Category: Video Game Musings

So there’s going to be another Ocarina Of Time remake.

I say “another” remake because the game was already remade for the handheld 3DS years ago… but that could easily be seen a more of a substantial upgrade rather than a true remake of the N64 original.

But no, Switch 2 owners have a full-blown remake coming their way. Shut up and take my money? For some people… maybe. For others, though?

Have we really gotten to that point? The point where the biggest thing to look forward to on Nintendo’s newest platform is a remake of a game from thirty years ago. We already got one in the form of StarFox (itself a remake of StarFox 64, which, in turn, is a remake of the SNES original – try and not get my mind blown at that non-revelation) and now it looks like the first 3D Zelda is getting its own fancy remake. And that was the headline main event announcement of that early-June direct. No new experiences. No new games. Just reheated left overs covered up with some fresh white rice to hide all the creekiness.

Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for a proper Zelda 3 to come along. And no, A Link To The Past doesn’t count, despite claims to the contrary.

I hate to rail on Nintendo for this sort of deal and clearly, they’re not the only ones playing into nostalgia – Xbox is reheating their own classics for the next generation (or whatever generation they’re in – who even knows with them these days?) – but this shouldn’t be the thing you use to sell consoles. I can already play Ocarina of Time on my Switch via Nintendo Classics. Hell, I can play Ocarina Of Time on a variety of Nintendo platforms. Do we really need another one? Has that game ruined this series enough?

Oops… I said the quiet part loud, didn’t I?

Well… the dog did all the talking for me. You’ll have to wait a little while longer before I get around to rocking THAT particular boat.

You know something, kids? I’m really anxious of those who own a Nintendo Switch 2… because they have that fancy new Console Archives series from Hamster that lets them buy releases from previous consoles.

Now granted, there are a number of titles in which I either already have the original media for (Ninja Gaiden, MagMax, Seicross) and some I have little interest in (the Koei games… Cool Borders), but there’s a couple intriguing titles in there that kinda, sorta intrigue me. I recall the Monster Rancher cartoon from decades back and never knew it was based on a game, so I’d be curious about that one… even if said curiosity would last about one session before I got bored. But you know… I’m just waiting on that one firm console release that will get me over that hump and sell me on a Switch 2. After all, it was a retro throwback title in Mega Man 9 that convinced me to buy a Wii.

And so Hamster announced their latest addition to the Console Archives line-up: the Legend Of Kage.

On NES.

Yes, even though the Arcade Archives release already has the original arcade game, you can now purchase and play the inferior Famicom release.

Now, granted, Console Archives had home ports of arcade titles that were already featured in Arcade Archives… and honestly, no real reason to be playing those, quite frankly. MagMax and Seicross were fine games that stayed true to the source material, but still lesser versions of those arcade originals from a technical standpoint. Honestly, if you were going to release console conversions of arcade titles, you’d want to go for the games that were significantly different enough to warrant sample plays. Games like Contra, Bionic Commando, and Green Beret/Rush’n’Attack are good examples of this.

The Legend Of Kage, though? That’s just a bad NES port of a less than stellar arcade game.

This would have been fine as a Nintendo Classic addition if nothing else; the kind of game you sample for five minutes before going back to the more noteworthy NES/Famicom releases. Even in this economic climate, I was able to find NES carts of this thing selling for five bucks a pop… in Canadian currency.

Now you want me to pay ten bucks for this thing?

Thanks, Hamster people, for killing any desire I had in buying Switch 2.

Oh well…

A year ago, Nintendo released their newest Switch 2 console. It has more power, more features, and other things… but most of all, it’s just a beefier Switch with a couple extra bits.

I briefly considered making the jump. Even got on the list for one of those pre-order opportunities… but I ended up not getting a Switch 2. Because when I really thought about it, did I need a Switch 2?

Most of the games I play typically fall under two categories; either those of simple fare or throwbacks to earlier eras. I spend more time on Nintendo Classics, Arcade Archives, and whatever compilations I’ve got available than I do any of the heavy hitters. When was the last big Switch title I played? The HD2D remakes of the three Dragon Quest Erdrick games. Before that? A few swings of Breath Of The Wild. I have a copy of Tears Of The kingdom that I still haven’t touched. Maybe I should before the servers go down.

A year later, I still have no real inclination to pick up a Switch 2, despite the threat of looming price hikes in a couple months time. Granted, there’s more stuff to look forward to on that front. I’m almost keenly interested in the newest StarFox restart and Console Archives is appealing even if the game selection has been somewhat uninspired. But the simple truth is that I’m more than content with my Switch 1. There’s stuff on there I still have to play through. I’d very much like to get that done before moving on to another console.

Oh, lookie. They’re remaking another game that I already have on Nintendo 64… and can play on Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Classics. Pass.

Also, I just bought a new laptop last year and as you can imagine, money is tight these days. I haven’t been buying as many games as I would like. That’s going towards more essential needs like food, bills, gas, and other things that now cost more because… well, you know.

Also (yes, again), nothing on the horizon to look forward to. Atari seems to have given up on making new carts for their legacy systems and the used game market has failed to catch my eye, either with anything that I might be keenly interesting in adding to the pile or in terms of pricing; the latter playing a key role in how I approach new additions to the somewhat bloated game collection.

I don’t know… if things stay as they are on that front, I might consider do a new series of videos on the game collection. Maybe even start doing some clean-up on odds and ends.

Who knows? New content for the channel nobody is going to care about, but that’s par for the course, ain’t it?

Source: https://www.engadget.com/2163171/gamestop-is-reportedly-preparing-an-offer-to-buy-ebay/

Isn’t GameStop a struggling company in debt? Does that mean I can possibly buy eBay with a good offer? I’ve got twenty American dollars, a couple rolls of premium 3-ply toilet paper, and a bar of soap. Think they’ll take that offer?