spacepup

Happy birthday @Gamegearguy !  Have a good one!

12 hours ago, ThePhleo said:

...We don't celebrate commie holidays. This is an AMERICAN, CHRISTIAN website gloves. IF THAT EVEN IS YOUR REAL NAME.

I know you're joking, but this is definitely not a Christian website.  Just wanna make that abundantly clear in case anyone gets confused hehe

25 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

Oh I’m in. I hate coming up with the $50 list though, didn’t it used to be just tell the person your interests and they go from there? THINGS WERE JUST BETTER BACK IN THE DAY YOU YOUNGINS DONT EVEN KNOW ANY BETTER

What I do is sorta a mixture.  I don't like just listing specific items for people to buy - so I'll give some information about my general interests, and then maybe toss a few things on there as well.  I like giving the person plenty of options with how they want to shop.

So you can definitely still talk about your broad interests if you'd like.  Just don't make it too vague or difficult, and maybe include some items as well.

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaa woo, I'm in as usual. 

(Reminder to others - posting here isn't enough - gotta send the info/list to Santy also before the deadline!)

Heyo!

I'd definitely like to request my Benny Bookworm, it'd be awesome and much appreciated!

I'd love many of them but it feels sorta selfish to ask for more.  If the original participants don't claim any, then sure I'd be interested in some, but doubt that'll happen!

Thank you again for this awesome event T-Pac!  It is always super fun and everyone loves it!

I didn’t get to carve in time, but if you use your imagination it can be the most spectular pumpkin carving you’ve ever seen!

There's a lot of semantics really, which makes the discussion lean kinda silly at times.

I absolutely think external factors influence enjoyment.

Having said that, I also think that most of the time for me, the software does account for the majority of the enjoyment, and I don't think that's a foolhardy statement, it's just an opinion.  

Trying to argue about some exact percentage seems near impossible and a waste of time for me, as it just depends.  But the majority of my gaming time is spent in a very uninteresting or non-fascinating scenario - by myself, with a basic setup and nothing super fancy.  And I can play two games in a row, in that exact same environment, one of which I don't enjoy at all, and another that I absolutely love.  The only (material) difference in the two being the game I'm playing.

Hey all!  So Super Mario Wonder is coming out tomorrow, and I'm curious who is getting the game and excited to play it!

I pre-ordered it shortly after the announcement.  I thought it looked pretty and wacky and fun, so I have a feeling I'll really enjoy it.  I actually quite liked the New Super Mario Bros series of games, so I have no doubt I'll like this one too.  I really like the color scheme/environments and think it will be interesting.  Also looking forward to playing this with my nephews as I have a feeling they are gonna LOVE it.

I hope others are as excited for it as I'm, it looks fun!

Just now, BlackVega said:

not me

since it brings modern achievements and competition elements to [older games that most people like].

I know not everyone cares about achievements - typically I don't either.  I just meant that it brings modern elements to classic games. 

For people here on VGS, you may be right.  In the broader sense, VGS is actually the small venn diagram of the larger gaming community right now.

Maybe not many *here*, but RetroAchievements is actually wildly popular and active.  Right now, for example, there are over 800 people actively playing games and earning achievements this way (I don't mean their community, I mean literally *right now*).  This has been around for a decade or more and has a very active and dedicated team.

They have a very consistent and active community, and they are adding achievements all the time, with tons of new people joining and requesting new sets for more games. 

This Venn Diagram you refer to is way bigger than you might think.  

I've heard about RA for a while now, but just yesterday joined to try it out after seeing Gloves' post.  I have to say, it was pretty easy to join and get everything setup.  https://retroachievements.org/user/sadikyo

To be honest, I thought there would be more interest here, since it brings modern achievements and competition elements to older games that most people like.  

I don't think it's stupid at all.  In fact, I think it's great that both options are offered.  People who don't wanna deal with physical copies, can get the digital option for cheaper.  And people who want to collect physical, can pay a little more and have that option.  As consumers we have the option to choose which method works best for our own situation.  I'll never understand why people will judge one or the other for their choice in this scenario.

I have a lot of physical games, but I completely understand digital gaming, and there are many advantages to it.  For switch, more of my games are actually from the e-shop, than from physical switch carts.  I still buy the physical carts for my favorite games, but then there is a huge swath of other games that I have no problem buying digitally, and it's nice to have a variety of options to play right on the device.  I'm getting on a plane tomorrow, and I'll have all of those available instantly without needing to bring a bunch of carts.

