Nintendo Downloads - November 2012

Is Zelda 2 good? I've never played it before, and opinions seem really polarized on it.

It's hard as balls. I got near the end on the GameCube version and couldn't get any further. Maybe the 3DS savestates will help.

As for how fun it is, I guess your mileage will vary. It's a 2D sidescrolling action game with a unique battle system. Maybe check out some YouTube videos if you're curious.

Also, it's really hard.
 
Is Zelda 2 good? I've never played it before, and opinions seem really polarized on it.

I played it quite a bit as a kid and presumably enjoyed it enough to beat it. Then I left it alone for roughly 25 years because side-scrolling Zelda just seems so wrong.

Finally, I came back to it a couple weeks ago as a 3DS ambassador, and realized it's actually an excellent (if difficult in places) game, even though I've spent over 2 decades "hating" it.

I don't know that it really stands out in my mind as a great Zelda game, but for the most part I can't fault it for anything but being a side-scroller (which is kind of a lame criticism).

All that to say, I like it a lot and think it's worth buying -- but keep in mind I'm the kind of person who still enjoys old school levels of hard.
 
I never really found Zelda 2 all that hard, aside from a few parts. But then, like any game which has EXP in it, I always spend a bunch of time over-levelling.
Getting some extra Attack and Health power near the beginning of the game, combined with the end of each palace giving a guaranteed full level of EXP (which could be saved and used to get up toward another mark if one chose) makes the going much easier.
 
Also, is zelda 1 any good?

I might get both 1 and 2 but after regretting buying and hating super mario bros 1, I'm worried I won't like them.
 
Yeah, I just remember playing it and one of the first caves you reach is pitch black and full of invisible enemies firing projectiles at you.

You're supposed to get the candle before.
 
Also, is zelda 1 any good?

I might get both 1 and 2 but after regretting buying and hating super mario bros 1, I'm worried I won't like them.

SMB1 isn't bad
as long as you know the trick to return to the world you died from by holding A and pressing Start at the title screen.

Also NES Zelda games... 1 is okay. Real annoying that you'll always respawn with just 3 hearts even if your maximum hearts is more than that. Barely played 2 so I can't say much, but doesn't sound like the game for you.
 
If you regret buying SMB1 then you might want to stay away from NES games.

Yeah.

Other than graphics, the original SMB is the very essence of timeless. Amazing game, finally beat it for the first time two years ago thanks to the Wii VC.
 
Yeah.

Other than graphics, the original SMB is the very essence of timeless. Amazing game, finally beat it for the first time two years ago thanks to the Wii VC.
I hate the physics of SMB. feels like i'm jumping through mud, very sluggish.
SMB1 isn't bad
as long as you know the trick to return to the world you died from by holding A and pressing Start at the title screen.

Also NES Zelda games... 1 is okay. Real annoying that you'll always respawn with just 3 hearts even if your maximum hearts is more than that. Barely played 2 so I can't say much, but doesn't sound like the game for you.
I loved link's awakening if that helps.

I'll get them once my backlog clears up
 
I hate the physics of SMB. feels like i'm jumping through mud, very sluggish.

It's definitely different from SMB3 and beyond but it's not bad and the game is really built around it, which makes it enjoyable (personally of course.)
 
It's definitely different from SMB3 and beyond but it's not bad and the game is really built around it, which makes it enjoyable (personally of course.)

I don't think Super Mario Bros. 1's quality really needs a disclaimer. There are like five people in the world who don't agree that it's a timeless classic.
 
So, Virtue's Last Reward is out on the EU e-shop. Surprised to see this as the first digital 3rd party release. Price is 40.00€.

The Italian description on the game page is so bad. It almost as bad as Google Translate lol.
 
Odd that my ambassador copy of Zelda II won't update to the (presumably) full version with save states. Even deleting and re-downloading it brings back the basic version. It's as if someone at Nintendo forgot to flip a switch when they put it online.
 
So, Virtue's Last Reward is out on the EU e-shop. Surprised to see this as the first digital 3rd party release. Price is 40.00€.

The Italian description on the game page is so bad. It almost as bad as Google Translate lol.

£30 in the UK.

not a bad price compared to retail. Should always be the same or cheaper.

Ninty need to stop this £40 DD price thats for sure.
 
I finished VC Zelda II just last month (PAL 3DS XL), it can still be really hard at times (nothings changed in that regard!) but if you use the save state thing sensibly to help you out its not too bad.

I understand the concept of 'grinding to get stronger' when exp is involved a lot more now than I did back when I was younger too lol. I would watch my sister or dad play back then because I was never much good at it.

