Comments 487

Re: Talking Point: As Switch Hardware Sales Slow, How Long Can Nintendo Delay 'Switch 2'?

Grail_Quest

7.5 year cycle is not unreasonable for a successfully selling system. Console cycles were traditionally 5 years when it took 2-3 years to make a game. Today, games can take 5+ years to develop, so a 5 year console life cycle is no longer viable. New Nintendo hardware in 2025. It will not be as successful as the Switch (calling it now) and we will see their subsequent system in 2030 after a truncated 5-6 year cycle (a la Wii U).

Re: Nintendo Confirms 10-For-1 Stock Split To Boost Share 'Liquidity' And Investor Base

Grail_Quest

If you are thinking about investing in Nintendo, I'd say... wait. Nintendo stock has followed a pretty rigid generational cycle that is influenced by their console performance.

Their consoles fall into two categories. Revolutionary (disruptive) and Evolutionary (iterative). Start from the beginning:

NES: Revolutionary (Resurrects home console industry. Sparks a phenomenon.)
SNES: Evolutionary (Builds/rides on NES success with enhanced graphics and sound.)

N64: Revolutionary (Ushers in 3D era. Implements joystick control.)
GameCube: Evolutionary (Builds on 3D tech with enhanced graphics and sound.)

Wii: Revolutionary (Introduces motion control.)
Wii U: Evolutionary (Attempts to build/ride on success of Wii, adding asymmetric gameplay while retaining motion control capability. Enhanced graphics and sound.)

Switch: Revolutionary (Combines home and portable ecosystem for continuous gameplay, eliminating traditional separation of game types.)
Next System: ?

If history serves, we are due for an evolution/enhancement of the Switch concept.

Each time Nintendo innovates, thereby disrupting the market, their stock skyrockets. Their lowest ebbs have come during the thick of their iterative eras. With stocks you want to buy low (and build a profit as they rise), and sell high. Nintendo is currently peaking. There is a chance that potential success of the upcoming Mario film and Universal Park tie-ins will cause their stock to increase further. But the better tactic would be to wait until their stock dips back down towards the middle of their next console generation, then watch it escalate when they enter 'Revorution' mode again.

But please understand... I am not a financial advisor. Talk to an expert before investing!

Re: Negative Fan Reaction To 'Return To Monkey Island' Made Its Creator 'Sad'

Grail_Quest

I'm one of those hardcore Monkey Island fans. Been with the series since the first game, which I was introduced to on the Sega CD. The series has remained steadfastly in my top 5 most beloved franchises since then. I've played and beat every one. I am overjoyed that MI is getting a new game. In fact, along with the fact that Ken and Roberta Williams are funding and developing a new game, it ranks as the happiest gaming announcement for me in years. I can't wait to buy and play it, and I hope some company makes a physical copy so I'll have reason to chip in twice.

However, I don't like the new art style. It's not about not wanting Ron Gilbert to make the game he wants. It's not about wanting it to stay in pixel form. It's not about being afraid of change, as so many armchair pundits on here have alleged. (I feel like MI reached it's art design peak with Curse, which was a huge, but beautiful, departure from what had come before.) Sometimes, you just don't like something. It doesn't resonate with you. That's ok. You don't have to pretend to like something just to show support. You don't have to like every aspect of something to love it anyway and be happy it exists.

In the case of this new game, the artwork shown so far looks kind of cheap and ugly to me. I know that can be a harsh statement. I'm sure there are artists who worked agonizingly hard on it, are attached to their work and hearing that (from hundreds or thousands of fans) probably makes someone, somewhere feel bad. Alot of people obviously share my take on the art, or else Ron would not have felt the need to respond. However, as these comments show, alot of people obviously like it. Not everyone is going to agree and that's alright. For some, it may be enough to convince them not to purchase the game.

In my opinion, Ron Gilbert, Tim Schaefer and Dave Grossman are videogame legends. I'm sure they'll put out an amazing product. I can't wait to play it. But I still might dislike the artstyle throughout. We shall see.

Re: Nintendo Download: 5th May (North America)

Grail_Quest

Eiyuden and Prinny Vol. 2 for me. I'm still in disbelief that the soul of Suikoden lives on and it's heading our way soon, with Rising being our first glimpse of that world. Konami made a mistake not supporting that endeavor. Also some classic PS2 RPG's in Prinny. Great week for games!

Re: Disney Dreamlight Valley Is A Free-To-Play Life-Sim That's Coming To Switch In 2023

Grail_Quest

@samuelvictor I agree with you on the VGA graphics. Some people really love (and prefer) EGA, but I remember the jump in color richness and lush, detailed backgrounds made possible by VGA and SVGA and was blown away at the time with the worlds that game creators could craft with that added power. King's Quest 6 is probably tied for my favorite all time game, and the environments there were just beautiful!

