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Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 6, 2023 10:34:33 GMT -5
Last year during EVO, SNK announced that they were developing a new game in the Fatal Fury/Garou Densetsu series. Just yesterday during this year's EVO, they revealed the first teaser trailer (though, it does not contain actual gameplay footage). The game appears to be a direct follow-up to the previous game, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, released in 2000 for the Neo Geo. Based on the voice samples heard in the trailer, it seems that most of the characters are from Mark of the Wolves, with a few legacy characters from the older games, and possibly even Alice Nakata from KoF14. Personally, I think it's pretty cool that a new Fatal Fury game is in development. Despite being the Neo Geo's premier fighting game series, it always seemed to take a backseat to more popular series' like The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown, and is often dismissed as a Street Fighter clone. (Fun fact: both the original Street Fighter and the Fatal Fury series were created by the same person: Takashi Nishiyama.) But I think it has its own charm, and I have some nostalgia from seeing the original Fatal Fury so often in Neo Geo cabinets back then. No platforms have been announced, but it's almost a given not to be coming to Switch. What is coming to Switch, however, is The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match. A new trailer has been released for it, as well, and it confirms the release for November 16, 2023. Of course, I don't play fighting games anymore, but I'm glad to see SNK still supporting the Switch in some capacity.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 4, 2023 11:31:11 GMT -5
In an interview with VGC, Hideki Kamiya gave his opinion on the term "JRPG." Unlike Naoki Yoshida, Kamiya believes that Japan should be proud of the term JRPG. He thinks the term highlights the unique sensibilities that Japanese creators put into their work, and it denotes a style that can't be made anywhere else. He uses a couple of examples of how certain manga were localized outside of Japan, and it changed the tone of the original material (either positively or negatively). You know how I feel about Kamiya at this point, but I do like his perspective on this. It reminds me of how Japanese publishers in the early HD era tried really hard to imitate Western game styles in order to have an international appeal, but often failed. Ironically, Japanese games seem to do better overseas when they embrace their own strengths.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 26, 2023 14:11:36 GMT -5
Hello all! What with social media in meltdown, I'm gradually looking for a new home. And Nester kindly reminded me that I already have a home here that I made myself years ago and have neglected badly! This place has been my rock. I've been coming here since before Twitter even existed, and it's still here even as Twitter is fading away. Anyway, in the thoughts I previously posted, I felt like maybe I was being a little nitpickey, but ultimately, I enjoyed the game overall. If BotW was a 10/10, I'd still say TotK is a 9/10. It sounds like your impressions were even harsher than mine. After all the hours and years I spent on BotW, I learned that even though it's open-world and you can do things in whatever order you want, there is still a certain order in which you're encouraged to do things. (For example, you're expected to visit Kakariko early on, go to the Hateno tech lab to get your Sheikah Slate upgraded, visit certain shrines with tutorials, etc.) With that knowledge, I went into TotK with the intent that I would follow the prompts the game gave me, knowing that it would likely unfold in the most ideal manner. But I also took the time to do side activities and experience whatever the game had to offer as I went along. In short, I aimed for a "balanced" experience. As a result, opening up the full overworld map and finding all the tears was spread out more organically over several dozen hours, so that probably influenced my overall impression. TotK is definitely superfluous in a lot of ways. But even then, as with BotW, I expected (and even wanted) a bit of busy work just because I enjoyed being the world. I've long since entered the phase of "piddling around while listening to music or a podcast." On the other hand, I admit I was a little disappointed when TotK was originally announced as a sequel to BotW, because after having spent so much time on the previous game, I was ready to move on to something entirely new. The sky islands and underworld just don't quite cut it in that regard. When I'm up really high in the sky and able to look out to the north or west beyond Hyrule's borders, I really wish I could explore what's over there, or perhaps even go across (or under) the ocean. In fact, I felt this way in BotW as well. I do find it a little funny that you went into a Zelda game expecting a lot of consistent lore. That's not exactly Zelda's strong point. (For lore you can really sink your teeth into, you'd want to look at something like Xenoblade, Falcom's Trails series, or even the Ys series.) TotK almost seems like it's retconning every Zelda game except for BotW, and even its connection to that feels a little thin. I've seen theories that the flashbacks happen during the "Era of Prosperity," which is after Skyward Sword, but before everything else. I've also seen some suggestion that Hidemaro Fujibayashi is basically ignoring every Zelda game he didn't personally work on. (That is, everything except Skyward Sword, the Oracle games, The Minish Cap, and BotW.) Either way, BotW/TotK generally feel like they're trying to build something entirely new.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 20, 2023 9:48:21 GMT -5
