VoidofLight

I just took it as them wanting the next Zelda to be during an active war or conflict honestly. That it'll probably take the idea of fighting monster camps with a band of warriors and evolve that idea into something else.

@Gohanjin Monster Hunter Stories 3 isn't developed for the Switch 2 in mind. It's a multi-plat game that targets PC first and foremost and then scales accordingly with the platforms it's brought to.

@the_beaver Yep. Whatever's next seems like it's going to be interesting.

@the_beaver It does address the cliffhanger from the original, but introduces a new one.

@stephenstig The shooting star has more relevance than the radio. The radio was an easter egg.

@stephenstig Anyone who beat Xenoblade X DE's Chapter 13 knows that Kos-Mos isn't the shooting star at the end of Future Redeemed.

@xenobladexfan I'd imagine they'd just keep the same art style but polish it up a bit more. Wouldn't expect any massive changes on par with Xenoblade 1 DE or X DE.

I can't see it being a new game, since Kos-Mos would be a nightmare to include in any role of significance. I could see a cameo, or a Switch 2 Edition of XC2- but that's pretty much about it.

They're not going to put a character that hardly any Xenoblade fan actually knows about in the next game as a prominent character, and we can rule out a XenoSaga remake or remaster because Bandai Namco has said numerous times they're not interested in remaking or remastering Saga.

@KevinP 60 USD is basically what 50 USD used to be in terms of industry pricing. 70 USD is the new 60.

Every day I wake up hoping that the bubble pops. GenAi is the worst thing to happen to the creative industry by a long mile.

@Uncle_Franklin Tomodachi Life is nothing like Animal Crossing. They're two entirely different ideas and types of games.

Animal Crossing is a game where you move into a town and have to make a new life for yourself.

Tomodachi Life is a game where you're effectively a God observing an ant-farm. You make characters that you like- or people that you know in reality and watch them interact. Watch their bonds grow, and watch them start families of their own potentially- with all this weird zaniness popping up along the way.

Animal Crossing is far more hands-on than Tomodachi Life, and both are entirely different concepts with entirely different charms.

@SuperEndriu Ehh, I actually think the price is pretty good for what they're offering. There seems to be a good amount of content here already, and there's probably a good bit more they haven't revealed yet.

@Joeynator3000 It is sort of wild to see how the sentiment towards the game seems to be mostly negative. Kinda hoping it's just that this website has a lot of people who fall outside of the audience- and not that the game as a whole is uninteresting to most players.

@Bolt_Strike I don't like the "Cozy game" trend either, but Tomodachi Life and Animal Crossing aren't really part of it- at least intentionally. They just get lumped in for some reason. As for Tomodachi Life, there's not many mundane things about it. Nothing really mirrors reality or real world things. Majority of it is just weird interactions between characters or weird moments. I don't fault you though if the game isn't for you- but I just feel like it's a gross oversimplification to say that it's an experience you could get normally in reality.

@Bolt_Strike I mean, to be fair- most of the stuff in Tomodachi Life isn't stuff you can actually do in reality. It gets extremely bizarre pretty fast.

I'm getting it when it comes out- but will probably pre-order a month away from launch like I normally do. The game seems like a massive expansion from what Tomodachi Collection and Tomodachi Life did on the Nintendo DS and 3DS. Tomodachi Life was pretty much akin to an expanded remake of Tomodachi Collection, while Tomodachi Life Living the Dream seems to actually be a proper sequel with ideas of it's own.

At first I was a bit apprehensive about the customization aspect- and worried that the game was going to give us way too much control over everything, but the more I watch the direct and read through the info that we have.. the more excited I am for it. I think it's weirdly fitting to have a bit more control over the island and design elements- given that Tomodachi Life and Collection basically already put us in the position of a God. Adding things into a sandbox and watching people interact with it feels like a natural extension of the zany people-watching simulator that the original games were.

I'm also just excited to get the Miis back, and excited for the expanded customization options they're introducing for this game. Same with finally getting same-sex marriage. Now I don't have to make one of my OCs a man just because she's attracted to other women.

This game is still a grave disappointment for me, even almost six years after it launched. The massive focus on the decorating sim aspect really killed any hope I had for the future of this series tbh. This update just doubles down upon the decorating dollhouse sim aspect- rather than giving the game substantial content beyond that. It focuses on adding more "quality of life," that sands down the actual experience (like the fact that Resetti can get rid of the roaches in your house, destroying the last semblance of "punishment" for not playing the game). It doubles down on not having any proper progression system- or not having the player actually have to work for the content they're playing. Everything just gets handed to you and you get coddled and fed everything easily. I hope this update isn't indicative of what they're going to be doing for the next game after this- but given how the devs have been handling this entry in particular, it wouldn't surprise me if New Horizons is just the blueprint of how this series is going to be handled down the road.

