Kochambra

Don't get me wrong, Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 and Witcher 3 are really cool games, but I'm still waiting for NL to review the best RPG coming out on Switch this week

@YorkshireNed I also hate when people "play the racism card on Lovecraft", because I find it both tiresome and pointless.
Many people who do so, seem to be just parroting the "online consensus" about Lovecraft without having ever read his works to come to their own conclusions. It seems like whenever Lovecraft's name is mentioned, some people feel the irrepressible urge to remind everybody that this man who lived and died many decades ago was racist. Of course he was, and he probably was more racist than many people of his time. So what? It's not like by buying books, movies or games inspired by his work, you're giving him money to promote his toxic beliefs or donate to the KKK or whatever.
And does his work "promote racism"? If you enjoy it, does it somehow mean that you're a racist? No, I think neither of those statements is true.
Yes, Lovecraft's work as a horror writer was based on his own fears, fear of the unknown, fear of the other. But reducing that to "fear of people of other races" would be an extremely simplistic fallacy. You don't have to fear people of other races to engage with Lovecraft's work and it won't magically turn you into a racist.
As far as promoting racists viewpoints go, I'd argue that Lovecraft's horror work is among the most innocuous. When this site has reviewed games based on the works of Ian Fleming, I don't remember any mentions to how the game attempted to "wash away" Fleming’s inherent racism and sexism.
Fleming's James Bond is a hero, even if a broken one. An escapist wish fulfillment fantasy with a racist subtext (and occasionally, racist text). I think that such a kind of story would do much more to spread racist viewpoints than Lovecraft's ever could.
There's very little that could be considered wish fulfillment in Lovecraft's horror, and many of his protagonists are doomed from the start. I don't think they promote racist views; but rather provide readers with a safe venue to tackle their own fears.
That's why I find this constant harping on his racism so tiresome and pointless.

@DTFaux "You can try to argue the Epic Mickey comparison, but that only makes the point that Studio MDHR built upon it, not just took it as-is."
It makes the point that Cuphead is much less unique than many people seem to think. They "stole" a graphical style that other people took years to develop, same with the music style and same with the gameplay. And you know what? That's perfectly OK because that's how culture works.
Back in the day, The Beatles started their careers imitating the style of their heroes, until they developed their own style. According to Wikipedia, even the group's name came about as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets. As far I know, nobody accused them of plagiarizing American rockers or Buddy Holly in particular, even though they were doing the exact same style of music. And I guess they did make money from their gigs, as they should, because people should get payed for their hard work.
A few years later, The Beatles had found their own style, they were huge and lots of groups started imitating them. And I doubt anyone accused them of plagiarizing The Beatles just because they used the same style. And I'm willing to bet that all those groups also made money for they hard work, as they should.
So why can't the makers of Enchanted Portals do a game in the same style of Cuphead, a game that wasn't even that original to begin with?
Are they reusing any assets from Cuphead? As far I know, they don't. This is all their work.
Are they trying to trick people into thinking this is Cuphead? No. The game's title isn't remotely similar to "Cuphead" and the characters are completely different.
Are they deceiving people about their sources of inspiration? No they have stated plain and clear that Cuphead was a big inspiration.
So what's their big crime, exactly? Working hard to do their version of other people's ideas, just as the creators of Cuphead and pretty much anyone who has ever contributed to our culture does? Daring to ask for payment for their work?

@DTFaux And what precisely is unethical here? You're accusing the creators of this game of plagiarism, but what are they plagiarizing exactly?
The art style? The creators of Cuphead "stole" it from old Max Fleischer cartoons.
The music style? Same.
The idea of using those in a video game? I don't think that's true either, as the 2d segments in Epic Mickey already did something very similar. And that's just an example off the top of my head.
The idea of using that animation and music style in a Contra clone? Well, that could be the only totally original aspect of Cuphead, as far as I know.
So why all that blatant "stealing" is totally OK in the case of Cuphead, and evil plagiarism in the case of Enchanted Portals? Just because the creators of Cuphead added one probably novel idea to a mix almost completely made up of borrowed ingredients?
And please understand that I'm not trying to attack the creators of Cuphead. They borrowed elements from previous works, as all creators have done since the beginning of time.

Nope. And I have no intention of ever downloading it.

Now, this is a game worth remastering! It was great fun back in the day, even if it leaned a bit too much on the racing aspect for my liking.
I'd go for a remaster rather than a remake, because a remake would probably mean including in the game the Crazy Cat Lady, the Rich Texan, and the rest of the lazy stereotypes disguising as characters that they introduced in later seasons of the show.

@Paraka "That's disregarding an opinion because you disagree with it."
If you mean that I'm disregarding your opinion because I disagree with it, that's not the case at all. I have no opinion about the writing of this game because I haven't played it.
However, taking into account that you played it when looking for "poor games to riff on", it sounds to me that you didn't give the game a fair chance and that you had already decided that it was going to be bad even before you played it.
Don't get me wrong, if that's how you enjoy games, more power to you. But personally, I don't think that playing the game in those conditions makes your opinion about the quality of the writing particularly reliable.

