roadrunner343

Considering this is Limited Run Games, I was just happy when I saw the standard edition was still available to buy.

@Nincompoop I saw you mention Dead Cells, but I wasn't sure from your post if you enjoyed it or not. Also, I understand Rogue-like = procedural generation, which is why I used the two terms interchangeably, along with random generation, which of course doesn't truly exist.

Since you're open to games with procedural elements, I say try to watch some more videos/reviews, because the game is truly great. If you were fully against all rogue-like games, of course I would suggest staying away.

Admittedly, I am a fan of many procedurally generated games, so I probably am slightly biased, but I also agree that not all games benefit from it (I.E., Steamworld Dig 2 is a much better game than 1) so take from that what you will.

@Nincompoop I really disagree it is "cheating" in this case. It's like saying the randomly generated maps in Civ (As someone else pointed out) or Age of Empires, among a myriad of other strategy games, is cheating. This game has a ton of content. The devs did not use procedurally generated levels to pad the content in the game, it supplements it and keeps the maps fresh. I do agree with your criticisms of Rogue-like games in general. Like any genre, there are plenty of examples of it done right, and plenty that are done wrong - I think this is an example of it being extremely well executed.

Out of curiosity, do you like any games with procedural elements? If it's just that the genre isn't your cup of tea, it would make sense this doesn't appeal to you.

EDIT: One last comparison - I actually think of ITB as more of a puzzle game, than anything. Like you said, you're playing on small 8x8 maps and you have perfect knowledge of enemy movements. If the maps were 100% static, it would be incredibly simple to "solve" the game, and know exactly how to clear each scenario, every time.

Sudoku is also played on a small grid. While you could hand craft Sudoku puzzles, a good algorithm can easily generate infinite puzzles for you to solve and enjoy, of varying difficulties. In that case, I would say a digital Sudoku game would be hampered by 100% hand crafted puzzles, unless they were to supplement randomly generated puzzles. I feel the same way about ITB.

@chagrined I like playing on KB/M, but I found myself wanting to play with a controller on my HTPC/GPD WIN 2, which was a bit cumbersome. Ultimately, that's why I purchased the Switch version as well - it's much better suited for Controller than the PC version. Everything controls just fine.

@PanurgeJr I actually had to chuckle out loud reading your comment. In post #41, I replied to him stating that simply responding to someone and saying "You proved my point" does not make it so. In your case, I was wrong =)

@MeloMan I don't really think it's an SRPG at all. It's just a turn based strategy game, similar to Advance Wars, though mechanically it is quite different. Personally, I feel it deserves 9/10 or more - it's an outstanding strategy game.

@Nincompoop Of course it is all opinions, and I know many people (Yourself included) seem to hate all things with Rogue elements, but I really don't think the game is hampered by the design choice. I think it benefits the game greatly, and in my opinion, it is made better for it. I agree that there are many games that should not be procedurally generated, but Into the Breach, FTL, Slay the Spire, Spelunky, etc... are all examples of it done right, in my opinion.

@Ralek85 I agree with pretty much everything you've said about the game, including the possibly "perfect" comment. I think anyone into strategy games, Rogue-like games, or just fans of the developers/FTL should check it out. I can't think of any improvements to make.

@DreamerDC Arguing common sense would require some-sort of counter argument, which he hasn't made. You don't have to be a fanboy of anything to recognize that Sony's stance and behavior is rubbish.

@CCore28 You do realize tagging people and thanking them for "proving your point" is not actually "proving your point", right? Nothing @Dr_Corndog said proves your point. I get disliking people trash talking things all the time, but sometimes, it's warranted. This is definitely one of those times. Sony is clearly behaving to benefit their own interests, while trying to claim it's for the customer's best interests, which is asinine and deserves to be called out. It's not that Sony refusing to allow cross-play is irrational. It makes perfect sense - just not for any of the reasons they're trying to convince people of.

@Navitroid That sounds painful. I wouldn't sit on this Goldman statue either. I think it looks nice, but not that nice.

@MarioFan02 Roms/Emulation is not even remotely comparable to a steaming service, that is streaming games that you legally own, running on hardware that you legally own, to other hardware that you legally own. Never mind the fact that emulation is almost always perfectly legal, it's the distribution of ROMs/BIOS that is illegal. Emulation is everywhere in technology and completely revolutionized the IT industry - it's not just used for piracy.

@Razer I don't disagree, some games are meant for PC and should stay there. I played SC2 pretty much exclusively for about 4 years straight - I don't want to play that on my switch. I've also played a ton of games on my PC with an XBox controller that would be perfect for streaming to Switch, should anyone ever get a usable solution in place. I've always had far too many latency/hitching issues to be bothered to use it, but I look forward to the day someone finally gets a workable solution in place.

