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PartridgeSenpai
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by PartridgeSenpai Tue Aug 17, 2021 4:57 am

Congrats on that second boss of Luigi's Mansion, Note!

I finished my replay of Pikmin 2 a few days back and then went straight on to a replay (for the first time in a looong time) Wind Waker, which I just beat just in time for the end of my summer vacation~. GameCube month has been tons of fun so far, and I'm hoping to fit in at least one more game before it's over. Metroid Prime is a game I've been meaning to play for aaages, and I'm finally gonna get to it soon~ ^w^
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by Note Sat Aug 21, 2021 12:50 am

PartridgeSenpai wrote:Congrats on that second boss of Luigi's Mansion, Note!

I finished my replay of Pikmin 2 a few days back and then went straight on to a replay (for the first time in a looong time) Wind Waker, which I just beat just in time for the end of my summer vacation~. GameCube month has been tons of fun so far, and I'm hoping to fit in at least one more game before it's over. Metroid Prime is a game I've been meaning to play for aaages, and I'm finally gonna get to it soon~ ^w^


Thanks Pidge! How long did it take you to finish Pikmin 2? I've been curious about the Pikmin series but never dived in. Glad to hear you're having fun with this month's TR!

I got a bit further into the third area of Luigi's Mansion. I received a key from one of the ghosts in the third level bathroom, which had to be stunned with the ice element. Taking a break for tonight though, as it's getting late here.

I think once I finish Luigi's Mansion I might hop into some Star Wars: Rogue Leader. Have been in the mood to revisit that.

How's everyone else's Gamecube gaming this month?
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by PartridgeSenpai Tue Aug 24, 2021 2:51 am

It took me about 20 hours to 100% the story mode of Pikmin 2 (to hell with those miserable challenge levels XD), but granted it's a game I've beaten 100% at least two times before, one of which was only a few years ago, so it's all pretty fresh in my memory ^^;

Just yesterday I beat Metroid Prime! I'd only barely dipped my toe into the first game many years ago, and I wanted to finally try and beat it, and 12 and a bit hours later, now I have! The review likely won't be for a while, knowing how quickly I get to these things nowadays, but I really enjoyed it~. It's got some pacing and level design issues in regards to how it handles its recursive gameplay formula, but it's overall still a really fun game and a super remarkable achievement given how troubled a development cycle it had.

I'm gonna try and finish Bomberman Jetters before the month is over, as that's basically the last GameCube game I have that I both haven't beaten before and have a chance of actually finishing (I've just accepted I will never actually finish Doshin the Giant ^^;)
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by PartridgeSenpai Thu Aug 26, 2021 6:49 am

I finished Bomberman Jetters last night! It's a really painfully mediocre game ^^;. Even compared to its N64 predecessors (Baku Bomberman 1 and 2, aka the Bomberman 64 in English), it's a fair step down from that. Apparently Bomberman Generations (released a mere 6 months beforehand) reviewed a lot better though. Whether that's simply because, while they're so similar, Jetters was an unwelcome retread so soon after the first one, or if that game is that much better, who knows. I'll get that game someday, but for now, I'm calling GameCube TR month a roaring success for Pidge ^w^

Thanks for the awesome category, Note! ^w^
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by MrPopo Sat Aug 28, 2021 3:29 pm

Finally finished Baten Kaitos. I have deep thoughts in the games beaten thread, but overall I found it very hard to keep playing it because of so many design decisions that grated. I ended up picking up other games as a break because I couldn't just marathon it like I like to.
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by Note Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:04 pm

MrPopo wrote:Finally finished Baten Kaitos. I have deep thoughts in the games beaten thread, but overall I found it very hard to keep playing it because of so many design decisions that grated. I ended up picking up other games as a break because I couldn't just marathon it like I like to.


Appreciate your in-depth review on Baten Kaitos. I'm not a fan of video games with card battle systems so I've always stayed away from this one and your review confirms some of the traits that would bother me. Glad that you stuck it out though and finished the game.

I've taken a break from Luigi's Mansion and revisited Star Wars: Rogue Leader today. I loved Rogue Squadron on the N64 but never gave Rogue Leader as much time as it deserved, so it's nice to revisit the game and try to get further than I did when it originally released. I'm currently up to Mission 4: Prisons of Maw and really enjoying it so far. It's a bit on the tough side IMO, as I had to replay most of the missions a few times before learning exactly where I should be and what I should go after to properly complete each mission.

I've had an itch to dive into a Star Wars game recently, so this is definitely satisfying that.
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by MrPopo Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:10 pm

Note wrote:
MrPopo wrote:Finally finished Baten Kaitos. I have deep thoughts in the games beaten thread, but overall I found it very hard to keep playing it because of so many design decisions that grated. I ended up picking up other games as a break because I couldn't just marathon it like I like to.


Appreciate your in-depth review on Baten Kaitos. I'm not a fan of video games with card battle systems so I've always stayed away from this one and your review confirms some of the traits that would bother me. Glad that you stuck it out though and finished the game.

It takes everything that you probably dislike about card battle systems and adds in several components designed to make it even less fun. I didn't even mention the part where the best piece of gear in the game for each character (best stats + ribbon, and holy shit you want that ribbon) makes you permanently confused, which means the numbers on the cards all spin around the edge.
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by BoneSnapDeez Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:12 pm

Note wrote:
MrPopo wrote:Finally finished Baten Kaitos. I have deep thoughts in the games beaten thread, but overall I found it very hard to keep playing it because of so many design decisions that grated. I ended up picking up other games as a break because I couldn't just marathon it like I like to.


Appreciate your in-depth review on Baten Kaitos. I'm not a fan of video games with card battle systems so I've always stayed away from this one and your review confirms some of the traits that would bother me. Glad that you stuck it out though and finished the game.


Have you played PSO Ep III???

I dunno if I've ever seen Popo dislike an RPG.
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by MrPopo Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:18 pm

RPGs hit me on two axes; an engaging story can pull me in and keep me going, while interesting mechanics also serve as a hook for me. Most games are strong on at least one axis, and doing so will make up for the other axis being weak. Mechanics get bonus points when I can do things like exploit them for fun and profit. Baten Kaitos does poorly on both; the combat mechanics are luck based and don't really have a mechanism for you to weigh things in your favor (e.g. being able to use a small deck and have to shuffle more, but now you can always hit N of a kind because you curated the numbers) and meanwhile the story is generic and the characters not very likable. The story's presentation compares unfavorably with what Square was putting out on the SNES.
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Re: Together Retro August 2021 - Twenty Years of the Gamecub

by Note Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:36 pm

MrPopo wrote:It takes everything that you probably dislike about card battle systems and adds in several components designed to make it even less fun. I didn't even mention the part where the best piece of gear in the game for each character (best stats + ribbon, and holy shit you want that ribbon) makes you permanently confused, which means the numbers on the cards all spin around the edge.


Ugh, that's rough about the best equipment making the character confused, and also items evolving into other items that turn out to be negative for your party. It's too bad, because the graphics and art style look quite nice, but just from your review and other info I've read about the game, I don't see it being an enjoyable experience for me.

BoneSnapDeez wrote:Have you played PSO Ep III???

I dunno if I've ever seen Popo dislike an RPG.


I never played PSO Episode III on GC actually. When I learned they changed it to a card battle system, I also avoided it. Just knowing they totally changed the battle system was a huge disappointment to me, as I was such a big fan of PSO.

Any thoughts on Ep III? I'm curious since I know you're also a fan of the original game.
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