@neogyo I might just bring the game over to my girlfriend's house tomorrow (as in, Friday, December 26) so we can play it together. The bulk of my gaming today (Christmas Day) is going to be spent playing through the flagship event in Genshin Impact.
Hopefully I'll be able to play it during the event period. Starting on Christmas Day, I do have six days off. I just hope there are no prerequisites to starting the event, since I haven't even played the game yet to begin with.
Oh, man. It's one thing to pass away so young, especially from a car crash. But for it to happen so close to the holidays, what is supposed to be a joyous time of the year, that's just not fair. My heart goes out to his family and friends.
I'm not normally a fan of the Mario Kart games, but $50 for the game as a bundle versus $80 for the game alone was too good of a deal to pass up. Plus, I did think the open-world mechanic was interesting. I do like being able to drive all around the map in the free roam mode. Probably one of the best Mario Kart games that I have ever played.
@IronMan30 Same here. Got one for myself at Target, and a second one for my girlfriend (whom I'm thinking of proposing to soon) via the invitation that I got from Nintendo itself. So unless one of them breaks, we're both set.
The North American box art is iconic, but I really like the retro anime art style of the European and Japanese box art; I’m always a sucker for that kind of art style. But since the Japanese box art shows just a bit more than the European version, I went with that.
This game and Genshin Impact are the two games that I am still waiting for when it comes to third party games coming to Nintendo consoles. Hopefully both will arrive sooner rather than later.
@PinderSchloss Totally. As it is, the idea that I have for a Zelda anime (based on a webnovel that I am currently writing) would see Ufotable animate it, not Ghibli. I know that many people say Ghibli or no one at all, but I just don't think they're the right choice for a Zelda anime. And I stand by that.
@PinderSchloss Yeah, I was about to say, it's more evocative of Don Bluth than Disney. That being said, however, Don Bluth did work for Disney before leaving and founding his own studio, so you could make the argument that it could still be Disney, albeit a very specific era of the company.
@DennyCrane Another game that absolutely exemplifies his words was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600. That game had a five-week development period to get it onto store shelves before the holiday season, and it shows. Some regard it as the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to Atari, and others consider it to be one of the worst games ever made.
Conversely, his words were proven wrong with Star Fox Zero. Despite being delayed, that game was still difficult to play because of the gyroscopic controls and second screen. Polygon didn't even assign it a final score, because the reviewer was so miserable playing it due to the controls that he couldn't bring himself to finish the game. I don't think any amount of further delays would have fixed that.
Likewise, Aliens: Colonial Marines and Duke Nukem Forever also had a lengthy development time, but are considered to be some of the worst games out there (although Duke Nukem Forever fared slightly better in terms of reviews).
Sometimes, it doesn't matter how much time in the oven that a game has if the recipe itself is off. At that point, you just need to go back to the drawing board and start development over from scratch, just like they did with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Glad to see that it's somewhat decent. Games based on movie licenses usually tend not to be. Of course, LJN was notorious for pumping out game after game that was based on a movie but was hot garbage, as many an Angry Video Game Nerd episode has demonstrated.
That being said, however, LJN was not the developer of these games; rather, they were simply the publisher. They outsourced development of their games to other companies. Heck, even titans of the video game industry, such as Atlus and Rare, worked with LJN, developing Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, respectively. And both of those games were mediocre, at best; they may even be downright awful.
But that's what happens when you rush development on games like that, trying to get a game out before the holiday season while the movie is still fresh on people's minds. It really does demonstrate Shigeru Miyamoto's famous quote: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is bad forever."
I was thrilled to see that Umamusume: Pretty Derby won the Best Mobile Game category. That was really the only category that was on my radar this year, as I haven't heard much of the other games. Now I'll definitely be showing this game (and hopefully the anime) to my aunt, who is into horses! Can't wait until I see her on Christmas Day!
There's really only one category that I am really interested in this year, that being Best Mobile Game. I really want Umamusume: Pretty Derby to win. Ever since I got into the Umamusume franchise a few months ago, I've wanted to see it get the recognition that it deserves from the industry.
Another reason why I hope it wins is so that I can show it to one of my aunts, who is big into horses and watches horse racing. If anything, I find it a bit ironic that my own family couldn't get me into that stuff, but an anime/manga/video game franchise did. But I would love to show it to her in the off-chance that she might be interested in learning about the Japanese side of horse racing, even in a somewhat fictionalized form. I especially want to show her Tokai Teio's miracle run at the Arima Kinen, something that actually happened in real life (interestingly enough, the year I was born: 1993). Hopefully she will get interested in it like I did!
Day 404 of waiting for the Star Fox: Assault soundtrack to be uploaded to Nintendo Music. I want to hear the track where Peppy sacrificed himself to break the shield on the Aparoid Homeworld in its full, unedited glory.
Well, once they can resolve the crashes, I'll be more likely to get this game. It's been a while since I have played any of the Assassin's Creed games, and who am I to turn down a story set in Feudal Japan?
I don't even have the game yet. I was thinking of getting it for the Switch 2, but until they fix this issue, I might have to hold off. Worst-case scenario, I'll just have to get it for either PC, the PS5, or the Xbox Series X.
Still waiting for them to do Krystal from Star Fox, specifically in her outfit from Star Fox: Assault. That is my favorite outfit of hers, even though most people associate her with her tribal wear from Star Fox Adventures.
@JohnnyMind That is indeed true, that each individual company's culture does matter. I know that the company I work for has treated us pretty well, and we're not even unionized. In comparison, my last job working at a grocery store owned by one of the largest supermarket chains in the world (which was, ironically, unionized) treated us terribly. Now, I am not saying this to knock unions; not by a long shot, but my own personal experience working at a unionized business was not great. But that's because my union was weak.
Sadly, other than doing my dailies in Genshin Impact, I'm not going to be playing much of anything this weekend. We're too busy at work with the holiday rush, and I am forgoing my days off here (I am technically on a five-day weekend at the moment) to work some overtime and help get orders out the door sooner. It's basically all hands on deck right now.
The only reason why I took yesterday off (the start of my five-day weekend) was because I had a couple of appointments that I couldn't miss, namely therapy (no-shows and cancellations within a 24-hour window for my therapist involve a $60 fee, and my supervisor asking me to come in was well within that timeframe) and getting the regularly scheduled maintenance done on my car. I ultimately didn't get back home until six hours after I left the house, mainly because I was delayed at the car dealership; the hydraulic lift that my car was on broke, and they had to get a repairman to come over and fix it before they could finish working on my car.
So yeah, I won't be playing much of anything until the holiday rush dies down. Which is a shame, because I really do want to play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which I did manage to pick up on launch day, but didn't have time to play it then, also due to work. Sadly, I will be enjoying it a lot later than most people here.
@JohnnyMind Yeah, when it comes to American companies versus Japanese companies, it's basically a "pick your poison" scenario. Very few countries do not have a toxic work culture, but the ones that try to promote worker's rights are usually the Scandinavian countries, like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, plus some Pacific nations like Australia and New Zealand (especially the latter). I've also heard that France and the Netherlands are also pretty decent as well. Not sure about your home country of Italy, though; I've heard conflicting things.