Try and level up in a dungeon just before the boss that way once you beat the boss and get a free level its maximum advantage.

All in all do I prefer regular Zelda style? Yes of course, but Zelda II is still really cool in its own little ways and I love the music and all the downward thrusting bouncing etc, its a cool different take on Zelda. :D Some may consider it 'ruins' it but meh with save state its very manageable so you can just play and enjoy the game without mega stress.

PS: Jump and attack the knights lol.

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Games like OG Zeldas and Mario's back in the day were really very magical, one of the times in my life where things but only lived up to their hype but genuinely exceeded it. It's hard to know how many modern gamers can truly appreciate the whole of these games, but I guess a good rule of thumb is "if you are posting on gaf then you will absolutely enjoy these games in their entirety" (gameplay-wise, if not aesthetically)

I'm meaning to get into Sega 's LOZ ripoff Golden Axe Warrior at some point (I always insta-die) and Battle of Olympus which has always had a Zelda II vibe to it, if anyone can recommend...
 
Odd that my ambassador copy of Zelda II won't update to the (presumably) full version with save states. Even deleting and re-downloading it brings back the basic version. It's as if someone at Nintendo forgot to flip a switch when they put it online.
Yeah, they did this with Donkey Kong Jr., too. What the hell?! How the hell do they mess this up?! I absolutely love the eShop and all, but this is just ridiculous.
 
If you regret buying SMB1 then you might want to stay away from NES games.

Eh can't say that I agree with this. While SMB1 is obviously still competent to this day I don't have that much fun playing with it, as opposed to something like Mario Land which I still love playing through.

I also love Metroid 1 to pieces and the first time I played it was in 2003 with the Prime bonus, so it's not like it's nostalgia speaking. Out of the ambassador games, Mario 1 is one of my least liked games outside of crap like Ice Climbers.
 
Eh can't say that I agree with this. While SMB1 is obviously still competent to this day I don't have that much fun playing with it, as opposed to something like Mario Land which I still love playing through.

I also love Metroid 1 to pieces and the first time I played it was in 2003 with the Prime bonus, so it's not like it's nostalgia speaking. Out of the ambassador games, Mario 1 is one of my least liked games outside of crap like Ice Climbers.

To think someone with such a good avatar would have such poor tastes in classic games!

At least you like Metroid.
 
To think someone with such a good avatar would have such poor tastes in classic games!

At least you like Metroid.

Hehehe, my point is that SMB1 shouldn't be used as a barometer for classic NES gaming. It's still one of the earliest NES games excluding the arcade natured games that preceded it like DK and Balloon Fight (which I personally also enjoy tons).
I'm also not saying it's just a cultural icon or something like that, it's a very well designed game, full of secrets and a near perfect difficulty curve, but just because it's a good game, it doesn't mean it should be well loved by everyone.

edit: also my first experience with it was in All-Stars, so it was hard for me to like it as much when I had all 2 and 3 in the package along with World from years prior.

And if you're telling me Ice Climbers is good then we've got issues babe, worst jump arc ever
 
Super Mario Bros 1 is difficult to play on the 3DS because of the 3DS having a more SNES button layout. When Super Mario All Stars was released for the SNES Nintendo altered the turbo and jump buttons to work better with the SNES controller but for this release they were just lazy.
 
The 3DS controls for SMB are perfectly fine. Just place your thumb horizontally over the buttons instead of at an angle. It's Mario, you don't need to be able to hit R comfortably.

Anyway, if anyone here politely disagrees that Zelda II is anything but one of the best games on the NES I will fight you to the death.
 
Hehehe, my point is that SMB1 shouldn't be used as a barometer for classic NES gaming. It's still one of the earliest NES games excluding the arcade natured games that preceded it like DK and Balloon Fight (which I personally also enjoy tons).
I'm also not saying it's just a cultural icon or something like that, it's a very well designed game, full of secrets and a near perfect difficulty curve, but just because it's a good game, it doesn't mean it should be well loved by everyone.

edit: also my first experience with it was in All-Stars, so it was hard for me to like it as much when I had all 2 and 3 in the package along with World from years prior.

And if you're telling me Ice Climbers is good then we've got issues babe, worst jump arc ever
I think the qualities of Super Mario Bros 1 are best if you look at what came out prior to it and its historical context. I suggest everyone check out the Web Series Chrontendo (Check out the thread I made with Links to all the eps) He is slowly playing through all NES/Famicom games in Chronological order, roughly 15 games an ep. Super Mario Bros was the 64th game to come out for the system, and there is nothing at all the plays as good as it or looks as good as it does before it comes out. You can tell the effect it had on the industry because pretty much from that point the system went from being flooded by SHMUPS to side scrolling platformers.

