Comments 2,388

Re: Hyperdimension Neptunia: Re;Birth Trilogy Launches On Switch In 2024

StephenYap3

Yeah, these three had to come to Switch eventually, and I'm down for it.

I can't speak for the original game since I haven't played it, but I did play through Re;Birth 1 and thought it was "meh".

Neptunia mk2 is still my favorite in the series to this day for having my favorite gameplay (especially with the AP system feature), and while I still had some enjoyment with Re;Birth 2, the remake just wasn't as good to me.

I haven't played Re;Birth 3, but I did play Victory and I thought it was a huge disappointment after mk2. The gameplay felt so watered-down to me and the difficulty was all over the place.

Re: Review: Shiren The Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon Of Serpentcoil Island (Switch) - A Thrilling Return For A Beloved Series

StephenYap3

Good to hear that this game ended up being great. Always been curious in these types of games.

I'm going to have to buy this one later, though. I'm currently watching my funds carefully and even then, I just invested in the sale for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundle this month.

Until then, I have Touhou Genso Wanderer -Lotus Labyrinth R- to satisfy enough of my needs for these types of games.

Re: 35 Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games To Look Forward To In 2024

StephenYap3

The only games on my radar for this year are...

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Princess Peach: Showtime!
Contra: Operation Galuga
The Plucky Squire
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (obviously)
Fairune: Fragment Isles (PC only, but it has to come to Switch, especially since all of the previous games have been on 3DS and Switch)

Re: Random: Some Rare Fans Are Upset About The Latest Switch Online Announcement

StephenYap3

I'm a Rare Ware fan as well (particularly during the N64 days) and I too want Rare Replay on my Switch, but we should at least be glad that we're getting some of Rare's oldies.

@Arcsol Agreed. I love Banjo-Kazooie (game) myself, but I would've loved it more if Banjo-Tooie and Donkey Kong 64 were at the same table to complete my triple-pack of N64 collectathons.

Re: Fantasy Life i Finally Settles For An October Release On Switch

StephenYap3

The release date seems a tad bit distant, but I'm perfectly fine with it.

Yes, I do want to play this game right got dang now, but Mario Golf: Super Rush (despite fairly enjoying it) showed me the result of a publisher/developer releasing a game too early without doing much of any needed polish and/or enough content added to the base game.

Re: Round Up: The Previews Are In For Princess Peach: Showtime!

StephenYap3

Good to hear more (good) previews from this. D1B to me, for sure.

I will echo what I said in a previous article, though:

Good to hear that it's enjoyable at least and while I still prefer to have a semblance of challenge, I'll still take any "easy" game as long as I have (consistent) fun with it from head to toes. That's been the case with the Mario and Kirby games, and I think Princess Peach: Showtime! will be in that same basket for me.

Re: Hands On: We've Played Princess Peach: Showtime! - Is It Any Good?

StephenYap3

Good to hear that it's enjoyable at least and while I still prefer to have a semblance of challenge, I'll still take any "easy" game as long as I have (consistent) fun with it from head to toes. That's been the case with the Mario and Kirby games, and I think Princess Peach: Showtime! will be in that same basket for me.

Re: Kirby Happy Meal Promotion Announced For McDonald's Japan

StephenYap3

Despite being an adult myself, those toys do look pretty neat, especially for a (huge) Kirby fan myself. I'd be surprised if this ever came to the US.

I also find it odd how despite most of the toys being (more or less) based off of Kirby and the Forgotten Land that Keeby (Yellow Kirby) himself never appeared in that game.

Re: Soapbox: With Switch Online, It's The Perfect Time To Bring Back These Wii U Gems

StephenYap3

Really liked these games. I would love to see them return to Switch, as well as a "sequel/spiritual successor" to them (if indieszero isn't doing anything, that is).

On a related note, I do hope Yoshi's Woolly World (with both 3DS and Wii U content bundled in), The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, and others make their way from the Wii U to the Switch or its successor.

Re: Nintendo Has Seemingly Filed More Patents For Mario Wonder And Zelda: TOTK

StephenYap3

It works a bit differently, but the whole ghost thing in Super Mario Bros Wonder reminded me of the blown-up states that dead players would go into in Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends.

