TotalHenshin

This interview really made me a lot more interested in the game and appreciative of the effort put in. That said, it's still a toss-up as to whether or not I'll get the game, but Ray's vibes couldn't be more off-putting for me personally, from like his first response onwards. Just a little too prone to drama it seems to me.

I'm good on my Japanese, but I do have to share the console with someone who isn't so... $450 version it is.

Last paragraph: "While nothing like as dark"? I can usually see what a writer meant when typos occur, but I'm struggling on this one.

@KryptoniteKrunch It seems a publisher had to release at least 5 games to be eligible for the ranking, and also, the #1 ranked publisher Sega released 12 titles, which is just 1 fewer than Nintendo released in the same year.

@Riku3456 They have 75-89 be “good” and 90+ to be “great.” There has to be a cut off somewhere if you’re just taking this as a pure numbers calculation. I understand that it’s frustrating for a game to be that close, but even your suggestion would have a game get a 79 and someone get upset by it. You are right that 90+ is a crazy high score, which is why I think it’s worth highlighting the games that clear such a high hurdle.

2024 wasn’t Nintendo’s best year and that’s OK. It’s especially OK since 2023 was great and they are hopefully ramping up preparation for the Switch 2. People don’t remember the weak years, but the great games and great years. Hopefully 2025 can be a good year for Nintendo on the development side.

Go look at the PSP original and compare it to footage of the new release and I think the work put in, and the delays, should be apparent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxFfnD0PEmk&list=PLTC8_7s3KFG6IPo-DvM1w1I3-HqH13d1V&index=2

The comment above me shows why this is probably a good deal for Niantic to take. $3.5bn is a lot of money for a struggling division.

@Yosti Thank you for the thoughtful response!

@Yosti I was not saying it was a problem, I was just trying to understand where the line is. My questions weren’t rhetorical, they were genuine in wanting to know if you felt those revised versions of a game or console were lacking to you. I said I wasn’t trying to be aggressive and I meant it. Sorry if it still came off that way.

If you love something, let it go.

My wife is already in full “Can’t wait for Fields of Misteria 1.0” mode. I just want Haunted Chocolatier.

The problem I have with other stances in this comment section is something like San Andreas. It was released, had the Hot Coffee in the code, got pulled from shelves, re-released without that in the game code. Which version is “complete”? Consoles themselves undergo frequent slight revisions as well. Is a launch day Switch not “complete” because it doesn’t have the tiny improvements of a Switch sitting on store shelves right now? I’m not trying to be aggressive, but I’ve read the responses on here and still struggle to understand where the line is for some. That said, I also don’t struggle with FOMO as much as others seem to so… 🤷🏽‍♂️

Why is Tails of Iron worth using as the image art for the article, but worth making a highlight? What makes a game worth a highlight?

No Case Should Remain Unsolved being in the top 20 is a surprise. I'm glad it is, it seems neat, but that just seemed destined to be a game only a dozen people would play. Glad Japan is more open to those style of games than most in the West are.

Well-deserved. I loved Astro Bot Rescue Mission, and thought Playroom was fine. I was skeptical that this would really deserve all the praise it got, but maybe it's just the fact that I'm old enough to know all the references and appreciate the boldness of some of the choices, but I do think of those nominees, this was the best game of the year. Just pure pleasure from start to finish and just dripping with love out of every pore.

@Dom_31

📠

🚫🖨️

I wouldn’t have picked WuKong, but I also understand that gamers exist beyond the Anglosphere.

@OorWullie They aren't the developer. They're the publisher. Nonetheless, outside of Syberia: The World Before in 2022, they haven't really published many quality works in a long while.

I also have nostalgia for this game, and I'm actually extremely comfortable with tank controls, but I'm OK that they removed them and think that is in fact the smart choice (since, shocker, there may be people who are interested in this game but don't want to wrestle with a prohibitively cumbersome control system), but not keeping the mood system in some form was a misstep to me.

@JSC016 I see. Well I hope you enjoy them!

@JSC016 I think if you’re trying to stay in the confines of the Switch, Friends of Mineral Town is really the only one that you’ll find most recommend in the platform.

