Late

SteamWorld Heist II
SteamWorld Heist was one of my favorite games on 3DS so you can bet I'm there day one for the sequel. There are some interesting changes, mainly outside the actual turn-based combat.

I like the new day system. It's fun trying to get most out of the day and the exhaustion system makes sure you end up trying out different characters. I was bit afraid of the naval combat going in but so far it has been pretty non-intrusive.

I miss the first game's transition from the ship to the level. I liked when the ship docked onto other areas. I guess it made more sense in space.

Yoku's Island Express
Bit late to the party with this one. Wanted a short game I could beat before SteamWorld Heist II comes out but didn't finish it in time. I've delivered two of the three letters and uncovered most of the map.

This game got a lot of praise in the early Switch days and for a good reason. It's fun and relaxing. I'll try to collect everything there is to collect. I hope the "death" counter doesn't stop me from getting everything and is there more for the show.

@Samalik Unless I misunderstood your comment, I'm pretty sure it already exists.

I knew there was a model kit of Siren from XC2 and the one I linked came up while I was searching what Skell / Doll is (yet to play X).

Already preordered SteamWorld Heist II (digital) and Emio (physical). Heist was one of my favorite games on 3DS and still my favorite SteamWorld game. I hope the sequel is just as good if not better.

In the last six months, have you played any physical Arcade machines?
I just so happened to be in Japan recently so yes but if you'd asked me in the last 15+ years before that, my answer would've been no. Not many arcades around where I live.

@jump At least there was the option for other so I could answer Famicom Detective Club.

@Freek You must have skipped the question by accident, there's definitely a question called "Do you play Switch mostly in docked, handheld, or tabletop mode?".

Thought this would get better reception. It's an awesome game.

@Samalik I doubt you'd actually want to play the game with direct translation. There's a reason why they have professional localizers instead of running the script through Google Translate. The game supports multiple languages so you have the original text, you just need to learn Japanese (like I did).

@Roibeard64 They do. They tend to have some kind of offer every year around this time and I used it last year to extend mine.

This was certainly a surprise. I have very little experience with these games but I know this made fighting game fans happy. I hope Capcom vs SNK is next.

I have a week off right as the game comes out. I guess I know what I'll be doing.

Got goosebumps when Link shot at the crystal as I instantly knew we're going to play as Zelda. I skipped Link's Awakening remake since I've played the original but I like the style. Game mechanics also look fun.

Art style translated really well into 3D. Game was instantly recognizable. That said, the only Mario & Luigi game that kept my interest the whole way through was the very first one so I'm probably not going to buy it.

Great timing. AAI2 was on my shopping list for my trip to Japan next week. I can cross that one out.

And no one was surprised.

I actually don't think NA's box is bad but it's up against Toriyama so it never stood a chance.

@burninmylight Yes, phones and wallet are more valuable than 3DS, and that's kind of the point. If you are comfortable carrying them with you, you shouldn't be afraid of carrying your 3DS.

As for the size, the original 3DS model is about the same size as my phone, just a bit thicker. I didn't have a problem once I got the XL either. It still fit my front pocket, regardless of which pants I was wearing. If your pants can't fit it and you want to carry it with you, how about buying new pants with bigger pockets? If you were a woman instead and thus have tiny pockets, you most likely have a purse already with you. Just put it there with your other items.

There isn't really a way to track your 3DS if you lose it, no. Tracking your stuff wasn't really a thing when 3DS came out. And to quote what you said, it's just a plastic toy, why would you track it? You could argue that you can use StreetPass to know if your device is nearby, you just need another device to get the hit.

Stopped carrying my 3DS with me soon after Switch came out. It was also the time when I graduated from university so the chance of finding other people with 3DS plummeted. I'm going to Japan this year and I'm considering taking my 3DS with me in hopes of couple of hits. Anyone know how likely it is to pass someone in Tokyo?

@belmont How many times have you had your wallet or phone stolen? I assume you bring them with you wherever you go? I don't get how this is any different. I had my 3DS with me every day for years. It was in my pocket like the other stuff I carry with me.

Both are great but I voted for Europe. One of my favorite games of all time. It has its shortcomings but I still absolutely adore it. One of the many reasons is its soundtrack which is my favorite soundtrack of all time. I'm currently waiting for Wednesday so I can try to get tickets for Revo's next concert. I wasn't able to get them from the ticket lottery that happened earlier this month. There's going to be a mix of Bravely Default, Attack on Titan and Sound Horizon music as well as some other stuff he's made over the years.

Watched the stream where this was announced for a little bit yesterday since Sakurai made a guest appearance. I'm a big fan of Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands but I already have Bubble Bobble in many formats and I can just buy Rainbow Islands separately. Though it served as a good reminder that the latter got a re-release earlier this year.

@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot Since the game is already out in Japan, the full song list is also known. The song selection is pretty good in my opinion.