This was a challenging list to make because I prefer to focus on the positive side of gaming. Also, I tend to avoid playing games I don’t think I’ll enjoy, so I don’t have very many “bad” games in my collection. Even then, I still hesitate to call any of these games outright “bad.” Either they’re simply weaker than other games, have specific issues, are in a genre I don’t personally care for, or had good ideas but weren’t able to fully realize them. I tried to stick to games that I feel like I have a firm opinion of. Also, these are all consoles I own, plus two extra “bonus” platforms at the end. NES – Metal GearDisregarding the popular opinion that this is considered a poor version of Metal Gear, I’m just not a fan of stealth games in general. Game Boy – BattleshipI don’t remember why I even own this game. I did finish it, though (which, iirc, required beating 40 stages), but it’s pretty boring. Sega Genesis – Sonic 3D BlastI wish I liked this game more than I did. It has some interesting things going for it, but it’s a little tedious, and the camera movement makes me a little motion sick after a while. SNES – Jurassic ParkI think this was a birthday present. I can’t help but think there’s a good game in here somewhere, but it has some major issues holding it back. It combines an overhead view when outdoors with first-person shooter-style interiors. It’s technically impressive that it does it without the Super FX chip, but it’s also choppy and slow. (Also, you know how I feel about first-person shooters.) The main problem, though, is that it’s a rather long game without any kind of save function. (Interestingly, it’s being re-released as part of a Jurassic Park collection from Limited Run Games. According to the product page, it includes save states and other QoL features, so that version has potential to be pretty decent!) Nintendo 64 – Mario Party 2I got this game on the Wii Virtual Console, and it was only because I had some Club Nintendo points expiring. It’s obviously meant to be a multiplayer experience, but playing it by myself wasn’t much fun. I think I only played it twice. Dreamcast – Sega Smash Pack Vol. 1A compilation of 10 Sega Genesis games sounds appealing, but the emulation is horrible. There’s constant screen-tearing, and the audio is just plain awful. I prefer to think of this as the Dreamcast version of Virtua Cop 2, because it also includes a pretty good port of that (likely based on the Windows version), and that alone made it worth the $5 I probably paid for it. Game Boy Advance – Advance WarsGot this on Wii U Virtual Console when Club Nintendo was ending. I really like the presentation, but I always had a hard time getting into the gameplay. It seems so much more complicated than Fire Emblem. GameCube – Metal Gear Solid: The Twin SnakesAgain, stealth games are not my thing, and this may have been the game that really made me realize that. I don’t regret playing it, though, as it was still an interesting experience. Nintendo DS – New Super Mario Bros.This is a tricky choice. It’s certainly not a bad game by any stretch, but it’s just generally forgettable. Wii – Deadly CreaturesThis game is such a cool concept, but it’s extremely unfinished. Perhaps another year of development could’ve made it something special, but such a niche idea was never going to receive that kind of budget. As it is, it was released half-baked. Wii U – Rodea: The Sky SoldierThis is specifically for the Wii U version. The original Wii version, which was included as a bonus, is actually pretty decent. The Wii U version, on the other hand, is just a port of the 3DS version, that in turn was mucked up by Kadokawa Games. Switch – Blaster Master Zero 2I really enjoyed the first Blaster Master Zero, but BMZ2 just missed the mark for me. Not terrible, but it ruined the things I liked about the original. As a result, I never tried the third. Bonus Consoles:I’m including these platforms simply because I feel like I’ve played a fair amount of games on them via re-releases on other consoles. TurboGrafx-16/CD/Duo – NeutopiaThis is definitely not a bad game, but it is a product of its time, and as such, is a little bland. Basically, the game is a Zelda clone, and by that, I mean a clone of the original Legend of Zelda. While it could be argued that it’s a more refined game, it also falls far short of where A Link to the Past would take the series. It was worth one playthrough, though. Neo Geo – Super Sidekicks 3: The Next GloryThis was included in the SNK Arcade Classics collection on the Wii. It’s an arcade-style soccer/football game. While I do enjoy arcadey sports games, this didn’t hold my interest. Maybe it’s because I’m just an American that doesn’t understand real football.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 8, 2023 21:39:18 GMT -5
I didn't mean to imply that Western artist can't do good anime-style art. In this case, though, it looks like anime-style is what they were going for, but they didn't quite get it right. (Actually, I see examples of this fairly often with some indie games on the NA eShop.)