It's unfortunate that they picked the worst OST to represent the series' first entry on Nintendo Music.

Annnnd this is why I'll never buy another Level 5 game until the Ai Bubble pops and Hino is removed from his position at the company. They've become a shell of what they used to be at this point.

I'm getting towards the end of the game- and somehow it did a massive flip on my opinion when I first started playing. When I first started playing I really really liked what I was playing, but after around the third area the game started falling apart heavily. It felt like the area design got worse after that, and the backtracking didn't feel great either. The story isn't well handled nor told, and the part I'm at right now is literally just driving around an empty hub area trying to collect crystals aptly named "Green Crystals."

I've never played the other Prime games, but from what little digging I've done, this game is more like a traditional 3D Zelda wearing the skin of Metroid. It genuinely doesn't feel like it was worth the 70 USD that I paid for it.. and while it got me interested in the other Metroid Prime titles, I just don't think this one is going to hold up well when the hype around it ends up dying.

They already showed these donuts officially on the official website for the DLC.

@kal_el_07241 Hey, maybe don't spread misinformation? Nothing you said is true here. Z-A isn't entirely "Ai-Produced," and Gen 10 is not using GenAi.

@8bit-Man The reason why it's closer to the release of Octopath 2 is because Octopath 0 is mainly just taking assets and the bulk of the story for the game from Champions of the Continent. This is a smaller project that serves to turn the mobile game into a full blown console game relative to the others in the series... which sounds bad on paper, but is actually a good thing when you look at how high quality the story and music for that game was.

It's baffling to me that they didn't do anything for the game on Switch 2. I guess they plan to make paid DLC content for it later and bundle it as a Switch 2 edition.

@Suketoudara I feel like a lot of the night tracks in New Horizons don't fit the hours that they play. I can't remember many off the top of my head because they all tend to blend in, but I know some of the tracks later into the night sound far too lively compared to some of the ones that play earlier in the night. 2 AM feels like it would fit more around 4 in the morning, 5 am feels like it would work more for around 1 or 2 in the morning instead. 6 Am feels like it works more in a later part of the morning, 8 AM is far too energetic and should've been swapped with 11 AM.

New Leaf had a more natural progression where the music during the day would progressively pick up and get more energetic depending on the hour it plays, while the music at night would depress more and more. New Horizons' hourly music just feels like I'm listening to an Animal Crossing OST that got scrambled- where some of the music fits the hours they're meant to play, but other songs don't at all and feel out of place because of it. Something which would be changed pretty easily by the team swapping some of the songs around.

@Suketoudara The issue I take with New Horizons is that all the hourly music blends together because they rely too heavily upon the main motif. It gets tiring to listen to, and at times I can't actually tell what the song is from the hour it plays despite having 200 hours in the game. It relies too heavily on that obnoxious synth as well. The only song I think I'm even really fond on is the 6 P.M. theme, and I only really remember it because it was one of the more stand-out songs that hearkened back to Wild World and City Folk with the way that it used the Accordion. It also didn't feel like the music captured each hour perfectly, and a lot of the songs were too lively for certain hours or too calm when it would've benefited from being more lively.

New Leaf however feels like it perfectly captured each and every hour that the songs played within. The late night/early morning music actually embodied the calm or serene/eerie feeling that you would get from staying up that late. 3 AM is more somber, as you're the only person who is awake at that hour. 5 AM makes use of reversed notes- which helps to capture the feeling of the town still being sleepy while the sun begins to rise within the horizon. Each song carries a distinct feel, and while some of the songs utilize the main motif, they utilize it in a way that doesn't feel nearly as obnoxious or loud. They use instruments that help to craft a more relaxed vibe- rather than grating instruments that get overly grating on the nerves.

@N00BiSH My guess is the KK songs aren't included due to them being in the New Horizons OST already (New Horizons had every KK song from New Leaf).

As for the Welcome Amiibo absence, they're probably going to update and add it separately later.. at least that's what I hope. Even if it didn't add as much music- it still feels weird to not include the songs they did add with it.

They finally added the best Animal Crossing Hourly Soundtrack.

@ChromaticDracula Personally I don't really see this as a "perfect final form." It's more of the same. Leaning too heavily on the decorating aspect and not adding in content that actually matters for people who don't love decorating- unlike what past Animal Crossing games did. A good chunk of the update content (the collabs) are locked behind amiibo that you have to probably buy the full sets for.. which is insane given the prices of Amiibo figures now.

I just wish they'd add more progression systems like shop upgrades, or added more multiplayer content. Mini-games for online and offline play. Just something to work towards if you aren't a decorator.

