Krull

Triangle Strategy misses out on a nomination in the strategy category… Shame it has to go up against the likes of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in the RPG class. Going to be a touch sell, that one, but glad it has at least been nominated. Wonderful game

Next one from the backlog of shame is Triangle Strategy. It’s really good, especially for someone whose favourite Final Fantasy is Tactics.

Case of the Golden Idol, please. Other than that, just surprise me. Nindies Directs are always full of weird, leftfield stuff.

@Dom_31 My thoughts exactly. Guardians of the Galaxy might have the greatest use of licensed music in any game. Just a shame it’s only a cloud version for Switch.

Off Switch, tearing down the roads to Buck Rogers by Feeder on Gran Turismo III was just perfect. And I don’t even particularly like driving games.

Brilliant - EA finally found a use for that Anthem tech demo it had Bioware make.

I’m guessing a Sonic Maker title, giving players the keys to the Green Hill Zone kingdom. But whatever the game is, I also suspect they’ve vastly overestimated the sales. Have they hired Square’s accountants?

Phantasy Star vies with Dragon Quest IV as the best 8-bit JRPG, despite the fact that DQIV was made so much later. Hard to believe it released just two days after the first Final Fantasy.

It’s also mad that Skies of Arcadia is stuck on two dead systems.

Well, I added one to the P5R sales for Switch. Had to put my money where my mouth was for all those years of port begging.

Great games from bad movies? The classic answer was always Hudson Hawk - a really enjoyable platformer. However, Hudson Hawk is secretly a good movie, no matter what the critics said at the time, so doesn’t really count

Should really try to crack on with Majora’s Mask 3D, as I’m in the fourth temple. Still really enjoying it. However, I also want to knock off Backbone before it disappears from Game Pass. And I’m waiting at the window for the postman to bring me Persona 5 Royal… Yes, I have Game Pass, obvs, but I’ve been begging for P5 to come to Switch since 2017 and can hardly wait to finally play it.

Trying to imagine what it would be like to be only able to play games looking the best they possibly could. Do you just set fire to your old consoles the day a new one comes out? Throw your PS4 into the sea, your GBA into a volcano, your SNES into the sun? Do you become incapable of enjoying a game made in 2017, 2010, 2000 or 1992 because it doesn’t have ray tracing or run at 120fps?

I like new games. I also like old ones. Often, neither is perfect.

If it was between the US and Europe, I think PAL would win by a landslide as the least bad option. With Japan in the mix, neither is in the conversation.

Waaaaait a minute. Why isn’t there a Wapeach and Wadaisy yet? C’mon, Nintendo - the cosplayers are showing you up.

So she turned down the job then? That’s what it sounds like, if she had nothing but time. I have no idea what the going rate is for a video game VA lead, but I suspect Platinum knows. I feel sorry for her, as she seems to be going through a rough time, but that also makes me think it’s not only Platinum responsible. And companies don’t generally like to be held to ransom by talent. See every show or film that has ever been recast.

Boycotting the vote due to lack of Kirby nominations. It may not be Nintendo’s best series, but it definitely has some of the best tunes. Star Allies has got some incredible piano tracks.

That said, there are a lot of good options in this list.

@ModdedInkling Surely it’s better for Sega to handle porting so Atlus can keep working on new titles.

Don’t mind a bit of platform bias (I hear we’re not missing much with Soul Hackers 2), and I suspect Switch will get console exclusivity on Etrian Odyssey, whenever it finally reappears. Wouldn’t rule out an SMTV spin-off, a la Apocalypse, some day.

TBH, without trying very hard, you could get a physical copy for the same price. Or possibly less. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth getting though. My copy still looks beautiful in its shrink wrap. (I’ll get to it one day.)

Goblin Sword is excellent, for what it is. Simple but satisfying action platformer. It’s the only one of these I’ve played so far - though Tails of Iron has been in my wish list since day one. I need a smaller backlog! Great list, though. Anodyne 2 looks like a real standout.

@Dr_Luigi Well said. Overwatch is meant to be the kind of game that people play for years. I’m glad they’ve found a way to monetise it that doesn’t affect gameplay in the slightest, and only means some people will have to wait a bit to get another new hat. Who needs all the cosmetics anyway? Also, genuine question, can you even wear all the cosmetics at the same time?

Preordered earlier today. Been port begging for this one particular title since 2017, and pretty much only this one, so felt like I had to put my money where my mouth is.

