Shepdawg1

Would it be better if it was an actual game card? Yes.

Do I care? No, not really.

Being able to download the data is a nice option. I was forced to take my Switch Lite with me somewhere and couldn’t download Hollow Knight on since it wasn’t the primary or linked system. The option to turn off Redownload Software would’ve been nice at launch, too, but whatever.

I also imagine this will stop CFW usage on Switch 1 for a while.

FINALLY! A decent way to see Play Activity that doesn’t involve that forsaken Parental Controls app. Shame they still do the whole “Over X hours” bucket nonsense rather than show the actual time spent. Hopefully they change that, but for now, nice to have an app version of the store.

I really don’t think anyone is in doubt that Mario will be around for a long time.

@Coffeeglitch Don’t lump my boi Clippy in with these soulless machines! Clippy at least was charming and had personality with his animations, in spite of his constant annoying notifications.

How long before EA goes bankrupt? They’re already creatively bankrupt (barring the occasional great like It Takes Two or Split Fiction), so I can’t imagine this will end up helping their case in the court of public opinion.

Might buy this simply because I adore Bluey. I didn’t buy the previous one largely because I didn’t want to support Outright Games and their low-effort work, but we’ll see on this one, especially if the creator’s working on it.

@Axecon I don’t think Pokémon’s issue is the lack of innovation. Game Freak’s last few titles have been willing to push the envelope of what Pokémon can be (Arceus introduced a new style of game for the franchise with a focus on catching and survival-style crafting, Scarlet and Violet went fully open-world and was their most ambitious title to date, and Z-A tries a completely new battle system while retaining some elements of Arceus’s gameplay). I see this as a response to Sword and Shield. They got a lot of criticism for playing it safe there, so they’re now going for more.

I think the real issue at hand is that they’re cutting corners on things that, in their mind, aren’t super important (performance, graphics, stability). They’re also developing games at a lightning quick pace (three years per title seems to be the norm) on what appear to be shoestring budgets (at least, that’s how the online community has interpreted them). It seems to be an issue of the online fans versus the creators: the online fans want one thing (for the games to have truly next-gen presentation with things like stronger visual identities, high fidelity graphics, voice acting, etc.) while those appear to be the last things on the creator’s minds. And this creates a schism which causes the online backlash.

The only thing I really want from Pokémon is for the games to be fun, so I’m content with looking past some shortcomings as long as I get that. But while I did greatly enjoy Game Freak’s past three titles (PLA, SV, and Z-A), I will agree with the online fan base and say: Scarlet and Violet’s performance and stability on Switch 1 are horrendous, and they should be embarrassed that they felt they could ship the games in that state.

@Jedrus_Lilac For sure. While I’m enjoying the game greatly, it doesn’t match Arceus for me. If I had to score the game right now, I’d put it at an 8.5/10. The gameplay itself is really fun, which is my most important criteria, but I notice low-res textures and jagged edges quite a bit , the city setting does little for the game in terms of visual variety, the opening hours drag on a bit with tutorials, the flat buildings are embarrassing, and I’m personally disappointed in the lack of new regional forms or species (the new Megas don’t really count for me since they can’t be stored in HOME and the appearance of Mega Evolution in future games is now spotty at best). It’s still a very fun game and I’ll happily recommend it to Pokémon fans, but Arceus edges it out for me.

@Jedrus_Lilac The “backlash” is overblown, anyways. The people talking about the game online, both the positive and the negative, comprise a vocal minority. Most of Pokemon’s audience isn’t online, so the games will continue to sell even if the online discourse isn’t positive.

40% lower than Arceus, but it’s still gonna sell a truckload.

Not that I care all that much. I’m enjoying the game greatly even with some of its flaws.

I did notice I could do that near the end of the playtest period. It made dragging along a bunch of blocks easier.

(Oops, I’m talking about stuff I shouldn’t…oh well)

I mean, I already have the European/Asia-English physicals for both of these, so…I’ll probably pass.

A bit sad, but hey, it’s Yacht Club Games. They’ve earned enough credibility in my eyes to say that they’re cooking. I’m fine waiting a bit longer.

@HyruleWanderer It’s not canon. Also, we gonna act like Typhlosion is a unique instance when we have things like Hypno, Drowzee, Mr. Mime, Drifloon, Froslass, and other creepy Pokémon who have actual canon creepiness?