@JayJ However, when someone admits that they "played this game in jest", like @Paraka does, it doesn't sound like they gave the game a fair chance, does it? I would also take their comments with a grain of salt.

@baller98 Wuppo looks pretty good. Thanks for the recommendation!

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is way too good to vote for anything else.

"Note: Mega Drive Mode is presented with Japanese text only"
Which makes all those cool extra modes completely irrelevant for any potential buyer not versed in the Japanese language, I guess?

@Dizzymario A new engine, higher resolution assets...
I have to agree: Producing Switch remakes would have been way too costly for them.

This is terrible news! Hopefully, they'll still find a way to get out of this terrible situation.
It's sadly ironic that the 3DS version of Bowser's Inside Story contributed to this, because that game is probably their masterpiece and should be included in any conversation about the greatest RPGs on Nintendo systems.

Mario Kart on mobile and with microtransactions? Thanks, but no thanks!

@OorWullie Detention is pretty great. A genuinely creepy game.

That's a nice little touch

@Dang69 And my point was that if he thinks that the particular aspect of the game that you mention is not a problem, then there's nothing to add up into a theoretical bigger thing.
It will always be his review and his score, as is the case with the IGN staffer's review and their score. A review is always subjective because playing games is a subjective experience.
In my opinion, acknowledging that subjectivity is a more honest approach than trying to hide it behind a veneer of objectivity like, say, Edge does.

@Dm9982 As others have said, Night in the Woods is really great.
Another narrative game that you may find interesting is Oxenfree. It tells an interesting story and uses a very dynamic conversation system.

@Dang69 "glossing over enough of these little probs lends a score a game may not deserve"
Maybe what you consider "little problems" are no problem at all for other people? Remember it's his score, not your score, so if he doesn't feel that a particular game needs an incentive to reach higher ranks, why should he lower his score because of that? All reviews are subjective, including your beloved IGN review of this game.

@Zyph No, the pro controller can't update wirelessly. At least, that's my experience:
I turned on my Switch using the pro controller in wireless mode, and the option to update controllers only updated the two joycons attached to the console.
After that, I plugged the USB cable into my pro controller, i chose 'Update controllers' again and only then did the pro get updated.

Cool! I've heard good things about this one. Hopefully, it'll be as delightfully weird as Dandy Dungeon

I've heard time and again that AC4 is one of the best games in the series, but is AC Rogue good, or is it another sprawling but not quite engaging adventure in the vein of AC3?

@pepsilover2008 I'm a novice in the Splinter Cell series, but I really enjoyed SC Blacklist. The problem with that game is that it felt like they where trying to force into it showy, QTE-heavy set pieces, that didn't fit particularly well with Splinter Cell's more deliberate gameplay. It seems to me that Ubisoft hasn't quite figured out how to match Splinter Cell's gameplay with the elements that they think people require in a big "AAA game".

By all accounts, this game is a fantastic RPG in the tradition of Ultima and the Infinity Engine classics. And adding the option to share saves with the Steam version is like the cherry on top. This is the developers going the extra mile, to make it worth for fans double dipping
I'm definitely getting Divinity OS 2 on Switch, and I wish that Nintendo could provide a similar cross-save option for the Xenoblade Chronicles remaster.

This is a really cool addition!
Also, Toby Fox seems to be pretty well regarded by japanese developers. He's also created the soundtrack for Game Freak's Little Town Hero.

@Deku-Scrub Mr. Game & Watch is one of my favorite things about Smash, and he's a joke character. Sans definitely belongs in this game.

No mention of one of the greatest RPGs or all time being released on Switch in about a month? Yes, I'm talking about 'Planescape: Torment', you philistines. Ahh, the shame! The shame! (shakes fist at sky)

I would also love to get the game on a nice little cartridge, but at the end of this video they added a "Nintendo eShop" text under the game's title, so it looks like this could be download only
Still looking forward to playing the game, though.

@Ristar24 This being a relatively small publisher stretching beyond their comfort zone, I'm not expecting a smooth, perfectly tuned experience. Hopefully, they'll patch the most annoying bugs in all platforms and in time, they may release a second game where the open world element is more fleshed out.

@LUIGITORNADO "Rather a 6 hour action-fest than a never ending repetition-fest"
I agree. I'd rather have quality over quantity in video game campaigns. Specially now that my free time is much more limited than it used to be.
But I think they did a pretty good job with the campaign in the previous Doom game, so I'm willing to give them the benefit of doubt in this regard. We'll have to wait and see.

That sounds like a decent length for a FPS campaign

This premise actually sounds intriguing to me. Maybe that's because I've enjoyed tinkering with the components of every PC I've owned.

After watching the Zero Puntuation review of this game, I'm all in for the ride, warts and all. There surely will be some technical compromises to make it run on Switch, but as long as it plays well and keeps the creepy ambiance, I'm good

@cryptologous But they're not even saying "We will add the rest of the game in a future update". What they're saying is a much more noncommittal "We will continue to support and update this game as we do with all our games".

It's a fantastic game and the DS version is pretty neat, so this makes total sense to me.

This game looks great for couch coop sessions!

