I'm still playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. I didn't have many chances to play it for a while, but recently I made great progress. I've conquered the pyramid, defeated Robbin' 'Ood for the second time, delivered the spices to the king of Portoga, and started sailing across the world to collect the six orbs.
I have also changed the classes of my three companions. I honestly had no plan for my team composition, so right now I have a Martial Artist (fmr. Warrior), a Merchant (fmr. Thief), and a Priest (fmr. Mage). My Martial Artist is more agile and hits hard, but they're only effective one target at a time. The Merchant took some time to finally be capable in battle, and their ability to occassionly find extra gold is quite helpful. The Priest now has a vast array of spells in their arsenal, however I do feel like I'm putting a lot of eggs in one basket.
To continue where I left off. I sailed around the world visiting all sorts of places, and gathered clues to piece together my next steps. During the process I took the orb from a den of pirates, slew the deceiving serpent, defeated a chiromancer in solitude, put to rest a horde of ghosts, and ended the tyranny of a troll. Right now I've obtained the fifth orb after a city uprising, and began terrorizing the townsfolk in mischief with the mod rod as a slime. Goo~
I'm playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on the Nintendo Switch 2. Thanks to the update I'm using Performance mode to play the game at a smooth 60fps. I switched back and forth between Graphics and Performance, and found the higher framerate more pleasing than a slightly better image quality. So far I have defeated Robbin' 'Ood and my party members currently consists of a Warrior, Thief, and a Mage.
This is just the confirmation I needed to hear before buying this game. I'm curious to know what resolution and framerate they're targeting, but still happy it plays better on Switch 2.
I was thinking about what game I should choose to test out the HD Rumble 2. And that's when I remembered the phrase "Soft 4D." That's right. I've been playing Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Unfortunately, I had never played this on the Nintendo Switch beforehand, so I have no prior experiences to make any detailed comparisons. Other than the graphical compromises made to the Switch port such as low quality shadows, jagged edges, or lesser hair volume I also noticed the girls' skin occasionally glitches when moving the camera around or when they're in motion. Other than some slowdowns when selecting levels/options on the menu, the game runs smoothly and loading times are fairly quick.
Now that I've reached Owner Level 20 and purchased a girl specific softness sensor. How does it feel? ....lol it was okay. At best it's an amusing gimmick that expresses every bounce or surface contact with nuanced vibrations. Not the most immersive experience, but nevertheless I can still appreciate the effort made into the haptic feedback.
So the Soft 4D did not live up to the hype, but does that mean that I wasted my time with this game? No. The game is mechanically shallow and repetitive to grind at times, but it's also quite relaxing and visually pleasing. Watching hot girls doing casual activities while wearing skimpy outfits is simply indulging. The game also enhances the sexual appeal with tan lines, malfunctioning outfits with loose straps, glistening sweat, and see-through wet clothes. It's also fun to interact with the girls by offering gifts and finding new strategies to maximize their satisfaction for greater rewards. Unlocking new poses and outfits to take close up glamorous shots ("Kasumi-chan!" *click click click click click) adds a lot of replay value. And with plenty of girls to choose from there's a vast array of different combinations.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet was not the type of game I ever imagined to seriously try out, let alone be the first game on my Nintendo Switch 2. Now that I played it, it's the perfect game to relax myself into and the sunny beaches are thematically appropriate for this upcoming summer season. Making adjustments to optimize the vacation within the short time frame and the abundance of sexual fanservice makes every playthrough well worth the experience.
I just hope Team Ninja will develop a brand new Dead or Alive (Xtreme) game for the Nintendo Switch 2.
One game that I don't see listed here is Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Its Japanese aesthetics caught my attention, and I'm curious enough to try out its gameplay.
Yeah the story of Muv Luv Alternative was top tier. It felt like the most emotionally exhausting rollercoaster of a story that I've played through so far. Who can forget memorable moments like the chomp scene.
My reaction:
OH MY GOD. THAT SCENE. THAT FREAKING SCENE. WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL. THAT WAS SO HORRIBLE. OH GOD. JUST..... WHY.
However, I'm not sure if I can recommend the Switch version. From my experience with the Japanese physical copy, the sound quality of the voice acting and the image quality of the background art was terrible. I don't know if this is just an issue on my end or not, but it ruined the experience.
Here's an example of what the game looked and sounded like: video
I just pre-ordered a Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle at GameStop. There were about forty to fifty people waiting in line, but I only had to wait for about forty-five minutes. The store had a little over seventy units, most of which are the bundle, and the entire pre-ordering process took about a minute to finish. I could've arrived a bit earlier to cut down the waiting time, but overall it was a fairly pleasant experience.
Yeah Monolith Soft did a real bang up job designing Mira. It evokes a sense of wonder similar to living in a world of giants from Gulliver's Travels. Vast overwhelming landscapes and enormous structures that towers over you. It certainly gives off an otherworldly feeling, which emphasizes the xeno in the Xenoblade title. The world of Mira is seductive with its natural beauty, yet it also makes it clear how dangerously hostile the environment can be. Whether it's the hazardous weather or the aggressive monsters that can slap you to death, the game keeps me on my toes knowing that I've got a long road ahead if I want to tame the wilderness.
I'm still playing Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.
Whew and that's another sidequest down. How long have I been playing? Seventy hours?! Gee I better start making some progress with the main story. ~ Two chapters later (Chapters 7 and 8) Oh man look at all those new sidequests popping up. I don't want to miss out on any of them. ~ Twenty hours later Man I am getting swamped with all of these sidequests. I think it's time to turn my attention back to main story. (Chapter 9 Requirements Have Not Been Met) Well shoot. Guess I'll get started on that Affinity Quest. Quest. Quest. SideQuest. Y'know those green exclamation marks are lookin' mighty purty. ~ Twenty hours later Well that mission was a disaster. Oh yeah what was I supposed to do again? Oh right that Affinity Quest. But maaybe I'll just finish one more sidequest. One more. What's that? There's a Nintendo Switch 2 Direct tomorrow? ~ Three days later That's pretty expensive. Time to get back to playing some more Xenoblade and do more sidequests. ~ Ten hours later (I finally finished Chapter 9)
10/10 The Tatsu is food running joke is hilarious, and I will not change my mind.
@Erigen As someone who loves XC2, my experience with XDE has been outstanding. If I had played XCX back on the Wii U, after finishing XC1 on the Wii, then I'd probably have mixed feelings on how different it is. However, after playing both XC2 and XC3, I began to appreciate how distinct they are from each other. So when XDE places a heavier emphasis on worldbuilding than the main story and provides a vast open world to explore, it feels fresh in comparison to the numbered trilogy. Heck I would also welcome bringing back avatars just to enjoy customizing my own character. As long as Xenoblade keeps breaking the mold, then I would remain satisfied with this series.
I'm about to start Chapter 7 of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. Finished leveling up both the Astral Crusader and the Duelist classes, so now I'm aiming for the Galactic Knight class. And finally I got my Skell License yesterday about seventy hours in.
Right now I'm currently playing Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. I'm working my way around Mira doing a bunch of side quests, and just vibing to the song Uncontrollable whenever I fight against Tyrants. This game has been a blast to play, and so far I'm on Chapter 5 using the Astral Crusader class.
I also finished playing Metal Slader Glory: Director's Cut. This is another cool game with a sci-fi setting, and it takes full advantage of its limited gameplay to immerse players in every scenario. Part of that immersion is due to the wonderful pixel art that meticulously recreated Hoshi Yoshimiru's art. The backgrounds are limited in scope, but the level of ambition to portray its world is impressive. Characters are well animated, and when viewed up close their expressions are lovingly captured. From its humble beginnings to the climactic finale, Metal Slader Glory: Director's Cut is a short, yet wild ride that ends on a high note.