A very interesting development, to be sure. Granted, I don't like the idea of of major business conglomerates merging any more than the next person, but I do find it a bit ironic that what is a relative newcomer to the entertainment industry is buying out a longtime player in the business. It has to make me wonder what WBD's finances are like to the point where a company a fraction of its age is buying it out.
@JohnnyMind The thing you have to remember, though, is that Nintendo is a Japanese business first and foremost. Japanese work culture places a huge emphasis on company loyalty, especially when it comes to how they treat their employees. Basically, you're virtually guaranteed job security, especially in a big business like Nintendo.
Unfortunately, Western companies, especially those in America, do not operate like Japanese companies do, and will basically fire you if it means saving them a few pennies. Now, you can be somewhat protected if you are part of a union, but there has been a huge push to crush unions in this country since the 1980s, and many unions are now shells of their former selves.
Plus, virtually every state in America recognizes the concept of at-will employment, meaning that your employer can fire you at any time for any reason... or no reason at all. However, you can also quit at any time for any reason or no reason at all. Unfortunately, you have to be the one to give advance notice if you decide to leave, but your employer does not need to give any if they want to get rid of you, meaning that the balance of power in that regard is woefully skewed towards your employer.
So, while Japan is notorious for having long work hours, a terrible work-life balance, power harassment, an advancement system based more on age and seniority versus skill and merit, and a reluctance to accept resignations, no matter how warranted, you are at the very least guaranteed a job for the duration of your career as a worker compared to the West. I'm not saying it's a better system, but at the very least, I don't think it's any worse.
But that being said, I doubt that Netflix will pull a Nintendo and keep WBD's employees on board. More than likely, in order to please their shareholders, they will engage in mass firings to cut costs and increase their bottom line. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is the reality we live in.
As a fan of the Starship Troopers franchise, I am definitely looking forward to this! Hopefully it will have Basil Poledouris' sweeping, epic score in this film. It was also cool that they got Casper Van Dien to reprise his role as Johnny Rico for this commercial. Hopefully he will also reprise the role in the game.
It would also be nice to see Neil Patrick Harris reprise his role as Carl Jenkins, Denise Richards reprise her role as Carmen Ibanez, Jake Busey reprise his role as Ace Levy, and Clancy Brown reprise his role as Sergeant (later Private) Zim. I doubt we'd get Michael Ironside to reprise his role as Colonel Jean Rasczak or Dina Meyer reprise her role as Dizzy Flores, given that their characters were killed off in the first film, although it would be nice if they could.
What would have been even cooler was if they could have also gotten Steve Downes (a.k.a., Master Chief John-117 from Halo) to voice a character in the game as well. That would have been the perfect trifecta of characters in power armor all in one game.
Gonna be picking up my copy tomorrow. But sadly, I might not be able to play it just yet. Where I work, we are currently into our busiest weeks of the year. Yesterday was an absolute cluster you-know-what. And it's going to be like that for the next couple of weeks, at the very least. I might have to hold off until the new year before I can finally sit down to play it.
Jennifer Hale never deserved the hate that she was subjected to. She was simply hired to replace the voice actress who refused to do the job.
Likewise, Jacob Takanashi never deserved the hate for replacing John Patneaude as the voice of Kinich in Genshin Impact. The fact that it was his fellow voice actors (one of them playing one of the main characters in the game) harassing him was especially egregious.
I don’t like the idea of replacing voice actors if they are refusing to work if they feel like they’re getting a bad deal from their employer, but I hate bullying and harassment even worse. No matter how justified you may feel, bullying and harassing someone is not okay. I say that as a former victim of bullying myself.
Ultimately, the original VAs for both games have likely killed their careers in the voice acting industry. I doubt anyone would want to work with them anymore due to the controversy that they caused.
Definitely North America this time. It looks the coolest. You also get an idea of what the gameplay will be like.
Although, the European design does remind me a bit of the science-fiction novels of old, so I am a bit partial to that design as well.
Japan does also look kind of cool, but we don't really see the main character's face. Rather, the only face we see is the big bad (who looks strikingly similar to a certain dictator who ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945; according to the Wikipedia article, that is indeed him).
I know a certain Angry Video Game Nerd who would be happy to hear about this. One of his recurring complaints with some NES games was that they would have the jump button be the B button instead of the A button. Some even use the up button on the D-Pad to jump. Basically, he wanted the control scheme to be more like Super Mario Bros.
@SillyG Sometimes, satire is meant to hold a mirror up to society and call out humanity's flaws. But it's ultimately up to us to realize when we're being stupid and course-correct. Sadly, far too many of us fail to actually realize that, and thus we keep going down the path of idiocy. What's even sadder is that some people even take pride in that.
@benmalsky198 I don't really watch much TV or streaming anymore. My days are usually spent working for ten-hour shifts, so I have very little time to watch anything by the time I get home. I'm not kidding when I say that I am basically away from my house for almost twelve hours, if you factor in commuting.
What little time I do have left in the day is either spent playing a video game or watching YouTube; and even then, watching YouTube will sometimes end up keeping me from properly playing a video game: I mute the TV and just wander around in the game while listening to YouTube.
I do not mean any disrespect to the creators of this series. As I mentioned in my first comment, I am highly interested in watching it. I just simply didn't know that this was a thing until NintendoLife reported on it. That doesn't imply disrespect at all.
@Suketoudara But it's not like ALL of the live-action remakes of Disney films are bad. For example, I did finally get around to watching the live-action remake of Mulan recently, and I have to say, I did enjoy it. Unlike the original film, it wasn't a musical, and it had a lot more of the kinds of stunts that you would see in a martial arts film.
And I am always down to watching the 1996 live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians starring Jeff Daniels and Glenn Close (especially since Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams play Cruella de Vil's bumbling minions; a favorite scene of mine was when they were trying to jump over an electric fence, but accidentally fell onto it, electrocuting their "little guys," if you know what I mean).
But if you want a better modern adaptation of Pinocchio, check out the one by Guillermo del Toro, which you can find on Netflix. His version came out just weeks after the Disney film, and was vastly superior, despite not being very faithful to the source material (for example, the time period was set in the 1930s, during Benito Mussolini's rule of Italy, instead of taking place in the 19th Century like the original book did).
@Suketoudara Yeah, it came out in 2022. But as I said, it wasn't very good: it has a 27% aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic gave it a score of 38 out of 100. It was also nominated for multiple Razzies, and even won the category for Worst Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel.
Having seen a few scenes myself, I thought the CGI looked abysmal. For example, Pinocchio looked like he was ripped straight out of the Kingdom Hearts games, and instead of using real donkeys for the Pleasure Island scenes (as almost every other live-action adaptation of Pinocchio has), they used CGI, and they looked fake as all get-out.
So while that film is a bit of a black mark on Benjamin Evan Ainsworth's record, hopefully he will be able to redeem it with The Legend of Zelda and his take on Link. That is, of course, provided they don't make him like his 1980s cartoon counterpart (where he goes, "Excuuuuuuuse me, Princess").
Preordered my copy a couple weeks ago. Planning on going into it blind, so I didn't do the demo. But I am hoping that, with the revival of this spinoff of Kirby, we will get a proper new F-Zero game; maybe one that's open world, in the style of GTA (albeit without the more seedy aspects of that franchise).
