mr_somewhere

First off, iteration is one of the ways that videogames have developed, evolved. Countless games copied Mario and the platformer as we know it was born. Same goes for Street Fighter and many, many other examples.

All that being said... this is pretty shameless. This doesn't appear to bring much new to the table so it's a big mega-corp shamelessly stealing from a small indie studio. Gross.

Based the returning faces from IV Apocalypse I'm holding out hope that Dagda will return, even if only in a minor form. Dagda was one of the few bright spots in Apocalypse for me, he really deserves to return, regularly, even.

I would come running back to the game if this were the case. I loved my time with it but got completely burnt out early on this year, it feels really sparse in comparison to previous titles and that soured me on it.

I have lost count the number of times I went back to Slimy Spring Galaxy in Mario Galaxy 2. The ambience of that stage was and still is unlike anything else in Mario, it really comes out of nowhere, is completely unlike anything else in the game and stands out as a result.

I think Stories 2 is going to be one of those consistent longterm sellers, or at least I hope so. It's been such a big surprise for me so far.

This game really is a beaut, hope it runs steady enough too.

If you'd asked me at the start of this year I would have said it'd be a shame not to continue to build on this monumental experience with another pass but at this stage it really is true Sakurai deserves a break, a long one. Not only does Sakurai deserve a break but I really feel the Smash community have grown overwhelmingly toxic. Every character announcement, every single one just leads to more bickering. Let it end.

The market is as the market does.

Kind of surprised at how negative the reaction has been in the wake of the reveal. Even if you did not enjoy what Samus Returns brought to the table you can tell from the footage that they listened to the criticism and have polished the mechanics. The parry and free aim no longer kill momentum, the parry is clearly much less emphasised and is more of a reward for those who can get the timing down. Similarly there appear to be fewer enemies that aggressively charge down after you. They clearly listened to the criticism, but some people have had their minds made up already.

What a nice surprise! The original came out of nowhere and ended up being a great time, even if the Rabbids themselves still bug me...

Please God be better optimised than DP2. Man I love Swery and DP2 was worth it for me for how the narrative all came together in the end however I would like to also enjoy playing the game.

This is one of the most bizarre trailers I have ever seen. I just don't know how I am supposed to feel. It seems like an asset flip, based on the design elements but a strangely (at least judging from the trailer) high effort asset flip.

Actually terrifying. Looks like he's just witnessed a horrifying accident occur right before his eyes and is still trying to process it.

I really get the sense that there was a lot of tension between Naka and Square in the production of the game. I don't just want to blame Yuji Naka because, underneath it all, there was a lot of promise and there are some interesting elements to the game itself. Whether the mismanagement was on Naka's part, Square or (most likely) a mix I feel something happened behind the scenes.

Fingers crossed there's another surprise or two waiting for us this time around too.

Even if this is it monster wise I've had a tremendous amount of fun with this game, one of the best on Switch if you ask me.

I've seen a clip. An singular clip. That was enough for me.
"Charisma Vacuum" is the most accurate descriptor.

All the more reason why a certain... extra legal method of digital preservation is so important!

I only hope videogames expand as a cultural artifact where companies are forced to acknowledge this fact. We would all benefit from preserving games and making the classics more publicly available.

I hope this gets a follow up review, I hadn't much interest in the original to be honest but this interview has interested me. Wishing him the best in his split with the publishers!

I swear to God if they touch a hair on Trevor's head I will not forgive them.

At this stage I am just assuming it's going to be a cross generation game like BOTW was.

Wait, uh... is Konami is doing something cool again?!

I won't lie, upon the release of the demo I've had more than my fair share of laughs at the expense of this game but I do feel bad for it, I take no pleasure in its failure.

Never mind the pedigree behind it, it's clear, at least to me, that the design had charm and from what I've seen there are some good ideas, the world they came up with had (and still could have) potential. Whether it was the budget, the team, mismanagement or whatever else I'm sure had this been given the attention it deserved it could have been great. Such a shame.

It certainly seems as though Luigi has an awful lot to gain with Mario out of the picture.

Funny, isn't it? Surely just a coincidence...

Good! Not cool to use the real fella's name like that in the first place and then use said account to say such hateful things.

I remember enjoying the original a fair bit when I was young but I already felt a little too old to play this one when it originally came out so I never bothered.

Was it any good?

Going to echo what a bunch of people are saying here but that's a shame. ARMS still has a lot of potential, can't say I was blown away by the first but I respect what they were going for and the world itself could work well in a comic. Hoping they reconsider or they had to pull out because a sequel was going to contradict it, who knows.

I would heartily recommend Skyward Sword to anybody who hasn't played it before. I would add the caveat that it's (I think) the weakest 3-D Zelda, which is to say it's still a great time just a bit more flawed than the other entries.

I won't be picking this up, mind. I played through it twice back in the day and I'm just not into it enough to pay full price for it again.

And Ridley continues to languish. At least Byleth got some stuff, pretty happy about that.

@The_Pixel_King Good luck! It's a really fun game once you get into it.

@The_Pixel_King I know not everybody's a fan of World of Light but I'd say it gives you a good chance to check out the whole cast. I'd give that a run through and see if any character sticks, once you find a character you like just stick with them until you're comfortable, then I'd hit up Youtube for guides or other info.

It takes time but it's very rewarding, also helps a lot if you happen to have friends in or around the same skill level as you to play with/against.

The last one was so (and I don't know how to make this not sound condescending) unexpectedly good. They went really hard. If this lives up to the last two entries it's going to be an absolute gem.