@AmplifyMJ The Switch port is quite competent that it runs smoothly most of the time. It loses some of the finer details when viewing things from afar, but most of the action occurs in close proximity so I'd say it's a fair trade off. It's a great zombie survival horror game with a good risk versus reward formula, and the parkour platforming is a great inclusion to movement feel more agile.
Had a wild time hacking limbs and heads off with a machete. I was throwing molotovs at huge crowds, and watched them burn as they screamed in agony. Anyone that was blocking my way gets kicked to the ground, and had their head stomped like a grape. A lot of the time I would go around searching for food, money, and booze from other people's homes. Sometimes I had to get a little violent with the occupants inside, so I'd claim their house as my own. Things get even dicier at night, so it's pretty nerve-racking having to sneak around and climb over rooftops to escape the eyes of patrols. However, it's more thrilling to evade their pursuit with the help of special concoctions I made with some herbs and wild mushrooms. But it's not like I don't help people out y'know. Like with the sick man, who was constantly vomiting, I relieved him of his pain by spilling his guts out. Or that one time with the crying kid. I helped calm down their nerves, and ensured them a dream that would last forever. Ah who knew that such acts of mercy could ever make life so fulfilling. Bless you my brethren, my kin, my people. Bless you all.
So yeah I was playing Dying Light: Platinum Edition.
I loved Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The world is lively with its bustling towns, imaginative environments, and a colorful cast of characters from various shades of life. Its combat is still my favorite in the series setting up well-coordinated combos for quick efficiency, and the battle narrator just adds onto the hype whenever I achieve successful combos. And the music, my gosh the rich music perfectly expresses the unique festive nature of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with memorable themes. Someday I hope to revisit this world and journey alongside its characters whenever Monolith Soft decides to make a definitive edition.
That was a good interview by Inverse. It was nice to get some insight into how Sakamoto and Miyachi went about designing Emio - The Smiling Man. They really stepped up on delivering a quality product with detailed background environments, improved animations, full voice acting, and richer conversations. Their approach as to how the mysteries get unraveled and the slow burn story progression are huge risks, yet they delivered with a potent impact. The way they structured the narrative also helped to create one of the finest tragedies, and by being so singularly focused on a specific subject it's unrelenting and harsh. The dark themes made for a heavy and somber experience. Depicting just how raw and unforgiving the realities of human nature can be is what makes it hit so hard on a personal level.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is an outstanding title that deserves greater attention as one of the main highlights of 2024.
I have finished playing Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered.
Truly, the best grand finale this saga could've asked for. Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered is an epic full of action, romance, and tragedy. A tale of constant struggle where people must fight against insurmountable odds, and learn to contend with inner tumoils. This game does not shy away from subjecting its characters to all sorts of cruelty and vile events in which they must quickly grow to adapt. Through all the pain and suffering, the numerous losses and sacrifices, while upholding the heavy burden of responsibility it was inspiring to witness these characters rise above to the occasion. Despite having limited experience with visual novels myself, Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered has raised my standards for impactful stories to new heights.
That being said, while the story and characters deserves much praise the same cannot be said about the Nintendo Switch port. Somehow the voice clips and the background art have drastically fallen in quality when comparing Muv-Luv Remastered to Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered. The voices are no longer clear and instead sound crunchy and scratchy. The background arts show heavy compression artifacts making them look blurry and pixelated. The texts themselves are even slightly misaligned with improper alignment and varying font sizes. These detractors are prevalent in just about 99% of the game, and actively harms the overall experience regardless of how engrossing the story is. The Muv-Luv saga is a journey worth experiencing, but dropping the ball on the porting quality of the final chapter is disappointing.
Right now I'm playing Muv Luv Remastered (Unlimited). Unlimited makes certain changes to the setting from Extra, but allows the personalities of the same characters to remain mostly unchanged. This sense of familiarity serves as a base foundation in a foreign setting, and in spite of their drastically different upbringings they remain fairly true to their character. This setting also allows for more interesting scenarios than the banality and antics of the high school romance drama in Extra. While it does retain parts of that spirit through banter and other character interactions, with greater stakes and urgency the characters do feel more connected and their actions meaningful. The game does show its age with character designs from early 2000s, and some scenarios are relics of their time with the use of worn out tropes. However, Muv Luv Remastered Unlimited still manages to keep me fascinated with its tight-knit group of characters and a fresh new setting that ups the tension.
I finished playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed. The journey itself is arguably the smoothest out of all the Xenoblade games. The battle mechanics opens up quickly allowing players to experience the full extent of combat early, and the game encourages exploration with a variety of field crafted devices for easy traversal and other benefits. Matthew is a cool protagonist, his straightforward fighting style is my favorite to control. He's an energetic hothead who contrasts with Noah's more introspective and philosophical nature. The fanservice this game offers is great with returning characters such as Shulk and Rex, and locations largely based from Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition being the key highlights. It's a fantastic send off to the Klaus saga culminating all sorts of aspects from past entries into a singular celebratory experience. I attempted to do a 100% completion, but I fell short of beating two superbosses. They were so painfully difficult that I ended up doubling my playtime from 25hrs to 50hrs trying to beat them. Eventually, I was feeling burnt out, and decided to just quit the game before I started to despise it.
Following the playthrough of Future Redeemed, I also decided to replay the base game Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This time around I was much more appreciative of the story themes and the characters. The dynamics and chemistry between the main cast is exceptional. The events of Chapter 5 and 6 remain top tier and still manages to leave me emotionally exhausted by the end of it. I also had lots of fun customizing my team's classes and loadouts for optimal battle performances, which was understandably limited in the expansion DLC. Future Redeemed doesn't quite add the same level of emotional depth that Torna adds to its base game but rather parallels and lore to the world of Aionios. The events with Guernica for example only made me miss Matthew even more. The side quests are pretty good, some of my favorite hero's side quests are Miyabi, Sena, Zeon, Teach, and Ashera. There's a lot of 10/10 moments that I love from this game but some of the issues I had with this game were the overbearing tutorials, a couple of weak hero's side quest with underwhelming writing, the deserts of the Fornis region being my least favorite area to explore, and the distracting performance issues in the the vast Cadensia region. Same as with Future Redeemed I finished it feeling greatly satisfied, but I don't have the heart to continue playing much of the post-game content.
I had finished playing Witch on the Holy Night. The lack of gameplay took some time for me to adjust, but overall it was a solid experience. This visual novel has some beautiful CG artwork, and the music is quite pleasant to listen to for long periods of time. There are a couple of action scenes, but the game is mostly concerned with providing insight to the day-to-day lives of three characters and their unusual circumstances. The main character, Soujyuro, his selfless personality but lack of common sense works well in tandem with both Aoko and Alice. It was a joyful experience watching them go from uneasy hostilities into gradually forming bonds of trust and friendship as the story unfolds. The story also goes into detail explaining the system of magecraft and magic to help readers understand the situation, which can be overwhelming to grasp but still interesting to learn. I understand that the localization takes massive effort, but the few obvious misspellings and typos still comes off as sloppy. Hopefully, we'll get to know more about the main trio with a sequel, but the game ends on a good note. I look forward to watching the anime adaptation of this game, and maybe I'll play Tsukihime later on.
I'm also playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future Redeemed right now. The game can look really blurry when things get busy on screen, and sometimes the dialogue flows unnaturally. Otherwise, the combat feels incredibly fun to play with the new Unity Combo mechanic, and the incentive to explore the world with Affinity Goals is quite addictive. I've reached Colony 9 at the moment. It was good to see both Shulk and Rex, but the biggest surprise was hearing the battle theme from the first Xenoblade Chronicles. I'm excited to beat this game now that I've gotten myself a full party, and the world and combat opening themselves up.
