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@viced92 Of the first three, the second is by far the best. It’s just so damn good! I’d spring for that then wait for 4 to go on sale.

I’ve read several reviews now and each one has docked the game for its combat. I’ve always found the combat in the Trine series to be fun but superficial, as stress-free and low-stakes as the puzzle solving, and therefore in keeping with the tone and difficulty of the games. What I’d like to know is, has it changed at all? Because if it hasn’t, it’s a non-issue for me, and I know I’m in for a great ride.

@Yorumi What you’re ungenerously calling stupidity I would more accurately describe as naiveté, or lack of professional savvy, which in 16-year-olds should probably be forgiven.

And I would argue that whatever indulgence of stupidity you want to draw the line at, is nowhere near as grave an ill to society as the rewarding of greed and exploitation.

These volunteers have learned a difficult lesson.

Finn Brice has learned that free labor from teenagers pays.

That your desired outcome?

@JaxonH Profiting from the unpaid labor of minors is not a good look. I’d rather discourage the practice, whether or not these teenagers should have known better than to expect somebody who got rich off their volunteer work to share the profits.

Not how I want my entertainment to be made.

I’m glad this information has emerged on social media. The legal system may not be able to rectify it but the court of public opinion can. Sometimes that’s the only power people have recourse to.

I want to know when my dollars will go to such people so I can make informed moral decisions.

Good on Mr. Barone, the person who actually created the game you love, for severing ties with Chucklefish.

I would never assume folks who once agreed to work for a company that seemed great in an industry they love would turn around and irresponsibly “whine” about such an issue on social media. They must have collectively sought to resolve their grievances, gotten what they perceived to be an unjust response, and escalated it in a way they thought appropriate. Why do so many people take the side of companies and corporations against the powerless in such situations? Are you all invested in exploitative corporate policies? Do you love the industry so little you can’t back positive change?

I’m ashamed of people in my gaming community who take stances against fairness. That says so much about a person.

Astral Chain, Link’s Awakening, Dragon’s Dogma, Heave Ho, The Room, Rayman, Axiom Verge, Celeste...............

At some point I’m going to have to relax with some chores!

Looks as stiff and flat as a plank, but less fun.

I’ll have what the devs are having!

I was rather shocked at how fun the demo is. Didn’t expect to like it. But the devs really nail the aesthetic and gameplay.

I really spoiled myself this weekend. Sayonara Wild Hearts, Untitled Goose Game, Link’s Awakening, Golazo! And I’ve yet to finish Astral Chain, which I’m enjoying immensely and don’t want to move too swiftly through. I’ve really embraced the glut of good games this season... it’s “Bought ‘em!” Autumn!

I will download and play as soon as I get home. Promise!

@Alucard83 I reckon a one-year sabbatical along with swearing off daylight should get me through half my backlog.

@Fake-E-Lee I played through Trine 2 and really enjoyed the whole experience. It's a (mostly) stress-free puzzle platformer overflowing with visual splendor and charm. Production values are quite high. Immediately upon completing the game I purchased the first Trine but have yet to dig in, what with Astral Chain taking up 100% of my Switch activity at the mo. I will be skipping 3 based on nearly every review, but if 4 is a return to form, as it very much appears to be, then it is a sure purchase for me. I only wait to hear about how it performs on the Switch for it looks as though improvements have been made to the already magnificent visuals of the previous installments.

Trine 4, Link’s Awakening, Witcher 3, Luigi’s Mansion.... HELP!!!

Heck yes! Looks sick!

Con: This game exists.

Joy: This review exists.

Astral Chain for the win! I am totally drawn into this world. Just completed File 4.

To lighten the mood I will also put some very entertaining minutes into Heave Ho... which is more fun in solo mode than most reviews give it credit for.

Happy weekend and happy gaming!

If it’s like BotW I say the more the merrier! I’d be grateful for a similar game that’s HALF as good.

Picked up Heave Ho last night and can’t wait to get into it with The Spouse. Also been enjoying Vasara collection in short bursts.

@Anti-Matter LOL you do you my man! And in case that doesn’t translate well: don’t let the haters push their version of “normal” on you! 👍💪😸

@ChromaticDracula LOL I too am on holiday in Scotland and have the game waiting for me when I get back to the states!

Just bought this on sale last week and was thoroughly surprised at how quickly I felt invested in the game. The combat is a blast, of course, but so is exploration and picking up skills. You can just tell how much went into the game. Also love the awkward take on archaic English. I can’t wait to pick it up again after my vacation, so I know it’s a special game!

@k8sMum Good to get your perspective. Thanks!

@CrimsonMoonMist Good to know! I thought that might be a possibility, but I found it too big a turn-off up front, and frankly, I don’t think game designers have earned the benefit of the doubt yet. Thanks for sharing!

Downloaded the Dragon Quest XI S demo and was first enchanted by the visuals then turned off by the tired old male hero protecting the helpless damsel story beats, as if it was written by and for pre-adolescent boys in 1950. Echoes of an elusive age, indeed.

That, and I will probably never enjoy turn-based combat... oh well!

Also picked up Dragon’s Dogma on sale, which I’m looking forward to diving into.

Happy weekend all!

Picked up Bastion recently at a less steep discount and it was money well spent. Great narrative action RPG loaded with quirk, originality, and excellent voice acting.

Taking the subway home now and will pick up Transistor right after I feed the cat!

Finally picked up Gris on sale and man, what a gorgeous experience so far... I’m just an hour in and I already feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth and then some.

That and more Mario Odyssey with my wife. We play that one to de-stress, which is necessary more and more often these days!

