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Andrew Rich (36 KP) rated Nintendo Wii in Tech

Jun 20, 2019

Nintendo Wii

Games Consoles > Games Consoles

7.9

(26 Ratings)

Tech Rating

Homebrew options including emulation (4 more)

Back compatibility

Good 3rd party hardware support

Intuitive user interface

Huge enthusiast base for support

No true HD output (1 more)

Fully deprecated by Nintendo as of January 2019

Better with age

Almost 13 years ago, Nintendo gave us the Wii, and if the enthusiast community is any measure, the Wii is still going strong. Even at its release, it wasn't the most powerful console - it wouldn't even do HD - and never had the game selection of the PS3 or XBox360, but it managed to chug along.

The motion controls are either fantastic - as in Wii Sports, Mario Kart and Skyward Sword, or just felt gimmicky, and even terrible - as in Mario Party 9, Ninjabread Man, and Chicken Shoot, and some didn't even use them, like my personal favorite @Muramasa: The Demon Blade. But the fact remains that it was, and is, still a good system.

These days, the original release games either look incredibly dated, or were designed around the system's limitations, and still manage to look good, but we're not seeing anymore new releases (except, of course, for Just Dance 2020. Thanks UbiSoft! ) so why is the Wii still good?

Well, between being back compatible to the GameCube, the Wii is also an absolute beast when it comes to emulating classic systems, from the Atari 2600 up to the original PlayStation. Add the Wii Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro, and you've got a one-stop shop for every Nintendo Console - including handhelds - from the NES up to the Wii, as well as systems from Atari, Coleco, NEC, Sega, and Sony. It turns out the Wii is a great option for those of us who want to play the old classics, but aren't collectors; and might want games not on the NES, SNES, or PS classic mini consoles.

All this time later, that little box of tricks is still proving its use!

Kudos

LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! in Video Games

Nov 7, 2019

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!

2018 | Action, Action/Adventure, Fighting

8.2

(35 Ratings)

Video Game Rating

I, like many people my age, spent a good chunk of their childhood playing through Pokémon Blue and Red on the Nintendo Game Boy, and then not long after, Pokémon Yellow.
These games took the world by storm and it was easy to see the way. An top down adventure game, with light RPG elements, and the satisfaction of collecting different creatures, whilst the games tag line urged you to 'catch 'em all', it was a set of games that were enjoyed by adults and children alike.

All these years later, Pokémon Yellow has been given a new lick of paint, and re released as Let's Go Pikachu (or Eevee if you prefer).
It's the same in nearly everyway, just with modern graphics, and it's just great.
Firstly, seeing all of these beloved characters in full shiny 3D graphics is pretty special.
The game retains all of the simple camera angles and vibrant colour palette, and it really works.
The game mechanics are identical as well. It's a simple game to get used to, and one that takes a lot longer to master.
The music is also given update, but all the classic score is intact. This 'if it ain't broke' approach that has been applied works wonders, much like the recent Crash Bandicoot and Spyro re releases.

The Nintendo Switch format allows the player to dock the console, meaning that you can play Let's Go through a TV and turns the controller into a Wii style remote, enabling you to 'throw' Pokéballs if that's your style, or you can opt for a classic handheld approach.
Another feature allows you to import Pokémon from the Pokémon Go app, which is a nice touch

With games like Breath of the Wild showing off just what the Switch can do in terms of huge beautiful looking maps, im longing for a proper open world Pokémon game at some point, but Let's Go is a nostalgia filled and fun stop gap that will steal hours and hours of your time.

Kudos

ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Fallout in Books

Dec 19, 2019

The Fallout

Rebecca Thornton | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller

9.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

The Fallout is a thriller that looks at whether it is ever acceptable to keep secrets from, and lie to, your friends. I think you can probably guess the answer to that one before you even open the front page, but there are those who would do just that.

Sarah and Liza are best friends. Their eldest children are the same age, at the same London school, and they met at NCT classes before they had the babies. They both go to a local gym together, and their children go to classes and play there whilst their mothers chat and socialise. Liza has a small baby as well, and is very tired. So she asks Sarah if she’ll check on her older son, Jack, as he’s playing outside and out of sight. However, Sarah is distracted by the appearance of one of the NCT mums that they haven’t seen in a while. And she forgets. Jack has an accident. He falls from a high post and is seriously injured. Sarah then starts the lie that she can’t seem to get herself out of: that she saw Jack playing, and that he was nowhere near the post.

I have to admit that this was a supremely frustrating book. The other school mums and their WhatsApp group would have had me reaching for the ‘Leave Group’ button. Social media isn’t put in a very good light, and accurately portrays the ‘keyboard warriors’ that always come out of the woodwork when something bad happens.

I enjoyed this, whilst at the same time wanting to throw my iPad at the wall. I wanted to tell these women to find something better to do with their time! Gossip and rumour are rife. It’s a great look at human nature and it held my attention throughout - I was desperate to know what was going to happen each day in my Pigeonhole instalment.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, HarperCollins and the author, Rebecca Thornton for reading along. It was a great experience!