Browny

I quit playing back in the Summer of this year. As someone who liked the original TCG way back at launch, I was initially hopeful this would capture that feeling. And it did, until the limitations of the 20 card decks started making themselves painfully known and meta decks built around one or two Pokemon and 16+ trainer cards became the go-to way to play.

I stopped battling long before I quit the game, and when the appeal of opening packs died out, the game was gone. Shame, but I expected it to be little more than a means to siphon money from the players.

"I don't know how you guys walk around with those things..."

Is it adorable? Absolutely.

Is it also a paltry 8oz (250mL) mug? Absolutely.

I drink way too much coffee to be using a mug of that size, so it will remain a cute novelty, just not a purchased one.

Sounds like Square approved teasing. They could have remade it using the HD-2D engine a long time ago, but they haven’t bothered for a number of reasons we’re not privy to.

And honestly the SNES original holds up well, a remake feels needless. You could also just grab it on DS and play it there.

To be honest for the last two years now I've moved away from buying new releases. Where before I'd buy over half a dozen games a year, I now only buy one or two a year and stick to playing an MMO instead.

I spend overall less a year on gaming, and get as much if not more entertainment alongside socialization.

So I'm okay with increasing prices. Just makes the deals and sales that much more enticing.

Whether it’s his educated guess based on follower count or plain old optimism/pessimism, I agree that it’s a fool’s hope to expect anything more than another re-release like the XBLA versions from years ago.

Games like Banjo just wouldn’t be made these days. Not by anyone other than Nintendo, at least. Best to just go back to the original two games and enjoy that nostalgia hit again.

I'm pretty sure Little Timmy would be more concerned about the cleanliness of the Switch in question, not the game featuring icky girls...

30 bones for amiibo is wild. No thank you.

1 > 3 > 2

The first game is in my top 5 games, and while the third entry had a lot of amazing highs, its story was stretched to the breaking point by the end. The original maintained its momentum a lot better.

Second game was... alright. Some good, some bad, nothing offensive.

I actually disliked X at launch. I would have to give it another chance.

@jesse_dylan
He contributed music to XI, it was like a dozen or so tracks total but there was original music. It did however use a lot of older music to pad out the soundtrack.

And yes, Toriyama had an army of assistants trained in his style. But far as I am aware, he remained the source of all the initial designs. Feel free to correct me on this if I am wrong, however.

We have to keep in mind that since development started and the teaser was dropped, two of the three “Dream Team” members have passed away (Sugiyama in late 2021, and Toriyama in early 2024). No doubt that has put a bit of a dark cloud over the development.

I imagine when it does release, it’ll be both the last game to retain the magic of the original team, and a sign of things to come. I’m still eager for the game as DQ is my favorite series, but anxious at the same time.

Doesn't surprise me to see DQ3 at the top of the list.

I'm pretty sure DQ3 is the video game that is in the cultural collective unconscious that best personifies the RPG, and is easily the most important release for the series. Like FF7 is for Final Fantasy.

And I cannot wait for 1+2 next year.

The game has been a blast to play through, I'm still cutting into it and should have many more hours before the credits roll.

All the changes have been for the better, the game hasn't really lost any of its charm or challenge, but is more accessible than ever. I think it's about as great as can be expected for a remaster of a classic.

I cannot wait to see what kinds of options/changes they go with for 1+2, since those games are far more archaic than 3.

I've been waiting for this for three years now, and if it were to be just DQ3, I'd be happy. But if it turns out to be some grand remake that combines all three original titles into one new presentation, then the wait would have been beyond worthwhile.

I cannot wait to hear more, and this might end up being the GOTY 2024 for me.

I remember trying Trails in the Sky once. The vibe of the game never quite sat with me. Couldn't put my finger on it.

I know the series has its fans, but I've always thought of this series the way I think about the Tales series; a different flavor of RPG for a specific audience. While I enjoyed Tales more, even that series died for me after a few entries.

I do appreciate when a series tries to give newcomers "a great place to start", it helps bring new blood into the franchise. But as always, I'd refer to series regulars to get an "inside scoop" on whether or not this is the entry to start with.

This looks like such a great idea, that I'm gonna keep a close eye on it.

Edit: oh, possible only online co-op? Kinda lame, but I mean I have a two TV set up so it can still happen!

It'll be Silksong this time.

Too many leaked ratings.

It's happening. At last, it's happening...!

Day One on PS5 for me; much as I enjoyed the original, going back to it recently showed how utterly choppy the performance was and I cannot be bothered to suffer that performance again with Vengeance.

I am looking forward to this one, shame it's so far off.

