Comments 250

Re: Pokémon GO's Long-Awaited PvP Mode Launches This Week, And Pikachu Libre Is Up For Grabs

DarkScythe13

I domt care much for PVP myself but i do know people who are keen so im glad theres something for them. There are some good ideas behind this but the part I dislike is easily the fact that scraggy is hidden behind this. I dislike when species are restricted or used as prizes. They should just have item incentives, a shiny incentive (e.g. Tyrogue) or a mon with a special pvp coverage move.

Re: Goku (Ultra Instinct) Is Joining Dragon Ball FighterZ As A DLC Character

DarkScythe13

@Heavyarms55 Agreed. For me a major example of how Super falls short is during the Goku Black / Future Trunks stuff. They had some pretty cool ideas but at some point they seemed to hit some kind of creative limit. Suddenly Trunks gets a power up and can hold his own but the closest explanation we get for why is 'rage'. No one acknowledges it beyond him simply having more power. At one point we see them spam beams at Merged Zamasu and they manage to give him trouble but the only explanation is that at this point its 'part of being a saiyan' that they grow stronger in the middle of a battle itself - thats a significant leap out of the blue and IMO not one we usually saw in Z without more to it.

Most anime im used to (including Z) would take advantage of explaining exactly how and why a power up is what it is. Its an important opportunity for world building. Even Gundam shows with their emphasis on selling models take the time to rationalise and justify 'upgrades'. We have had retcons before ('zenkai boosts') but again these explanations were established early, expanded on as important plot points and (more importantly) even supported past instances perfectly.

At times it felt like Super has the same feeling as the movies preceding it (including the OVA Yo! The Return of Son Goku and Friends). They dabble in a bit of 'Dragon Ball' but wont fully commit. Its a revisit or tour of DB familiarity but only a limited expansion of the world or these characters journeys. The manga has done a bit better at times IMO but it falls far short of what it could /should be.

Re: Goku (Ultra Instinct) Is Joining Dragon Ball FighterZ As A DLC Character

DarkScythe13

@Heavyarms55 - to me, Super lacked a certain attention to detail that Z and the original Dragon Ball had. Despite Dragon Balls reputation of having mindless action and fights, my personal opinion is that in Z, (aside from 'when they toyed with each other), every blow mattered. There were consequences and the story developed along with that. It felt like when a character developed a new power, there was build up or hinting prior to attaining said power. Many examples exist.

The trouble with Super is that the fights felt generic. Beatdowns felt random, comebacks felt random and power was only lightly attributed to 'being saiyan'. Yeah this happened to a degree in Z but there was hard logic established as to why in its own rules. There were genuinely interrsting moments where something bad could have happened to build the stakes, but the writers chickened out and returned to formula. To me Super felt more like it had so much more potential. I liked it, and there were some great moments, but it fell short of what it could have achieved if they invested more into it beyond weaker attempts at 'emulating' fights or playing it too safe.

Re: Pokémon Sword And Shield Is Getting An Expansion Pass, And It Looks Mighty

DarkScythe13

@Kalmaro yes that is technically true but that is how it has always been in order to transfer extra pokemon added later. You needed to for Poke Bank. White 2 and Black 2 were their all games. All required payment.

On the other hand you can still have them traded without paying yourself if a friend helps. Pokebank allowed one account to use different cartridges

Re: Pokémon Sword And Shield Is Getting An Expansion Pass, And It Looks Mighty

DarkScythe13

@ShadJV Good point. If the free update allows trading with people who own the content then one would assume this also likely means they can be transferred through Pokemon Home.

If they do it in that manner then additional pokemon support itself is not hidden behind a pay wall. As you stated it means the DLC is simply the opportunity for encountering them in-game, rather than the ability to have them in the game (which will be coming free) .

Granted the initial 400 dex (and therefore available encounters as is) is rather small compared with something like the Kalos dex, and im not sure how i feel if they introduce entirely 'new pokemon' (iirc extended versions tended to add things like new legendary forms, returning old pokemon mainly). We shall see.

