Nintendo Online Service and SNES Online Jubilation Thread

Game Freak’s Pulseman appeared on the Mega Drive NSO app yesterday, which was a very nice surprise. The Mega Drive must surely be the best console ever for platformers, and Pulseman is every bit as colourful as Ristar, every bit as speedy as Sonic and every bit as batshit crazy as Dynamite Headdy. It’s a cracking game - anybody Game Freak-curious going to try it out?

I'll second that, a proper hidden gem from the Mega Drive that doesn't get enough attention. Flicky is dreadful and frustrating yet addictive at the same time if I remember correctly.

Oh, nice, I was just recently wanting to play Pulseman! If it had been slightly earlier, like before my Rotom podcast, that would've been great . . .

Trying not to just do the "I agree." post, but:

I'm liking the sound of this PulseMan fella (although slightly disappointed it's not a lentil-based superhero) and am looking forward to trying that

And Flicky is crap. They should've made a MegaDrive version of Pengo instead (the arcade game that is, that's not a new nickname for our Chris).

But why that version of Street Fighter II? The MegaDrive Championship Edition? How weird.

Jimbob wrote:

And Flicky is crap. They should've made a MegaDrive version of Pengo instead (the arcade game that is, that's not a new nickname for our Chris).

But why that version of Street Fighter II? The MegaDrive Championship Edition? How weird.

I think Flicky is all right. It definitely had that waft of crapness about it when there was ten copies of that weird Classics Collection (of Flicky, Alex Kidd, Altered Beast and Gunstar Heroes of all things) sat dusty on the shelf at Currys in 1998, but I think it’s a good fit for subscription services like this as well as on the many compilations it’s appeared on.

I’m happy enough that Special Champion Edition was added, it’s not the superior 16-bit version of course but it’s still perfectly playable Street Fighter II. I’m hoping that with Strider, Mega Man: The Wily Wars and Street Fighter II being on here that it leads the way for other Capcom games to come, such as Mercs, Forgotten Worlds and especially Ghouls ‘n Ghosts.

I'm not sure why Capcom seem to be half-in with the SNES games though. Two Breath of Fire games are there on the SNES app alongside Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts and Demon's Crest, but there's no Street Fighter II variants, or any Mega Mans, or any Final Fights.

I’m very happy to see Kirby Tilt ‘n Tumble appear on the Game Boy app. It didn’t come out in Europe for whatever reason and for ages it was the only Kirby game that I’d never played. I’d imported it cheaply a couple of years ago but it was just about unplayable on the Game Boy Colour’s non-backlit screen and just about unplayable on a GBA with it’s mad reversed controls. Both of those issues are solved on Switch, and it should have the makings of being an excellent way to play (what I hear is) an excellent game.

Blaster Master got slagged by a few of us here a while ago, didn’t it? I thought it was overhyped when I got round to it on Virtual Console, feeling it was straight from the same 'actually wank and daft Americans are talking shite' bracket as the likes of Mega Man II and Ninja Gaiden from the NES. I’ll give it a chance, but right now I’m wondering what a 2000 Game Boy port of a NES game from 1988 can offer an online service in 2023...

“Mystery Tower”, supposedly.

I’ve tried getting into Harvest Moon so many times, and while I liked it the first time on Game Boy I’ve never meaningfully connected with it again. My plans to play through whatever new Harvest Moon game was on GameCube, DS, 3DS and Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles have just fallen apart. I think I’d prefer to watch actual crops grow.

Any thoughts of these four?

Definitely going to give Kirby a wee spin & if it's anything like how Warioware twisted used it's gyroscope cartridge it should be a fun time.

Absolutely having a crack at Tilt & Tumble when I finish TotK some time next decade.

I've come close to buying an actual TnT cartridge a couple times, but very up for playing a Switch version instead.

Every now and then i get a hankering to play a Harvest Moon, so having one I can load up to get that out of my system will do nicely.

ALSO: I did play a big chunk of Pulseman. It's pretty good, though I was very bad at it. Kinda clunky in 2023, but clearly high quality. And features some nice things for a Pokémon fan to spot.

One that excited Andy, Jay and Myself. Japan is also getting Binding Blade at the same time.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

Blaster Master got slagged by a few of us here a while ago, didn’t it?

Yeah. I think it was when I ran out of lives and realised I'd have to "git gud" or savestate the hell out of it, which ain't the way to play a classic.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I thought it was overhyped when I got round to it on Virtual Console,

Exactly!