Come to think of it, there was an old feature on HG101 showing Japanese box art for Western games that I remember being really interesting. (Not sure if it's still online.) Some were completely redrawn with an anime art style. Other times, there were minor adjustments for cultural differences. (A character with a big teethy grin would be altered to have their mouth closed, for example.) Also, I remember the box art for the SSX games would feature the Japanese character Kaori Nishidake on the cover.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 8, 2023 13:54:04 GMT -5
Hardcore Gaming 101 recently posted an article on game I had forgotten about called Sudeki. It's an early example of a Western RPG deliberately trying to imitate the look and feel of a Japanese RPG. It was developed by Climax Studios, a British developer, and published by Microsoft Game Studios for, of all things, the original Xbox in 2004. (Also Windows.) This was back when Microsoft still thought Xbox had a chance to gain traction in Japan. I have not played it, but it strikes me as the inverse of when a Japanese publisher tries to appeal specifically to the Western market by imitating a Western style, but it doesn't quite feel authentic. I'm especially amused by the difference between the Western and Japanese box art. You can tell the Western box art is trying to use an anime style, but it just looks awkward, whereas the Japanese box art was probably actually done in Japan and looks far better.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 4, 2023 18:26:43 GMT -5
I wanted to share a couple of fan comics I found on Tumblr. They're both from the same artist. Comic 1: Worst search party everI actually didn't find this as much of an issue in Tears of the Kingdom as the comic implies. Most of the important characters recognize Link. This happened more in Breath of the Wild, but it made more sense there considering everybody thought all of the original Champions were killed 100 years prior. Comic 2: Link keeps a little too much to himselfEven with this, I'd say Link is more "talkative" than in previous Zelda games, but I like that by simply giving him dialog, it exposes a lot of absurdity.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 4, 2023 18:00:36 GMT -5
The reason I posted it here is because in the top post, I said we could make up our own rules. So, I decided that posting a list of 2D Super Mario games was simply setting the rule of "only includes 2D Super Mario games." (And I'm just ignoring the "Top 25" part.)
I don't know if I'll do more of these, or at least not right away. It started off as a personal challenge, but I don't necessarily feel the need to do a ranking of every game series I play.
