Why did I have to learn that Super Robot Taisen 30 is a thing and will also come to the Switch from Kotaku, guys? What other games did the Japanese Direct show that the English-language one did not?
@JuiceMan_V while Pokémon and SMT share game mechanics, their actual player bases barely overlap AFAICT, due to Pokemon being aimed at all ages and SMT being focused on hyperviolence.
I have comfort games and I have games that provide an experience so unique I cannot get it elsewhere. Same for books, movies and rewatching all Terminator movies when I'm down with the flu. Yes, ALL OF THEM.
@DWWM you're confusing episodes. GBA Philisopher's Stone was a top down adventure, Chamber of Secrets an isometric platformer and Prisoner of Azkaban a Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest wannabe.
Daikatana on the GBC is a treat. Neat soundtrack, solid Zelda-like action, and unlike it's big-screen counterpart, nobody ever tries to make you their female dog.
I just bought a Mario Edition Switch in February, don't do this to me, Nintendo.
If the SoC stays the same, and the difference is in the chip and the dockable 4K, it could be something solvable for extant consoles via a dock-side upgrade, like the New 3DS features available to 3DS users via external hardware - Circle Pad Pro, Amiibo Scanner, etc.
This could also water down the price of upgrading for those who can't afford to buy a whole new same console.
@AlphaElite I think that honor still belongs to Doom (unofficial ports included), Tetris (rival companies included) and James Pond Robocod (yes, go check, for pure honest commercial ports).
Why is there no poll option for "when there's a sale"? Most of the eShop games I own came from a sale.
Because as much as I love mystery visual novels, no way am I paying THAT much for even a two-pack of them (as you can't buy them separately in Europe, a second dumb marketing decision on Ninty's part).
Nintendo will never out Pokémon titles in such a service as it cannibalizes sales of actual new games - we've seen that with the way they offered and priced VC titles on the 3DS.
But getting Advance Wars and Mario titles? Would be jawsome.
I remember the dark days of "Atlus game won't be released in Europe unless some other publisher picks it up even as Atlus USA releases other Japan-only games in Europe it won't even release in the States, which means a delay of up to two years".
Being bought by SEGA was the best thing to have ever happened to them because this backward policy was obliterated.
Loved this on Steam but the remarl.about sameyness is correct. You hit the endgame state for your heroes at around the third campaign and very little changes after that. If they had more tiers of gear and skills or didn't progress that swiftly, it would have worked out better, probably.
That said, it is still amazing for pick-up play, so putting it on a handheld is a great move.
I has a question. The trailers showing the action make it look like a fantasy version of Zombies Ate My Neighbours, but you haven't made a single comparison to it throughout the review.
Is it because you've never actually played ZAMN or...?
My only question is why the frak are we getting Ryu and Chun Li as crossover characters in yet another game instead of getting SFV or at least SFIV on the Switch?
@Zeldafan79 the Genesis used real-time FM synthesis which is only as good as your coded instruments were. Games like Comix Zone, Road Rash 3, Langrisser, Contra Hard Corps, Sparkster, Beyond Oasis, Castlevania Bloodlines, Shadowrun all had AMAZING soundtracks, most of which could not be done on the SNES, particularly Comix Zone's guitar trickery.
Under normal conditions, a multiplatform game will have a better soundtrack on the SNES, but sacrifices such as track length would still have to be made (Langrisser's ending theme is a LOT less impressive on the SNES because it is not seven minutes long there).
A great example is Rock n Roll Racing: it has more tracks on the Megadrive but way, WAY better sound quality on the SNES. On the flipside is Langrisser which is a glorious heavy metal concert on the Megadrive but sounds way more generic on the SNES. And let's not mention Doom 32x at all, even though SEGA's sound chip should have made porting the DOS sound trivial, instead we got... That... While the SNES had an appreciable General MIDI sound.
Wasn't the reason the Lost Vikings soundtrack is so notoriously hard to rip from the ROMs because Blizzard basically said "screw it" and wrote their own EVERYTHING? I think it was Lost Vikings.
