Intensive Gaming Diary

The blog about videogames.

My Switch 2 Collection Is Already Starting to Grow

Posted on by Viljami

It has been two months since Nintendo released it newest video game console Switch 2. I have already a tiny collection of Switch 2 games. I have four games plus Mario Kart World that came bundeld with the console. I went for the bundle since it was more easily available although it cost some tens of euros more compared to the other option that didn’t include any games.

So, the games I have bought are Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, Sonic X Shadow Generations, that were both available on the release of Switch two and Donkey Kong Bananza and Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4. The latter was a “code-in-a-box” release. There was no other way to purchase the game. I am usually not into these codes. I like physical releases way more.

Donkey Kong Bananza is currently, in my opinion, the best game that you can have for Nintendo Switch 2. I have already played it for about ten hours. I am really enjoying it. Sometimes I feel like I am getting stuck in some way but when I take a break and return to playing this game the matter gets quickly solved and I keep on progressing. I haven’t got stuck badly at least not yet. I am hoping to finish this game some day soon. Donkey Kong Bananza is also a fully physical release. So, there are no huge downloads when you start to play the game.

What about the other games in my Switch 2 collection? I have to mention that I have been playing some Switch 1 games also. I played Burnout Paradise and Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee New and Tasty and also Dragon Quest III HD-2D. I have to add also Diablo III.

When it comes to THPS 3 + 4 I can tell you that the game is very good. I have spent five hours playing this game. It is cool to feel the nostalgia again and experience something from the past. There are very few matters that have been changed. The gameplay still feels nice. I just haven’t really got deeper with this game atleast not yet.

I only played Sonic X Shadow Generations for a little time. It was available when Switch 2 got released. If I wouldn’t have bought the bundle, Switch 2 with Mario Kart World, this would have propably been my first game for the system. Bravely Default is the only game I have for Switch 2 that I have not yet had time to play at all.

As Switch 2 was getting released we were introduced something like “game key cards”. This means that when you buy a game you get a key card. It alloes you to install the software of the game. You do need the key card to play the game. We can propably have a debate on if this is sensible in any way or not. I don’t have actually anything to say about this. Atleast every game that I have bought seems to be currently working and I can play them.

We have seen many good games already getting released for Nintendo Switch 2. Some good games are still getting released very soon. There are some games, that I am waiting to get released for Nintendo Switch 1 that do actually work also on Switch 2. I am especially waiting to see Hades II, Metroid Prime 4, Terminator 2D No Fate and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Splintered Fate. There might also be some oter good games coming that I didn’t mention here. Oh yeah, I think Final Fantasy Tactics could be interesting, also.

Switch 2 is currently my favorite gaming system that I own. I have divided my attention lately mainly to my Switch 2, Xbox Series X and Raspberry Pi 5 with a Recalbox OS installed. I play many retro games on my Raspberry Pi 5. I haven’t played so much on my PS4, PS3 or Mega Drive Mini or my Retro Trio console that supports SNES, NES and Mega Drive cartridges and of course every controller that I have for these systems. So, I do have all my consoles connected to my 4K 55 inch television. I already took a peek at some 8K televisions on a random web shop. They cost a huge sum of money, like 2000 euros or something like that. There are also not so many devices available that could output a 8K picture. But it might be that I have to get a new TV in maybe two to three years. We will have to wait and see.

Donkey Kong Bonanza Brings Back Some Memories

Posted on by Viljami

Playing Donkey Kong Bonanza just a moment ago brought some memories to my mind. I think this game is the first good game for this new Nintendo gaming console Switch 2. It definitely showcases what the console has to offer. I really enjoy the graphics and the whole gameplay.

Its been over 30 years since I got to play my Sega Mega Drive for the first time. I think the year was 1993. I used to play my Mega Drive for a while before I made my way to school in the morning. I only had a short way to my school and I usually went there by bike. So, I had about thirty minutes to play Sonic The Hedgehog before meeting my pals at our school and starting my then a bit short day in school. Those were the days!

Sega Mega Drive was my first gaming console. Earlier I had already played some games on our family’s personal computer. The computer had MS-DOS as an operating system. I remember many cool titles that I played. Some of them were a bit shorter and some took many hours to complete. Playing Sega Mega Drive was actually something that you couldn’t directly compare to what our PC had to offer.

One huge factor was the way that games on Mega Drive were played. With this console you only had to insert the game cartridge and start to control the character with the controller included. You did have to adjust some settings. You could even take another controller and give it to a friend so you could play together. Mega Drive offered support for two controllers. There was some kind of an adapter of sort that you could plug in to expand the multiplayer capabilities. We of course didn’t have any way to play in any kind of a network back then.

Sonic The Hedgehog was released for Mega Drive in 1991. Mega Drive had been in the markets for several years. Now it was time to change the strategy. Nintendo and NES had already an icon or a mascot – Super Mario. Sonic quickly became the character that represented this console. We have seen similar strategies from the era of Sony PlayStation in the form of Crash Bandicoot. You can also think that Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Bananza now showcases Switch 2’s power in a similar way.

