Comments 633

Re: Stardew Valley's Two New Marriage Candidates Have Been Revealed

PharoneTheGnome

That was awesome. Of all the games I have played in my lifetime, Stardew Valley is one of my top 5 games that has meant the most to me.

In no particular order, the top five games that have meant the most to me in my life are:

  • Stardew Valley
  • Pool of Radiance by SSI on the Commodore 64
  • Zack McCracken and the Alien Mind Benders on Commodore 64
  • Kirby's Epic Yarn on the Wii
  • Everquest on the PC

There have been so many great games over the years, but these five hold a special place in my heart for one reason or another.

Stardew Valley is a game that makes me feel happy every time I play it. I just feel peace and happiness when I play this game. Kirby's Epic Yarn did the same thing for me. I was going through some hard times back when Kirby's Epic Yarn came out, and it just made me feel like a kid with no worries in the world when I played it. I could escape in to it and forget the real world for a while.

Pool of Radiance was the first game I ever played where everything you did built upon what you did next. It was a new era where your game play sessions all built upon one another. Before that, games were a series of starting over every single time you turned your computer on.

Everquest was the first 3D MMORPG I ever played. The first time I ever ran in to a real player in the game, I thought it was just really good programming. I had no idea it was another actual human somewhere in the world playing the game... until they told me. I was shocked and amazed ... and hooked on online games for ever after that.

It was a hard decision between Zak McCracken and Maniac Mansion for the last of the five games. Both were pivotal games for me as a kid growing up in the 80s. They were amazing adventure games that told a story, made you laugh, and took you to far, far away places for a little while. In the end, I had to go with Zak because it took me to Mars. I mean.. come on.. Mars.

Yeah.. those would have to be my top five most influential games of all time.

Re: Poll: What's Your Favourite 3DS Model?

PharoneTheGnome

New 3DS XL is the win.

These systems are only going to continue getting more and more popular and hard to find because you can mod them to run just about anything retro.

In the age of everything becoming more and more download-based, having an old retro system that you can carry in your pocket and never have to worry about some executive deciding its time to sunset your favorite game from the past, the 3DS is a win win!

Plus... lets not forget the fact that a 3DS fits in your pocket way easier than a Switch, and Nintendo can't brick your 3DS when ever they feel like it.

Re: Talking Point: Our Pokémon Presents 2026 Predictions - What Are You Hoping For?

PharoneTheGnome

It just occurred to me why they would release the Fire Red Leaf Green games for purchase ahead of the Pokemon Presents date...

They will be announcing a Fire Red/Leaf Green REMAKE during the Pokemon Presents, and they want as many people as possible to have already pre-purchased the non-remake before they announce it.

Mark my words... $60 Pokemon Red/Leaf Green REMAKE announcement incoming during Pokemon Presents.

Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Mario Tennis Fever For Switch 2?

PharoneTheGnome

I know I sound like a broken record, but I just feel like these sports games are too expensive to justify the purchase.

I like the look of the game and would really enjoy playing it, but I will not spend $70 on it.

I reserve $70 game purchases for games that I really, really am looking forward to playing. Like a brand new Atlus entry for Persona or a Red Dead Redemption 3 or something along those lines. A game that has a ton of high quality content.

Re: Nintendo Showcases Every Switch And Switch 2 Partner Direct Game In New Infographic

PharoneTheGnome

There's some games on there that I am definitely interested in, but none of them are necessarily must buys for me.

And.. some of them, I probably will buy for a lot less on sale on the PS5 instead since they've been out longer on that system.

That's one of the things I struggle with honestly is whether to buy non-1st party games on the PS5 or Switch 2. In most cases, the games have been out a lot longer on the PS5 by the time they come out on the Switch 2, so it will likely be cheaper due to sales on PS5.

At the same time, I prefer having most of my library on my Switch 2 just because I like using it so much.

The struggle is real lol.

Re: Here's A Look At The Best-Selling Switch And Switch 2 Games So Far

PharoneTheGnome

I just wonder if there will ever be another non-legends Pokemon game ever made. I don't mind these Pokemon Legend games, but I prefer the "main line" games more.

Literally, the only reason I didn't buy Pokemon Scarlet and Violet was the silly looking motorcycle pokemon. Looking back on that now, I kind of wish I would have bought Scarlet or Violet because that might be the last "main line" Pokemon we ever get if they end up going this Legends route.

Re: Google's 'Project Genie' Is Basically A Huge Plagiarism Tool, So When Will Nintendo's Legal Ninjas Strike?

PharoneTheGnome

@Oldstalk what you are missing is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are seeing the very, very early stages of what AI game generation can do.

Also, to those that keep villainizing anybody that is not screaming kill AI on here, I think you're missing the point. We're not saying AI is a good thing. We are just saying that its inevitable at this point. You can't stop it, so going to every single post, thread, article, etc that mentions AI and screaming fight the good cause is never going to do anything to actually stop AI from infiltrating every single part of our lives.

