I don't see the problem with a Nintendo fan enjoying PS1 more than N64? This comment section is weird. Just because we're on a Nintendo focused site doesn't mean every user has to always side with Nintendo in every opportunity.
PS1 clearly had the larger variety of games than N64. It's not a matter of "brand loyalty" at this point, the two machines are very very different products. Like, if you were an RPG fan, you were just completely out of luck on N64, while PS1 was out there completely revolutionising the genre.
I wonder if they will release the GBC and GBA versions of Donkey Kong Country next? Seems redundant, but we got both SM All-Stars and the Super Mario Advance series, so you never know.
Yeah, it's not "hardcore", but if I'm gonna be posting a link to erotica on NLife I wanted to make sure it was clearly marked lol.
(also the artist does have a link to their explicit nsfw account on there too, so y'know)
I don't know if it helps or hurts the point you were making, but I just wanted to bring attention to the twitter account of the game's artist, which features many erotic artworks of big boob characters drawn in the same cutesy art style.
As for the big boob characters in REDNEG ALLSTARS specifically, who can say if it was intended to just be a funny character design or not, but I just wanted to point out that the artist does in fact draw erotica in the same exact art style.
By the way, my stance on the matter is that it shouldn't be such a big deal to draw a character with big boobs. I don't think big boobs are always inherently sexual, it can just be used as a character design element in order to exaggerate someone's appearance for comical effect, characterisation, or any other reason. Even just to have some big boob characters for the sake of it, or for representation, or whatever, I think it's fine.
And I also don't think that a game should be "banned" just because one of the characters is very booby. I think there must be something else going on that hasn't been made clear.
It might be worth noting that this studio's previous two games "Like Dreamer" and "Cosmo Dreamer" are in the eShop, with a 12 and a 7 rating in the european eShop. And I'm pretty sure those games have big boobies in them as well.
So I'm leaning more towards it being the drug thing
My personal game of the year, UFO 50, is not in this list.
Of those games in the list, the only one I've actually played is Zelda (though I did play the original Sonic Generations when it was new in 2011)
When Zelda Echoes of Wisdom came out, it was kind of awkward because I was so invested into UFO 50, I just wanted to do nothing but play it - but as a Zelda fan, I needed to also play the new Zelda, of course! So I was sort of hopping between them both, I wanted to play both of them so badly...
Then when I finished Zelda, I immediately felt relieved because it meant I could go back to UFO 50 without distractions.
And now several months post release, Zelda has mostly left my mind and yet I'm still obsessing over UFO 50 even though I've beaten both of them haha.
Makes me feel kind of bad as a huge Zelda fan though. I feel like I'm not giving Echoes of Wisdom the adoration it deserves, but to be quite honest, it was a little bit underwhelming as Zelda games go. And UFO 50 is such a huge labour of love that deserves all the respect in the world for achieving what it managed to achieve.
So yeah. Sorry to Zelda but.... as far as my personal gaming world is concerned, there was a much more significant and much more interesting game release than Zelda this year.
...Oh and tbh i'm not all that interested in The Game Awards anyway, so whatevs.
Croc was my first 3d platformer ever. I loved it as a kid, but I am well aware it is not "good". I don't know if I want the remake because I'm not sure if I'll get much value from it.
I already have the majority of the game memorised in my head. Even the weird secrets like stomping three times on the floating platform in the very first screen of the first level to enter a bonus room with 1ups, or falling off the bottomless cliff near the cogs in one of the ice levels to find a bonus room. Or having the dang pattern of the incredibly annoying sheep challenge completely memorised. Aggh. I don't know if I need to play this remake lol, it's possible I've had enough Croc to last a lifetime.
On a similar note, Rollercoaster Tycoon was also a beloved childhood game of mine. But unlike Croc, this is a game that has infinite replayability, so it may be fun to get it on Switch for the sake of it, even though I still have the original CD ROM somewhere in the house and could easily get it running on my laptop right now if I felt so inclined.... I guess having it on Switch would be a fun novelty. But it's not a priority by any means.
nah. Many years ago I got the 3DS version from CeX. and I never even played it. For whatever reason I just never mustered up enough enthusiasm to give it a go.
Maybe if I see it around for cheap i'll grab it but there's absolutely no rush
This short feels like something from an amateur who's learning stop motion and wants to pay tribute to their favourite Nintendo games as they practice animation techniques.
....it doesn't really feel like a marketing piece made by Nintendo.
square have done this in other games. Live A Live restricted the capture button during the entire final chapter iirc. They patched it out shortly after.
But this FF7 rerelease has been on Switch for years. I wonder why it took so long to patch it out for this one, especially for one of the most well-known plot twists in gaming history, at that?
btw I think this practice is absurd. Any company trying to enforce any kind of "anti spoiler" policy is completely misunderstanding their audience. It's not just Square, I've seen Atlus try to enforce stupid anti-spoiler things too.
the implementation of Dominus Collection is almost perfect. It's a little clumsy to make precise touchscreen inputs with the analogue stick, which is fine for this collection because it is rarely necessary in the game (and the magic seals that required precise inputs were reworked to use buttons anyway). It wouldn't work so well for Rhythm Heaven for example that requires a very specific flick action. For a game like that, it'd make more sense to remake it entirely rather than emulate. That's the tricky thing about DS touchscreen usage - it was so versatile, any modern ports are gonna have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Thankfully I bought Perfect Chronology from the eShop during the panic of its imminent closure, so I've got it for when I'll get around to it. Knowing my luck, by the time I actually get around to it, it'll get a switch port announced one day later or something.
For me it's gotta be the three Castlevanias, and then Pokémon gen 5. But... Rhythm Heaven is also one of my favourite things to ever exist too.
