NES Classic Mini

Childhood memories packaged for your convenience!

So growing old and turning 32 means you stop getting presents from your parents meaning you gotta do it yourself so I went on a shopping spree on mini consoles. First out was the Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Mini... or NES Classic Mini for short. When it was announced and released I didn't wanna get it. First the shortage making it impossible to find and then the game, most I've already got on the Wii U, 3DS and several other versions (for example Mega Man anniversary collection on Switch and so on) meaning the games doesn't really sell it for me. What changed my mind? Well, after checking it, 15 of the 30 games I don't actually own in any version. I mean, I'm not that interested in getting Galaga, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, Ninja Gaiden is a game that doesn't speak to me and Star Tropics was kinda weird... and why is Ballon Fight a classic? I'm never gonna buy those alone and the package is nice so why not get it for a bargain?

Secondly, the games I own? How long will the Wii U survive before collapsing? Upgrading every second generation is probably a good one. Thirdly... it's nostalgia. The NES was the very first console my parents bought and that we played. It's just fun with the grey little box, and the controls just feels right in my hands. Also, the controls work with the Wii U/Wii controls by connecting so even better. Although a minus is I had to get a special package with an extra controller, 2 extra extension cords for the controllers and a charger to power the console... which doesn't work and apparently it's common issue with the mini consoles that the most reliable power source being the TV's USB-port. Don't know why. Still, it works as a recharger for my iPod so I don't have to charge it through the computer. Overall the package enhanced the console so I didn't have to sit to close to the TV and also allow 2-player plays... if someone ever would like to play with me. On the other hand always good to have a spare. 

So a fine and fun package. Apparently several have modded the console to get it to put other games on it which feels tempting to get all the games I played as a kid, like the Smurfs, Moon Ranger, Faxanadu and Bionic Commando for example. Games that probably won't get a rerelease either by being unlicensed from the beginning or licensed games that wouldn't be released due to tangled copy rights or just obscure (though Faxanadu I got on Wii virtual console and Bionic Commando have a remake on the PS3 I bought... but the original is still more nostalgic). One thing I found out though was that I can change controller to the Wii Classic Controller which is recommended for at least one player since it has a home-button that allows one to exit the game and go back to the console menu without needing to leave the couch and push the reset button. If I know what I want to play there is no problem, but playing Pac-Man for 10 minutes and then want to switch game to another game for 5-10 minutes can get a bit irritating with the motions. Wish the normal controller had some sort of way to reach it without pushing the button.

Overall, most games (if not all) you can get on the Wii U and some games like Kirby have an enhanced remake on the 3DS which makes it a bit better so is it necessary if you have those? No, not really, maybe for the nostalgia and just to get some controllers might be worth it, or trying out 30 NES classic games to see if some would fit you. Otherwise maybe skip it.

Grandia (Switch)

Time for a rematch in HD!

Been 5 years since I finished Grandia for the first time so with the HD collection for the Switch I got it again and played through the first game again. Didn't take 60 hours but more akin to 50 hours this time and it thankfully wasn't 1 year between starting up and finish it this time. And what I wrote 5 years ago is still as true this time around. Knowing the mechanics of the skills also meant I actually got the water skills (and all the other) up to decent levels that made it rather easy. Especially when I found a acid river that I could deplete the HP of all characters and then just heal to get everyone above level 10. Also knowing what to level up, who was gonna leave and then redistribute the left over levels made it much easier. Also having a page on gamefaqs so I didn't miss the mana eggs made it easier to get the magic to every character fast enough. 

Storywise, still as fun. Really like the optimistic tone, but I still would say Skies of Arcadia is better since Vyse isn't stupid compared to Justin. What I don't like and it's the same problem I wrote about last time and that is that the Garlyle forces ain't that bad. They make excavations to find historical knowledge and they mostly act with the civilians, even though some officers where fond of torture and harassing civilian kids interested in adventure. And then of course they kept the people away from the fact about the end of the world... and also from their civilian sponsors that founded the forces in the first place. Alright, there might be some problems there, but still. And then we have Baal. How did he become the bad guy? Was he infected by Gaia and turned evil? Was he always that way? Why did he marry a humanoid and got a really decent son or was that part of the evil plan? Cause otherwise it's just humans sucks.

Finally, voice acting still terrible. Justin, Feena and Sue is alright, but my god, Mullen really needs to emote better. The ending part of the game with him trying to convey failure to protect Leen or anything else is just laughable. Baal when he hams it up as a villain is rather decent, but also speaks to softly. Also, it wasn't as much speaking dialogue as I thought. Should probably be grateful with what we have. Also, I don't know if it's hardware or the game, but the joycons really acted up. The left one needed to reconnect several times as if it lost signal and often I had to push around the left stick since it seemed to lock up in a direction. As noted, don't know if hardware or something with the game programming. But I have taken some precautions by getting a pro controller so we can see later on. Especially in games like Resident Evil 4-6 with all the action.