I beat NES Remix a week or two ago. Not in a hurry to play 2. Bought both games before Wii U eShop shut down. Multiplayer could be fun but otherwise, I don't have a need for this one.

@ederenzi78 But 3DS can play DS games with the original resolution if you hold down Start while launching the game. Or is there something wrong with that option?

Great article. I've toyed with the idea of making a GB game myself and I've even downloaded tools for it but I'm yet to actually do anything. I guess I rendered couple of sprites but that's it. I dabbled in 68k assembly for Mega Drive once and had a character that could move on an isometric map but that was a far as I got with that project. I have more fun trying stuff out rather than actually taking the time to finish something.

My favorites, in no particular order:

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
• Pokémon Trading Card Game
• Pokémon Snap
• Pokémon Pinball
• Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

Persona 5 Royal
The rest period between second and third target. I really need to build my guts stat but there's always something new or more interesting available that takes priority. The card game in Thieves Den is a fun way to end a session.

Super Mario Odyssey
I had a craving for this game recently so I collected the rest of the moons I was missing. After that, I started playing Luigi's Balloon World in order to unlock the rest of the costumes. I need one more costume but I'm also really close to getting all the achievements in that mode so I try to get them too, although that means I still need to pop 650+ balloons for the last one.

Vampire Survivors
Gave it a go since it's on trial. I think the pacing could be better. Walking in circles for 30 minutes, most of which you are not in any real danger, isn't all that interesting. So far it feels like you could get the same experience in way less time if the scaling was faster and distance between interesting items was shorter. Getting to try new characters and weapons is fun but it takes too much time to get there since the runs are so long.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
97% of side quests done. My next goal is perfect chains on all songs on Expert. I'm missing 70 or so of the 500+ songs.

I got the game about 3 months ago and I've been playing it pretty regularly, at least once or twice a week. Didn't play today though.

Quite a weird quirk. Leaves me wondering why it happens in the first place. I know the game rewards players for playing on anniversaries and you get the reward when you turn the game on so it probably fetches the current date from the system at that point but why would the comparison lead into an infinite loop? Maybe it has some kind of date time validation system and when the validation fails, it tries to fetch the date again? I just fail to see why they would validate against some non-standard date time system.

Persona 5 Royal
Had the big celebration after the first boss. I like the story so far but I feel like the gameplay hasn't reached its maximum potential yet. There's plenty of time for it to win me over.

Mother 3
Not sure if it's a good idea to play two RPGs at the same time but I wanted to give it a go ASAP. I'm more comfortable with kanji but the kana-only text in this game has been really simple so far. The game doesn't seem to be afraid of breaking the 4th wall.

A Way Out
About to finish it tomorrow with my friend. I don't think I've ever played a game that's strictly for two players but it worked well for this one. I was pretty interested in it back when it was first announced but didn't have a way to play it. Unsure if we'll jump right into It Takes Two or not.

Surprised it took this long. I expected it way back when Runner3 came out. Better late than never. Excellent game, one of my favorites on Wii U.

I was addicted to this game when it first came out though I never finished it. I've been meaning to return to it. I'll try the demo and see how I like it on Switch.

I just had a discussion about Mother 3 with my friend a week ago. I told him it's only a matter of time before Japan gets it. Time for me to check it out. Really glad that Switch isn't region locked. I played Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade last year which was my first big game I played fully in Japanese. It was a fun experience.

@Lizuka I don't think this has any meaningful relation to the possibility of eventual official translation. Mother 3 was available for the Wii U in Japan so it's not the first time they re-release it. Japan also had the first Fire Emblem on Switch Online a year before the weird limited time official translation. The only thing that is certain is that we're not getting it before it's available in Japan. Not saying that western release is coming any time soon, just that the chance of one hasn't necessarily changed.

Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll is such a fun game. I'll probably play it later today. Nice selection of games altogether.

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
Got the legendary weapon. Couple more chapters to go. I know there's also Hector mode that unlocks after beating the game but I'm ready to move on.

Persona 5 Royal
Finally got around to trying this game out. I don't have any previous experience with Persona but I've played SMT and TMS so I have some idea of what to expect.

While I think it's a fun game, I have the original so I don't have a need for it.

I think it's finally time for me to give Persona 5 a go.

Both are pretty bad. I've played this game exactly once and the Japanese cover describes that experience better since there were no Mario characters to be seen. I had to double check that I was actually playing Mario Golf.

Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line
Bought it yesterday. Continuing from my demo save data. Started with some of the DLC songs which are the highlight for me since I haven't played that many Final Fantasy games, or at least finished them. So glad to see Someday from TWEWY as it's my favorite song from that game.

The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve
Started the 4th case. 3rd case was really good. I've come to realize that Great Ace Attorney may have a stronger cast of characters than the original trilogy.

Another Code: Recollection (demo)
Checked the demo an hour or two ago. So far it feels like the game made a perfect transition from DS to Switch. I love the look of the game and it's nice that you can change language on the fly. May end up playing the full game in Japanese since I can always go back to English if I don't understand something.

