Takoda

I have a hard time deciding if the ‘niceness’ of this game would feel comforting or immensely boring, and it doesn’t look interesting enough for me to find out. Maybe someday on sale.

Aren't most shooters always more of the same anyway? Feels like we're expecting too much from a genre that by default can't change the game up that much. I feel like that's the inherent nature of shooters, to improve systems and balance stuff out but visually and mechanically, you just stick with what worked. I might buy Splatoon 3 because I hopped over Splatoon 2 so I don't have the issue of it feeling 'too similar'. Been a while since I got to play Splatoon so I'll enjoy this one while it lasts. Shooters could never keep my interest for long with the goal just being competition against rando's. Can't imagine how those pro-players don't get immensely bored of doing the same thing over and over for so long, but hey, tastes differ after all.

I skipped the first one because the reviews weren’t all that and it didn’t grab my interest, was wondering if the second one would… nope. Guess I’ll pass on this one too.

Wind Waker HD. I went on to try a lot of other zelda games but besides Botw they all fell short of greatness pretty swiftly. Didn’t even manage to drag myself to the ending most of the time.
Now the 2D zeldas, those I always managed to vibe with just fine, even if I don’t hold them in such high regard either as most of the gaming community seems to.

This seems about right to me, though honestly I drop most of the pokemon narratives under the same rank because they’re all equally simplistic besides black and white, which was quite ambitious and for that alone made for a more interesting plot, even if it didn’t exactly deliver on all fronts.
As evil team goes, I love Team Plasma’s music and aesthetic too, so that’s a double win for me, hehe.

@Ralizah I had the same issue close to the end. I was near the end of chapter 6 but failed a boss fight twice and figured, eh, why not do a few small side quests and then try again? I ended up only getting back to said boss after multiple hours of side-questing around, and now that I’ve finished the story I still want to go back and see just how much there still is to do, which is rare for me. Just the total amount of stuff to do is daunting. I usually just finish the story and then move on to the next game, but for all the faults I find with the game the side-content in XC3 is just amazing.

But yeah, I get what you mean, there’s something about doing the side-quests while the story is still going on, whereas when you’ve already reached the end and go back to do them later it kind of gets this… ‘cleanup’ vibe instead of moving alongside the main story, because you already know how the grand plot around all those side-quests will end. At least that’s how it is for me, but I get what you mean. At least you’re having a good time doing it!

@Ralizah I’d love to hear your opinion on it when you get there honestly. I always like seeing different perspectives on this stuff.

@Anti-Matter You know what, I’ll take back what I said, that’s pretty valid. Xenoblade is a pretty big investment even for just one game so I don’t blame you for just deciding it wasn’t for you after playing a bit. Have fun with YL2 then, everyone will have their taste and that’s fine.

@Ralizah Fair points well made. Moebius does have that going for it. I’ll admit that I do have nostalgia goggles when it comes to XC1 but I can see the merit in their new approach… except for the XC3 final boss, that one was the biggest letdown in xenoblade history to me. Of course won’t mention due to spoilers but if you know, you know.

@Anti-Matter I have a feeling you didn’t even try a xenoblade game before, but uhm, good for you, dude. Enjoy.

@Ralizah Honestly metal face was indeed not that much more complex than these guys, but since he was a returning villain it at least felt like he mattered more. There’s so many different cackling baddies removed from any humanity that they all blend together and in the end, they just devolve into what they are: different letters of the alphabet that we go around beating up. Metal face was at least a character, these ones barely register as anything but rpg fodder before they get ditched. Or well, most of them do, save a few obvious exceptions. Just my two cents though.

@Mauzuri the area you’re in right now is admittedly one of my favourites. Always love abandoned ruins like that, buildings just melding with nature. Most of the other areas reminded me the past games but less so in a ‘wow, a reference!’ way but more like ‘been there, done that’. The titans at least conceptually felt really cool and I personally remember a lot of them.

@Anachronism chapter 5-6 did a great job… and then after that it feels like Noah goes right back to the usual instead of something blossoming from there. That really bugged me, but the moment by itself really showed that if they gave him more of those moments where he shows some individuality instead of doing it all for the ‘greater good’ he might’ve turned out really interesting.

Right?? Sena deserved so much better. Spoilering this for other people but she had an interesting set-up, some heartwarming conversations with Lanz but then they don’t push through with it and just made it into this weird ‘this is what a inferiority complex does to people, but don’t worry, Sena is different!’ instead of showing how Sena evolves and rises above it. Honestly, a lot of the villains get more interesting character moments and this forgiving look on how ‘it’s not their fault for turning out messed up’ but with Shania that gets thrown right out the window, she literally admitted to just betraying everybody for her own selfish wants.