Happy 20th anniversary to the dual screen wonder for influencing my tastes in gaming, and giving me all the great memories with its awesome library of games.
I had just finished Fire Emblem Engage. It's such a great game and probably the most fun I had from a Fire Emblem game. The story can be cheesy yet it's full of heart, its characters are endearing with their quirky personalities and hilarious character supports, and the strategic gameplay is just tops. I'm really glad to have given this game a chance it deserves.
I had also completed the DLC Fell Xenologue. It was pretty challenging but the difficulty felt unfair at times and the units that you were forced to deploy were mostly a liability. The fifth chapter was my favorite map, and the finale was really tough (hats off to those who beat it on Maddening, those reinforcements were killer). The story was quite interesting, and some of the unique conversations were just tragic. They turned Timerra into a vegetarian (NOOOOOO).
I'm reaching the finale of Fire Emblem Engage. This game took a while for me getting used to, but it eventually won me over.
The strategic gameplay is the key aspect that got me hooked into this game. The Emblem Rings adds a lot of options for customization, the map designs are solid that makes good use of the terrain, it keeps the gameplay interesting with great enemy variety and tough bosses, and the break mechanic adds an interesting twist on how combat is approached.
Visually this game is arguably the best Fire Emblem has yet looked in 3D. The smooth battle animations (those advanced parrying/dodge animations were sick), the 3D rendered battlefields (roaming around the paralogue maps from previous games was really cool), and the art style makes the game look so vibrant with colors that pop.
The dialogue can be a bit shaky at times during the main story, but it excels with the upbeat and funny character supports. The story is serviceable so far, but at least it does lead to interesting gameplay scenarios.
The main theme song that plays in the opening is so corny that I love it. It's catchy and it perfectly sets the tone of the game letting me know that I'm in for a good time.
I've been waiting for a chance to play this game, and was admiring it from a distance through trailers and its soundtrack. Now I'm just biding my time for the release date, so that I can get my hands on a copy as soon as possible.
I just finished playing Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. This Nintendo DS remake is my first Fire Emblem game, but I have to accredit Awakening for actually getting me into this franchise. Back then I didn't know the difference between Defense and Resistance until I realized that my cleric could somehow tank Gharnef's Imhullu spell better than my knight could. Now that I have more experience, I revisited this game only to find it better than I had remembered. It may lack a lot of staple mechanics such as skills or canto, but it still retains its appeal with a simpler yet solid gameplay. I set the difficulty on Hard 1, and while my heart isn't used to permadeath there's a sense of liberation for not getting so tied down to a unit's death. I pushed through and experienced many casualties due to my mistakes, but not enough for me to play any of optional side (Gaiden) chapters.
It was only until I reached the Endgame chapter that I suffered the most casualties. I was woefully unprepared against the traps and reinforcements, and I paid dearly for it with the lives of my elite units.
RIP: Lena (killed by a ballistician), Julian (careless positioning), Cain, Draug (trapped by a Magestone Manakete), Abel (killed by a Manakete), Jake (cornered by a Manakete), Radd, and Merric (got doubled by a Manakete)
At this point, things were looking grim and I was contemplating on restarting the map. However, I decided to just keep pushing forward to the end. I have Caeda flying around taking out long range artillery ballisticians, Marth and Tiki are to rush towards the final boss to kill Medeus, while Jeorge, Elice, Gotoh, Barst, and Linde are to set up a defensive line to stop reinforcements. Things were starting to look up, but the enemy reinforcements was proving to be too much for my defenders to handle. In a last ditch effort, I had Elice warp Linde to safety before she was slain alongside with Jeorge by the onslaught waves of enemies.
Marth (Mars): ELIIIIIIIIIIIICE!
RIP: Jeorge and Elice (defensive position was overwhelmed)
Only the archsage Gotoh and my berserker Barst were the last two defenders barely hanging on, and it was at this moment that both Tiki and Linde killed off the last remaining defenders for Marth to safely reach the final boss. Marth could not survive two hits from Medeus, so the boss had to be one to initiate the attack. Marth missed the first attack (FFFFFFFFfffffffffffffffffuuuuu...), but luckily he did manage to hit him the second time bringing Medeus HP below half. I was getting nervous from the first missed attack, but I took my chances by having Marth initiate the attack on Medeus and he strike him down with the Falchion. It was a hard fought battle that left me both devastated by my losses yet fulfilled with my accomplishment. I wish that I could've beaten this game on a happier note, but I still had a great time despite the costly victory.
@TheExile285 That was beautiful. It made me remember some good memories I had playing those games, and seeing the Xeno characters coming altogether got me smiling.
@DDFawfulGuy It's a youthful, shonen-like voice for sure, but I wonder if the developers are well aware of that fact when you consider the other characters taking a dig at how young the protagonist looks. Personally, I like his voice and the voice actress does a great job characterizing him whenever he's joking around, or gets an inflated ego from the smallest of praises. It adds to the immature side of him, and shows that he's still a bit childish at heart.
@DDFawfulGuy I didn't have any major issues with the localization, but it definitely had some questionable choices. There were some occassions where the Japanese dub and the English sub felt mismatched. For example, the protagonist would blurt out "Gorgeous!" in English, yet the subtitles would read "Hot" instead. Sometimes I felt the English translation didn't quite capture the Japanese expressions in a satisfying manner. In those moments, the translation comes off as reserved or simplified. However, I still find it serviceable enough to follow along easily and the writing managed to get some laughs out of me. The English localization may not be entirely accurate with the Japanese dub, but I find it commendable to retain character portrayal and humor. Kamihara's casual approach and Kuze's uptight curtness makes their opposite personalities discernable. Comedic scenes such as summoning the taxi, the prank phone calls, and the zipper running gag also manage to land in thanks to the writing. I do agree that the English localization could be better served as a script for an English dub, but I also think it does the job well enough.
A couple missteps but largely functional is my stance.
From my experience with the demo, the only point that I heavily disagree on would be the "No effort to refine or modernise." I believe the developers really took the criticisms towards the remakes to heart, and made Emio - The Smiling Man much easier to progress. From utilizing optional highlighted texts, hints provided by the Think command, and yellow flashing commands they all guided me onto the next step.
I don't think the core mechanic is perfect, and it's understandable why it can lead to moments of frustration. However, I wonder if said modernization actually goes against the series signature gameplay. After playing through the remakes and the demo, I recognized that the lack of signified "exhausted avenues" or "conversational branches" as an intentional design. This may come off as a major inconvenience to the player, but this also sets this series apart from other Adventure games like Ace Attorney. Rather than being given a checklist of dialogue options where players would simply scroll through to proceed, Famicom Detective Club asks the player to actively participate in said dialogues. You engage with it by asking the right questions, paying close attention to determine if you've exhausted the question, and examine any unusual character reactions. This level of interaction is why I think your quality of life suggestions would only trivialize the gameplay, because it wants you to be making those important judgments even at the cost of being pushed to a breaking point. It's also why the hints they provided are actually a good balance for being both considerate and uncompromising to the gameplay. The game may not feature health bars, but trying to brute force this game will only lead you into an aggravating, time-consuming tedium. I truly believe that this game isn't so much of about guessing as you say it is and that there is a certain flow of logic to discover that makes it all the more rewarding with smooth sailings.
An English dub would be interesting, but I'm not surprised nor bothered by its absence. Although, the one aspect that I am wary of would be the soundtrack. They're nice to listen to, but none of them has stood out to me yet.
