Messages

10001

Fan Creations / Re: Rebirth of the Rockman-Themed Stolen *Bleep* Thread!!

« on: March 23, 2011, 03:05:27 AM »

If I had my own place, I'd get the Blues one framed and put it on a wall.

10002

Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 23, 2011, 03:02:49 AM »

Not just that, but sometimes, the worlds we go to could have some comebacks of lesser known Mario games. How about using stuff from Mario Land 1 and 2? Or hell, characters like E. Gadd or Captain Syrup.

Other games with similar cool gimmicks came along. Split/Second has really good scenario destruction capabilities for stopping upcoming racers, something that could be used in MK. As well as Blur, that features both the offensive and defensive half of the star split. Not saying it's a good idea in the Mario Kart context, but maybe it should happen for certain items and effects.

Well that's what I liked about MKDS' level designs. Very nice homages to previous Mario games. I agree, some Mario Land recognition would be awesome in the Mario Kart series.

And those gimmicks could work in a Mario Kart context. Like say, using Bob-Ombs to destroy certain parts of certain tracks, like pipes and such, thus making it where you have to either alter your course or go around it.

Also, I still say we need more tracks like 64's Yoshi's Valley but ones that have more than one actual viable road (was there more than one in Yoshi's Valley? Because I definitely can't think of more than one).

No, all roads eventually lead to the end, but one was clearly the fastest.

We also need shortcuts being brought back. Stuff like the hard-to-reach hole in the wall through the ramp in the beach track in Mario 64.

Or the RAINBOW ROAD DEATH JUMP! 

Man, Waluigi's Stadium was such a disappointment when compared to it...

Yes. Yes it was.

Waluigi's Pinball though, is [tornado fang].ing. AWE. SOME.

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 23, 2011, 01:11:10 AM »

Those are interesting ideas. I'd LOVE IT if there was a Mario Kart mode in which there were green shells ALL AROUND, bouncing around, completely unpredictable.

Also, don't you guys think that the tracks should have more Mario gimmicks? More pipes, more piranha plants all over, more traps and moving platforms, more constant dangers and rewards. Some tracks seem to be way too empty. I'm not saying to do this to all tracks, but have the game put you in constant danger in some of the tracks. And constant movement with other stuff.

That was the beauty of MK64 Battle Mode on Block Fort. If you fell to the bottom, you ran the risk of constant green shells bouncing around! 

As for the Mario gimmick tracks & more danger, that's one thing I thought MKDS really excelled at, in terms of their level designs, and kind of strayed away from in MKWii. I'd love to see more levels like that in MK3DS, as well as the ability to customize your own tracks.

I miss the days where Boo and Starman were the only way to steal/erase items. I mean, some of the new items have a good concept on paper, but they really need tweaking. Except Cloud AIDS, [tornado fang] that item.

As do we all. And yeah, Cloud AIDS needs to [tornado fang]ing go. It's AWFUL, ESPECIALLY IF 2ND & 3RD PLACE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT GET IT. At the very very least, make the item where you can CHOOSE to activate it, but I'm in favor of removing it completely and bringing back the Boo.

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 23, 2011, 12:34:29 AM »

Which is exactly why they must be balanced. A game with Mario Kart 64's item balance, tracks as big as that but more full of obstacles, twists and turns, and exploitable shortcuts, and the options that Mario Kart DS offers. Join all of the perfect stuff together to make something great.

Agreed.

The other thing I think they need to do is remove kart statistics. Have all the awesome looking carts & such, but keep the stats based on the character's weight class, essentially like SMK & MK64.

Also, as an added bonus, add in the same level of customization that ModNation Racers has. ModNation Racers' customization is excellent, both in terms of karts & tracks. There's NO reason why Mario Kart can't do the same thing and make it even better, due to having awesome Mario things, like pipes & rainbows and all that awesome Mario stuff!

If so, then...
Nintendo should really consider putting in an option where you choose which items are to be used in a race or battle or which are not to be used. What do you think?