I spent so much time on Mario Kart and Kirby too, back in the day. The DS was so good, I still haven't gone through my backlog of games I need to play.
Most recently I played Ghost Trick for the first time (On a proper DS, too, it wasn't a modern version). It was pretty good, and it made me want to play Hotel Dusk at some point too. There's still life in the machine yet!
How many remakes does one game need? Pixel Remaster doesn't even have the GBA content, so it's not even definitive. Did they purposefully impair the Pixel Remaster version so that they could make a HD-2D definitive version later, or what? is that why they're talking about another remake so soon after we just got one?
Hey I have an idea. they won't do it, but... What if they just made Final Fantasy 17 a HD-2D pixel art game? Just straight up do the next mainline FF game in this style. Would be more interesting than yet another extremely high budget hack n slash after FF16 and FF7R , right?
I've played a few "Castlevania inspired" eShop games (Toziuha Night, Touhou Luna Nights, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, Koumajou Remilia Scarlet Symphony, Gal Guardians) and while they're not bad, none of them have been able to hold a candelabra to any of the actual Castlevania games. I don't tend to have high hopes for them any more.
I tried to play the first Soul Reaver once, but I just got lost wandering around and kinda lost interest. I'm sure it's a great game though, just one that demanded more patience from me than I was able to provide at the time I tried it. ...For whatever reason it didn't stand out to me, though I do know the game has a lot of fans, so maybe I should give it another chance.
When you think of 18+ N64 games, Conker is the one to come to mind immediately, but for some reason the most recent N64 NSO update didn't add it. We got Shadow Man instead, which is a game I've been interested in trying. (but I decided to buy "Shadow Man Remastered" from GOG, so I still don't need to subscribe to the expansion tier just yet!)
... Maybe it's because it's too soon after Banjo Tooie was released, so they're saving Conker for later. But I have absolutely no doubt that it will come to the 18+ app sooner or later. It's the mature N64 game lol.
@Drake Just for completeness's sake, did you play Ys vs Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga for PSP? I played through story mode once just to check out its unique final boss, which is actually a dragon called Galsis from Xanadu, and isn't even from Ys or Trails. But the game itself is one of those fighters where you have to level-grind your characters individually, and there's no way in heck I'm putting that kind of time into it. I didn't even feel like unlocking all the unlockable fighters lol.
Also, during my personal quest to play every Ys game, I did decide to skip over Ys Strategy. The tutorial mission bored me to death. Maybe one day I'll find the willpower to actually figure this one out, but the prospect of playing more of it did not fill me with excitement at all.
@Tyranexx Oh yes, of course, I appreciate that you don't want to overwhelm someone asking a question with the entire (and likely mostly irrelevant) history of the series. I guess I was just being pedantic and looking for reasons to share my Ys knowledge. Glad you appreciated some of the info though.
For me, 2023 was the year I played every Ys game, and 2024 is the year I've been playing every Suikoden game. ...but now that Ys X Nordics has released, I've put Suikoden on hold in favour of the new Ys! So that'll be my gaming plan for the next while.
Also been playing a ton of UFO 50. I've been trying to get every cherry, and I'm getting pretty close now! Next I have to master the ridiculous controls of Onion Delivery... it's painful, but fun at the same time somehow.
As for Ys VI, there are multiple version of this too - the Konami versions for PS2 and PSP have some differences to the main PC release. PS2 has voice acting and uses 3D models for characters rather than sprites, and includes a brand new challenge dungeon not in any other versions. PSP version replaces the challenge dungeon with extremely tedious minigames instead, but also includes an in-game bestiary which is not in any other version. And while the original PC CD-ROM release didn't have it, the most modern Steam version of Ys VI is the only one to include fast-travel.
Ys Origin does have some minor differences between versions too - most notably consoles like Switch need to play through both Yunica and Hugo to unlock Toal's story, while Steam version only needs to play through one of them. But aside from this, there aren't many differences.
Then Lacrimosa of Dana has some differences between versions too - most notably the original PS Vita release did not include some features that were made for later versions, including the entire solo Dana dungeon, the Underground Sanctuary! This is a case where the modern versions are strictly better than the original as far as I know.
III and IV are the "only" ones with multiple versions?? There are way more Ys games with multiple versions than that.
Most notably., Ys I & II have like a billion versions. Most notably are the "modern" remakes, the Eternal / Complete / Chronicles versions which revamped the games, notably adding the port town Barbado to Ys 1, redesigning the overworld, and adding the gift items to Ys II among many other additions and changes. But aside from this, all the various console ports of Ys I and II have major differences between them. the Famicon Ys 1 had many differences in the overworld, including a new quest to get into the Mines, the X68000 Ys 1 had an expanded Minea town and a very truncated overworld, and the DS Legacy of Ys version added an entirely new location to traverse, the "Vageux-Vardette". The TG-16 Ys Book I & II also changed some story elements, including Adol safely arriving on the boat instead of arriving shipwrecked, as well as the fate of Sara the fortune-teller. Not to mention the MS-DOS Ys II Special which claims to be Ys II but is in fact a completely original game.
It's definitely not like a Legend of Zelda situation where there is only one version of Zelda I and only one version of Zelda II, despite having so many GBA ports, GameCube ports etc - they are all the "same" game inside. But Ys I & II very often have different content with each release.
Wanderers from Ys and Oath in Felghana as you say are the two "Ys III" versions, that is as you say.
As for Ys IV, of course there's Dawn, Mask and Celceta as you mentioned, but there's actually another version called Ys IV: Mask of the Sun - A New Theory for PlayStation 2.
