Comments 31

Re: Japanese Charts: WarioWare: Get It Together! Misses Out On A Debut Number One

ShockFire10

While I'm glad that WarioWare made it up that high, I can't really congratulate Arise for taking the top spot, and it's not because it isn't on the Switch, but because, as someone interested in the Tales of series because of its gameplay, it had to strip away the things that made the franchise stand out to begin with, not the least of which include the Linear Motion Battle System, and the 2D art beyond the game's intro. It's just another homogenized Action RPG to me that attracted people because of the graphics and the more casual-oriented gameplay, and it just makes me worried that it'll soon set a precedence of relying on chasing trends and HD visuals for the franchise to move on.

Re: Ubisoft's Immortals Fenyx Rising Teams Up With Adventure Time

ShockFire10

@Tourtus Well, it sort of did, but then it received a mini-series of sorts on HBO Max. Plus, this commercial isn't the first time the series collaborated after the televised finale, since there was the Brawlhalla collaboration from last year. Clearly, it's the kind of show that hasn't been forgotten by anyone, even after it "finished" its run.

Re: Sega Wants To Take "Good Care" Of 2D And 3D Sonic In The Future

ShockFire10

@somoore94 You do realize how stupid your suggestion sounds, right? Shadow has a set backstory that's been explored in both Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog. Said backstory involves him being created 50 years prior to the events of the former game in the Space Colony ARK, and he spent those 50 years sealed in a pod in Prison Island. In other words, it would be both insulting and confusing to have a "Classic" version just for the sake of it. Plus, if the franchise is so insistent that the Classic and Modern continuity are now separate dimensions, as stupid as that sounds, and that serves as a reason why Classic-era associated characters like Mighty and Ray are locked from appearing in Modern-era games, comics and other related media, then chances are that the opposite would likely be true.

Re: Sega Wants To Take "Good Care" Of 2D And 3D Sonic In The Future

ShockFire10

@PipeGuy64Bit I agree. The thing is that gameplay mechanics usually need to be refined, and while some may be lucky enough to have that done within the pipeline of one game, others have to do it through multiple games, and it's likely that the transition from 2D to 3D belongs to the latter. And what makes things worse is that, from what I'm seeing, Sega and Sonic Team are trying to appease everyone at the risk of stretching themselves too thin, to the extent that any criticism for anything that "does belong in a Sonic game" results in it being removed, thus leading to this problem where the current games, Forces especially, feels too safe and any features and gameplay styles gone missing becomes missed retroactively for some people (i.e. " You don't know what you have until it's gone."), and unless the developers are willing to reconsider at some point, it's likely it won't come back.

I've recently watched a video that critiqued and analyzed the issues about Sonic Forces and suggested ideas that would work better, and while I agree with a lot of the ideas presented, it's at roughly the 43:02 mark (embedded link set at that time) that really struck me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFo4_KcFuLI&feature=youtu.be&t=2582

Re: Tech Journalist Teases "Revolutionary" Scoop In Next Week's Famitsu, Possibly Concerning Sega

ShockFire10

@Shworange Except mobile versions of the game without the Mario elements happened before: The first two games have mobile versions released, with the first being in Java, while the other one was released for iOS before being discontinued. Here's some gameplay clips I found:

https://youtu.be/8Fsh0NWRuCA
https://youtu.be/-6B7ML-L7nA

Also, I'm don't think releasing a new console, let alone completing against Nintendo, would be a good idea nor would it provide a decent payoff. Plus, going by the idea of competing again, what kind of logic would there be to pull out all of their games that have been released and cancel plans for future games and ports on all other consoles just to put it exclusively on theirs? Wouldn't that just cause some backlash? Is Sega even in a position where going back to console development is a good idea?

Re: Sega Is "Really Excited" About Sonic's Future, But Can't Reveal Anything Right Now

ShockFire10

"Are you hyped for Sonic's next major release?"

Unfortunately, not anymore, and it's mostly for the same reasons I may have mentioned before: The franchise abandoned whatever potential and ambition it had, and in its place is way too much emphasis on nostalgia and appealing to the lowest common denominator of its fanbase, both in gameplay (i.e. excessive use of 2D, automation, too linear level design) and in reputation (Do we really need to turn the characters in the this franchise into the wrong kind of caricatures? Do we really need jokes and memes to be spammed to the point where it's part of the franchise's identity, especially those bashing what used to be the "Dark Ages" for its faults, when the franchise's reputation is on shaky ground right now?) It's made especially evident with the previous releases, since Mania's just an ascended fangame that's outright drenched in nostalgia and used as a crutch for the franchise's reputation, Forces turned out to be a microcosm of all of these issues wrapped in a story that feels like it backed out of its potential and it's dark tone way too early, and Team Sonic Racing not only fizzled out too soon, but also had issues like questionable characterization in its story and a relatively paltry roster compared to its contemporaries. Plus, the former two opened up another can of problems when they decided to separate the Classic era from the Modern era as their own things, meaning characters like Ray and Mighty can't be reinvented for the latter, all for no logical reason other than to milk the Classic era for all its worth. It's like they barely care for their headlining franchise.

