ShadLink

I like the looks of the game, and like the story. But no, I don't like Warriors-style games. So no, I will not get this.

But I'm all in on Kirby Air Riders next month

Years ago with the launch of a new iPad Apple asked the question: "What is a PC?"

I actually want to ask a question now: "What is an XBOX?" since I don't know anymore.

Exclusivity works for Nintendo because their console has an identity. You buy a Nintendo console (mainly) to play Nintendo games. Why would you buy an XBOX? A cheap option to play Call of Duty. That's all.

Sony also releases games on PC. Simply because PC gamers are not going to buy a PS5. And it being more expensive these days than ever before, mean simply that people choose one platform and stick with it. Nintendo being relatively cheap means, they don't need to do that. (Though some Nintendo games should get a PC release like 2-3 years after the console version)

This title is entirely misleading. Physical sales might be lower, however Digital sales aren't mentioned. At all. More people buy digital than with Legends Arceus.

Also the Switch 2 isn't a year old yet. So it should be more comparible to the Let's Go games. Which it is actually outselling physically.

Anyone thinking this game is a flop sales wise is just lying to themselves.

@Coffee-Waffle You don't have to agree with my list.

Anyway after replaying some of X & Y on my aging 3DS.. I am going to update it's position to number 3. Z-A is number 2.

And honestly Gen 1 is an extremely glitchy mess, with multiple gameplay breaking bugs. Sure they started the series, but they really didn't age well.
My list is purely based on how I feel about them if I would be playing them today. And then Gen 1 for example Psychic vs Ghost, badge boost glitch, weird implementation of critical moves just degrade it to a very low spot on my list. Yellow was a little bit better, but not much. Gold and Silver weren't without issues, like weird Gym levels. Crystal is again a little bit better.. and so on. Sun / Moon were dead last because of the tediously slow tutorial / first Island, and honestly not being very fun at all. Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon sped up the tutorial a little bit so.. a little bit better.

@FishyS I feel like if they combined the catching mechanic and crafting from Legends Arceus with the battles from Z-A and then add a big open world like Scarlet & Violet they'd have the perfect Pokémon game.

And I feel like, the Switch 2 could actually handle that.

I disagree 1000% with the lowest place for Z-A, it should be at least at place 2 or 3. With Legends: Arceus on place 1. Since those are the games that actually transformed the Pokémon formula the most.

Pokémon X/Y would then be the other one on Spot 2-3. Sun/Moon would be the lowest and UltraSun/UltraMoon slightly above.

So:
22. Sun/Moon
21. UltraSun / UltraMoon
20. Red/Blue
19. Yellow.
18. Gold/Silver
17. Crystal
16. HeartGold / SoulSilver
15. Let's Go Pikachu / Eevee
14. FireRed LeafGreen
13: Black/White
12: Black 2 / White 2
11: Ruby / Sapphire
10: OmegaRuby / AlphaSapphire (because of post game content)
09: Emerald
08: Diamond / Pearl
07: Platinum
06: Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl
05: Sword & Shield
04: Scarlet & Violet
03: X/Y
02: Legends Z-A
01: Legends Arceus

Updated after playng X on my 3DS.

@LightSpirit I never played the original. To me back then "playing MarioKart Double Dash was all racing I needed."

(though I did have F-Zero GX)

There is so much passion in this game. I hope it's good, but with Sakurai being the developer / director that is pretty much a given.

@Haruki_NLI Minecraft is on Switch...

Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remaster on Switch 2 would be sweet.

E-AI slop coming soon. No thanks.

Only reason they do this, is so they can fire more people. Only. reason.

@N00BiSH Nah, you'll have to figure that out yourself in about 1-2 years

There is a difference between "no plans for DLC" and "no DLC". I'll leave it at that

@johnedwin I've loved games that gotten 40s and 50s on Metacritic, and hated games that got 80s and 90s.

It's just how the critics review those games, and they are often different from my opinions. My own score for the game is currently at 9,48/10, but not finalised until I finish the main story.

@johnedwin I very often disagree with critic scores. I have played the game a lot this week, and am loving every minute of it.

Great game, so deserved. Also Switch 1 installed base is larger so that it's outselling the Switch 2 version isn't really shocking.

Nintendo hit the money making machine. And honestly I'm okay with this, the Amiibo are not required to play the game in any way shape or form.

@Moistnado Ah yes, and for the price of those "current gen games" per year you can buy another console on XBOX GamePass Ultimate alone.

