The swimming feels kind of off in Mario 35. Makes me dread the water stages.
I don't know if it's a feature or a bug or if I'm just missing something. But at the start of a water level, the swimming is absolutely off. It's much faster, probably the same speed as Mario running on the ground. Like there's no water physics slowing you down. Until you get half way, then the regular Mario water physics kick in and you slow right down and feel like "normal" Mario swimming physics. Given the faster pace the game is (supposed) to be, I initially assumed the faster swimming was normal. But then I don't know why it snaps back after a while.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
I saw a post somewhere of differences in Mario 35, they said Mario runs slower and can high bounce more easily off enemies. I think you could before but the timing was harder.
This also might explain why swimming feels like running speed.
120 shines to go with my 120 stars! Now on to Galaxy.
I don't get the disdain for Sunshine. The moveset feels good, especially in the no-FLUDD levels. And it then feels like god mode when you re-enter them with the hover nozzle. The only big problems are mopping up blue coins after you have found most of them (something like Odyssey's map interface would entirely fix that) and a small handful of isolated shine minigames that are disproportionately hard/unfair, like Pachinko. But those warts don't dominate the overall package and it was a damn relief to be able to actually control the camera after playing 64 again.
How does level selection in M35 work? I’ve been stuck on trying to progress past 3-3 on the selection screen for ages, and even when there’s only two or three players left it still seems to be an endless cycle of 1-X levels.
How does level selection in M35 work? I’ve been stuck on trying to progress past 3-3 on the selection screen for ages, and even when there’s only two or three players left it still seems to be an endless cycle of 1-X levels.
The way it works is, every player chooses one level they have access to. The game stacks these levels end-to-end to make up a queue of 35 levels for everyone to play through, which I assume wraps around back to the beginning. Since most players A) are new to the game, don't know what level selection does and just pick whatever, or C) enjoy easy levels, most levels are going to be 1-1 or 1-2.
I think the level-sorting algorithm tends to start the game with one of the earliest levels it can find, and also tries to alternate levels rather than putting 1-1 back-to-back. So your level "map" might look like 1-1...1-2...1-1...1-3...1-2...1-1...2-3...1-2...1-4, etc.
Warp zones actually skip through this queue. Beating 1-2 normally takes you to the next level in order, but the warp zone skips 3, 2, or 1 levels (in reverse order like the original game).
If you are trying to reach a personal goal of beating your next level in order to unlock later levels, you should ALWAYS take warp zones in the hopes of finding the later level you picked. Take 1-2 if it's available, as far left as possible, so you can get another warp zone pick. If 1-2 is not available go in the leftmost pipe. This way you're cycling through the level queue as quickly as possible.
That warp zone thing is very useful to know. I thought it was just picking 3 random levels. I didn't realise there was an order to it.
Getting to the warp zones and choosing where you go next is great! I have definitely used that to my advantage to try and go into the best levels to add time or coins to my totals, or get into a level that will send a lot of annoying enemies to other people.
Nintendo Console Codes
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HAIL HYDRA
+5
jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
You all are hot on NFS Hot Pursuit and I'm just over here doing the trashy F2P thing with Asphalt 9. Although A9 does do the 4-player local splitscreen multiplayer. Any idea if NFS supports that?
When I was a child, I had a fever... My BoardGameGeek profile
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You all are hot on NFS Hot Pursuit and I'm just over here doing the trashy F2P thing with Asphalt 9. Although A9 does do the 4-player local splitscreen multiplayer. Any idea if NFS supports that?
Not sure, but if it's splitscreen multiplayer you're after, check out Sega Ages Virtua Racing. That sucker does 8-player split. On one Switch.
You all are hot on NFS Hot Pursuit and I'm just over here doing the trashy F2P thing with Asphalt 9. Although A9 does do the 4-player local splitscreen multiplayer. Any idea if NFS supports that?
Nope, multiplayer is online only
Nintendo Console Codes
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
You all are hot on NFS Hot Pursuit and I'm just over here doing the trashy F2P thing with Asphalt 9. Although A9 does do the 4-player local splitscreen multiplayer. Any idea if NFS supports that?