@Suketoudara Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, the actor for Link, is not entirely unknown. If you weren't aware, he was the voice of Pinocchio in Disney's (frankly abysmal) live-action remake of their beloved animated classic from a few years ago. But other than that, this will be his biggest film yet.
And he certainly has big shoes (or boots) to fill. Same with Bo Bragason. I'm not familiar with her work, but this might be her first big role. Hopefully this will be the film that leads to their breakout in the film industry, provided that it gets good reviews and is a box-office success.
@ThisGuy215 Personally, I think an animated film would be too short to cover something as extensive as The Legend of Zelda. An animated series would make more sense. But not one like the 1980s cartoon series; I mean one that actually tells a story over the course of the show, kind of like other fantasy anime (such as Slayers, The Seven Deadly Sins, The Rising of the Shield Hero, or That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime).
In fact, I am in the middle of writing a Legend of Zelda webnovel that I hope to have be adapted into a light novel, a manga, and finally an anime, should Nintendo be willing to allow me to publish it. And what gave me the inspiration for this was actually the DragonForce song "Power of the Triforce," since it sounds just like an anime intro (at least to my ears); I plan on using that as the intro to the anime. I even storyboarded the entire intro sequence in my head and came up with the main characters through that!
And no, it would not be Studio Ghibli making the anime, should it ever come to fruition. My first choice would be Ufotable, given that they have done excellent work with the action sequences in Demon Slayer, and are also in charge of the upcoming anime adaptation of Genshin Impact (a game that was initially compared to Breath of the Wild). However, I could also see A-1 Pictures handling it as well. Nothing against Ghibli, of course; they're a much-beloved studio. But I don't think they're the right choice for a Zelda film.
As it is, the closest we got to something like that from them was Tales from Earthsea, and that was... let's just say, mediocre at best. Furthermore, most of the great films from that studio came from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki. Once he's done making movies for good and/or passes away, the studio will be hard-pressed to find someone who can match his creative genius; even more so once the old guard within the studio retires or passes away.
Again, I do like the outfits and the way they look. It definitely looks like something you could see from a medieval fantasy film. I was a bit concerned that the ears would look more like Vulcan ears (as elf ears had previously been portrayed), but they appear to look more like the elf ears we are accustomed to, such as the ones from, say, The Lord of the Rings. So as long as the writing is good, and the special effects look realistic enough, I think I can get behind this movie.
And as I said in the article where we first saw their appearances, my guess is they're going to go the route of the 1980s Zelda cartoon series, where Zelda and Link adventured and fought alongside one another, instead of Zelda being the damsel-in-distress for the majority of the story. And I am perfectly fine with that. I always did like the warrior princess archetype, so I am glad that they are going this route, if these production stills are anything to go by.
Looking good! My guess is they're going to go the 1980s Zelda cartoon route, where Zelda adventured and fought alongside Link, instead of being the damsel-in-distress all the time. We haven't seen that side of her often, and even when we do, it was usually for the final battle instead of the entire adventure; only Spirit Tracks can lay claim to the idea where she was there for the entire thing, assuming you don't count Echoes of Wisdom. And frankly, I like the idea of a warrior princess who fights alongside the hero, instead of her just being the goal at the end. Let's hope she'll stand amongst the greats, like Xena, Leia, and others!
We've got fairly decent Wi-Fi where I live, so I've never had much problems with the Internet (except when it conks out early in the morning, right when I'm trying to do my dailies in Genshin Impact).
Besides, we don't actually have Ethernet ports in my house; it all goes through the phone lines. Similar connection to an Ethernet port, but a lot smaller, and thus not Ethernet. And those connections are all in the basement, while my game consoles, including my Switch 2, are set up in my bedroom upstairs.
Assuming these clips are legit, they're looking good so far! Hopefully they will stay up long enough for me to show my girlfriend when I hang out with her tomorrow, although knowing Nintendo and how secretive they can be, I bet you anything they will issue a takedown notice sooner rather than later.
I'm personally hoping that they have a bit more of an in-depth story this time, and more fleshed-out characters. My big complaint with the previous Mario movie was that the story was a bit too rushed, especially when it came to Mario and Peach becoming friends (if not more). They could have added at least another fifteen minutes or so with the two of them overcoming some sort of tribulation, which cemented their bond. Plus, they should have explained why Bowser wanted to marry Peach; in not giving us that explanation, he felt a lot more two-dimensional than I would have preferred.
It's frankly why I prefer the live-action adaptation from 1993 over this one: it had better pacing, better character development, and better motivation for the characters, even President Koopa. Yeah, it wasn't very faithful to the source material, and is regarded as one of the worst movies of all time (to the point where Bob Hoskins regarded it as the worst role he ever took), but it's a guilty pleasure of mine, and I think it holds up better to the writer in me compared to the 2023 one. So I do hope that the sequel to the 2023 film has a better story and characterization.
And for those saying, "It's a kids movie; it ain't that deep, bruh," you forget, even the greatest kids films (especially the ones by Disney back in the day) still had well-developed storylines and characters. And if we look at the recent KPop Demon Hunters, it had the right blend of humor, heart, action, drama, storytelling, and character development, hence why it's one of the biggest films of 2025. There's no reason why this new Mario movie can't replicate that. The writers just have to be willing to do so.
Interesting that Brie Larson was cast as Rosalina. It might not be Samus Aran from Metroid (for those who don't remember, she's previously expressed an interest in playing the famous bounty hunter in a potential live-action film adaptation of the much-beloved video game franchise), but this is probably the next-best thing. Here's hoping that she will be considered for more Nintendo roles in the future!
Interesting that they've reuploaded this article several years later. I can even see my comment from 2021, noting how it had that distinctive style that the late and great Akira Toriyama-sensei was famous for.
I think the only game in the series that I wanted to try was Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. But that was mainly because I had developed a bit of a crush on Fleurette back when I saw artwork for her in Nintendo Power when they ran an article about the game. Never did get to play it, though, so I have no idea what her personality or character development were like.
I recognize a few voice actors here. Other than Patricia Summersett and Matt Mercer, I also recognize Cherami Leigh, Allegra Clark, and Brittany Cox (the latter two voice Beidou and Fischl in Genshin Impact, respectively; they join Cristina Vee, who voices Bennett and Xingqiu in Genshin, as well as Tulin in TOTK, plus Sean Chiplock, who voices Diluc in Genshin and Revali in BOTW and HWAOC).
I also recognize SungWon Cho (a.k.a., ProZD, and also Abby Saja from the smash hit film KPop Demon Hunters); I find it hilarious that he's voicing a Korok, of all things. He's so known for his deep, baritone voice, that to hear him sound like he inhaled a balloon full of helium comes as a bit of a shock. But I think it would have been funnier if they had used his natural voice for Calamo, to make it even more shocking and hilarious to the player that a Korok could have a deep voice. Here's hoping he will be in more Nintendo productions, and maybe even get a role in Genshin Impact one day! And if Abby Saja is still alive in KPop Demon Hunters, let's hope he gets more lines in the event that he returns for the recently-announced sequel!
@Yosher Granted, I haven't had much time to play games myself. The one game that I've been able to play with any consistency in the last few years is Genshin Impact. I did manage to get my hands on Stellar Blade for the PS5, but the rest has mainly been Nintendo as well.