A Highland Song
May continue this one if I have time. I wanted to take a chance and go in blind thanks to its lovely visuals. I've only started the game twice and both sessions ended in a bug. First one made me unable to move and second one broke the dialogue system. Shame that it has these issues since it seems like a fine game otherwise.

I've been on a lookout for Theatrhythm sale since I missed the last one. I'm sure the price would go even lower later but I'm satisfied with -40% discount. Currently waiting for the download to finish.

I've been playing Piczle Cross Adventure lately. Picked up the bundle containing it and another nonogram game some time ago. It can't quite reach the high standard of Jupiter's Picross series but it's not too far off. Some hints stay active when they should already gray out but they do eventually. It's a minor inconsistency.

As far as this game goes, it looks really nice. I haven't played Story of Seasons (or Harvest Moon for that matter) but I'm always up for themed puzzles. I doubt it lasts me 30 hours, probably closer to half of that, but 350 puzzles is a good amount, especially if they are all unique. One thing I don't like about Picross is that they use the same images for Mega Picross which does double the puzzle count but it's not as exciting to see the same images twice even if the puzzle solving process changes quite a bit.

My top three most played for the year:
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
2. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
3. Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

All three around 50-60 hour mark.

Nonograms Prophecy, the game that doesn't work.

I heard of the game on a podcast and it stuck with me. I don't think this is the first time I'm warning people about this game. If the other games are of the same quality, my advice is to stay away from them.

The speech itself was fine as is but having bit more time, if you need it, would be appreciated. Or at the very least take the additional time it takes to translate into account. He'd just finished his second sentence by the time the "Please, wrap it up" text appeared.

Pokémon Gold & Silver
Limited movepools, weird difficulty curve and new Pokémon you can't catch until the second half of the game, some of which are at the very end.

999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Original release: Having to replay some parts of the game.
New release: The lack of second screen.

Bravely Default
You know.

Kirby's Adventure
Had to think for a long time for this one. It's pretty close to perfection as far as I'm considered. I guess it has slowdown? It never bothered me per say.

@JonSpangler Yes, I understand that. I'm just saying that I wouldn't mind seeing the Nintendo part of Universal Studios (including DK stuff if available by then) but since the price of entry accounts for all other parts of the park (Harry Potter, etc.), it's just not worth it for me. Single ticket is like 50€ and the Power-Up Band which is the amiibo wristband you use to interact with lot of the Mario stuff is over 20€. I don't think the experience is worth that. It's probably not even that bad of a price comparatively but I don't frequent theme parks so I wouldn't know.

My current plan is to visit Japan next year but this will most likely be one attraction I won't visit. I don't care about anything other than the Nintendo section of Universal Studios so it's not worth the insane price which doesn't even include the Power-Up Band. There are plenty of other sights to see.

Why not? Though I wouldn't be the one buying it. I already have the originals.

The NES game is great. Used to play it a lot.

This was my highlight of the show. May even get it day one.

@Hero-of-WiiU Base price is $17.99/€15.99. They also have a -10% launch discount.

I liked the look of A Highland Song. Have to keep an eye out on that one.

The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve
Second case. Haven't had time to play it since last week.

Arkanoid - Eternal Battle
Had this on my wishlist and noticed it was really cheap yesterday so I bought it. I wish it had difficulty options and a way to save mid-game. It's bare-bones but it does its job.

Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now
Two stages to go. The stages drag a bit toward the end. Opponents are too durable.

Castlevania Legends
Beat the first half of the game yesterday. Will probably beat the rest this weekend.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
Got to try this out, thanks to Nintendo Game Trial (Japan). I know it had bigger impact at launch than anyone expected so I've been interested in it since then. It seems like a fun game from what little I've played. I have my hands full right now but I can see myself getting it eventually.

I like both but NA cover captures the vibe better: pure chaos.

Thanks for the interview. As a Finn, this has been on my radar ever since they first announced it. I plan to buy it for myself but also for my niece. I'd imagine it will be a fun way for her to practice reading. It's not too often that games have Finnish language option.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Really close to the end. Can't continue strategy portion until I've completed all the visual novel stuff which is at 92% right now.

I'd say the game is bit too long. It kind of loses its umph once you've got the biggest mysteries out of the way. Sometimes a section gives you only a tiny additional tidbit to everything you already know. Still and excellent game, though.

F-Zero 99
I was meaning to try the rest of the tracks today but completely forgot. I'll try them tomorrow.

Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
I just suddenly got the urge to play this game today. It's a game from my childhood I like to go back to once in a while. It's just stupid fun, at least the regular stages. Though I must admit, the platforming level where you jump from roof to roof wasn't as hard as I remembered. I could never beat that stage as a kid, but luckily, I knew the cheats and could just advance to the next stage whenever I ran into an obstacle.