KingBowser86

@Kalmaro Glue puns? Not to sound like a hardened and crusty sort, but adhering to that request is going to be a sticky situation. Wouldn't take long to run the list of associated words bone dry. But, I'm attached to puns, so I'd definitely get plastered if it'd help squeeze out as many concrete puns as possible and cement "glue" as a worthy pun-off topic.

I never fully played that all the way through, but praise its handling of "Lives" to this day. Curious to hear more.

@nessisonett Or a speakeasy. "C'mon, toots, let's go down to the Leak Mill." 🤣

"Raji" is a game that I've always posited but never seen develop. Curious to see more about it!
For me, though, I was looking to see if this Indie World talked about WayForward at all, what with all of the ported games, merch, and undetailed SatSS content that we know are coming next month! You'd think that no mention would be heartbreaking, but given how the "leak mill" has been sounding recently, it's even better chance for it all to be in a main Direct! This is it! FP2-2! Now or never! Let's goooo! #shantaeforsmash

@Beaucine It looks as though they added the second umbrella and bow color. I doubt that it'll add extra steps to the existing puzzles, but it could. Regardless, I'm just fine with throwing a second goose into the mix because it'll make NG+ speedrunning palatable.

"This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!" 🤣

#shantaeforsmash ❤️💜

@JHDK Hardly fair given the absolute flood of straw-grasping articles over the last month or so. Granted, Nintendo proper is flubbing so hard that it's causing NL and other sites the issues, but still.

@RPGamer Don't care all that much, but can admit I didn't pay enough attention to the article. I'm so used to it being the other way around. Apologies, Europe, for having to endure that box art.

Europe/Japan, hands down. NA's is aggressively brown and attitude-ridden, while JP's hints at more characters and mechanics.

@traceman But no more M&L by AlphaDream, yes?
What kind of passive-aggressive gotcha were you even trying to attempt, there?

@AJDarkstar Except for "interesting battle system", which, again, left out the whole "pointless" part, by nature, on account of the Coins, or the fact that it's a puzzle game for the majority part just as the previous games' combat ultimately amounted to being point-and-click adventure games by bringing the right MacGuffin that you found to the battle.

If you're going to be derisive towards people for having legitimate criticisms about a product, you're solidly in Shill territory. Your incessant insistence on playing the game does nothing to address concerns, so you may as well be a walking Ad. And I like AdBlocker.

@AJDarkstar The positives, which are old and tired as is, are that it basically functions. And the negatives, which is a puzzle combat system shoehorned into an RPG game and hopelessly generic characters including mind-grating Toads, far outweigh that, personally. I hate to put Toads and Rabbids in the same basket, but, that's where this blasted franchise has driven me.

@AJDarkstar Read again. Key word: "Largely." TTYD was better about giving its "lesser" partner characters more importance. PM1 kinda did this in sidequests but that just doesn't have the same gravitas as playing a role (albeit in small ways) throughout the main plot. The TOK partners fit into 1 of 2 categories of Mario World character that ensures that they'll never be remembered for their role in TOK.

@MrBlacky That Partners in Time had some sticking points (this was back when people would generally agree on a game being below the usual quality, mind you, before Sonic '06 got the brand loyalists of all franchises galvanized), and that the series needed a good deal of TLC if they dropped the ball that hard. Bowser's Inside Story, I said "Largely good, just scale back the predictability and tutorials." Subsequent entries, I cited an absolute lack of intrigue and purpose behind playing the games (let alone hit-and-miss gameplay elements). Sure enough, here we are, no more M&L.

@Apportal No, I made a point - you either don't want to hear it or are too blinded by your position to follow in-depth analysis. In case it's the latter, I'll condense it for you:
The Origami King does not have a satisfying combat system (this has been stated by numerous outlets and consumer reviews multiple times) and limitations have been made to its characterization and non-comedic writing such that it's terrible and forgettable even by spinoff standards. You don't need to play the whole game to see those things coming.

And for someone who's played so many games and is even attempting to argue this point where you should know this information already just by gleaming through the Comments sections, I shouldn't have to explain this to you. As for the "I was right" stuff, that's a history of comments and calls I've correctly surmised over the years. Obviously, I don't expect you or anyone to have followed me that closely, but my track record for having game design concerns (that I later find are more-than-echoed by reviewers, critics, and consumers) is my "proof in the pudding."