Z: Zekrom (best Box legendary)
Y: Yveltal (best option of the ‘Y’s)
X: Xerneas (best option of the ‘X’s)
W: Wigglytuff (Guildmaster Wigglytuff, my beloved)
V: Vibrava (I just think they’re neat)
U: Ursaluna (Love the design of Bloodmoon Ursaluna)
T: Typhlosion (My favorite Fire starter)
S: Slither Wing (Best Paradox Pokémon)
R: Rookidee (my favorite starting bird)
Q: Quagsire (so derpy I love it)
P: Pikachu (Pokémon Yellow was my first game. I’m biased)
O: Ogerpon (I will protect her at all costs)
N: Naganadel (best Ultra Beast)
M: Mudkip (yes I do liek Mudkipz)
L: Luxray (Really cool design)
K: Kyogre (I just really like this one)
J: Joltik (cute and I love Galvantula, but ‘G’ is already taken)
I: Incineroar (So broken in competitive, but I love it)
H: Heliolisk (Best Kalos electric type)
G: Grovyle (My favorite Grass starter line, and the best Time Gear thief)
F: Furret (I could watch it walk for hours, it’s so cute)
E: Excadrill (Just a really cool design)
D: Dragonite (Majestic, regal, yet lovingly derpy)
C: Carracosta (best Fossil ‘mon)
B: Bidoof (I will never make one an HM slave. Love this little dude, yup yup)
A: Ampharos (Literally my all-time favorite Pokémon)

I also really liked dealing out punishment to a peeping Tom at the Flea Caravan. IYKYK

@Waxifari You and me both

@abe_hikura I agree. Code in a box was just the biggest waste of plastic, paper, and shelf space around. The only advantage to them is the remote possibility of getting the game cheaper, but it’s still stupid.

Gonna go against the grain here and say I’m not bothered by GKCs. Would it be better if the game were actually on the cart? Absolutely. But between GKCs, a digital copy that I can’t resell or more easily get at a discounted price, and those god-forsaken code-in-a-box releases, I’m sticking with GKCs.

@MrGawain A large percentage of the Nintendo audience doesn’t care. The people discussing this online are an echo chamber. A vocal minority.

Really cool that they’re making these games even more accessible.

But still…I just want Ace Attorney 7 already pls Capcom I’m dying over here…

While I agree that the setting of solely Lumiose City is very boring, I don’t care about the visuals in a Pokémon game. The most important thing to me is that the gameplay is fun, and based on the preview, it sounds like I’m going to greatly enjoy this game. Thanks for the write-up. Looking forward to this game!

Oh goodie. This absolutely will cause the customer service experience to tank. Nothing against the new contractors they’re bringing in, but when you have non-native English speakers trying to help English speaking customers who have to work through different accents and possibly confusing word choices, it’s just a loss all around.

Ugh, Square Enix and Sega making no sense with this move. What’s their justification? They want people to buy the Game Key-Cards they’re paying to have made? Because we all know how well those are selling.

Really though, I don’t get why. If we pay $60 for the physical S1 version and then $10-$20 for the upgrade pack, they’re getting the same amount of money, if not more. It’s a win-win. What do they have to gain by doing this apart from trying to convince people to buy the S1 version which is on the cart and then buy the S2 version which has the upgrades but is the same game?

Very refreshing to see a review tear Bubsy a new one. I’ll always get behind clowning on Bubsy. If I ever end up purchasing this, it will be in deep discount and solely for the memes (which I understand is the whole point of doing anything Bubsy related these days, but still).

With that said, though, the upcoming Bubsy 4D actually looks unironically good, and having heard some people’s impressions of the game and the fact that it’s being handled by a competent developer this time, I’ll be watching it with careful optimism.

I beat Hollow Knight before and don’t have much interest in replaying it. I know that it’s objectively a great game, and I imagine Silksong will be the same. But for me, the amount of backtracking in Hollow Knight caused it to last just a bit too long for my liking.

That first Mario short came dangerously close to showing what adult Mario without a mustache officially looks like and it is still uncanny.

I wish we could see all the mispronounced Pokémon they showed in that segment. That’d be funny to see.

But yeah, I’ve known it was Ray-KWAY-Zuh for a while. Like the article mentioned, Pokédex 3D Pro used that pronunciation, and its name is based on ray + quasar.