I really like Donkey Kong Bananza. I really like Switch 2. I have been playing some Switch 1 titles also. It is nice to have a backwards compatibility like this. Since I have bought Switch 2 I have bought some Switch 2 games but also some Swithc 1 titles. I am really waiting for Terminator 2D – No Fate to get released. The release day was actually just recently pushed to end of Octoberw while it was earlier set to be released already in September. There is also a new NBA2K game coming in the beginning of September. I am not sure about if I am going to invest in a new basketball game. It just seems that the game is modified only slightly. It takes a lot of time to complete a modern NBA2K game. I have bought NBA2K every year for at least five years in a row so it might be a good time to take a break in that matter.

There’s some games getting released for Switch 2 later this year. The next Metroid Prime game is getting released in this years December. We are also going to see Hades II also for Switch 2 in December. I already have Hades II for my current Windows PC. I am still looking for a good moment to buy also a new personal computer that would utilize the new Windows 11 operating system. You might have heard that Windows 10 is going to be somewhat unsupported in October. There is also an option to keep using Windows 10 by paying a small amount of money to keep the system supported. It is also possible to install Linux. I am thinking about this and I haven’t yet made my final decision about this issue. We will see how things are going to begin shaping in a moment. See you again soon!

About Games That I’ve Played Recently

Posted on by Viljami

In this blog post I am going through what games I have been playing recently. Every game that I pick up and start to play isn’t one that I would like to write about or take a picture and show here. I do play lots of video games. I usually buy new games from time to time. I like to buy games I like to play or that are somewhat or in some way significant for me as a video game hobbyist and a player.

I have recently played a lot with my new and shiny Nintendo Switch 2. It has a lot to offer as a console. While being an expensive purchase it already has some decent games that you can play. I had to buy a memory card for Switch 2. I ended up with a memory card that has 256 GB of storage space. I had to pay something like 70 euros for the memory card alone. I also bought the controller (the updated Pro Controller 2) and that alone cost 110 euros. The console was also a bit more expensive here in Finland where I live.

I have been talking and writing about how Switch 2 doesn’t yet have so many games available. Considering this there was a tiny relief for gamers that are waiting to see some more games as the new Donkey Kong game came available last week. Earlier I said that it could be a game that I am not so interested in. But you know what? I decided to give it a chance.

Donkey Kong Bananza cost me 75 euros. It is said that it takes about 17 hours to beat this game. I haven’t actually played it yet since I got it last Saturday and I also haven’t yet finished Burnout Paradise Remastered although I have already been playing it for a bit over 10 hours. I am hoping to finish it soon.

When it comes to Donkey Kong Bananza I have read some news about it. I think it offers some nice 3D environment for a player to move around as the main character accomplishing some tasks. I am not a big fan of Donkey Kong games. I have played recently Donkey Kong Country Returns HD that is actually a 2D platformer game. I also like the original Donkey Kong Country that was released for Super Nintendo aka SNES back in the golden 90s.

When it comes to Nintendo I am not as familiar with it as I am with Sega and PlayStation or even Xbox. I never had a NES or SNES as a kid. Instead I was playing with PC, Mega Drive and PS1 as young person growing up. I have later tried to correct this matter by getting first a Nintendo Wii and later a GameCube. This is something that I love – exploring something that these a bit older games still have to offer. I also like to go back to PS2 and original Xbox. I am also still playing a lot of PS3 and Xbox 360 games.

Something that I have also tried to, like, focus on are some handheld consoles and games that are released for them. I have to say that PSP and Nintendo DS seem to be the most fascinating ones when it comes to handhelds. They have lots of cheap games available and have some power to offer also. I do have a Game Boy Color. I also play some Game Boy games on an adapter to SNES. I am curious about Sega Game Gear and also Game Boy Advance games and would like to same day get to know them better.

The first Nintendo Switch might have been the push for me to get closer to Nintendo as a video game enthusiast. I wasn’t among the first ones to buy it when it was first released. I did decide to buy Switch Lite as it was cheaper than the regular version of Switch. Nintendo has so many great consoles. I think Super Mario Bros was a real breakthrough as a video game. Nintendo has been there for so long. We have so much to thank them for. So, I do find Nintendo’s new and also a bit older products (games and consoles) very interesting.

I have also played recently a lot with my Xbox Series X. I played Robocop Rogue City for a while. This game is very nice especially if you like Robocop movies. The game gives you a detailed view of the main character (Murphy) and it features also his partner that was with him in the first movie. It has been a while since I watched it. There is also a completely new Robocop game out there (Unfinished Business) if you find these topics interesting.

Also I have played some retro games. I have played Rayman 2 The Great Escape for some hours. It is s fun three dimensional platformer for PS1. It is a good game and if you are comparing it to the first Rayman, also released for PS1 among many other consoles and PC, it has this 3D environment as the first game is purely 2D.

I have so many consoles attached to my setup currently. Mainly I have been using my Switch 2 that actually required me to attach it directly to the TV instead of a separate HDMI switch. I have used also my Xbox Series X and my Raspberry Pi 5 that has 8 GB of RAM. These are the three devices I have mostly used for a long time already. I play my PS1 games and also some older systems games on Raspberry Pi 5 that runs emulation on Recalbox. This is just the easiest way to play these kinds of games.

As I do have many consoles attached to my television I rarely switch the HDMI connections. I mainly just select a channel from my remote controller of my television and I already have a chance to choose one of these three connected devices. If I would like to use PS3 or PS1 or any other device I would have to search for the correct option from two separate HDMI connectors. So, I have been happy using just these three devices.