That.......could be interesting. It would be fun, but I don't think they can do it for racing, because it would probably lead to unbalancing issues again. However, for Battle Mode, that could lead to some fun & silly battles. An ALL BANANA PEEL battle mode could be a lot of fun.

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 23, 2011, 12:16:03 AM »

It would have the level obstacles, but I agree. The items, despite their imbalance, is really what makes Mario Kart games fun.

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 23, 2011, 12:11:05 AM »

And yes, I'll agree with the item thing. The item balance was at its perfect in MK64. Perfect balance for both fun and competitivity What we got today is all over the place.

SMK & MK64's item balancing & distribution are both perfect. I don't remember enough of MKSC to make an honest comparison, but I don't remember it being a problem in that game either.

Hideki Konno's two cents on items in Mario Kart.

I think Mario Kart without items is a good idea...

I would personally never play a Mario Kart without items, because I agree that Mario Kart without items is just not Mario Kart. HOWEVER, I am always a full believer in having options, so yeah, put a No-Items mode in the game.

Going back to the blue shell, it sounds like maybe [gamers] have some issues with it... I’m not trying to project or anything. I think in our next Mario Kart, we’ll be looking at the balance and I think we’ll come up with some answers and some solutions to make the game fresh and exciting as we move forward... I’m often asked, hey, in Mario Kart, could you please make a mode where there are no items. Let us race. But personally I think Mario Kart without items is not Mario Kart. Our goal, of course, is to keep the items in but just balance it well.

LoL, and here we are again. The problem is NOT the Spiny Shell. The problem is pretty much every other item. The items that have been gimped, the items that are now too powerful, the items that suck, the item distribution, the dropping of items, and so on. If you want to make the Blue Shell fair again, make it the MK64 Spike Shell again, the one that has the potential to hit EVERY player in it's path. Also, fix the goddamn lightning. If you can't run the tiny people over after shrinking them, then there's no point.

Overall though, here's hoping that they really look into balancing the items.

10007

Gaming / Re: The Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Topic (ITS MAHVEL 3 BAYBEE)

« on: March 22, 2011, 11:48:49 PM »

Hey, any PSN players up for some matches tonight?

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 22, 2011, 11:16:33 PM »

I can understand the logic, but the item holding thing is purely a singleplayer gimmick for some gameplay strategy, while the "second player aiming" doesn't really work for races in which you don't really see the other characters all the time. In any game, you ideally never have the second player leave the action. It would make alot of sense if it was battle-only, but it was brought up as a full game mechanic. Which turned out really bad.

That's my point though, in regards to the aiming. I'm no expert on programming, but I don't see why you couldn't have the weapons character have 360 turning ability, since he's not using his controls to drive. That way, it'd give both players something to do.

Thing is, Flash, Double Dash presented that mode as an option, not as a multiplayer mandate.  You can race in multiplayer with every player having their own kart (2 characters then to each player).  Nothing wrong with options, and that kind of "1-1/2 player action" deal can help open up the game for people who just aren't good at gaming.  So I won't say it's a bad thing.  You're right in that it's no substitute for a full multiplayer, but it wasn't presented as such.

To be fair, snaking in pre-DS games, while possible, was MUCH harder to pull off and generally less effective.  In DS any idiot can snake, and everyone and their dog knows the ideal character/kart combinations for it (BALANCE FAILURE).

But I'll agree on item balancing.  I jump between 64, DD, and Wii a lot, and Wii has a unique way of generating extreme chaos while at the same time leaving you feeling relatively powerless.  Banana peels are worthless, the 2nd place racer gets garbage, and near every new power-up in the game either hits groups or causes an item drop.  My, how the mighty Triple Red Shell has fallen...

DoubleDash may not have item mechanics up to 64's level, but it was still decent, the game IMHO better than those MK's that followed (DS or Wii).  Blue Shells were excusable due to the generally moronic AI, and those signature items which were NOT nerfed versions of 64's items (Triple Shells, or the COMPLETELY POINTLESS Golden Mushroom) actually worked quite well.  It adds to the point of the 2-racers, mixing signature abilities and such.  And yes, as PB said, you can hold any item in reserve with your driver.  The idea was great, and I think had they taken the simple step of NOT having triple items juggled, and thus dropped on impact, it'd have worked even better.

