Looks like Nintendo is partnering up with Universal Studios to bring a themed Mario experience to park goers. As a Harry Potter fan we made our way to Universal Orlando to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I thought that stuff was incredible. That said, much of the other attractions weren't entirely to my liking and if Universal added Nintendo rides I think that could really make for a more fun park experience. I do wonder how general audiences would do with Nintendo themed rides?
Would you make a trip to Universal Studios to check out a Nintendo themed experience? Does a Mario or Zelda ride interest you?
I've not been to Universal Studios Hollywood since I was a kid, but next time I head down to Disneyland, if the Nintendo experience is ready, I would very likely check it out. That sounds really cool.
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File this Hearthstone Murloc Yule log video under "things that absolutely needed to happen." We've all seen the fireplace videos on Netflix and YouTube but what if they contained Murloc and the Murlocs sang holiday classic such as "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," "Away In a Manger" and "Deck The Halls." "But wait" you ask, is that all there is, just Murlocs sining around a fire, perhaps there's more?" Well yes Timmy there is more as the Murloc occasionally leave things in front of the fireplace. I don't want to spoil the entirety of the 53 minute video but they also drop off items in front of the hearth like cookies and swords.
But don't take my word for it Timmy, watch the holiday miracle above.
Cheerful Ghost had a booth at this years Portland Retro Game Expo and as part of that ran several NES Tournaments. It's a fun thing people enjoy and as we were winding down our first tournament and setting up for our second my NES died. Having your Nintendo die at a retro gaming convention isn't the worst timing I suppose but I wasn't sure if I should buy a replacement NES or get it repaired. I wanted to get it repaired but I didn't have time to track down some repair person at the expo so I decided to try something different. That day I had seen Hyperkin's RetroN 3 for sale and I was interested in trying it out in our tournament. The RetroN 3 plays NES, Genesis and Super Nintendo games and you can use the included Hyperkin controllers or use your own. After I bought it from a vendor I plugged it in and it worked like a charm.
After owning it for a month now I can finally say that it is a really great system. It's not a perfect choice for everyone but if you are looking for a good way to play old NES, SNES or Genesis games this is a great option.
What The RetroN 3 Gets Right
The RetroN 3 perfectly recreates the gameplay and feel of the original NES, SNES and Genesis. So far I've been able to play every game i've thrown at it and the games themselves feel great on it. You can plug in one Nintendo, Super Nintendo and Genesis game into the top of the RetroN 3 at one time making it nice to switch around from Mortal Kombat on Genesis back to Dr Mario on the Nintendo.
The RetroN 3 came packed well in the box and I didn't find it hard to unbox and setup. Sometimes packaging and setup can be frustrating, but it was really easy to understand. I had to lookup how to pair the wireless controllers to the system but after that was done everything else was a breeze.
Customer Support through Hyperkin is also amazing. My system shipped not able to recognize my original Super Nintendo controllers so I contacted Hyperkin and they quickly allowed me to return my RetroN 3 and took care of shipping. The whole process was seamless and I got my replacement system back in a week or so. It's often hit or miss when dealing with returning things back to the manufacturer so it's nice Hyperkin was so great to work with.
Things I don't Love About The RetroN 3
The included RetroN 3 controllers seems built for the Sega Genesis. As someone that only has two Genesis games and a ton of Super Nintendo games this was disappointing. The Genesis style controllers work well for Nintendo games but completely fall down on the Super Nintendo. The lack of shoulder buttons make playing SNES games on the included controllers a chore. So much so that I'd recommend using your original Super Nintendo controllers with the system. That all said the included wireless controllers are fine and work well on Nintendo and Genesis games I just seriously wouldn't recommend them for Super Nintendo play, which is too bad.
Things You Should Keep In Mind About The RetroN 3
The RetroN 3 only supports RCA analog video & S-video. If you are looking for a system that will output to HDMI I suggest you check out the RetroN 5. The RetroN 3 is a good system for older CRT TV's but nothing i'd recommend using with your zillion inch HD TV set.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/30/2016 at 05:44am
Wow, I heard you were going to post a review during the last Roundtable, but I wasn't expecting it so soon. I'm glad you really like it. From what I read, it seems like some games don't work as well on it. As for the controller, I sadly never owned a Genesis and finding a 6-button controller, I think, is difficult. Luckily, I do have NES and SNES controllers. I did buy a mini-Genesis years ago and the controllers look a lot like the RetronN 3's, except black.
I think hunting down some classic games and having this system would be awesome! That kind of stinks that there's no HDMI output. I think I have an S-Video cable somewhere around here.