Now, you seem to be at as much of an impasse as the other guy (or are certainly trying to treat me the same way despite attempting to communicate), so I'll go ahead and oblige you in either scenario.

Untitled Goose Game absolutely tickled most people! As it should, because you can enjoy the game whether you're an aggressive (or even Sadist) type of personality or one just watching some sightgags unfold. You can climb boxes with a smoking pipe in your beak or you can trip a child for hours on end or both!

Shantae and the Seven Sirens (as with all Shantae games) has great absurd situational humor, but...I don't know, I enjoy it greatly, but it seems like between the dialogue stopping the gameplay and largely having the one type of humor makes it hit-and-miss to the public.

Nintendo has the image for it (XBox and Sony don't), so I expect there'll be plenty of laughy games in the future!

@Apportal The pacing might turn out different than one can gleam, absolutely. The satisfaction of the conclusion of the tale could be greater than the sum of the generic-seeming parts on display, definitely. But if you're turned off by an alternative combat system or some other static game element, you do NOT need to play a game to discern that those things will disappoint you. I can see that a banana has brown spots and know that it won't taste good. It could be smaller and sweeter because it's from the far off land of Bananaperfection, I don't care - I don't need to eat it to see that it has issues.

And if there's anyone that's a "slave" to any given design approach right now, it's the people that'd prefer a more traditional RPG style who are up against both a blindly loyal fanbase and a large overseas company that has very little incentive to improve its work based upon feedback when faced with the cost efficiency of churning out the same game combined with the safe sales figures that come with a safely-estimable army of blind consumers that will buy whatever product they output. Now THAT'S a fight, and don't give me some BS innocent line when they're equally biased towards their preferred game direction on the whole as well.

I was right about amiibo Festival, I was right about Miitomo, I was right about Star Fox Zero and Sticker Star AND Color Splash, I was fairly accurate in my estimation of Splatoon 2 launch sales (had more long-term power than I thought, which is a great thing!), I was right about M&L which led to the detriment of AlphaDream — don't think that playing one single game gives you any ethical OR technical high ground in determining how to design a game.

@JuiceMan_V "Until you've played a game"
"Until you've eaten this specific turd, you won't generally know how turds taste."
That's you. That's how you sound. Anyone that's followed Paper Mario for a necessary length of time knows how Gameplay Element X or Design Choice Y is going to affect the overall quality of the game.
And since you're going to be even more biased than the people you're replying to, there's just no need for me to hear from you any further.

@AJDarkstar Well good, because then you'd also know that they largely stick around for only one scenario (meaning that they don't add to the depth of combat options) and have the absolute minimum as far as individuality goes (which is just shoddy writing that's even more boring for the player).
@JuiceMan_V In the same way that people "generally like" overcooked Chicken McNuggets, I suppose. "Serviceable" is not the same as high quality.
@Cynas Generally speaking, you're correct. I might not agree with an overall direction of a game, and that's fine.
But recent PM doesn't even execute its approach well. And I know it's blatantly a problem when outlets like Zero Punctuation and ScreenRant notice it. Humor in the writing is about the only thing this TOK seemed to improve upon.

@JuiceMan_V Never say never. Nintendo is pretty good about curveballs, you know Miyamoto isn't going to like all the whining articles, and every other reviewer is ripping into the game for things like no partners and too many Toads.

A clean, clear indicator that Sales and Quality don't necessarily correlate.

If I'm going to guess, I'd wager that the Soul Arrows were going to instantly dispatch the undead/ghosts and the Dark Arrows were going to put out torches and perhaps undo eye switches.
That would have been too much forced magic hijinks for puzzles (think DmC's Angel/Devil weapons) and a bit unfitting thematically for Link to have, so, kudos to whomever nixed them. It's kind of reassuring to see all of this cut content (like a human pilot in Starfox 2 getting dropped) and know that the showrunners of Nintendo's franchises generally do know what they're doing.

Oh please, the people that spend money on this game are playing FOR the value of their account. Just like amiibo scalpers, just like house flippers, just like Epic Games and Apple rooster fighting over who keeps what gambling revenue, it's all scams.

