What are you playing today?

[G.Silver]

You mean this? No, I haven't seen it yet. Maybe it's not on the DS version, maybe I'll see it when I reach that last ending. It does seem a bit suspicious to have the full ending song right there in the Sound Gallery and not have the actual movie, but who knows.
I can't read japanese (well not more than katakana, anyway), so I really can't tell what other people (everyone else who plays the game is japanese) say regarding it. Is it in the PSX game? SE only? Bonus disc thing? I dunno.

That's it! But I don't know what it is about it either, I assume it's in the PSX version, but I never saw it. I have seen the distorted version on her TV though, which would be a kinda mean tease if the full version wasn't on there. It's not like it would take up a huge chunk of memory. But I have no idea what the criteria is to see it, the link you send doesn't seem to have any description or comments at all.

[Neo]

Well the only thing I can really do is just keep playing the game. Unfortunately this last mile is the longest of the bunch.

[Protodude]

I've kind of been going back to Umihara Kawase DS every once in a while, usually late at night when I'm watching TV but nothing good is really on. I was actually playing the SNES game more, since I prefer it a bit more, and have slowly managed to get through a variety of different doors and paths but have never beat it.

Lately if I go back to it I'll play the PSX version more and more though. I beat the PSX version once on what was probably the easiest route possible, but I've since been unable to do it again, so I don't know if it was actually some weird fever dream or a happy accident, or just my wanting to try other paths. I really, really like both of them though.

As for other games, I'm just about done with No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. It's more or less the same as the first, but with better music and beam sabers. I'm also glad they ditched the sparse GTA overworld clone for the menu, but I wish they had repeatable fighting missions like in the first game, since you can't repeat them in this game and I think I've beaten them all already. Playing as Shinobu was a nice change, and playing as Henry was short and weird. I seem to have an affinity for Suda 51 games, as they're just about the only style-over-substance games I tend to tolerate.

I've also been playing Metroid Prime Trilogy, my first real dive into a Metroid game. I'm really digging it, especially the environments. I've only played the first game so far, and I'm actually stuck right now, but that's hopefully nothing a little backtracking can't fix.

I also got the Xbox version of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for dirt cheap, but I'm already stuck on some bit. I spent a good 30 minutes to an hour trying to figure it out, and though I could look up a guide, I think I'll just shelve the game until I'm done with some of these others.

But, the game that's taken up the most time this week, and caused me to neglect all the previously mentioned games, is Pokemon HeartGold. It's the first one I've played since the original Gold some ten years ago, which I considered one of my favorite games, and this one's proven to be better so far. I'm only around Goldenrod City and the National Park, and have seen only a few new additions compared to the original, but I think the nostalgia factor is making this game a lot better then it should be. The updated sprites, music, 3D rendered cities, remembering things I've long forgotten about.....it's all just ambrosia for me. Part of me still prefers that sort of crisp, red-and-orange, autumn/fall color scheme from the original though.

[Green Gibbon!]

What the shit, my fish died again!

Am I supposed to be feeding them? I don't like doing that because they're as buggy as the rest of the game and like to swim vertically out the surface of the water when they see food, then when they return they swim back down through the sand. And then there's the 30 minute load time (each way) whenever I want to go to my room.


But seriously, these dying fish are horrifying. When I was a kid, I had this aquarium, but then one day all the fish started dying for mysterious reasons and ever since I couldn't get any fish to live more than a week or two. Eventually I lost interest and started neglecting the 3 or 4 hearty survivors. Sometimes days would go by before I'd remember to feed them. It was always a kind of shocking moment like, "Oh dear lord, how I could be so cruel?"

I forgot about it for a while, then like a decade later, the residual guilt starting bothering me out of nowhere. And it continues unabated to this day. Like fuck, my dreams are haunted by dead guppies at least once or twice a week. That's not even a joke.

THESE DYING FISH ARE NOT FUNNY TO ME.

[Crowbar]

I've also been playing Metroid Prime Trilogy, my first real dive into a Metroid game. I'm really digging it, especially the environments. I've only played the first game so far, and I'm actually stuck right now, but that's hopefully nothing a little backtracking can't fix.