Re: Disney Dreamlight Valley Is A Free-To-Play Life-Sim That's Coming To Switch In 2023

Grail_Quest

@Daggot I did play that BC game! Albeit, through emulation, many years after release. In '85 when the game launched, I don't think we had a computer in the house yet, and I was probably too young to be aware that the game existed. Ironically, about 5 years later, we DID get a family PC and got REALLY into the King's Quest games, which was the flagship series for Sierra, who also had developed BC. King's Quest would become my favorite game franchise of all time (still is) and Sierra, my most beloved game developer. Black Cauldron, the game, represents a neat moment where two of my favorite things connected to each other, before I was even a fan of either one. I really need to get a boxed copy.

Re: Disney Dreamlight Valley Is A Free-To-Play Life-Sim That's Coming To Switch In 2023

Grail_Quest

@samuelvictor Wow! Did not know that about the Welsh festival in Disney Paris. You're right, that would be the PERFECT time to celebrate Cauldron, what with it's ties to welsh mythology and the Mabinogion. I wish I could have visited Disney Tokyo when they had the Black Cauldron ride.

I've seen some of the pins you mentioned. They are awesome. I've only been able to find a Dallben one via pin trading at the parks. I DO have some merch, like the three plush (Gurgi, Doli, and Hen Wen), the Gurgi Happy Meal toy, a copy of the VHS release and two art commissions of Taran and the Horned King from Disney MGM Studios. I need to get the Funko Pop releases. There is also this really cool Fantasmic light up globe featuring a bunch of the Disney villains, with the Cauldron in the center. They sold it in the parks for a while. Sadly, it's easy to collect for BC as there isn't alot out there. Lol. Very cool to find a fellow fan on here!

Re: Review: Prince of Persia (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)

Grail_Quest

Easily the greatest version of this amazing game. When we finally bought an SNES, this was the game that came home with it. I could not have been happier with our choice. What an incredible adventure to launch our Super Nintendo journey! Action, adventure, romance, fantasy, danger! The level design was ingeniously crafted to subtly convey a sense of progress and achievement as you progress. Starting off as a ragged prisoner and having to find a weapon was brilliant! The palace becomes more opulent the higher you travel and closer to your goal you become. Starting off in dank, stone dungeons and slowly evolving to beautiful and ornate corridors and audience chambers until you are navigating parapet bridges and tower ledges in the sky. All of this soaked in the rich color pallette of the SNES. Gorgeous sunsets and lush starry night skies glimmering through spacious windows provide a glimpse of a world beyond the walls of the palace and heighten your desire to find the princess and escape together. The music is absolutely perfect as well. Wondrous, mysterious and enchanting. Each piece exquisite as it creates the atmosphere of a classic adventure film of yesteryear. I'd say the atmosphere is even better than what is possible in film, reaching heights only possible through the interactive immersion of video games. The gameplay is addictive. Every worked out puzzle results in satisfaction, and the controls become especially fun once you have mastered their timing and are sprinting and soaring across chasms without thinking about it. I LOVE this game, and consider it a masterwork example of how to build a game. The absolute genius of the Konami contracted developers, layered on top of the genius of Jordan Mechner!

Re: Feature: How Limited Run's New Engine Respects The Legacy Of Classic Games

Grail_Quest

I like LRG. They offer a product that I love. Physical versions of often obscure or beloved games. They are expensive (more so on the after market) and they take FOREVER to ship, but their stuff is premium, always works great and is super high quality. I'll keep buying from them selectively when they offer games or franchises I care about. I'm waiting on the deluxe Castlevania Anniversary collection to ship. Wish I had ordered the Monkey Island collection.

Re: Talking Point: Is It Ever A Good Idea To Start At 'The Beginning' Of Series Like Zelda Or Dragon Quest?

Grail_Quest

I'll put this here for anyone just starting a Final Fantasy journey. Play in this order:

1) Mystic Quest
2) FF4
3) FF6
4) FF7
5) FF8
6) FF9

That's it! No need to go earlier or later. With that you will have had your introduction to the JRPG (with an incredible soundtrack) in MQ, moved on to inspired storytelling with great character design in 4, then on to the pinnacle of the 2D JRPG art form in 6, witnessed the evolution of the series into 3D with 7, which will lay foundation for understanding how concepts evolve in FF8 (and the best love story in the franchise) and wrapped it all up with a fine celebration of the series in 9.

Around that core, everything plateaus (or falls off a cliff). If you want to taste a little more FF you could do 10 and 12. Definitely quality experiences but not at the level of what came before.