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

feeling it was straight from the same 'actually wank and daft Americans are talking shite' bracket

Ha! We have been inheriting a lot of their nostalgia it seems. Yep, on board with this.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

as the likes of Mega Man II

*coffee spit take gif* OK that's enough out of the Cappuccino Kid for now I think.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I’ve tried getting into Harvest Moon so many times,

My favourite bit of Harvest Moon on the SNES is where some of the music instrument samples sound slightly off key
Stardew Valley is designed to have secret bits, but the original Harvest Moon seems far too difficult to find anything. Same deal It's a Wonderful Life actually - I was talking with a buddy yesterday, and all he remembers is not dong any farming because his character was constantly dying of hunger.

masofdas wrote:

One that excited Andy, Jay and Myself. Japan is also getting Binding Blade at the same time.

Oh boy, I'm getting one for free. I guess it's finally time for me to try a Fire Emblem.

Maybe they'll be out tomorrow now that I'm going to say this but where the fuck are 1080 snowboarding & Excitebike 64?

Jimbob wrote:

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

as the likes of Mega Man II

*coffee spit take gif* OK that's enough out of the Cappuccino Kid for now I think.

Mega Man II is the most overrated game of all time. At it’s very best it’s a plain 7/10.

The_Jaster wrote:

Maybe they'll be out tomorrow now that I'm going to say this but where the fuck are 1080 snowboarding & Excitebike 64?

I just checked: it’s been over nine months since the Nintendo Direct where they announced that 1080 Snowboarding and Excitebike 64 were coming to the Switch Online Expansion Pack. Apollo 11 got to the Moon and back in eight days!

FIRE EMBLEM!

Jimbob wrote:

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

as the likes of Mega Man II

*coffee spit take gif* OK that's enough out of the Cappuccino Kid for now I think..

Caffeine overdose.

Yep, that's the post.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

it’s been over nine months since the Nintendo Direct where they announced that 1080 Snowboarding and Excitebike 64 were coming to the Switch Online Expansion Pack. Apollo 11 got to the Moon and back in eight days!

Yes, but famously the computers on the Apollo capsules were far less powerful than an N64.

The_Jaster wrote:

Maybe they'll be out tomorrow now that I'm going to say this but where the fuck are 1080 snowboarding & Excitebike 64?

Don't forget Pokemon Stadium 2 which definitely shouldn't have been added at the same time as the first game.

Fire Emblem time!

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

I thought it was overhyped when I got round to it on Virtual Console, feeling it was straight from the same 'actually wank and daft Americans are talking shite' bracket as the likes of Mega Man II and Ninja Gaiden from the NES.

Ninja Gaiden is a cracker and whilst Mega Man III is better than its predecessor in my humble opinion, II is still a banger.

MMII is pretty decent, if I was doing a Top NES games list it be on it

Yes it is FE time after hanging out with Clive

Couple of all-timers in here:



Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Revenge of Shinobi will absolutely get another playthrough, they’re two of the best games on system. I’m not very familiar with Crusader of Centy or Landstalker, but you see the former crop up on these ‘Genesis Hidden Gems’ lists that Americans post on YouTube. I think it’s supposed to be a very valuable Link To The Past-alike. I'll certainly give it a go.

Yeah Soleil is a good LttP clone

Goddammit why did the name change between Crusader of Centy and Soleil? I did 30 seconds of research and couldn't find out, so I assume no-one in the world knows. But I agree, albeit it's a blatant "homage" to Link to the Past, it also seems to have imitated being fun. If I wasn't already playing a Zelda game, I'd be on this sharpish I reckon.

Sega of Japan and Nextech named the game RAGNACENTY, but Sega of Europe decided to name the European version of the game after the name of the main town in the game.

Atlus (who published in North American) decided to go with something close to the original name (RagnaCENTY) but wanted something that would appeal to North Americans, so they somehow came up with Crusader of Centy.

Hurrah for someone prepared to do more than 30 seconds of research!

If you go back to my last post in the Gaming Predictions Thread then you’ll clearly note that I forecast the Switch Online release of Downtown Nekketsu March Super-Awesome Field Day! on September 6th 2023.

Vague memories of playing Kirby Star Stacker on the Game Boy. Vague memories of seeing Quest for Camelot in N64 Magazine and thinking ‘Christ, that looks boring’. Vague memories Mecha Joy Fight’s purple spinning guy being an assist trophy in Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Seeya next time folks.