Castlevania Season 2 (TV-series)

Showtime

Finally have a Netflix-account so I could watch the second season. Basically the good guys decide to go to Belmonds old mansion to get information from the archives below the mansion that survived people burning it down. There they also finds things like the morning star and so on. And they do that for 5 episodes out of 8. Episode 6 they fight of demons from Dracula's castle that found them in their library, and then the last they bring Castlevania to their location and then the fight begins.

In the meantime we followed the real stars of the seasons and that is Isaac and Hector, Dracula's generals that wage the war for him. Both human forge masters that creates the minions that are part of the army from the corpses of the killed humans. Hector an outcast necromancer that created pets out of dead animals and then killed his parents as they beat him. Issac a slave that killed his tormenter, a holy knight that beat him with a belt which caused him to constantly flail himself. Now, Hector was the protagonist of a PS2 side game Curse of Darkness which I never played, but was interested in playing, but it didn't get that positive reviews at the time. 

So Dracula gives them the control of the army that upsets the other vampire lords, but they are rather ineffectual until Carmilla shows up that have been part in many Castlevania games and begins plotting by ensnaring Hector in a scheme to overthrow Dracula since his plan to eradicate humankind would end badly for the vampires as well. Meanwhile Isaac in his undying loyalty for Dracula kills one of the vampire lords that where also trying to usurp Dracula's throne. Interesting played by Peter Stormare. Carmilla is able to persuade everyone to attack a certain town, but planned to take the castle for herself and as her own troops began entering the good guys forcefully transports the town right to their location. And finally the battle begin.

And what a battle... all to the sound Bloody Tears. It's the only instance the music is from the game, but what a sound, what a scene. And then the battle with Dracula that raged all over the castle, and Dracula that made one act of compassion by throwing Issac through a portal to the desert to spare him from being killed by the heroes. The battle rages onward and ends only when Alucard and Dracula end up in Alucards bedroom from when he was a child and Dracula once again finds his humanity and realise how his hatred pushed his son away, leaving him open for Alucards killing blow. And that just episode 7. Episode 8 is just the aftermath. Isaac killing some slave traders and beginning to build his own army, Carmilla enslaving Hector so that she can create her own army and Trevor and Sylpha leaving the Belmond mansion and Castlevania to guard its secrets while they travel the land to heal it. And it ends with Alucard sitting in the castle crying and seeing visions of his parents from happier time. Love it, and in march the third season hits (which is incidentalley when I write this so it should be around the corner).

Star Ocean: First Departure R (Switch)

Science and Magic

Looking through the e-shop I found this little game when it was released and the design caught my eye so got it and started playing. Apparently a snes game originally, then ported to the PSP and then remade to this game. It opens with an anime sequence of a space ship on patrol encountering an attack on a planet that completely destroys it. So a science-fiction game. And then we meet Roddick, a militia guard together with Millie and Dorne that protects their home from bandits, until one day a strange plauge that turns people into stone. When Millies own father, the healer of the town is himself affected trying to treat the villagers so Dorne, Roddick and Millie climbs a holy mountain to find some herbs. And finds a shining light teleporting down captain Ronyx and science officer Illia. They inform them that the plauge is caused by an unknown power from another planet and that Ronyx decided to interfer with this underdeveloped planet. So they are allowed upon their space ship where they can do some test since Dorne have been infected as well. He can't be cured and after a conference with the enemy of the federation (of course there is a federation) reveals that there is some power behind them that scares even them.

Dorne is returned to his bed as he is turned to stone and Roddick and the others take action by travelling to a gate that take them back in time... sci-fi, fantsy and now time travel. It has everything. So back some 400 years or so to find the demon king that apparently is the one that has the blood that can be used as a vaccine. But first Roddkick and Illia gets separated from the others and have to reunite. On the travels they meet Cyuss, a wandering swordsman that aid them crossing the mountains and turns up to be the son of the Highlands mightiest warrior, Ioshua, a featherfolk (angel like people) that looks to seek revenge on some knight for kidnapping his sister. Mavelle, an amnesiac girl and Pericci, a cat-girl. They go on to reenact the legend Roddick and Millie learnt about the destruction of the demon king and it's pretty much that.

The twist is that the planet that Ronyx and Illia thought was underdeveloped actually houses some very advanced technology. Apparently the ancient kingdom of Mu (on earth where Ronyx and Illia comes from) had an accident that opened an interdimensional portal and they ended up on the planet Roak. The demon king apparently was some genetical enhanced human that was trapped in a portal when the muans (the name of the ancient people of Roak, and incidentely I guess the name of the people of Mu) tried to go home, but instead ended up on a third planet (the planet being the unknown force behind the plauge). They open the gate to hell and finds the demon king, and as they kill him some soldiers teleport in, gets some dna-sample and gets out. Order is restored in the past and the people of the future travels back to their own time and cure Roaks from the stone-infection. Meanwhile the federation have located the planet where the muans ended up. Apparently now run by a genetic engineered dictator that are intent on conquering the universe. So you are allowed to get the warriors from the past and be the strike team.  In and kill. Game over.