The "disarm" mechanics are one of my biggest issues with recent kart games, really.  If you're going to do it, do it with ONE all-powerful-with-some-practice-to-master item, like Starman, not half the damn arsenal.

No I'll admit, Snaking in the DS game can be all kinds of abused. It can in MK64 as well, at least I can abuse it, but yeah not as badly as in MKDS. Like I said though, it wouldn't be an issue if the items were balanced, if 2nd & 3rd place had anyway of stopping 1st place without the help of 4th or higher.

Oh yeah, I didn't even bring that up, but I 100% agree, Shellhead. Disarming items is quite possibly the worst thing they put in Mario Kart after MK64. If they're going to do it, then only the POW block should be able to, and even then I still don't like the idea that much.

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 22, 2011, 10:54:06 PM »

Okay, now that I'm home...

Like I said, the Double Dash system had potential. If I remember correctly, if a character held onto an item then switched, that character still got to keep that item, so it could've lead to a bit of strategy. Also, they could've added a few different modes like every lap you are forced to switch and stay that character, or make character switch points throughout the level, which could've made the party aspect of it a bit more chaotic & interesting. Or hell, like you mentioned, have the Weapons character have the ability to actually aim, which is a great idea. Since they are not driving, give them the ability to actually look around and aim their shells or peels. What they absolutely had to do was make a non co-op racing mode in which you can have a 4 way race. I feel that if you give people options, then it makes it more fun. Like with Smash Bros. Brawl and playing with or without items. Both methods are a lot of fun, but if one was prevalent over the other, that one mode might not be as fun anymore.

However, ultimately what we got wasn't all that well executed at all, and plus again, I hated the handling. Like Fxeni said, the item imbalance was still there and not as bad as in MKWii, but still there nonetheless. I think it had potential, but just did not deliver at all.

And MK64 definitely has bigger races. It's why I love the game so much. The tracks are long, big, and allow more room for success, failure, and pure MK douchebaggery.

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Fan Creations / Re: Cute things?

« on: March 22, 2011, 09:49:35 PM »

Great to see you drawing again.

10011

Off The Wall / Re: Electronics/Devices/Computer Names

« on: March 22, 2011, 06:55:19 PM »

No Blues references?

Nah. For that, I just buy expensive sunglasses. 

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 22, 2011, 06:51:06 PM »

Still, I don't really see the logic behind co-op racing. Only in races when you use alot of items, but even so, it takes away from the actual gameplay. I could see it working if there was a gun in the car you had to aim, or if you were in another car, but otherwise, why even have it there? Like I said, it limits the gameplay of one person, while boring the hell out of another.

Having played 64 today, I can actually say that it's got bigger races than other MK games. Or at least they feel much bigger than others.

I'll get more into it when I get home. Lol, I don't feel like typing it all out on my phone.

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Off The Wall / Re: Electronics/Devices/Computer Names

« on: March 22, 2011, 07:55:54 AM »

You have a car? Aww~ Jealous~~ What do your iPod and PS3 have to do with each other? No one gives them genders?

It's Thundercats related. I tend to name some stuff after my favorite cartoon ever! 

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Off The Wall / Re: Electronics/Devices/Computer Names

« on: March 22, 2011, 07:18:58 AM »

My car's nickname is the Thundertank.

I named my White PSP Blanco.

My iPod Touch's name is The Screen of Omens.

My Phone's name is R2D2, of course this is because it's the DROID R2D2 model.

My PS3's name is The Tower of Omens.

I name a LOT of stuff.

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 22, 2011, 05:06:05 AM »

The theme of double-person racing was frankly stupid, because you don't get to use weapons all that much to necessitate a whole gameplay style versed on it, and the FUN part of Mario Kart is racing WITH weapons. You take away the weapons, and it's just racing. With a guy next to you asking when it can be his turn and pressing a button once in awhile when you get a shooteable weapon. It's the very same thing as having an FPS where one player plays as a monkey on your back who just throws grenades when you get them. It was possibly the worst move they could have done.

