martynstuff

Whatever next? Toys for Bob going indie? That would be absolu...phone rings Hello? Yes. Oh really? So just now? Right, thanks for telling me hangs up

As i said in a previous article, i kind of like the idea of it being based mostly in an urban environment. The size of city seems large enough to have enough material for the likes of main quests and side missions. Also the scaled back vision would allow for more aesthetically pleasing locations.
I'm sure we'll need to venture out of Lumiose for certain quests (Lumiose needs electricity and it would be nice to learn about the power plant which was in XY). I feel like time travel might be rehashing the plot line of Arceus but it might be nice if, while working on reworking Lumiose, you stumble upon clues on what happened all those years ago during the great war. Maybe there might be flashback moments where you play as a young AZ.

Anyway, back to the point. I was thinking a while back that maybe the Legends series doesn't always have to be set in the past or be open world. Maybe it can allow GF to experiment with different RPG genres. I mean, that's something people wanted, right? Something a bit different from the norm. It would certainly allow GF to be more creative with the genre and if it doesn't work out that's fine.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if we get context on the ghost girl and the note at the station

@martynstuff *assuming Z-A has similar gameplay as PLA or if it's a new approach

Oh hey...Game Freak are doing the following

• bringing back Megas
• probably tying up the AZ arc
• bringing back Kalos
• its a sequel to the game you'll said felt unfinished narratively
• likely giving Zygarde a story

GF are giving you the thing you bished about for 8 years

Two hopes though

• if we're collecting Zygarde cells, I hope it's more fun than the souls in PLA
• I hope it isn't too open world. Traveling in Hisui was a schlep. Maybe if it was more Arkham City like (assuming it's located solely in Lumiose). I don't want to go through sparce environments like SV or PLA (or 'dudun'sparce in the formers case ba-dum tsh). Kalos is a pretty region. I'd much rather if it was scaled back in scope for more aesthetic looking locations*

I'm sure whatever happens, it will be met rationally. Some will be upset if there's a new game, some will be upset when there's no new game, some will be upset when there's no NSO, some will be upset when there is NSO and they have to pay for it, some will be upset when leaks don't happen and they won't blame themselves for buying into it or blame leakers for misleading. Some will be upset at no Johto games, some will be upset when there's no Black and White, some will be upset when there's no Legends, some will be upset if any of the three do exist. Some will be upset at any news, others will be upset at no news.
Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past. From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth

But trust me on the sunscreen

Usually I'd repeat my comments for this so I'm not going to bother but it got me thinking -

• there's these rumours of Johto Let's Go or remakes but surely that would contradict the 'bring the GB games to NSO' speculation. Like if you played GSC, would people still get the remakes because I'm fairly confident there's a a certain subset of people who would look at a remake and think 'whatever. I'll stick to the originals'
• I can't see the mainline games coming to NSO and I think that might be down to how the GB games on VC lacked the save point feature (to stop people cheating IIRC). I can't imagine those games having the rewind feature either. I think a specialised Pokemon NSO app could be a better option where you could play the games as is but also has a 'time machine' function to store any Pokémon you have in those games into an individual box that could be transferred to HOME. That said, I can't imagine that app, much like the mainline games, allowing backup saves which sort of a selling point of NSO.
• All in all, with all these speculations and rumours I would prefer a more quieter yea. Maybe something to chew over while the next game is being developed.

@Arcsol In DK64 and DKRs case, they would have to get clearance from Microsoft as both of those games contain Rare properties in some manner (A Jetpac rom and Banjo+ Conker respectively). That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo have or tried to approach them for NSO

@Zulzar Hate to break it to you but Itoi co-owns the series

I was kinda hoping this would come to NSO . Don't really want to go through the rigamarole of importing it via LRG

Gah! What a shame. Not the end of the world.