Also most XBOX and PS games are P2P multiplayer.

@Moistnado
PSN+:
Pay to be allowed to use your own internet.
Pay to be allowed to use specific features of your own console, that you paid for.

XBOX Live Gold
Pay to be allowed to use your own internet.
Pay to be allowed to use specific features of your own console, that you paid for.

Is there any difference here...? Sadly yes, Playstation gamers and XBOX gamers don't complain about it.
Also with price increases both cost more per month than NSO per year.

@Fazermint Yep. Because if you really look at this "vocal backlash" you'll see 3 things:

1. It's always a minority.
2. There is A LOT of people parroting others.
and 3. Most of them don't even play Nintendo games or own a Switch (2).

@Yobreeze Lavender town still creeps me out everytime. But yeah, Pokémon NPCs being weird is nothing new.

And still am having a blast with this game. It's so good, despite wat the haters say!

@BuckT38 Reaching that rank is actually not hard if you have at least one mega evolving Pokémon. I did it in only a couple of hours. Also I am happy I get to play the main game before the DLC releases.

Still not finished, so score is not final: 9,48/10 Putting it just below Donkey Kong Bananza (9,51) and above MarioKart World (9,30) also above all other Switch Pokémon games - Legends Arceus (9,40) included.

Downsides:

• No link cable item for trade evolutions (see PLA)

That's it.

I'd rather see (3)DS games being remade for the Switch 2 than seeing a less than playable emulation (touchscreen) on the Switch 2. For example Spirit Tracks op Switch 2 would be awful controlling link without a stylus.
Mouse mode could work, but you shouldn't need to rely on that.

The Switch / Switch 2 capative touchscreen is not designed for the fine controls of a resisitive touchscreen like on the DS models and Wii U. Nor does it have an EMR / Wacom layer to do something similar.

They could do something silly like make a second screen connect to the USB-C port of the Switch 2 (top or bottom) and allow it to be used as a touchscreen with a stylus. But I don't see that happening either.

@Anti-Matter An annoucement for Alarmo 2, now with added Nintendo Music streaming (Nintendo Switch Online required)

Wait a minute... that's actually a good idea.

Actually the Switch 2 game includes the Switch 1 game, so shouldn't be 100% Switch and 51% Switch 2?

Also this is only physical sales.. I wonder how this measures up to digital sales.

12/21.. But I never owned a NES or any NES games. so.. that checks out

Been playing Legends Z-A and finished getting to ranked battles rank K (rank J actually) and got the mega stone.

@SpiffBo To be fair, I only spotted the difference when I looked down at my own keyboard. Then it's really hard to misss

@theconstellationiris It's a limited edition keyboard with a lot of nice "limited" mechanical keyboard functions. Those are often expensive. Sometimes even more.

@SpiffBo This is the 60% keyboard. The keyboards that are out now are 80% / TKL and the full size (which I have at home).

Chikorita. I usually pick the grass starter.

@Anti-Matter Nah.. those don't sound good at all. No emotion in the voices, like they're reading a script.

@Hams96 Pokémon Snap was not a GameFreak game. GF clearly doesn't want voice acting in their games. Only reason it's not in there, and only reason it might never be. And actually looking at any other Nintendo game. Most now have voice acting in some form now.

So Nintendo would be for it. But, to me, they are not the kind of publisher that forces their studio's or their partners into a certain technology or game element just becuase they want it. And I don't really want that to change either.

Maybe if another studio did another remake (Gen 5) it would be fitting to "test" adding VA.

This review is laughible even worse than the Switch 2 review.

I've played the game on Switch 1 and 2. On Switch the textures are lower res (very clearly visible), the game is 30fps, and there are a lot less particle effects. However, it still looks and runs good. Better than Legends Arceus or Scarlet / Violet. So this score is bad.

The Game on Switch ~8/10, the game on Switch 2 ~9.48/10 (scores aren't finalised until I finish the main story). Going by my own ranking.

Only if they also offer one in every language the game supports in text and also with a "no voice" option. (some games have those)

and if they do then only for major quests / cut scenes. Not for every dialog. That gets old realy quick.

@SpaceboyScreams I haven't seen any low res graphics in the game. The only graphical downside I've seen is that some tall buildings are flat. And like I said in pont 10. I stopped noticing that 2 seconds after I noticed it for the first time. Overall look and feel of the game is fantastic.

