FionnTheBrave

Well, given the source content, I don't know that it's contextually correct to say the "endless barrage" of proper nouns and titles is completely unnecessary......y'know, since it is based on Japanese myths and legends.

@NintendoFan4Lyf Exactly, and thank you for being the first one to step up for @Anti-Matter. I didn't quite understand the logic behind so many people getting their knickers in a twist (to coin a phrase) over someone's opinion. Suggests other issues on their part, really. But anyhow. Along with the villain fanfare, it seems like yesterday's Direct got a fair bit of Luigi focus too, since the sound test clip showing the girl using the Switch as an MP3 player featured Luigi's Mansion music too. Coincidence? Probably. But I hope not, lol

No Prime Day for me, unless Ys VIII goes on sale, which isn't likely since it's new. Hopefully everyone else can snag some good deals, though!

@tseliot Since you don't know everyone involved individually, you can't make sweeping generalizations like that and expect to be taken seriously. I'm sure it may apply to some workers, but there are so many other factors that have to be taken into consideration when understanding why people do what they do and work where they do (since jobs aren't always as easy to come by as some may believe). Or maybe I'm just delusional, what with being overcome by the smell of troll-posting and all.

@SwitchVogel Thanks!

@SwitchVogel Thanks for the review! Was definitely waiting for one to decide whether it was worth the purchase, and this one covers everything really well. I did have one question, though. If an RPG doesn't have a spectacular story or really intriguing gameplay elements, a good challenge often makes up for those shortcomings. How difficult would you say the game and combat are overall, apart from the overpowered elements you mentioned? It wasn't the most engaging in the demo, but it sounds like at the very least there's more variety as the game progresses.

@Tempestryke I'm one of those in a rural area like you mentioned, and yeah, stock is random and often limited, unless I have the time to drive 40 minutes to the nearest game store (or if I'm inclined to pay for GameStop's shipping and maybe be lucky enough to get it two weeks after the fact). Pre-ordering physical copies with the hope of them arriving on or fairly near launch date is definitely the better option for me.

Thanks for the guide! Definitely bookmarking the page

Woo! Definitely picking that one up. Really enjoyed the ones on the 3DS eShop.

@Sanquine I would also recommend Tropical Freeze! As for Xenoblade, if you really can't stand auto attacks, you probably won't enjoy it since those are what charge your arts, and for a little while in the game, you don't have the ability to start a battle with an art or arts charged already. If it's not a huge hatred, and you can deal with it for a time, it's worth looking into. But if not, and you're looking to get more than one game, I'd say Ys VIII would be a great complement to Donkey Kong

I got Earthbound in the E3 sale and plan on digging further into it when I can, plus some Hollow Knight and Trails in the Sky the 3rd. Maybe Pokemon Black as well, depending on what's going on.

@finalstan Completely agree. I did the same thing with reading fantasy books after my parents divorced (and games, to a lesser extent) so like other people have said, it's easy to replace "gaming" with anything else and claim it's an addiction. And like pretty much everything else, it just depends on the individual and context.

I wanted to just wait and experience the game fresh when it comes out but after the demonstration yesterday, it's too tempting...

Well, when your main showing is a Smash equivalent of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (complete with DK's bugged-out eyes), and you barely give any attention to games that might spark interest, like FE: Three Houses and The World Ends with You, not to mention the Demon X Machina thing, it's hardly surprising. Plus the presentation in general was lacking--bored presenters with no enthusiasm, and really, Let's Go looks charming, but definitely doesn't need 50 minutes of demonstration. As far as the other factors, Nintendo failed on its promise of a major title every month and apparently has no decent first party software until Super Mario Party--which is fun, but not a must-have. Labo was a disaster from the first reveal, and the only thing that could have saved it was some incentive to actually make people want to continue messing around with it, so that's no surprise either.

As far as my own enjoyment, there certainly is plenty of content on the Switch between now and August. Not so much afterwards, but who has time to clear out that kind of backlog anyway in such a short span of time? Still, some reason to continue being excited about the Switch into next year would have been nice, and I'm glad I still have a 3DS and Vita backlog to deal with too.

That would be tremendously helpful in re-orienting a misfired Stasis object too!

Awesome!

I'm finally nearing the end of Trails in the Sky--and what a fantastic journey it's been!--so that's my main gaming priority this weekend. But, I'll also be trying to get un-lost in Super Metroid, after confusing myself post-Kraid, might dive back into the first Ni No Kuni today, since I have the day off, and hope to get to the famous opera scene in FFVI sometime as well.

I can't believe this review. You give love a bad name...
Only kidding, of course (though that song will be in my head all day now). Great review! Very well-balanced and considered. I might still pick it up anyway, just because it does evoke that sense of nostalgia. Plus the challenge is always welcome.