Frankly, I'd love to become a Let's Player/streamer (preferably a VTuber), so that I can play games for a living, clear out my backlog of games at the same time, and still have time left over for other games that I want to play, such as Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
@Yosher @breach187 This is where I would seriously consider becoming an indie developer instead of going corpo. If anything, some would argue that it's been the indie games in recent years that have been better than the big-budget AAA games from the major publishers, with more creativity, originality, and a better user experience. As it is, one of my favorite games in the last year, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, is considered to be an indie game.
I would love to tell my cousin, who went to college for game design years ago, that the market is now ripe for indie developers, but he has long since given up on those dreams of becoming a game developer. Fortunately, he does have a fulfilling job now as an at-home nurse, and does seem content with his life. Still, it could always be a side gig for him, something to do in his spare time. At least, that's the way I look at it.
Eh, I can take it or leave it, but if I'm being honest, I think the reason why we're getting so many remakes, remasters, and reboots lately (not just for video games, but also movies and TV shows) is because entertainment industry is in a rut. The shareholders that basically own the entertainment industry don't want to take a risk on new content, so they prefer to go with older content that is safer. We're even seeing this with some anime now, such as remakes of older anime like Ushio & Tora, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, and even Neon Genesis Evangelion.
But if you ask me, the industry is ripe for new content, and people are clamoring for it. For example, films like Nimona and KPop Demon Hunters released on Netflix to critical acclaim. In the case of the former, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (but lost to Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron), and the latter has become a global smash hit. Meanwhile, people are getting tired of the remakes/reboots/etc., and it's showing in diminishing box-office returns. Maybe if the shareholders were a bit more willing to take risks on new projects instead of playing it safe all the time, the entertainment industry would be in a better place now.
@Pillowpants Personally, I was hoping for live action myself. It had been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, ever since I saw The Lord of the Rings.
But, if Nintendo allows me to publish that Legend of Zelda webnovel that I am working on, I hope to eventually adapt it into a light novel, a manga, and finally an anime (with DragonForce's "Power of the Triforce" being the main theme; which, oddly enough, was the song that gave me inspiration for this webnovel to begin with). So you may very well get your wish in seeing a new Legend of Zelda animated project.
@Simu001 I was actually just about to bring that up myself. For example, Final Fantasy III had a similar gameplay mechanic, and that game came out in 1990, almost six years before Pokémon Red and Green came out in Japan, and eight years before Pokémon Red and Blue released globally. There's also games like the 1983 game Archon: The Light and the Dark, the Shin Megami Tensei series (which began in 1987), and Dragon Quest V, which was released in 1992.
And then, even games released after Pokémon, such as Digimon, Medabots, and Yo-kai Watch also have similar gameplay mechanics to Pokémon, and not only did Nintendo not sue them for having a similar gameplay mechanic to Pokémon, they even allowed those games to be published on Nintendo's own consoles!
So, based on these facts alone, it is proven that the gameplay mechanic of summoning monsters and battling with them is neither new nor innovative, and thus lacks novelty. Therefore, the patent should be revoked post-haste. Furthermore, Nintendo should drop the lawsuit against Pocketpair and redirect their money towards making their own games bigger and better, giving gamers more of a reason to buy their games instead of playing games published by other companies.
@MatthewTaranto That's pretty neat to hear! And to think you went on to create the webcomic Brawl in the Family, which is another webcomic that I followed religiously when I discovered it. I was sad when it ended, but I do understand your reasoning: better to end it on a high note instead of dragging it out and letting the quality decline, thus letting it die a slow, painful death by having viewership gradually fizzle out.
A personal favorite strip of mine was "Mega Crush," when Mega Man had a crush on Samus, but he didn't know that Samus was actually a human underneath her Chozo Power Armor; he thought she was a robot the entire time, and freaked out when she took off her helmet. I also liked the one where you got married, brought your newlywed bride home, and she mentioned how excited she was for the Wii U.
And sometimes, I find myself singing the song that Kirby sang for his girlfriend, Jigglypuff ("Jig-alee-puff, you are my one love"). I thought it was cute, and a very clever way of adapting Jigglypuff's song. What can I say? I'm a romantic. It's probably why romance is a going to be a major plot and character element for the Legend of Zelda webnovel that I am writing (which I hope to turn into a light novel, a manga, and finally an anime).
One little thing I did want to mention really quick, however: it does seem like the strips for your comic themselves are not showing up on the website hosted by Keenspot anymore. Your blog posts are still there, but the strips themselves are missing. I don't know if it's a technical glitch on the website's end or if they were removed/taken down, but I did want to point it out if you weren't aware of the issue. Hopefully it can be fixed.
After all, more people need to see this gem of a comic, in my opinion, even though it hasn't had a new strip in over a decade (11 years and 1 month, to be exact; I was still in college at the time; man, how time flies!). If it's not possible on Keenspot, maybe try to find a different host, or build your own website to republish the strips, assuming you have the archives backed up.
Comments 2,302
Re: Kirby Air Riders New Event Starts This Week, Includes Kirby Santa Hat Reward
@neogyo I might just bring the game over to my girlfriend's house tomorrow (as in, Friday, December 26) so we can play it together. The bulk of my gaming today (Christmas Day) is going to be spent playing through the flagship event in Genshin Impact.
Re: Kirby Air Riders New Event Starts This Week, Includes Kirby Santa Hat Reward
Hopefully I'll be able to play it during the event period. Starting on Christmas Day, I do have six days off. I just hope there are no prerequisites to starting the event, since I haven't even played the game yet to begin with.
Re: Vince Zampella, Call Of Duty Co-Creator And Respawn Head, Has Died
Oh, man. It's one thing to pass away so young, especially from a car crash. But for it to happen so close to the holidays, what is supposed to be a joyous time of the year, that's just not fair. My heart goes out to his family and friends.
Re: Switch 2's Mario Kart World Bundle Has Apparently Reached The End Of Its Lifecycle
I'm not normally a fan of the Mario Kart games, but $50 for the game as a bundle versus $80 for the game alone was too good of a deal to pass up. Plus, I did think the open-world mechanic was interesting. I do like being able to drive all around the map in the free roam mode. Probably one of the best Mario Kart games that I have ever played.
@IronMan30 Same here. Got one for myself at Target, and a second one for my girlfriend (whom I'm thinking of proposing to soon) via the invitation that I got from Nintendo itself. So unless one of them breaks, we're both set.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl - Ice Climber
The North American box art is iconic, but I really like the retro anime art style of the European and Japanese box art; I’m always a sucker for that kind of art style. But since the Japanese box art shows just a bit more than the European version, I went with that.
Re: Rumour: Bethesda's Newest IP Is Still Reportedly On Course For Switch 2
This game and Genshin Impact are the two games that I am still waiting for when it comes to third party games coming to Nintendo consoles. Hopefully both will arrive sooner rather than later.
Re: This Adorable Hand-Drawn Cat Adventure Looks Packed With Classic Disney Charm
@PinderSchloss Totally. As it is, the idea that I have for a Zelda anime (based on a webnovel that I am currently writing) would see Ufotable animate it, not Ghibli. I know that many people say Ghibli or no one at all, but I just don't think they're the right choice for a Zelda anime. And I stand by that.