I remember when it was hacked to play online. Man, that was fun. The only fun times I've had with the game, honestly. This was already the time when my family considered I was too grown up to have friends come over to play all the time. =P

And yes. The games are pretty fun, but they just don't really appeal to me anymore. Seeing that I've played a superior incarnation of these games way back then, playing them currently among friends feels cheap and stale. I play it socially, but I got overdosed two summers ago when i went to spend a couple of weeks at a beach house and the only thing everyone wanted to play was Mario Kart Wii. Mario Kart DS felt like a sort of remake of Mario Kart 64, but not really as fun. A few new gimmicks, and it was widely superior to Double Dash, but I only bought it because back when the DS had no good games except Mario stuff, I had to get something to be distracted with. =P

By the way, what's people's general opinion on Super Circuit? I never hear much talk about it, and it was the first MK game I owned, and didn't just go to a friend's house to play. Aside from Rainbow Road not being the ALL TIME FABULOUSNESS that it is in every other Mario Kart game, I really like it. Felt like the first GBA game to use the power the machine had.

I liked the idea behind it. Co-op racing had an appeal to it. The problem was it was executed poorly for reasons you just mentioned and without an option to not play that way. MKDS was not a MK64 remake, because the items are still MKDD based. It's more what Double Dash should've been with the option not to dual race.

And Super Circuit was pretty good.

By the way, how does the original MK for the SNES stack up with the rest? I've admittedly played it once or twice, but don't really remember how it was. I've seen gameplay videos and such, but I remember some people saying that Super Circuit kinda brought back the original MK's style and level design (understandable, since Mode 7 all the way).

How is it nowadays?

I still love the game. It plays differently and slower, but the gameplay was still fantastic. I think it's more challenging, just due to the shorter levels and such, plus no spinning green shell shield and everything. I can still play it with a friend 1 on 1 and have a lot of fun.

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Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 22, 2011, 12:30:35 AM »

I honestly just hated it because it touted cooperative play, and the guy in the back did absolutely nothing. I can't even make any sense of the "forcing two players into one cart" logic. It felt slower-paced, yeah. And heck, I could more than forgive that if they had something interesting, but it seemed to me like it was too few tracks, and you could only access them through Grand Prix. No free play, just tournament play. What the hell? I mean, even Super Circuit (one of the best out of the Mario Kart franchise, IMO) had more options. The graphics also felt short than they could be, and hell, it just wasn't any FUN. When Mario Kart games stop being fun, you know there's a problem.

I'm honestly done with the Mario Kart franchise. I'll go back to MK64 anytime, but I seriously prefer stuff like Modnation Racers, Sega All-Star and Crash Team Racing. Hell, get Naughty Dog to make Mario Kart. They'll make it interesting again.

The front guy was the driver while the back was weapons. One thing I'll say is that the idea of the Double Racer system was an interesting idea. It could've added a whole new strategic element to the game. But once again, the items unbalancing & distribution essentially made that possibility null and void. The main problem with it is that certain characters were better than others, especially when it came to the whole "specials" dealio.

I didn't play enough of Double Dash to remember if you could have 4 players racing at once, each having 2 choices of characters, or if the game forced you to always play team mode, 2 vs 2. If there was no option for either or and was just the latter, then yeah it was a stupid idea, just like it is in MKWii's unplayable Battle Mode.