On the one hand, yay more 2D Metroid, on the other, boo, more Prime.
I loathe the Prime series on principle because it got Metroid stuck in an endless loop of interquels and remakes instead of going forward. When are we ever getting a sequel to Fusion, fan-made or otherwise?
@Hobbesyall "Megami Tensei" and "Europe" usually equals "an extra year of waiting". I am hella glad we are getting the digital release at the same time as everyone else.
I am in this to PLAY these games, not put them on a trophy wall. So I actually go for loose carts and whatever regional version is cheaper if the difference is negligible or ignorable which is why most of my SNES box is actually SFC carts.
I thonk EA could go with porting their earlier and lighter Frostbite titles. Take thr least contentious but still pretty Battlefield (3, probably?) and put THAT on the Switch. Theh've already demonstrated they're unafraid to cut out crossplay with Plants vs Zombies, but picking a game where they have less to remove to get it to run okay would let them leverage it more, I think.
@darkswabber the new trilogy sort of segues into the classics with the quickly patched out ending cutscene in Shadow of the Tomb Raider featuring Lara getting the offer from Natla that opens the original game (scrapped, presumably, because it is delivered via a formal letter, not a rude dude).
@jbrodack that was my question, in essence: how bloody is the definitive version, because my childhood was the DOS release and it was hyperviolent compared to the SNES one.
@GamerDad66 problem is, they had other games, but their two DC Comics games are probably a licensing nightmare to rerelease, Lost Vikings 2 is missing for no apparent reason and after that they became The Warcraft Company.
Oh, there was also RPM Racing before it, but Rock'n'Roll Racing is literally the exact same game but 213% better.
The thing that bothers me about this collection: the Definitive editions lack the QoL enhancements of the emulated ones.
The thing that bothers me about the review: there is no mention whether Blackthorne is the censored or uncensored release, no remark on the dubious visuals of the 32x version and HOW DARE YOU COMPARE IT TO FLASHBACK. Flashback was great as an adventure game but it lacked the meaty bloody dodge-driven gunplay of this gem. Flashback didn't have the badass "I am too cool to look where I shoot" button for shooting behind you. Flashback didn't have whip wielding demons straight out of Diablo. Flashback didn't look like a Warcraft spinoff even though EVERYONE seems to afraid to mention it when reviewing this collection, for some reason.
@GalacticBreakdown I looked at the NintendoLife review of it and it makes no mention of MvC. It does have AvP, which is another licensing dark horse, but not MvC?
@Clyde_Radcliffe MvC may be a problem due to the licensing rights (was it ever included in ANY CAPCOM compilations?) but I'm all for Super Puzzle Fighter or hopefully something seen on compilations less ofteb like Rival Schools or Street Fighter EX.
@Gamer_Griff it sounds like they're adapting the first game which makes it really weird that all the actors revealed thus far are a decade or three too old for their corresponding characters. Jack was just bobody at that point, though I won't be surprised if they throw him into the plot to make the transition to 2 make more sense. They ended up having to make a whole new game to explain his sudden appearance, remember?
I remember this game! One of the better Metroidvanias on the DS, and that console had THREE whole Castlevania games on it. I absolutely loved it there and I am thrilled for it to finally make a comeback.
Ah, the days of yore when Rainbow Six was PRIMARILY a strategy game focused on planning door breaches and room sweeping and sitting back and watching your virtual dudes play the plan out rather than the hero shooter it became nowadays...
I love how you mention Fido Dido offhandedly and then ignore the fact that he had his own game on the same platforms as Cool Spot, making 7•Up the only brand to have two games dedicated to its mascots.
Firstly, the 3DS Epic Mickey Power of Illusion was an amazing throwback, casting a crapton of Disney characters, modern and classic, into adorable pixel perfect little sprites and gameplay most reminiscent of Megaman Zero's Metroidvania-but-not style. Your loss for not having played it.