I suppose I should at least update my Ys rankings, like I said I would do almost two years ago, but that wouldn't amount to anything more than simply adding Ys IX to the previous list. It could use better descriptions, though.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 3, 2023 9:23:54 GMT -5
I'm not sure where else to post this, so I guess I'll use this thread as a general ranking thread. Anyway, after ranking all of the Fire Emblem games I’ve played, I decided I wanted to do another ranking list. But for what series? Xenoblade? Zelda? Update my old Ys ranking? No, I decided to challenge myself again, and go with an entirely different genre this time. Since Super Mario Bros Wonder is due out in just a few months, I’ve decided to rank all of the 2D Super Mario games I’ve played so far. A couple of notes: I will not be including Yoshi’s Island. Despite being titled “Super Mario World 2,” I really see it as a launching point for the Yoshi series. Also, Mario isn’t even the playable character. I will also not be including Super Mario Bros 35, given that it was a limited-time online game. So, with that out of the way, *in Mario’s voice* here we go!My 2D Super Mario Rankings 12 - New Super Mario Bros.When this game first came out, it was both exciting and refreshing to see a new “2D” Super Mario game so many years after Super Mario World. Once that novelty wore off, however, it ended up being pretty unremarkable, and attempting to replay it never held my interest. The “shock” of Bowser turning into Dry Bowser is one of the few memorable things about it. 11 - New Super Mario Bros. WiiA good step up from the original “New” SMB. They brought back the Koopalings, and the stage design is better. It’s still lacking something, however, and I didn’t find myself going back to it much. Also, the controls feel unusually “heavy,” even more so than the other games in the “New” series. 10 - Super Mario LandAs a full Super Mario game on a handheld system, this was pretty novel for its time. Coming from Gunpei Yokoi’s team rather than Shigeru Miyamoto’s, it also feels really weird, and not quite Mario-like. It’s still interesting, though, and I actually like the shooter stages, but it hasn’t aged very gracefully, making it more of a novelty. 9 - Super Mario Bros. 2/The Lost LevelsDespite being built off of the original Super Mario Bros, the level design in The Lost Levels has a very different mentality that leans toward being a kaizo game. As such, it has a very different appeal. It’s interesting, but I don’t find myself coming back to it very often. 8 - Super Mario MakerThis is more like creativity software rather than a straight-up Mario game, but on that level, it’s very well done. I love that the interface is based on Mario Paint, and there are a lot of ways to play with it. On the other hand, I didn’t have that many ideas for stages, and playing other people’s stages wasn’t always that much fun, so my enjoyment was a bit limited. 7 - Vs. Super Mario Bros.While this is the arcade version of the original SMB, I think it’s different enough to stand on its own. It’s much more difficult, and shares several stages with The Lost Levels, placing it somewhere in between. As such, it’s not as balanced as the original SMB, but I enjoy it as a pure arcade experience. 6 - Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden CoinsThis one still feels a little weird, but it’s also more faithful to the spirit of the main Super Mario Bros games. It’s filled with creativity and surprises, and even allows you to play each area in any order. A great game, and a huge improvement over the original. 5 - New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi UThis is more like it. Finally, the “New” series feels somewhat inspired. It still doesn’t quite top the originals, but it’s a good attempt. New Super Luigi U (which was included with my copy) follows The Lost Levels’ mentality of design, but even that’s done right. The levels are challenging, but short. Overall, an excellent game. 4 - Super Mario WorldThis may sound quaint now, but I still remember playing Super Mario World for the first time and thinking, “I’m playing a 16-bit Mario game!” While not the most graphically impressive 16-bit game of its time, it still felt like a significant step up from every previous Mario game. It’s also the first game in the series to truly shed its arcade-style roots, and gives players much more opportunity to explore. The idea of “Dinosaur Land” was also a new twist. It feels like a true adventure. 