How do you like it? I've been intrigued by it. I heard that it's a pretty exploitive F2P model until you buy some sort of starter pack, and then it's a reasonably good game with just that one purchase?
Mario Kart Live was up on Amazon for a whole 2 minutes and sold out.
+6
Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
Is anyone else still playing Origami King? I'm getting to it kind of late I think. Two streamers left to go (I'm at the great ocean section) and I'm feeling kind of burnt out on the somewhat tedious combat.
This is the first Paper Mario game that has ever really grabbed me, though, with the others (like Colour Splash) I've only ever put a couple of hours into and lost all interest, so it has that going for it at least.
Still very much a 7.5 rating kind of game though, only really saved by the quality and charming quirkyness of the writing. Glad I bought it second hand and not at full price.
I finished the ocean stuff and kind of put it aside. I actually haven't turned my switch on for a while now. Ended up getting Game Pass Ultimate and going through some horror games in the spirit of the season.
0
jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
You all are hot on NFS Hot Pursuit and I'm just over here doing the trashy F2P thing with Asphalt 9. Although A9 does do the 4-player local splitscreen multiplayer. Any idea if NFS supports that?
How do you like it? I've been intrigued by it. I heard that it's a pretty exploitive F2P model until you buy some sort of starter pack, and then it's a reasonably good game with just that one purchase?
Okay, then, quick review of Asphalt 9.
I would absolutely NOT say it's unusually exploitive; to the contrary, I think it's quite generous. I was actually expecting to need to spend a bit of money to get started, but I haven't needed to. I haven't even needed to spend the free premium currency that I've been building up. You have different "classes" of cars, starting with "D", each car has it's own recharge timer, and the higher classes have longer recharge timers. But "D" cars have 6 plays each, with a 2-minute recharge timer, that recharge refills ALL of the plays for that car, and I have 8 cars already, so they are effectively unlimited to use.
But your progression is blocked a few ways. "Event" races have a limited number of tickets that recharge over time, and the "Career chapters" are unlocked by winning races or unlocking cars, and you'll need to keep upgrading your cars to stay competitive. Also, if a chapter needs a "B" car, and you use up the plays, that car takes 30 minutes to recharge. Though once those chapters are unlocked, you can replay them all you want (and give "credit" rewards, which you need for upgrades). And there are a TON of chapters and races, though they are all variants and pieces of 7 large courses, so you'll see the same scenery a lot. There's also a few modes for these races, most being straightforward races against 5 other cars, but also police "getaway" chases, and solitary time trials.
The style of game is pretty consistently arcade-style instead of sim-style, and realistic visuals rather than cartoony. There's a lot of game around managing your "boost" bar, gained by drifting, or doing midair stunts off the numerous ramps. There's also a lot of ways to "takedown" other cars. Crashing will cause you to respawn but lose time. Most races are short, like 30 to 120 seconds. It's easy to learn but tough to master, so my 6, 7, and 8-year-old can play and not be frustrated, but in equally-ranked cars I'm obviously going to beat them soundly. There's even a drive mode that basically drives the car for you, though not very well. I never have it on, but I've heard it can be useful if you're just grinding easy races for the credits.
The game is pretty much online only... with the notable exception of "quick play" and splitscreen multiplayer. Though I did have good success on a car ride, by tethering to my phone.
Multiplayer is a mode, and works well, but you don't have much control over it. You just choose a car and it drops you into a random race map. It's also where, obviously, your success is dependent on how much you've upgraded your cars, so early on you won't be able to make much headway, and, as I've said, the more powerful classes of cars have longer recharge timers. But even if you're in last place, you'll make progress towards your daily multiplayer rewards.
The trap of the game (as with most F2P) is getting obsessed with progression. There will be times when your career progression is blocked because you don't have a particular car, or because the cars you have aren't fast enough. But if you can just focus on daily rewards, daily/weekly event races, upgrading only when you need to, replaying unlocked races (which gives credits), and even a bit of "energy management" (like playing better cars first, then D-class races, then your better cars will have recharged), then there really is a ton of content. And I have kids in my house that like to play it, so every car I unlock is just one more car for them to choose from in local multiplayer. And I can even handicap myself with a weaker car. Overall, it's a pretty big win for me, I certainly think it's worth trying out.