In anticipation for the recently announced sequel, Emio - The Smiling Man, I finished the Nintendo Switch remake of Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind. Having played the Super Famicom remake a while ago, my appreciation towards the Switch remake grew considerably. The new CG illustrations, the animations, the newly arranged soundtrack, and voice acting all came together to create a stellar experience. Other than the few frustrating instances of guessing, it's a fantastic game with a story that withstood the test of time.
WHAT?! We're getting a brand new Famicom Detective Club game! It's so good to see more Adventure games from Nintendo and by Yoshio Sakamoto himself no less. This is the best news I've heard this year by far.
Wow, I'm surprised to see how much votes Another Code: Recollection has gotten so far. Anyways, I'm buying one as soon as possible, and I'll probably get Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy next month.
It's the first Final Fantasy that I played, so I figured that going down the nostalgic route would be a great way to end the year. There's the classic ATB battle system, a wonderful soundtrack, and a memorable cast of characters. I appreciate the voice acting coupled with the newly translated script, which animates and adds flavor to the characters' speech. The higher difficulty while setting the battle speed to fastest and Active gives the right amount of challenge for a returning player. Yeah, this game is perfect for me to just settle down, and get immersed into it. Right now, I have bidden farewell to a bloodstained past (gosh this was such a good scene).
By giving us a small taste, the demo itself does a great job of letting us know what to expect from the remake. Visually the game looks colorful yet soft like pastels, and some of the music gives off a mellow vibe with their gentle melody. Graphically, (in handheld mode) the environment can look a bit rough with the flat foliage and blurry textures.
However, character models such as Ashley look wonderful, and seeing her idle animations and the hair flowing from the breeze are really nice touches.
Some of the animations in cutscenes are clunky, but the game tries to hide them by cutting away or limiting the view. There was some pop-ins, but they're barely noticeable enough to be offensive. We're only given simple puzzles to solve, but I wouldn't be surprised if the full game throws some curveballs that will utilize the Switch system or DAS in creative ways. The interactions between characters are great thanks to the solid writing and voice acting.
We're given a personal insight into Ashley, which allows us to understand her fluctuating nature from a tumultuous circumstance. Other than that, I'm excited to see how well the changes will turn out in the remake.
I finished the demo for Another Code: Recollection. I'm already sold on the game, but this demo has quelled most of my worries. Visually, I really like how they strike a nice balance between vibrant colors that pop and understated tones that gives the game a soft look reminiscent of the ethereal feeling of the original DS game. There are minor blemishes to the overall presentation such as blurry textures, but in contrast the character models do stand out for how nicely detailed they are. The game also nails the writing down, which is especially important for a game that will be dialogue heavy. The moment that stood out to me was the subject of memories from the dialogue between the Captian and Ashley. The voice acting is pretty solid and convincingly portrays Ashley's struggles with inner turmoils by acting distant from her aunt and expressing disappointment towards her absent father. One of my favorite moments was Ashley's interaction with D, and the comparison of their similar circumstances helped to create a natural bond of friendship. Other than that, I do wish they could be a bit more subtle with some of the noises Ashley makes, which comes off as exaggerated than natural. Overall, I'm happy with what I played, and the changes makes me look forward to a promising remake next year.
It's somewhat reassuring to hear that Ace Attorney hasn't ended yet. Though, I'd like to see a brand new entry before we get onto porting the Investigations spin-offs.
Anyways, I'm fairly excited to play this trilogy. I think Apollo Justice has the coolest soundtrack in the series, and I'd finally be able to play Spirit of Justice.
@Lizuka MY EXTRATERRITORIAL RIGHTS ARE TOO POWERFUL TO LET THIS GAME END!
Investigations is one of least favorites, but I also think its sequel is better. I have issues with the game for its bloated cast and pacing (sometimes I wanted to strangle Edgeworth with his cravat for his repetitive phrases), but I think it has great character arcs and heartfelt story moments. Logic Chess is also a fun mechanic that kept me on my toes with its time limit. The Investigations spin-offs adds a lot to the world of Ace Attorney by revisiting familiar characters and expanding backstories with greater context. Also, Dick Gumshoe is in the game.
It's incredible that these remakes actually exist. The brand new visuals, soundtrack, and voice acting does help modernize these old games. However, the game can be frustratingly obtuse with its multitude of options making it difficult to determine the correct course of action. I also find the English localization to be lacking. The disparity between what was said from the Japanese dub and what the English subtitles read can be distracting. The voice acting can be lackluster at times that I tend to skip over it and just read the text instead. Outside of the games themselves the ~$60 price tag is quite steep, which is unfavorable when compared to the competition like Ace Attorney.
I might sound critical, but make no mistake that I am still grateful for the experience and quite engaged with its story.
"In the Holoholo Jungle, during the boss battle against the Holoholobird, players are unable to progress if the battle lasts more than a certain amount of time"
Lol this boss battle has given plenty of Baten Kaitos players some grief over its difficulty, so I find it hilarious that a bug has made it even harder by adding a time limit to it.
Comments 57
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (20th September)
I'm still playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake. I didn't have many chances to play it for a while, but recently I made great progress. I've conquered the pyramid, defeated Robbin' 'Ood for the second time, delivered the spices to the king of Portoga, and started sailing across the world to collect the six orbs.
I have also changed the classes of my three companions. I honestly had no plan for my team composition, so right now I have a Martial Artist (fmr. Warrior), a Merchant (fmr. Thief), and a Priest (fmr. Mage). My Martial Artist is more agile and hits hard, but they're only effective one target at a time. The Merchant took some time to finally be capable in battle, and their ability to occassionly find extra gold is quite helpful. The Priest now has a vast array of spells in their arsenal, however I do feel like I'm putting a lot of eggs in one basket.
To continue where I left off. I sailed around the world visiting all sorts of places, and gathered clues to piece together my next steps. During the process I took the orb from a den of pirates, slew the deceiving serpent, defeated a chiromancer in solitude, put to rest a horde of ghosts, and ended the tyranny of a troll. Right now I've obtained the fifth orb after a city uprising, and began terrorizing the townsfolk in mischief with the mod rod as a slime. Goo~
Re: Nintendo Direct September 2025: Every Announcement, Game Reveal, Trailer
Most of the games that I'm excited for are remakes such as Dragon Quest VII, Final Fantasy VII, and Fatal Frame 2.
I'm happy to see Switch 2 ports for the Resident Evil games, but I'm curious to know how well they run.
Cautiously excited for the new Fire Emblem game. I'm not invested in the world of Fodlan, but I won't turn away from a promising SRPG.
Samus has a motorcycle. Very cool. Can't wait to pick up Metroid Prime 4 Beyond.
I rate this Nintendo Direct a 7/10. It didn't blow me away, but there's plenty of great games to look forward to.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (23rd August)
Thanks @ShieldHero. I just loaded up my save file to continue the adventure.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (23rd August)
I'm playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on the Nintendo Switch 2. Thanks to the update I'm using Performance mode to play the game at a smooth 60fps. I switched back and forth between Graphics and Performance, and found the higher framerate more pleasing than a slightly better image quality. So far I have defeated Robbin' 'Ood and my party members currently consists of a Warrior, Thief, and a Mage.
Re: Trails In The Sky 1st Chapter Switch 2 Edition 'Upgrade Pack' Confirmed
This is just the confirmation I needed to hear before buying this game. I'm curious to know what resolution and framerate they're targeting, but still happy it plays better on Switch 2.
Re: Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Gets A Free Demo On Switch 2
Good stuff. I'm still on the fence with this game, so this demo will help me determine if it's worth picking up or not.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (9th August)
I did a couple sessions of Mario Kart World, but I recently went back to playing Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet.
