The Spam Thread!

[cpd2009]

Finally finshed Kirby Mass Attack after putting it on delay for a couple months due to being distracted by other games and something called a Switch.

I took note of the save file present on the card when I started playing. Only a quarter of the game was completed, suggesting whoever played before me lost interest rather quickly. I think the touch controls were well done and it didn't feel like a gimmick, but the original owner of the game probably did. The old save file was just at the start of the second world.

I now turn my focus to Yoshi's Island DS, with a little bit of Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon on the side.

[huckleberrypie]

Had to replace the ear speaker on my Zenfone 4 selfie with a new one, as for some reason the one that originally came with the phone fizzled out, which led to me initially thinking that the one on the other line was being choppy or something. I figured that having the phone taken to a service centre would cost me dearly, and since I could just crack the thing open myself and that I have a set of Torx screwdrivers anyway, I decided to just screw it with the warranty and repair the phone on my own. Said speaker was actually being marketed for a different model, but as it appears identical to the one it is replacing, it was worth the gamble.

[cpd2009]

I started Yoshi's Island DS two days ago, and it's actually pretty good. Not nearly as good as the original SNES version, but good enough to be a proper sequel. The neatest thing is the baby switching mechanic. You now have Baby Peach, Donkey Kong, and Wario along with Baby Mario. Each baby gives Yoshi different abilities such as Mario making Yoshi run faster or Peach having a parasol that lets you catch the wind and reach higher platforms. This game got mixed reception upon release due to the baby mechanic and the NintendoHard difficulty of later levels, but according to TVTropes, it's possibly been VindicatedByHistory ever since the lackluster Yoshi's New Island was released.

Yoshi's New Island for 3DS isn't a bad game, but it goes a bit too far into TastesLikeDiabetes territory with cutesy music, graphics, and fairly easy gameplay. No wonder I was able to get it on sale for $10 at the local ShopKo several years ago. It also throws out the baby mechanics of the previous DS game, and literally retreading the storyline from the SNES original.... with a few notable exceptions here and there.

In eBay news, two DS games came in the mail this week. Both licensed titles based on the Disney/Pixar hit "Ratatouille". I have the PS2 version of the game, and back in the day, I thought it was pretty good. I played around with the DS games a bit and they don't seem like complete shovelware crap. Disney titles tend not to be ChristmasRushed jobs, and the studios behind DS Ratatouille were THQ and Helixe.

The first is just called Ratatouille, which looks similar to the PS2 version with a touch-screen cooking minigame thrown in and PS1-level 3D graphics. Speaking of graphics, the game is half 3D platformer, half casual cooking game. The cooking game graphics are flatter 2D cartoon sprites which are nicely done. The second game, Food Frenzy, takes the cooking minigame from the other game and expands it into a full-on Cooking Mama style game. The flat 2D cartoon graphics of this version are exactly the same as well.

[cpd2009]

Photo time! I acquired a used Nintendo DS Lite at the local consignment shop for $45. It came with the console and AC adaptor. While the console has seen lots of use, the original stylus and GBA slot cover are still present. The decals removed easily with little effort and hardly no residue. The bottom touch screen looks very scratched up, but it had a screen protector on it, so I took it off. It looks far less scratched now.

The battery still has a charge, and I plan on testing it to see how long it lasts. I haven't checked the battery compartment yet, but I wonder if this DS Lite contains the original battery or a third party replacement.

[huckleberrypie]

Makes me wonder if using a plastic panel on the Switch's touch screen is a wise choice on Nintendo's part or not.

[cpd2009]

Makes me wonder if using a plastic panel on the Switch's touch screen is a wise choice on Nintendo's part or not.

The Switch has a capacitive screen instead of the resistive technology the DS line had. I was surprised the 3DS still had a resistive touch screen when capacitive touch layers could be found on cheap tablets in 2011. The size of the small touch screen may have prevented that, and of course, Nintendo wanted to maintain backward compatibility with the older DS games.

With a capacitive screen, the Switch has no stylus and you can simply touch the screen with your finger. Alas, the plastic screen still has issues. People have reported that over time, thin scratches will start appearing on the sides of the LCD bezel due to the Switch dock. There is no felt or soft materials lining the inside of the dock, leaving the Switch open to getting scratches if you don't carefully insert/remove the console. The only upside is the screen is less likely to shatter like glass if it's dropped.

[huckleberrypie]

Well they could use Gorilla Glass or something along those lines to mitigate the risk of shattering, but I get why they opted for plastic because kids. Problem is that same kids tend to be rather rough with their wares hence why they'd get ratty over time.

[cpd2009]

Earlier this evening, I decided to play Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy on Switch. I played the PS1 original, but after seeing how great the HD remaster is, it's going to be hard playing the original now because TechnologyMarchesOn.

It's amazing how people look at PS1 graphics nowadays, and don't like they way they look. To them it's ugly. Back in 1994/1995, the PS1 was amazing to see. I had the same reaction when my older brother got a Nintendo 64 one Christmas and was playing a Star Wars game.

[huckleberrypie]

I actually don't mind the PS1 aesthetic much, though the affine texture warping does stick out like a sore thumb, even if most gamers have gotten used to it just as how people in the UK became accustomed to the attribute clash that plagued the ZX Spectrum.

[huckleberrypie]

*obligatory ice breaker because there isn't any much activity here*