Oh wow, really? You need to play the 2D classics (Super Metroid, Zero Mission, Metroid 2 if you're hardcore, the NES original if you're REALLY hardcore, Fusion when you've done everything else). I'd be kind of interested to hear how you'd feel about them playing them AFTER the Prime series, rather than the other way round as I and most others experienced it.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

I've taken on the original NES game, but could never put more than a couple of minutes into 2. That game has not aged gracefully.

[gr4yJ4Y]

I experienced the Metroid games in this order:
1. Metroid Prime
2. Metroid Prime 2
3. Metroid Fusion
4. Super Metroid
5. Metroid Prime 3

I loved Metroid Prime 1. To me it's everything a Metroid should be.

MP2 was somewhat disappointing and nowhere near the first one. It felt more like a spin-off from the series than a proper sequel (somewhat like Majora's Mask).

Fusion was the worst of the ones I've finished. I beat it with only 45%. I really rushed through it because I just didn't enjoy it that much.

Super Metroid was a lot of fun. I wasn't sure if I'd like it much after only stomaching Fusion. It made me see why people like 2D Metroid.

MP3 was fun. I wonder if the map options made the game too easy or something though. It was a good end to the Prime games, but there really needs to be something else to mix up the series. And Other M is on the way, so that should be different enough.

I have tried to play both Metroid 1 and 2 before, but they've aged poorly and my attention span couldn't stick with them long enough.

Protodude, you want to exchange Friend Codes for Trilogy? I forget the exact number of vouchers I have. I've only played through MP3 on it, but I'll probably go back to the other games eventually.

EDIT: Am I the only one who isn't getting the little redirect window after hitting reply? Firefox kinda just hangs there on a blank page.

No, I got that too.

[G.Silver]

Coincedentally, I am replaying Fusion right now, and it's reminding me that, evidently, I just love taking directions from a mysterious AI (practice for when our robot overlords arrive, I suppose). I had the original NES game when I was little, and besides not really understanding what I was supposed to do with it (I had a similar lack of appreciation for Zelda at the time), it scared the poo out of me. Super Metroid never really did anything for me--at least not the way it did for others, but I recognize what people like in it. So when I say "I think Fusion is my favorite 2D Metroid" it's pretty clear that I'm getting something else out of it (I think it's the same thing I get out of Metal Gear Solid, ie constantly being led from one crisis to another--it's hard to stop!).

I also did a quick replay of Zero Mission. When it was new, I was sucked in based primarily out of fascination for what changes were made to the structure of the original game, but playing it again a few years later I'm less taken with it. It's certainly easy!

I also had a go through WarioLand 4 recently (my next and final-for-now stop through GBA memories will be Drill Dozer), and after reading a recent Other M interview with Sakamoto where he mentioned working on it, I got all excited to learn that it shares 19 staff members with Metroid Fusion. I always had this vague suspicion that there were some of the same people working on it, mainly based on the similarity of the "ice" environments, and the gooey and drooly "Nightmare" boss has a certain resemblance to WL4's gooey and drooly bosses, but I hadn't discovered how extensive MobyGames' credits database was until now. Actually it looks like all the Metroids since Return of Samus share a lot of staff between them and the WarioLand series (up until Shake, anyway)

[Shadow Hog]

I played Fusion, Prime, Metroid (NES), Super, Prime 2, Zero Mission, Prime 3 and Metroid 2 in that order (might have Prime 2 and Zero Mission mixed up). Of those, I think the only one I haven't finished is Prime 3.

The first Metroid has aged TERRIBLY, to be blunt - lack of the map notwithstanding (you can make a pretty good mental map of yea so much of each world, anyway), starting off with 30HP every time you boot up is incredibly masochistic. Add the inability to duck or shoot down, and it only gets more frustrating. Metroid 2 may not have aged THAT well but it's a friggin' godsend compared to the first game - you can actually crouch and shoot down, for one thing. Super Metroid is similarly improved on Metroid 2 - diagonal shooting, wall-jumping, more fluid controls, more items, larger bosses, better graphics, etc. - but it's one of the best games of all time, so that's kind of a given.

Fusion played just fine, if you can get over the overbearing linearity of it all (I easily could, given I had little else to refer back to at the time). The plot's easily the most expanded of the bunch up to that point in time, although considering the prior entries went pretty much without any dialog at all (barring the intros to the NES game and Super), this says little.