I played through A New Theory, and it was completely different from the SNES Mask of the Sun. The overworld layout was redesigned (and better than SNES, that's for sure), all the bosses, dungeons, story progression was different, the combat and magic system was different. It was a better-balanced game than the SNES one, but it had its own brand new problems that make it a very mediocre game in its own way. The magic system is convoluted and largely useless, the backtracking is extreme and tedious (and the majority of mandatory backtracking is required before getting fast-travel), and most annoyingly of all, you can't save in dungeons, which means you have to do the whole dungeon, including the boss, and the turning-around-and-leaving-the-way-you-came without dying a single time. It's very very annoying.
As for Ys V, there was also a PlayStation 2 version of this game too. It has similar overworld as the SNES Ys V, except they removed some areas such as the jungle and marsh entirely. And the city of Kefin itself was redesigned. The dungeon interiors are all new, and now are all extremely extremely bad. It's some of the worst RPG dungeon design I have ever seen, and makes the latter half of the game a huge chore.
Lacrimosa of Dana is the best one overall I think. Most people probably agree with this. Though I've just started Nordics today, so we'll see if it can hold a candle.
The EGG CONSOLE releases' main problem is the lack of English. Aside from that, they're not bad releases, but they also don't look as nice as the TurboGrafx-16 version.
Unfortunate the TurboGrafx-16 Ys Book I & II is not in this poll - it was released on Wii Virtual Console after all, so that should count as a Nintendo release, right?
The SNES version of Wanderers from Ys is kinda awful. Actually most versions of Wanderers from Ys aren't that great, but I found the SNES version particularly bad. If you're looking to play Ys III, I'd say just play Oath in Felghana instead. Unless you're really interested in watching the series evolve over time (like I was). Oath in Felghana has the same plot and setting as Wanderers, but in the form of a good game, rather than an incredibly mediocre one.
Speaking of the TurboGrafx-16 - if you enjoy Ys Book I & II, absolutely be sure to check out the fan translation of Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys! It's the best of the old-school bump-combat games for sure! And don't get it confused with Ys IV: Mask of the Sun, which is an entirely different game (and isn't all that great, especially in comparison to Dawn).
Just be aware that Dawn of Ys is incredibly non-canon. And ever since the release of Memories of Celceta, Mask of the Sun isn't canon any more either. This series has a complicated history, go figure.
I'd say the most underrated Ys game of all is the MS-DOS exclsuive "Ys II Special" which is so obscure it wasn't even released in Japan. It's Korea-exclusive, and unfortunately no fan translation exists yet. But it is such a huge expansive Ys game - it's not like the regular Ys II, it's so much bigger. And it manages to combine the traditional bump-combat with having an actual sword button at the same time, and it works great!
...Just be aware that Ys II Special is incredibly buggy, and a game-breaking, progress-blocking bug exists that can only be circumnavigated if you have found a very hidden item that lets you save and reload outside of towns (since saving and reloading at a specific point can prevent the crash, but if you don't have this item, you're out of luck).... eehhh, maybe I don't feel so great recommending Ys II Special since you have to jump through so many hoops to enjoy it, but I certainly had a great time with it personally, even if I couldn't read any of the text.
The worst Ys game of all time is the PlayStation 2 version of Ys V Lost Kefin Kingdom of Sand. The original SNES version of Ys V wasn't all that great to begin with, but the PS2 version takes the cake for its absolutely atrociously boring level design in the dungeons. It's endless copy+pasted room after room. ...
They really need to take the Ys V/Xandria/Kefin story and turn it into a proper new game one of these days, just like Oath did for Wanderers and Celceta did for Mask. ... Maybe it'll be the next Ys release?
If they want to steer the characters' personalities in a different direction as the series moves forwards, that's fine, but I'm less okay with them changing pre-established games like this. Especially when they're delisting the original version.
I don't know why they would need to do this. Was there any kind of explanation? Or is the mobile gaming landscape just too much of a garbage-filled wasteland that they didn't want to be involved in it any more...
Wow, the game was already a huge Castlevania homage, it's kind of weird to see the "knock-off" Belmont stand-ins appearing next to the actual Belmont characters in the same scene lol.
It's cool though, the game is good fun, and it's nice to see Konami collaborate with indie devs who are obviously huge fans of Castlevania
This was my first 3D platforming game as a child on my Windows computer. I loved it even if it probably wasn't all that great. The tank controls felt fine using a keyboard's arrow keys - at that point in my life I had never touched an analogue stick anyway, so I had no idea what conventional platformer controls were even "supposed" to be.
The bug that was unfixed is the "infinite potion bug" in Portrait of Ruin. For whatever reason there is a small section of the inventory menu that, when touched on the touchscreen, will highlight a potion, even if you don't have a potion. So you can use that to heal whenever you like.
Hey everyone. This is literally an example of the playerbase's voices being heard by the developers, affecting the inclusion of predatory business practices in games. Don't ever feel like it's hopeless to speak out!
the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, it's very very rare that someone decides to do a speedrun of a game that they haven't already fully explored before. They are not skipping content, they are actually creating new things to do in an otherwise already finished game.
Ahh, I love Zelda speedruns. I have been taking my time with the game (only done the first three dungeons so far) so I won't be watching them until I'm done, but I'm glad to see this game has the same Zelda speedrunning shenanigans we all know and love.
I remember the previous Zelda game of this style, Link's Awakening, had some cool tech where you could manipulate the orange foxes in Mabe Village to knock you on top of the trees. But now in Echoes of Wisdom, walking on top of the trees is a natural part of the game! So the crazy stuff can only escalate from there.
I've been playing Zelda of course. It's great. But I've also been playing UFO 50. It's also really great. The release dates of these two games are awkwardly conflicting, because I would love nothing more than to devote my undivided attention to Zelda, or to UFO 50, but now I'm kind of awkwardly swapping back and forth between them because I want to play both so badly lol.