I wonder why this game has a safety notice to wear a Joy-Con strap? It's not like this game makes you swing your controller around or something.
*Unlocks the Golden Fan
Oh, okay. So I can swing the controller around to create some breeze effects. I wonder what that does?
*swish (*boing)
...what?
*swish *swish (*boing *boing)
Wait, what?! Hold on! What if I add the softness sensor? *holds down ZR and ZL
*swish *swish *swish (*boing *boing *boing, *rumble *rumble *rumble)
Ooooooh. Now for the finishing touches.
*Applies skincare items for extra effect
(*Clears throat) *Raises Joy-Cons
Me:
Next time on Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet...
Me: THE WORLD!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th June)
I was thinking about what game I should choose to test out the HD Rumble 2. And that's when I remembered the phrase "Soft 4D." That's right. I've been playing Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet on the Nintendo Switch 2.
Unfortunately, I had never played this on the Nintendo Switch beforehand, so I have no prior experiences to make any detailed comparisons. Other than the graphical compromises made to the Switch port such as low quality shadows, jagged edges, or lesser hair volume I also noticed the girls' skin occasionally glitches when moving the camera around or when they're in motion. Other than some slowdowns when selecting levels/options on the menu, the game runs smoothly and loading times are fairly quick.
Now that I've reached Owner Level 20 and purchased a girl specific softness sensor. How does it feel?
....lol it was okay. At best it's an amusing gimmick that expresses every bounce or surface contact with nuanced vibrations. Not the most immersive experience, but nevertheless I can still appreciate the effort made into the haptic feedback.
So the Soft 4D did not live up to the hype, but does that mean that I wasted my time with this game? No. The game is mechanically shallow and repetitive to grind at times, but it's also quite relaxing and visually pleasing. Watching hot girls doing casual activities while wearing skimpy outfits is simply indulging. The game also enhances the sexual appeal with tan lines, malfunctioning outfits with loose straps, glistening sweat, and see-through wet clothes. It's also fun to interact with the girls by offering gifts and finding new strategies to maximize their satisfaction for greater rewards. Unlocking new poses and outfits to take close up glamorous shots ("Kasumi-chan!" *click click click click click) adds a lot of replay value. And with plenty of girls to choose from there's a vast array of different combinations.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet was not the type of game I ever imagined to seriously try out, let alone be the first game on my Nintendo Switch 2. Now that I played it, it's the perfect game to relax myself into and the sunny beaches are thematically appropriate for this upcoming summer season. Making adjustments to optimize the vacation within the short time frame and the abundance of sexual fanservice makes every playthrough well worth the experience.
I just hope Team Ninja will develop a brand new Dead or Alive (Xtreme) game for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Re: 27 Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games We're Excited For In 2025
One game that I don't see listed here is Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Its Japanese aesthetics caught my attention, and I'm curious enough to try out its gameplay.
Re: Community: 38 Switch Games We Missed, As Recommended By You
Yeah the story of Muv Luv Alternative was top tier. It felt like the most emotionally exhausting rollercoaster of a story that I've played through so far. Who can forget memorable moments like the chomp scene.
My reaction:
OH MY GOD. THAT SCENE. THAT FREAKING SCENE. WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL. THAT WAS SO HORRIBLE. OH GOD. JUST..... WHY.
However, I'm not sure if I can recommend the Switch version. From my experience with the Japanese physical copy, the sound quality of the voice acting and the image quality of the background art was terrible. I don't know if this is just an issue on my end or not, but it ruined the experience.
Here's an example of what the game looked and sounded like:
video
Also Meiya is definitely best girl.
Re: Poll: So, Did You Manage To Get A Switch 2 Pre-Order In? (North America)
I just pre-ordered a Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle at GameStop. There were about forty to fifty people waiting in line, but I only had to wait for about forty-five minutes. The store had a little over seventy units, most of which are the bundle, and the entire pre-ordering process took about a minute to finish. I could've arrived a bit earlier to cut down the waiting time, but overall it was a fairly pleasant experience.
Re: Opinion: In A Post BOTW And Elden Ring World, Xenoblade Chronicles X Is Still Daunting
Yeah Monolith Soft did a real bang up job designing Mira. It evokes a sense of wonder similar to living in a world of giants from Gulliver's Travels. Vast overwhelming landscapes and enormous structures that towers over you. It certainly gives off an otherworldly feeling, which emphasizes the xeno in the Xenoblade title. The world of Mira is seductive with its natural beauty, yet it also makes it clear how dangerously hostile the environment can be. Whether it's the hazardous weather or the aggressive monsters that can slap you to death, the game keeps me on my toes knowing that I've got a long road ahead if I want to tame the wilderness.
Re: Community: Which Switch 2 Games Are You Wishlisting?
I was thinking about Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, but after learning it's supposedly a game-key card I'm a bit wary.
Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition on the other hand looks to be complete on cart, so I'll buy it.
Fingers crossed for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, but I'm not feeling hopeful for the physical version.
I'm still cautious of The Duskbloods, but if I reframe my perspective on it as a multiplayer game then I might be interested.
Donkey Kong Bananza looks incredibly fun even for someone like me who doesn't play platformers regularly so that's a must buy.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond looks visually stunning on the Switch 2 so that's another game to get.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (5th April)
I'm still playing Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.
Whew and that's another sidequest down. How long have I been playing? Seventy hours?! Gee I better start making some progress with the main story.
~ Two chapters later (Chapters 7 and 8)
Oh man look at all those new sidequests popping up. I don't want to miss out on any of them.
~ Twenty hours later
Man I am getting swamped with all of these sidequests. I think it's time to turn my attention back to main story.
(Chapter 9 Requirements Have Not Been Met)
Well shoot. Guess I'll get started on that Affinity Quest. Quest. Quest. SideQuest. Y'know those green exclamation marks are lookin' mighty purty.
~ Twenty hours later
Well that mission was a disaster. Oh yeah what was I supposed to do again? Oh right that Affinity Quest. But maaybe I'll just finish one more sidequest. One more. What's that? There's a Nintendo Switch 2 Direct tomorrow?
~ Three days later
That's pretty expensive. Time to get back to playing some more Xenoblade and do more sidequests.
~ Ten hours later (I finally finished Chapter 9)
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition?
10/10 The Tatsu is food running joke is hilarious, and I will not change my mind.
@Erigen As someone who loves XC2, my experience with XDE has been outstanding. If I had played XCX back on the Wii U, after finishing XC1 on the Wii, then I'd probably have mixed feelings on how different it is. However, after playing both XC2 and XC3, I began to appreciate how distinct they are from each other. So when XDE places a heavier emphasis on worldbuilding than the main story and provides a vast open world to explore, it feels fresh in comparison to the numbered trilogy. Heck I would also welcome bringing back avatars just to enjoy customizing my own character. As long as Xenoblade keeps breaking the mold, then I would remain satisfied with this series.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (29th March)
I'm about to start Chapter 7 of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. Finished leveling up both the Astral Crusader and the Duelist classes, so now I'm aiming for the Galactic Knight class. And finally I got my Skell License yesterday about seventy hours in.
Re: Nintendo Showcases Every Switch Direct Game In New Infographic
I'm only interested in buying Rhythm Heaven Groove from that list. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and No Sleep For Kaname Date are just maybes for now.
Re: Rhythm Heaven Groove Announced For Switch, Launching 2026
Sigh I'm happy to see a new Rhythm Heaven game but 2026 is still quite some time away.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (22nd March)
Right now I'm currently playing Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. I'm working my way around Mira doing a bunch of side quests, and just vibing to the song Uncontrollable whenever I fight against Tyrants. This game has been a blast to play, and so far I'm on Chapter 5 using the Astral Crusader class.