EDIT: Oh, almost forgot about the "club" feature. You can be in a group with other players, which gives decent rewards if the other players play with any regularity. Almost everything you do gives "club rep", so unless you're in a highly competitive club, you can just do your regular daily stuff and it contributes to club rewards.
EDIT2: I was trying to figure out what one-time purchase might be appropriate for this game. Getting a class "A" car can be a bit of a pain, unlocks several event races, and is potentially cheap. Found a $1 "package" in the shop that did just that. As usual, it's good practice to only spend real money if it helps you to regularly get more resources, improving progression in the long term.
jergarmar on
When I was a child, I had a fever... My BoardGameGeek profile
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Wow, very in-depth. It sure sounds pretty decent for being a free game. I liked Asphalt since the first game way back on the DS, and heard later entries weren't bad either. Might have to download it.
EDIT: I'm watching a review from a year ago and it says the recharge times on even the earliest cars are 10 to 15 minutes. I wonder if they reduced the timers at some point to make the game more attractive and easier to get into.
The ramp spinning/trick gameplay reminds me a lot of Excite Truck.
Wow, very in-depth. It sure sounds pretty decent for being a free game. I liked Asphalt since the first game way back on the DS, and heard later entries weren't bad either. Might have to download it.
I have a BIT of tolerance for the F2P genre, and I'm not averse to a one-time purchase if I think the game is good enough. With Asphalt 9, I'm not even sure yet what that purchase would be. There's just so much to do early on. Oh, and for perspective, I have 16 cars, and I'm close to getting my first "A" class car (there's also "S" class beyond that).
For comparison, I've also played Super Kirby Clash, and it was pretty clear early on that in that F2P game, spending ~$3 was about right, unlocking plenty of stuff and making progression easier. I really do think there's a "new generation" of F2P games, that basically function as "pay for what you want", and deemphasize trapping you into paying for effectively the same thing over and over.
When I was a child, I had a fever... My BoardGameGeek profile
Battle.net: TheGerm#1430 (Hearthstone, Destiny 2)
+1
jergarmarhollow man crewgoes pew pew pewRegistered Userregular
EDIT: I'm watching a review from a year ago and it says the recharge times on even the earliest cars are 10 to 15 minutes. I wonder if they reduced the timers at some point to make the game more attractive and easier to get into.
I bet it looks way better on your own Switch/TV. It has to slow everything down based on the timers and stuff so maybe it just doesn't transfer well into video.
Based on the PC version, the animations spoil the experience too badly for me to play it. I'd suggest everyone go watch a video review before impulse buying.
+1
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
Based on the PC version, the animations spoil the experience too badly for me to play it. I'd suggest everyone go watch a video review before impulse buying.
Game isn't out for 8 more weeks though or am I missing something?
Based on the PC version, the animations spoil the experience too badly for me to play it. I'd suggest everyone go watch a video review before impulse buying.
Game isn't out for 8 more weeks though or am I missing something?
It's been out for a while on PC.
Nintendo Console Codes
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
Based on the PC version, the animations spoil the experience too badly for me to play it. I'd suggest everyone go watch a video review before impulse buying.
Game isn't out for 8 more weeks though or am I missing something?
It's been out for a while on PC.
Oh I checked Steam and it says Dec. I keep forgetting about the other stores lol
Posts
The primary reason I watch trailers is to get a rare glimpse of total dorks.
I don't know if it's a feature or a bug or if I'm just missing something. But at the start of a water level, the swimming is absolutely off. It's much faster, probably the same speed as Mario running on the ground. Like there's no water physics slowing you down. Until you get half way, then the regular Mario water physics kick in and you slow right down and feel like "normal" Mario swimming physics. Given the faster pace the game is (supposed) to be, I initially assumed the faster swimming was normal. But then I don't know why it snaps back after a while.
You can see that in action at about 1:50 here.
This also might explain why swimming feels like running speed.
I don't think you can, I also noticed that as well.