Re: This Adorable Hand-Drawn Cat Adventure Looks Packed With Classic Disney Charm
@PinderSchloss Yeah, I was about to say, it's more evocative of Don Bluth than Disney. That being said, however, Don Bluth did work for Disney before leaving and founding his own studio, so you could make the argument that it could still be Disney, albeit a very specific era of the company.
Re: Review: Terminator 2D: NO FATE (Switch) - A Simplistic Yet Fascinating 16-Bit Love Letter
@DennyCrane Another game that absolutely exemplifies his words was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600. That game had a five-week development period to get it onto store shelves before the holiday season, and it shows. Some regard it as the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to Atari, and others consider it to be one of the worst games ever made.
Conversely, his words were proven wrong with Star Fox Zero. Despite being delayed, that game was still difficult to play because of the gyroscopic controls and second screen. Polygon didn't even assign it a final score, because the reviewer was so miserable playing it due to the controls that he couldn't bring himself to finish the game. I don't think any amount of further delays would have fixed that.
Likewise, Aliens: Colonial Marines and Duke Nukem Forever also had a lengthy development time, but are considered to be some of the worst games out there (although Duke Nukem Forever fared slightly better in terms of reviews).
Sometimes, it doesn't matter how much time in the oven that a game has if the recipe itself is off. At that point, you just need to go back to the drawing board and start development over from scratch, just like they did with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Re: Review: Terminator 2D: NO FATE (Switch) - A Simplistic Yet Fascinating 16-Bit Love Letter
Glad to see that it's somewhat decent. Games based on movie licenses usually tend not to be. Of course, LJN was notorious for pumping out game after game that was based on a movie but was hot garbage, as many an Angry Video Game Nerd episode has demonstrated.
That being said, however, LJN was not the developer of these games; rather, they were simply the publisher. They outsourced development of their games to other companies. Heck, even titans of the video game industry, such as Atlus and Rare, worked with LJN, developing Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, respectively. And both of those games were mediocre, at best; they may even be downright awful.
But that's what happens when you rush development on games like that, trying to get a game out before the holiday season while the movie is still fresh on people's minds. It really does demonstrate Shigeru Miyamoto's famous quote: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is bad forever."
Re: The Game Awards GOTY For 2025 Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I was thrilled to see that Umamusume: Pretty Derby won the Best Mobile Game category. That was really the only category that was on my radar this year, as I haven't heard much of the other games. Now I'll definitely be showing this game (and hopefully the anime) to my aunt, who is into horses! Can't wait until I see her on Christmas Day!
Re: The Game Awards 2025: Time, Date & How To Watch
There's really only one category that I am really interested in this year, that being Best Mobile Game. I really want Umamusume: Pretty Derby to win. Ever since I got into the Umamusume franchise a few months ago, I've wanted to see it get the recognition that it deserves from the industry.
Another reason why I hope it wins is so that I can show it to one of my aunts, who is big into horses and watches horse racing. If anything, I find it a bit ironic that my own family couldn't get me into that stuff, but an anime/manga/video game franchise did. But I would love to show it to her in the off-chance that she might be interested in learning about the Japanese side of horse racing, even in a somewhat fictionalized form. I especially want to show her Tokai Teio's miracle run at the Arima Kinen, something that actually happened in real life (interestingly enough, the year I was born: 1993). Hopefully she will get interested in it like I did!
Re: Nintendo Music Adds Another Yoshi Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
Day 404 of waiting for the Star Fox: Assault soundtrack to be uploaded to Nintendo Music. I want to hear the track where Peppy sacrificed himself to break the shield on the Aparoid Homeworld in its full, unedited glory.
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Update To Resolve Switch 2 Crashes And Stability Issues
Well, once they can resolve the crashes, I'll be more likely to get this game. It's been a while since I have played any of the Assassin's Creed games, and who am I to turn down a story set in Feudal Japan?
Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows On Switch 2 Supposedly "Unplayable" For Some Players After Repeated Crashes
I don't even have the game yet. I was thinking of getting it for the Switch 2, but until they fix this issue, I might have to hold off. Worst-case scenario, I'll just have to get it for either PC, the PS5, or the Xbox Series X.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Duel - Metroid Prime Pinball
JP for me this time. The colors pop out more for me, and I can see more of the pinball table compared to the NA/EU version.
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Decayed Master Sword "Life-Size" Statue Coming Soon, Here's A Silhouette Teaser
Still waiting for them to do Krystal from Star Fox, specifically in her outfit from Star Fox: Assault. That is my favorite outfit of hers, even though most people associate her with her tribal wear from Star Fox Adventures.
Re: Netflix Enters Agreement To Buy Warner Bros. For $82 Billion, Includes Game Studios
@JohnnyMind That is indeed true, that each individual company's culture does matter. I know that the company I work for has treated us pretty well, and we're not even unionized. In comparison, my last job working at a grocery store owned by one of the largest supermarket chains in the world (which was, ironically, unionized) treated us terribly. Now, I am not saying this to knock unions; not by a long shot, but my own personal experience working at a unionized business was not great. But that's because my union was weak.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (6th December)
Sadly, other than doing my dailies in Genshin Impact, I'm not going to be playing much of anything this weekend. We're too busy at work with the holiday rush, and I am forgoing my days off here (I am technically on a five-day weekend at the moment) to work some overtime and help get orders out the door sooner. It's basically all hands on deck right now.
The only reason why I took yesterday off (the start of my five-day weekend) was because I had a couple of appointments that I couldn't miss, namely therapy (no-shows and cancellations within a 24-hour window for my therapist involve a $60 fee, and my supervisor asking me to come in was well within that timeframe) and getting the regularly scheduled maintenance done on my car. I ultimately didn't get back home until six hours after I left the house, mainly because I was delayed at the car dealership; the hydraulic lift that my car was on broke, and they had to get a repairman to come over and fix it before they could finish working on my car.
So yeah, I won't be playing much of anything until the holiday rush dies down. Which is a shame, because I really do want to play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which I did manage to pick up on launch day, but didn't have time to play it then, also due to work. Sadly, I will be enjoying it a lot later than most people here.
Re: Netflix Enters Agreement To Buy Warner Bros. For $82 Billion, Includes Game Studios
@JohnnyMind Yeah, when it comes to American companies versus Japanese companies, it's basically a "pick your poison" scenario. Very few countries do not have a toxic work culture, but the ones that try to promote worker's rights are usually the Scandinavian countries, like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, plus some Pacific nations like Australia and New Zealand (especially the latter). I've also heard that France and the Netherlands are also pretty decent as well. Not sure about your home country of Italy, though; I've heard conflicting things.
Re: Netflix Enters Agreement To Buy Warner Bros. For $82 Billion, Includes Game Studios
A very interesting development, to be sure. Granted, I don't like the idea of of major business conglomerates merging any more than the next person, but I do find it a bit ironic that what is a relative newcomer to the entertainment industry is buying out a longtime player in the business. It has to make me wonder what WBD's finances are like to the point where a company a fraction of its age is buying it out.