Now, much of the plots and twists I actually like. The problem with the game is the gameplay. To often during battle I got cornered and just slaughtered without being able to react to the attack. On the other hand the stun/lock method worked in favour for me as well... but I really wished it was balanced better. It really made the game slog in the end and I don't want to play it again. It's a bit sad since the game in parts want to be replayed since you can have different characters instead of those I had. And it's not that long with akin to 20-30 hours... with the exception of the endgame where I have to grind to something like level 100 and above to finish of the boss. And we shall not talk about the idiotic system in place where you can't go back to Roaks past to finish up side quest like the arena after travelling to the last planet. Apparently worked in SNES version. Stupid game. All this combined really soured the game for me.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Stradh - The Amber Temple

It looks a bit cold.

April Fool's Everybody! But here on Niklas2.0 we value truth more than anything so we gonna go on with the long awaited continuation of the Curse of Strahd story line my sister is embroiled in. Finally prepared to travel across the mountains they set out once more from Valakia. Reaching the Tsalenka Pass without trouble they use the ring they acquired from Madam Eva and uses its one charge to suppress the green flames blocking their path. Reading the info I awoke the gargoyle statues above the gate to attack them. In truth I actually believe that they would only awake if you bypass the gate by climbing above or around it. They needed the EXP anyway so attack them I did. And the first strike actually throws 3 out of 5 people on the ground and would probably ended the game here and now, but one of the them threw a 20 on their saving throw so I could undo that attack. So the gargoyles are hacked to pieces. A paladin is really useful in this world so good on me for picking them.

They then turn their attention to the tower, which Toby opens up by breaking up the door. Inside they walk around finding nothing of important other than a residual power like from a teleportation circle that seems inactive. Although they discuss the fact that it might be setting up way to transport enemies toward them, they still sleep through the night in that room before continuing. As they leave and goes across the bridge the gate was guarding they see a man on a horse, the same horse they saw running across the sky toward them while on Yester Hill. Walking toward them and trying to talk the wind starts blowing and the figure turns to ash and flies away. Rattled they still continue over the bridge and following the mountain road. And they are suddenly attacked by a giant goat that ram Katrina into the ravine, Imiral and Hope jumps away causing both Toby and Cygnus to follow Katrina into the abyss, only surviving by hanging by tooth and nail by the rock. Imiral and Hope kills the goat and throws a rope toward Katrina and then Toby before turning their attention toward the armour clad Cygnus, who now falls even further down the mountain side. They still are able to get him up, but they needed everyone to drag him up. Before leaving Toby skins the corpse of the goat to make some warmer protection against the cold. 

Now with that ordeal behind them they continue and finally reaches the Amber Temple. Being in a bit of creative mode I actually drew the map on some overhead paper and used that so that they could explore the temple in real time. So they entered, slowly looking through every inch of the temple... that they could find. For example in the first hall they discovered holes for guards and arrows that one of them could enter via the shadows. Not wanting to separate the group they didn't leave the rooms alone. They sneaked up on some barbarians using the temple as a shelter, but realising that they probably didn't want to fight an unknown number of barbarians, wolfs and other creatures, they went the other way... running past the fireballs fired from the statue in the middle of the temple. Walking along the western upper floor they find a man hiding in some sort of auditorium, healing his burn wounds  from an attack caused by some flame skulls. They promised to find his master that was killed in the attack and bring back his spell-book. After finishing every room in the upper floor they where forced to return to the barbarians, but since they didn't want to fight more than necessary. Trying to talk to them, they where quickly surrounded and the atmosphere was tense... until Toby showed up in the skin of the goat they fought in the pass. Silence, and the barbarians let them pass. They enter a corridor where the corpse of the dead master lays, surrounded by flame skulls. They dispatch them and picks up the spell-book. Katrina also find his staff which she takes... and unknown to the rest of the party is cursed with lust for power. Which will be fun to play out later in the temple, hehe.

Mostly fighting flame skulls, finding a room with a banquet that turns out to be an illusion caused by a pitcher that taken unleashed an attack from ghosts. The only problem was walking out on a balcony above the great hall of the temple... and they all fell down behind the fire shooting statue. They found a hidden entrance at its back that lead to the statues head, where Hope found an old man standing looking out as he was guarding the temple. Talking to him made her believe that it's just a senile old man that was put on guard and have been here since then. Had they only done a detect good/evil they might have found out that it is actually a fiend called an arcanaloth in disguise. Leaving they fought of some more ghosts, but as they been going for a long time, almost all magic and abilities spent they needed to take some time to rest. Not able to travel back to the top floor since the "old man" would probably blast them with fire they decided to instead crawl up in the statues head and sleep behind him. I can't stop thinking that the arcanaloth standing there and wondering how he ended up with five people sleeping behind him. They ended that session so let's see what happens next time.