Does seem a bit cheeky of Atlus to pump up the price above the average RRP for a port - and especially when we all know this will get plenty of digital sales down the road, like all Sega/Atlus games, but not sure the physical will ever be cheaper than at launch.

Super Kick Off for the Game Gear was a terrible football game. Hardly any teams, made-up names, four colours of the massive, empty pitch, lousy sound effects, slowed down whenever a second (let alone third) player appeared on screen, and had ropey physics. But it was also very fast (when your player was alone) and you could slide tackle for about 30ft. Loved it. Even though I knew it was terrible.

Playing Majora’s Mask for the first time at the moment, on 3DS, and I totally get why it’s getting 0 per cent on the poll. That said, it should totally be one everybody plays once they’re familiar with the series. What an amazing game. It’s up with the best of all of them.

If the idea is to prepare people for TotK, though, everyone should start with BotW.

I like this art style, and I’m not that bothered by the smoothing - it’s only doing what a CRT would have done to the original pixels. I don’t think they’ve gone overboard with the smoothing - it still looks a LOT better than the old mobile port of FFVI, for example (before the pixel remaster, that is).

@BadPlayerOne Honestly, I think it’s more that Hello Games need to put No Man’s Sky onto more platforms to justify all the free updates. They need to find new ways to get income out of their efforts. And more power to them.

I’m trying on some Majora’s Mask 3D for the first time. Wow, I really hadn’t appreciated how dark and weird a Zelda game could be until this. Only played one time skip so far, but I love it already. Also, this remaster seems much prettier than OoT 3D, for some reason. Great stuff.

When Atlus announced its year of Persona events, is there anyone who didn’t think the final one would be the announcement of Persona 6? Still on course.

If they announced Persona 6 at the concert, what would they have saved for the final reveal?

I just want the standard physical edition in the UK. Where’s my option for that, Atlus? C’mon, it’s not like I’m holding a gun to your head…

That said, I’d take the tarot deck. Maybe the bag too. Hmm.

If there’s one thing the Switch needs, it’s more RPGs. At least another 108, anyway. Hurrah!

I really really liked the first game, and will definitely pick up the sequel. And I didn’t think it was remotely grindy. I didn’t grind a single time, just fought battles in the normal course of playing the game (with the reduced encounter rate perk), and usually still felt overlevelled by the time I started hitting everyone’s chapter 2.

Glad to see they’re increasing the inter-character aspects of the sequel - that was one of the few weak points of the original. Also, not sure why anyone expects Squenix to announce this for Game Pass at launch. I’m sure there’s a timed exclusivity, but it’ll reach your Xboxes after a year.

This was my favourite trailer in the Direct. Looks bonkers, and totally unlike anything else we’re getting for Switch. No idea if they’ll stick the landing, but this is certainly different. Can’t wait to slash some contradictions with a sword!

It seems most long-term fans would rather have Dusk 4 than Ryza 3, but regardless Gust have really been hitting their stride recently. A genuine new start might be the best thing all round, get people in on the ground floor. Atelier is a series I’ve had an eye on for some time, but there are SO many titles, even just on Switch, that another first game is probably the best way to keep trying for newbies.

** beep beep beep beep **

I’m voting for Europe, but the real winner here is Ollie Reynolds. Bravo, sir.

** boop boop **

Chugging through Paper Mario: The Origami King. Can’t say the puzzle combat clicks with my head, but it’s a really charming game. Don’t regret the purchase.

@sunny63 There’s an option to banish the troupe?! Nope, didn’t know that! I just banged my head against the wall until I learnt all the attack patterns. It took many, many deaths…

Some of Hollow Knight was brutal, but I loved it. I eventually owned Nightmare Lord Grim. Celeste was fine. SMTV is only as hard as you want it to be - play it on normal, and it’s just a very good RPG.

I never beat Baba Is You, though - it beat me. Dang, that game gets hard. Brilliant experience, though.

Vulpix for me. It’s a fiery fox with multiple bushy tails - perfection. Don’t actually like Ninetails as much, though it’s still a nice design. All about the aesthetics, not the battles, for me.

Shout outs to Rowlet, Snorlax, Greninja and Crobat. Can’t believe someone else also flagged Crobat!

@steventonysmith How was Crisis Core not well received? It’s got 83 on Metacritic and 85 on user reviews. That’s pretty good. FWIW, I had a blast with it and would put it in the top five PSP games. Great music, looked good for its time and platform, strong gameplay and one of the best endings in video games - which is probably why many people may remember it more fondly than others think it deserves.