Nice. I've wanted to play these for a while, but I haven't had access to them, the PS1 discs are kinda pricey secondhand. And annoyingly the Mega-CD versions contained in the Japanese Mega Drive Mini 2 are unfortunately Japanese only, despite other games in the MD Minis having all regional variants. They wanted to make extra sure I wasn't able to play it I guess.
I did play a tiny amount of Lunar Legend for GBA, but that version had buggy saving... the game doesn't save your inventory properly and I ended up losing a good armour. So I stopped playing cause I didn't want to deal with that lol. Glad that I'll be able to get a nice new version.
It's good we're getting a DLC-on-the-cart option. So many other games have physical editions where the DLC is still digital-only. It's a bit annoying when I already bought the original one though.
@Cipher36 Input delay might not be noticeable if you're not familiar with the games or don't have a comparison point. The input delay in the collection was so bad it made Sonic unplayable for me, but a few of the other games were more bearable since I don't have the same familiarity, even if the delay is the same. And for RPGs the delay was not a problem - so in the end, I primarily used this collection as a Phantasy Star IV launcher haha (seriously that game is so good, it's worth getting the collection just for it alone)
If you're interested, try booting up Sonic Origins or Sega Ages Sonic 2 and jumping around a bit, and then go back to the Mega Drive Classics collection version of Sonic and compare how it feels. Even if it's a fraction of a second difference, that difference is noticeable to Sonic fans and makes the fast-paced platforming significantly more annoying to play.
I'm still in my phase of playing through my huge RPG backlog (Suikoden V is next on my to-do list), however I don't want to start a new one just before Zelda comes out, 'cause any time a new Zelda comes out, that'll always be top priority.
For now, I decided to buy UFO 50 which was recently released on Steam. It's basically a modern take on the "Action 52" concept - a compilation of 50 completely original NES-style games, except it differs from Action 52 in that the games are actually good. It's a really cool package, especially for retro enthusiasts. Kind of just browsing through them at the moment, though one of them titled "Mooncat" really fascinated me with its completely unique control scheme and otherworldly aesthetic
Sonic Team really doesn't seem to have a good idea of how to respond to fan requests, do they? "we don't know what the future holds" ... ??? Guys, you're literally Sonic Team. The future of the Sonic series is whatever you want it to be.
It should be possible. There's no reason to claim it wouldn't be possible other than lacking creativity or imagination.
Also, what's wrong with making an entire Adventure 3 anyway? (other than the fact that Sonic 2006 was essentially an adventure 3 in all but name anyway)
I've not played this game since I don't have a PlayStation 5, but I really don't think it's a good idea to accuse developers of copycatting the popular games, especially when they put their own spin on it and make it fit well within the context of their own game, because then we get into a scenario where inspiration isn't allowed, and that's not a good place to be.
Weird that this is the only gameplay change, at least that I know of. How can the games be almost 100% identical to the DS versions, but then something as significant as a boss attack pattern is different? Is it a bug, or did they intentionally tweak just this one boss?
Comments 2,412
Re: Nintendo Left Sony "Standing At The Altar" With SNES Disk Add-On, Says Former PlayStation Exec
I don't see the problem with a Nintendo fan enjoying PS1 more than N64? This comment section is weird. Just because we're on a Nintendo focused site doesn't mean every user has to always side with Nintendo in every opportunity.
PS1 clearly had the larger variety of games than N64. It's not a matter of "brand loyalty" at this point, the two machines are very very different products. Like, if you were an RPG fan, you were just completely out of luck on N64, while PS1 was out there completely revolutionising the genre.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Library With Another Classic
I wonder if they will release the GBC and GBA versions of Donkey Kong Country next? Seems redundant, but we got both SM All-Stars and the Super Mario Advance series, so you never know.
Re: Bullet-Hell Shmup Refused Classification In The West Over 'Expression Restrictions'
@betterthanvegas
Yeah, it's not "hardcore", but if I'm gonna be posting a link to erotica on NLife I wanted to make sure it was clearly marked lol.
(also the artist does have a link to their explicit nsfw account on there too, so y'know)
Re: Bullet-Hell Shmup Refused Classification In The West Over 'Expression Restrictions'
@DDFawfulGuy
I don't know if it helps or hurts the point you were making, but I just wanted to bring attention to the twitter account of the game's artist, which features many erotic artworks of big boob characters drawn in the same cutesy art style.
(WARNING EXTREMELY NSFW TWITTER)
https://twitter.com/Skapon_g
As for the big boob characters in REDNEG ALLSTARS specifically, who can say if it was intended to just be a funny character design or not, but I just wanted to point out that the artist does in fact draw erotica in the same exact art style.
By the way, my stance on the matter is that it shouldn't be such a big deal to draw a character with big boobs. I don't think big boobs are always inherently sexual, it can just be used as a character design element in order to exaggerate someone's appearance for comical effect, characterisation, or any other reason. Even just to have some big boob characters for the sake of it, or for representation, or whatever, I think it's fine.
And I also don't think that a game should be "banned" just because one of the characters is very booby. I think there must be something else going on that hasn't been made clear.
Re: Bullet-Hell Shmup Refused Classification In The West Over 'Expression Restrictions'
It might be worth noting that this studio's previous two games "Like Dreamer" and "Cosmo Dreamer" are in the eShop, with a 12 and a 7 rating in the european eShop. And I'm pretty sure those games have big boobies in them as well.
So I'm leaning more towards it being the drug thing
Re: The Game Awards 2024 Players' Voice Nominees Have Been Revealed - Zelda, Sonic And More
My personal game of the year, UFO 50, is not in this list.
Of those games in the list, the only one I've actually played is Zelda (though I did play the original Sonic Generations when it was new in 2011)
When Zelda Echoes of Wisdom came out, it was kind of awkward because I was so invested into UFO 50, I just wanted to do nothing but play it - but as a Zelda fan, I needed to also play the new Zelda, of course! So I was sort of hopping between them both, I wanted to play both of them so badly...