Re: Poll: What Other Wii U Games Do You Want To See On Switch?

DarkScythe13

Even though Woolly World had a 3DS port, I would definitely love another chance to replay it on a HD console again. I liked it better than Crafted World and IMO the best Yoshi game in years.

I wouldnt be surprised if one of the main reasons for 3D World not appearing yet was because of the GamePad functionality in certain levels (from memory blowing to activate fans and i think tapping platforms) in certain 'optional levels). Perhaps implementing or devising a few changes takes time.

Re: Pokémon GO's Hatchathon Event Returns With Some Amazing Rewards

DarkScythe13

really wouldnt call them 'amazing rewards'. The only decent part is the 50km adventure sync reward.

Meanwhile an event had just finished boasting 1/2 egg hatch distance, daily incubator drops from 1st spin, and a fantastic valued box containing way more incubators for the same price as the current in store boxes.

Pretty silly (IMO) starting an 'egg themed' event right after removing every one of those advantages. On the plus side at least theres no major incentive to participate since all but party hat pikachu are confirmed to be unable to evolve anyway (further lowering their shiny value) .

Re: Bethesda Is Updating DOOM And DOOM II On Switch With Some Hellish Add-Ons

DarkScythe13

This is a fantastic effort being made on the port, but there is one easily overlooked issue that im still concerned about. The previous update did not fix the berserk fist issue (being unable to re-select the fist when in possession of the chainsaw. On paper this sounds small, but the powered up fist is an absolutely fantastic pinky killer and ammo conserver. Not having access to it can affect the whole game.

I have my fingers crossed that they addressed this issue, along with providing better shortcuts to weapons (e,g. 360’s dpad selection based on ammo types.

Re: Guide: Pokémon Sword And Shield Gen 8 New Pokémon List - Full Galar Pokédex Including Returning Pokémon

DarkScythe13

While i appreciate the sentiment and considerations of GameFreak’s decision, i cant help but question some of their Pokémon choices; ‘balance’ + appeal = Trubbish? I dont know how all the mons all match up balance wise, but a selection of 400 mons becomes that little but more painful with some of the choices. You cant please everyone, but fairly sure there are a lot of wasted choices in the eyes of many people. But the other thing is that a game like X/Y actually had about 50+ or so more mons in its local dex.

I think it would have eased the pain a bit if they went that little bit further in having the largest local dex and took a bit more care on the appeal side. But thats just my opinion. Perhaps im wrong and people are happy with some of the more potentially controversial choices. shrug

Re: Review: Bubsy: Paws On Fire! - How Many Lives Does This Bobcat Have?

DarkScythe13

Id rather a HD remake of the original or something. I wasnt keen on the ‘runner’ concept from the moment i heard about it. A rebalance of the first game n interesting project. Super Bubsy for the Pc already had decent visuals. But the game is quite unfair with its one hit deaths and instant drowning. Still have fond childhood memories of that one.

Re: Feature: The History Of Streets Of Rage

DarkScythe13

The first game will always have a special place in my heart. It had the 6-in-1 cartridge with that, Revenge of Shinobi, Columns, Golden Axe and two other games. While I concede the second game is 'the better game', there's something I always appreciated about the simplicity and linearity of the original. I also have a personal preference for the music in the first game, though the second game also had some pretty good tracks.

I'll check this one out most likely, but am only mildly optimistic thus far. It might be because i'd played and really enjoyed the fan made "Streets of Rage Remake" and all the content within that particular release. I'm not a huge fan of Axel's new look tbh, and while I can see what they're going for visually, a part of me wishes for some more polish.

Re: You No Longer Need A Bethesda Account To Play DOOM And DOOM II On Switch

DarkScythe13

@Antraxx777 i am unsure whether the original had ‘next and previous weapon’ keys or whether the behaviour was the same with that function as with this version or not. But nevertheless (to my knowledge) its the only port that doesnt allow the berserk fist. All things considered i am in agreement with past comments that they should restore the dpad short cut for weapons.