@Apportal Sounds like Cowboy Bebop.

@Classic603 Oh yeah, no doubt! Proper writing goes far. Had the game put very large spotlights on those moments and made everything else fairly incidental (ala how PM1 sectioned off subplots), TTYD would have been better off.

@Classic603 To be fair, F-Zero is kinda hit and miss. They all have sizable learning curves. GX is probably the solid one of the lot, if you ever want to try it.

@Classic603 It didn't fine tune quite everything, unfortunately. As I listed. Furthermore, personally, I figured out SMRPG's timed hits without help, but TTYD's were incredibly vague.

@Classic603 Care to say what you prefer from TTYD over PM1? I'm reading through the comparison post to TOK, and I really don't see any points that PM1 didn't have. The two games largely differ in tone, scenarios, and music. TTYD had the benefit of being a sequel on updated combat/badges and graphics, but the musical compositions took a nosedive and had some scenarios that were roughly recycled from PM1 (dungeon 1's a castle again, Penguin Mystery 2: The Less-Exciting Sequel, a mouse being a mystery again hidden behind a Quest Board with no Level guidance, etc.). Sure, it improved on presenting the "spectacle" of scenarios but that's all. And even that got hokey and forced when you got hit with those over and over just like recent PM (when everything's a spectacle, nothing is). The Doopliss scenario was entertaining, though, even with the "sheet ghost enemy" being recycled from late PM1.

@Freddyfred No, it's still horribly aimless. Aliens, shadows, world-lore spectacle (Glitz Pit, Boggy Woods, etc.), random "curses" that you'd think Mario would want undone — the simple Mario World mixing it up with ONE plotline is all that one game in a cartoonish franchise can handle. This isn't Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, here. If you throw more than one plot (and their attached lore elements) at something that's already fragile as Suspense of Disbelief goes, then there's a good chance that you won't answer all of the players' questions, leave gaping plotholes, or just flat-out add lore that doesn't fit within current framework and damages the franchise's integrity. "Well, it's Mario, so I don't think that's possible, because it's supposed to be wacky and can do whatever it wants." The Mario World (and most cartoon worlds) already had established rules and mechanisms, even in the Paper setting. On top of that, purely abstract franchises as the hypothetical quote posits don't last long because then there are no stakes to any plot. That happens with TTYD and SPM. By the end, you've been handed so many victories and MacGuffins and arsepulls that the whole experience is hollow.

TTYD - 9.35
That game does not deserve that rating. It's more aimless than its predecessor which got an 8 score. No debate.

Can't tell if they're serious or parodying.

Lego Mario / Paper Mario crossover! 😀

@MeowMeowKins Except when it doesn't make sense for a franchise to have either. As was the case with Mario. And "enjoyable" is a strong phrase but probably the same that most people that played it would say. RPG and platforming not meshing as well as anticipated is one thing. But the screen flipping was definitely tedious because of how far-reaching its implications were.

@hadrian Dude doesn't make them himself.
@MeowMeowKins Can't say I'm surprised given the avatar. It was straight up a light/dark, heaven/hell, almighty protagonist plot.

@Classic603 TTYD was the beginning of the end for Paper Mario having proper tone. Just like Sonic Adventure 2 was for 3D Sonic. On that note,

@hadrian I don't have faith in either side of this equation. Miyamoto's crazy to do something so extreme, but I am curious as to how tied his hands are politically within the company where these loonies put some wildly unfitting elements into TTYD and absolutely messed up SPM's plot.

The only reason that Paper Mario N64 didn't get a 10 was because of how overly "kid-friendly" it got at times and a lack of QoL/conveyance that already existed at the time. Neither outright harmed the game, obviously, just kept it from being a hallowed gaming masterpiece IMO.

@Pak-Man If in the game mechanics only. Example, Cappy and Super Mario Odyssey, Fludd and Super Mario Sunshine, etc. And as Zelda does with its instruments and items. But when it comes to the core gameplay, that, THAT, shouldn't change.
And that's absolutely the case with Paper Mario. Let us fight enemies, gain experience, and increase our strength and levels. "That's tired." No, that's an RPG. Just because you level up, doesn't mean it has to be played out. That's what Badges, skills, setups, etc. do to keep the formula fresh.