Second, if the SD resolution is your one turnoff in the original Epic Mickey, the WiiU or the mClassic is an easy way to get some upscaling done. The mClassic shows itself best in games with clear solid edges and Epic Mickey is one of a handful of games that SIGNIFICANTLY transform under its magic.
(Yes, yes, I bought that doodad and am now trying to justify it, but it turns Super Mario Galaxy into a whole new experience and Fragile Dreams just... Blows your mind for the graphics the Wii can actually produce)
The original was pretty much Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne as reinterpreted by the Kingdom Hearts dev team.
Small wonder its sequel would look like the same, but with Persona 5. I see no issue here and still love TWEWY to bits and squeed like a little chipmunk when I saw the teaser site.
Comments 613
Re: Roundup: Here's What Was Revealed In Nintendo Direct E3 2021
Why did I have to learn that Super Robot Taisen 30 is a thing and will also come to the Switch from Kotaku, guys? What other games did the Japanese Direct show that the English-language one did not?
Re: E3: Get Your Nintendo Life E3 2021 Bingo Cards Here!
Wait, you think Satellaview NSO is more likely than N64 NSO?
Re: BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites Will Make Its Nintendo Debut Soon
Oh boy, Jake Kaufman made a great-ass soundtrack for that game. Kind of like Castlevania on speed metal, very tasty.
Will gladly get it when it comes out.
Re: Switch Users Report Problem With Error 2123-1502 Following System Update Issues
Ah, so that's what that was. Bought physical Astral Chain, then had to retry several times for it to get updated but it worked just fine after that.
Re: Wave Break's 'Weezy Mode' Is A Rather Quirky Crossover
Was already interested in maybe picking up that game. This just helps.
Re: Shin Megami Tensei V Release Date Seemingly Leaked Ahead Of Nintendo's E3 Direct
@JuiceMan_V while Pokémon and SMT share game mechanics, their actual player bases barely overlap AFAICT, due to Pokemon being aimed at all ages and SMT being focused on hyperviolence.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Replay Games?
I have comfort games and I have games that provide an experience so unique I cannot get it elsewhere. Same for books, movies and rewatching all Terminator movies when I'm down with the flu. Yes, ALL OF THEM.
Re: Soapbox: Is The Best Harry Potter Game On Game Boy Color? Quite Possibly
@DWWM you're confusing episodes. GBA Philisopher's Stone was a top down adventure, Chamber of Secrets an isometric platformer and Prisoner of Azkaban a Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest wannabe.
Re: Feature: More Than Just Pokémon - Japan’s Secret World Of Game Boy Color
Daikatana on the GBC is a treat. Neat soundtrack, solid Zelda-like action, and unlike it's big-screen counterpart, nobody ever tries to make you their female dog.
Re: Rumour: Nintendo Switch 'Pro' Reveal Expected Before E3, Out This Year
I just bought a Mario Edition Switch in February, don't do this to me, Nintendo.
If the SoC stays the same, and the difference is in the chip and the dockable 4K, it could be something solvable for extant consoles via a dock-side upgrade, like the New 3DS features available to 3DS users via external hardware - Circle Pad Pro, Amiibo Scanner, etc.
This could also water down the price of upgrading for those who can't afford to buy a whole new same console.
Re: Sonic Origins Spin Dashes To "The Latest Platforms" Next Year
@AlphaElite I think that honor still belongs to Doom (unofficial ports included), Tetris (rival companies included) and James Pond Robocod (yes, go check, for pure honest commercial ports).
Re: Konami Might Have Plans To Outsource More Classic IP Following The GetsuFumaDen Revival
@Realness yes, Contra 4 was amazing. Too bad they stopped making new ones after that, huh.
Re: Blizzard To Showcase New PVP Overwatch Maps In Special Fifth Anniversary Livestream
@Kalmaro I do. Just not on Switch (it's not THAT good a game to double-dip luke I did with Borderlands, for example)
Re: Poll: The Famicom Detective Club Games Are Out Today On Switch, Are You Getting Them?