Id like to say that cause Nerve did the original 360 port, that they would include all the features of XBLA Doom II. Yet from what i hear this was ported to a different engine, though unsure of the technical side of it (certain there are differences in behaviour of physics,). I think this release really needs a proper bug fix update, but given the lack of fixes for the previous versions of the game (outside of patching out Red Crosses and changing the opening credits) i feel this version will be negelected also,

Re: You No Longer Need A Bethesda Account To Play DOOM And DOOM II On Switch

DarkScythe13

Personally I can live with the slower music (though wouldnt be against a fix) but I would much rather them fix several other gameplay issues. Berserk fist cant even be reselected when you have the chainsaw for example. Ive experienced and recorded a few instances where shotgun shots go right through enemies too. Id much rather those be addressed.

That said, I somehow dont think much thought or effort will be put into any bug fixes.

Re: Review: Doom II - It's Hell On Earth With This Devilishly Playable Switch Port

DarkScythe13

@EasyDaRon there are important differences between both experiences though. Doom (2016) has more emphasis on holding a position and fighting off waves of enemies for example, and maps are a lot more linear (albeit with convenient areans to fight off waves) and story driven with few exceptions. Honestly i feel that is where the repetition begins to show.in modern gaming. Sure there is an arcade mode, but that only helps so much.

Dont get me wrong, i love the atmosphere and presentation of 2016, but the impatient gamer in me appreciates the simplicity of Classic Doom. Everything is just fast and unweighted and youre able to tackle a level how you want to. I prefer the no fuss pacing of having a a variety of maps (big and small) to explore, with enemies already present and populating it.

The amusing thing is that while the original Doom engine is technologically impressive for what it was, and as much as source ports enable it to be pushed to the limit with crazy graphical upgrades and gameplay features, the fact that the original was made with older PCs in mind meant that levels had to be designed around this. Many levels feel rather abstract in their design and sometimes arent able to resemble what theyre meant to (e,g, urban areas) yet because of this limitation, the gameplay and pace is able to flourish in a way that even a game like Doom 2016 simply cant. Sometimes the limitations of older games meant that the player wasnt as constrained as much as they are by modern experiences.

Re: Review: Doom II - It's Hell On Earth With This Devilishly Playable Switch Port

DarkScythe13

@EasyDaRon for newer gamers a review gives them some fresh insight, and for us veterans it provides is with details on the modern release and changes to the port when compared to the original. Technical faults can make or break releases, and a review can cover those too.

And its kind of ironic, but i disagree with what you said above about the ‘standards of modern gaming’. Modern games lack a certain kind of flexibility, creativity and sometimes pick up and play quality of older games. I can play classics such as Doom anytime and have done so over the course of my life where i dont tend to replay or fire up most modern experiences once completed. The appreciation comes from the fast addictive gameplay itself, rather than the visual presentation or complex mechanics. Doom is a game that doesnt concern itself with too many mechanics such as free looking or varied. It comes from the sandbox itself and in how the map designers use the assets afforded to them to create different experiences.

I can honestly say that despite the fact that Doom reuses many resources many times over, it still contains many unique scenarios and environments that had always kept it fresh for me. Fair enough if youre enamoured with the features of new games, but dont underestimate the appeal of older games. Its like comparing apples and oranges in a sense. Older games like Doom were games first and foremost. Simple arcade games aside these days, youd be hard pressed to find big games that dont try too hard to be more of an ‘interactive movie experience’ something that games like Classic Doom never wanted to be, and something that a fair amount of gamers genuinely miss.

Re: Review: Doom II - It's Hell On Earth With This Devilishly Playable Switch Port

DarkScythe13

Aside from the same berserk/chainsaw issue from the first game, ive noticed something bizarre in these two ports. Theres been a few times where ive shot at weaker or weakened enemies at point blank and have noticed my shots have gone through them (specifically the Shotgun). I managed to record several instances of it. It appears whatever changes they made to the engine have lead to some extra bugs. Its a shame but its definitely been noticable. The range of the fist is also mspuch shorter or so it feels compared with the original version.