I don't get the disdain for Sunshine. The moveset feels good, especially in the no-FLUDD levels. And it then feels like god mode when you re-enter them with the hover nozzle. The only big problems are mopping up blue coins after you have found most of them (something like Odyssey's map interface would entirely fix that) and a small handful of isolated shine minigames that are disproportionately hard/unfair, like Pachinko. But those warts don't dominate the overall package and it was a damn relief to be able to actually control the camera after playing 64 again.
Only running.
I'm going to die.
I saw these maps of the blue coin locations a few days ago and it came fludding back how much of a nightmare they were. Seems like every other one is some sort of mini-achievement, kill this guy, spray this thing. Some coins randomly not available in certain scenarios. What a terrible design decision.
The way it works is, every player chooses one level they have access to. The game stacks these levels end-to-end to make up a queue of 35 levels for everyone to play through, which I assume wraps around back to the beginning. Since most players A) are new to the game,
I think the level-sorting algorithm tends to start the game with one of the earliest levels it can find, and also tries to alternate levels rather than putting 1-1 back-to-back. So your level "map" might look like 1-1...1-2...1-1...1-3...1-2...1-1...2-3...1-2...1-4, etc.
Warp zones actually skip through this queue. Beating 1-2 normally takes you to the next level in order, but the warp zone skips 3, 2, or 1 levels (in reverse order like the original game).
If you are trying to reach a personal goal of beating your next level in order to unlock later levels, you should ALWAYS take warp zones in the hopes of finding the later level you picked. Take 1-2 if it's available, as far left as possible, so you can get another warp zone pick. If 1-2 is not available go in the leftmost pipe. This way you're cycling through the level queue as quickly as possible.
Getting to the warp zones and choosing where you go next is great! I have definitely used that to my advantage to try and go into the best levels to add time or coins to my totals, or get into a level that will send a lot of annoying enemies to other people.
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
My BoardGameGeek profile
Battle.net: TheGerm#1430 (Hearthstone, Destiny 2)
Not sure, but if it's splitscreen multiplayer you're after, check out Sega Ages Virtua Racing. That sucker does 8-player split. On one Switch.
Steam | XBL
Nope, multiplayer is online only
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
PM Me if you add me!
How do you like it? I've been intrigued by it. I heard that it's a pretty exploitive F2P model until you buy some sort of starter pack, and then it's a reasonably good game with just that one purchase?
Mario Kart Live was up on Amazon for a whole 2 minutes and sold out.
This is the first Paper Mario game that has ever really grabbed me, though, with the others (like Colour Splash) I've only ever put a couple of hours into and lost all interest, so it has that going for it at least.
Still very much a 7.5 rating kind of game though, only really saved by the quality and charming quirkyness of the writing. Glad I bought it second hand and not at full price.
Okay, then, quick review of Asphalt 9.
I would absolutely NOT say it's unusually exploitive; to the contrary, I think it's quite generous. I was actually expecting to need to spend a bit of money to get started, but I haven't needed to. I haven't even needed to spend the free premium currency that I've been building up. You have different "classes" of cars, starting with "D", each car has it's own recharge timer, and the higher classes have longer recharge timers. But "D" cars have 6 plays each, with a 2-minute recharge timer, that recharge refills ALL of the plays for that car, and I have 8 cars already, so they are effectively unlimited to use.
But your progression is blocked a few ways. "Event" races have a limited number of tickets that recharge over time, and the "Career chapters" are unlocked by winning races or unlocking cars, and you'll need to keep upgrading your cars to stay competitive. Also, if a chapter needs a "B" car, and you use up the plays, that car takes 30 minutes to recharge. Though once those chapters are unlocked, you can replay them all you want (and give "credit" rewards, which you need for upgrades). And there are a TON of chapters and races, though they are all variants and pieces of 7 large courses, so you'll see the same scenery a lot. There's also a few modes for these races, most being straightforward races against 5 other cars, but also police "getaway" chases, and solitary time trials.