Then when I finished Zelda, I immediately felt relieved because it meant I could go back to UFO 50 without distractions.
And now several months post release, Zelda has mostly left my mind and yet I'm still obsessing over UFO 50 even though I've beaten both of them haha.
Makes me feel kind of bad as a huge Zelda fan though. I feel like I'm not giving Echoes of Wisdom the adoration it deserves, but to be quite honest, it was a little bit underwhelming as Zelda games go. And UFO 50 is such a huge labour of love that deserves all the respect in the world for achieving what it managed to achieve.
So yeah. Sorry to Zelda but.... as far as my personal gaming world is concerned, there was a much more significant and much more interesting game release than Zelda this year.
...Oh and tbh i'm not all that interested in The Game Awards anyway, so whatevs.
Re: Video: 10 Exciting New Games Coming To Nintendo Switch In December 2024
Croc was my first 3d platformer ever. I loved it as a kid, but I am well aware it is not "good". I don't know if I want the remake because I'm not sure if I'll get much value from it.
I already have the majority of the game memorised in my head. Even the weird secrets like stomping three times on the floating platform in the very first screen of the first level to enter a bonus room with 1ups, or falling off the bottomless cliff near the cogs in one of the ice levels to find a bonus room. Or having the dang pattern of the incredibly annoying sheep challenge completely memorised. Aggh. I don't know if I need to play this remake lol, it's possible I've had enough Croc to last a lifetime.
On a similar note, Rollercoaster Tycoon was also a beloved childhood game of mine. But unlike Croc, this is a game that has infinite replayability, so it may be fun to get it on Switch for the sake of it, even though I still have the original CD ROM somewhere in the house and could easily get it running on my laptop right now if I felt so inclined.... I guess having it on Switch would be a fun novelty. But it's not a priority by any means.
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Donkey Kong Country Returns HD For Switch?
nah. Many years ago I got the 3DS version from CeX. and I never even played it.
For whatever reason I just never mustered up enough enthusiasm to give it a go.
Maybe if I see it around for cheap i'll grab it but there's absolutely no rush
Re: New Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Animation Short Is So Very, Very Boring
This short feels like something from an amateur who's learning stop motion and wants to pay tribute to their favourite Nintendo games as they practice animation techniques.
....it doesn't really feel like a marketing piece made by Nintendo.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Switch Update Removes "Restrictions For Sharing Features"
square have done this in other games. Live A Live restricted the capture button during the entire final chapter iirc. They patched it out shortly after.
But this FF7 rerelease has been on Switch for years. I wonder why it took so long to patch it out for this one, especially for one of the most well-known plot twists in gaming history, at that?
btw I think this practice is absurd. Any company trying to enforce any kind of "anti spoiler" policy is completely misunderstanding their audience. It's not just Square, I've seen Atlus try to enforce stupid anti-spoiler things too.
Re: Talking Point: What Would Be The Ideal Way To Play DS Games On 'Switch 2'?
the implementation of Dominus Collection is almost perfect. It's a little clumsy to make precise touchscreen inputs with the analogue stick, which is fine for this collection because it is rarely necessary in the game (and the magic seals that required precise inputs were reworked to use buttons anyway). It wouldn't work so well for Rhythm Heaven for example that requires a very specific flick action. For a game like that, it'd make more sense to remake it entirely rather than emulate. That's the tricky thing about DS touchscreen usage - it was so versatile, any modern ports are gonna have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Re: Opinion: Chrono Trigger Isn't The Only Great Time-Travel RPG On DS
Thankfully I bought Perfect Chronology from the eShop during the panic of its imminent closure, so I've got it for when I'll get around to it. Knowing my luck, by the time I actually get around to it, it'll get a switch port announced one day later or something.
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Top 5 Nintendo DS Games?
For me it's gotta be the three Castlevanias, and then Pokémon gen 5. But... Rhythm Heaven is also one of my favourite things to ever exist too.
I spent so much time on Mario Kart and Kirby too, back in the day. The DS was so good, I still haven't gone through my backlog of games I need to play.
Most recently I played Ghost Trick for the first time (On a proper DS, too, it wasn't a modern version). It was pretty good, and it made me want to play Hotel Dusk at some point too. There's still life in the machine yet!
Re: New Limited-Time Pokémon Scarlet And Violet Distribution Is Now Available
...wow I was almost gonna boot up Pokémon again until I saw what it was.
Re: Dragon Quest 3 Remake Producer Would "Love" To See Final Fantasy 6 HD-2D
How many remakes does one game need? Pixel Remaster doesn't even have the GBA content, so it's not even definitive. Did they purposefully impair the Pixel Remaster version so that they could make a HD-2D definitive version later, or what? is that why they're talking about another remake so soon after we just got one?
Hey I have an idea. they won't do it, but... What if they just made Final Fantasy 17 a HD-2D pixel art game? Just straight up do the next mainline FF game in this style. Would be more interesting than yet another extremely high budget hack n slash after FF16 and FF7R , right?
Re: Castlevania Tribute Starring Classic Dracula Actor Launches Today On Switch
I've played a few "Castlevania inspired" eShop games (Toziuha Night, Touhou Luna Nights, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, Koumajou Remilia Scarlet Symphony, Gal Guardians) and while they're not bad, none of them have been able to hold a candelabra to any of the actual Castlevania games. I don't tend to have high hopes for them any more.
Re: Feature: Nintendo's Long-Lost Advent Calendar Game Comes Home For Christmas On Switch
It definitely looks like a Flash platformer. Good thing I used to love playing stuff like this on Flash sites back in the day.
I'll check it out.