Anyways, I'm unsure what to respond with regarding these patents that Nintendo filed. I do still want to respect Nintendo, but this is one of those few instances where I kind of disagree with them and where I think they need to "cool it" on the whole patenting thing.

Re: Best Nintendo Switch Puzzle Games

StephenYap3

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 definitely didn't have the same "impact" that its predecessor had, but its numerous (subtle) improvements here and there made it the better game at the end of the day, in my opinion. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 deserved better...

Re: Kirby Developer HAL Laboratory Recruiting For New Projects

StephenYap3

I definitely be down for an RPG and I too was surprised to see the traditional formula transition (for the most part) well in 3D with Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

...but I wouldn't mind seeing another 2D game as well. I do think Kirby Star Allies set up the basis well for another 2D entry in the series and I do think it can be built and improved upon (making all levels "flexible" for all quantities of players, adjustable AI options for Helpers a la Bowser Jr. in Bowser's Fury, etc.).

Either way, hopefully HAL Laboratory's next Kirby project contains just as much passion and care put into it as the modern mainline Kirby games (I greatly liked all of them, even Kirby Star Allies). The mainline Kirby games on Switch have been my favorite "Super Mario" games on that system and I'd be disappointed if Vanpool Inc.'s downfall affected the series' overall quality.

Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of The Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Demo?

StephenYap3

I greatly enjoyed it, at least from the tiny hour I spent with it. It's surprisingly well-made for me and I do dig the numerous options and ideas it has on the table. The fact that this game is being made by the team behind the recent two Rayman games also adds more to my consideration of buying this game.

...but like @JackieCMarlow said, I'll wait for a (big) discount under Ubisoft's sporadic sale events.

Re: Best Paper Mario-Likes On Switch - Games To Play If You Miss Old-School Paper Mario

StephenYap3

"Turn-based battles" are the main things that come to my plate whenever "Paper Mario-likes" are brought up for me.

Any who, here are my thoughts on the games (I played) on the list...

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
I would say "great game" because it brought back the "Paper Mario" vibe I longed for (even though I enjoyed Super Paper Mario, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, and Paper Mario: Color Splash for what they were) and it is quite a magnificent effort for an indie version of it...but I wasn't too keen on how "rigid" many of the mechanics were in comparison and a lot of its charm, while great, didn't quite hit home for me. Either way, Moonsprout Games gets a medal from me.

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
A quirky little The Legend of Zelda-like that manages to convey neat ideas to help make up for its shortcomings in the mechanics department, but that's pretty much all I'll say.

Cat Quest II
I enjoyed this a bit more than its predecessor, but that's mainly because of the added depth and meat to it that made its predecessor fairly barebones otherwise. Either way, decent game and hopefully the upcoming third game will be actually "good".

Undertale
Pretty good game for the unique danmaku sections (on defense) and its ACT system. As much as I enjoyed the overall presentation on many angles, the game didn't really leave me highly impressed as the crowd did and even then, I do wish that the game still statistically rewarded me on Pacifist Route runs.

Nobody Saves the World
Amazing game by (one of) my favorite developer(s) DrinkBox Studios, blending many of its ideas together beautifully into one jam-packed Action RPG, especially with its great DLC.

As for the rest, I never played them, so I can't say much about them. I will say, though, that I don't mind trying Chicory: A Colorful Tale and Born of Bread out (I did play the latter's demo and I enjoyed it, but I never bought the full game), especially the former as its "It's the Paper Mario: Color Splash we all deserved" thing has me intrigued since I actually greatly enjoyed Paper Mario: Color Splash (and Paper Mario: Sticker Star for that matter), therefore I'm wondering how much better Chicory: A Colorful Tale is in comparison.

Re: The Easiest Nintendo Switch Games

StephenYap3

If you've played any of Good-Feel's craft-filled platformers before (Kirby's Epic Yarn, Yoshi's Woolly World), you may find that Yoshi's Crafted World suffers from a terrible case of more-of-the-sameness.
Eh, I would argue that Yoshi's Crafted World's true "terrible case" is how it handles its gameplay and content. The gameplay is leaps backwards from the fast and well-paced gameplay of Kirby's Epic Yarn and Yoshi's Woolly World, and the content has no excuse to not allow players the option to undertake multiple side quests at once (among other things).