The worst part out of all of this, though, is that it gives off the impression that the franchise can't grow and evolve with the times, and would rather spin in its own wheels and regress itself. It would be worthwhile for them to figure out how 3D Sonic is supposed to play, as in finding a middle ground between speed and platforming, but instead, we're stuck with this odd quagmire between good and mediocre decisions for this franchise. If the higher-ups are okay with this and refuse to acknowledge or fix these problems, why should I care?

Re: Deals: See The Sonic Movie In Style With Zavvi's Retro Sonic The Hedgehog Merch

ShockFire10

Retro this, classic that... Look, if any one of you are okay with how the franchise is now, then fine. You do you. But as for me, and bear in mind that this is just my opinion, I just can't get excited over this franchise as it is right now. They spent the past decade pandering so much to nostalgia, while barely even putting effort in most of the games to make it good, not even making it up with quantity, and the stories and characters are just wasted whatever potential they used could have gotten. And all for what? To make tons of jokes and appeal solely on the lowest common denominator of the fanbase? They don't even take as much risks anymore.

To be honest, the last time I was excited for anything Sonic-related was the crossover with KO, and even then, it's just for the prospect of a CN production officially crossing over with a Japanese video game franchise. Aside from that, I can't help but feel apathetic for it, especially when I see something related to Classic Sonic shoved down my field of vision. I can't even be excited for the movie because of this, even despite redesigning Sonic's appearance for to be closer to the games. Why am I supposed to care for the franchise anymore when it just feels like it's stagnating and moving backwards?

Re: Rumour: Nintendo Wanted Sora In Smash Bros. Ultimate, But Got Rejected By Disney

ShockFire10

@Muddy_4_Ever If I recall correctly, the Super Mario Bros. movie years ago was part of a plan by their former executive Jeffrey Katzenberg to do just that, but when that film fell flat on its face, all of those plans collapsed, too. And considering how the rights to Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and, presumably, any sequels and live-action films from that series went to Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, the upcoming Super Mario Bros. film has Illumination's involvement, and Super Nintendo World will be a part of Universal's theme parks, something tells me that the effects from the shameful development and results from that failure still linger even now.

Re: Takashi Iizuka Believes The Blue Blur Has "Turned A Corner" Following The Release Of Sonic Mania

ShockFire10

Sorry, but in my opinion, that statement is just hogwash. What I see post-Mania are a bunch of web-toons that milk the popularity of the game dry, a somewhat divisive "3D" game that wasted its potential, a recurring fighting game reappearance, a racing spin-off that hasn't been released yet, a small cameo from a somewhat unrelated movie, a trailer for the franchise's own movie that evokes more cries to redesign its titular character than anything positive, and a new start at the franchise's comic run. Save for a few bits, how exactly is that a turn for the better for the franchise? Plus, last time I checked, Mania, the one getting the praise, is a glorified fan-game made official by Sega, while Forces, a game created by Sonic Team, is the one that's getting criticized for understandably justified (and some unjustified) reasons. Shouldn't they feel embarrassed that they've been outdone by that? Unless the idea here is that they're implying that they've found a way to improve the franchise that doesn't involve milking 2D gameplay and nostalgia too much, something that's been happening way too often in the franchise during the 2010s, I don't consider anything after Sonic Mania to be a good thing. Or, to put it simply, one great game doesn't turn the fortunes for a franchise if the things afterwards don't follow that. Frankly, I can only imagine that such statement would me more convincing if the next game is an actually great one that's not only ambitious and well-made, but also finds a good 3D gameplay foundation for the franchise to use for both speed, exploration, and platforming, and doesn't use nostalgia and 2D as one of the things going for it.

Re: Waluigi Fans Cause More Drama At PAX Aus With '#WahtAboutMe' Super Smash Bros. Protest

ShockFire10

Can I just take a moment to say how absolutely stupid and insane some people can be? As if harassing, being annoying, and sending out death threats isn't enough, they had to resort to this? All for a character whose existence is merely to give Wario a partner in crime? One who is already established to be an Assist Trophy? How would he even fight anyway, especially with his Final Smash in mind? Frankly, if he somehow does make it in, he might as well be a joke character, a la Pichu.

Re: Sega Lowers Full Year Forecast Amid Pachinko Performance Problems

ShockFire10

@MrGamerClock64 So, how did NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, Jet Set Radio Future, and Billy Hatcher do in terms of sales, to begin with?

@GC-161 Honestly, I think it all boils down to management and focus when it comes to making the game. Aside from some story kerfuffles, which I don't know what happened there, I've heard that the people in charge of level design were just three people, one of which only had an experience in Sonic Lost World, while the other two are completely new to this, hence some of the gameplay problems, especially with most stages being too quick or some stages being too linear.