Re: Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered Switch eShop Pre-Orders Now Available
I tried to play the first Soul Reaver once, but I just got lost wandering around and kinda lost interest. I'm sure it's a great game though, just one that demanded more patience from me than I was able to provide at the time I tried it.
...For whatever reason it didn't stand out to me, though I do know the game has a lot of fans, so maybe I should give it another chance.
Re: Sega Delisting 'Mega Drive Classics' On Switch eShop This December
@Teksetter
Unfortunately, the original soundtrack has been replaced for Crazy Taxi. There is however a steam guide to download a "Crazy Taxi Overhaul" mod that restores it https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=964260789
Re: Sega Delisting 'Mega Drive Classics' On Switch eShop This December
Hey, make sure to buy the Dreamcast collection on Steam before it's gone too! It's also going away. So annoying Sega.
Re: Random: Rapper Doja Cat Debuts 'Bouncy' Conker-Inspired Halloween Costume
When you think of 18+ N64 games, Conker is the one to come to mind immediately, but for some reason the most recent N64 NSO update didn't add it. We got Shadow Man instead, which is a game I've been interested in trying. (but I decided to buy "Shadow Man Remastered" from GOG, so I still don't need to subscribe to the expansion tier just yet!)
... Maybe it's because it's too soon after Banjo Tooie was released, so they're saving Conker for later. But I have absolutely no doubt that it will come to the 18+ app sooner or later. It's the mature N64 game lol.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Ys Game? Rate Your Favourites For Our Upcoming Ranking
@Drake
Just for completeness's sake, did you play Ys vs Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga for PSP? I played through story mode once just to check out its unique final boss, which is actually a dragon called Galsis from Xanadu, and isn't even from Ys or Trails. But the game itself is one of those fighters where you have to level-grind your characters individually, and there's no way in heck I'm putting that kind of time into it. I didn't even feel like unlocking all the unlockable fighters lol.
Also, during my personal quest to play every Ys game, I did decide to skip over Ys Strategy. The tutorial mission bored me to death. Maybe one day I'll find the willpower to actually figure this one out, but the prospect of playing more of it did not fill me with excitement at all.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Ys Game? Rate Your Favourites For Our Upcoming Ranking
@Tyranexx
Oh yes, of course, I appreciate that you don't want to overwhelm someone asking a question with the entire (and likely mostly irrelevant) history of the series. I guess I was just being pedantic and looking for reasons to share my Ys knowledge.
Glad you appreciated some of the info though.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (26th October)
For me, 2023 was the year I played every Ys game, and 2024 is the year I've been playing every Suikoden game. ...but now that Ys X Nordics has released, I've put Suikoden on hold in favour of the new Ys! So that'll be my gaming plan for the next while.
Also been playing a ton of UFO 50. I've been trying to get every cherry, and I'm getting pretty close now! Next I have to master the ridiculous controls of Onion Delivery... it's painful, but fun at the same time somehow.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Ys Game? Rate Your Favourites For Our Upcoming Ranking
@Tyranexx
As for Ys VI, there are multiple version of this too - the Konami versions for PS2 and PSP have some differences to the main PC release. PS2 has voice acting and uses 3D models for characters rather than sprites, and includes a brand new challenge dungeon not in any other versions. PSP version replaces the challenge dungeon with extremely tedious minigames instead, but also includes an in-game bestiary which is not in any other version. And while the original PC CD-ROM release didn't have it, the most modern Steam version of Ys VI is the only one to include fast-travel.
Ys Origin does have some minor differences between versions too - most notably consoles like Switch need to play through both Yunica and Hugo to unlock Toal's story, while Steam version only needs to play through one of them. But aside from this, there aren't many differences.
Then Lacrimosa of Dana has some differences between versions too - most notably the original PS Vita release did not include some features that were made for later versions, including the entire solo Dana dungeon, the Underground Sanctuary! This is a case where the modern versions are strictly better than the original as far as I know.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Ys Game? Rate Your Favourites For Our Upcoming Ranking
@Tyranexx
III and IV are the "only" ones with multiple versions??
There are way more Ys games with multiple versions than that.
Most notably., Ys I & II have like a billion versions. Most notably are the "modern" remakes, the Eternal / Complete / Chronicles versions which revamped the games, notably adding the port town Barbado to Ys 1, redesigning the overworld, and adding the gift items to Ys II among many other additions and changes.
But aside from this, all the various console ports of Ys I and II have major differences between them. the Famicon Ys 1 had many differences in the overworld, including a new quest to get into the Mines, the X68000 Ys 1 had an expanded Minea town and a very truncated overworld, and the DS Legacy of Ys version added an entirely new location to traverse, the "Vageux-Vardette".
The TG-16 Ys Book I & II also changed some story elements, including Adol safely arriving on the boat instead of arriving shipwrecked, as well as the fate of Sara the fortune-teller.
Not to mention the MS-DOS Ys II Special which claims to be Ys II but is in fact a completely original game.
It's definitely not like a Legend of Zelda situation where there is only one version of Zelda I and only one version of Zelda II, despite having so many GBA ports, GameCube ports etc - they are all the "same" game inside. But Ys I & II very often have different content with each release.
Wanderers from Ys and Oath in Felghana as you say are the two "Ys III" versions, that is as you say.
As for Ys IV, of course there's Dawn, Mask and Celceta as you mentioned, but there's actually another version called Ys IV: Mask of the Sun - A New Theory for PlayStation 2.
I played through A New Theory, and it was completely different from the SNES Mask of the Sun. The overworld layout was redesigned (and better than SNES, that's for sure), all the bosses, dungeons, story progression was different, the combat and magic system was different.