@ACNHislit I mean, you can look at the game and still see that there's the fundamentals of a Star Fox game, so it just needs tooling to fix what the reviews mentioned.

"And That's a Good Thing"

@ACNHislit I'd just as soon have them change the missions to where timewasters and gimmicks are removed altogether. Ideally, we'd have Fox look more like his Melee/64 incarnations and remove the stupid "Zero" moniker and gaudy orange circle from the Arwings, too.

DKC with K. Rool!! Let's FUNKY'ING gooooooo!!!

repeatedly slams the big red button labeled "Nintendo Direct"
Nothing's happening!!! Quick, someone ask Reggie to press it, maybe it'll work!

But I am going to be keeping an eye on that Samurai Jack game. Maybe this one will rise to the occasion?

Hardware is hardware, portable or not. I can smack an LCD/LED screen on any ventilated box I want and take that sucker to-go.
Where Nintendo is genuinely a "Blue Ocean" is its almost "Disney levels of brand loyalty"-power first-party IP's (though they're starting to age) that they crank out regularly compared to Sony and Microsoft squaring off over tired microtransacted franchises with a scant few big "experiential" games.

For something called "Ogre Tale," this is the strangest rendition of the Shrek cast I've ever seen. 🤣

@MajoraSmash He (though you've got me thinking that I could make a Bowsette alt for April Fool's). The harsh description of modern board games is a generalization, of course, but definitely one I've developed after many sadly empty-handed shopping attempts. I'll keep those in mind the next time I'm in Madness Games and Comics. Friend group keeps/kept bugging me to play various board games, but my excuse is that I'm busy hosting when the truth is that the games are just BORING. And, like RTS and Sim video games, involved board games will be someone's cup of tea. I note 'Betrayal' specifically because it has held up to many personality types (even our resident "Competitive Strategist") over the recent years.

@TG16_IS_BAE That's fine, but I'm talking about the franchise conceptually. This is on the same level as Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Monster Party, or any one of WayForward's original franchises (except their Shantae powerhouse) — fun to hear about for a little bit, but that's as far as most will go.

I don't have enough data to make a call on this one. Even if the base game were $19.99, you've got the DLC, additional content, Switch Q&A testing, artistic asset rights, physical copy production, etc. For a game that will likely sell fewer-than-usual copies anyway, I think there are enough factors here that make this price somewhat reasonable on the face of it.

@Markiemania95 Good to know that it looks like my guess is on-the-mark.

@MrGlubGlub Betrayal at House on the Hill is still the best recent board game. (For a card game, grab Codenames or Exploding Kittens, because Unstable Unicorns' length and mechanics combined cause issues.)

Pandemic and Arkham Horror just cross the borderline on having too many moving parts of which to keep track (not that it's impossible, just can be forgotten or misapplied too easily), Ticket to Ride is a mind-numbingly boring concept, and Cosmic Encounter is merely a rough draft of what could be the undisputed modern #1 Mario Kart-frantic board game (retool it to where Alien Powers are temporary buffs and the art needs to "Keep It Simple"). Walking through the aisles of board game outlets leaves a person drowning in games with pretentious art that represent parodies or off-brand versions of infinitely better media franchises half of the time and gameplay explanations that make filing your taxes look like an appealing alternative.

So, if a maker wants to keep things just a bit more on the simple side while also using well-known and fittingly-applied IP's (if they're unable or not inspired to make their own), I really don't care if it's considered "archaic" or "unoriginal" because I know I'll have fun.

I have reservations from the description of this game and Mutant Mudds isn't exactly "put together" or "polished" as franchises go (compared to Mario, Sonic, etc.), but, it's a better starting point than getting kicked from/losing the game and waiting for three hours with visuals that remind me that I could have just watched a movie, instead.

It's not a stretch to A. build an NES out of Lego and B. make a dynamic screen mechanism that uses pixels out of Lego blocks. Crying "copycat" here is not just silly, it's also ignorant of everyone else that recreated consoles and pixel art from Lego blocks well before either of these two projects.

I think SMM2's game mode is replacing SM3DW's port. Unless Nintendo really is pulling a 3D All-Stars (and they have mentioned HD filtering as a possibility in the past).
Star Fox Zero would be nice but needs heavy, heavy retooling.