@JohnnyMind The thing you have to remember, though, is that Nintendo is a Japanese business first and foremost. Japanese work culture places a huge emphasis on company loyalty, especially when it comes to how they treat their employees. Basically, you're virtually guaranteed job security, especially in a big business like Nintendo.
Unfortunately, Western companies, especially those in America, do not operate like Japanese companies do, and will basically fire you if it means saving them a few pennies. Now, you can be somewhat protected if you are part of a union, but there has been a huge push to crush unions in this country since the 1980s, and many unions are now shells of their former selves.
Plus, virtually every state in America recognizes the concept of at-will employment, meaning that your employer can fire you at any time for any reason... or no reason at all. However, you can also quit at any time for any reason or no reason at all. Unfortunately, you have to be the one to give advance notice if you decide to leave, but your employer does not need to give any if they want to get rid of you, meaning that the balance of power in that regard is woefully skewed towards your employer.
So, while Japan is notorious for having long work hours, a terrible work-life balance, power harassment, an advancement system based more on age and seniority versus skill and merit, and a reluctance to accept resignations, no matter how warranted, you are at the very least guaranteed a job for the duration of your career as a worker compared to the West. I'm not saying it's a better system, but at the very least, I don't think it's any worse.
But that being said, I doubt that Netflix will pull a Nintendo and keep WBD's employees on board. More than likely, in order to please their shareholders, they will engage in mass firings to cut costs and increase their bottom line. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is the reality we live in.
Re: Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Brings A "New Retro FPS" To Switch 2 Next Year
As a fan of the Starship Troopers franchise, I am definitely looking forward to this! Hopefully it will have Basil Poledouris' sweeping, epic score in this film. It was also cool that they got Casper Van Dien to reprise his role as Johnny Rico for this commercial. Hopefully he will also reprise the role in the game.
It would also be nice to see Neil Patrick Harris reprise his role as Carl Jenkins, Denise Richards reprise her role as Carmen Ibanez, Jake Busey reprise his role as Ace Levy, and Clancy Brown reprise his role as Sergeant (later Private) Zim. I doubt we'd get Michael Ironside to reprise his role as Colonel Jean Rasczak or Dina Meyer reprise her role as Dizzy Flores, given that their characters were killed off in the first film, although it would be nice if they could.
Re: Random: Samus Is Joined By Doom Slayer's Voice Actor In Metroid Prime 4
What would have been even cooler was if they could have also gotten Steve Downes (a.k.a., Master Chief John-117 from Halo) to voice a character in the game as well. That would have been the perfect trifecta of characters in power armor all in one game.
Re: Poll: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Is Out On Switch 2 And Switch This Week, Will You Be Getting It?
Gonna be picking up my copy tomorrow. But sadly, I might not be able to play it just yet. Where I work, we are currently into our busiest weeks of the year. Yesterday was an absolute cluster you-know-what. And it's going to be like that for the next couple of weeks, at the very least. I might have to hold off until the new year before I can finally sit down to play it.
Re: Jennifer Hale Says She Was "Thrown Under The Bus" Amid Bayonetta 3 Casting Controversy
Jennifer Hale never deserved the hate that she was subjected to. She was simply hired to replace the voice actress who refused to do the job.
Likewise, Jacob Takanashi never deserved the hate for replacing John Patneaude as the voice of Kinich in Genshin Impact. The fact that it was his fellow voice actors (one of them playing one of the main characters in the game) harassing him was especially egregious.
I don’t like the idea of replacing voice actors if they are refusing to work if they feel like they’re getting a bad deal from their employer, but I hate bullying and harassment even worse. No matter how justified you may feel, bullying and harassing someone is not okay. I say that as a former victim of bullying myself.
Ultimately, the original VAs for both games have likely killed their careers in the voice acting industry. I doubt anyone would want to work with them anymore due to the controversy that they caused.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl - Bionic Commando (NES)
Definitely North America this time. It looks the coolest. You also get an idea of what the gameplay will be like.
Although, the European design does remind me a bit of the science-fiction novels of old, so I am a bit partial to that design as well.
Japan does also look kind of cool, but we don't really see the main character's face. Rather, the only face we see is the big bad (who looks strikingly similar to a certain dictator who ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945; according to the Wikipedia article, that is indeed him).
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Meet The Team
@Mana_Knight Personally, I thought it was the Medic from Team Fortress 2.
Re: PSA: You Can Now Remap 'Nintendo Classics' NES And Game Boy Controls
I know a certain Angry Video Game Nerd who would be happy to hear about this. One of his recurring complaints with some NES games was that they would have the jump button be the B button instead of the A button. Some even use the up button on the D-Pad to jump. Basically, he wanted the control scheme to be more like Super Mario Bros.
Re: "Consumers Generally Do Not Care" About AI In Games, Says Former Square Enix Exec
@SillyG Sometimes, satire is meant to hold a mirror up to society and call out humanity's flaws. But it's ultimately up to us to realize when we're being stupid and course-correct. Sadly, far too many of us fail to actually realize that, and thus we keep going down the path of idiocy. What's even sadder is that some people even take pride in that.
Re: Animated Tomb Raider Series Returns To Netflix For A Second Season Next Month
@benmalsky198 I don't really watch much TV or streaming anymore. My days are usually spent working for ten-hour shifts, so I have very little time to watch anything by the time I get home. I'm not kidding when I say that I am basically away from my house for almost twelve hours, if you factor in commuting.
What little time I do have left in the day is either spent playing a video game or watching YouTube; and even then, watching YouTube will sometimes end up keeping me from properly playing a video game: I mute the TV and just wander around in the game while listening to YouTube.
I do not mean any disrespect to the creators of this series. As I mentioned in my first comment, I am highly interested in watching it. I just simply didn't know that this was a thing until NintendoLife reported on it. That doesn't imply disrespect at all.
Re: Poll: What Do You Make Of Link And Zelda's Live-Action Looks?
@Suketoudara But it's not like ALL of the live-action remakes of Disney films are bad. For example, I did finally get around to watching the live-action remake of Mulan recently, and I have to say, I did enjoy it. Unlike the original film, it wasn't a musical, and it had a lot more of the kinds of stunts that you would see in a martial arts film.
And I am always down to watching the 1996 live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians starring Jeff Daniels and Glenn Close (especially since Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams play Cruella de Vil's bumbling minions; a favorite scene of mine was when they were trying to jump over an electric fence, but accidentally fell onto it, electrocuting their "little guys," if you know what I mean).
But if you want a better modern adaptation of Pinocchio, check out the one by Guillermo del Toro, which you can find on Netflix. His version came out just weeks after the Disney film, and was vastly superior, despite not being very faithful to the source material (for example, the time period was set in the 1930s, during Benito Mussolini's rule of Italy, instead of taking place in the 19th Century like the original book did).
Re: Poll: What Do You Make Of Link And Zelda's Live-Action Looks?
@Suketoudara Yeah, it came out in 2022. But as I said, it wasn't very good: it has a 27% aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic gave it a score of 38 out of 100. It was also nominated for multiple Razzies, and even won the category for Worst Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel.
Having seen a few scenes myself, I thought the CGI looked abysmal. For example, Pinocchio looked like he was ripped straight out of the Kingdom Hearts games, and instead of using real donkeys for the Pleasure Island scenes (as almost every other live-action adaptation of Pinocchio has), they used CGI, and they looked fake as all get-out.