It was a better-balanced game than the SNES one, but it had its own brand new problems that make it a very mediocre game in its own way. The magic system is convoluted and largely useless, the backtracking is extreme and tedious (and the majority of mandatory backtracking is required before getting fast-travel), and most annoyingly of all, you can't save in dungeons, which means you have to do the whole dungeon, including the boss, and the turning-around-and-leaving-the-way-you-came without dying a single time. It's very very annoying.
As for Ys V, there was also a PlayStation 2 version of this game too. It has similar overworld as the SNES Ys V, except they removed some areas such as the jungle and marsh entirely. And the city of Kefin itself was redesigned. The dungeon interiors are all new, and now are all extremely extremely bad. It's some of the worst RPG dungeon design I have ever seen, and makes the latter half of the game a huge chore.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Ys Game? Rate Your Favourites For Our Upcoming Ranking
Lacrimosa of Dana is the best one overall I think. Most people probably agree with this. Though I've just started Nordics today, so we'll see if it can hold a candle.
The EGG CONSOLE releases' main problem is the lack of English. Aside from that, they're not bad releases, but they also don't look as nice as the TurboGrafx-16 version.
Unfortunate the TurboGrafx-16 Ys Book I & II is not in this poll - it was released on Wii Virtual Console after all, so that should count as a Nintendo release, right?
The SNES version of Wanderers from Ys is kinda awful. Actually most versions of Wanderers from Ys aren't that great, but I found the SNES version particularly bad. If you're looking to play Ys III, I'd say just play Oath in Felghana instead. Unless you're really interested in watching the series evolve over time (like I was). Oath in Felghana has the same plot and setting as Wanderers, but in the form of a good game, rather than an incredibly mediocre one.
Speaking of the TurboGrafx-16 - if you enjoy Ys Book I & II, absolutely be sure to check out the fan translation of Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys! It's the best of the old-school bump-combat games for sure! And don't get it confused with Ys IV: Mask of the Sun, which is an entirely different game (and isn't all that great, especially in comparison to Dawn).
Just be aware that Dawn of Ys is incredibly non-canon. And ever since the release of Memories of Celceta, Mask of the Sun isn't canon any more either. This series has a complicated history, go figure.
I'd say the most underrated Ys game of all is the MS-DOS exclsuive "Ys II Special" which is so obscure it wasn't even released in Japan. It's Korea-exclusive, and unfortunately no fan translation exists yet. But it is such a huge expansive Ys game - it's not like the regular Ys II, it's so much bigger. And it manages to combine the traditional bump-combat with having an actual sword button at the same time, and it works great!
...Just be aware that Ys II Special is incredibly buggy, and a game-breaking, progress-blocking bug exists that can only be circumnavigated if you have found a very hidden item that lets you save and reload outside of towns (since saving and reloading at a specific point can prevent the crash, but if you don't have this item, you're out of luck).... eehhh, maybe I don't feel so great recommending Ys II Special since you have to jump through so many hoops to enjoy it, but I certainly had a great time with it personally, even if I couldn't read any of the text.
The worst Ys game of all time is the PlayStation 2 version of Ys V Lost Kefin Kingdom of Sand. The original SNES version of Ys V wasn't all that great to begin with, but the PS2 version takes the cake for its absolutely atrociously boring level design in the dungeons. It's endless copy+pasted room after room. ...
They really need to take the Ys V/Xandria/Kefin story and turn it into a proper new game one of these days, just like Oath did for Wanderers and Celceta did for Mask. ... Maybe it'll be the next Ys release?
Re: Some Fans Aren't Happy About Sonic X Shadow Generations' Changes To The Original
If they want to steer the characters' personalities in a different direction as the series moves forwards, that's fine, but I'm less okay with them changing pre-established games like this. Especially when they're delisting the original version.
Re: HAL Laboratory's Lovely Physics Puzzler 'Part Time UFO' Has Been Delisted On Mobile
I don't know why they would need to do this. Was there any kind of explanation? Or is the mobile gaming landscape just too much of a garbage-filled wasteland that they didn't want to be involved in it any more...
Re: Upcoming Vampire Survivors DLC Is An Epic Ode To Castlevania
Wow, the game was already a huge Castlevania homage, it's kind of weird to see the "knock-off" Belmont stand-ins appearing next to the actual Belmont characters in the same scene lol.
It's cool though, the game is good fun, and it's nice to see Konami collaborate with indie devs who are obviously huge fans of Castlevania
Re: 'Croc' Comparison Video Shows A Solid Yet Familiar Graphical Evolution
This was my first 3D platforming game as a child on my Windows computer.
I loved it even if it probably wasn't all that great. The tank controls felt fine using a keyboard's arrow keys - at that point in my life I had never touched an analogue stick anyway, so I had no idea what conventional platformer controls were even "supposed" to be.
Re: Castlevania Dominus Collection Lands New Update, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
The bug that was unfixed is the "infinite potion bug" in Portrait of Ruin. For whatever reason there is a small section of the inventory menu that, when touched on the touchscreen, will highlight a potion, even if you don't have a potion. So you can use that to heal whenever you like.
Re: Review: Ys X: Nordics (Switch) - Another Great Entry, Though We're Not Sold On The Sailing
Been looking forward to Ys X ever since I binged the whole Ys series last year.
Re: Sonic Rumble Mobile Game Won't Use Gacha As "Such Mechanics Tend To Be Shunned Overseas"
Hey everyone. This is literally an example of the playerbase's voices being heard by the developers, affecting the inclusion of predatory business practices in games. Don't ever feel like it's hopeless to speak out!
Re: Fear Not, Sonic Team Plans To Support Last-Gen Consoles For A While
Makes sense. Don't forget, Sonic Unleashed was released on the PlayStation 2 after all.
