Wednesday, October 04, 2017

OK, who's got some Switch game recommendations for me?

Now that I own a Nintendo Switch, and especially now that I've finally unboxed and booted up my snazzy new console, I'm on the lookout for games to play on it.

I've already got Golf Story (look for a blog post full of impressions shortly), and I pre-ordered Super Mario Odyssey right after I bought my Switch. Oh, and I'm also planning to buy Stardew Valley shortly after it's added to the system's eShop.

Other than that, though, I'm pretty clueless as to which Switch games--digital ones, especially--I should consider picking up once I have the funds.

That's not to say I don't have my eye on any Switch titles besides the ones mentioned earlier. A few that have caught my attention to date: Blaster Master ZeroKimikoNamco MuseumSnipperclips and Thimbleweed Park.



Those of you who've played some or all of the just-mentioned games: what do you think of them? And would you recommend them to a Switch noob like myself?

Speaking of recommendations, please point out in the comments section below any other Switch games--digital or otherwise--you think I might enjoy.

UPDATE: a number of people have shared Switch game recommendations with me here as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

The suggestions that have most intrigued me so far: Neo Turf Masters, Slime-san, Super Bomberman R and VOEZ. All of these games are now taking up space on my ever-growing "buy these Switch games as soon as possible" list--along with the titles I mentioned earlier and no-brainers like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Should you have any positive or negative thoughts on them, let me know.

Monday, October 02, 2017

Why, yes, I am still plugging away at Opoona (Wii)

Or at least I was plugging away at it before I became obsessed with the classic Famicom RPG, Mother, and before I got my hands on a Nintendo Switch. (You can read about my experience with the game otherwise known as EarthBound Beginnings in this post, by the way. And you can reach about my recent Switch acquisition here.)

Regardless, during my last Opoona check-in, I crossed the 20-hour threshold.

That may surprise some of you, as I've made no secret of the fact that this ArtePiazza-made RPG has frustrated and annoyed me on a number of occasions since I first booted it up a couple of months ago. In fact, I detailed most of them in a recent blog post, "A few thoughts on Opoona (Wii) now that I've finally played it for a couple of hours."


Despite its shortcomings, I've enjoyed my time with the game overall. Its combination of intriguing battles, a delightful art style and a brilliant soundtrack tend to outweigh its confusing environments and awkward camera angles.

I say "tend to" here because right around the time I hit the 10-hour mark in Opoona, its negative attributes abruptly overtook its positive ones. That's when it dawned on me that I likely got myself stuck due to a bit of miscommunication (which isn't an entirely unusual occurrence while playing this overlooked Wii game, I'm afraid--thanks in large part to its often-iffy localization).


I won't bore you with all of the details, as they'll be little more than gobbledygook to folks who've yet to experience Opoona, but here's the gist: at one point in the game, you're sent to a place called "Blue Desert" to complete a job. (These are kind of like, but not exactly like, fetch quests in other RPGs--although here they sometimes require you to complete mini-games.) Unbeknownst to me, one of that location's many residents helps you unlock additional jobs, although you have to chat him up and do something for him before he'll assist you in that way.

Although I remember talking with him, I don't remember him telling me he'd grant me access to another job. Or maybe he told me, but shortly thereafter I walked away from the game for the night and promptly forgot the conversation. Regardless, I left Blue Desert before taking him up on his offer--which would have been all well and good if weren't for the fact that you're not allowed to return to the area at that point in the story.


As for why leaving Blue Desert before lending the aforementioned guy a hand caused me to get (temporarily) stuck, that would be because you need the job he opens up to advance to one or more other areas of the game's world.

Thankfully, after a lot of stumbling around, just as much awkward Internet sleuthing and somewhere between five and 10 additional hours of gameplay, I got myself unstuck and pushed forward with my sometimes-aggravating Opoona adventure.


In fact, I've since pushed it forward to the point I'm pretty sure I'm nearing its end. For those of you who've played (and finished) Opoona: is that possible?

I honestly hope it is, because although I've enjoyed a fair bit of my Opoona playthrough, I'm not sure I could handle, say, another 10 or 20 hours of annoying camera angles and needlessly confusing text.

Who knows, though; I've certainly put myself through worse over the years. In other words, don't be surprised if I drop yet another blog post in the near or even distant future in which I celebrate the fact that I conquered Opoona and all of its unfortunately irritating components.