So while that film is a bit of a black mark on Benjamin Evan Ainsworth's record, hopefully he will be able to redeem it with The Legend of Zelda and his take on Link. That is, of course, provided they don't make him like his 1980s cartoon counterpart (where he goes, "Excuuuuuuuse me, Princess").
Re: Animated Tomb Raider Series Returns To Netflix For A Second Season Next Month
I didn't even know there was a Season 1, much less a Season 2! Looks like there's another animated series to add to my watch list!
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Kirby Air Riders?
Preordered my copy a couple weeks ago. Planning on going into it blind, so I didn't do the demo. But I am hoping that, with the revival of this spinoff of Kirby, we will get a proper new F-Zero game; maybe one that's open world, in the style of GTA (albeit without the more seedy aspects of that franchise).
Re: Poll: What Do You Make Of Link And Zelda's Live-Action Looks?
@Suketoudara Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, the actor for Link, is not entirely unknown. If you weren't aware, he was the voice of Pinocchio in Disney's (frankly abysmal) live-action remake of their beloved animated classic from a few years ago. But other than that, this will be his biggest film yet.
And he certainly has big shoes (or boots) to fill. Same with Bo Bragason. I'm not familiar with her work, but this might be her first big role. Hopefully this will be the film that leads to their breakout in the film industry, provided that it gets good reviews and is a box-office success.
Re: Poll: What Do You Make Of Link And Zelda's Live-Action Looks?
@ThisGuy215 Personally, I think an animated film would be too short to cover something as extensive as The Legend of Zelda. An animated series would make more sense. But not one like the 1980s cartoon series; I mean one that actually tells a story over the course of the show, kind of like other fantasy anime (such as Slayers, The Seven Deadly Sins, The Rising of the Shield Hero, or That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime).
In fact, I am in the middle of writing a Legend of Zelda webnovel that I hope to have be adapted into a light novel, a manga, and finally an anime, should Nintendo be willing to allow me to publish it. And what gave me the inspiration for this was actually the DragonForce song "Power of the Triforce," since it sounds just like an anime intro (at least to my ears); I plan on using that as the intro to the anime. I even storyboarded the entire intro sequence in my head and came up with the main characters through that!
And no, it would not be Studio Ghibli making the anime, should it ever come to fruition. My first choice would be Ufotable, given that they have done excellent work with the action sequences in Demon Slayer, and are also in charge of the upcoming anime adaptation of Genshin Impact (a game that was initially compared to Breath of the Wild). However, I could also see A-1 Pictures handling it as well. Nothing against Ghibli, of course; they're a much-beloved studio. But I don't think they're the right choice for a Zelda film.
As it is, the closest we got to something like that from them was Tales from Earthsea, and that was... let's just say, mediocre at best. Furthermore, most of the great films from that studio came from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki. Once he's done making movies for good and/or passes away, the studio will be hard-pressed to find someone who can match his creative genius; even more so once the old guard within the studio retires or passes away.
Re: Poll: What Do You Make Of Link And Zelda's Live-Action Looks?
Again, I do like the outfits and the way they look. It definitely looks like something you could see from a medieval fantasy film. I was a bit concerned that the ears would look more like Vulcan ears (as elf ears had previously been portrayed), but they appear to look more like the elf ears we are accustomed to, such as the ones from, say, The Lord of the Rings. So as long as the writing is good, and the special effects look realistic enough, I think I can get behind this movie.
And as I said in the article where we first saw their appearances, my guess is they're going to go the route of the 1980s Zelda cartoon series, where Zelda and Link adventured and fought alongside one another, instead of Zelda being the damsel-in-distress for the majority of the story. And I am perfectly fine with that. I always did like the warrior princess archetype, so I am glad that they are going this route, if these production stills are anything to go by.
Re: Official Zelda Movie Photos Give Us Our Best Look Yet At Link And Zelda
Looking good! My guess is they're going to go the 1980s Zelda cartoon route, where Zelda adventured and fought alongside Link, instead of being the damsel-in-distress all the time. We haven't seen that side of her often, and even when we do, it was usually for the final battle instead of the entire adventure; only Spirit Tracks can lay claim to the idea where she was there for the entire thing, assuming you don't count Echoes of Wisdom. And frankly, I like the idea of a warrior princess who fights alongside the hero, instead of her just being the goal at the end. Let's hope she'll stand amongst the greats, like Xena, Leia, and others!
Re: Poll: Have You Had Issues With The Ethernet Port On Switch 2's Dock?
We've got fairly decent Wi-Fi where I live, so I've never had much problems with the Internet (except when it conks out early in the morning, right when I'm trying to do my dailies in Genshin Impact).
Besides, we don't actually have Ethernet ports in my house; it all goes through the phone lines. Similar connection to an Ethernet port, but a lot smaller, and thus not Ethernet. And those connections are all in the basement, while my game consoles, including my Switch 2, are set up in my bedroom upstairs.
Re: Rumour: Zelda Movie Production Set Footage Has Supposedly Leaked Online
Assuming these clips are legit, they're looking good so far! Hopefully they will stay up long enough for me to show my girlfriend when I hang out with her tomorrow, although knowing Nintendo and how secretive they can be, I bet you anything they will issue a takedown notice sooner rather than later.
Re: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - Release Date, Cast, Trailers, Everything We Know So Far
I'm personally hoping that they have a bit more of an in-depth story this time, and more fleshed-out characters. My big complaint with the previous Mario movie was that the story was a bit too rushed, especially when it came to Mario and Peach becoming friends (if not more). They could have added at least another fifteen minutes or so with the two of them overcoming some sort of tribulation, which cemented their bond. Plus, they should have explained why Bowser wanted to marry Peach; in not giving us that explanation, he felt a lot more two-dimensional than I would have preferred.
It's frankly why I prefer the live-action adaptation from 1993 over this one: it had better pacing, better character development, and better motivation for the characters, even President Koopa. Yeah, it wasn't very faithful to the source material, and is regarded as one of the worst movies of all time (to the point where Bob Hoskins regarded it as the worst role he ever took), but it's a guilty pleasure of mine, and I think it holds up better to the writer in me compared to the 2023 one. So I do hope that the sequel to the 2023 film has a better story and characterization.
And for those saying, "It's a kids movie; it ain't that deep, bruh," you forget, even the greatest kids films (especially the ones by Disney back in the day) still had well-developed storylines and characters. And if we look at the recent KPop Demon Hunters, it had the right blend of humor, heart, action, drama, storytelling, and character development, hence why it's one of the biggest films of 2025. There's no reason why this new Mario movie can't replicate that. The writers just have to be willing to do so.
Re: Super Mario Galaxy Movie Trailer Reveals Rosalina, Bowser Jr., And More
Interesting that Brie Larson was cast as Rosalina. It might not be Samus Aran from Metroid (for those who don't remember, she's previously expressed an interest in playing the famous bounty hunter in a potential live-action film adaptation of the much-beloved video game franchise), but this is probably the next-best thing. Here's hoping that she will be considered for more Nintendo roles in the future!