The style of game is pretty consistently arcade-style instead of sim-style, and realistic visuals rather than cartoony. There's a lot of game around managing your "boost" bar, gained by drifting, or doing midair stunts off the numerous ramps. There's also a lot of ways to "takedown" other cars. Crashing will cause you to respawn but lose time. Most races are short, like 30 to 120 seconds. It's easy to learn but tough to master, so my 6, 7, and 8-year-old can play and not be frustrated, but in equally-ranked cars I'm obviously going to beat them soundly. There's even a drive mode that basically drives the car for you, though not very well. I never have it on, but I've heard it can be useful if you're just grinding easy races for the credits.
The game is pretty much online only... with the notable exception of "quick play" and splitscreen multiplayer. Though I did have good success on a car ride, by tethering to my phone.
Multiplayer is a mode, and works well, but you don't have much control over it. You just choose a car and it drops you into a random race map. It's also where, obviously, your success is dependent on how much you've upgraded your cars, so early on you won't be able to make much headway, and, as I've said, the more powerful classes of cars have longer recharge timers. But even if you're in last place, you'll make progress towards your daily multiplayer rewards.
The trap of the game (as with most F2P) is getting obsessed with progression. There will be times when your career progression is blocked because you don't have a particular car, or because the cars you have aren't fast enough. But if you can just focus on daily rewards, daily/weekly event races, upgrading only when you need to, replaying unlocked races (which gives credits), and even a bit of "energy management" (like playing better cars first, then D-class races, then your better cars will have recharged), then there really is a ton of content. And I have kids in my house that like to play it, so every car I unlock is just one more car for them to choose from in local multiplayer. And I can even handicap myself with a weaker car. Overall, it's a pretty big win for me, I certainly think it's worth trying out.
EDIT: Oh, almost forgot about the "club" feature. You can be in a group with other players, which gives decent rewards if the other players play with any regularity. Almost everything you do gives "club rep", so unless you're in a highly competitive club, you can just do your regular daily stuff and it contributes to club rewards.
EDIT2: I was trying to figure out what one-time purchase might be appropriate for this game. Getting a class "A" car can be a bit of a pain, unlocks several event races, and is potentially cheap. Found a $1 "package" in the shop that did just that. As usual, it's good practice to only spend real money if it helps you to regularly get more resources, improving progression in the long term.
My BoardGameGeek profile
Battle.net: TheGerm#1430 (Hearthstone, Destiny 2)
EDIT: I'm watching a review from a year ago and it says the recharge times on even the earliest cars are 10 to 15 minutes. I wonder if they reduced the timers at some point to make the game more attractive and easier to get into.
The ramp spinning/trick gameplay reminds me a lot of Excite Truck.
I have a BIT of tolerance for the F2P genre, and I'm not averse to a one-time purchase if I think the game is good enough. With Asphalt 9, I'm not even sure yet what that purchase would be. There's just so much to do early on. Oh, and for perspective, I have 16 cars, and I'm close to getting my first "A" class car (there's also "S" class beyond that).
For comparison, I've also played Super Kirby Clash, and it was pretty clear early on that in that F2P game, spending ~$3 was about right, unlocking plenty of stuff and making progression easier. I really do think there's a "new generation" of F2P games, that basically function as "pay for what you want", and deemphasize trapping you into paying for effectively the same thing over and over.
My BoardGameGeek profile
Battle.net: TheGerm#1430 (Hearthstone, Destiny 2)
Oh dang, you're right! 6 months ago or so. https://www.reddit.com/r/Asphalt9/comments/fin5he/did_they_dramatically_reduce_the_tank_refill_times/
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Battle.net: TheGerm#1430 (Hearthstone, Destiny 2)
Wow. Fast enough that none of my in-stock alerts got sent out. I am still somewhat hopeful it will be reasonable to find on the actual release day.
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John Wick doesn't look great either.
Feels like an amateur studio trying to punch too high above its weight.
In any case it looks great and it looks unique.
That sure is a Nintendo physical release right there.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Game isn't out for 8 more weeks though or am I missing something?
It's been out for a while on PC.
Switch (JeffConser): SW-3353-5433-5137 Wii U: Skeldare - 3DS: 1848-1663-9345
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Oh I checked Steam and it says Dec. I keep forgetting about the other stores lol