The main thing people don’t like is the levelling system, probably because they think it’s randomised (when it isn’t really - it’s very strongly tied to progression in the game).

In short, good game. Glad more people get to play it. If you haven’t played it and like action RPGs, it’s an interesting one.

@OwenOtter Ha! I got Cromulent Crabcrabcrabcrab. Alliteration for the win!

Is it a good name? It’s perfectly cromulent.

The longer the wait until the next hardware release, the better that hardware is likely to be. I’d take a beefier console with backwards compatibility any day over a mid-generation upgrade that is still going to be superseded by the eventual new console.

Of course, the alternative is iPhone-style updates, where the hardware gradually improves until your 2017 Switch can’t run Xenoblade 5, it chugs on your 2023 Switch and runs like butter on your 2026 Switch. Not a fan of that, either.

At some point there’ll be a bridge title to the next console, right? Doesn’t seem likely that it will be BotW2 now. Maybe Metroid Prime 4. But surely the next Mario 3D title will be a launch game. Five years since Odyssey, and not a peep of a follow-up.

@JeanPaul You definitely don’t need to have played the previous games. They’re all standalone stories. XC2’s ending referred back to XC1, but you wouldn’t realise if you hadn’t played it - at least, I didn’t, and it really made no difference. Also, that was after about 200 hours of gameplay!

@Debo626 Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m sure there’ll be a bikini outfit or something for all the female characters…

Character design does look strong. I wasn’t going to preorder XC3, as I only beat XC1 just a few weeks ago and I’m a bit burnt out, but the hype has gotten me. I’m really feeling it.

@a_brave_new_geek Pretty sure the Switch could run the original Mass Effect trilogy - it’s got Skyrim and The Witcher III. The remastered trilogy, maybe not. The sticking point, however, is almost certainly just EA being EA.

On message, I’m frankly amazed that Lucas Pope has made a mobile version of Papers, Please. I played it on an iPad Mini, and even that felt cramped for screen real estate.

Don’t see why it can’t come to Switch, as a touchscreen only game. TBH, I’d like to see more developers try things like that. Don’t need to be a slave to the joycons.

@Tandy255 I take your point, but everything on the eShop goes on sale eventually, even the first-party stuff. If this is too steep for you, just show a little patience.

I kinda want this, but I can’t keep adding to my backlog - so waiting isn’t an issue.

@JasmineDragon I definitely didn’t know that. Now I don’t know whether to laugh or cry! Maybe Capcom could have just commissioned a different composition? The art itself is great.

Really like the Game Boy and Advance covers - there’s something about the square boxes that focuses more on the image. If I was just going for my favourite art, USFII for the Switch would win, but the logo is so big, it feels like we’re missing out. So went with the Super SFII for Mega Drive. Good character art, cleanly visible. Winner.

@Lizuka Bravo! You win this comment section.

If Ubisoft really wanted to shake it up, they could have reached beyond Mario and added Link, Zelda, etc. A large part of this roster still looks quite familiar - although I guess that doesn’t mean they have to play the same. Sparks of Hope is looking good, I must admit.

I’ll throw in Downwell, because I’m lucky if any of my runs last beyond five minutes or so. Great game, too. Not sure I’d bother with Lumines, though - its sessions can get too long, especially if you’re any good. Which admittedly I’m not (which is also why I wouldn’t bother with Lumines).

You can knock out a single level in Into the Breach pretty quickly too, once you’ve got your head around the tactics.

@LightningHart I got those puzzles! TBH, I was waiting for something like that throughout the game. Having played Day of the Tentacle, I was actually expecting there to be more puzzles that crossed between the two characters in Broken Age.

The monkey wrench in Secret of Monkey Island 2 can go do one, frankly. Grrr…

There’s also a puzzle in Broken Age where the answer is to just not do anything. Didn’t like that one either - it was the only solution I had to look up in the entire game. Grrr…

Baba Is You, otoh, didn’t cause any tantrums. There just came a point where I knew I was beaten. Brilliant game up to that point, though. And the fact I could just walk away, as there’s no plot to stress about, was a bonus.

I’m with @rykdrew on Brothers, though. The whole game felt like a tutorial, with clunky controls. There was no real friction from beginning to end, and the story totally failed to land for me.

Been interested in this since the Nindies Direct. Five hours is perfect for a little puzzle platformer like this. No game needs padding.