3 - Super Mario Bros. 2/USAGiven that this was not originally a Mario game, and its gameplay is completely different than anything else in the series, trying to figure out where to rank it nearly sent me into a doki doki panic. But regardless of its origins, it’s a great platform game in its own right, and I’ve come to appreciate it because it’s unique. It had its own influence on the series going forward, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s earned its place as a true Mario game. 2 - Super Mario Bros.I’m sure my nostalgia plays a big part here, but it’s hard to top the purity of the original SMB. It left a huge impression on me back then, and no matter how many times I’ve played it, I feel like I can always go back and still enjoy it. It’s a real “comfort food” game, which is how I’ve come to think of this series now. 1 - Super Mario Bros. 3Despite being preceded by two other separate sequels, this feels like the true follow-up to the original Super Mario Bros. It evolves the original design to its full potential, and every future iteration, from World and 6 Golden Coins to the “New” series, is built on top of this. Again, I’m sure my nostalgia plays a part here, but the excitement and sense of wonder I felt about SMB3 back then has never been topped by any other 2D SMB game.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 28, 2023 11:05:43 GMT -5
I thought I’d share some of the funny, weird, and interesting things I’ve noted while playing Tears of the Kingdom: With all the huge chunks of the sky ruins constantly falling out of the sky, I wonder how many innocent people have been killed by them. In Tears of the Kingdom, it’s possible to get so high up in the air that you can actually see a curvature to the world. Interestingly, this was also in Breath of the Wild, but it wasn’t normally possible to get that high up without using glitches and exploits. In Breath of the Wild, there’s a side quest where Link can buy a house and do some minor decorating. If you visit that house in Tears of the Kingdom, it seems that Zelda now lives there. I suppose it’s likely Link gave her the house because she started teaching at a local school, but it’s also funny to think that she just moved in and kicked him out. There are separate minor NPCs named Rex and Pyra, like the protagonists of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It’s probably just coincidence (or maybe a subtle reference by the localization team), as the “Pyra” NPC’s Japanese name is not Homura. There are many details indicating about how much time has passed between games. One of the more amusing cases involves an alcoholic drink called a “Noble Pursuit” that’s sold at a bar in Gerudo Town. In Breath of the Wild, they refuse to serve it to Link due to him being too young, but in Tears of the Kingdom, he can order it no problem. Despite not being the "real" versions of the characters, the Sages' avatars still have some tangibility and can be interacted with to a degree. This includes funny things like being blown away by bombs, headbutted by wild boars, and even eaten (and spat out) by Like Likes. (Sidon should stay away from cork puzzles.) The avatars don't take any damage, however. In Breath of the wild, there are helmets based on the Divine Beasts that could be obtained via amiibo, and these have been carried over into Tears of the Kingdom. If Link wears one, then the corresponding Sage's avatar will also wear it. (e.g. If Link is wearing the Vah Medoh helmet, Tulin's avatar will also be wearing it.) I'm not aware of any gameplay benefits, but I’ve seen speculation that it gives them a buff to their attacks. Kass, the accordion-playing Rito bard, was one of the most beloved side characters in Breath of the Wild, but he’s nowhere to be found in Tears of the Kingdom. His five children still live in Rito Village, and he’s alluded to once at the end of a certain side quest, but otherwise, he’s conspicuously absent with no explanation. I wonder if he’s being saved for DLC. And here are a couple of other amusing things I posted on Twitter:
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 25, 2023 9:24:05 GMT -5
Here are my answers: What is your favorite Ys game?Ys Origin What is your favorite moment?Hmm... Maybe in Yunica's route in Ys Origin after (spoiler) dies, and "Beyond the Beginning" kicks in. Who is your favorite male character?I agree with the popular opinion -- Adol Christin. In second place, not sure. Maybe Dogi. Who is your favorite female character?As alluded to earlier, Yunica Tovah from Origin. In second place, I think Laxia from Ys VIII. What is your favorite sword of Adol's?I actually don't remember most of these. What is your favorite item?I don't have one. What is your most used skill?Not sure. Maybe Adol's Force Edge from Ys VIII, if that's the one I'm thinking of. Also, Yunica's Whirlwind. What is your favorite music?I'll always have a soft spot for Yuzo Koshiro's classic "First Step Towards Wars." Also, "Genesis Beyond the Beginning." I especially love this incredible live version by Falcom jdk Band from 2013. Who was the hardest boss for you?I agree with the popular opinion -- Dark Fact from Ys I. Although, I did manage to beat him on Nightmare difficulty. Also, Galbalan from Oath in Felghana. Especially if you're playing on PC, haven't bought a proper game controller yet, and use only mouse and keyboard... like I did the first time. Oh, and maybe Lanaluna from Ys VI. I always seem to have trouble there for some reason. What age do you hope Adol will be in the next game?24 or 25. I want to see what happens to him after Monstrum Nox.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 24, 2023 9:15:55 GMT -5