Why is there no poll option for "when there's a sale"? Most of the eShop games I own came from a sale.
Because as much as I love mystery visual novels, no way am I paying THAT much for even a two-pack of them (as you can't buy them separately in Europe, a second dumb marketing decision on Ninty's part).
Re: Random: Check Out These "Mock-Ups" Of Game Boy Advance For Switch Online
Nintendo will never out Pokémon titles in such a service as it cannibalizes sales of actual new games - we've seen that with the way they offered and priced VC titles on the 3DS.
But getting Advance Wars and Mario titles? Would be jawsome.
Re: Sega Wants To Release Atlus Games Simultaneously Worldwide
I remember the dark days of "Atlus game won't be released in Europe unless some other publisher picks it up even as Atlus USA releases other Japan-only games in Europe it won't even release in the States, which means a delay of up to two years".
Being bought by SEGA was the best thing to have ever happened to them because this backward policy was obliterated.
Re: "The Best Version" Of Turn-Based Strategy Adventure Pathway Comes To Switch This Month
Loved this on Steam but the remarl.about sameyness is correct. You hit the endgame state for your heroes at around the third campaign and very little changes after that. If they had more tiers of gear and skills or didn't progress that swiftly, it would have worked out better, probably.
That said, it is still amazing for pick-up play, so putting it on a handheld is a great move.
Re: Review: Battle Axe - A Battling Throwback That Doesn't Land All Its Hits
I has a question. The trailers showing the action make it look like a fantasy version of Zombies Ate My Neighbours, but you haven't made a single comparison to it throughout the review.
Is it because you've never actually played ZAMN or...?
Re: Street Fighter Characters Are Coming To Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid
@YANDMAN is why I suggested SFIV as an alternative, cos it ran on the 3DS juuuust fine.
Re: Street Fighter Characters Are Coming To Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid
My only question is why the frak are we getting Ryu and Chun Li as crossover characters in yet another game instead of getting SFV or at least SFIV on the Switch?
Re: Random: If You're Curious About How They Made SNES Music, This Is Worth A Watch
@Zeldafan79 the Genesis used real-time FM synthesis which is only as good as your coded instruments were. Games like Comix Zone, Road Rash 3, Langrisser, Contra Hard Corps, Sparkster, Beyond Oasis, Castlevania Bloodlines, Shadowrun all had AMAZING soundtracks, most of which could not be done on the SNES, particularly Comix Zone's guitar trickery.
Under normal conditions, a multiplatform game will have a better soundtrack on the SNES, but sacrifices such as track length would still have to be made (Langrisser's ending theme is a LOT less impressive on the SNES because it is not seven minutes long there).
A great example is Rock n Roll Racing: it has more tracks on the Megadrive but way, WAY better sound quality on the SNES. On the flipside is Langrisser which is a glorious heavy metal concert on the Megadrive but sounds way more generic on the SNES. And let's not mention Doom 32x at all, even though SEGA's sound chip should have made porting the DOS sound trivial, instead we got... That... While the SNES had an appreciable General MIDI sound.
Re: Random: If You're Curious About How They Made SNES Music, This Is Worth A Watch
Wasn't the reason the Lost Vikings soundtrack is so notoriously hard to rip from the ROMs because Blizzard basically said "screw it" and wrote their own EVERYTHING? I think it was Lost Vikings.
Re: Rumour: Evidence Of A "New" Nintendo Switch Dock Supposedly Datamined In System Update 12.0.0
@Northwind they don't have to RELEASE it this year, but they mos def can ANNOUNCE it?
Re: Demo For Stunning Fan-Made 2D Metroid Prime Game Released
On the one hand, yay more 2D Metroid, on the other, boo, more Prime.
I loathe the Prime series on principle because it got Metroid stuck in an endless loop of interquels and remakes instead of going forward. When are we ever getting a sequel to Fusion, fan-made or otherwise?