There's loads more complaints I have for Yoshi's Crafted World and while I would agree that the game is "easy", it is far from the "best" (let alone good) in my opinion.

Re: Plans Are Reportedly In Place To Celebrate Earthbound's 30th Anniversary

StephenYap3

Dang, it's been that long? Man, I feel old...

As for a "game", while I too am in the camp of wanting Mother 3 to be localized...I'm more interested in a "reboot" of sorts that encompasses in the series starting over from scratch in its own universe while improving its mechanics to be anything but (a watered-down) Dragon Quest to some degree. Additionally, maybe make the main character go in the same route as Pikmin 4 did by making the main character customizable with their genders and clothing (colors), as well as introducing a "skill tree" of sorts that lets members learn PSI or other skills anyway possible, alongside make the non-PSI users as less useless as possible in this regard.

...but these are all just personal ideas I have. I know no fan or anybody will agree with me on this, but I'm just giving out my thoughts. I really liked this series.

Re: Feature: Nintendo Switch Ports We'd Love To See In 2024

StephenYap3

Here's what I'd like to see on Switch:

-Yoshi's Woolly World (with both the co-op mode AND the 3DS version's content in the same basket)
-Kirby's Epic Yarn (with both the co-op mode AND the 3DS version's content in the same basket)
-Ultimate NES Remix (with all of the missing games included, plus Super Luigi Bros and Speed Mario Bros in one basket)
-The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (HD)
-The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (HD)
-The Legend of Dark Witch Episode 2: The Price of Desire (especially with the same remake treatment the first game got)
-The Legend of Dark Witch Episode 3: Wisdom and Lunacy (though I'd rather see this game get "remade" so that its gameplay and content see more depth and effort put into it instead of being an inexcusable step backwards from its two predecessors)

etc.

Re: Feature: The Best Hidden Gems And Underrated Switch Games Of 2023

StephenYap3

I would say that this was kind of a good year for indies, even though I wasn't as impressed with it compared to last year. Regardless, while I would say that Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is the highlight from this list, I wouldn't scoff at others like Onion Assault and Gravity Circuit. Just my opinion, though.

It’s not quite on the level of Curse of the Moon, its closest relative
Er...I would argue that I enjoyed Grim Guardians: Demon Purge more than Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (and especially its sequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2). The latter was a neat little game of sorts to warm us up for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (which I liked) and a nice nod to the classic Castlevania games, but when it comes to overall depth and polish to the gameplay and pretty much everything else, Grim Guardians wins the day for me.

Re: Soapbox: In 2023, Mario Got Weird Again

StephenYap3

@Sisilly_G

I can somewhat agree with you.

Super Mario Bros Wonder is a fun game and I don't regret it (especially as a huge Mario fan myself), but when it comes to its boss fights and other traditions, it fell flat for me, not helped either by the Wonder Effects scrambling too much on the levels' focus and the badge system being a bit too trivial (something that even Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair's Play Tonics system did better in).

And at least Kirby Star Allies made numerous callbacks to its history prior, which is something that the New Super Mario Bros series rarely ever did.

Re: Zelda Producer Explains Why A Mario Maker Style Game Probably Won't Work

StephenYap3

I will worship Aonuma with all of my dying heart and I will continue to stand by the sentiment of The Legend of Zelda being some of the best from his hands...but I'm kind of going to have to call hogwash on this.

Creation games and features are always going to be "complicated" for those who put in the best effort into making something, and that includes the Super Mario Maker games as well. Sure, having to place numerous pots and items and such here and there may seem a tad bit much, but that also applies to most level editors (even Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 had a similar level of depth for those who want to make "busy" parks) and while the Chamber Dungeons feature in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake was a neat idea, it is also simply barebones and a further reason why a Zelda Maker needs to happen.

Either way, while I can't deny that a Zelda Maker would bring a more complicating direction compared to Super Mario Maker, I still believe that the former can still happen.

