SwitchVogel

@Jeaz Remake already hinted at a bigger role for Zack going forward, so I think this is mostly to familiarize audiences with him ahead of Rebirth's launch.

@JackMcCloud I've seen a theory, which I could definitely see being true, that this was originally meant to be a new FF Crystal Chronicles game. Then after the reception of their terrible modern remake of the GCN game, they pivoted and made this its own thing so people wouldn't instantly judge it. The overall aesthetic and the focus on crystals and 'miasma' as a central plot point certainly made me wonder!

@Andy_Witmyer Personally, I enjoyed this more than both Rune Factory 4 and 5. I can understand that it's objectively not as good a game as 4 and arguably not even as good as 5, but the way it mixes together its RPG and farming mechanics works really well.

Wow, I'm shocked that's the high water mark for the series. Absolutely loved the game, but it really puts into perspective how relatively low-selling these games have always been.

@TheFox I don't want to spoil anything, but this one has a pretty decisive end to the story they started with the last game. I don't know if there will be another Plague Tale, but if there is, it'll probably be a brand new story set in the same universe. There's nothing left for them to do with these characters.

@Noelemahc I'd be willing to bet they announce or release the port within a year. Lots of companies seem to have learned that people will double dip if a game releases later on Switch, so it'll probably come right around the time you can pick up the other versions for pennies.

@RareFan Gotta agree, I stopped caring about the story right around when they introduced time travel and somehow made everyone xehanort. In my headcanon, the series ended with KH II and everything after was just fanfic.

@BrazillianCara I think the reason it's not mentioned much is because it's such a 'safe' JRPG. Nothing wrong with it at all, it's just that it doesn't do much that's memorable.

The AR and Streetpass stuff was barely relevant in the original, I don't think it would really be missed.

@personauser93 Normally I'd agree with this, but I think Overwatch 2 is a special case. Because this game exists, we literally can't play the original anymore, which means this game needs to fully justify the replacement.

The cynical side of me says that they pulled the plug on the original OW because they knew this one wasn't gonna be enough, and they didn't want players to have the option of choosing to stick with the original instead. Even if it didn't get any
more new heroes, cosmetics, or content, I know I for sure would've continued playing the original if I had a choice here and I doubt I'm the only one.

@Cheez Definitely agree, I'd love more Picross 3D. I don't know if they could make it work with Switch, though, unless they went handheld only. Seems like the kind of thing that would be super awkward with motion controls.

TBF it's also rumored that they were taken off the KOTOR remake due to how crap their playable build was. I feel like this DLC being late is the least of their worries right now.

@Space5000 I appreciate the feedback! Generally, my view of ROM hacks is that they're free, amateur attempts at recreating official content. I agree with you that some ROM hack creators have really cool ideas that expand well on the base game, but in my experience most just feel like sloppier approximations of the real deal. This isn't an issue when it's just a random mod you downloaded, but a $40 price tag brings with it higher expectations. That and the fact that this game invites comparison to Link to the Past at every turn, and actively seems built to remind you of it.

Absolutely agree, Shovel Knight collectathon is what we need.

@the_beaver The fact you forgot about it and only now remember it exists is all that you really need to know. It's not good or bad enough to be memorable, it's just there.

@Arehexes Gameplay is nothing like EO, but I personally found the whole "city built on the edge of a cavernous dungeon" and the loop of slowly going deeper each run to be similar.

Pretty decent sales, though I think this one was a victim of its release timing. Launching a week before the next entry jn Nintendo's flagship RPG series was simply a bad idea. I'd consider myself the target audience here, but I went with Xenoblade instead of this and I'm sure I wasn't alone in that.

Haven't they consistently delivered a new atelier every year for like the last decade? I'd be more surprised if there wasn't something coming.

I knew it! I've always suspected there would be more; I think this was originally intended as one game at some point and they later decided to break it up.

Dude is gonna put Mark Brown out of business

@EliSweetG I'd recommend both The End is Nigh and Slime-San. Don't see those ones talked about as much, but they're every bit deserving of praise

Glad to see they're continuing this, I was thinking 6 was going to be the last one - especially because one of the series creators just resigned.

I'm hoping they've been making good use of that extra time. That delay that came before the war broke out had me wondering if this may be a little shaky at launch with performance or something. The real question is: are they really going to wait until the war is over to release it?

Man, that Red XIII ad is actually pretty solid, I love how they have him peeking out in the sun.

@Switch_Pro I agree with you; I didn't write the blurb for this one. I didn't even know this game existed until this remaster came along.

Not an awful game by any means, but definitely one of those that leaves me wondering why they bothered with the remaster. Seems to me the only ones interested are those who already played it.