I also finished playing Metal Slader Glory: Director's Cut. This is another cool game with a sci-fi setting, and it takes full advantage of its limited gameplay to immerse players in every scenario. Part of that immersion is due to the wonderful pixel art that meticulously recreated Hoshi Yoshimiru's art. The backgrounds are limited in scope, but the level of ambition to portray its world is impressive. Characters are well animated, and when viewed up close their expressions are lovingly captured. From its humble beginnings to the climactic finale, Metal Slader Glory: Director's Cut is a short, yet wild ride that ends on a high note.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (15th March)
@AmplifyMJ The Switch port is quite competent that it runs smoothly most of the time. It loses some of the finer details when viewing things from afar, but most of the action occurs in close proximity so I'd say it's a fair trade off. It's a great zombie survival horror game with a good risk versus reward formula, and the parkour platforming is a great inclusion to movement feel more agile.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (15th March)
Had a wild time hacking limbs and heads off with a machete. I was throwing molotovs at huge crowds, and watched them burn as they screamed in agony. Anyone that was blocking my way gets kicked to the ground, and had their head stomped like a grape. A lot of the time I would go around searching for food, money, and booze from other people's homes. Sometimes I had to get a little violent with the occupants inside, so I'd claim their house as my own. Things get even dicier at night, so it's pretty nerve-racking having to sneak around and climb over rooftops to escape the eyes of patrols. However, it's more thrilling to evade their pursuit with the help of special concoctions I made with some herbs and wild mushrooms. But it's not like I don't help people out y'know. Like with the sick man, who was constantly vomiting, I relieved him of his pain by spilling his guts out. Or that one time with the crying kid. I helped calm down their nerves, and ensured them a dream that would last forever. Ah who knew that such acts of mercy could ever make life so fulfilling. Bless you my brethren, my kin, my people. Bless you all.
So yeah I was playing Dying Light: Platinum Edition.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Xenoblade Game? Rate Your Favourite For Our Upcoming Ranking
I loved Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The world is lively with its bustling towns, imaginative environments, and a colorful cast of characters from various shades of life. Its combat is still my favorite in the series setting up well-coordinated combos for quick efficiency, and the battle narrator just adds onto the hype whenever I achieve successful combos. And the music, my gosh the rich music perfectly expresses the unique festive nature of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with memorable themes. Someday I hope to revisit this world and journey alongside its characters whenever Monolith Soft decides to make a definitive edition.
Re: "I Was Honestly Surprised" - Yoshio Sakamoto On Nintendo's Approval Of Emio
That was a good interview by Inverse. It was nice to get some insight into how Sakamoto and Miyachi went about designing Emio - The Smiling Man. They really stepped up on delivering a quality product with detailed background environments, improved animations, full voice acting, and richer conversations. Their approach as to how the mysteries get unraveled and the slow burn story progression are huge risks, yet they delivered with a potent impact. The way they structured the narrative also helped to create one of the finest tragedies, and by being so singularly focused on a specific subject it's unrelenting and harsh. The dark themes made for a heavy and somber experience. Depicting just how raw and unforgiving the realities of human nature can be is what makes it hit so hard on a personal level.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is an outstanding title that deserves greater attention as one of the main highlights of 2024.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (New Year Edition)
I have finished playing Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered.
Truly, the best grand finale this saga could've asked for. Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered is an epic full of action, romance, and tragedy. A tale of constant struggle where people must fight against insurmountable odds, and learn to contend with inner tumoils. This game does not shy away from subjecting its characters to all sorts of cruelty and vile events in which they must quickly grow to adapt. Through all the pain and suffering, the numerous losses and sacrifices, while upholding the heavy burden of responsibility it was inspiring to witness these characters rise above to the occasion. Despite having limited experience with visual novels myself, Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered has raised my standards for impactful stories to new heights.
That being said, while the story and characters deserves much praise the same cannot be said about the Nintendo Switch port. Somehow the voice clips and the background art have drastically fallen in quality when comparing Muv-Luv Remastered to Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered. The voices are no longer clear and instead sound crunchy and scratchy. The background arts show heavy compression artifacts making them look blurry and pixelated. The texts themselves are even slightly misaligned with improper alignment and varying font sizes. These detractors are prevalent in just about 99% of the game, and actively harms the overall experience regardless of how engrossing the story is. The Muv-Luv saga is a journey worth experiencing, but dropping the ball on the porting quality of the final chapter is disappointing.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (Christmas 2024 Edition)
Right now I'm playing Muv Luv Remastered (Unlimited). Unlimited makes certain changes to the setting from Extra, but allows the personalities of the same characters to remain mostly unchanged. This sense of familiarity serves as a base foundation in a foreign setting, and in spite of their drastically different upbringings they remain fairly true to their character. This setting also allows for more interesting scenarios than the banality and antics of the high school romance drama in Extra. While it does retain parts of that spirit through banter and other character interactions, with greater stakes and urgency the characters do feel more connected and their actions meaningful. The game does show its age with character designs from early 2000s, and some scenarios are relics of their time with the use of worn out tropes. However, Muv Luv Remastered Unlimited still manages to keep me fascinated with its tight-knit group of characters and a fresh new setting that ups the tension.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (14th December)
I finished playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed. The journey itself is arguably the smoothest out of all the Xenoblade games. The battle mechanics opens up quickly allowing players to experience the full extent of combat early, and the game encourages exploration with a variety of field crafted devices for easy traversal and other benefits. Matthew is a cool protagonist, his straightforward fighting style is my favorite to control. He's an energetic hothead who contrasts with Noah's more introspective and philosophical nature. The fanservice this game offers is great with returning characters such as Shulk and Rex, and locations largely based from Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition being the key highlights. It's a fantastic send off to the Klaus saga culminating all sorts of aspects from past entries into a singular celebratory experience. I attempted to do a 100% completion, but I fell short of beating two superbosses. They were so painfully difficult that I ended up doubling my playtime from 25hrs to 50hrs trying to beat them. Eventually, I was feeling burnt out, and decided to just quit the game before I started to despise it.
Following the playthrough of Future Redeemed, I also decided to replay the base game Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This time around I was much more appreciative of the story themes and the characters. The dynamics and chemistry between the main cast is exceptional. The events of Chapter 5 and 6 remain top tier and still manages to leave me emotionally exhausted by the end of it. I also had lots of fun customizing my team's classes and loadouts for optimal battle performances, which was understandably limited in the expansion DLC. Future Redeemed doesn't quite add the same level of emotional depth that Torna adds to its base game but rather parallels and lore to the world of Aionios. The events with Guernica for example only made me miss Matthew even more. The side quests are pretty good, some of my favorite hero's side quests are Miyabi, Sena, Zeon, Teach, and Ashera. There's a lot of 10/10 moments that I love from this game but some of the issues I had with this game were the overbearing tutorials, a couple of weak hero's side quest with underwhelming writing, the deserts of the Fornis region being my least favorite area to explore, and the distracting performance issues in the the vast Cadensia region. Same as with Future Redeemed I finished it feeling greatly satisfied, but I don't have the heart to continue playing much of the post-game content.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (23rd November)
I had finished playing Witch on the Holy Night. The lack of gameplay took some time for me to adjust, but overall it was a solid experience. This visual novel has some beautiful CG artwork, and the music is quite pleasant to listen to for long periods of time. There are a couple of action scenes, but the game is mostly concerned with providing insight to the day-to-day lives of three characters and their unusual circumstances. The main character, Soujyuro, his selfless personality but lack of common sense works well in tandem with both Aoko and Alice. It was a joyful experience watching them go from uneasy hostilities into gradually forming bonds of trust and friendship as the story unfolds. The story also goes into detail explaining the system of magecraft and magic to help readers understand the situation, which can be overwhelming to grasp but still interesting to learn. I understand that the localization takes massive effort, but the few obvious misspellings and typos still comes off as sloppy. Hopefully, we'll get to know more about the main trio with a sequel, but the game ends on a good note. I look forward to watching the anime adaptation of this game, and maybe I'll play Tsukihime later on.
