Comments 2,388

Re: Rumour: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Could Be Switch-Bound, According To New Leak

StephenYap3

Meh. I'm a huge Dragon Ball fan who enjoyed Xenoverse 2 (especially) and FighterZ on Switch, but I played Kakarot as a rental and wasn't impressed.

The entirety of the "Dragon Ball Z" story is amazing and still amazes me to this day, but I already know the whole thing left and right, and seeing Kakarot being a retelling of that whole cornucopia is no surprise to me. Additionally, I found the battle system to be lackluster compared to even the first Xenoverse and even flying around isn't as fun or satisfying as the anime. Having an open world is neat, but not so neat when you're stopped by random generic robot enemies for some reason every so often.

Therefore, regardless of Kakarot coming to Switch, I ain't buying it.

Re: Video: 11 Exciting New Games Coming To Nintendo Switch In April

StephenYap3

The only game that's of my interest in April and is a sure-fire buy (unless if the reviews have something to say about it) is Smelter. And if finances smile, Atelier Sophie DX.

New Pokémon Snap is looking cool, but I don't know how I feel about putting more than $30 on it. Yes, I have played the original on N64 and as neat of an idea it was at the time, it doesn't seem to be anything more beyond being a glorified mini game, in my opinion.

The rest on that list is whatever to me (though I'd really like to check out Falcom's Trails series).

Re: Feature: Every Nintendo Switch Kart Racing Game Ranked

StephenYap3

1) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
2) Gensou SkyDrift
3) Team Sonic Racing
4) Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
5) Race With Ryan

The first four I enjoyed, but the fifth? Ha ha ha...

Edit: Glad to see Gensou SkyDrift on the list at last and while I would've placed it higher, at least it's #10. "Unfortunately, the lack of meaningful single-player content"...well, to be fair, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe kind of suffers from this as well...

Re: Best Nintendo DS RPGs

StephenYap3

Outside of Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, there personally hasn't been any DS RPGs I enjoyed as many of the ones I played just didn't deliver to me.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was good, but the whole thing played too safe after Aria of Sorrow.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time felt too incredibly rushed and barebones, especially compared to its GBA predecessor Superstar Saga.

Pokémon Diamond/Pearl was simply nothing special and felt like a copypaste port of Ruby/Sapphire with a tacked-on second screen.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was a mixed bag that suffered too much from gimmicks and Bowser being too OP'd, even by a Mario RPG standpoint.

Re: Best Nintendo 3DS RPGs

StephenYap3

I'd add Brave Dungeon, Fairune 2, and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam to the list as well. These games are underrated and are much better than what they're credited for, in my opinion.

Re: Review: Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - Better Late Than Never

StephenYap3

Good to hear that this game is "great". I held off on buying it on my baby bro's XB1 system in favor of the Switch version, the latter which I'm glad to hear runs nearly as good, if not exactly "smooth".

...but it will have to be a "maybe" buy for me. My wallet is booked with preorders this year (for the Switch alone) and even then, I still have N. Sane Trilogy on my Switch for my Crash needs.

Re: Video: Ten 3DS Exclusives That Could Be Better On Nintendo Switch

StephenYap3

Ignoring the fact that it's also on PC, I would love to see The Legend of Dark Witch 2 on Switch, especially in its "Renovation" form like its predecessor that released in 2019.

Fantasy Life, as Magician said, also needs to come to Switch and hopefully if it does, it will include a few exclusive new content (i.e. Letting us wear other clothing over our strongest equipment, to name one).

Re: Feature: Best Kirby Games Of All Time

StephenYap3

Eh, pretty decent list. Not surprised by #1, though. As amazing Planet Robobot was, it still can't beat Epic Yarn, Star Allies, Super Star (SNES), Return to Dream Land, and Triple Deluxe for me. Speaking of Star Allies...

Though I'll admit that the game is "too easy", the same could be said for just about any other mainline game in the series. The Dream Land trilogy is too easy, Adventure is too easy, Kirby 64 is too easy, Return to Dream Land is too easy...I have nothing against this franchise being "too easy" since that's the main selling point of the mainline games.

Here's my ranking:

1) Kirby Super Star/Kirby's Return to Dream Land/Kirby Triple Deluxe (9.5/10)
2) Kirby's Epic Yarn (9.1/10)
3) Kirby and the Forgotten Land (9/10)
4) Kirby Star Allies (8.8/10)
5) Kirby Planet Robobot (8.6/10)
6) Kirby's Dream Land 2 (8.5/10)
7) Kirby's Blowout Blast (8.3/10)
8) Kirby Mass Attack (7.9/10)
9) Kirby's Dream Land (7.8/10)
10) Kirby's Adventure (7.5/10)
11) Kirby Super Star Ultra (7/10)
12) Kirby Squeak Squad (6.8/10)
13) Kirby's Dream Land 3 (6.5/10)
14) Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (6/10)
15) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (5.5/10)

I am aware that there other games beyond this list of mine, but either I haven't played them enough to rank them or haven't played them at all.