@Drussa Cool, I hope you enjoy it! I'm sure you've already read this elsewhere, but make sure to set aside some patience for the early parts of the story, since it does take a bit to get going as well--lots of cutscenes and generally slow to reveal significant plot points. But, it's worth it as well (at least I think so).

@Drussa Where FF and DQ are turn based--well, turn based-ish for later FFs--XC2 is action oriented, more like Tales of games. The effectiveness of moves depends on where you're positioned during battle, and you only directly control one party member, but the AI, in my experience, is pretty good. Your standard attack is an auto attack, which fills up your Arts gauges (but you unlock the option later to start the battle with certain Arts already charged) and then the more Arts you use, the more your special attack gets charged. Each Blade type--Axe, hammer, katana, bit ball and so on--has its own set of Arts, and after a little bit into the game, you can have three Blades to swap between during combat. So at the risk of sounding like a promoter, you have a ton of combat options open to you at any given time. It seems a bit overwhelming at first, and takes a little while to fully get going, since you're bombarded with information about combos, elements, and orb breaks, among other things, but the more you work with it, the easier it becomes to master--and a little help from the Internet never hurt. I've had a blast with it, even more so than the first XC. So the short version is if you're open to action based combat that still requires strategy, I think you'd love it.

I'm nearing the end of Chapter 7 in XC2 and plan on going a bit further and filling out some more affinity charts once a certain Blade rejoins the party, but I'll probably also spend some time with Final Fantasy Tactics and Trails in the Sky. Might dive back into Dragon Quest VIII again as well. I was a bit late to that party on the 3DS and am only just now at Maella Abbey.

@Chayshirin If you're looking for a bargain after just paying for the system itself, you can't go wrong with the Nintendo Selects series: Ocarina of Time 3D (especially since you probably missed out on it the first go around) and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in particular, but Donkey Kong Country Returns is definitely worthwhile as well. If you don't mind spending a bit more and like RPGs or strategy games, Fire Emblem Awakening and Bravely Default are two absolute gems. Hope you enjoy your new system!

I've played Pokemon from the beginning--well, the beginning in the US--and never even encountered a Shiny, so I think I'd manage to live without Ultra Shinies too. Hopefully, as others have said, this isn't just a new gimmick. New battle mechanics or re-using previously underused ones would be nice, like actually making rotation battles or sky battles an integral part of the game

@Varkster True, but I still don't see why they can't just let it pass. Like I said originally, and as you pointed out, the Switch doesn't need this game, so it wouldn't hurt to quietly deny it. If it brings a lot of revenue, it's because of his following, not the game's merit, which is its own problem because that's Nintendo--and others--trying to profit off of toxicity. Which is what I said to begin with. Yes, I know they aren't the only ones, etc etc, there's no way to manage business partners and so on. But still.

@Paraka Um, no. It was meant as a rhetorical device, and apparently didn't work for you. And there is a substantial difference between people playing their games and potentially being connected to Nintendo and choosing to create a partnership with a problematic company. I don't think we're arguing on the same page here...so yeah.

@Paraka Yes, in so far as their curating allows a too-well-known anti-Semite to market his game on their platform. Seems pretty self-explanatory to me. Fire Allison Rapp for her stance on child sex that basically no one knew about outside the company, yet welcome Jew haters. I didn't say they should make statements about him or whatever, just that being a bit more discerning wouldn't hurt. Hopefully that helps clarify what I meant.

@Varkster My statement means I'm disappointed that they agreed to host the game? Not sure why it's so difficult to understand. Games get denied all the time.

I think it's complete garbage. Is the Switch really so desperate that Nintendo has to resort to either baiting to get attention for it or relying on pseudo-celebrities? No, not hardly. I think the time and attention given this game would be better spent on some of those devs who try and fail to get Nintendo's attention. Seriously disappointed in the company, as well as Sony and Microsoft.

@Piritiup Except when it isn't a genuine mistake and is just a manifestation of that person's actual views. There is no evidence suggesting he accidentally arranged the anti-Semitic video in question, all the while innocently thinking it was just in good fun. Only a complete fool would go through that and not realize it was a problem, and even then, such a person should definitely not have the kind of widespread influence and following Kjellberg has.

Sounds like a good and fair review to me. The game's good, but not as good as it could be--hence the rating assigned--which is pretty much how it looks to me in the videos I've seen too. For what it's worth, well done Mr Doolan !

@MetalKingShield
I agree! One of my dogs has seizures, and the vets recommended low to no wireless activity, so it's great to know I can use the Switch in handheld mode with no worries.

Thank you for including that detail Mr. McFerran!