I'm also playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Future Redeemed right now. The game can look really blurry when things get busy on screen, and sometimes the dialogue flows unnaturally. Otherwise, the combat feels incredibly fun to play with the new Unity Combo mechanic, and the incentive to explore the world with Affinity Goals is quite addictive. I've reached Colony 9 at the moment. It was good to see both Shulk and Rex, but the biggest surprise was hearing the battle theme from the first Xenoblade Chronicles. I'm excited to beat this game now that I've gotten myself a full party, and the world and combat opening themselves up.
Re: Feature: It's 20 Years Since The Launch Of Nintendo's Most Important Console
Happy 20th anniversary to the dual screen wonder for influencing my tastes in gaming, and giving me all the great memories with its awesome library of games.
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Top 5 Nintendo DS Games?
Making a top five is tough when there are so many great games to choose from.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (16th November)
I had just finished Fire Emblem Engage. It's such a great game and probably the most fun I had from a Fire Emblem game. The story can be cheesy yet it's full of heart, its characters are endearing with their quirky personalities and hilarious character supports, and the strategic gameplay is just tops. I'm really glad to have given this game a chance it deserves.
I had also completed the DLC Fell Xenologue. It was pretty challenging but the difficulty felt unfair at times and the units that you were forced to deploy were mostly a liability. The fifth chapter was my favorite map, and the finale was really tough (hats off to those who beat it on Maddening, those reinforcements were killer). The story was quite interesting, and some of the unique conversations were just tragic. They turned Timerra into a vegetarian (NOOOOOO).
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (9th November)
I'm reaching the finale of Fire Emblem Engage. This game took a while for me getting used to, but it eventually won me over.
The strategic gameplay is the key aspect that got me hooked into this game. The Emblem Rings adds a lot of options for customization, the map designs are solid that makes good use of the terrain, it keeps the gameplay interesting with great enemy variety and tough bosses, and the break mechanic adds an interesting twist on how combat is approached.
Visually this game is arguably the best Fire Emblem has yet looked in 3D. The smooth battle animations (those advanced parrying/dodge animations were sick), the 3D rendered battlefields (roaming around the paralogue maps from previous games was really cool), and the art style makes the game look so vibrant with colors that pop.
The dialogue can be a bit shaky at times during the main story, but it excels with the upbeat and funny character supports. The story is serviceable so far, but at least it does lead to interesting gameplay scenarios.
The main theme song that plays in the opening is so corny that I love it. It's catchy and it perfectly sets the tone of the game letting me know that I'm in for a good time.
Re: So, Will You Be Getting Xenoblade Chronicles X For Switch?
I've been waiting for a chance to play this game, and was admiring it from a distance through trailers and its soundtrack. Now I'm just biding my time for the release date, so that I can get my hands on a copy as soon as possible.
Re: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Confirmed For Switch
Am I dreaming? This is one hell of an announcement to wake up to.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (19th October)
I just finished playing Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. This Nintendo DS remake is my first Fire Emblem game, but I have to accredit Awakening for actually getting me into this franchise. Back then I didn't know the difference between Defense and Resistance until I realized that my cleric could somehow tank Gharnef's Imhullu spell better than my knight could. Now that I have more experience, I revisited this game only to find it better than I had remembered. It may lack a lot of staple mechanics such as skills or canto, but it still retains its appeal with a simpler yet solid gameplay. I set the difficulty on Hard 1, and while my heart isn't used to permadeath there's a sense of liberation for not getting so tied down to a unit's death. I pushed through and experienced many casualties due to my mistakes, but not enough for me to play any of optional side (Gaiden) chapters.
RIP: Gordin, Navarre, Ogma, Darros, Hardin, Bord, Caesar, Samson, and Minerva (revived)
It was only until I reached the Endgame chapter that I suffered the most casualties. I was woefully unprepared against the traps and reinforcements, and I paid dearly for it with the lives of my elite units.
RIP: Lena (killed by a ballistician), Julian (careless positioning), Cain, Draug (trapped by a Magestone Manakete), Abel (killed by a Manakete), Jake (cornered by a Manakete), Radd, and Merric (got doubled by a Manakete)
At this point, things were looking grim and I was contemplating on restarting the map. However, I decided to just keep pushing forward to the end. I have Caeda flying around taking out long range artillery ballisticians, Marth and Tiki are to rush towards the final boss to kill Medeus, while Jeorge, Elice, Gotoh, Barst, and Linde are to set up a defensive line to stop reinforcements. Things were starting to look up, but the enemy reinforcements was proving to be too much for my defenders to handle. In a last ditch effort, I had Elice warp Linde to safety before she was slain alongside with Jeorge by the onslaught waves of enemies.
Marth (Mars): ELIIIIIIIIIIIICE!
RIP: Jeorge and Elice (defensive position was overwhelmed)
Only the archsage Gotoh and my berserker Barst were the last two defenders barely hanging on, and it was at this moment that both Tiki and Linde killed off the last remaining defenders for Marth to safely reach the final boss. Marth could not survive two hits from Medeus, so the boss had to be one to initiate the attack. Marth missed the first attack (FFFFFFFFfffffffffffffffffuuuuu...), but luckily he did manage to hit him the second time bringing Medeus HP below half. I was getting nervous from the first missed attack, but I took my chances by having Marth initiate the attack on Medeus and he strike him down with the Falchion. It was a hard fought battle that left me both devastated by my losses yet fulfilled with my accomplishment. I wish that I could've beaten this game on a happier note, but I still had a great time despite the costly victory.
Re: One Of The Best Horror Games In Recent Years Is Coming To Switch This Month
That's pretty cool. I've been hearing praises for this game, and was wondering when will it be ported to Switch.
Re: Nintendo's Xenoblade Chronicles Dev Monolith Soft Is Now 25 Years Old
@TheExile285 That was beautiful. It made me remember some good memories I had playing those games, and seeing the Xeno characters coming altogether got me smiling.
Re: Review: Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club (Switch) - A Stylish Mystery With One Foot In The Past
@DDFawfulGuy It's a youthful, shonen-like voice for sure, but I wonder if the developers are well aware of that fact when you consider the other characters taking a dig at how young the protagonist looks. Personally, I like his voice and the voice actress does a great job characterizing him whenever he's joking around, or gets an inflated ego from the smallest of praises. It adds to the immature side of him, and shows that he's still a bit childish at heart.
Re: Review: Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club (Switch) - A Stylish Mystery With One Foot In The Past
@DDFawfulGuy I didn't have any major issues with the localization, but it definitely had some questionable choices. There were some occassions where the Japanese dub and the English sub felt mismatched. For example, the protagonist would blurt out "Gorgeous!" in English, yet the subtitles would read "Hot" instead. Sometimes I felt the English translation didn't quite capture the Japanese expressions in a satisfying manner. In those moments, the translation comes off as reserved or simplified. However, I still find it serviceable enough to follow along easily and the writing managed to get some laughs out of me. The English localization may not be entirely accurate with the Japanese dub, but I find it commendable to retain character portrayal and humor. Kamihara's casual approach and Kuze's uptight curtness makes their opposite personalities discernable. Comedic scenes such as summoning the taxi, the prank phone calls, and the zipper running gag also manage to land in thanks to the writing. I do agree that the English localization could be better served as a script for an English dub, but I also think it does the job well enough.