Re: Video: Digital Foundry's Technical Analysis Of DOOM, DOOM II And DOOM 3

DarkScythe13

As someone who played the originals their entire life, many of the differences were noticable from the get go. DF made mention of the balance changes to 3 BFG edition, but hadnt really touched upon a new berserk glitch or ‘difference’.

In the original versions, the chainsaw would replace the fist, but berserk would allow the player to select the fist for the duration of that level (at will). The issue with this port hpwever is that although the berserk powerup restores the fist upon pickup, once you change from the fist, it is gone again. Thats the loss of quite an important ammo saving weapon.

Strafe running appears to be different too or at least the controls are. Many secrets that are more easily accessible by running forward and strafing simultaneously have been a lot harder to reach in this port. Im not 100% on the exact reason, but ive heard on other sites the engine isnt the original one and accounts for some differences also.

Re: Review: Doom - Blasting Hellspawned Demons Like It's 1993, All Over Again

DarkScythe13

There are also two bugs ive experienced. In the original Doom, while grabbing the chainsaw removed access to the fist, getting the berserk powerup restored access for the duration of that level (newer ports simply never took away access at all). In this port, if you have the chainsaw then the only time you see the fist is when the power up begins - change to another weapon and you cant change back! A pretty annoying thing.

The second issue i have found personally is that if the console is placed into sleep mode and then docked (or may just be after docking it) the display freezes. The game sound seems to still play but is visually unresponsive.

Re: The Jackbox Party Pack 6 Comes To Nintendo Switch This Fall

DarkScythe13

When skimming over the description initially it sounded like Fibbage (aka weird trivia where real obscure preexisting concepts are the focus and goal is to throw people off). Watching the video made me realise it was more creative and open to the players, in a similar way to quiplash (i.e. coming up with your own stupid meanings and context and judging that). While i suspect it might get old faster than something like Quiplash, it sounds interesting nevertheless,

Re: Guide: How To Change From Day To Night In Super Mario Maker 2

DarkScythe13

@Giygas_95 yeah. While i like the idea of darkness in two of the stages and the underground upside down gimmick could be useful, i also kind of wanted just the cosmetic look and was a bit disappointed that there was no way to disable music and gimmicks.

Some of the gimmicks like specific water behaviours feel a bit too restrictive or odd to be used except for specifically themes levels.

Re: Preview: Things We've Learned Playing Super Mario Maker 2

DarkScythe13

Not surprised about the limits of 3D World. Its a shame, as i suspect many of those themed levels will be rather basic. The loss of the ability to even stack enemies as well as other taken for granted features like one way directional gates, and the abundance of gimmicky objects and enemies means i probably wont dabble too much in the style. They were probably hoping the cat suit and koopa kart would be enough to wow people.

There is a chance they may update the style with newer objects, but the issue is that unlike the original Mario Maker, one would suspect that such updates would negatively impact the release of new objects for the other game styles or at least split that focus. Not that the original styles arent already packed as is.

EDIT: although watching the video on unique story mechanics reminded me that there arent any blue throw blocks or the mushroom blocks from SMB2 which would have made for some decent puzzle components. The former as a weapon of sorts, and the latter for either plugging up pipes or stacking them for a boost.

Re: All Those amiibo On Your Shelf? You Can't Use Them In Super Mario Maker 2

DarkScythe13

Hmm i have mixed feelings. On the one hand unlocking them in subsequent playthroughs was kind of fun as were the levels that unlocked them in updates . But on the other hand they were a bit limited. Kind of wish that the player had been able to have been fed it during the editor and had that state be forced onto the player upon starting a playthrough. As it stands tho i felt it was simply an interesting novelty.

