u/Accomplished_Paper88

It has been 20 years since the last Mother game came out. This is longer than the span between the original Mother and Mother 3. Do you think Nintendo will ever revive the franchise? If they announce a new Mother game or remake one of the older Mother games (Preferably Mother 2 and 3), my hype for it would be greater than that for the next Mario, Zelda or Pokemon game (Actually probably any new games I’m waiting for).

Nintendo’s releases in China are pretty interesting. I’m not aware of any official Nintendo releases prior to 2003 but they released the Nintendo 64 hardware inside an N64 style controller called the iQue player with N64 games to be downloaded to the player via a kiosk in authorized retailers and later online at home (The initial announcement said Super NES games will also be released but only N64 titles end up released on it). This was the closest to an N64 classic edition.

Almost all of the best first party N64 games were released on iQue player including Zelda Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Mario kart 64, Sin and Punishment, Super Smash Bros, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, Yoshi’s Story, Star Fox 64. Although Majora’s Mask was never released although listed on the box. Only 14 games were released on iQue Player due to the poor sales and slow approval process. Although the games are digital, I found it odd that apparently the iQue games have boxes and instruction manuals. I never owned one so don’t know if the retailers hand customers a box upon downloading the game from the kiosk?

Nintendo under the iQue brand went on to release GBA, DS and 3DS systems and games. The official released game library for each handheld are limited compared to other regions. The GBA got Mario Advance 1-3, the Metroid games, Wario Ware, Wario Land 4 and I think a few other games from the early GBA era but there were no official releases of any Zelda, Pokemon, Advance Wars, Golden Sun and other big GBA titles that were released later in other regions including Mario Advance 4. The GBA games were housed in DS style boxes instead of the paper Game Boy boxes.

The DS only had the Mario 64 DS, New Super Mario Bros DS, Yoshi’s Touch and Go, Wario Ware Touched and I think Polarium DS and Nintendogs as official iQue DS releases. The 3DS only had Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. Imagine spending a small fortune to buy an iQue handheld to only have access to such a small library of games.

After the iQue 3DS, there was no further systems released under the iQue brand. There was a plan to release GameCube games under iQue Box that was to include a DVD player was cancelled due to the poor sales of iQue Player. A planned release of the iQue Wii was cancelled but a few Wii titles were released on NVIDIA Shield including Donkey King Country Returns, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii, Punch Out and Zelda Twilight Princess despite the original announcement stating GameCube titles will also be launched.

The Nintendo Switch was released in China in partnership with Tencent in 2019 and again had a limited library compared to other regions. I think the launch title was New Super Mario Bros U which isn’t even a Switch title. Major titles include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, New Pokemon Snap, Mario Party, Pokemon Let’s Go games. Apparently the slow approval process hinders a lot of potential titles getting an official release. None of the Zelda games were released on the Switch in China including Breath of the Wild still isn’t released by 2026.

It’s interesting the different approaches Nintendo used to get official releases into China from putting the N64 hardware into a controller, releasing Wii games on NVIDIA Shield to releasing region locked Switch consoles. It’s really a shame Nintendo released so few games officially in China on each console due to poor sales, piracy and slow approval process despite China being closer geographically and much easier localization process (Japanese and Chinese use many same written characters).

It’s unfortunate that being a developing market ripe with piracy, game collectors miss out on official releases of the earlier retro consoles that were released in Japan, Americas and Europe (India apparently got an official NES release with limited titles under the Samurai brand in the 1980s). Even if Nintendo starts to officially release titles in China on the pace with other markets, Chinese gamers still miss out on many classic games from the older systems, at least not playing the official versions.

We know what Michael did to Fredo after he found about the betrayal. How do you think Sonny or Vito would have handled Fredo as head of the Corleone? Do you think they would be angry at Michael for what he did to Fredo? I would assume they would not approve of it. Even Michael deeply regrets his decision in Part 3.

If I were Clark I don’t know how I would get over losing Lana. It seems that Clark and Lana can finally be together without any issues in their relationship, then Lex ruined their happiness by forcing them to choose between being together or save Metropolis from the bomb. Clark has been in love with Lana since the first episode, can’t imagine how painful it would be to meet the woman of your dreams for the last time and to share a final kiss.

It’s painful enough for both of them to have their happiness ruined in season 6 when Clark’s secret is no longer an issue in their relationship only for Lionel to ruin their plans to be together. Then both have to go through the pain of separation again this time to be separated permanently.

I don’t know how Clark managed to continue working at the Daily Planet since it will not only remind him of the kiss he and Lana shared on that rooftop at the end of the previous episode but it will also remind him it’s the same place where he and Lana made the painful decision that separated them forever.

I understand the writers have to make the story consistent with Clark and Lois end up being together. But if they could use a different Harvey Dent in Batman 1989 and Batman Forever, have different villains who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents in different Batman stories and have Batgirl being Jim Gordon’s daughter in Batman TAS and Alfred’s niece in Batman and Robin, then they can end the show with Clark and Lana being together.