I play the original from time to time as a nice little timesink, so I'm eager to see more with a sequel. Will be a great addition to the Steam Deck.

I had this one on Wii, and never finished it. Something about the simpler, button-mashy combat turned me off after a few hours, and I only pressed on because of how pretty the game was.

If it ever does get another release, I'd consider trying it again.

Sadly, with the passing of both Sugiyama and now Toriyama, the series won't ever be the same. What made DQ consistently good was the fact that it was the same Dream Team since its inception.

I was hopeful that the series could make it into XII without Sugiyama, but without Toriyama? XII might turn out to be a shell of the series; visually similar perhaps, but the essence mostly devoid.

It's sad, and a bit of pessimistic view, but on the bright side I can count myself fortunate I've been with the series since I was born. And eleven great games is nothing to sneeze at. I'd be hard pressed to find another series with nine or more great mainline entries, not to mention a ton of side games of equal caliber. I know they exist, but it sure ain't common.

I ended up playing through 1.6 on my Steam Deck, so when it finally drops on Switch, I'll just pass.

The changes were great little improvements, some nice QoL features. But really, the game remains just as addictive and worth playing as always.

I don't understand why you'd spend three slots on three versions of the same game, especially when two of them are rendered immediately redundant by the Pixel Remaster. Well, I suppose the same applies to more than just VI, but still. Also, VI is really overrated by the fandom, which is surprisingly more defensive of their favorite game than even the VII fans.

Personally, I think IV, IX and X are all much better games than VI could ever hope to be. And it remains a shame to this day that VI is as lackluster as it is given modern advancements that could very easily smooth out the game's terrible pacing and story delivery.

Honestly, all things considered the Guilty Gear perfume would totally be a legit product given the weird promotions they be having in Japan.

Pokemon Sleep Tourney and Dreamcast mini got me chuckling, though.

Shame I don't have a Wii U to play again, otherwise I'd have played during that last big hurrah.

Especially since I'll never be able to wear the Squid Girl dress again... 😭

I may give this one another shot now that it's on NSO.

I remember playing it a lot on GBA, but it was such a brutal experience (like any F-Zero game really), that as a kid it was severely off-putting. I'd like to think now as an adult I'm more capable of overcoming the challenges, but ... we shall see.

I remember buying the original PS1 release many, many years ago after finding it used at a local game store. I tried it, and it didn't take for me. I wanted to like the game, but it just didn't gel the way SO3 had.

Maybe some day I'll give it another shot.

I cannot recall the last time I bought something from GameStop, let alone set foot into one. Any games I've bought in the last few years or more has been done via Amazon, because of release day delivery.

We can blame the move to digital all we want, but a specialty store like this wouldn't survive unless they offered something unique. And they don't; just employees doing their job pushing subscription plans and preorders with lackluster (if any) incentives.

I know they've been trying to stay afloat, but maybe it's time for those employees who were spared from this round of layoffs to start looking elsewhere for work. The next round might be sooner than they realize...

@Princess_Lilly
Yeah, but I don't recall seeing squid kids eating one another.

Or was that part of the Splatoon 3 DLC I skipped? 😂

Isn't it kinda dark that the bento includes fried squid?

Or is it just me?

I had this one back on 3DS. Like all SaGa-like games, it's a kind of RPG I want to love, but the obtuse and opaque progression system really hampers my enjoyment.

The same went with Alliance Alive, which I also gave a chance, and was again met with the same set of issues.

Maybe one day, when I catch it on a Black Friday sale for $20 (which shouldn't be too difficult given how niche this game is), I might be tempted to try it again.

Splatoon was my primary reason for playing on Wii U. I never owned the console, I borrowed (or occasionally stole it) from my brother, specifically to play that one game.

And yet it feels like the series peaked for me with the original. 2 was great, 3 was great, but I played each less and less than the one that came before it. Even accounting for life changes, less time to play, etc... that's rather sad.

I know it likely won't ever happen, but I do hope they bring all the Splatoon 1 content forward to either 3 or 4; specifically the Squid Girl crossover outfit. I've always loved that outfit.

But it also never sat well with me that with every new game, Nintendo stripped each entry of content, and began to drip feed it back to the playerbase.

I will miss the original, but if I'm being honest, I haven't touched it since 2016, either.

Shocked at the results, honestly.

I love me some Zinogre, but not a big fan of the other two. Half expected the likes of Tigrex or Mizutsune on there.

Personally, my favorite monsters are Rathalos, Brachydios and Gogmazios.

This one sounds absolutely delightful.

I hope it some day makes it to iOS/Android, because it sounds like the perfect game to be on my phone, rather than a dedicated gaming handheld. I'm always looking for something to play for a few minutes at a stretch, and this sounds perfect to fit that niche.