Overall though, I'll disagree with you on the fun part. Except for Double Dash, which again I hated, the Mario Kart games are still fun. I'll be the first to admit that the series is a spiky shell of its former self, as again I consider Mario Kart 64 to be the perfect kart-style racing game, but it is still fun. As I mentioned before, Mario Kart DS was actually a pretty decent karting game, and the best one that came after MK64. Sure, the problems I mentioned still do exist, but the items felt more powerful (especially Red Shells), the level designs are easily among the best in the series, the music was pretty solid, the handling was much better, the customizable icon thing for your kart was genius, and they got rid of the Double Kart system. Plus, even though the kart imbalance is still slightly there, there are still multiple multiple kart options which all have a pretty good chance to win. Sure, some karts are slightly better than others, but it is in NO WAY as blatantly unfair as the 3 Bikes are in MKWii. MKDS's battle mode would have been fine if not for the blowing into your mic to blow balloons thing.

Mario Kart Wii was definitely a step back from Mario Kart DS. The item imbalance is much more apparent, as well as the distribution and gimping of said items, and if you master one of the best 3 bikes, you never need to use another again. The level designs weren't as good as DS as well. It's still fun, but only if you are playing with multiple people who are your friends, and even then the problems of the game can be apparent.

With Mario Kart 3DS, I hope they at least go back to the Mario Kart DS engine, since I know they'll never go back to MK64 style.

10017

Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 21, 2011, 05:25:10 AM »

(Insert MK = Mortal Kombat joke here)

By the way, how do we stand on Double Dash?

Oh, I hate Double Dash with a passion. It's what started the downfall, IMO. Granted, I'm a bit biased because MK64 is my 2nd favorite game of all time, but even fairly reviewing that game, I hate it. It's where the item balancing issues I mentioned up above first started, I was not fond of the "specials" because it makes certain characters better than others (and made Koopa Troopa the worst character in the game), I thought the handling was absolute [parasitic bomb] (that could've been because of how extremely loose the GC Thumbstick was, but something was definitely off from MK64).

To boil it all down, Double Dash was the start of the imbalance, both in terms of weapons & characters/karts. In Mario Kart 64 & even the original Super Mario Kart, every single character had an equal chance to win, both in terms of what items they got and how their characters handled. The handling, speed, and acceleration was different, but flawlessly balanced to a point of fairness in which no one character had an advantage over another. Double Dash changed all of that, with specials, with different stylized Karts, with how items were distributed as well as how some items were overpowered and others gimped. Plus, the overall racing also felt slower, as MK64 was very fast paced. I mean, if I were to get picky, even the music pales in comparison to MK64, and I thought the levels weren't as awesome either (the levels in Double Dash weren't bad though. That's probably just the MK64 bias talking). Double Dash essentially transformed Mario Kart from maintaining a fun & awesome level of racing skill, 4 player party awesomeness, and pure friend douchebaggery to being more and more about just having cool looking and unbalanced karts/bikes and how to punish a person for being in first place. Racing skill is almost gone, 1 vs 1 matches are completely lost, item balancing and distribution is awful, and we won't even get into how royally they [tornado fang]'d up Battle Mode in MKWii.

IMO, the best Mario Kart since 64 is MKDS. If Mario Kart 3DS is as good as MKDS, I'll be happy, especially if I can once again make 8-Bit Blues my avatar!

10018

Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 21, 2011, 04:16:09 AM »

Yep. Join us in the Sega All-Star Racing brotherhood! We lack blue shells! =P

LoL, Blue Shells aren't the problem at all. Granted, I so much prefer the original Spike Shell of MK64, but Spiny Shells aren't the main problem. The main problem is the fact that only 4th place or lower get them. This is where the primary primary problem of the game exists, in the sense that it is no longer a game meant for 1 on 1 racing, or even a 4 player free for all. It's only meant for a greater level of multiplayer, and it shows in the item balancing, and is so clearly evident in Mario Kart Wii. Essentially, they've made a game in which 2nd and 3rd place cannot get into 1st place without the item help of 4th place or higher, because 2nd & 3rd place no longer get the items to stop 1st place. The most powerful weapon it gets is primarily 3 spinning red shells, which wouldn't be a problem if the Red Shells weren't so gimped, but mainly if 1st place didn't get everything to stop it with, including the now bullshit 3 Banana Peel. The 5 Banana Peel in MK64 was much more fair because they would all drop if you hit them with a shell, whereas the 3 Banana Peel provided three shell blockers in a row, along with another Banana Peel/Green Shell to block another one.