Re: Zelda Speedrunners Are Already Beating Echoes Of Wisdom In Under An Hour
@Serpenterror
the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, it's very very rare that someone decides to do a speedrun of a game that they haven't already fully explored before. They are not skipping content, they are actually creating new things to do in an otherwise already finished game.
Re: Zelda Speedrunners Are Already Beating Echoes Of Wisdom In Under An Hour
Ahh, I love Zelda speedruns. I have been taking my time with the game (only done the first three dungeons so far) so I won't be watching them until I'm done, but I'm glad to see this game has the same Zelda speedrunning shenanigans we all know and love.
I remember the previous Zelda game of this style, Link's Awakening, had some cool tech where you could manipulate the orange foxes in Mabe Village to knock you on top of the trees. But now in Echoes of Wisdom, walking on top of the trees is a natural part of the game! So the crazy stuff can only escalate from there.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (28th September)
I've been playing Zelda of course. It's great. But I've also been playing UFO 50. It's also really great. The release dates of these two games are awkwardly conflicting, because I would love nothing more than to devote my undivided attention to Zelda, or to UFO 50, but now I'm kind of awkwardly swapping back and forth between them because I want to play both so badly lol.
Re: Lunar Remastered Collection Revives Beloved '90s JRPG Series On Switch In Spring 2025
Nice. I've wanted to play these for a while, but I haven't had access to them, the PS1 discs are kinda pricey secondhand. And annoyingly the Mega-CD versions contained in the Japanese Mega Drive Mini 2 are unfortunately Japanese only, despite other games in the MD Minis having all regional variants. They wanted to make extra sure I wasn't able to play it I guess.
I did play a tiny amount of Lunar Legend for GBA, but that version had buggy saving... the game doesn't save your inventory properly and I ended up losing a good armour. So I stopped playing cause I didn't want to deal with that lol. Glad that I'll be able to get a nice new version.
Re: Atari 50 DLC Adds 19 Games And Launches Later This Week
It's good we're getting a DLC-on-the-cart option. So many other games have physical editions where the DLC is still digital-only. It's a bit annoying when I already bought the original one though.
Re: Best Nintendo Switch Collections And Compilation Games
@Cipher36
Input delay might not be noticeable if you're not familiar with the games or don't have a comparison point. The input delay in the collection was so bad it made Sonic unplayable for me, but a few of the other games were more bearable since I don't have the same familiarity, even if the delay is the same. And for RPGs the delay was not a problem - so in the end, I primarily used this collection as a Phantasy Star IV launcher haha (seriously that game is so good, it's worth getting the collection just for it alone)
If you're interested, try booting up Sonic Origins or Sega Ages Sonic 2 and jumping around a bit, and then go back to the Mega Drive Classics collection version of Sonic and compare how it feels. Even if it's a fraction of a second difference, that difference is noticeable to Sonic fans and makes the fast-paced platforming significantly more annoying to play.
Re: Best Nintendo Switch Collections And Compilation Games
@HammerGalladeBro
Just started the series, and already asking for a Symphony port? You're acting like a true Castlevania fan already!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (21st September)
I'm still in my phase of playing through my huge RPG backlog (Suikoden V is next on my to-do list), however I don't want to start a new one just before Zelda comes out, 'cause any time a new Zelda comes out, that'll always be top priority.
For now, I decided to buy UFO 50 which was recently released on Steam. It's basically a modern take on the "Action 52" concept - a compilation of 50 completely original NES-style games, except it differs from Action 52 in that the games are actually good. It's a really cool package, especially for retro enthusiasts.
Kind of just browsing through them at the moment, though one of them titled "Mooncat" really fascinated me with its completely unique control scheme and otherworldly aesthetic
Re: Analyst Is Certain Nintendo Will Win Its Lawsuit Against Palworld Developer
I hate that Nintendo patents gameplay mechanics to be honest. It's such a dangerous grey area to set legal precedents in.
Re: Sonic Team Would "Love" To Remaster The Advance Series, Says Takashi Iizuka
@dudujencarelli
All Sonic Advance games have a level select screen. Sonic Advance 1 has a menu, Advance 2 has a world map, and Advance 3 has mini hub levels.
Re: Sonic Team Would "Love" To Remaster The Advance Series, Says Takashi Iizuka
Sonic Team really doesn't seem to have a good idea of how to respond to fan requests, do they?
"we don't know what the future holds" ... ???
Guys, you're literally Sonic Team. The future of the Sonic series is whatever you want it to be.
Re: Sonic Fans, Don't Get Your Hopes Up For A Standalone Chao Garden Game
It should be possible. There's no reason to claim it wouldn't be possible other than lacking creativity or imagination.
Also, what's wrong with making an entire Adventure 3 anyway? (other than the fact that Sonic 2006 was essentially an adventure 3 in all but name anyway)
Re: Does Astro Bot's Super Mario 'Inspiration' Cross A Line? Fans Seem Divided
I've not played this game since I don't have a PlayStation 5, but I really don't think it's a good idea to accuse developers of copycatting the popular games, especially when they put their own spin on it and make it fit well within the context of their own game, because then we get into a scenario where inspiration isn't allowed, and that's not a good place to be.
Re: Random: It Looks Like Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow's 'Julius Mode' Is Even Harder On Switch
Weird that this is the only gameplay change, at least that I know of. How can the games be almost 100% identical to the DS versions, but then something as significant as a boss attack pattern is different? Is it a bug, or did they intentionally tweak just this one boss?
Re: The Legend Of Zelda '80s Cartoon Series Gets DVD Re-Release
...I already have a DVD of this. I don't really keep track of different DVD releases, so I'm not sure what this new announcement really means.
I even watched it a year or so ago. I felt like I owed it to myself as a Zelda fan to actually see this cartoon.
...It was bad.
I did kind of like Spryte the fairy though.