Kristin Kreuk’s Lana Lang is so incredibly beautiful and cute and I can fully understand why Clark is so attracted to her (Not to mention many others including Lex Luthor and even Tina Greer lol) and can feel how painful it must have been for Clark to separate from her in Requiem. If I were Clark I would be so depressed that I probably be sitting in the loft for months and let my superhero friends take over in fighting the villains for a long time lol.

How would you feel as Clark to lose Lana Lang permanently in season 8? Were you emotionally impacted by the ending of “Requiem”?

When I first watched Smallville I was curious about the story of how Clark becomes Superman. When Lana appeared I was so captivated by her beauty and her character. I basically enjoyed every scene with her in it, I seen a lot of beautiful women in movies and TV shows but wow Lana is on a whole new level, she has such beautiful eyes (I was distracted by her eyes during the scene where she witnesses Clark’s power in the season 6 episode Promise) and she has really cute smile. I even thought she’s cute when she gets mad at Clark lol.

So I was really sad how Lana left the show. I was so happy to see her appear in “Bride” episode and really enjoyed seeing her new look with her short hair and black outfit until she left after “Requiem”. I could feel Clark’s pain of losing such a beautiful and amazing woman. I also miss seeing Lana and Chloe together, they developed such a close friendship together. I didn’t enjoy the show as much after Lana left. Even seeing the Talon in season 9 and 10 brought some joy since Lana was the founder of the cafe.

Kristin did such an amazing job portraying Lana. I developed a huge crush on Kristin watching Smallville. I feel the show just isn’t the same after Lana left and wish she’s in all 10 seasons. But I respect Kristin’s decision to leave the show to pursue other opportunities. Lana is one of the main reasons I like watching Smallville so much and she’s my favorite character :)

What was your reaction to the scene in the episode “Fever” when Chloe sits by Clark’s bedside reading to him the letter she wrote about her romantic feelings for him?

I felt so sad for Chloe. The way she put so much thoughts in her letter and how she touches Clark’s head shows how much she could love him and I’m sure she wanted Clark as much as Clark wanted Lana, if not more. I wonder if Lana would have written a letter like that for Clark and I think there are definitely some situations in the show that Lana gets upset at Clark for that Chloe would not be.

That must have been really upsetting for Chloe after she puts so much thoughts in that letter only to see Clark say Lana’s name. I’m glad that Chloe remains close friends with both Clark and Lana and found her significant other in the show.

I really enjoyed seeing Lana and Chloe during the eight seasons of them together. Although they both are interested in Clark and were even jealous of each other when the other gets Clark’s attention (In the episode Rush, Lana is so upset seeing Clark kissing Chloe she threw the rose Clark brought her into the trash), they became such close friends and even like sisters to each other.

When Lana left Smallville after absorbing the kryptonite, it wasn’t only Clark who suffered a devastating loss. I’m sure Chloe misses Lana a great deal. Chloe could really needed Lana’s company for emotional support after she left town during Jimmy’s bitter separation from her and when Jimmy dies after saving Chloe. After the episode “Requiem”, seeing Chloe without her friend Lana just doesn’t feel the same.

Do you enjoy seeing Lana and Chloe together watching Smallville? What are your favorite moments of them together?

I really enjoyed seeing Lana and Chloe during the eight seasons of them together. Although they both are interested in Clark and were even jealous of each other when the other gets Clark’s attention (In the episode Rush, Lana is so upset seeing Clark kissing Chloe she threw the rose Clark brought her into the trash), they became such close friends and even like sisters to each other.

When Lana left Smallville after absorbing the kryptonite, it wasn’t only Clark who suffered a devastating loss. I’m sure Chloe misses Lana a great deal. Chloe really needed Lana for emotional support after she left town during Jimmy’s bitter separation from her and when Jimmy dies after saving Chloe. After the episode “Requiem”, seeing Chloe without her friend Lana just doesn’t feel the same.

Do you enjoy seeing Lana and Chloe together watching Smallville? What are your favorite moments of them together?

I remember when I started watching season 8, my enjoyment of the show dropped. At first I thought maybe it’s because they replaced Lex with Tess Mercer. However, I enjoyed all the Lana episodes in season 8 then didn’t enjoy the rest of the show including season 9 and 10 nearly as much and only after I finished the show I realized the main reason was I missed seeing Lana Lang after Requiem.

When I first started watching Smallville, I was watching it to see Clark Kent and how he would become Superman. Little did I know I ended up enjoying the show mainly to see Lana. I even missed seeing Kristin in the opening credits in the later seasons. Even though almost all the supporting cast members/ characters departed the show by season 9 and 10 other than Chloe, I would have enjoyed the later seasons much more if Lana stayed in the show.

Did any of you who really loved seeing Lana Lang in the show enjoy Smallville after season 8?

It’s sad how Lana ends up being alone at the end of the series. Clark and Lois end up happily together and Chloe and Oliver end up being together as well. Lana however endured so much pain from losing her parents, a bad marriage to Lex (Which she was pressured under threat from Lionel) then being forced apart from Clark forever due to the kryptonite.