I could go into so many more items based reasons why the MK games after 64 pale in comparison to it. Hell, Cloud AIDS in itself is a prime example!

10019

Gaming / Re: The Mario Kart Thread

« on: March 21, 2011, 03:58:41 AM »

There's no snaking in Wii.  That's why we have, and despise, bikes.

Because snaking makes the game SO MUCH FUN.

Bikes rule.

I don't care about the other argument, but I'll just say this:

Snaking wouldn't be a [tornado fang]ing problem if the items were balanced. Bikes would also not be a [tornado fang]ing problem if the items were balanced. It wasn't a problem in MK64, and if it was, you just plain sucked. This is why every Mario Kart after MK64 has progressively gotten worse, because of how poorly the items are balanced. This is why no Mario Kart game will ever be as good as MK64, because they'll never go back to that item system again.

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Forum Games / Re: "What Are You Thinking Now?"

« on: March 19, 2011, 11:54:39 PM »

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHDp9Zw0sAQ&feature=related[/youtube]

OHMYGOD! This is such a fantastic rip of her theme, and the ONLY theme that exists from that show, outside of the opening & ending.

I want a soundtrack for this series soooooooo badly.

10021

Gaming / Re: Your Fondest Splitscreen Memories

« on: March 19, 2011, 10:49:55 PM »

There is ALWAYS screen-watching. Even if you don't notice it, you're subconsciously watching it. That's the delicious factor of splitscreen. =P

I just meant at that precise moment. Otherwise, yeah it's damn near impossible to avoid.

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Gaming / Re: Your Fondest Splitscreen Memories

« on: March 19, 2011, 07:39:31 AM »

My three favorite Split Screen memories all come from Perfect Dark...

1. During one of our many, MANY multiplayer matches, my friend Crazy Dave & I are in the middle of a shoot out between two rooms in the desert level. He comments on how this is a good fight, and I respond in this way:

PB - "Yeah, it's a great fight. But of course, like every great fight we have, it'll be ruined by Lou coming behind one of us and shooting us in the back. HERE, allow me to demonstrate!"

I turn around and just start shooting INSTANTLY as Lou somehow comes around the corner into the room. No screen looking was involved.

2. Another match involving myself, Crazy Dave, and Ninja Lou. This time we were on the level with the elevator & glass floor. As with every match, we had License to Kill mode on (one shot kills). Lou was above me and fired a grenade literally at my feet. My screen went from Orange to Red back to Orange again, and I didn't die. I literally walked right out of the fire. As Lou was struggling to make sense of it all:

PB - "Yeah Lou, I'm gonna have to let you kill me. I have no idea how the [tornado fang] I'm still alive."

This was both a gesture of honor on my part, as well as a reassurance that Lou wouldn't smash his controller.

3. This last one was just between me & Lou. I had left a Dragon gun Proxy Mine on Felicity level (the one from Goldeneye) door between the lab & bathroom. Lou was holding the K7 Avenger, the one with the threat detector, and I was literally watching his screen as he looked DIRECTLY at the point where I put the Proxy Mine, with the threat detector not detecting the threat. So, as he opens the door, KABLOOEY! My response:

PB - *laughing* "I was looking RIGHT at your screen. It DIDN'T detect the threat. That was awesome!"

And there we have it!

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Gaming / Re: The Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Topic (ITS MAHVEL 3 BAYBEE)

« on: March 18, 2011, 08:46:30 AM »

I agree with her selection!

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Gaming / Re: Official Nintendo 3DS Discussion Thread - Specs, Tech, Price? It's all here!

« on: March 18, 2011, 08:20:16 AM »

Debate? Doesn't that require people who don't agree with this sentiment?

Heh, valid point.

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Gaming / Re: The "Open Your Mind" Gaming Challenge!

« on: March 18, 2011, 08:19:39 AM »

Wanna try out Xenosaga, or the MGS series? =P

Actually I have the MGS series, but I haven't had the time to play it yet.