Re: Poll: Rate Your Favourite Switch Games Of The Year 2023

StephenYap3

My list:

1) Pikmin 4 (Switch)
2) Super Mario RPG (Switch)
3) 30XX (Switch)
4) Gravity Circuit (Switch)
5) Tevi (Switch)
6) Smushi Come Home (Switch)
7) F-Zero 99 (Switch)
8) Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara (Switch)
9) Yeah! You want "those games", right? So here you go! Now, let's see you clear them! (Switch)
10) Lego 2K Drive (Switch)

-Honorable Mentions-
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe (Switch)
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge (Switch)
Wild Dogs (Switch)
Protodroid DeLTA (Switch)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)
Onion Assault (Switch)

Third-party (and indie) games didn't hit as hard as last year's for me, but the first-party games made a noticeable comeback, in my opinion, and I'm happy for that. My new favorite Switch year to dethrone 2020 for me.

Re: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Will Bloom Onto Switch In Summer 2024

StephenYap3

I'm really liking the changes so far. It seems that Keiji Inafune has fully learned what made Fantasy Life great (at least, to me) and doubled-down on its amenities for the better. Hopefully "cosmetic equipment" is in the works as being able to wear any clothing over your (strongest) equipment would be a blessing.

Do us all a favor, Level 5 Comcept: Take all the time you need necessary before cutting the tape. Don't let Mario Golf: Super Rush or Cyberpunk 2077 be the future of gaming.

Re: Best Mario RPGs Of All Time

StephenYap3

Paper Mario tops them all for me, though I will label Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA and 3DS), and Super Mario RPG remake as the highlights on my book as well.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Paper Mario: Color Splash, Super Paper Mario, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, and Super Mario RPG SNES gave me great times, even with some of their "flaws".

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope was decent. It didn't wow me as much as the predecessor on many angles, but I don't regret it.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS; I have the 3DS version, but haven't touched it yet) are personally the low points for me for being too "wacky" for the series' own good, as well as the former having so much missed potential for a time travel plot (you don't even get to see all of areas' present forms aside from Peach's Castle). They aren't bad games, no, but I expected much better from them.

Re: Review: Irem Collection Volume 1 (Switch) - Three Great Games, But One Slim Package

StephenYap3

Three Great Games, But One Slim Package

Very bare-bones presentation, and deficient in several key areas on that front

These are also what I'd describe the delisted Super Mario 3D All Stars as well. I'm baffled as to how that collection didn't even include filter options at the least, let alone a "Reset" option (even though Super Mario Sunshine still has the B + X + Start soft reset).

Anyways, I'll think about this collection. I've a tiny sweet tooth for shmups.

Re: Review: DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing - Ain't The Sharpest Tool In The Shed

StephenYap3

Yeah, I wasn't expecting this game to be "decent" and the whole game seems to be "just there" when compared to many of the Kart racers we got in recent years; the only good thing I can say about this game is that it's still better than Race With Ryan, which is a 2-inch-high bar to clear.

Either way, I'm happy enough with just Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (especially with the Booster Course Pass DLC), Lego 2K Drive, Gensou SkyDrift, Team Sonic Racing, and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled on my Switch in the meantime.

Re: Review: My Time At Sandrock - A Farm Sim Sequel That Plays It Too Safe

StephenYap3

I could care less for a game that "plays it (too) safe", so as long as that game ends up being just as good or better than its predecessor, in my opinion. I mean, I still very well like the New Super Mario Bros series, Kirby (Return to Dream Land - Star Allies) series, and even the Bomberman series myself to this day.

That said, while a few footages I've seen made me somewhat interested in this game (particularly in the combat elements and QoL improvements), I'll probably buy it later down the line and even then, I wasn't impressed with its predecessor My Time at Portia.

Re: Review: Devil World - A North American Debut For Nintendo's Curious Pac-Man 'Clone'

StephenYap3

Eh, I played a bit of this game and while I'm glad to be able to do so at last (officially), I wasn't impressed with it myself.

The moving screen barrier is very annoying and having to grab crosses to even progress through the first phase of a round makes it even worse for me.

I'll always respect Miyamoto and continue to be interested in his future works, but this is one of the few of his works where I'll have to give it the "wah wah" reward.