I've only played NES games on it, but I agree that it worked fantastically for that! I really appreciate that you can use original controllers with it.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 11/30/2016 at 06:50pm
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 11/30/2016 at 09:07pm
The 5 is all software emulation. I am definitely interested in it. But I hear the NES port feels like it is going to break your games.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/30/2016 at 09:25pm
> But I hear the NES port feels like it is going to break your games.
Ah right, that's something I forgot to put in my review. The connects are REALLY tight. It does feel like they are going to harm your games but don't seem to? I have serious reservations though so I don't really take them in and out very much.
As the holidays continue onward to years end The Cheerful Ghost Roundtable remains steady! Continuing our legacy of talking about what we are watching and what we've been playing we start things off talking about Arrival, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Rocket League, Destiny, MST3K Turkey Day, Stranger Things & Mortal Kombat.
Because main discussion bullet lists are a thing people love:
Holiday Gaming Recommendations and Pickups. What games do we recommend you check out over the holidays? Only that guy in Zelda knows for sure as well as the people that watched this episode!
No Man's Sky Foundation Update Does Hello Games latest update meet expectations or is it something else? Spoiler alert, it's pretty darn good.
Is $10 Too Much For A Mobile Game? Some have said Super Mario Run is too expensive for $10. Is it? We will answer this question for the entire Internet in a couple minutes.
Star Wars Rouge One: The next episode of the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable will feature discussion and our review of Star Wars Rogue One. We talk about what our expectations are of the film and give it our "pre rating" for how good we think the movie will be.
Let us know in the comments what you picked up over the holidays and what your expectations and pre-rating for Star Wars Rogue One is!
I was actually watching Arrival whilst you were recording this :) SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. SEE IT.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 11/29/2016 at 07:58pm
Awesome show! Some thoughts below:
Fantastic Beasts being dark does not surprise me. It is Warner Bros and they seem to want to be a dark Disney.
I wouldn't consider Pitfall an endless runner since you could control your forward momentum. To me an endless runner has no forward momentum control, you just are always moving forward (unless you die).
If you want to check out an awesome endless runner, check out RunGunJumpGun. It first came out on the PC, but now is on mobile devices. It has level design and a story: http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/rungunjumpgun
As for Rogue One, I am hoping for a 7 out of 10, but I don't think it will be that. I think if you just look at what happened behind the scenes for the composer, (http://www.avclub.com/article/michael-giacchino-describes-writing-rogue-one-scor-246439) you can see that the reshoots were more extensive than planned. It will open huge, but it will probably have a big drop off come the second weekend. I sure hope I am wrong here though.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/30/2016 at 05:08am
> As for Rogue One, I am hoping for a 7 out of 10, but I don't think it will be that.
I think it's a safe 7. I mean, I could live with it being a 7 and I think it's a safe bet it will be at least that good right?
I'm not sure that having Giacchino come in and score it in four weeks means that the reshoots were extensive. It doesn't mean good things though, however Giacchino is good and I bet he did good work in those weeks. That said, well... shit. I hope it's better than how bad it could be and if it's just what the trailer show it should be great.
Maybe i'm skating high on Star Wars vibes but... well I guess i'll see because I already bought my tickets
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 11/30/2016 at 06:01pm
> I'm not sure that having Giacchino come in and score it in four weeks means that the reshoots were extensive.
I am going off the fact of that and that the previous composer had to leave due to the reshoots. That tells me that the reshoots went longer than expected. It seems doubtful that their planning was that far off if things went ok. But who knows.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 11/30/2016 at 06:25pm
I hope to check out NMS tonight or tomorrow and see the updates. It's been a really long time since I've played it!
I'm still not sure on Super Mario Run. It looks like it would be fun. $10 feels like a lot for the game, especially when I think I'd probably use 1 of the 3 modes (the World Tour mode. That looks like the major part of the game. There's also time trials against others, but that takes tickets you earn, so it'll be seen how often one can play those games without paying for micro transactions. The third mode is basically decorating your home, and I have no interest in that). I am interested, especially seeing that eventually it'll come to Android. I guess that will give me some time to gauge the reaction of others to it :)
Star Wars Rouge One... I wasn't terribly interested in the movie, but I've seen some speculation on it that might have me over-hyped for it now lol. I'll wait to share that speculation until after the next Roundtable, but I *really* hope what I've seen comes true!
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 12/05/2016 at 04:30am
Blizzard dropped the date of the upcoming Gadgetzan launch date in a recent game stream and amazingly enough, it's this Thursday! In the stream there were many cards revealed and afterward Blizzard made them available to see on Facebook. You can check out all the Gadgetzan cards on the Blizzard Facebook page or Reddit linked below.