Now, of course, you may also want to check out the not-so-secret best Harvest Moon/Story of Season-inspired game: Stardew Valley. I’ve been playing Harvest Moon games since the ‘90s and Stardew Valley is still the best execution of the idea. Happy gaming!

I’m trying to finish up some key PS3 games on my aging PS3 before it kicks the bucket, so I’m currently halfway through Sly Cooper 1. Delightful game with a couple minor niggles and the one major one in that Sly’s voice acting is straight garbage. I may end up playing Sly 2 when all is said and done, but Sly 2+3 is almost certainly not going to happen. Too much to do and not enough time.

My PSP might have also ceased to be able to read UMDs so I’ll try some fixes here at home. If I can’t get it fixed, well my Steam Deck comes next week and it should emulate my PSP games without issue, so I’ll live.

@ottoecamn I have, and I still think that the levels are poor. You have auto run levels where you’re running towards the camera. You have Shadow’s intro levels where he’s on that ATV. You have those cave levels where the camera gets so close and it’s so dark that you can’t see what you’re doing. Maybe this is just a case of Sonic fans being more content at a lower threshold than I am, but even with improved controls, I think what one is being asked to do and where to do them in that game is pointless and uninteresting, respectively.

Nonetheless, I don’t think we’ll be able to convince each other of anything, so I hope whatever you get lives up to your expectations. 👍

Who is asking for this? And what would be the point when it comes to Sonic?

The levels in ‘06 were dog poop even from a design perspective, so if you’re re-designing all the levels, what part of ‘06 are you keeping? The riveting town of Soleanna? 🤮 The furry fantasy romance? Go to the corners of the dark web for that stuff. I know hope springs eternal when it comes to Sonic fans, but don’t ask for this.

I just recently played this again via NSO! I think when it comes down to it, I like the microgames, but I don't think I actually find the "story" bits engaging nor funny. I just want the freshness of the microgames (and their usually superb boss battles) to keep rolling. That said, it would probably grow more tedious than I'm perhaps predicting.

It's not a competition, people can love both, but I think I'll always be more partial to the Rhythm Heaven series and am forever sad that it's dead.

Sometimes I find the punitive damages excessive in Nintendo's cases, but this time, the punitive measures are deserved for such a flippant and reckless attitude.

I’m so sorry that happened to you Gonçalo! I’m glad you’re trying to see the bright side, which is encouraged, but I hope it was after a time of reasonable mourning. It’s OK to be sad sometimes. 😢 I’ll be praying for you.

As for me, it’s likely to be a busy weekend, but if I carve out the time, I’d like to start in earnest Baldur’s Gate II on PC.

"Garten of Banban 6 (Feardemic, 31st Oct, $9.99) - Survive the never-entered levels of Banban’s Kindergarten! After the events of Garten of Banban 4, you are forced to run away and delve even deeper into the mysterious establishment that is Banban’s kindergarten. You are heading down to where no human dares to be."

WHAT?! They're just throwing away all the deep lore established in Gardin of Bambam 5?! Clearly they do not care about all the loyal fanbase that has made the Garmin of Brangram series the household name it is today. 😡

Ew, he and his team play Fartnite?!?! 🤮 Count me out of his next game.

Joking aside, I appreciate this interview and I do get where he's coming from... but as someone who had his time with Stardew and then moved on, I just really want to see what Haunted Chocolatier will be.

So y'all heard him. STOP playing Stardew, make it not a thriving community, and THEN he'll be forced to hunker down on HC. It's the only way we'll be able to play it in our lifetimes. 🍫

Unless there are other patent suits waiting in the wings, $66k is a chump change for a major corporation and might end up being about as much as the legal fees might cost, so just save the time and effort.

Don’t have a vinyl collection? How would you like to start with 46 of them immediately?

So glad this is happening. Nonetheless, still would like to know if this is true for physical games (even though 90% of my library is digital), and I would also like to know if there's any sort of performance boost. Nonetheless, if at least my digital library carries over, I'm relieved.

@k8sMum But not all parents are you. In fact, most of them aren’t. As a teacher and a weekend daycare worker I interface with a lot of parents, and I can tell you that more of them are not as checked in as you may be. The very fact that you’re here posting on a niche gaming site should be the first indicator to you that you may not represent the median.

