get it repaired by Roll or the Junk Shop or something, but that usually only happens if you take massive damage.

Still, I'm glad you're getting into it a little more.







EDIT: just now getting to the back half of the podcast... I'm astonished that in the discussion of nuanced story telling in video games that mention wasn't given a to a game that people wouldn't shut up about last year and declared you a soulless Gamergate monster if you didn't immediately enjoy and do fanart and remix the music and post it on every form of social media you have available. Then again, that certain example is something I could see members of this podcast denouncing given that they dislike a Nintendo game that certain indie darling draws a lot of parallels to. I know Ty Shughart talked about it on the Famicast in between bouts of Killer Instinct-itus.

Any comments from James Jones & the Funky Bunch on when the thread for Lego City: Undercover's Retroactive will be posted?  I'm actually participating for once!

ejamerOctober 02, 2016

Quote from: lolmonade

Any comments from James Jones & the Funky Bunch on when the thread for Lego City: Undercover's Retroactive will be posted?  I'm actually participating for once!

My kids and I have also been playing more of LEGO City Undercover - we beat it quite a while ago, but there are tons of collectibles left, and they like just mucking about in the world.  Always something else to do, something new to see. Yes, lots of it isn't really useful... but it's still fun.

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