I love that we are getting more Hearthstone cards and that the meta will be changing again, hopefully for the better. I've usually enjoyed each expansion theme and this one is the first I haven't really connected with. Never been into crime noir or gangster stuff and it seems so strange mixing that in a fantasy world. That said, the cards and mechanics they are shipping are really interesting and I personally can't wait to build a Jade Golem and deck and a new Reno deck featuring Kazakus. Some of my friends have been asking me which cards I like from the new set and I've got a few below I find really interesting.
Mistress of Mixtures: She is a good Zombie Chow replacement that seems to work well with Priest negative healing. http://i.imgur.com/fXGeZLc.jpg
Kazakus: If I don't open this legendary this will the be the first one I craft. The spell building effect is awesome and I love Reno decks. http://i.imgur.com/aUkE9g3.jpg
Red Mana Wyrm: This is similar to the Mage card yet has better stats and costs more. This card is likely bad but I enjoy that Blizzard is making this available to all classes. http://i.imgur.com/q5p0cYz.jpg
Hobart Grapplehammer: If you run more than a couple weapons this seems like an auto include. The dream is coining this on turn one then playing Axe on turn two. Well statted and has a great effect. http://i.imgur.com/m7eEg3M.jpg
Wickerflame Burnbristle: Like Tyrion Fordring this may be an auto include in every Paladin deck. At this point, I am not sure why you wouldn't include this in every deck and because of that I wonder if this is too powerful? http://i.imgur.com/GroZk2z.jpg
Public Defender: Public Defender is a fun card with an amazing concept but may not actually be very good. As someone that enjoys playing with Taunt decks I like where Warrior is headed there but taunt decks are typically fun but not very competitive. http://i.imgur.com/QOqRGYF.jpg
Jade Idol: Welcome our new Druid Jade Golem overloads! The Jade Idol mechanic is so strong I wonder if this is one of the most powerful cards in the game now? Basically for one mana you can put three more cards in your deck FOREVER making it impossible to fatigue due to milling OR you can summon a Jade Golem. *Whew* I can't wait to try out this deck, it looks really fun. http://i.imgur.com/fyT4fVu.jpg
There are a ton of other great cards in the set but those are some of the ones I find interesting. What cards are you interesting in trying?
I want to wish everyone a very happy Turkey Day and hope you are spending it well! One tradition of mine is watching the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day streamathon. This year is pretty incredible as they are streaming the top fan voted 6 best MST3K episodes. They just finished with Pumaman a so good it's bad movie about a professor that finds out he can wield the powers of the Pumaman while wearing a special Aztec belt. Whereas Pumaman didn't quite catch on as a Superhero franchise back in the 80's I hope Marvel can work it's magic to bring it back to a modern audience. Until then I recommending putting on the rest of the MST3K stream as the movie on now is Pod People, one of the strangest movies they've riffed.
**UPDATE**
You can still watch the entire 6 movie stream above as they are leaving it up for the holiday. When the Stream feed ends, i'll replace it with the official Manos The Hands of Fate episode on YouTube. Until then, enjoy it in all it's 11 hour glory.
The final top MST3K episodes as voted by fans are:
1. Manos The Hands of Fate 2. Space Mutiny 3. Mitchell 4. Final Sacrifice 5. Pod People 6. Pumaman
Metal Jesus got a very unique Atari 2600 mod system that's so cool I had to share it here. Basically someone created an Atari 2600 that has video HDMI outputs while it uses the original 2600 carts and controllers. As Jesus shows off in his video, the output looks incredible as the device is capable of full HD video at 60hz.
This is a very cool device and I wonder if it will be produced as it seems to fit in the same category of the Retron or other modern HD retro remake systems?
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 11/23/2016 at 06:06am
I want one! I have a 2600 with no cables. I figured I'd find the cables eventually but never tried hard enough. This would take away the need for that!
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The Blackest Friday is nearly upon us and as such there will be some pretty crazy video game deals coming and I am going to collect the ones I see here. If you pick something up or find something too good not to share, drop it in the comments to share with everyone.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/23/2016 at 05:24am
Blizzard is starting things up by offering some deep discounts on it's library. Overwatch Origins Edition is 40% off, WoW is $4.99, StarCraft II Legacy of the Void is $20, Heart of the Swarm is $10 as is Wings of Liberty. Blizzards free to play Heroes of the Storm is offering in game discounts on hero bundles some being up to 87% off!