Pretty sure it's actually tomorrow for UK/Ireland.
So excited, their specials don't look, well... special (or useful I should say) but then I main Ridley so I am used to slightly crap specials, as long as they're fun I don't mind.

Guessing they learned this lesson after Other M. That was the most disappointing games I've ever played. It's not completely awful but there's very little good in it.

It looks like a bundle of tropes that were either obnoxious to begin with or are now so worn out that you couldn't even get a youtuber circa 2010 to scream at it.

@fafonio Yeah it's not a serious issue at all like you said it's fortunately optional. I was particularly happy with that armour feature solely for the fact that in the older versions some of my party members were walking monstrosities.

@fafonio Most of Sharla's outfits are embarrassing. Same with the final character that joins the party, not all of them mind, it's a weird choice too given their situation. Very happy they introduced the ability to mix and match appearances in the re-release. To it's credit as far as I remember it's only relegated to outfits.

@Sourcecode I think you'll find that most fans of the character are fans of just that, the character.

Don't get me wrong Xenoblade (both games) have problems with weirdly sexualised characters and odd fanservice scenes in strange places and I completely get it if that puts people off, I'd never judge someone for feeling uncomfortable as a result, that's why I initially hesitated when XC2 came out. However you'll find that if you give them the time they are both genuinely interesting and well rounded protagonists.

Very excited for this. Big fan of both Xeno games and while I'd say the original edges out the second a smidge I still have a lot of love for it. I was hoping if they got reps they'd do away with Rex and do something like this, not out of any ire, I like Rex well enough I just feel Pyra is more of the emotional core of the game, she has a more interesting arc.

Not intending on dropping Ridley anytime soon but if they are fun I could see them being a nice secondary they were on my rather extensive list of characters I didn't think would make it in but that I'd love to see.

@durr This is my last reply because I am on here to have fun and don't want to get pulled into any major discussions.

White washing is not an issue that happened decades ago, it's something that still happens fairly often, Ghost in the Shell was a pretty prominent example, although I enjoyed the film I know people had serious issues with Isle of Dogs too, I believe and I recall Tilda Swinton's character in Doctor Strange originally being Asian, although, in that case the character in question was a pretty bad stereotype.

I don't recall very much from what Sony and Microsoft recently announced because I wasn't terribly interested, but having a quick google I can see that your claim about them making up the majority of representation is simply not true.

But why does it matter? Like I said, and this is where I'll end, there's a sad history of whitewashing in all forms of media that still persist to this day there simply isn't an equivalent in terms of white characters being switched out and, in Leon's case he's really not that defined, so if they do something different with him and he stands out, why not?

With that, I'm off this thread, peace.

@durr I'm going to assume you'll respond to this in good faith, but, yes there is a huge difference between replacing minority characters with white actors and replacing white characters with minorities.

1) There is an unfortunate historical precedent for having minority characters white washed or otherwise westernised in some way.

and

2) If you actually take a good luck at most contemporary media, I mean really separate yourself from the commentary and look around (especially in videogames) yes, people of colour and ethnic minorities are seriously under represented, isn't it nice for people to see themselves on screen? It's comforting.

finally

3) I think, some artistic licence is fine here, again the replacement of minority characters or the white washing of them is something that has a troubling history behind it and, if you think about it, what exactly is Leon's character? He's pretty much a cardboard cut out, so if they can do something to give him that much more depth or flesh him out, isn't that a good thing?

Very excited for this.

Man 2021 is hitting hard...

In all seriousness though, what a great character.

I have all the spirits...
Yes all of them so I will most assuredly be getting these too.

I actually have a surprising amount of fun with the Spirit Battles. I love messing around with them and doing them without spirits or with different builds. I wish there was a bit more variety in end goals and that but still dig them. I hope any (probably far off) future entry keeps those style of battles but with trophies, because, yeah the trophies were better.

Horace blew me away. There some moments that hit very hard. At times it's quirky, heartfelt, crushing but always charming. Not to mention the buttery smooth platforming is a blast and while it's certainly challenging and very occasionally frustrating death is hardly even a slap on the wrist. With enough patience anyone will persevere.

I can't recommend it enough, it really surprised me.

That looks, uh, pretty wild. Not usually what I go for with horror but intrigued nonetheless.

Looks cool, I actually dig the blend of 2-D/3-D. Doesn't always look the best but the aesthetic really works here, probably saves on a ton of resources too.

By the way, did they ever patch the Switch port of Hat in Time? Or is it still a bit of a mess?

I'm actually surprised at how many people I've seen reacting negatively to Sephiroth, it might be more an indictment of where I am hanging out online, but I have seen more negative reactions to this than Steve.

I'll be honest, I love JRPG's but I have never been able to get into FF but despite this I still love the fact that we're getting another iconic villain and it gives me hope for Dr. Eggman. Hardly the biggest Sonic fan either but he would be such a great addition.

@wsli People would do well to take note of your comment.

I thought it was simply a nonsense rhyme as well, certainly it read quite "off" but actually looking into it will show you it's quite nasty. People are well within their rights to decry this rather nasty joke.

In future before people give out about others being overly sensitive please have the wherewithal to give it a wee google first and you may well learn they actually have a point.

I hope this comment doesn't come across as divisive, it's good to do some research and learn why people are upset rather than immediately go on the offensive. It's something we all need a little more practice with.

Previously it never worked when I asked for Ridley buffs, as such this time I have elected to use reverse psychology.

Please do not buff Ridley. It would be really bad if you buffed Ridley. Don't give Ridley a dependable confirm.

Oh, and don't make Byleth faster, okay?

; )

Very surprised Yomawari isn't here. Definitely deserves a spot.