@jcboyer515 You’d be surprised how different elements make or break the enjoyment for a lot of folks, haha. Xenoblade 2’s focus on being pretty anime and the blade gacha system alone push a lot of people away from that one, whereas some loved that anime-ness about it and now dislike Xenoblade 3 for going all serious on them. Xenoblade X’s story being less stellar is usually what people quote for liking that one less, but X’s exploration is then quoted as being the best in any xenoblade game. They might look similar, but when it comes down to it there are noticeable differences in focus and tone that lead to this.

In my case it might be my expectations that led to me not liking Xenoblade 3 as much, so you got me there.

@Anachronism It’s mostly in the ending that I had bigger gripes with the story, up till chapter 6 I was enjoying where it was going but it all didn’t amount to any of the grandness I was hoping for. It’s more so the main characters that continuously let me down and since the story is kind of about them, that did a big number on my enjoyment. Of course, if you like Noah and Mio, then a lot of what I disliked doesn’t matter as much.

As for verticality, it does feel like I’m climbing up to new places but then it goes back to being rather flat most of the time, like climbing from plateau to plateau. Just a feeling I have more than an actual gameplay fact though, because as you pointed out, there are quite a few areas that tower over others.

@Ralizah
Xeno 3 misses a lot of verticality that I liked much more in Xenoblade 2 and Torna. It feels rather flat, but still fun to explore. The story really let me down but you do make a good point with the side-content, it’s by far the best part of the game, sucks you straight into the world with how you can really feel the impact you’re making on it.

@Astral-Grain
I’d love a port, the exploration in X felt great and firing my old wii u up for it just feels like a hassle most of the time. I’d gladly double dip if it gets a switch port.

@superguy123
When they started cutting me off of paths with invisible walls instead of just letting me explore naturally and getting killed for going where the far too strong enemies are, I felt the exact same thing. They handled it so seamlessly before, but I guess with an interconnected world they couldn’t find a better way of handling it than just gating you from exploration until the story lets you go there. Immersion shattered on multiple occasions.

@superguy123
I’ve seen quite a few people let down with the story, but yeah, there’s lots more ‘masterpiece’ statements being thrown around. You’re definitely not the only one.

@Mauzuri
Interesting. I didn’t enjoy Xenoblade 2 that much, but I definitely ended up enjoying 3 less, world, characters (mostly Znoah and Mio) and all. The titans of 2 are just automatically more memorable to me than just a circular landmass with not much more to it. What about 3’s world makes it seem more memorable to you? Just curious, really.

Too bad that for me, the story was a big letdown. I’m glad a lot of other people seem to be holding it in high regard, but this ain’t no masterpiece for me, and I loved the other two and X.

@Anti-Matter
I don’t think 4 food items and some coins you can farm within the game itself should give you these worries, though with other games I can see where you’d be coming from. If it was like a new mode or something, sure, but it’s really nothing that substantial.

Still to this day don’t understand the amount of praise these titles get. They’re good games that go for such cheap prices (on steam) that you have to make an active effort NOT to buy them at this point, but still. Maybe the magic of it all was ruined by the experience being spoiled through its own success, kind of like how there’s no wonder left in ocarina of time or majora’s mask because I’ve seen everything those games have to offer through videos when I was a kid and couldn’t play those games yet.

Either way, to anyone on the fence, just buy it on steam on sale if you can. You might not be blown away, but you’ll still have a good time with both of the games.

@Bret I call it excessive because of how even milder opinions, which still have every right to exist no matter how many people disagree, have to almost tremble in fear of not stepping on any toes.

As for the people blatantly coming in here to start an argument with people being happy about this, yeap, you got me there. You either ignore em or fight fire with fire, because they admittedly leave very little choice in the matter!

I know the reaction is so intense because of how rare this is and because a lot of people push back against, in essence, a very harmless expression of a character’s identity. But hey, won’t stop me from feeling almost a slight anxiety when I’m just stating my thoughts, and that’s coming from somebody who’s actually rather happy with all this. More diversity in characters is always a welcome thing, regardless of social reaction.

By all means though, keep on giving those high fives, because Shiver, the actual subject of you being happy, doesn’t change due to this message board’s reaction! The cause for celebration stays, don’t let em get you down.

It’s a little sad that this will always devolve into a conversation on sides where excessive positivity and negativity are bound to clash, with mild voices being drowned out under the mud both sides are throwing at each other. Ah well. I don’t think much good comes from the conversations down here, but at least the article up there stays unchanged in what it presents.

Those colours are definitely a coincidence, but I think that the neutral pronouns in languages like French do show that an effort was definitely made here. Knowing how much easier it is to go with gendered pronouns in French (which is a bit less obvious in English) and it being spread across languages, I think that for once, it isn’t just people desperately looking for something that isn’t there. I’m not a big fan of splatoon but diversity kind of naturally fits with it’s gigantic focus on expression through clothes and even the whole octoling/inkling thing coming up.