Probably won't. I can't see myself buying anything Animal Crossing related for the foreseeable future. Used to be a big fan, but this update and the Switch 2 Edition just confirmed that the only thing they care about is the decorating aspect of the series and nothing else.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition also doesn't seem like much of an upgrade. You get to pay 4.99- which is relatively cheap, but you don't get an upgrade for FPS and only get a small resolution boost that's pretty unnoticeable. The megaphone coming back is cool, but I can't see any case where it would be needed, and the 12 player multiplayer seems completely useless because there's no content to do during Multiplayer sessions.. and a good chunk of people don't even play the game with friends anymore.

The free update is just a lot of decorating content. A mini version of the DLC in the main-game island, along with collab items (which would be cool if they weren't locked behind 20 dollar amiibos).

Wake me up when New Leaf and City Folk get their OSTS released. New Horizons had an incredibly grating one.

@neo9eo I honestly hope we're wrong and the next game dials things back, or at least focuses more on the life-sim elements..but at this point I just can't see them doing that. At least not with the new staff handling the game and the old staff being close to retiring age.

@Antraxx777 It's just tripling down on the decorative aspects and ignoring the part of the fanbase who don't enjoy decorating- which is what the entirety of this game has been since launch. It's a dollhouse sim, and this update makes it apparent that the series is stuck as that.

I'm not really excited for it at all. It just reinforces the view that this series is no longer for the older fanbase.

Oh boy, I'm sure this comment section is going to be absolutely normal.

@NatiaAdamo At this rate, that'll probably never happen. They can't even get games they've been working on for years to release.

@Zeldinion The use of GenAi is still hugely worrying for this company. They also did use it for generating crowds in Iazuma 11, so they're willing to use it in their games rather than making artwork themselves.

@LilMuku The Holy Horror Mansion trailer was entirely Gen Ai. It's foolish to think they'll just keep it to promotional art and backgrounds.

A level 5 game being delayed? Who would've thought? Wonder if the new trailer is also using Gen Ai- given that Level 5 loves the death of art and creativity now.

@Smithicus Out of the few Metroidvanias I've played, Hollow Knight is the best. This is counting Metroid games like Super and Dread.

I prefer Hollow Knight due to the wealth of content, along with the general vibe of the world itself. The atmosphere feels unparalleled and so does the music. The hand drawn art style is also breathtaking, and does wonders for the game's multiple different environments.

@N00BiSH The thing that gets me is his "MOMMA MIA," sounds like Mickey Mouse and not Mario.

That four player battle mode looks pretty interesting. Strange that they decided to reveal that instead of a new Mega Evolution- given that Mega Evolutions generate more hype, but it's still interesting to know this game is going to have some kind of online battles. Especially after PLA didn't have them.

@LikelySatan Okay.

@Znake It’s funny how every single time I say anything about people’s “criticism,” they always say “WELL YOU NEED TO LISTEN!”

Yeah, nah. I’m not listening to bad faith drivel. Especially when there’s actual criticism and nuanced discussions that one can actually have. I’m tired of putting up with this endless toxicity that has been going on since Sword and Shield.

@UltimateOtaku91 These people are just going to say whatever they can to bash these games. There are many actual points of criticism a person can make, but they always return to "This game looks like an N64 game!" or "This game looks like a gamecube game!!!"

@Olmectron It doesn't really look like a PS2 game either. Look at Final Fantasy XI. Z-A looks nothing like that.

@Sonicka You're bound to one city. The Wild Zones are where you catch wild pokemon, and they're not going to let you leave Lumiose.

@westman98 I wouldn't argue with them. They're arguing in bad faith.

The people who say this looks like an N64 map have never actually played an N64 game have they? Same with the people who say this looks like a Gamecube game.

@Orwellian87 What I hate though is that every time I express interest in newer Pokemon games, I get called a shill. I get called a bootlicker. I get told that I'm apart of the problem, and that I contribute to the series being bad. Any time I like a Pokemon game that others despise, I get laughed at and made a mockery of (especially when it comes to people I knew who I considered friends at a time). I'm tired of how toxic this fanbase has become. How you can't have nuanced takes anymore. You're either a "shill," or you're a "hater." If you don't outright hate the games, then you're shut down with the shield of "well, it's criticism! You can't shut down criticism!" even though we all know that said "criticism" is just people making bad faith arguments rather than actually engaging in the intricacies on the topic or actually having nuanced opinions. The stuff I normally see in these comment sections aren't critiques. They border upon nitpicks by people who are making these claims and arguments in bad faith in order to validate the hatred they have for something they really should move on from.

This fanbase has been toxic since Sword and Shield. I look back at comments made 11 years ago with X and Y's reveal, and compare them to how people talk about the series now- and it's telling how rotten everything became. Especially when that trailer for X and Y was extremely unpolished and had a lot of graphical issues that people would nitpick today. Things like the trainer's sunglasses being left behind floating in the air when he's swinging on the vines in the grass type gym. Yet people were letting that pass and talking about how excited they were for Pokemon finally being in 3D.