Edit: just seen it'll be released digitally so maybe there's hope for me

And to @Zulzar, you seem to overlook that Itoi has no interest in continuing the Mother series. It's done with. You could say 'Nintendo could just do a new one'. Well, no because that would go against the creators vision. Everyone wants to respect the creators vision until it doesn't suit thier own vision.
In regards to Nintendo ignoring the west, you may have a point if you ignore making the Switch not region locked, putting Ridley, K Rool, Dark Samus, Simon, Banjo, Steve and Sora in Smash, 'give us a new Metroid/Prime, localising and publishing numerous JRPGs in the rest of the world, acknowledge F-Zero or put Rare games on NSO and numerous other factors. I think Nintendo are just ignoring you personally.

To be fair, it would be tricky to port the western release of Mother 3 when you know...there was no official western release for it...

'Well, they could have used fan translation for...'
smack

Stop right there. The NSO versions of 1080 and Wave Race 64 are the actual N64 versions, not the VC ones. I know you would love it to be on there but the NSO has the original versions of these games and there's no original English language of Mother 3. Go play the unofficial translation. It's free.

At first I thought it was a remake of Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse which would be a niche choice for a reworking

Reminder- if you want GF to take their time with the games, maybe don't expect anything like BWr, Let's Go Johto, BW3 or Legends 2. I know some want to grasp on whatever Centro or RiddlerKhu say but maybe it's fine if there's not a full fat game announced.
Also, keep in mind these are multimedia presentations so mobile apps, anime and TCG re also on the (literally in the latter case) cards.

Anyway it would be nice to see both Pokémon Pinballs and Pokémon Puzzle Challenge come to NSO.

In before someone complains that Endless Ocean is in fact not endless

Thats zero debt, people. It'll be a hard pill for some fans but Nintendo literally don't owe you anything. 😏

@_Figo_ How could I forget? Added!

I've heard rumours of a Pokemon Presents event happening between the 26th and 28th Feb. Let's just say fans of Lets Go, Legends, Mystery Dungeon and Gens 2 and 5 are going to very surprised by having very unrealistic expectations

@SakuraHaruka Not only that but what does Momo mean in Japanese?

Peach, of course

Only speculation but this has Next Level Games written all over it if EPD aren't developing this

To me, I think it suffered from the 'Ubisoft Effect' where it was being sold full price and people looked at it and said 'Oh, it's SEGA. They'll put it on sale on the eShop in a couple weeks' and just waited it out. Whether the game sells well in the long run I don't know.

Oh and the £54 price tag was a bit brazen. That, to me, was a turn off. I think SuperStars is very much a 'stick it on the Boomerang Rentals list' game

To be honest, I just don't think Nintendo are interested in the competitive stage or being involved in it. Not to say they oppose it outright it's just obviously there's all those controversies a few years back and there has been certain voices from the community who have been 'passionate' about how the competitive community have 'made Smash what it is' and really I don't think that helps win them over either. Take in the matter of the numerous 'salty compilation' videos on YT and you've got to think that Nintendo are sitting there going 'im sorry but destroying our controllers isn't really doing yourself a favour'*
Anyway, back to the topic hand, I guess EVO saying Smash is welcome back in the fold if it ever feels like is an olive branch. Whether it happens is another matter.

Anyway, who remembers Nick All-Star Brawl 2? I've only just reminded myself that was something that existed. You'd think that would be on the list for it's first year.

*I should point out that not every competitive player is a jerk. Tom, who led the Smash UK group, was very welcoming and patient with me when telling me the ins and outs of the technical game.

Ok, I'm willing to bet that

• Ogrepon + Terapagos spirit will be green alt Lucina with the Ore Club and 3 Squirtle of varying size and they get a sudden Final Smash
• Koraidon will be Charizard who's stats increase after eating. Probably favours side specials.
• Miraidon will be purple Charizard who's stats increase after eating. Equipped screw attack badge.
  (Maybe the above two could be enhanced into thier full forms)
• The three starters will be Pokémon Trainerx3. Fighter become difficult to launch after a while (to emulate terastalisation)

All are eyes on the Horizon?
Let's hope not! Have we not learnt anything from Mr Bates vs the Post Office?

@Lizuka @datamonkey These are worthy efforts!