I’ve been saying it since May, Nintendo doesn’t care about what you wish they would do, they’re going to do what makes smart business sense. Announcing the Switch 2 before or during the holiday shopping cycle would not have made business sense, and people who think it wouldn’t matter clearly live in an online bubble and do not see just how little parents and the like keep up with gaming news.

I will certainly be getting this soon down the road. I’m already familiar with the gameplay and an indeed the sort of survival horror game enthusiast this is geared towards.

I’m genuinely impressed. Being Bouncy is a deeper cut than just AC villager. Kudos I guess for having the cojones to be a character that inspires such… conflicting feelings.

I have no problems with this. I wouldn’t have cared if the costumes came over or not, but a boob slider is in such poor taste that it would have made me less eager to get it.

Wind Waker and Twilight Princess aren’t THAT playable on other consoles. Gosh I need those ports bad.

I loved Nintendo Land. Still might be the secret best Wii U game.

I’ll join the chorus of those who say Tooie is bloated to the point where level traversal is no longer fun. I played and beat both of these when I was a lad and loved them. Revisited them when Rare Replay came out and while I still felt Kazooie nailed the secret sauce of N64 era platforming, Tooie added so much bland filler that halfway through I couldn’t stand an ounce more and gave up.

I’m glad StP is getting so much love here.

As a side note: what causes a game to be worthy of being “highlighted”? If Slay the Princess, Shin Chan, and Ys X don’t make the cut, then why does Romancing Saga 2 (no shade meant)?

I can’t deny that this review has me intrigued. I may check it out on PS5 if the graphics are better there. 🤔

Quelle surprise. I’m more surprised when major games aren’t leaked beforehand at this point.

@TheBigK I think you should get the PS5 version, but that’s just me. Like Obijuan said, you could try the demo.

@Axecon They didn’t judge it. They said they aren’t looking forward to it now. I think Octopath is great, but if someone didn’t enjoy a turn-based RPG from one studio, why should they not make a reasonable speculation that they won’t enjoy the next? They might be wrong and end up loving the game, but using a studio’s past record is far more reasonable than gut feeling based on trailers and such.

@Keyblade-Dan I’m not trying to be flip, but those games were made about a quarter of a century ago. Do you think that studio has remained the same since? Also, they did do the 2009 Tenchu game and that wasn’t well-received.

Whether this will work out well remains to be seen. Yes, they did *co-*develop Octopath I&II but their track record besides those is rather middling. Hopefully Nintendo gave them the oversight needed to succeed once more.

I looked up the details and am interested in Nintendo’s take on such a genre. I think it could it be neat.

@ScalenePowers Yes, @NintendoLife this lines up with my search results as well.

@dskatter Lol no worries. I’ve definitely made the same mistake.

@dskatter It came out on mobile originally.

This is being re-released on phones and also Switch, but not any other home consoles. 🤔 Interesting choice.

It’s also kind of surprising to see a game like this announced and released in the same month.

@fenlix That’s mostly true, but not exactly. In September, PS4 scored two 80+ games for both Ace Attorney Investigations and MvC Fighting Collection (as in MC credited the PS4 as the platform reviewed). August had an 80+ for one PS4 game, and June had a 90+ game and two 80+ games.

Generally speaking, however, you are correct.

PS4 had seven years on the market before PS5 came out, not to mention it did continue getting games into the PS5’s life. Heck, EA did a port of Star Wars Jedi Survivor to the PS4 just a couple weeks ago.

I’m saying that to say that PS4 was one of the best selling consoles of all time and has had more time on the market, yet Switch still coming out ahead by nearly every metric is mighty impressive. Great console.

Awesome! More people should try this game.

I wonder if DQ I&II will eventually have a bundle release with III. At this point, I’m holding off on some purchases until I see some Steam Deck vs Switch 2 comparisons. I don’t normally care much about graphics, but DQIII to me is still incredible wherever I see it and I want that one to look as good as possible.

Looking forward to Phantom Brave, Fantasy Life, and Fantasian as well! There really are some great JRPGs on the horizon.