Until then, I'll look out for a Steam sale, and get it on my Deck.

Will be buying the PS5 version for better framerate.

The original on Switch was great, but I'd rather enjoy this one to the fullest, and I just don't trust the current hardware to deliver a buttery smooth framerate.

This was the best part of the presentation for me.

I actually like the work DeNA does for the most part, and as an old time fan of the TCG, I'm for a new take that's easy on the wallet.

Sure, there will be a ton of microtransactions I'm sure, but as long as I can have fun playing random TCG matches anywhere, I'm for it!

Wait a minute... it's a rhythm game with only 15 songs for $15??

Talk about a niche of a niche. That's terrible value.

Even though it was leaked prior, I'm excited. I loved the original version, was my personal GOTY 2021.

However, I will not be getting this on the Switch, but on PS5. I'd rather enjoy the game with a crisp 60fps. And I gotta give that beefy PS5 system some use outside Persona 3 Reload.

I'm eager to replay SMT5 as it is, so maybe my patience will be rewarded later this year!

@sevex
The font was later updated to include a classic option that's more retro in the style of the original games. I was worried about that at first, but at least on Switch it's good.

The soundtracks were also all remastered, and they sound the best they've ever been.

Personally, I don't see a problem with knowing the ending to a lot of media, be they games, film or novels.

Because oftentimes, it's less the ending, and more how we get to the ending that matters.

Personal example: I saw the final boss of Final Fantasy XIII way back before that game even released in English. Because Japanese players got it a few months before, all it took was a quick search to find a recording of the final boss fight.

And I distinctly remember being like... what is that? Why is it important? What is name of final boss here? But it all clicked into place by the time I got to the end of the game.

Knowing the ending isn't the spoiler. Being told HOW you got to that ending in the midst of the spoiler... is the true spoiler. My two cents.

@sevex
Have you heard about the Pixel Remasters?

Not being funny, but that's about as close to what you're asking as you'll get, and has virtually everything you asked for.

The pixel remaster could have done so much more to remedy the issues of the way the plot is presented in VI, but didn't.

VI could benefit from a remake to clean up the sloppy narrative for sure. The gameplay could be improved upon considerably, too.

But I'm glad Square would rather not spend the time and resources on a remake, because it's better to move forward, rather than constantly look back at their past successes. Especially after getting the pixel remasters, allowing current generations to experience those games in their best, most faithful iterations to date.

@ChakraStomps
No, but it appears you need a gentle reminder of what I responded to someone else, with absolutely no change in wording:

Ehh, given the sheer amount of Pokémon designs that exist now, there's hardly anything that can be created in this vein that won't be compared to Pokémon in some way shape or form. Does that mean no one else will ever be able to tackle the monster collecting subgenre? Simply because Pokémon has grown to such gross, monstrous proportions?

@Joeynator3000
Ehh, given the sheer amount of Pokémon designs that exist now, there's hardly anything that can be created in this vein that won't be compared to Pokémon in some way shape or form. Does that mean no one else will ever be able to tackle the monster collecting subgenre? Simply because Pokémon has grown to such gross, monstrous proportions?

I think Palworld sets itself apart by being more about the survival, crafting focus. Are they gaining traction by leaning into the Pokémon comparisons? Absolutely. But as others have said, clearly there's a desire for something similar to Pokémon without it being specifically Pokémon.

Even I'd be playing this, if I liked survival games. I respect the developer for nailing a nice little payday, and if they build on the foundation and improve the product over time, good on them.

Let TPC learn from this, and improve the abysmal releases they've been putting out.

As a reminder friends: Pokémon was not the first monster collecting game, it's just one of the most popular and profitable.

Palworld can exist. And it can do so profitably because it takes what Pokémon is failing to do (make good games) and proving that there's a market for that.

I don't mind the current menu UI. At most I wanted more color options for customization.

It doesn't need to be a flashy menu that'll eventually bog down the experience, or similar to other consoles requires its own chunk of RAM just to function in the background.

I don't know, given how stale Pokemon has become, maybe we do need to have Pikachu out here with a glock ending Team Rocket. Blasting off again for the last time.

If the game is good though, what's the harm? Pokemon wasn't the first monster collection type game, and it certainly ain't the best. Just the most profitable.

Do you think it'll be the 1.0 version, or the latest patch at the time of manufacturing?

Mostly curious if it'll include the replacement of that one NPC following that one scandal.

Not for that price it's not.

I would never spend more on the bag than I would on the electronics inside it. Not when I can find better alternatives for a fraction of the price.