Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

@Eel already did. That’s what I ate for supper😁

Burgers it is, then.

@Heavyarms55 Same here! 😊 I also like Pokemon D/P Remakes. Can I join you guys in this thread? It seems like one of the only ones with reasonable people.

@Diddy64 We can't exactly say no, lol. But no promises if we're discovered.

@Diddy64 This thread is for... people who can destroy each other’s opinions respectfully. Welcome!

@Heavyarms55 Feels. Not that I’m not victim to this either, I have an impulse to read comments all over the place, to contrast my views with others’. I don’t put down comments on NL, or look at the comments here much, because the people there that don’t also frequent the forums, have the potential to be as bad as the people that spam things in the Nintendo Direct live chat.

It really is pathetic that people only hurl insults and hate at each other if they’re hidden behind a screen, without any kind of agency whatsoever. I’ve seen it not just on the Internet but even in schools. I was in a Google Hangout for a Humanities course, and left yesterday because of how toxic the platform was. Again, no agency behind any of these comments, which when directed at me were rude and exclusive. Not that the people involved insulted each other...

There’ll always be people who feel more entitled to what video games can offer, and it’s easy to say this but they’re a minority, who choose to scream from the rooftops. These same people will probably end up buying the game anyway.

@TheJGG The forums on this site, with the exception of Pokemon ones, have consistently been a lot more pleasant than regular comment sections. It's a big part of why I'm still active on this site.

The pokemon threads haven't been particularly bad so far

Looking at Pokemon hype right now, i was thinking what about other monster breeding games such as Yokai Watch or Monster Farm / Rancher or Moco Moco Friends 3DS ?
I still thought those games have their own charm as hidden gems, they have their uniqueness, something that not available on Pokemon games despite they are really being overshadowed by Pokemon's popularity.
If someone have some interest with those unpopular games, maybe we can discuss here.

@Heavyarms55 The forums were why I started to begin with. It’s nice for long and critical posts.

@Heavyarms55 Go ahead, I won't be offended

No, but seriously. This isn't ResetERA where you get banned if you voice a slightly different opinion.

I wouldn't say that the reception to Legends has been negative. I think it's just that people are concerned. I am. Conceptually, this is what I want from a Pokemon game. I'm just worried they can't pull it off, and the trailer didn't exactly a lot to instill confidence. Those animations looked like they were running at 5fps, and the game is only a year away from release. I wouldn't be disappointed if they delayed it, and this was a late 2023 game. I just want a good game.

@Heavyarms55 @TheJGG Thanks both 😊

@TheJGG as long as people are respectful towards me and my opinions, I can maintain a conversation, even when they disagree with my views.

@Diddy64 Well in any case here’s a test. only kidding.

I don’t like Pokémon. The games as of late give the impression of a lazy, cynically awful series with zero regard for quality. The fandom is also trash, especially highlighted because of the #Pokédex which was a complete joke. Why would people start flame wars over the Pokédex?!

@TheJGG Agreed. Ever since sun and moon I kinda dislike everything Pokémon has become lol

@Blooper987 At least you’ve played them and therefore are able to back up the claim that Pokémon games suck! Unfortunately I haven’t played a single one and hopefully if everything goes to plan it’ll stay like that. Too busy collecting PlayStation trophies and Korok seeds than pocket monsters.

@TheJGG I get why you do not like them.
Like most people I like them because I grew up with them and the anime show.

I tend to heavily dislike cute/childish games as they are of very low quality. But with Pokemon I get a nostalgia factor that I can't get out of

Still NOT my number 1 Nintendo franchise. That spot is reserved for Zelda And there is no nostalgia there as I started playing the series a few years ago.

I like Pokemon, just always been more of a casual fan with the games and play them. I was big on it during its heyday, as in having a bunch of Pokemon shirts and playing the games constantly. Nowadays, I don't play them as much and play other games I like, I'll still tune into the Pokemon Directs (or Presents?) to see what's new.

Though, I am excited for New Pokemon Snap. Also, I really like Pokken Tournament, and consider it to just be a really underrated fighting game.

I've played a fair amount of Pokemon throughout my life. Didn't get quite into the games as much as my brother did, lol. (One reason being there's only one save file per cart.) You know how I'm really into Mario? My bro's like that with Pokemon.

I may end up getting New Pokemon Snap though, it looks pretty good. Used to play Pokemon Snap quite a bit on the N64.

@MarioLover92 I'd like to also try both FE Tellius games - Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn - but both are kinda expensive online lol. I also wouldn't argue against seeing either them or some of the older entries ported over too. I did skip out on the digital Switch release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, but the Shadow Dragon remake is superior. The game's art is amazing and is more in line with the GBA entries vs. the more anime-ish art style used nowadays. Not that I mind the latter, but FE's older aesthetics are a little more unique.

That said, Shadow Dragon couldn't quite shake the generic plot and somewhat unbalanced characters that it lifted from the original. It's a decent game overall, but I'd say it's the weakest FE I've played to date.