Re: Check Out Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster's "World's Rebirth" Story Trailer
@Hobbesyall "Megami Tensei" and "Europe" usually equals "an extra year of waiting". I am hella glad we are getting the digital release at the same time as everyone else.
Re: Check Out Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster's "World's Rebirth" Story Trailer
@jump Threeeeeeee. I don't actually know how the Latin numeral is suppposed to go. Tri?
Re: Talking Point: Are You A 'Complete-In-Box' Or 'Loose Cart' Retro Gamer?
I am in this to PLAY these games, not put them on a trophy wall. So I actually go for loose carts and whatever regional version is cheaper if the difference is negligible or ignorable which is why most of my SNES box is actually SFC carts.
Re: Activision Confirms Original Dev Is Handling Tony Hawk Switch Port
People probably forget that Vicarious Visions were the Panic Button of the oughties: people doing insane ports to insane consoles.
Like bringing Tony Hawk games to the GameBoy Advance. Ah, Alchemy Engine, how I love thee.
Re: Video: Here's Digital Foundry's Technical Analysis Of Apex Legends On Switch
I thonk EA could go with porting their earlier and lighter Frostbite titles. Take thr least contentious but still pretty Battlefield (3, probably?) and put THAT on the Switch. Theh've already demonstrated they're unafraid to cut out crossplay with Plants vs Zombies, but picking a game where they have less to remove to get it to run okay would let them leverage it more, I think.
Re: Fortnite Season 6 Introduces Animals, Crafting And Tomb Raider's Lara Croft
@RadioHedgeFund Apex Legends has thankfully joined this club recently, amirite?
Re: Fortnite Season 6 Introduces Animals, Crafting And Tomb Raider's Lara Croft
@anoyonmus just like we got Kratos, Master Chief and Street Fighter IV/V renditions of Ryu and Chun Li!
Re: Fortnite Season 6 Introduces Animals, Crafting And Tomb Raider's Lara Croft
@darkswabber the new trilogy sort of segues into the classics with the quickly patched out ending cutscene in Shadow of the Tomb Raider featuring Lara getting the offer from Natla that opens the original game (scrapped, presumably, because it is delivered via a formal letter, not a rude dude).
Re: PT-Inspired First-Person Psychological Horror Evil Inside Comes To Switch Next Week
I was considering getting this game on Steam, but if it comes to the Switch, I may rethink that.
Re: Switch Is Now Nintendo's Second Best-Selling System In The US, In "Tracked History"
Yes I have, but not in the US. Finally got myself a Switch, and I thought it should be a cool one, so I got the Mario Red and Blue one.
Gonna play so much Shin Megami Tensei on it.
Re: Review: Blizzard Arcade Collection - Dig Into The Vaults Of The Creator Of Warcraft And Overwatch
@jbrodack that was my question, in essence: how bloody is the definitive version, because my childhood was the DOS release and it was hyperviolent compared to the SNES one.
Re: Review: Blizzard Arcade Collection - Dig Into The Vaults Of The Creator Of Warcraft And Overwatch
@GamerDad66 problem is, they had other games, but their two DC Comics games are probably a licensing nightmare to rerelease, Lost Vikings 2 is missing for no apparent reason and after that they became The Warcraft Company.
Oh, there was also RPM Racing before it, but Rock'n'Roll Racing is literally the exact same game but 213% better.
The thing that bothers me about this collection: the Definitive editions lack the QoL enhancements of the emulated ones.
The thing that bothers me about the review: there is no mention whether Blackthorne is the censored or uncensored release, no remark on the dubious visuals of the 32x version and HOW DARE YOU COMPARE IT TO FLASHBACK. Flashback was great as an adventure game but it lacked the meaty bloody dodge-driven gunplay of this gem. Flashback didn't have the badass "I am too cool to look where I shoot" button for shooting behind you. Flashback didn't have whip wielding demons straight out of Diablo. Flashback didn't look like a Warcraft spinoff even though EVERYONE seems to afraid to mention it when reviewing this collection, for some reason.