Prime is up there with Super Metroid. Its sequel, Prime 2, was okay I guess; although I appreciated the inclusion of another world to explore, I didn't really like having my health leeched out. Also, I couldn't stand the ammo system. Metroid really doesn't need ammo for anything other than power bombs and a variety of missiles; else I'm gonna do what I tend to in situations like this and deliberately go through it with the basic gun for as long as physically possible (seriously, that's how I play Mega Man, even), and never get to appreciate the nuances of these extra weapons (unless it's exceedingly obvious that it'll give me an advantage - ie, shoot dark monster with light gun, durr). Otherwise, it was a fine sequel.

Zero Mission was brilliant, arguably better than Super in terms of mechanics. Shame my copy was pirated (funny story, that - Mom got it off of eBay, but didn't notice the box was the wrong material, and that the manual was four pages long and didn't once go over the game in the box, or that the cartridge had a miniature of the boxart as a label instead of the actual Zero Mission cart label...), and as such doesn't really save anymore. Can't say as I'm all that surprised.

Prime 3... I love the design of some of these worlds, certainly, and the ability to hop in Morph Ball form is appreciated, but the whole Hypermode thing just never "clicked" with me. Again, probably stemming from my distrust of anything that has an ammo limit when I could get by fine with my infinite ammo guns, but while I understand the "use your health to shoot out a powerful attack" side of it, I fail to see the point to using it. Adding on the confusing and random "corruption" side to it is not likely to make me want to use it any more than I already was. Forcing me to use it against bosses despite having deliberately avoided using it prior to that frustrates me even further. Then there are the subtle little details they seem to have missed with the game (for some reason, the "Samus appears" jingle doesn't play when you load a save, but plays every time you pop over to another planet - riiiiiight)... It's far from a terrible game, but I honestly think it's the weakest of the series. It did have a superior control scheme over the other two, but now that all three are available on the same disc with the same damn controls, it kind of has to stand above the others on its own merits, and I just don't think it does.

Anyway, that still leaves Prime: Hunters and Prime Pinball to check out, but you'll forgive me for not really caring about either.

Oh, all this rambling about Metroid and I neglected to actually say what I've been playing. Team Fortress 2, naturally. Got myself a mask for my Medic, which is the first hat-like thing I've gotten, ever - the day it was released, even. Was pretty happy with that.

[FlashTHD]

I also had a go through WarioLand 4 recently (my next and final-for-now stop through GBA memories will be Drill Dozer), and after reading a recent Other M interview with Sakamoto where he mentioned working on it, I got all excited to learn that it shares 19 staff members with Metroid Fusion. I always had this vague suspicion that there were some of the same people working on it, mainly based on the similarity of the "ice" environments, and the gooey and drooly "Nightmare" boss has a certain resemblance to WL4's gooey and drooly bosses, but I hadn't discovered how extensive MobyGames' credits database was until now. Actually it looks like all the Metroids since Return of Samus share a lot of staff between them and the WarioLand series (up until Shake, anyway)

No coincidence. Fusion and Zero Mission use a tuned-up version of the WL4 engine.

Zero Mission tends to be a cakewalk unless you play it on hard, try that. Probably due to fan tenacity, it's also the only game which rewards you ending images for clearing the game with 15% items or less (very tall order). Prime Pinball, BTW, is an awesome little diversion if not unnecessarily thin (two full tables and several little ones) and frustrating (no save-and-come-back feature), though considering Fuse's last game before that was Mario Pinball Land, it's a hell of an improvement.

[Delphine]

What the shit, my fish died again!

Haha, okay, if it's that big of a deal to you, get your secretary Rebecca Chambers or Kelly Clarkson or whatthefuck her name is to have dinner with you, and afterwards you can ask her to feed them for you, so you don't have to go up there and do it between each mission. Otherwise, you... have to feed them between each mission.

I managed to keep mine alive until the end of the game, when I was too busy, er, beating the game to remember. Then I didn't care anymore. I hope it doesn't effect ME3!