Even if all first world countries outlawed the use of AI, there's hundreds of 3rd world countries where the average citizen is lucky if they have food on the table little lone having a roof over their heads that are more than happy to take the money from the AI industry. AI will persist somewhere in the world, and if all 1st world countries ban its use, it will just create a new 1st world country out of the one of the 3rd world countries that does allow it because there is NO WAY in the world that most gamers will not buy a game JUST BECAUSE it was created by AI IF that game is better than what is available at the time made with out AI.

At the end of the day, consumers WILL buy what gives them the most of what they want for the least amount of money. That's just the facts. If you don't believe that, then please explain how a certain game that will not be named was boycotted by every gaming outlet last year and still managed to sell millions of copies.

Consumers don't care about what's right or wrong. They care about getting the most for their money.

You can advocate for what's right, but it won't stop the consumer machine from gobbling up what's wrong if it helps them get what they want at the cheapest price possible.

Re: Google's 'Project Genie' Is Basically A Huge Plagiarism Tool, So When Will Nintendo's Legal Ninjas Strike?

PharoneTheGnome

WoW that is just insane.

That all being said though, if you don't read the room, you're probably missing the bigger picture.

Good, bad, or indifferent, Game Development is about to be changed forever.

I've said before that we can NOT put the genie back in the bottle when it comes to AI. It's here. Some idiot opened the bottle, and there's no putting the genie back in.

What we saw in that video is clearly plagiarism, and I can't imagine Nintendo not suing.

But, the end game here is that we are going to see more and more "build your own game" solutions come out. They're going to get better and better to the point where eventually people will prefer making their own games over paying $70 for a game that may or may not be 100% what they like. Especially in the age now where its common for developers to hold content back and then charge you to have it as DLC.

I don't like where the industry is headed, but I can guarantee you we can't stop it.

Re: Book Review: The History Of The Pokémon Games - A Light, Informative Blast To The Past

PharoneTheGnome

Speaking of Pokemon-related books, I have been working on playing through all of the Pokemon games from the first ever made to the most current. Are there any good books out there that are guides for each of the Pokemon games anyone can recommend? I'm mainly looking for physical books rather than websites. I want something I can open on my desk while I play the games.

Re: Opinion: A Big Life Change Means I'm Happy To Wait For A Brand New Animal Crossing

PharoneTheGnome

I look at a series like AC and think to myself, what can they possibly do to make a NEW version of the game with out deviating too far from the series to the point where it's not an AC game anymore?

To me, what we have right now is the pinnacle of AC. A new AC will either be one of two things: too much of the same OR differs so far from the norms of AC that it doesn't feel like an AC game.

So, what do we do in that case? Obviously for Nintendo, the answer is to keep putting out new expansions for the existing game, and I'm not opposed to that.

As far as a graphics upgrade, they already got that with the Switch 2 edition, so reality is they probably just need to create a new expansion for the existing game that offers a ton of new content. Possibly going to a new island.. or dimension... or planet.. etc.

Re: Ubisoft Layoffs At Two Swedish Studios Expected To Impact 55 Jobs

PharoneTheGnome

I hate to see anyone lose their job no matter if the company they work for sucks or not. I hope they find work soon!

That all being said, the only reason I did not play Star Wars Outlaws was because the game required you have an Ubisoft account to play the game.

I don't understand why game companies think it is ok to force you have an account with their company just to play a game you BOUGHT at the store.

This whole always connected thing needs to go away.

If you buy a game, it should be able to be installed and played WITH OUT connecting up any account related to the game company that made the game.

If you have to have an account with the game company who made the game, then you didn't buy a game. You paid for the right to access a service.

The industry needs to stop selling services and get back to selling products in my opinion.

Again, I am truly sorry for the people who lost their jobs and I hope they recover quickly.

Re: "I Don't See AI Taking Over" - Split Fiction Director Josef Fares On The Rise Of AI

PharoneTheGnome

@PinderSchloss its a tool. There are many, many different tools we call AI today, and there will be many more in the coming years. Eventually, people will stop calling it AI and just refer to it as the product the AI is used in.

The problem is that people keep referring to everything as AI like as if it's some big mythical monster that is here to take over humanity. And... I can't help but to roll my eyes every time I hear it.

It... is... a.... tool.

Nothing more.

Re: Mini Review: Stardew Valley: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Almost The Cream Of The Crop

PharoneTheGnome

@DennisReynolds You are literally getting free updates and addons to this game for years after it was originally created and sold. And... its done by one guy basically that just does it to give to the community. This isn't UBISOFT or EA throwing trash content at you or Nintendo selling you under-developed over-priced games that they intend to sell you DLC for a couple months after you bought their game for $70 or $80. Not sure what your hostility is about towards Concernedape.

Re: Talking Point: Does It Bother You That Big Games Companies Are Using GenAI?

PharoneTheGnome

See this is the problem with these discussions. People seem to think that Ai is a human replacement.

It's not.

It is a tool that a HUMAN uses to help them do their work.

These discussions will never be useful until the majority of the world understands exactly what Ai is and is not. Ai is not Data from Star Trek The Next Generation. As cool as that would be, it simply is not the case.