Blackthorne was badass and metal as heck.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life eShop Selects - February 2021
@GalacticBreakdown I looked at the NintendoLife review of it and it makes no mention of MvC. It does have AvP, which is another licensing dark horse, but not MvC?
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life eShop Selects - February 2021
@Clyde_Radcliffe MvC may be a problem due to the licensing rights (was it ever included in ANY CAPCOM compilations?) but I'm all for Super Puzzle Fighter or hopefully something seen on compilations less ofteb like Rival Schools or Street Fighter EX.
Re: Jack Black Will Voice Claptrap In The Borderlands Movie
@Gamer_Griff it sounds like they're adapting the first game which makes it really weird that all the actors revealed thus far are a decade or three too old for their corresponding characters. Jack was just bobody at that point, though I won't be surprised if they throw him into the plot to make the transition to 2 make more sense. They ended up having to make a whole new game to explain his sudden appearance, remember?
Re: Jack Black Will Voice Claptrap In The Borderlands Movie
@ItsOKToBeOK I am expecting the news that he will play either Brick or Krieg (or gods forbid, Torgue) any day now.
Re: Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed Gets A Western Switch Release This Summer
I remember wasting a ton of time on the PSP original. I hope this one will prove to be just as fun.
Re: Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online SNES And NES Service With Four More Titles
Oh, I've spent SO MUCH TIME on Prehistorik on the PC as a kid. That game was lots of good fun.
Re: Nintendo DS Platformer Monster Tale Is Making A Comeback On Modern Consoles
I remember this game! One of the better Metroidvanias on the DS, and that console had THREE whole Castlevania games on it. I absolutely loved it there and I am thrilled for it to finally make a comeback.
Re: Mini Review: Door Kickers - A Tough Tactical Take On That Old FPS Trope
Ah, the days of yore when Rainbow Six was PRIMARILY a strategy game focused on planning door breaches and room sweeping and sitting back and watching your virtual dudes play the plan out rather than the hero shooter it became nowadays...
Re: Top-Down Horror Adventure Deadeus Is Coming To Game Boy This Year
@Mr-Fuggles777 the GameBoy Final Fantasy games looked kinda like that too. Heck, all JRPGs up to a certain point around 1993 did.
Re: Best Of 2020: 10 Of The Most Blatant Snack Sponsorships In Retro Gaming History
I love how you mention Fido Dido offhandedly and then ignore the fact that he had his own game on the same platforms as Cool Spot, making 7•Up the only brand to have two games dedicated to its mascots.
Re: Random: YouTuber Shows Google Stadia Version Of Cyberpunk 2077 Running On Switch
@Riptidre Control offers ray-tracing on a Switch too
Re: Soapbox: 10 Years On, We Need More Brave, Worthwhile Experiments Like Epic Mickey
Firstly, the 3DS Epic Mickey Power of Illusion was an amazing throwback, casting a crapton of Disney characters, modern and classic, into adorable pixel perfect little sprites and gameplay most reminiscent of Megaman Zero's Metroidvania-but-not style. Your loss for not having played it.
Second, if the SD resolution is your one turnoff in the original Epic Mickey, the WiiU or the mClassic is an easy way to get some upscaling done. The mClassic shows itself best in games with clear solid edges and Epic Mickey is one of a handful of games that SIGNIFICANTLY transform under its magic.
(Yes, yes, I bought that doodad and am now trying to justify it, but it turns Super Mario Galaxy into a whole new experience and Fragile Dreams just... Blows your mind for the graphics the Wii can actually produce)
Re: Random: No, The World Ends With You Sequel Is Not A Persona 5 Rip-Off
The original was pretty much Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne as reinterpreted by the Kingdom Hearts dev team.
Small wonder its sequel would look like the same, but with Persona 5. I see no issue here and still love TWEWY to bits and squeed like a little chipmunk when I saw the teaser site.
Re: Reminder: Rate Your Favourite Wii Games
Rock Band 3 and Guitar Hero 6 are finally on the list, thank you!