@TheJGG Points for the pun! X3

I'd also like for some of the 3DS FE entries to Switch over. I probably wouldn't buy them again so soon unless Intelligent Systems adds a lot of new content, but I'm all for it if it ropes more people into the series!

Some Smash fans still complain about all the sword users, huh? I came across a Reddit thread recently that mentioned that. I haven't played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate yet, but from what I've read each of the "sword fighters" has their own unique play style and moveset.

@bimmy-lee Definitely; the loop is so addicting that those critiques were only a blink in the grand scheme of things. Honestly, if I wanted to 100% everything I could easily spend at least another 50 hours gallivanting around Hyrule. XD I have high hopes for BotW 2, but I'm fully okay with Nintendo taking their time. I want another epic product, not a mess rushed out to meet a deadline.

Going off of your AoC impressions, seems like I'm in for a good time! Particularly with how much I enjoyed BotW. I quite liked Hyrule Warriors even though it was definitely not canon, but it was jammed with content for the fans. Definite comfort food, and an almost mindless way to let off some steam! I think I will enjoy Age of Calamity's structure!

Also, duly noted that the blacksmith shop is a nice place to nap.

@Heavyarms55 Overall, I enjoyed the Pokemon Presents. Here are my thoughts on the three games (Hopefully keeping this brief):

• New Pokemon Snap - This certainly looks beautiful and definitely looks like its brings back everything I enjoyed about the N64 original when I played it on Wii U a few years ago. Like you though, I am concerned about the price vs. the content on offer. Though I doubt I'll get it day one since it's not top-tier priority for me. Might wait for a sale regardless lol.
• Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl - Overall, I like what we've seen so far, and it does appear to include some content from Platinum. My only hang-up is the art style; the 3D battles are fine, it's mainly the overworld that gives me pause; I fully realize a lot of this is nostalgia, but I much prefer the 2.5D pixel art used in the original games (I've mentioned this before, but the art style used for Gens 4 and 5 is still my favorite). I suspect it'll grow on me and there is time yet for some polishing, but my initial impression admittedly wasn't the best. As long as the gameplay remains faithful, I doubt I'll have any problems. (Oh, and hopefully they inject more fire types) Let's say I'm cautiously optimistic.
• Pokemon Legends: Arceus - This stole the presentation for me. This. Looks. So. AWESOME! I like the open world feel of it, though I won't complain if at least a few parts of it are gated a bit (I'm one of those oddballs that doesn't mind some open world aspects, but I don't want it in every game, nor do I think it fits in some cases). I admit it looks a bit rough around the edges graphically, but the game isn't due to release for about a year. We were clearly shown an early build. That gives Game Freak plenty of time to refine everything.

@Tyranexx Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from. If it had been up to me, I'd have liked Pokemon to go the HD-2D route that Square Enix has been running with for some titles. But while that would be very much my cup of tea, it would probably be hard to sell to the primary audience - children.

As for Platinum content, some people have already noticed a few things, one being Porygon-Z, which was a post-game only Pokemon in D/P but main game in Platinum. And another being an NPC in one town who gives you that flower for Shaymin - which only happened in Platinum.

One thing I really want to know about are the underlying mechanics. Will this game use core series mechanics? EVs, IVs, breeding, held items, etc? Importantly, will it retain many of the newer quality of life improvements the series has added in the last few gens? Like hyper training IVs, the ability to reset EVs, the "battle ready mark" allowing older Pokemon to be made legal for official formats... will VGC even switch to these games, or will we stay with SW/SH until Legends? Competitive isn't the focus for all players of course, but it's a big part of what a lot of us care about. A big let down for me in the Let's Go games is just how painfully dumbed down the battles are. They made competitive play impossible in those games. That stupid as all hell candy system that let you max out all stats was beyond bad...

And a big part of why Pokemon has such a problem with cheating over the years started with how outrageously hard it was to make competitive Pokemon in... Diamond and Pearl. I remember spending like a week breeding Heracross and settling for one without even a single perfect 31 stat. I still have it, it has like a 30 in attack and 25 in speed. Terrible by modern standards, and terrible back then - because most people cheated to obtain competitive teams.

Interestingly aDrive on YouTube said there's evidence that upcoming merchandise related to the games features mega evolutions. This could mean that Megas are coming back in these games and that opens a whole can of new questions. The biggest being if there are gonna be any new Megas? Almost no Sinnoh specific Pokemon can Mega so it would be weird to have the in the game without getting some new ones. Then again, they just tacked them into Let's Go too...

For Legends it does look pretty cool. But rewatching the trailer leaves me with more questions. It doesn't seem like there's any sort of antagonists or plot to the game from what they showed. Just making the Sinnoh Pokedex. As much as I wanted an open world Pokemon game, if it's nothing but a collectathon with occasional battles, that would be pretty dull for the full game. No matter how cool it looks at first. Open world games need things to do. Not just big open places. I'd point at titles like Fallout New Vegas or Breath of the Wild. There are tons of things to do in those open world titles.