I love physical collecting as much as the next person, but first and foremost, I love video games.  How people choose to enjoy them, is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong.

Sony has been a lot better than Nintendo regarding allowing use of your digitally purchased games on later consoles.  I have games I bought on PSN many many years ago on older consoles, that I can still play on my PS5.  Nintendo doesn't have the best track record in that area, for example.  

4 minutes ago, RH said:

Again, I'm not in the market, but if I were to be in the next year or so, where is the best place to find one?  Specifically a unit with a disc drive?

When I say relatively easy, I mean easy.  You can get direct from PlayStation, from Amazon, BestBuy, Wal-Mart, GameStop, Target, all sorts of places.  Stock has been plentiful for a while now.  I checked just a few of those and they are in stock online right now.  

It is nothing like it was for the first year.  You shouldn't have any problem buying one.

1 minute ago, RH said:

Are New PS5s easy to come by yet?  I'm not in the market for one, but every time my son and I are near a Best Buy, or we drop into Wal-Mart, we walk through the game section.  Other than the display, I've never seen one on a shelf, but again, I'm not watching inventory like hot cakes.

Do these things still sell like the Wii did for the first year it came out?

It has been relatively easy to get them for a while now.  You can easily get them online right now, or in store in many places.

Maybe these are new ones?  Not sure.  I got the galactic purple one over a year ago, and it looks fantastic!

I can't really give some exact percentage for something like this - that's kinda specific.

As to the topic, what I can say is that it really depends on the type of game.  For example, there are plenty of games where the main focus is on the game itself (for me), and maybe the environment has an impact but it's mostly about the game and enjoying it.

Then there are a whole batch of games, that are certainly fun, but it's more about doing something social.  For example, when we did game nights here at VGS, I didn't really care all that much about what game was chosen - the point was to engage with the community and do something fun.  It was more about community building, relationships, shared enjoyment of gaming, etc.  So for those, the software wasn't all that important to me.

Finally, what I can say, is that the heavy element of nostalgia for certain games is definitely significantly impacted by external factors at the time.  For example, Goldeneye for N64 was a fun game, but what makes it extra nostalgic and memorable for me, is really all the shared gaming I did with my brothers back when we played it.  I'm confident that it is a huge reason why I enjoyed the game so much, and have such positive memories of it.

AI art is both super impressive and super creepy at the same time.

I don't expect Super Mario Wonder to be as timeless and classic as Super Mario 3.

But yes, at this point in life, I've already experienced Super Mario 3 enough times, that I would absolutely give it up in order to play new games like Super Mario Wonder and whatever else comes out in the future.

If others want to just play games they already like, that's cool, their choice.  But yes, I would give up being able to play all my beloved games, for new experiences in the future, if I had to.

I don't expect everyone to agree, but I don't think it's that shocking of a perspective, really.

3 hours ago, AirVillain said:

Wow. What a pickle. 

But... not really a tough decision, just not great to be cornered by a Wizard demanding you make a decision or get your weiner turned into a frog. Scary situation!

CLEARLY the games I've already played. 

These muh-fuckas out here saying they want to "experience something new" and FORGET Super Mario Bros. 3???? The FUQ are we talking about here? 

You going to play an updated version of COD/GTA for the rest of your life? 

Super Mario Bros. 3 is all we got!

I enjoy Mario 3 as much as the next person, but I've also played it dozens of times and I'd rather check out Super Mario Wonder.  Even if it doesn't end up being the better game, I still want to try it out.  Also, there are TONS and tons of new games coming out that aren't just COD/GTA re-makes.  I'm seriously enjoying Sea of Stars right now, which is an indie developed RPG and it's awesome.

Looks like her sprite is riiiiiiight at 32 tall:

Big day today!

Happy birthday @acidjaguar, @dale_coop, and @phart010!

Hope you all have a good one!

3 hours ago, BlackVega said:

Recently I heard someone say that everyone who is vegan is homosexual. Now all of you go connect the dots

I don't know who said that but it's a pretty absurd statement.   Also you say that almost like there is something wrong/bad about being homosexual (there isn't).

I never really played or got much into Pokemon, but I can respect their cuteness, hence the reason for this thread and to do something fun, silly, and happy.

Cubone is pretty adorable.

Heyyyy!  Happy birthday @Murray!!  I hope you have a great day and weekend.  Wishing you the best!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

As much as I love the games I've played before, if I had to pick one, I'd rather have new experiences and enjoy new games, new stories, new characters, etc.  

I love all the old games I've played a bunch, but I love experiencing new things and this was actually an easy choice for me.