@Heavyarms55 To me, this game's characters look way better than Minecraft's rudimentary box-people.

Can you play this game using just the touch screen, as previous DS and 3DS iterations of Picross?

As a long time shoot em up and Parodius fan, this looks right up my alley!

Great news! Obsidian games are usually interesting and well worth playing.

@Farmboy74 No, AFAIK they didn't have anything to do with that game.
They made Knights of the Old Republic 2, Alpha Protocol and Fallout New Vegas, among others. On Switch you can already play one of their RPGs, South Park The Stick of Truth, and I think that they're also releasing Pillars of Eternity later this month.

I like the isometric retro look they chose for this game. I think this could be fun to play with my family, since we all enjoy the show.

@jump I guess this sentence from the review answers your question:
"If you haven’t watched the series yet and want to avoid spoilers, we suggest watching the whole thing before seeing it remade in sprite form"

That's so EA! XD

@bluemage1989 For me, life is too short and there are too many great games out there, to spend my money on just another overpriced low effort re-release from Capcom.
To each their own, I guess.

@construx
So you tried some indie games and you didn't like them? That's a shame, but I don't think that makes your distinction between indie games and "real games" any less ignorant and prejudiced.

"Would you honestly say that that game is better than this one (with real production value)?"
If that game that you mention does a better attempt at what it's trying to do than 'The Last Remnant' does, then yes, I would definitely call it the better game.
If higher production cost made a game better, we probably wouldn't even need scores, websites would just have to list the game's budget and that would tell you how good a game is. But that's not how it works, at all.

"On a completely unrelated topic, if I gather my friends and film them with my phone, would you call that a real movie?"
Sure, if it were made with that intention I would totally call it a movie. It could turn out to be anything from a really poor attempt to a really great movie (like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangerine_(film) ). Whether you film it with high-end digital cameras or with a mobile phone, whether you use professional actors on a studio with lots of CGI or amateurs on a street corner, the resulting movie can be amazing.

@construx So, according to you, the review system is "seriously broken" because reviewers don't share your share your low opinion of indie games, right?
Maybe you should consider that the reviewers in this site don't make that distinction between indie games and "real games". Maybe when an indie game gets an 8, it's because the reviewer doesn't consider it neither "good-for-nothing" nor "awful-looking".
If that bothers you so much, maybe you should look for a different site for you game reviews. There must be some site out there that shares that ignorant prejudice against indie games.

@Mach_Rider Yes, that's the way to really enjoy a game like this! I know I will find the time, sooner or later

@tobibra The sad reality is that fanservice games tend to rely a bit too much on the fanservice part and their makers neglect other aspects of the game, like the writing or the gameplay. It's like they're saying: "Hey guys! Our game has TITS! You don't need anything else, right?"
As an example, I played Senran Kagura Burst on 3DS because I love beat-'em-ups and I found it so soul-crushingly mediocre and dull that I don't think I played it for more than 4 hours, at most. But sure, it had plenty of tits.
Of course, not all fanservice games for straight guys are trash. The Bayonetta games are excellent, and even the fanservice aspect is so campy and over the top that I think it can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of sexual preference.
But sadly, there seems to be an underlying cynicism to most fanservice games, where developers seem to think these games don't need to be any good, because players buy them just for the fanservice aspect.
Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case with Dream Daddy.

@retro_player_22 Well, it did grace a Nintendo console back in the day, only we didn't get it in the west.

Cool! This game is still in my backlog. I really want to play it because I loved both XC1 and XCX, but my real life schedule is pretty busy right now and even with the option to play it on portable, I feel that a game like is best enjoyed in long gaming sessions.

@Mach_Rider Xenoblade Chronicles X was great! One of my favorite RPGs in recent times.

@Alucard83 You're talking about the long-rumored New 3DS port, right?

@patbacknitro18 Thanks for the info!
I think I'll take these daddies out for a ride, anyway. A couple of friends who played the game on PC really enjoyed it.

BTW @KingBowser you don't have to be gay to enjoy this game. Those two friends I mentioned are straight, though I'm more of an equal opportunity kind of person

@Jeff Maybe they're sadists... or maybe they're simply releasing it for people who either don't care for the subscription service or who would rather play the original game rather than its inferior NES version.

Watched the video on the eShop and immediately added the game to my wishlist. This looks too delightfully weird to pass up

My only knowledge of VTM comes from playing the flawed but unforgettable Bloodlines many years ago. Now they're making Bloodlines 2 and we'll see how that turns out, but i think there's still room to experiment with different game styles in the VTM universe, and that's what this game seems set to do. I'll keep an eye on it.

@RasandeRose I think that would be really hard to achieve in this console-centric age, but who knows... Never say never

The Etrian Odyssey engine is such a perfect match for peculiarities of the DS/3DS hardware, that it's hard to imagine these games working half as well on any other console. Having one of these games be the send off for the 3DS, makes perfect sense. Shame about the lack of 3D, though!

@CrimsonMoonMist Yes, at least they listened to the fan's ourage, but it's a shame how SE treats such classic games. Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI belong in any conversation about the greatest RPG of all time, and yet SE subjects them to these halfhearted porting jobs.