Re: New Hammer Power-Up Spotted In Japanese Super Mario Maker 2 Direct

DarkScythe13

I want it to be the Hammer Suit. But my gut tells me (especially given the 3D World style) it would be a limited power up like the original Donkey Kong or Smash Bros, if i have it right, Captain Toad had a Pick Axe in the same way, so its probably just a Hammer as a reference and to be more in line with Mario.

... but it would be great if all of SMB3 powerups were added.

Re: The Moon Allows You To Create Night Themed Levels In Super Mario Maker 2

DarkScythe13

Honestly if they'd simply have ported the first game to switch i would have been happy. But they truly have gone above and beyond to make this as complete as possible! This is incredible!

The 'other game styles' part seems to be plural, indicating that there is room for other styles to come. The fact that 3D World has its own mechanics and objects perhaps may also indicate that we could get some crazy new exclusive styles, maybe not even mario games. I could see them adding NES Kirby or other nintendo based games for example.

Re: Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Gets Its First Official Trailer, And It's Definitely Something

DarkScythe13

Im probably in the minority but i dont really see the appeal of Carrey in this trailer. It’s mainly a variation of the same performance he always does. I dont mind Carrey, but even setting aside my bias as a Somic fan, it still feels same-y with him.

Other thing is that his ‘contraptions’ dont look interesting at all. Would have made sense to have some of his ego expressed in their design or appearance. He had his own style(s) in the game. Unless the appearance at the end of the trailer indicates he Starts personalising things later,

Re: Review: Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid - A Promising Fighter Undone By Publisher Greed

DarkScythe13

Its a shame. It sounds like a solid game from a gameplay standpoint. But why do i get the impression that 'boycotting' will only lead to the publisher blaming a lack of interest in the IP rather than the content or dlc model itself?

That does seem to be the ruthless mentality at times. 'If people arent taking the bait, then its not the fault of the system, but the fault of the game or IP itself for not generating enough for people to take the bait or be hooked in spite of it'.

Being able to vote or send a message with ones wallet is nice in theory, yet given the fact that this sort of system with dlc content can and does unfortunately pay off in other instances, they'll simply spend more time looking for a different cash cow or finding other ways to exploit the system to maximise their profits. Everyone is beginning to jump on board as they've finally found a way to make even more money beyond the initial purchase and in trying to artificially increase longetivity with 'post release support' (likely content simply witheld for that exact purpose)

Re: Review: ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove - A '90s Throwback That Might Be Too Random For Some

DarkScythe13

Ive finished tutorial world, fixed world and am currently roughly half way through a random world playthrough.

Honestly i like it, but there are definitely things i dont care for. I think the necessity of ‘searching’ and abundance of plants etc is too much. Feels like theres less emphasis on on-map presents. Im not a fan of panic on funkatron style presents appearances either.

Enemies feel a but erratic and unbalanced at times. The little devil enemies for example are meant to be one of the simplest enemies but theyre too fast for an early enemy. The AI is also wierd. Some enemies react from far away. Others can be in close proximity to and wont react at all. Feels way off compared to the first game. And also dont care for fake exits. The only way ive learned to spot then is to wait for the arrow lights on the side to stop flashing. If its fake the top left arrow is lit. If its the real exit its unlit. Thats worked everytime.

I dont mind snow and sand in the game but dont care for night time levels. Fortunately theyre only few and far between but definitely least favourite parts.

Map sizes themselves seems smaller in many ways and few secret paths unlike the original in fixed world. Random has generated better levels at times.

That said im not hating on the game. Glad i bought it. Just that these are things that i feel could have been better. I feel the origjnal is still more solid than this one, but i like this better than panic on funkatron.

Re: Sega Wants To Know Which Games You'd Like On The Mega Drive Mini

DarkScythe13

@Gerald agreed. Id love to see some third party games negotiated for release. Theres only so many times the same first party games can be rereleased. The 16 bit consoles had so many gems that truly defined that era. Some of which were Still exclusive. Disney licensed games and some of the konami games such as Rocket Knight Adventures are notable examples.