There was a poll recently in Japan asking fans about their favorite things in the Ys series. English results are in this Reddit thread. (Original Japanese article here) Here are the results: What is your favorite Ys game? 1- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA 2- Ys I & II 3- Ys IX: Monstrum Nox 4- Ys: The Oath in Felghana 5- Ys SEVEN 6- Ys Origin 7- Ys III: Wanderers from Ys 8- Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim 9- Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand / Ys: Memories of Celceta What is your favorite moment? 1- Farewell to Feena (II) 2- Adol meets Dana (VIII) 3- Reunion between Adol and Crimson King (XI) 4- Opening (II) 5- True Ending: Farewell to Dana (VIII) 6- Ending (SEVEN) 7- Bell Tower Scene (II) 8- Final Dispossession (Quest) (IX) 9- Dana's Past (VIII) 10- Chester's Death (III / Felghana) Who is your favorite male character? 1- Adol 2- Hummel 3- Dogi 4- Geis 5- Toal 6- Chester 7- Jules 8- Crimson King 9- Credo 10- Marius Who is your favorite female character? 1- Dana 2- Feena 3- Lilia 4- Elena 5- Reah 6- Ricotta 7- Tia / Krysha 9- Olha 10- Laxia What is your favorite sword of Adol's? 1- Mistilteinn 2- Cleria Sword 3- Silver Sword 4- Short Sword 5- Rusted Sword 6- Caliocerion 7- Isios Blade 8- Emelas Swords 9- Brave Sword 10- Talwar What is your favorite item? 1- Silver Harmonica 2- Old Seal Ring 3- Mask of Eyes 4- Roda Tree Seed 5- Golden Vase 6- Black Pearl 7- Hermit's Scale 8- Book of Ys 9- Gale Feather 10- Adventure Journal What is your most used skill? 1- Pentagram 2- Bump System (Half-Character Shift) 3- Force Edge 4- Judgement 5- Counter Trick 6- Aura Fencer 7- Down-Thrust 8- Fire Magic 9- Vermillion Scythe 10- Abyssal Blade What is your favorite music? 1- To Make the End of Battle youtu.be/cVCpaINqUcI2- The Boy Who Had Wings youtu.be/ATBcYQjE6rw3- Sunshine Coastline youtu.be/HvBla5NUlvk4- A-to-Z youtu.be/Kz9yQ-qzWiM5- Feena youtu.be/Rgdn5V31dWg6- The Sibylline Road youtu.be/bGda1iypk7Y7- Iclucian Dance youtu.be/xogTY-BvV6s8- First Step Towards Wars youtu.be/4CKQqDMusIo9- Genesis Beyond the Beginning youtu.be/Ytz61uka79M10- Dana youtu.be/xI4_b-ZqmK411- Hope Alive youtu.be/-ta-Tlo2mnM12- Valestein Castle youtu.be/HSzaK_ueHY413- Norse Wind youtu.be/nTJNYniviRw14- Mighty Obstacle youtu.be/02A9KsvsoW015- Tower of the Shadow of Death youtu.be/1GNWcJLEKYwWho was the hardest boss for you? 1- Dark Fact 2- Galbalan 3- Mephorash 4- Vagullion 5- Oceanus 6- Pictimos 7- Darm 8- Chester 9- Dalles 10- Kava Kelos What age do you hope Adol will be in the next game? 1- 25 2- 22 3- 30 4- 20 5- 27 6- 35 7- 40 8- 63 9- 28 10- 24 Comments: Favorite male character: Adol was expected, but Dogi wasn't second? Favorite female character: No Yunica anywhere invalidates the entire list. What age do you hope Adol will be in the next game? In general, it seems that people want to see an older Adol. Number one is age 25, which is one year older than he was in Ys IX. Age 63 also made the list, which is canonically the age Adol "dies" (or technically, goes missing, and his journal entries cease). Sometimes, it does seem like Falcom wants to cram half of Adol's 100 adventures into a five-year time span.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 21, 2023 14:20:17 GMT -5
OK, full (and lengthy) thoughts.
Saying the Direct was "slim pickings" was maybe a little harsh. They showed plenty of good things, but nothing terribly Earth-shattering for me.
I was surprised to see both Shinya Takahashi and Yoshiaki Koizumi hosting it. Yeah, Koizumi is the "Mario guy," but for all those Mario announcements, it doesn't seem like he actually introduced them much. Still, I like seeing him, and with that WarioWare bit, I'm happy to see that Nintendo can still have a little bit of fun in their Directs.
So, yeah, all those Mario games. And a Luigi game. And a Wario game. And a Peach game. Makes sense considering the success of the Mario movie.
I loved Super Mario RPG on the SNES, but I don't plan to get the remake. I wonder if this is intended to pick up the slack for the Paper Mario games not being RPGs anymore, and Alpha Dream not being around to make more Mario & Luigi games. Could this be the beginning of it becoming its own series?