A couple missteps but largely functional is my stance.
Re: Review: Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club (Switch) - A Stylish Mystery With One Foot In The Past
From my experience with the demo, the only point that I heavily disagree on would be the "No effort to refine or modernise." I believe the developers really took the criticisms towards the remakes to heart, and made Emio - The Smiling Man much easier to progress. From utilizing optional highlighted texts, hints provided by the Think command, and yellow flashing commands they all guided me onto the next step.
I don't think the core mechanic is perfect, and it's understandable why it can lead to moments of frustration. However, I wonder if said modernization actually goes against the series signature gameplay. After playing through the remakes and the demo, I recognized that the lack of signified "exhausted avenues" or "conversational branches" as an intentional design. This may come off as a major inconvenience to the player, but this also sets this series apart from other Adventure games like Ace Attorney. Rather than being given a checklist of dialogue options where players would simply scroll through to proceed, Famicom Detective Club asks the player to actively participate in said dialogues. You engage with it by asking the right questions, paying close attention to determine if you've exhausted the question, and examine any unusual character reactions. This level of interaction is why I think your quality of life suggestions would only trivialize the gameplay, because it wants you to be making those important judgments even at the cost of being pushed to a breaking point. It's also why the hints they provided are actually a good balance for being both considerate and uncompromising to the gameplay. The game may not feature health bars, but trying to brute force this game will only lead you into an aggravating, time-consuming tedium. I truly believe that this game isn't so much of about guessing as you say it is and that there is a certain flow of logic to discover that makes it all the more rewarding with smooth sailings.
An English dub would be interesting, but I'm not surprised nor bothered by its absence. Although, the one aspect that I am wary of would be the soundtrack. They're nice to listen to, but none of them has stood out to me yet.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (27th July)
In anticipation for the recently announced sequel, Emio - The Smiling Man, I finished the Nintendo Switch remake of Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind. Having played the Super Famicom remake a while ago, my appreciation towards the Switch remake grew considerably. The new CG illustrations, the animations, the newly arranged soundtrack, and voice acting all came together to create a stellar experience. Other than the few frustrating instances of guessing, it's a fantastic game with a story that withstood the test of time.
Re: 'Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club' Launches On Switch Next Month
WHAT?! We're getting a brand new Famicom Detective Club game! It's so good to see more Adventure games from Nintendo and by Yoshio Sakamoto himself no less. This is the best news I've heard this year by far.
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Confirmed For Switch, Launching 2025
I gotta say, that Sylux looks way better with matte armor compared to his original glossy design.
Re: Video: 9 Exciting New Games Coming To Nintendo Switch In January 2024
Wow, I'm surprised to see how much votes Another Code: Recollection has gotten so far. Anyways, I'm buying one as soon as possible, and I'll probably get Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy next month.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 30th)
I'm playing Final Fantasy IV (DS).
It's the first Final Fantasy that I played, so I figured that going down the nostalgic route would be a great way to end the year. There's the classic ATB battle system, a wonderful soundtrack, and a memorable cast of characters. I appreciate the voice acting coupled with the newly translated script, which animates and adds flavor to the characters' speech. The higher difficulty while setting the battle speed to fastest and Active gives the right amount of challenge for a returning player. Yeah, this game is perfect for me to just settle down, and get immersed into it. Right now, I have bidden farewell to a bloodstained past (gosh this was such a good scene).
Re: Feature: Nintendo Switch Ports We'd Love To See In 2024
Games that I would like to see ported on the Switch or its successor:
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of The Demo For Another Code: Recollection?
By giving us a small taste, the demo itself does a great job of letting us know what to expect from the remake. Visually the game looks colorful yet soft like pastels, and some of the music gives off a mellow vibe with their gentle melody. Graphically, (in handheld mode) the environment can look a bit rough with the flat foliage and blurry textures.
However, character models such as Ashley look wonderful, and seeing her idle animations and the hair flowing from the breeze are really nice touches.
Some of the animations in cutscenes are clunky, but the game tries to hide them by cutting away or limiting the view. There was some pop-ins, but they're barely noticeable enough to be offensive. We're only given simple puzzles to solve, but I wouldn't be surprised if the full game throws some curveballs that will utilize the Switch system or DAS in creative ways. The interactions between characters are great thanks to the solid writing and voice acting.
We're given a personal insight into Ashley, which allows us to understand her fluctuating nature from a tumultuous circumstance. Other than that, I'm excited to see how well the changes will turn out in the remake.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 16th)
I finished the demo for Another Code: Recollection. I'm already sold on the game, but this demo has quelled most of my worries. Visually, I really like how they strike a nice balance between vibrant colors that pop and understated tones that gives the game a soft look reminiscent of the ethereal feeling of the original DS game. There are minor blemishes to the overall presentation such as blurry textures, but in contrast the character models do stand out for how nicely detailed they are. The game also nails the writing down, which is especially important for a game that will be dialogue heavy. The moment that stood out to me was the subject of memories from the dialogue between the Captian and Ashley. The voice acting is pretty solid and convincingly portrays Ashley's struggles with inner turmoils by acting distant from her aunt and expressing disappointment towards her absent father. One of my favorite moments was Ashley's interaction with D, and the comparison of their similar circumstances helped to create a natural bond of friendship. Other than that, I do wish they could be a bit more subtle with some of the noises Ashley makes, which comes off as exaggerated than natural. Overall, I'm happy with what I played, and the changes makes me look forward to a promising remake next year.
Re: Feature: "We Were Aware Of The Fans' Wishes" - Rescuing The 3DS Games For Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
It's somewhat reassuring to hear that Ace Attorney hasn't ended yet. Though, I'd like to see a brand new entry before we get onto porting the Investigations spin-offs.
Anyways, I'm fairly excited to play this trilogy. I think Apollo Justice has the coolest soundtrack in the series, and I'd finally be able to play Spirit of Justice.
@Lizuka MY EXTRATERRITORIAL RIGHTS ARE TOO POWERFUL TO LET THIS GAME END!
Investigations is one of least favorites, but I also think its sequel is better. I have issues with the game for its bloated cast and pacing (sometimes I wanted to strangle Edgeworth with his cravat for his repetitive phrases), but I think it has great character arcs and heartfelt story moments. Logic Chess is also a fun mechanic that kept me on my toes with its time limit. The Investigations spin-offs adds a lot to the world of Ace Attorney by revisiting familiar characters and expanding backstories with greater context. Also, Dick Gumshoe is in the game.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 9th)
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir
It's incredible that these remakes actually exist. The brand new visuals, soundtrack, and voice acting does help modernize these old games. However, the game can be frustratingly obtuse with its multitude of options making it difficult to determine the correct course of action. I also find the English localization to be lacking. The disparity between what was said from the Japanese dub and what the English subtitles read can be distracting. The voice acting can be lackluster at times that I tend to skip over it and just read the text instead. Outside of the games themselves the ~$60 price tag is quite steep, which is unfavorable when compared to the competition like Ace Attorney.
I might sound critical, but make no mistake that I am still grateful for the experience and quite engaged with its story.
Re: Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster Updated On Switch, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
"In the Holoholo Jungle, during the boss battle against the Holoholobird, players are unable to progress if the battle lasts more than a certain amount of time"
Lol this boss battle has given plenty of Baten Kaitos players some grief over its difficulty, so I find it hilarious that a bug has made it even harder by adding a time limit to it.