Won’t make me like their designs even a smidge more, but hey, that’s beside the point. xP

I've never felt anything for the idols and their designs continue to leave me cold, but that manta ray, now that's what I'm about. Looks like it might actually be worth purchasing this one since I skipped Splatoon 2, but still a very low priority purchase. Online shooters just get stale very quickly by their very nature, where progression comes down to just seeing a number go up with victories that grow more and more meaningless. If I had some friends who'd be into this then I could see myself playing it for much longer but alas.

I never understood why these are so highly praised for a pair of alright puzzle games with an alright story/sense of humour, but I did play the first one. It was a nice ride and even if I’m not a big fan, they go for so cheap on steam that it’s a no-brainer unless you really despise every aspect of puzzle games.

@Fizza A lot praise it as the best, but I’m glad I’m not the only one who walked away with a bit of a shoulder shrug. I liked playing it but I guess what was revolutionary then is less so today, so the impact won’t be the same. Always find it nice to see a different view on these wildly praised games either way. : P

Dang, that’s some impressive effort. Then again, the soundtracks of these games have been amongst my all-time favourites so I’m not surprised they’d go the extra mile for ‘unique sound’.

I’m hyped, I’ll play it and then I’ll see for myself how much I like it. I got high hopes though. Not reading any reviews because I’m very spoiler sensitive.

I heavily value a story in any game, so I have high hopes here having read and enjoyed the IDW comics. I play games for the experiences, the stories they manage to tell or even the stories they allow to be created within players, so I always value a good narrative. It can give a lot of soul and staying power to a game that I’d otherwise forget in mere moments… and Sonic could do with some positive memorability instead of the constant trainwrecks.

I see this as nothing but a good thing, great to see.

@Tangerine
If I’m not mistaken the physical version has rise on the cartridge but sunbreak as a redeemable voucher… so not on the cartridge.

@YoshiF2

I mean, the literal draw of the game is that you play different storylines happening in different eras… unless time travel is involved, it seems logical that the stories wouldn’t intertwine, but they don’t really have to since they’re all separate campaigns, unlike octopath. Probably they converge at the very end, if at all.

Most fixes seem just pixel related and backgrounds and icons… but the fact that there’s so many small improvements to be made in this rather highly priced collection just feels plain wrong. Whether you care or not, this shouldn’t be such a shoddy porting job.

@Anachronism
That actually sounds like a neat and relaxing way to play through it again, yeah! Especially since I love to wander with open world games I totally get that.

As good as everyone says it is, but never understood why so many people return to it so much. Then again, I’m a very one-and-done kind of gamer so once I saw the true ending and such I was satisfied. Never had the urge to go back, the experience is just alright but I cannot deny the quality and hence will totally dive into silksong.

Just bought and then promptly finished the cuphead dlc. Quite a nice ride, definitely went all out on the bullet hell. Might try the Live A Live demo now or give no more heroes a look.

Never understood the portal hype, but they are without a doubt good games worthy of a playthrough… just better to buy them at a vastly reduced price on pc, probably.

I read ‘sonic boom or sonic bust’ and I understood what they were going for but… Sonic boom was such a disaster that bust seemed like the lesser of two evils.

My very first Zelda game, so it’ll always have a special place in my heart. The artstyle is great but it’s the expressiveness they got out of it that makes me love it. Only BOTW has come close.

I don’t like any of these much at all, but the elvis one takes the cake when comparing the designs just seen by themselves.

Feel like there’s always some nostalgic bias at play with Sonic 1-2-3. I’ve played them, they were alright, but definitely not what I’d call the best. Sonic 1 especially. Sonic Mania on the other hand I enjoyed a ton more despite it really not being that different to the older ones, it’s a curious thing, haha. The music might have something to do with it, the compositions are great but the sound gets more on my nerves than making me bop. I can safely say that most of the sonic games I’ve played struggle to be ranked because I find them all equally mediocre (except Mania and Generations, and I’d love to play unleashed someday too) but I’m still a big fan of the series for everything around the character and what it has meant to me as I grew up.

@somebread
Well, it definitely would be 'unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before'. It would just be 'like everything you've heard in every other world before'.

@JakedaArbok
A funny case of positivity surrounding this movie, but you've made a valid point. It could be mediocre but a trainwreck would definitely give it at least something. Either that or they pull a mario vs rabidds on us and it's actually decent, but who can say at this point. It's going to be surreal, that's for sure. 'Nothing else like it in the mario world.'

Pokemon warriors and xenoblade warriors almost make too much sense, honestly. Issue with both is that the enemies are more a one-on-one affair so it would be more something like persona 5 strikers than the traditional musou games, I assume. Smaller battles with explorable areas rather than the usual base conquering and stuff. I think anime is more naturally fitting to musous, with how over the top they can get.

Normally I’d be skeptical, but Xenoblade2 and definitive edition have shown plenty that these guys now how to make their extra content worthwhile. Won’t be buying the DLC day one but Xenoblade3 itself is a day one for me, for sure.

@Pikachupwnage
YEAAA now we’re talking!

This looks just like that blazing beaks game… honestly, it is just the blazing beaks game, aesthetic, gameplay and all.