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/23/2016 at 10:14pm
Steam Autumn Sale is on! I went ahead and bought Dragon Age: Origins the Ultimate Edition for less than $8. I have this version for the PS3, but I'd much rather play it on my PC. I have the vanilla (not Ultimate Edition) one that I got for free via Origin. I'm not quite sure if I want anything else on Steam.
Anyway, I just thought I'd post an update about the sale.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 03:23am
> Dragon Age: Origins the Ultimate Edition for less than $8
It's an interesting game. I played the start and a bit into the main campaign. It was fun and I somewhat enjoyed it but I was having a hard time with the combat and instead of trying to figure out how to make it work I just walked away from it.
> I'm not quite sure if I want anything else on Steam.
I want a couple games but I imagine they will be a bit less during the holiday sale so I might wait it out for that. Darkest Dungeon being the game I want to get above the rest.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 03:26am
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 03:42am
>It's an interesting game. I played the start and a bit into the main campaign. It was fun and I somewhat enjoyed it but I was having a hard time with the combat and instead of trying to figure out how to make it work I just walked away from it.
I played it a bit, too. Aside from playing it days ago, I hadn't played it for two years. I thought it was ok I guess. One of my friends is always talking about the DA series, so I figured I'd give it a try. I have a demo for Inquisition, but I haven't played it much either. I'm not sure I'm too fond of the combat system in those games either.
>I want a couple games but I imagine they will be a bit less during the holiday sale so I might wait it out for that. Darkest Dungeon being the game I want to get above the rest.
I honestly can't really think of what I want, I guess I really don't want much. I know I should give the Mass Effect series a try (again seeing others rave about it). I have a demo for ME3, but haven't tried it yet. I'm also kind of interested in Far Cry: Primal. The newer Wolfenstein (not the classic from long ago) series is some what tempting, too. You're not the only one here that's said good things about it. Other than that I'm pretty clueless. I haven't given Assassin's Creed much of a try either.
>Big Origin sale right now. Sims 4 is $10.
That sounds pretty good. I was going to mention the Origin sale. If I checked that first instead of Steam, I could have saved about $2, but that's ok. The other DA games aren't on Steam, so I might buy them from the Origin store. I'm not sure if I'll do it now or wait a month to see if they have another sale. They are under $20 each (even for DAI's GotY Edition).
I'm interested in what others here are thinking about picking up, or if they think it'll be better to wait a month for the Winter sale.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 04:49am
> I have a demo for Inquisition, but I haven't played it much either. I'm not sure I'm too fond of the combat system in those games either.
Agreed. Back in the day I played, and loved, Neverwinter Nights but for whatever reason, I loved that game and the combat system. Neverwinter Nights had the pause mechanic but I never used it or at least don't remember using it as much as Dragon Age seemed to require. I don't mind games you pause to consider things as FTL is one of the best games i've played, but in Dragon Age, I don't know, I didn't love it.
> The newer Wolfenstein (not the classic from long ago) series is some what tempting, too. You're not the only one here that's said good things about it. Other than that I'm pretty clueless. I haven't given Assassin's Creed much of a try either.
Wolfenstein New Order is superb. The story and gameplay are top notch and it's well worth a shot but if you're not interested in picking anything up, then i'd argue you shouldn't.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 04:50am
> I'm interested in what others here are thinking about picking up, or if they think it'll be better to wait a month for the Winter sale.
The Winter Sale will have deeper discounts so if you aren't excited about picking something up, the Winter sale should tempt you more.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 05:47am
>Agreed. Back in the day I played, and loved, Neverwinter Nights but for whatever reason, I loved that game and the combat system. Neverwinter Nights had the pause mechanic but I never used it or at least don't remember using it as much as Dragon Age seemed to require. I don't mind games you pause to consider things as FTL is one of the best games i've played, but in Dragon Age, I don't know, I didn't love it.
I understand, I'm not quite used to the whole pause play either.
>Wolfenstein New Order is superb. The story and gameplay are top notch and it's well worth a shot but if you're not interested in picking anything up, then i'd argue you shouldn't.
I'm not really uninterested in picking something up, I already got DA:O Ultimate Edition. Although, I think I was just kind of excited about the sale and price. Wolfenstein pricing looks really damn good, too.
>The Winter Sale will have deeper discounts so if you aren't excited about picking something up, the Winter sale should tempt you more.
Yeah, that's what makes me think I should have waited before my purchase during this sale, because I did read that the Winter Sale has "deeper discounts" as you mentioned. My purchase this sale was a bit impulsive, but I'm ok with it. It's funny about how I noticed it was going on. Vinny asked me to add $5 to his Steam Wallet, which I do every now and then (he usually asks for $10). Once I went online to do it, I noticed the sale going on and got excited. He was happy, too, because he decided to spend that $5 on Spore.