Interesting to see a new WarioWare game so soon. I guess Get It Together must've been successful.
I'm wondering what that new Princess Peach game will be like. The stage seems to be a theme. I don't think it will be like the old Super Princess Peach game.
So, all four Pikmin games will be available on Switch. Miyamoto is trying really hard to make Pikmin a thing. I've still only played the first one on GameCube. It was always in the back of my mind to try another one, but I just never really bothered.
I want to mention the Metal Gear Solid collection only because it includes the non-canon NES game Snake's Revenge. I was joking recently on Twitter that since Hideo Kojima is gone, Konami should reboot Metal Gear as a continuation of Snake's Revenge. I'm kind of impressed that Konami included it, and it probably wouldn't have happened if Kojima was involved.
Ah, the annual Just Dance. I know it's kind of a joke, but I was thinking how this was a series that started off on the Wii, and was a gimmick to take advantage of the motion controls. Yet, it's still going all these years later. I imagine they don't cost that much to produce, but they keep selling.
I guess the most interesting game for me in this Direct is Super Mario Bros Wonder. This looks like the best "modern" 2D (or 2.5D) Mario game yet. The classic Mario games had their own sense of "wonder" to them at the time, whereas the "New" SMB games relied more on comfortable familiarity. The "wonder" was reserved more for the 3D Mario games. By using the word "Wonder" in the title of this new game, I hope that means they're trying to bring that sense of wonder back to the 2D games.
I like how the perspective of the characters now resembles what the 2D sprites used to look like, rather than the generic side perspective of the "New" series. It reminds me of how they handled the graphics in A Link Between Worlds.
It's interesting that Daisy is a playable character. I wonder if there are others that haven't been announced yet, like Rosalina, or if there will be more added via DLC. (EDIT: I just noticed in the trailer that it looks like you can also play as Yoshi.)
Side note: It's interesting that new 2.5D Mario and Sonic games are coming this year, and they both have similarly colorful, vibrant graphics with a cute style, plus 4-player co-op. It's hard not to draw comparisons. I know Sonic Superstars is being developed by Arzest, but I hope it turns out OK. Both games are really appealing to my childhood nostalgia.
Overall, it was a decent Direct. Not much for me personally, but it was entertaining. I'll give it a C+.
Last note: Metroid Prime 4 is still completely M.I.A. There hasn't been any mention of it since 2021 when Metroid Dread was revealed. Retro Studios is still hiring new talent. It's been six years since the game was first announced, and over four years since development was restarted. It's pretty clearly in development hell at this point.
I know Nintendo announced it early to assure people about the types of games that were coming to Switch, but now it puts them in the awkward situation of not really being able to cancel it. Some people think Nintendo is just saving it for the launch of the next platform. There's also still time to reveal it for Switch before the end of the year. But there's been less reveled about it than there was for even Tears of the Kingdom in the past five years.
I'm not personally invested in it, but I am curious about it, and I feel kinda bad for the fans being strung along all this time.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 20, 2023 10:36:53 GMT -5
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 20, 2023 10:24:17 GMT -5
I’ve been thinking more about why I enjoyed Engage as much as I did, and another major factor is that it was the least-stressful Fire Emblem game I’ve played. I think it was due to a combination of playing on Casual mode, having infinite rewind, non-degradable weapons (Take that, Tears of the Kingdom!), and the more lighthearted tone. I felt like I was free to experiment without having to worry about severe penalties.
Three Houses did have some of these things, but it still felt a bit stressful. I played it in Classic mode, but frankly, I can’t imagine my experience would’ve been any different had I played it in Casual mode. Maybe I still had a hangover in my mentality from going straight into Three Houses after playing the old school Fire Emblem games, bypassing the 3DS era entirely.
Engage's Somniel did slow things down a bit, but for some reason, I didn't mind it as much as Garreg Mach in Three Houses. Maybe it's because it wasn't as big, and had a more pleasant atmosphere. Also, there was no classroom simulator.
Either way, I think a lot of things with Engage just fell into place for me. More of what I liked, less of what I didn't.
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