Giant Bombcast 492: Plug Into TV

The treasure truck in Seattle is not super impressive.

My future stepson got one of those Genesis flashbacks as a birthday present. They're as bad as advertised here.

One thing I was surprised Peter didn't mention (perhaps because he's using it in an office setting where he is sitting pretty close to the console, or maybe they've actually fixed this): Those wireless controllers are wireless by way of infrared — like the old shitty NES wireless controllers LJN made — and their ability to maintain constant contact with the console's IR blaster is exceptionally poor. As bad as the buttons, emulation and half of the games are, that constant breaking of that IR bond was the killer.

@jesus_phish:

Who's pretending they are copying Nintendo? They're probably getting attention now, because Nintendo put out a decent mini retro console, has another lined up, and possibly a third next year. And AtGames is capitalizing on it. They are totally trying to get this new version out around the SNES mini launch.

@jesus_phish: I'm sure the GB guys have been to a mall, they're aware of the cheapo "plug-and-play" console clones that have been around for a while. However, none of the previous iterations looked like mini versions of a Genesis - they also didn't have any kind of marketing push behind them, they were just things you saw on a mall kiosk. Making the box shaped like a mini Genesis/Mega Drive and putting some advertising behind it is pretty clearly inspired by and capitalizing on the fervor around the NES Mini.

thirded. sweet pete's the best!

Really enjoyed Policenauts, gonna replay I think, forgot about that.

Crazy revelation, Snatcher is basically the Pyre of it's day - mostly graphic novel with some choices and action sprinkled throughout.

No Jeff? See you next Tuesday guys.

This is a Jason-cast

As a PC Gamer I feel I'm represented when Rorie is on the show :)

It was the most gripping piece they've had in a while. Loved his break down.

While I think the mini Nintendo consoles look neat, I personally have no interest in trying to hunt one down or have a dedicated box to play a limited number of retro games (unless you mod it). I'd prefer Nintendo focus on offering these games for purchase on an E-shop store, for a reasonable price, where your purchases carry over between console generations. I bought Super Mario Bros on the Wii and that fact that that purchase won't transfer over to a 3DS or Switch is ridiculous.

Seems like Supergiant loves to have the player place buffs on enemies and debuffs on yourself to give everyone their own difficulty setting.

It's a neat concept, but i always find myself choosing the hardest hurdle because it gives the most rewards. And even doing that, i wasn't able to maximize all the skills in transistor within 1 playthrough.

Man, Peter spent a lot of time revealing way more things about Pyre's story than you're supposed to know. Stuff you don't discover until you're like 8 hours in. Pretty big spoilers. I'd be super bummed if I hadn't already finished the game.

EDIT: And he was wrong about throwing the orb into the Pyre, it has nothing to do with the distance from the Pyre.

@ntm: All good points. I've been playing this too (currently in the second map area) and the more I play it, the more I like it.

To add a bit to what you wrote:

My character creeping forward during attacks bugged me at first, but then I realised I could change direction if I'd moved past an enemy and still keep the attack combo going. I've started to enjoy the combat a lot more since acquiring the double jump and the gun, which give me more options for dealing with the mobs. The enemies that can snipe across screens seemed rather unfair to me until I got the improved mobility and then I understood that these enemies are part of what seems to be the game's intention to encourage constant forward progress.

Finally I'd note that the perk system and ability tree gives you significant options for customising your play style; I've been choosing options (enhanced critical hit chance and damage, and improved shields) that allow me to stay engaged with an enemy for longer and soak up the incoming damage. Apart from an occasional stutter, performance has been good for me on PS4 Pro, but I do wish the initial level loads were faster.

@xenocrat: A little late, but in a thread I made, the last comment I made was about me ending up being really disappointed in the game. I stand by the statements I made in defending the game but still... Yeah, I was really disappointed. You can find the thread if you'd like to add to the discussion. It should be the only thread on the game. Sorry to not go into more detail here, but I'm just kind of done with the game, ha ha. It's cool you seem to be enjoying it though.

@ntm: Thanks for the honest update. I'll definitely read that thread once I'm done with the game.

For the record, I love when Rorie is around.

Kudos to Pete Brown for sticking by one of the most under-appreciated and hated games of all time BY CASUALS.: Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain.

10/10 review like that game deserved, GOTY.