Lana has been such an important person not only to Clark but to Chloe as well. When Lana left Smallville forever after absorbing the kryptonite, it wasn’t only Clark who suffered a devastating loss of someone so important to him. I’m sure Chloe missed Lana a great deal and definitely needed her company for emotional support during Jimmy’s bitter separation from her and Jimmy’s death after saving Chloe. With all the ordeals Lana went through and her importance to people like Clark and Chloe, she deserves to be with someone who loves her and not be alone.

It’s sad how Lana ends up being alone at the end of the series. Clark and Lois end up happily together and Chloe and Oliver end up being together as well. Lana however endured so much pain from losing her parents, a bad marriage to Lex (Which she was pressured under threat from Lionel) then being forced apart from Clark forever due to the kryptonite.

Lana has been such an important person not only to Clark but to Chloe as well. When Lana left Smallville forever after absorbing the kryptonite, it wasn’t only Clark who suffered a devastating loss of someone so important to him. I’m sure Chloe missed Lana a great deal and definitely needed her company for emotional support during Jimmy’s bitter separation from her and Jimmy’s death after saving Chloe. With all the ordeals Lana went through and her importance to people like Clark and Chloe, she deserves to be with someone who loves her and not be alone.

It has been 20 years since Nintendo started offering the ability to play games from their past consoles on current systems with the virtual console. I was excited with the announcement and launch virtual console in 2006 on the Wii. It actually gave me a reason to look forward to Mondays due to the announcement of weekly new classic games being added to the service. I downloaded many classic titles from the Mario, Zelda, Star Fox and Kirby series as well as some obscure games like Bonk’s Adventure, Neo Geo titles, and Japan only titles like Sin and Punishment.

The Wii U and 3DS expanded on the offerings with the Game Boy systems and even the Nintendo DS. The pre-launch period on the Wii U was pretty cool where they offered a monthly NES title for only 30 cents in early to mid 2013. Additional classics like Earthbound and unreleased Earthbound Beginnings were added. The Gen 1 and 2 Pokemon games were also added towards the end of the virtual console lifespan. The downsides were the high prices for the ROMs especially some mediocre NES titles and the drought period after they were running out of big titles to add to the service.

The NES and Super NES classics were great follow ups. The game selection on the mini consoles were great and it even has the unreleased Star Fox 2. The packaging is awesome and gave a true nostalgic feeling. It was a shame they didn’t continue with the mini console releases after the Super NES classic edition.

This brings us to the current subscription only retro games on the Switch and Switch 2. Over the years Nintendo has vastly expanded on the retro games and consoles offered on the service with access to GameCube and Virtual Boy games on the modern systems for the first time that weren’t offered on virtual console. The dedicated retro controllers are really nice. However, the biggest downsides are the games cannot be purchased and they been drip feeding the releases. I feel Nintendo took a giant step forward then back on this by locking the retro games behind the subscription paywall.

I think Nintendo made the right choice with the re-release of Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green by allowing us to buy it. If they were offered as part of the subscription, our Pokemon and badges along with the save file will be gone when one day they discontinue the Switch online subscription after a new generation Nintendo hardware releases.

Did you all enjoy the retro games services of the virtual console and Nintendo Classics subscription on Switch as well as the mini consoles? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences.

Super Mario All Stars was a really well done enhancement of the NES Mario games and I believe it sold very well and was positively received. I am surprised following its success, Nintendo didn’t bother to do the same for Zelda 1 and 2. Even the original Metroid and Kirby’s Adventure received a graphically updated remake.

I would say this year would be the perfect opportunity to release an updated version of Zelda 1 and 2 but it probably won’t happen with the rumored Ocarina of Time remake coming out.

What’s your opinion on why Zelda 1 and 2 are left aline in its 8 bit form without any updated version? I know in Japan they had a satellite version for Super Famicom of the first game but it’s still not a mainstream release like Super Mario All Stars.

Nintendo and Square had rough relationship in the late 90s due to Square’s support for the Sony PlayStation. Now the two companies are back on good terms and a few years ago released a remake of Super Mario RPG. Do you think there’s a good chance they will release a new Super Mario RPG game?

Super Mario World was the first game I ever played when I got the Super NES on Christmas 1993. It was such an amazing experience. The first time getting hit by a Banzai Bill in the first level, looking at the map and seeing the next castle and fortress on it and wondering what enemies and traps await (There was no internet to spoil it back then), the excitement of finding a key to unlock a secret path, getting lost in Forest of Illusion and finding the special world the first time. It was truly a magical experience.

After finishing the game and completing it 100%, I was hoping there would be a sequel to this game. Yoshi’s Island was marketed as Super Mario World 2 in the West and was an amazing game in of itself which also brought great memories. However, I wish they made another game that takes place in Dinosaur Land.

Did anyone else enjoy Super Mario World so much that you wish they made a direct sequel to it?