Re: Review: SEGA Mega Drive Classics - A Welcome Stroll Down Memory Lane

DarkScythe13

Ill consider getting it cause of games like Toe Jam & Earl. But its sucha disappointment that after all this time we still cant have third party games like Disney’s Aladdin released.

Thats not really SEGA’s fault i guess, but it would be nice if we could see more cooperation between companies than we do at present, a lack of Sonic 3 & Knuckles also sucks. Wish theyd at least release a port akin to the iOS update ports,

Re: Review: Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! - The Perfect Entry Point For Newcomers, A Nostalgia Trip For Veterans

DarkScythe13

I like the idea of being able to change on the fly. It got a bit tedious at times in other games, though that was largely due to juggling hm slaves which doesnt appear to be an issue anymore.

Definitely looking forward to this. Just a shame about no breeding. Am wondering if pokeballs will be an issue given its encouraged to catch to level up.

Re: Konami Confirms There Are "Absolutely No Plans" To Bring Castlevania Requiem To Other Systems

DarkScythe13

Well it's their loss. I have a PS4 but the only interest I had was playing it on switch. I played SotN on 360. I like the game and would like to have revisited it. But Switch has won me over at this point with both its controls and ability to ve portable.

Itd be nice if they'd instead do a remaster of Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow or something (not like the latter cant be tweaked for one screen.

Hell, a port or newer version of Harmony of Despair would be nice. But i expect nothing from Konami at this point. At least i get to look forward to Bloodstained

Re: Hold Me, Virtual Console Data Has Been Discovered In The Nintendo Switch eShop

DarkScythe13

I personally wouldnt mind if NES were kept as is and these other systems specifically were brought in as VC games. The Switch genuinely feels like the best console yet for VC. Not having it is a huge wasted opportunity IMO.

That said, for the sake of something uniform I half wish SEGA consoles etc would also be included like the Wii. Granted the seperate rrleases fo alloe for more freedom and features though.

Re: Nintendo Download: 20th September (Europe)

DarkScythe13

While I really appreciate the amount of effort M2 put into this release of Sonic, I'm still disappointed that SEGA won't/can't release the updated widescreen portable releases. Sure, they added drop dash and spin dash (though the latter has been in other releases), it's bittersweet.

Re: Review: Freedom Planet (Switch eShop)

DarkScythe13

I love the idea (almost a combination of Rocket Knight Adventures and Sonic - two of my favourite Mega Drive games/series) and I think it looks great.

I have one major gripe though and it's the physics. It might be because I played Sonic all my life and I'm used to it, but on the one hand the top speed and acceleration feels off for characters. The other problem I have is that the controls feel slippery. I seem to overshoot stuff. It might just be me though.

I do find those issues distracting enough. It's something that can be taken for granted given Classic Sonic style games where everything just 'fits' or comes together nicely.

Re: Let's Go Pikachu And Eevee Videos Show How Different Pokémon Types Will Follow The Trainer

DarkScythe13

@darkfenrir That would be cool actually. I liked how it was in Fire Red and Leaf Green (though the recharging thing seemed more like a chore or enforced cooldown that meant little).

I believe other games did have it or it returned at least once (not 100% sure though) but I dont think it was as useful as the Gen III games made it - IIRC it was nerfed severely. And then games like Heart Gold relied on the more tedious phone calls for rematches (better than nothing, but Vs Seeker was way better).

Re: Let's Go Pikachu And Eevee Videos Show How Different Pokémon Types Will Follow The Trainer

DarkScythe13

Hmm my only concern with the game is that there is apparently limited pokeballs on offer, yet training is tied with catching.

I read you get balls got winning trainer battles. Presumably you can buy them too. I heard trainer winnings are quite generous. But i feel its a bit like Sticker Star potentially - that game had the issue that your ability to battle relied on finite resources and was easily the worst thing about the game that and a lack exp system).

I hope theyve come up with a system that works. I actually dont mind training/grinding in these games and being OP, especially with the admin of new exp sharing speeding things up. I just want the ability to train when i want to - not limited by available balls.