I'm in the camp that doesn't think it has aged well, I've never finished it to be honest and it pales in comparison to every Mario Platformer that came after it (barring Mario Land I guess). It has its place in history and who knows where the industry would have been without it. But it has dated and not a game I would recommend to most.

That said I'm odd, I can still play the original Mario Bros to this day and I think its a fantastic little game. Jumping takes abit to get used to but I just can't get enough of that. If Nintendo was to release that on the 3DS VC and hope against hope put in online co-op I would be soo happy :D
 
The 3DS controls for SMB are perfectly fine. Just place your thumb horizontally over the buttons instead of at an angle. It's Mario, you don't need to be able to hit R comfortably.

Anyway, if anyone here politely disagrees that Zelda II is anything but one of the best games on the NES I will fight you to the death.

Then why did Nintendo feel the need to change the controls when they released All Stars? No, the controls really aren't perfectly fine.
 
Then why did Nintendo feel the need to change the controls when they released All Stars? No, it really isn't perfectly fine.

IIRC, All-Stars asks you for your preferred control configuration each time you select a game, the first being SMW-style and the second being traditional. NSMBDS also gives you that option. I actually agree with you that SMW-style is more comfortable/natural, but using A and B doesn't make the game "hard to play."
 
I must not have paid attention or anything, but apparently the option to add 5 dollars in bulk is no longer on eShop. Just 10, 20, 50, and 100. How disappointing.
 
IIRC, All-Stars asks you for your preferred control configuration each time you select a game, the first being SMW-style and the second being traditional. NSMBDS also gives you that option. I actually agree with you that SMW-style is more comfortable/natural, but using A and B doesn't make the game "hard to play."

The default is SMW style.

I must not have paid attention or anything, but apparently the option to add 5 dollars in bulk is no longer on eShop. Just 10, 20, 50, and 100. How disappointing.

Just choose the game and when you go to add funds it will give you the option to add only the funds needed.
 
Zelda II is not that hard. When you get to palace 5, just grind for a bit on the flying skulls.

The game is pretty hard. It takes 3 lives to get to the last level, and it takes 4 more lives to beat the last level. And you only have 3 lives. Luckily, the last level is a checkpoint, even if it is the only checkpoint in the entire game.

That said, I did enjoy the game a lot, even though I played it for the first time in '04, long after the NES era. I used an FAQ twice - once for Death Mountain, and the other for Kasuto Town.

The end of the game (the final boss, let's not spoil it lol) made the whole experience very much worth it IMO. I read online that
the Thunderbird was the boss of the final dungeon
, so what happened after that left me in all sorts of disbelief.
 
The default is SMW style.



Just choose the game and when you go to add funds it will give you the option to add only the funds needed.

My issue with it is that my CC was removed when I was forced to change regions to get the eShop to let me buy Sticker Star, so now I have to pay more to reattach it.

Not to mention I didn't exactly have 10 dollars to do it. Will give nintendo props for the Add remaining funds though. Much better than PSN.
 
IIRC, All-Stars asks you for your preferred control configuration each time you select a game, the first being SMW-style and the second being traditional. NSMBDS also gives you that option. I actually agree with you that SMW-style is more comfortable/natural, but using A and B doesn't make the game "hard to play."
I just assume there's something wrong with people who can't easily and comfortably use both.
 
I'd like to point out that if you hook up the Super Nintendo controller to the NES (yes, it's possible), then the SNES Y button maps to B and the SNES's B button maps to A. That's the way it was always supposed to be, and it's the way it's most comfortable.

However, Nintendo felt the need to change things up during the DS and virtual console era so that when playing old games, B = B and A = A. It's uncomfortable, especially on the 3DS.
 
I'd like to point out that if you hook up the Super Nintendo controller to the NES (yes, it's possible), then the SNES Y button maps to B and the SNES's B button maps to A. That's the way it was always supposed to be, and it's the way it's most comfortable.

However, Nintendo felt the need to change things up during the DS and virtual console era so that when playing old games, B = B and A = A. It's uncomfortable, especially on the 3DS.

Thank You!
 
Did you play the first one? I didn't like the first one, it's too floaty and relies on physics gimmicks over solid gameplay.

Still, I would like to have a solid new Cadash style game, so I'd like to know if the sequel is any better.
If you didn't like the first one, you probably won't like the second one either.
 
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