Also really enjoying Vasara Collection. Damn good fun, that one! And my first shmup experience on the Switch. Any recommendations for more? I’d be into the more user-friendly games, not the ultra-difficult ones.

Happy weekend all and happy gaming!

I’m more pumped for this game than I have been for any other in recent memory. Looking like a lot of love and creativity went into it. Can’t wait!

Pre-ordered for $5 and happy to see the nice review! Can’t wait to give it a go after work. ‘Twill be my first shmup on Switch.

Well this looks absolutely lovely. I will go live there instead of here.

Sick! Love the art direction, different character types and the mid-air bow-and-arrow action. I hope they don’t overcomplicate it with RPG elements like Bloodstained. If they nail the gameplay, I’m in.

The demo really is so much fun but the performance issues are pretty dramatic. As soon as that patch releases, I will release my dollars!

Producers made the decision to redesign Sonic because they feared for their bottom line. That's it. If this movie was a work of love or passion or even fandom, the online mob would've received more pushback, and perhaps the studio would have come to the defense of the film as it was. But it was conceived of as a cash grab, a franchise boost, an exercise in branding, and as such would've been a total failure if people stayed home as a protest. I for one thought it looked ridiculous in all the right ways, in a way that keeps with the spirit of the franchise better than visual fidelity can hope to. I'm with Carrey on this one. A more savvy PR person/firm could have turned this into gold without redoing the film.

Picked up Dragonball FighterZ for $18 on the eShop. That’s MY weekend!

Would prefer Outer Wilds. Oh well.

The game looks fantastic. Polished sci-fi universe and intense combat action. I only hope it’s balanced out with exploration and investigations. Let’s not forget the disappointment of Starlink. All that hype, complete with gorgeous trailers that got the community salivating, resulted in a game fatally flawed with repetitive gameplay and an uninspired storyline. (Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Starlink, but it’s nothing compared to what we all hoped it’d be.)

As for framerate, let me put it this way. For most of gaming history, we got by with fewer than 60FPS. My favorite game of all time, BotW, never achieves that and doesn’t need to. If a game is well-designed and makes the most of the system it’s on, you shouldn’t notice. I know I don’t.

Not familiar with the anime, and I found the demo unforgiveably dull. Cutscenes are nice, but not being able to skip or pause them is a baffling design decision.

@BlackenedHalo Would LOVE to see the Quake games come to switch.

I also remember a little game called Hexen, which I loved.

Love Doom and Doom II... never got around to Doom 3. What do people think of that one? Worth a go?

Played the crap out of the demo. Haven't had this much fun on my Switch in a long time. An absolute blast in local multiplayer, even with a few instances of framerate drop (which will hopefully be patched out.) Glad to see it get some critical love here on NL... I hope people take a chance on it!

“Naturally, Nintendo will not have been aware of these abuses prior to hiring Niosi...”

A ridiculous and unsubstantiated statement. The absence of official recognition prior to hiring does not mean they were unaware. This stuff has a tendency to circulate via whisper networks and often remains an open secret in industries that have been unsympathetic to victims. Former employers of abusers do not warn future employers and colleagues, instead quietly pushing out “problematic” people in the hope that no negative attention focuses on them. That is if anything is done at all. I’m glad this guy has come forward so people know who they’re actually dealing with and nobody else will be put in danger (best-case scenario). But to assume Nintendo, or the person or persons who hired him and have been hiring him for the past decade or so, didn’t know or suspect anything about him is dangerously naive.

Trine 2 on the Switch is a gorgeous platforming masterpiece. High production value and tons of fun. I've read that this third installment was a huge disappointment to fans of the series, but honestly the trailer makes it look just as polished and full of charm. I'll wait for word, I suppose. But at that price, and with Trine 4 looming, I might have to throw some more money at these guys.

So many Mario Maker 2 levels to play... let alone make. Will probabaly also pick up Xeodrifter for $1.

Gonna put some minutes into Axiom Verge, The Messenger, Cybarian, and Bastion.

And I’ve taken to seeking out the final few BotW side quests, with the rule that I must slow-travel across Hyrule.... no horses, no motorcycle, and no teleportation!

Happy weekend!

Meh. I’m glad more people will be playing the Switch, but I hope this doesn’t disincentivize the creation of higher-performing games.

If they nail the co-op gameplay this would be a fine addition to my game night rotation. Make it fun y’all!

@nessisonett I like Pitchfork for exactly the reason you seem to dislike it. They are anti-democratic. They don’t even allow comments or discussion anywhere on the site. In that sense they’re a real throwback, internet-wise, and closer to traditional media criticism. I rarely agree any more with their (positive) assessments in that I tend not to enjoy all that much the music they rate very highly. But if I read the full reviews I get in-depth music criticism rather than mere product reviews, and more often than not excellent writing.

Finally grabbed Axiom Verge on sale. Love the music! Also tossed in Bleed and Bleed 2. Lots of side scrolling this weekend. If I succeed in getting my buddy over for some couch co-op, most likely the sounds of Enter the Gungeon will reverberate around the apartment. Perhaps also some Fast RMX, Horizon Chase Turbo, and MK8 Deluxe.

I’ve got an insane backlog, truth be told, and still can’t stop buying games.

Somebody please send help! Or money. Money will do just fine.

September is my birthday month. All is going according to plan.

Very pretty game indeed. And intriguing. But I would like to move beyond the notion, as a community, that a British woman’s breathy pleading voice is the gold standard for narration. Some diversity would be nice.

@SalvorHardin Basically Celeste. I'm just a huge fan of that game. If y'ain't, y'ain't.