Re: Best Dragon Quest Games Of All Time - Switch And Nintendo Systems
Interesting that they've reuploaded this article several years later. I can even see my comment from 2021, noting how it had that distinctive style that the late and great Akira Toriyama-sensei was famous for.
I think the only game in the series that I wanted to try was Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors. But that was mainly because I had developed a bit of a crush on Fleurette back when I saw artwork for her in Nintendo Power when they ran an article about the game. Never did get to play it, though, so I have no idea what her personality or character development were like.
Re: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Voice Actors Officially Revealed
I recognize a few voice actors here. Other than Patricia Summersett and Matt Mercer, I also recognize Cherami Leigh, Allegra Clark, and Brittany Cox (the latter two voice Beidou and Fischl in Genshin Impact, respectively; they join Cristina Vee, who voices Bennett and Xingqiu in Genshin, as well as Tulin in TOTK, plus Sean Chiplock, who voices Diluc in Genshin and Revali in BOTW and HWAOC).
I also recognize SungWon Cho (a.k.a., ProZD, and also Abby Saja from the smash hit film KPop Demon Hunters); I find it hilarious that he's voicing a Korok, of all things. He's so known for his deep, baritone voice, that to hear him sound like he inhaled a balloon full of helium comes as a bit of a shock. But I think it would have been funnier if they had used his natural voice for Calamo, to make it even more shocking and hilarious to the player that a Korok could have a deep voice. Here's hoping he will be in more Nintendo productions, and maybe even get a role in Genshin Impact one day! And if Abby Saja is still alive in KPop Demon Hunters, let's hope he gets more lines in the event that he returns for the recently-announced sequel!
Re: Square Enix Hit By Mass Layoffs As Part Of Global Restructuring
@Yosher Granted, I haven't had much time to play games myself. The one game that I've been able to play with any consistency in the last few years is Genshin Impact. I did manage to get my hands on Stellar Blade for the PS5, but the rest has mainly been Nintendo as well.
Frankly, I'd love to become a Let's Player/streamer (preferably a VTuber), so that I can play games for a living, clear out my backlog of games at the same time, and still have time left over for other games that I want to play, such as Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
Re: Square Enix Hit By Mass Layoffs As Part Of Global Restructuring
@Yosher @breach187 This is where I would seriously consider becoming an indie developer instead of going corpo. If anything, some would argue that it's been the indie games in recent years that have been better than the big-budget AAA games from the major publishers, with more creativity, originality, and a better user experience. As it is, one of my favorite games in the last year, Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, is considered to be an indie game.
I would love to tell my cousin, who went to college for game design years ago, that the market is now ripe for indie developers, but he has long since given up on those dreams of becoming a game developer. Fortunately, he does have a fulfilling job now as an at-home nurse, and does seem content with his life. Still, it could always be a side gig for him, something to do in his spare time. At least, that's the way I look at it.
Re: Zelda: A Link To The Past And Chrono Trigger Are "Ripe For Remakes", Says Analytics Firm
Eh, I can take it or leave it, but if I'm being honest, I think the reason why we're getting so many remakes, remasters, and reboots lately (not just for video games, but also movies and TV shows) is because entertainment industry is in a rut. The shareholders that basically own the entertainment industry don't want to take a risk on new content, so they prefer to go with older content that is safer. We're even seeing this with some anime now, such as remakes of older anime like Ushio & Tora, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, and even Neon Genesis Evangelion.
But if you ask me, the industry is ripe for new content, and people are clamoring for it. For example, films like Nimona and KPop Demon Hunters released on Netflix to critical acclaim. In the case of the former, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (but lost to Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron), and the latter has become a global smash hit. Meanwhile, people are getting tired of the remakes/reboots/etc., and it's showing in diminishing box-office returns. Maybe if the shareholders were a bit more willing to take risks on new projects instead of playing it safe all the time, the entertainment industry would be in a better place now.
Re: The Legend Of Zelda Movie Is Now "In Production" In New Zealand
@Pillowpants Personally, I was hoping for live action myself. It had been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, ever since I saw The Lord of the Rings.
But, if Nintendo allows me to publish that Legend of Zelda webnovel that I am working on, I hope to eventually adapt it into a light novel, a manga, and finally an anime (with DragonForce's "Power of the Triforce" being the main theme; which, oddly enough, was the song that gave me inspiration for this webnovel to begin with). So you may very well get your wish in seeing a new Legend of Zelda animated project.
Re: "It Is Ever More Likely That Nintendo Will Lose" - Firm Faces Another Setback In Battle Against Palworld
@Simu001 I was actually just about to bring that up myself. For example, Final Fantasy III had a similar gameplay mechanic, and that game came out in 1990, almost six years before Pokémon Red and Green came out in Japan, and eight years before Pokémon Red and Blue released globally. There's also games like the 1983 game Archon: The Light and the Dark, the Shin Megami Tensei series (which began in 1987), and Dragon Quest V, which was released in 1992.
And then, even games released after Pokémon, such as Digimon, Medabots, and Yo-kai Watch also have similar gameplay mechanics to Pokémon, and not only did Nintendo not sue them for having a similar gameplay mechanic to Pokémon, they even allowed those games to be published on Nintendo's own consoles!
So, based on these facts alone, it is proven that the gameplay mechanic of summoning monsters and battling with them is neither new nor innovative, and thus lacks novelty. Therefore, the patent should be revoked post-haste. Furthermore, Nintendo should drop the lawsuit against Pocketpair and redirect their money towards making their own games bigger and better, giving gamers more of a reason to buy their games instead of playing games published by other companies.
Re: Feature: The Art I 'Stole' From Nintendo
@MatthewTaranto That's pretty neat to hear! And to think you went on to create the webcomic Brawl in the Family, which is another webcomic that I followed religiously when I discovered it. I was sad when it ended, but I do understand your reasoning: better to end it on a high note instead of dragging it out and letting the quality decline, thus letting it die a slow, painful death by having viewership gradually fizzle out.
A personal favorite strip of mine was "Mega Crush," when Mega Man had a crush on Samus, but he didn't know that Samus was actually a human underneath her Chozo Power Armor; he thought she was a robot the entire time, and freaked out when she took off her helmet. I also liked the one where you got married, brought your newlywed bride home, and she mentioned how excited she was for the Wii U.
And sometimes, I find myself singing the song that Kirby sang for his girlfriend, Jigglypuff ("Jig-alee-puff, you are my one love"). I thought it was cute, and a very clever way of adapting Jigglypuff's song. What can I say? I'm a romantic. It's probably why romance is a going to be a major plot and character element for the Legend of Zelda webnovel that I am writing (which I hope to turn into a light novel, a manga, and finally an anime).
One little thing I did want to mention really quick, however: it does seem like the strips for your comic themselves are not showing up on the website hosted by Keenspot anymore. Your blog posts are still there, but the strips themselves are missing. I don't know if it's a technical glitch on the website's end or if they were removed/taken down, but I did want to point it out if you weren't aware of the issue. Hopefully it can be fixed.
After all, more people need to see this gem of a comic, in my opinion, even though it hasn't had a new strip in over a decade (11 years and 1 month, to be exact; I was still in college at the time; man, how time flies!). If it's not possible on Keenspot, maybe try to find a different host, or build your own website to republish the strips, assuming you have the archives backed up.