It deserves it, this was the return to form they needed after Star Allies. Though I want a sequel to this, I do hope they keep the 2D games going in some form.

@StuTwo That's a fair point, I doubt they'll drop this quickly once they do introduce the successor.

I think it easily passes Game Boy, but no way does it pass the DS in sales. Still incredible to think what a heel turn this was from the dark days of the Wii U. My only hope here is that they don't screw it up for the successor; I'm sure it'll have some new gimmick, but I'm expecting something that feels in many ways like what the SNES was to the NES.

Not sure why this is that disappointing to some, they're obviously going to make another Mortal Kombat game in the near future. I can only imagine how good it's gonna look on current gen hardware, MK11 was seriously impressive.

For real though, how on earth has Nintendo not done a Kirby RPG yet? It's such a perfect fit!

@nessisonett Fair point, though I would consider it a flaw of the genre, and I say that despite being a huge RPG fan. Mashing 'A' simply for hours on end simply doesn't add to the enjoyment, especially when a game doesn't know how to effectively break up big scenes. Plus, games like Oxenfree show how dialogue can be made into a much more interesting aspect of a game if devs are willing to put in a little more elbow grease.

I wish they'd do a follow up to Assault. That game had it's issues, but I think a Star Fox game that mixes vehicle and on foot sections like that could be a real winner if they tried again. Zero was passable, but I think it's about time they finally let SF64 die and try something else.

@Maulbert I honestly believe this is part of it. With how well that game reviewed and sold, I find it absurd that they didn't fast track a sequel. This wouldn't be the first time a Japanese game company did something petty like this, and I think it's hard to believe that their leadership is so out of touch that they legitimately don't think a sequel would be worth the development resources it would cost them.

I could easily see them doing an Advance Wars style remake of the first two games. Still waiting on Advance Wars though...

Ah, I hope they have the next one coming out soon! Awesome gameplay and the soundtrack is still in my rotation for study music. I know the story was super divisive, but I personally loved having a series of mostly disconnected mini stories for each character. Made it feel like a playable short story anthology, and the way it all came together in the optional ending was super satisfying.

@FishyS You can literally do this, just pull up the map with '-' and you can hop anywhere you've already been through.

@TheStormGL Agreed, it blows my mind. My theory is that there had to be some regulatory or legal issue that made it more trouble than it's worth. I can't imagine why else they would leave money on the table, especially when it's already been translated into English.

@DarthXenos Agreed, this gives me hope for something like that. Maybe Nintendo will let them produce a new JRPG set in the Dragalia universe so it can live on after they shut it down this year.

@ozwally Enjoy, it's a great read! Crazy to me that it was written before the internet, too, Gibson was really ahead of his time.

Interesting that first review mentioned it's shorter than Iceborne. I know that was basically another game's worth of new content, but I'm wondering now how substantial this actually is.

Isn't the chip shortage expected to stretch into 2023 now? I'd assume this is just them not wanting to make Sony's mistake of getting chopped at the knees in producing more units. I'm convinced that PS5 production up to this point has been solely dependent upon a single chimpanzee putting them together somewhere in Taiwan.

@davowayman You can change it in the settings!

Man, Epic Mickey was just one of those games that was absolutely brilliant, but couldn't get out of its own way. I think if they dropped the half-baked morality system and Disney let them fully commit to the disturbing, twisted tone they originally were going for, it could've been one for the ages. Really makes you wonder what it could've eventually become if they kept the series going.

Never played the original four, but from what I've gathered they weren't as good as the G.U. games and those were... uh, decent. I wouldn't be opposed to a new collection, but I feel like it's not exactly something people are clamoring for.

DS to 3DS wasn't too bad once they gave it the price cut. And I expect they'll do basically a Switch 2; no way do they go back to having a dedicated console and handheld.

@JeanPaul Options are a lot more limited there; the only two I'm aware of are the predecessor to this, Labyrinth of Refrain, and a semi-recent game from Square called Dungeon Encounters.

@JeanPaul If you have a 3DS, any of the Etrian Odyssey games. I'd recommend starting with either of the 'Untold' games.

@CANOEberry At this point, I find it more amusing than annoying. The mainline Persona games on Switch is such a ridiculously easy win for them and they continue to pretend like they don't know or aren't sure the market is there.

Did we not understand any other 3D Sonic from the last decade either?

Atlus: "Sorry, what's that? You said you want us to bring over the Persona Dancing games to Switch now?"

@SteamEngenius Actually no, I'm not a fan of anime at all! Never seen this before. I suppose I could've worded it better, but I felt combat was still quite enjoyable, even if it is shallow.