@AlphaJaguar Okay, then. So, what kind of struggle does the pachinko industry have now, anyway? And I assume that all three divisions have equal amounts of focus or not?

Re: Sega Lowers Full Year Forecast Amid Pachinko Performance Problems

ShockFire10

Geez... Pachinko machines must be a really notable investment for Japanese game developers, aren't they? Either way, aside from the fact that Sonic Mania and Total War: Warhammer 2 are performing well for Sega, what other game has Sega released this year, and how did they do? Also, about Sonic Forces, if reviews and most of the reception isn't doing favors for the game, how did it do in sales? And could someone tell me something about the "struggles in the pachinko industry"? Regardless, it sounds like a mixed bag for the company when taking everything into consideration. Hopefully, this is just a minor nuisance for them and not a full-blown dilemma.

Re: BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Is Brawling Its Way To Switch In 2018

ShockFire10

@Aerona About the four franchises involved, I can explain: From what I can gather, these four are either involved with Arc System Works or involves Toshimichi Mori. BlazBlue is one the company's major franchises and is created by Mori himself, Persona 4 Arena and its sequel are developed by ArcSys themselves, even if it's published and has obvious involvement by Atlus, Under Night In-Birth was published by ArcSys, even if the game was developed by Ecole Software and French Bread, and as for RWBY, the show's creator, the late Monty Oum, is a fan of BlazBlue, and similarly, Mori is a fan of RWBY and wanted to make a game based on the show. Hopefully, that explains things for you.

Re: Oddworld Creator Lorne Lanning "Has No Faith" In Switch

ShockFire10

This guy is a jerk. Last time I checked, Iwata was one of the most important people in Nintendo, even playing a major part of the Wii and DS eras, as well as his contribution as executive producer and global president of the company. He was part in shaping the "thinking" of Nintendo. By this jerk's logic, his own thinking killed him?

Plus, about his "complaints"? They make no sense, nor does it help the case of laziness of some third parties, since they need to pull their own weight in promotion and development. I mean, whatever happened to doing the best with what's at hand, establishing parity, or even making a special version for the console? Surely a few tweaks wouldn't be bad?

And by the way, isn't the Switch the last console he worked on after his death? And look how it turned out in just months.

It's one thing to mock a company for its mistakes, even if others have their own problems, and to mock a console that you don't understand, even if it's doing well, but to make those statements about a person who died years ago and his legacy, that's just crossing the line.

Re: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Confirmed for Nintendo Switch

ShockFire10

@Anti-Matter
Really? What's the problem? Last time I checked, not only are most of the licences LEGO has mostly Western franchises, but LEGO itself came from Denmark, a European country, and the game is published by WB Games. Plus, it's kind of expected that another LEGO game would be from Marvel since that was one of the more prominent LEGO sets. I mean, what were you expecting to be the theme for the next LEGO game?
@LandOfZeldtir
Yeah, I'm kinda worried about that, especially with the legacy of both franchises as both the most prominent Marvel series in the 90s and Marvel's First Family. Still, I would probably wait for more info about this game.

Re: Stardock CEO Says Nintendo Switch Doesn't Need Third Party Support To Succeed

ShockFire10

@faint
You're using ports as an example? Try exclusives. Or better yet, give me a game that's actually properly advertised for Nintendo systems or even remotely establishing some form of parity. Also, are you suggesting that those games (some games from Harvest Moon, Monster Hunter and Professor Layton) weren't released because of poor sales and not just some other reason such as, say, the timing or publisher issues? Also, other systems don't have games that made it stateside, so what does it mean for them?

Re: Stardock CEO Says Nintendo Switch Doesn't Need Third Party Support To Succeed

ShockFire10

@electrolite77
You know that there's a difference between being realistic and pessimistic, right? I mean, have third-party companies even remotely done the best that they could on Nintendo consoles? I can't help but feel that the most we got were afterthoughts at best or bad at worst.

@Roam85
Really? Then what do you call the updates from Konami for Super Bomberman R? Considering that they even give updates to the game, plus an announcement of playable characters based off Gradius, Castlevania, and Silent Hill, I think they're pretty satisfied for how the game performed. Plus, isn't the fact that there's a new Bomberman game released on the Switch noteworthy enough?

Anyway, I think that it would be good to at least have some decent third-party support that's actually competent or relatively on par instead of ones that are bad, make excuses for their failures or watering down their projects. I can only guess that there aren't too many success stories because few actually put effort into making the game good or even letting people know it's even on Nintendo systems. Plus, what does this say about the 3DS, which, from what I've seen, has decent third party support? Nintendo is doing just fine for the most part, but third-parties are welcomed if there's some effort done.

And what/who in the world is Stardock, anyway? Have they even done anything for console gaming (i.e. anything besides PC)? If not, then I don't think they're one to talk about third parties on console gaming.