I think this is a great direction for the VGC. With Champions having HOME support, the mainline games can continue to add new mechanics without having to worry about balancing for past stuff, while Champions can have all the mechanics in one spot. Train your Pokémon in the mainline games, then send them to Champions for competitions. And with Champions being on mobile devices as well, it expands the player base for VGC very well.

Not to mention, we already know Mega Evolution and Terastalization will be in Champions, but the Omni Ring (the thing used to active those two mechanics in Champions) artwork shows that Z-Moves and (most likely) Dynamax will be in the game too. Having all of those mechanics present can create some very interesting competitions.

These people are the reason why we can never have nice things.

They really should’ve made a lottery + queue system for the pop-up Pokémon Center.

I’ve been playing the demo today. It’s fun so far. There are things I’ll let them know about (mostly with menu choices), but I’ve been enjoying it.

@Shaw_Brothers Wait til you get the 4th. I’ll hype it up and say it’s the best one of them all. It makes excavating the terrain effortlessly easy and fast.

I mean, I haven’t noticed this detail for the sole reason that I am always topped off on Bananergy. Neat all the same, though.

@MasterGraveheart This isn’t an acquisition. Only a partial stake. Sony is more than just video games, and they’ve been investing quite heavily into their anime and manga ventures. And the quote in the middle of the article states that this is exactly what they’re trying to do: expand the opportunities available for anime and manga. Bandai Namco is still very much an independent 3rd party game developer/publisher.

I won’t take his word as gospel, but it does make sense. We’re due for something. I could see it happening next week.

Kinda reminds me of Harry McEntire (the voice of Noah in Xenoblade Chronicled 3). He hadn’t played much in the way of JRPGs before getting the role, but once he saw how much people resonated with the game and his performance, he played it and immediately fell in love with it.

Honestly the only good thing to come from this Presents (and the Aardman collaboration).

We’re still on about this?

*Robin Williams in Jumanji saying “What year is it?”

I wasn’t a Crash purist back in the day. I only played 3. So with the remake, I didn’t notice any issues. But I have gone back to play the OG Crash 1, and the jumping in that game is so wack.

@Fizza Link and Zelda are both consistently depicted in their late teens. BotW Zelda turned 17 the day the Calamity struck. Ocarina of Time Link is around 10/17 depending on the time. With Bo being 21 and Benjamin being 16 right now, I think they hit right within the age range they wanted.

sigh

Guess I’ll probably just end up buying the S1 version. I don’t need the boosted performance that the S2 version has, so I can tolerate not having the S2 version.

I bought the GBA release of this game. It’s pretty good. It’s a Shantae game, all things considered, but it is good.

Cocky opportunists like this guy are the reason we can never have nice things. Throw the book at him, I say.

@MathByThePixel Oh for sure, continuity of canon is probably the last thing I’m concerned about with this game. I’m here for fun, and this game looks very fun.

@Dr_Lugae Oh yeah, apart from the confusing lore implications, this game looks really fun.

But what is the lore of this game?! How can Pauline be a child right now when the Donkey Kong we’re playing as is supposed to be the grandchild of the Donkey Kong that kidnaps her as an adult? Or are we playing as Cranky Kong while he was originally Donkey Kong? THEN WHO IS CRANKY KONG IN THIS GAME?! Is Donkey Kong a title rather than a name? brain melts

Meanwhile, at Nintendo: Lol, we’re not thinking about it this deep. Just laugh at funny monkey and have fun

The only thing I don’t really like about Zelda Notes is that it absolutely murders your phone battery. Beyond that, it’s really useful for finding things in these games, and the voiced flavor text bits are cute and neat. IMO, the review for BotW S2 was really way too mean to the Zelda Notes.

That’s awesome. It’s too bad the series is now forever on ice thanks to Microsoft buying Activision.

I’ll have to give that video a watch later. My TV doesn’t have HGiG, so the Switch 2 calibration does happen similar to what you described. Thanks.

It’s a good move for smaller publishers and indie studios who want physical space on a store shelf and a cartridge in the box without doing the whole code-in-a-box nonsense.

It’s a step up from the code-in-a-box nonsense as they can be resold, but it’s not the most ideal situation for game preservationists. I’m personally not too bothered as Xbox and PlayStation both do the same thing with their disc games (which often require updates, so the game disc is forever incomplete anyways), but I understand why it’d bother some people. Nintendo is at least being transparent about it and offering the option for smaller companies.