Nintendo Online Service and SNES Online Jubilation Thread

@Buskalilly wrote:

I don't think dumping everything popular all at once would have served anyone. People always think that's what they want, but just look at all the hours we spend scrolling Netflix and not watching anything.

I guess the idea, stemming from the Virtual Consoles having been things as much as anything else, would be that there's a dump of classics at the start (those like, if we assume that the N64's going to be announced today, SM64 and MK64), and then a drip-feed of mixed classics and forgotten gems over time? That seems like the ideal to me. I think we got that to some extent (might or might not be remembering this correctly), but arguably not as far as they could've gone.

Buska is right as I always got excited when MS announced new backwards compatible games now and then instead of here's 300 games.

I would be like what ones will I play.

Starting in two days time, it turns out that Descenders is the next Online Trail we're getting, and not Good Job! like in Japan:

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/Descenders-1868065.html 

It's an extreme downhill mountain-biking game that I'm happy to give a go. 

The Cappucino Kid wrote:

Online Trail

Quote :

Trail

Quote :

Trail

I see what you done there.

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Yep, I've actually always wanted to give that a go as well but it seemed a bit pricey for what it is so that's good news.

Nah, that would be too clever for me!

I'm not sure what they've been getting in Japan compared to us for these trials but I'm willing to bet ours are little more catered to a western audience based on what we've had, Rune Factory aside.

Anyway Descenders, good shout, it's the kind of game I think I'd like but wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to get so a trial could go down a treat.

Aw, I would have preferred to have a crack at Good Job!, especially after Cappa's glowing review. I've never managed to get around to switching the eShop around between regions, and although I'm sure it's very easy, realistically it's probably not going to be something that I get around to. Ho hun.

So, just gave Descenders a quick half hour or so and there seems to be a half decent game under there but it's poor frame rate let's it down for me....maybe worth picking up on ps4 instead. If you are after a downhill biking game on Switch then Lonely mountains downhill is a better pick.

@The_Jaster wrote:

So, just gave Descenders a quick half hour or so and there seems to be a half decent game under there but it's poor frame rate let's it down for me....maybe worth picking up on ps4 instead. If you are after a downhill biking game on Switch then Lonely mountains downhill is a better pick.

I'd read on Nintendo Life that if you go into the Options and switch on the Offline Mode option, then the framerate improves. I've tried that and I think it does make Descenders smoother to play, but it still looks pretty shabby even by Switch standards. 

Agreed on everything you've said, a half decent game in there but probably best played elsewhere. If nothing else, it made me nostalgic for Downhill Domination on the PS2  

I played it on Xbox wasn't overly keen as I also played Lonely Mountains, which sure plays very differently yet that was the one I did enjoy.

I'm personally quite glad this was a trial game because now I don't need to even consider buying it, thought it was largely unimpressive. Good Job! definitely would have been better but at least I already know that's worth buying.

I stuck with Descenders for a bit longer, and I felt that it began to open up the more I played it. The procedurally generated worlds threw up more rubbish tracks than good ones though, and I wasn't able to accomplish several missions just because the layout of the course didn't give me a chance. In the end, I think I liked it more than most, but I'll probably not add it to my collection in the future.

Oh this is an unexpected but nice surprise online update for Super Mario party.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/04/free_super_mario_party_update_gives_massive_boost_to_online_play

Does this tempt anyone else?

I didn't know that wasn't possible

If other folks are keen, I'd be up for it.

Sidenote: this game has been pretty popular with my students. In particular, I have this one kid whom I teach for a 30 minute private lesson each week. In his lessons, he often creates little board games for us to play with the vocabulary or whatever that he's currently learning. These board games used to make perfect logical sense; since he got Mario Party for Christmas, his games have become insane messes with power ups and bonuses and minigames that mean he always wins for some bullshit reason.

@The_Jaster wrote:

Oh this is an unexpected but nice surprise online update for Super Mario party.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/04/free_super_mario_party_update_gives_massive_boost_to_online_play

Does this tempt anyone else?

Having to buy a second Joy-Con pair for local 4-player makes it a no-buy for me. I have my pair of Joy-Cons that came with the Switch and three Pros, because I don't want to own stuff that's expensive and guaranteed to break. Is there a reason it doesn't support Pro Controllers (which have motion and HD Rumble and all that stuff)?

A three-years-later Super Mario Party update is odd, even by Nintendo's standards. But just like Buskalilly, if other folk are keen then I'd be up for getting this again. I quite liked it when it was brand new, and I'd be happy enough adding it to my collection again if I was guaranteed to get a few online games out of it.

I'd be game for some Mario Party online play.

Is the AI in the game dickish? Have only ever owned the first Mario Party and let me tell you, I loved losing games on a last round shift of stars.

That's part of the fun though, surely? Fun that, granted, does not at all extend well to playing against faceless bots.

@Dusty Knackers wrote:

I'd be game for some Mario Party online play.

Is the AI in the game dickish? Have only ever owned the first Mario Party and let me tell you, I loved losing games on a last round shift of stars.

They're a bit dickish, and although things have changed a lot since the first Mario Party in 1999, there's always going to be that chance that you'll lose the game on the last round. I don't think the stars shift anymore though, I don't think it's that blatantly unfair.

Sweet. I'll get it ordered today if there's enough wanting to get in on the action.

FYI, it's cheapest at Currys - it'll be £34.99 with the code FNDDGAME .

I'm not sure I'll be able to play anytime soon though - I'm out of action this weekend and (I think) next weekend.

I don't recommend you reading any of the YouTube comments, social media posts or chat from any of the usual Nintendo-centric websites with regards to this latest update. They're all overcrowded with wee tadgers getting too arsey about none of these games being Super Mario RPG or Earthbound, and that's shite patter.

Joe & Mac is enjoyably solid and Magical Drop II is a great alternative to Puyo Puyo and Panel de Pon. I've not played any of the other three, but Natsume never made bad games back in the day, and Jaleco's output is usually reliably decent. And you never know: Super Baseball Simulator 1000 might be the Earthbound-beater that everybody's been waiting for all along.

I think that's the positive gamer attitude that keeps me here and steers me away from 99% of gaming websites. Thanks Cappa.

Spanky's