@Bolt_Strike Oh no... you actually need some skill to unlock something. I really can't understand people these days. Maybe they should just have made the Mega evolution stones part of a lootbox system. So people could just buy lootboxes like in any other game. Because god forbid you actually have to play the game in order to get something, smh.

You need to get to rank K. With some decent evolved Pokémon it's not that hard.

@Dom_31 It's technically an optional part. But it's still part of the game. And sure you have to pay to play online, but that's not the game's fault. You need to pay to play any (paid) game online on Switch (2). Same goes for any Playstation or Xbox game, for that matter.

Are people really complaining you have to play the game to obtain stuff? And yes, online multiplayer is part of the game.

It's like you have never played any online competitive game ever before.

@Emacster I agree. If you can vibe with this new battle system and are not deterred by the somewhat simple graphics, this game is absolutely somewhere between great and awesome.

Also tried some online ranked battles now. And yikes.. I have some training to do. But even online gameplay feels smooth and the battles are fast. Losing battles is also fast

Have already played about a couple of hours an collected the Mistery gift.

Here a few opinions I have:
1. The game is extremely focused on battles. This is very different than for example Legendss Arceus.
2. The battles are extremely smooth. It's basically the same system as Legends Arceus and Scarlet / Violet but optimised until (near) perfection.
4. The story is funny and decent for a Pokémon game.
5. Locations are really detailed and you remember them from Pokémon X and Y.
6. It's a LOT of fun.
7. The area's are really detailed.
8. Overall the graphics are good.
9. The controls are really good.
10. Sure the the buildings are flat, but you stop noticing that after 2 seconds.

All in all I am loving this game. I am not going to rate it before I finish it. But right now it has a range of 9-9.5/10 contender for Game of the Year. And I've already purchased the DLC.

Also people like comparing the battles to Xenoblade Chronicles (series) but I disagree there as well. Those games are often quite slow in switching betwen world and battle or even between battle and battle. Also the battles give less control in those games (a single normal attack and a lot of "wait until available" attacks). I actually compare them with the Mana series, but still smoother.

@Metazoxan The ROG Ally X is more powerful than the Steam Deck. The ROG Ally has the same CPU as the Steam Deck.

And honestly both are less than a midrange PC for the same price

So a new Windows handheld for which you can now pay €30 / month for GamePass Ultimate and a €1000 for the handheld.

Yeah.. I'll stick to my PC and Switch 2.

So basically the only complaints are that it's based inside a city and that the focus is on battles.

It's a Pokémon game, I am very happy that the focus is on battles.
And I don't mind a city world for a game. Scarlet / Violet / Arceus were more outside the cities. So a welcome change for me.

7/10 Too much flat... You can really feel the IGN with this review. Sadly Nitendolife has been falling into a lower quality review site now.

Correction, it's even worse than the IGN review... Who could've thought that would happen?

"ROG Xbox Ally X - A Gaming PC On The Go"

My SteamDeck: 'You sure about that?'

Well.. let's see what Pokémon Legends Z-A will do next week Can't wait.

Got them in the e-mail from the MyNintendo store. And the game is downloading now to my Switch 2.

@N00BiSH New Pikmin short movies? They released some in the 3DS Era.

@Pillowpants

@ShadLink There's a big difference between complaining and voicing concern, if you ask me. If something you love is changing into something you don't like you should be vocal about it. Of course it matters in what way you voice it, on that I think we can agree.

Sure I agree here. But when talking about Pokémon it is not a few people voicing their concern. But it's a smal extremely vocal group complaining at every opportunity they get. That is NOT the same thing as voicing concern.

In the case op Pokémon Legends: Z-A, there's been a LOT of footage and in-depth videos to get a very good idea of how the actual gameplay will be.

Yet we have only seen a few area's of the game. Just like with previous titles. This says absolutely nothing.

But from what I've seen now PL:ZA is not a game I think I will enjoy, specifically because I don't think the mechanics are particularly well designed

And this is something you absolutely can't say without playing it. This game is going to have a completely new battle mechanic never seen in earlier Pokémon games. So how can you ever assess if it's well designed or not?!!

What you're basically saying is that "if you don't like something, keep your mouth shut."

WHERE DID I WRITE THAT?! No, my point is now and has always been: if you don't like it, don't buy it. And if you want to voice your concern, tell Nintendo. Every single Nintendo website has a contact@ address. Which is a lot better than complain in an echo chamber. (it is not going to change anything, and takes away enjoyment of people who are wanting to play this game (like me))