Ive sat through numerous irrational 'Nintendoomed' comments and I'm disappointed that no one on the internet hasn't come up with a Xbox counterpart for this. C'mon people, you're xbot bias is showing . Even the PS Vita had the 'PS Riga Mortis' jokes

On a more serious note, I'm willing to guess SEGA will go their 'Digital Deluxe Edition’ route and charge another £10 for the base game, a Sonic Prime skin, 3 bonus music tracks and a bonus gallery.

Guys, I googled 'Sonic x Shadow' beforehand and let me assure you, that trailer is VERY misleading. Be wary!

Say what you like about WarioWare Inc but Wario does seem to treat his employees better these days than most irl developers.

@RubyCarbuncle

• They never said they were suing
• Weren't you supposed to be taking a break from NL for a few months? IIRC, it's for your own mental health in which case maybe log off, don't orbit the site. You'll only make it worse for yourself in the end. I'm sure others can do the ranting on your behalf while you step away. Go focus on your own well-being. NL will still be here when you come back.

Here's a hot take that someone will take issue with-
People want GF to take time with the games which understandable but the thing is, people don't have patience. When you see content creators post videos with titles like 'Black and White 3 coming in 2024?!' you can bet people will eat that up.

I am willing to bet that once Pokémon Day comes round this year, people will start their speculation about 'Legends 2/Black and White remakes/Let's Go Johto/BW3' then get salty when it doesn't happen because they got caught up in thier own hype. Quit anticipating a new game every year. Quit tiger mom-ing GF. Quit ridiculing people who enjoy the games. In fact, if you feel let down by recent entries, quit Pokémon. I did for a while and it did me no harm. I see people being passionate about developers having a good work environment but I don't think the incessant bickering and snide remarks aren't doing anyone working on the games any favours.
To me, Pokémon doesn't need to 'evolve'. It needs to level up at it's own pace and become it's own unique thing. There are loads of Poke-likes out there to cater for your needs in the meantime.

I know it seems like I'm saying people are predictable but in order to save you time, here's a link to the meme you're probably going use to dismiss what I've said-
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F1EJbXtWAAAcuix.jpg

insert Jordan Henderson joke here

@DonkeyBrainKing I sincerely doubt NL are going to review a game not on a Nintendo system. You know, what with the whole Nintendo bit in thier name...

Anyway, I'm going to eat some waffles now...

TBH, if the creatures created in Palworld were Pokémon, people would say they look lame and unoriginal.

Mincemeat Metalworks sounds like a workplace that ABSOLUTELY has a perfect Health & Safety record. Yes, it may look like there's blood all over the ground and walls but it's just ink. I can absolutely assure you that Murch is the same Murch from Splatoon 2 and wasn't replaced with someone who looks older. Maybe he's had a growth spurt and not been ground up for some reason...

@graviton
Oh look, the Metro GameCentral reviewer is in 😛
Let's see them name the top 100 DS games

(Before anyone says anything, yes I'm being facetious)

You know what? The reviews are favourable and that's just fine with me. I think I would be upset if it turned out to be bad (although I'm aware of a pair of reviews that have a bizarre take on it)

"But yeah, go ahead and mock me for questioning their virtue signaling, I don’t care"

Ok then. PinderSchloss has a point about the thunderous applause. It's not fair so I think we should all applaud them for making a comment. Clap clap clap Woooo! Yeah! Sock it the corps, you Pondland Russell Brand cheering and hollering PinderSchloss translates as 'nuthouse' a parade of dancers dressed as an obscure Addams Family character marches across the street as lively music blares C'mon guys, let's party or you might get called a shill or fanboy a float appears with all of your favourite 'I'm Not Afraid to Criticise Nintendo' YouTubers. They're waving to everyone because that strengthens the parasocial relationship between them and thier 'fans' Look! A choir are singing and wearing paper mache masks of the world's best special Nintendo Life commenter clap clap clap yeeeeeeah!

@PinderSchloss where was that energy when Square and Capcom donated? Besides, aren't you using this story of a disaster to do some point scoring right now? Lots of buildings totaled by an earthquake and you choose to shout at a building because it has the word 'Nintendo' on it. Stop shouting at buildings, you weird person who picks fights with buildings.

