I thought this might merit its own discussion since I'm not sure I've seen a game so handily embody the spirit of Nintendo's hardcore skill-based arcade games of old since... Well, the hardcore skill-based arcade games of old! I'm talking the kind of competitive score attack gameplay that addicted people long ago, but with way more variety in terms of levels and scenarios (there's a ton of content here), and of course superior graphics and sound.
This came as a bit of a surprise, since I went into Nintendo Land expecting more casual fare. Instead, nearly all of the attractions (I'd argue all of them) have the sort of subtlety and depth that invites true mastery of the mechanics. DK's Crash Course, in particular, is tough as nails, yet when you see some people setting sub-40-second world records on the first course, you begin to realize just how far you have to go. You'll die 10,000 times getting there, but each time you get a tiny bit farther, and it's very rewarding... Quite like Demon's or Dark Souls.
Similarly, each run through Balloon Trip Breeze, my personal favorite, sees me getting just a tiny bit farther. I've currently made it to Day 5, but I've heard of people getting to Day 7 before exhausting their last Continue, and apparently the game manages to keep presenting new scenarios even that far. (For the uninitiated, each day in Balloon Trip Breeze is four stages -- Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night.) I don't know how many days are in the extended trip -- perhaps it's truly limitless? -- but I keep thinking about getting farther, delivering the optional packages, hitting the top platform at each island and combo-chaining all the balloons along the way. The moment you get careless and drop your guard for a second, is the moment you die.
I just love the push-yourself-harder/just-one-more-quarter mentality of this collection. My friends and I must've replayed the same stage in Zelda: Battle Quest 10 times last night. Everyone shares the same life bar, and enemy attacks start coming fast from all directions as the game progresses, requiring sword users to rapidly cycle between targets with A and make every strike count, and bow users to know when to hold their ground and trigger nearby bombs and such. I believe the game even has a dedicated speed-running mode for single-player, and I can see how: You can kill multiple enemies with a single fully-charged arrow if you time it right, and nearly every enemy requires sword strategies I'd say work better here than they did in Skyward Sword, so there's plenty of room for honing one's skill and efficiency.
And the list goes on. This is truly the anti-Wii Sports, hardcore while still retaining the "multiple attractions" framework of a compilation title. Thanks to the hub world plaza being pure magic, it feels like something larger than the sum of its parts, as well, and people like myself who love model viewers have 200 some items to collect (I.E. animatronic Ridley, etc), which provides some incentive beyond the achievements and leaderboards.
THIS is what I want out of a game collection, Nintendo. And frankly, playing this game has made me realize how much I missed the hardcore quarter-crunchers of old. Nintendo Land restores my faith that they still have it in them. And now I'm hoping they'll make another one, though this one will keep me busy for a long time.
Was anyone else surprised by what this game has to offer, by this return to the old arcade mentality?
This came as a bit of a surprise, since I went into Nintendo Land expecting more casual fare. Instead, nearly all of the attractions (I'd argue all of them) have the sort of subtlety and depth that invites true mastery of the mechanics. DK's Crash Course, in particular, is tough as nails, yet when you see some people setting sub-40-second world records on the first course, you begin to realize just how far you have to go. You'll die 10,000 times getting there, but each time you get a tiny bit farther, and it's very rewarding... Quite like Demon's or Dark Souls.
Similarly, each run through Balloon Trip Breeze, my personal favorite, sees me getting just a tiny bit farther. I've currently made it to Day 5, but I've heard of people getting to Day 7 before exhausting their last Continue, and apparently the game manages to keep presenting new scenarios even that far. (For the uninitiated, each day in Balloon Trip Breeze is four stages -- Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night.) I don't know how many days are in the extended trip -- perhaps it's truly limitless? -- but I keep thinking about getting farther, delivering the optional packages, hitting the top platform at each island and combo-chaining all the balloons along the way. The moment you get careless and drop your guard for a second, is the moment you die.
I just love the push-yourself-harder/just-one-more-quarter mentality of this collection. My friends and I must've replayed the same stage in Zelda: Battle Quest 10 times last night. Everyone shares the same life bar, and enemy attacks start coming fast from all directions as the game progresses, requiring sword users to rapidly cycle between targets with A and make every strike count, and bow users to know when to hold their ground and trigger nearby bombs and such. I believe the game even has a dedicated speed-running mode for single-player, and I can see how: You can kill multiple enemies with a single fully-charged arrow if you time it right, and nearly every enemy requires sword strategies I'd say work better here than they did in Skyward Sword, so there's plenty of room for honing one's skill and efficiency.
And the list goes on. This is truly the anti-Wii Sports, hardcore while still retaining the "multiple attractions" framework of a compilation title. Thanks to the hub world plaza being pure magic, it feels like something larger than the sum of its parts, as well, and people like myself who love model viewers have 200 some items to collect (I.E. animatronic Ridley, etc), which provides some incentive beyond the achievements and leaderboards.
THIS is what I want out of a game collection, Nintendo. And frankly, playing this game has made me realize how much I missed the hardcore quarter-crunchers of old. Nintendo Land restores my faith that they still have it in them. And now I'm hoping they'll make another one, though this one will keep me busy for a long time.
Was anyone else surprised by what this game has to offer, by this return to the old arcade mentality?