Oh, and I guess I should say I'm playing Assassin's Creed 2, which is dramatically gayer than the first game.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

I got all the end pics in Zero Mission (out of completionist habit, not the cheesecake nonsense, I swear) 15% hard mode nearly put me in a mad house. Oddly enough, it rewards you with one of the less suggestive pics. Go fig.

And damn are the suit-less sections a chore after the 2nd, 3rd time you've been through them.

Hunters can be safely ignored. It's main draw is the multiplayer and the "[first hunt]" demo is arguably better at it despite no wi-fi and fewer maps. The story mode is a chore, put simply. Most of the time you just find yourself not caring if a rival hunter is on the same planet because if they're not there than it's some equally time-consuming battle with some polygonal droid. Then the bosses proper are just exhausting. Expect to circle-strafe the same phallic tower and floating eyeball over and over till your wrist get carpal tunnel. The only thing it does right is that it features best post-Zero Mission Samus (read: tolerable).

[Crowbar]

Zero Mission tends to be a cakewalk unless you play it on hard, try that. Probably due to fan tenacity, it's also the only game which rewards you ending images for clearing the game with 15% items or less (very tall order). Prime Pinball, BTW, is an awesome little diversion if not unnecessarily thin (two full tables and several little ones) and frustrating (no save-and-come-back feature), though considering Fuse's last game before that was Mario Pinball Land, it's a hell of an improvement.

Man, hard mode was something else.

I never did manage to get the "below 15% on Hard Mode" ending, though. As I remember, I was going for the lowest possible percentage (9%, I believe) and also lowest time (I can't find my cartridge to check my saved time, but it was definitely under 3 hours, maybe 2, though I can't even remember if that's possible in this game). This made things incredibly difficult. I've got it saved right before Mecha Ridley. I could beat him maybe 1 in every 5 attempts, but even if I did I'd always come unstuck against the two last black pirates. I know there's a way to make them get stuck firing uselessly into a wall, but I could never do it when I needed it! I spent weeks trying to do it and eventually just kind of gave up.

[Alexrd]

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth

Great game. Haven't played a RTS for almost 7 years.

[plasticwingsband]

I would like to chime in and say that Metroid Prime is a great game, and one of the few Nintendo titles that I have any real passion for. Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission were fun, but I didn't really see any reason to return to them after I'd made my first run through. Metroid Prime Pinball was decent, but like Sonic Pinball Party, suffered from a lack of too few tables.

I never played Super Metroid, because I had a Sega Genesis. I thought we were together on this one, guys.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Did Sega have any Metroid equivalents aside from Zillion and I guess Tails Adventure (Which is more like Clash at Demonhead)?

[G.Silver]

Wonderboy or Monster World maybe?

[Shadow Hog]

I thought Wonder Boy WAS Monster World.

Wonder Boy in Monster World was definitely very Metroid-esque, although I found some of those jumping puzzles to be infuriatingly frustrating late into the game. I still haven't beaten it because of a couple of those... or maybe it was the boss, I forget.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

I figgered medieval Wonder Boy was more akin to Zelda II of Faxanadu. Which one would be a good one to start with?

[Protodude]

Protodude, you want to exchange Friend Codes for Trilogy? I forget the exact number of vouchers I have. I've only played through MP3 on it, but I'll probably go back to the other games eventually.

I....didn't know there was some online feature for it. It's not the MP2 multiplayer is it?

Well, either way I don't have wireless internet and my Wii isn't near a computer anyway.

[Yami CJMErl]

I....didn't know there was some online feature for it. It's not the MP2 multiplayer is it?

No, that'd be the "Friend Voucher" system that Prime 3 uses. Basically, every so often you'll get these green ticket-ish achievements, but unlike the other ones you can't actually USE them on your own system--you have to send them to someone else who has a copy of the same game and hope that they reciprocate in turn.

[cjmcray]

<------

[plasticwingsband]

Time to hook your Genesis up to the tv then. And shame on you for unplugging it in the first place!

[Green Gibbon!]

Okay, so how the hell do I make Kelly have dinner with me? I've got all the characters. Three of the four women on my team have offered themselves to me (and I don't particularly like any of them) - but I still can't ask Kelly to dinner. Did I do something wrong?

[Green Gibbon!]

Well never the hell mind, she was just abducted by aliens along with the rest of the crew. I guess I have to feed my own damn fish.