I'm not saying Ubisoft looked at Metroid Dread and thought 'lets do that' but if they did, they did a solid job of it. I'll likely wait for the eShop sale that'll likely happen a couple months later 😏

I mean it's free so yes, I will.
All that said, I do think it's pretty good we are getting an epilogue to wrap it up. If indeed we are getting Pecharunt in it, that's definitely a better way to give away a mythical Pokemon with a plot point.
After being gifted Zarude, Hoopa, Volcanion, Marshadow et al via Mystery Gift, It'll feel more like you've earned the right to own it. I hope they continue with that way of distribution for new mythicals

Edit: Certainly better than the way to get Manaphy for Diamond/Pearl.

@Chibi_Manny I have some good news for you about that...

The odd thing is the model appears to use assets from the movie render (the hat) and the game model (note the gloves)

It also sounds like the guy in the pub who reckons he can do a better Mario than 'that Kevin fella and he'll sound more manly too'

For Pokémon SV
Spirit- Great Tusk and Iron Treads
Enemy - Sonic
Conditions- Main fighter is metal, favours side specials, certain Pokémon appear (Gogoat). You can easily be launched

Spirit- Koraidon and Koraidon
Enemy- Charizard and Ridley
Conditions- Fighters favour physical attacks, fighters get attack boost after eating

Spirit- Armarouge and Ceruledge
Enemy- Ken x2
Conditions- Fighters uses items (fire flower and killing edge), fire attacks boosted

For those wanting Wonder spirits-
Spirits- Wonder Flower
Enemy - Piranha Plant x8 horde battle
Conditions- controls flip left to right. Fighter prefers down specials

Spirit- Prince Florian
Enemy- Ivysaur and Mario
Conditions- Main fighter is small, Mario wears bunny hood

Spirit- Popplin
Enemy- Daisy x4
Conditions- Fighter uses Lips Stick, prefers neutral special

I guess it's not too surprising. Sakurai has always one of those people who doesn't like being stuck with doing the same thing forever. He's often said one of his favourite things to do in development is work with all kinds of people. You can see that in how he left HAL to pursue other work. He's worked with Q for Meteos, SEGA for Mushiking, GameArts for Brawl, Project Sora* for Uprising and Bandai Namco for Smash Bros**. Add to fact that he did say he was paying out his pocket for the Youtube series so I can't blame him for putting it to an end. If anything, he's now got a good relationship with 8-4 from it.

I always try to keep in mind that Sakurai left HAL (amicably) because he was bored of sequelisation and people expecting 'the next game' so soon after the current one. I know he's mentioned his reluctance to go back to Kid Icarus and I honestly don't think we need a new Smash anytime soon. I hope he's working on something fun and interesting

*I am aware Project Sora was a temporary studio but it did consist of members of various Nintendo studios

** 'but he worked with the same studio for those games' I hear you cry. True but I think Smash is a special exception because it gives Sakurai an opportunity to be in contact with various studios and people eg. developers, composers, publishers etc.

Wasn't there a story about Miyamoto being made to come into Yamauchis office to apologise for having doubts about Mother 2? I swear I read that somewhere

Edit: i must have imagined it

@Anti-Guy

• The Pokémon Company doesn't own Pokémon.
• They literally mentioned they have charity foundation- Pokemon With You who lend support to children affected by disasters.
• Is Square-Enixs donation enough? They're 'aggressively applying AI' apparently so 'boooo' to them too
• As I stated in my comment, charity is a community effort. Any other company can donate too. PIL, Musk etc.
• Nintendo dont tend to self promote a lot of thier charity work. If TPC did that, they'd still get flack. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
• I think people affected by disasters have bigger problems right now
• Pokémon With You was initiated in 2011. I'm assuming PWU was a good thing back then because Black and White were good games but now it sucks because Dunsparces evolution is a bit longer or something.

Good. I hope those kids regain those smiles. If Pokémon were real, they would be helping to rescue, rebuild and recover from such disasters because after all, charity is a community effort, not simply a one man (or 'mon) task.

What did the King of Hyrule get for Christmas?

Lynx Africa Awakening