Also, to explain on why I gave Kirby 64 a 4.5/10, it's simply due to the game being weak in many aspects in my book. As neat of an idea the Mix Ability system was, it is horrendously unbalanced (you can literally get the Bomb + Cutter ability from the first stage of Pop Star and you've practically beaten the game from that point on). There are a few good parts such as cutscenes and multiplayer mode, but simply put: Kirby has seen better days elsewhere beyond the N64.

Edit: List has been updated to include Forgotten Land, as well as tweak some scores of mine.

Re: Feature: Best Feel-Good Nintendo Switch Games

StephenYap3

I'd add Kirby Star Allies and BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! to the list. Both of these games gave me that "feel good" vibe while providing me a fun experience.

I'd would add Yoshi's Crafted World to the list, but...yuck, that game's vibe was more tiring and monotonous than feel good, in my opinion

Re: Feature: Year In Review - A Look Back At Nintendo's 2020

StephenYap3

Aside from the pandemic, I thought 2020 was amazing. It's even my new favorite year after 2017, which was still amazing to me.

-We got Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which became both my new favorite AC game and my new favorite Switch game.
-Pop'n TwinBee FINALLY coming to the US, a game which Japan and Europe got.
-Clubhouse Games, a surprisingly good "shovelware" game.
-Another good Puyo Puyo and Tetris game since Puyo Puyo Tetris from 2017.
-Super Mario All Stars FINALLY released digitally.
-A surprise and great Smash Bros alternative (Kirby Fighters 2).
-etc.

If that's not enough, 2020 also brightened up my day after how much of a mixed-bag 2019 was, in my opinion. I mean, yes, we got Luigi's Mansion 3, Link's Awakening Remake, Atelier Lulua, Umihara Kawase Fresh!, Gensou SkyDrift, and Dragon Quest Builders 2...but 2019 also had Tetris 99, Dragon: Marked for Death, Super Neptunia RPG, and Yoshi's Crafted World, four of which have disappointed me left and right (especially Yoshi, oh my goodness...how did we go from the amazing and fun Yoshi's Woolly World on Wii U to...that? Ugh.).

Overall, there isn't much for me to look forward to in 2021 outside of Cyber-Shadow and Super Mario 3D World, but I'm remaining hopeful.

Re: Feature: The Best Nintendo Moments Of 2020

StephenYap3

My favorite times from 2020

1) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (as a whole)
2) Puyo Puyo Tetris getting a sequel
3) Mario 35th Anniversary direct (with Super Mario All Stars FINALLY getting a digital release)
4) Sephiroth in Smash
5) Bug Fables coming to consoles (a.k.a. the "Paper Mario" that The Origami King failed to be)
6) Pop'n TwinBee FINALLY coming to the US

Re: Best Of 2020: The Complete History Of Paper Mario

StephenYap3

Aside from The Origami King, I enjoyed the series very much, with the first two being the highlights for me. As great SPM, SS, and CS were in my book, they simply can't touch the first two games for me.

Hopefully Intelligent Systems catches wind of the fanbase one of these days and takes Paper Mario back to its roots because the RPG elements and such are what made the series take off in the first place.

Re: Kirby Developer HAL Laboratory Teases New Projects For 2021

StephenYap3

@nessisonett Eh, I think Return to Dream Land, Triple Deluxe, Planet Robobot, and Star Allies are all amazing, in my book. Building upon Super Star's mechanics was something I wanted see after Super Star on SNES.

If the series were to go into an "experimental" phase, then I'm hoping Super Star's multiple movesets and AI allies go along with it.

Re: Kirby Developer HAL Laboratory Teases New Projects For 2021

StephenYap3

If a 3D traditional Kirby game were to happen, then I'm hoping the Super Star gameplay mechanics (multiple moveset Copy Abilities, AI allies, etc.) go along with it. As great the Dream Land trilogy and Adventure were, it's just too difficult for me to step backwards to one-action Copy Abilities.

Otherwise, I could use another 2D traditional Kirby game, provided that it both builds upon and fixes Star Allies' mechanics and such.

Re: Feature: Nintendo Life's Switch Game Of The Year 2020

StephenYap3

My 2020 list...
1) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
2) Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (Switch)
3) Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection (Switch)
4) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (XB1)
5) Pop'n TwinBee (Switch - NSO - Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
6) Super Mario Bros 35 (Switch)
7) Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Switch)
8) Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 (Switch)
9) Kirby Fighters 2 (Switch)
10) Jump Rope Challenge (Switch)

-Honorable Mentions-
Good Job! (Switch)
Pokemon Cafe Mix (Switch)

New Horizons, in my opinion, definitely deserved the 2020 GOTY honor. I've long waited for an Animal Crossing game that breaks a lot of mold while being given the option to play on either TV or on the go, and New Horizons (among other things) gave me that.

Re: Review: Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - Another Fine Fusion Of Two Puzzle Greats

StephenYap3

I'll admit that Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 looks "similar" to the first game, the addition of Skill Battle (which replaces most of Adventure Mode, thankfully) and Japanese voices option (among other things) is more than enough for me to preorder this game. This game seems to be one of the few instances, where the wheel doesn't need reinventing.

Can't wait for tomorrow