Do you know if Origin has a near Christmas sale, like Steam, too? I haven't spent a lot of time with that store, I've only received some free games they offered, I haven't bought anything there yet.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 07:09pm
> Do you know if Origin has a near Christmas sale, like Steam, too? I haven't spent a lot of time with that store, I've only received some free games they offered, I haven't bought anything there yet.
If memory serves it does have a pretty nice sale around Christmas. I haven't bought anything from Origin yet either. I'm really happy with the free library though. One time I bought a Humble Origin Bundle which got me some fun games on Steam and Origin.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/24/2016 at 08:34pm
> If memory serves it does have a pretty nice sale around Christmas. I haven't bought anything from Origin yet either. I'm really happy with the free library though. One time I bought a Humble Origin Bundle which got me some fun games on Steam and Origin.
Sweet. I tried to find my answer w/ Google, but couldn't come up with anything. DA:I was about 60%+ off, so I went ahead and bought it and DA2. I have a demo for Mass Effect 3, but haven't tried it yet. I should give it a try so I can decide whether or not to pick it (possibly the trilogy) up, although it's on Steam, so I could probably wait until the Winter Sale begins.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/26/2016 at 01:19am
I decided to go ahead and get Wolfenstein: Old Blood and New Order. Also, since I remembered, I went ahead and got the Borderlands trilogy. I think the last time I looked, the "Take Over Your Life" Borderlands bundle was almost $90. Now it's greatly less. However, it didn't seem to come with the Game of the Year editions, so I purchased those separately. I also bought the season pass for the pre-sequel. All of these games are incredibly cheap right now. It definitely seems like the perfect time to buy. I'd like to note that all of my game purchases this Black Friday season are based upon strong recommendations from friends, obviously including our fellow Cheerful Ghosts. :)
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/26/2016 at 03:48am
> I decided to go ahead and get Wolfenstein: Old Blood and New Order.
Awesome. New Order is great. Can't wait to hear your review of it.
> I went ahead and got the Borderlands trilogy.
Again, great choice. Are you thinking of starting with the original Borderlands? I'd recommend that, it's a solid game start to finish. I played a bit of the DLC, which was also fairly good.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/26/2016 at 07:36am
> Awesome. New Order is great. Can't wait to hear your review of it.
I'm laughing at myself, because Travis has called me out a few times for "necro posting." Maybe I'll create my own post about it.
>Again, great choice. Are you thinking of starting with the original Borderlands? I'd recommend that, it's a solid game start to finish. I played a bit of the DLC, which was also fairly good.
Well, that's one of the advantages of being here, game recommendations! I remember years ago looking for game recommendations (which I do every now and then) and you and Travis mentioned Terraria (which I still love). Yeah, I'm intending to start with the original, then the pre-sequel, then B2.
Now I have to wait for all these downloads to finish and some are pretty big. I'm still playing through Skyrim SE and there's still more Ark for me. I'm not sure when I'll start these new-to-me games, probably some time when I finish w/ Skyrim SE. I might start with the Wolfenstein games, since they seem to be short.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/26/2016 at 04:27pm
Oh. Curious how the orenseuel works as the game before borderlands 2. The pre sequelncame out after BL2 so I wonder how it works story wise playing it first?
I picked up a non gaming thing for Black Friday in the Amazon Echo. It's pretty neat. I wonder if Apple will make one?
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 11/26/2016 at 04:35pm
>Oh. Curious how the orenseuel works as the game before borderlands 2. The pre sequelncame out after BL2 so I wonder how it works story wise playing it first?
I think a friend said I should play the first game, then the pre-sequel, then the second game. I could look it up for more info, but at least it makes sense to me that the stories follow that order.
>I picked up a non gaming thing for Black Friday in the Amazon Echo. It's pretty neat. I wonder if Apple will make one?
I honestly only know of the Echo by name, but don't really know much of anything about it. I think it's a search engine that you activate by speaking to it. Feel free to let me know what that is, how it works, and if you like it.
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The Hearthstone world championship finals ended this year at Blizzcon with a nail biting set of matches between Pavel and DrHippi. I don't want to spoil the ending but if you like awesome comebacks, these final matches will be something you need to watch.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 11/18/2016 at 06:56pm
Is that the same white dude with different hair/glasses/clothes?
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 11/18/2016 at 07:08pm
Hahahahaha. Yes.
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I've not been to Universal Studios Hollywood since I was a kid, but next time I head down to Disneyland, if the Nintendo experience is ready, I would very likely check it out. That sounds really cool.