Gaming Woe.

 Do I am a gamer. Lately, it isn't going great. Trouble finding old games. Trouble finding the right controller for newer systems. When did gaming become such a pain in the ass?

Been trying to find some PSP (Playstation Portable) games I missed at the time. This has two problems. First finding a shop that still sells them at all. Second, the prices they want are getting ridiculous. One game I was trying for was Persona 1, the PSP had a remake of it. At one shop the clerk says they had one that sold for 17$ back in August. That price seemed good, just need to wait. Then the clerk says "that if they get another copy it would be 120$". How does the price of a used game go up 100$ in two months?The demand for PSP games cannot of spiked that much. 

Meanwhile I am looking for a joy-con alternative for the Switch. I have the Hori Split Pad Pro, and that great for most handheld mode gaming, but some games require gyro control and they don't have that. With joy-con drift being a thing, I don't want to use them at all. I see many options on Amazon, but I have no real way of knowing which are good, or even really have a gyro for motion control.

Nintendo Hates Earthbound Beginnings

It is a shame, but it is clearly true. Why else would there be only one place to play it legitimately? It may not be the highest moment in the Earthbound (aka Mother) series, but it is still one worth playing. Sadly, the only way to play it legitimately is on the Wii U. Unless you want to pay a huge price for one of the few prototype cartridges that exist, but that is not a realistic option.

The Wii U was not very successful, not a bad console, but it never really found its place in the market. It is the one and only place you can play the english version of Mother aka Earthbound Beginnings. The Wii U has much to offer besides, but they are getting hard to find, and they won't have online service available forever.

Nintendo seems to have no interest in allowing this game to be played. It was never available on the original Wii, nor was it on the NES Classic, it is not on the seemingly forgotten 3ds virtual console, and it hasn't been made available on the Switch as of yet. All of which which would have been ideal places for it.

April Games Finished

Instead of two blogs, one where I list the games, and one where I post the video, there will be one with the content of both. The video will tell you what I thought about the games. The list will be here if you are only interested in the games and dates.

Red Dead Redemption 2                               PS4                                           4/10/2019

Shadow of the Colossus                                PS4                                           4/14/2019

Captain Toad Treasure Tracker                    Switch                                       4/15/2019

Gravity Rush                                                 PS4                                           4/21/2019

Bloodstained Curse of the Moon                  Xbox One                                 4/21/2019

Splatterhouse                                                 Turbo Graphics 16                   4/25/2019

Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD         Wii U                                       4/26/2019

R-Type Dimensions EX                                Switch                                      4/27/2019


First ever Turbo Graphics 16 on the list.

Snakebyte Game: Pad S Pro Controller Review

This is a wireless controller for the Nintendo Switch. I got this one on sale for 20$. My expectations were low, as an official controller cost around 70$. This however turned out to be a great controller, and a great deal.

This worked great both 2d and 3d games. Playing Hollow Knight and Dark Souls for several hours each, never had a problem. While the plastic used is not the best, the buttons, sticks, and d-pad all feel pretty good.

It also was superior for playing NES classic games. Having the D-pad in a better position than the official pro controller. It also has the option to use turbo on all the buttons, which is very nice for many NES games.

It does lack a few features. No gyro control. No amiibo support. It also cannot be used to turn on the system. None of these are all the important, but worth noting.

Definitely worth getting.

Games finished in January 2019

This year I have decided to keep a list of which games I finish. So this is what I did in January. It is important to note that most of these were started in 2018.

Spider-Man - PS4                            1/2/2019

Link's Awakening - GBC                 1/4/2019

Soma - PC                                        1/4/2019

Spider-man DLC - PS4                    1/9/2019

God of War (2018) - PS4                 1/18/2019

Super Mario Land - GB                   1/19/2019

Binding of Isaac - Switch                1/20/2019

Shipwreck - PC                                1/21/2019

You can see this was a PlayStation heavy month. Been working Dragon Quest 11 (PS4) since the last entry. So That will likely make the list for February.

For anyone that needs it: PS4 = Playstation 4, PC = Personal Computer, GB = Game boy, GBC = Game Boy Color,

8Bitdo SN30 Pro review.

Before we start, I am not getting paid for my this by 8Bitdo for my thoughts on their product.

Recently, I picked up this controller at Fry's Electronics for 50$.

The short version: It is easily the best controller I have ever used for 2d games. It is also a fine controller for modern 3d games.

The long version: This controller has a lot going for it, both tangible and intangible. Making for a controller that not only feels good in the hands, but is also make you wax nostalgic.

Firstly the contoller can be used on multiple systems, both wired and wireless (through Bluetooth). There are botton combinations printed on the bottom of the controller for quickly switching between systems. Windows, Mac OS, Android, Nintendo switch, and Raspberry Pi, can all be easily be paired to this controller.

The build quality is very good. The buttons feel good, and continue to feel good even after several weeks of heavy use. The d-pad has a very definite feel to it, with a proper pivot. The analog sticks are very precise, and work well for any modern game might play. The plastics used seem to be at least somewhat resistant to the natural oils of your skin. It has built in rumble motors, and motion controls that both work very well. The batteries last about 16 hours on a charge, and can last longer if you are using it for something without rumble support. It also has built in turbo for the buttons, which while not very useful in modern games, can be very useful when playing older retro games.

This controller tries very hard to invoke nostalgic feeling.  It is designed after the standard controller of the Super Nintendo, only with twin analog sticks, and an extra pair of shoulder buttons. This is taken further, as the plastics used are textured to feel the same as the ones used by Nintendo for their SNES controllers. The buttons also have the same height and resistance. Meaning that if you spent a lot of time with an SNES, you will undoubtedly be very fond of the SN30 Pro.