@panthro @sanderev @Realnoize Playing locally on the source system isn't lag free either. The key is getting the latency low enough to not be impactful to the vast majority of users. Theoretically possible, but I've never used a streaming app I was happy with. The Wii U gamepad is the closest we've come so far, in my opinion.

@Itzsfo0 Glad to hear. It wasn't clear to me if @Faint owned a Xenoblade controller, or if he was simply stating what he read elsewhere, so I wanted to provide feedback on my experience. Especially since I purchased the controller solely because I heard the DPad was fixed, but I have the exact same issue with accidental inputs, especially in the up direction, which is incredibly annoying when playing puzzle games like Puyo Puyo Tetris.

@faint I purchased the Xenoblade controller for this reason specifically, but I find the DPad to have the exact same issues as my other pro controllers.

@GrailUK while that may be true, I've had a blast playing Smash Wii U with 6-8 people. 4 GameCube controllers, 2 pro controllers/wiki u tablet, and 2 Wiimote + nun chucks. Absolutely, there was belly aching over who got to use what controller - but that is way more fun than only 4 people getting to participate due to availability of specific controllers.

@Nincompoop I think you meant to say, more indies!

Here's an inside scoop: Independent developers making new games actually does not hinder other AAA studios from publishing games.

@Mando44646 There will almost certainly be an online direct before launch. I don't think this will prevent that.

@EverythingAmiibo The number of people chastising you and your "serious" comment is hilarious. As if you were really going to tell your mom...

@Heavyarms55 That was my disappointment as well, made worse by the fact that the YouTube thumbnail included that screenshot that was presented at the end - making me think the direct had Wargroove info in it. Definitely one of my most anticipated titles, I really hope we get some solid info out of the Gamescom show.

@electrolite77 I'd say 99% of the people clamoring for physical releases mean actual physical carts, not physical cases containing a download code. Though, to be fair, I do agree with your point about impulse gift purchases. That makes sense for an item like this. Otherwise, for an individual purchasing something for themselves, I'm not sure why you would buy a physical download code vs. simply going to the eShop to purchase. That said, I'm with you - it's not like this is a "disgusting" practice, it's just not at all what I was hoping for.

EDIT: And of course, some folks may not want to give Nintendo their financial info, so this is a way around that. Still, a bit niche.

@PhilKenSebben NP - I find they both scale really well with number of players - I enjoy them most with ~4 players, but still have had plenty of fun in 1v1 games. I prefer Dominion slightly, but my friend/brother prefer Ascension. Quite different deck builders, but I don't think you can go wrong with either. I also forgot that Ascension (And it's 4,000 expansions) has a digital version for Android/iOS, and it goes on sale frequently.

@thesilverbrick I'm not even located in Europe, but I got excited about importing some of these as well for a moment...

@PhilKenSebben I don't actually have any digital games for your that you haven't already mentioned - I was primarily referring to physical games. Some of my favorites are Dominion, Ascension, and Mystic Vale, if you are interested in physical card games.

Ridiculous amount of fun, though admittedly, deck builders are my favorite type of card game. I am 160 hours in at the moment. Doubt I'll purchase this again, as I've been playing portable on my GPD WIN, but can't recommend this enough to everyone else.

Nice surprise. Played a ton of PA on PC, had no idea it was coming to Switch. I am tempted to give it another go. Bad North has me intrigued as well.

@NewAdvent IMO, worth it, if you haven't played it yet and love sim games. Otherwise - pick it up on Steam when it's on sale next.

@Razer @Saintayu At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if 80 million people purchased a 3DS, or 8 million people purchased 10 systems each. Sales are sales, so if Nintendo has fans willing to purchase multiple units, the end result is the same for Nintendo. Nintendo is clearly trying to replicate multiple systems per-household with Nintendo Switch as well, so it's simply another part of their business strategy.

@Razer Agreed, the 3DS early struggles were commonly blamed on Mobile taking over the market. I even did a case study for my MBA on that exact scenario. Obviously that wasn't the whole story, because the 3DS had a tremendous turn around and went on to be very successful, despite the mobile market exploding. There will always be a market for dedicated gaming systems with physical controls. Mobile touch based games certainly aren't for everyone, and there are very, very few games I actually enjoy playing on my phone.

@Saintayu I'm also with you on some points - I do believe the Switch will end up being my favorite Nintendo system of all time, but it has a bunch of flaws. I had the joycon disconnect issue, there's no HDMI out via a simple cable, mediocre battery life, flimsy kickstand, no cloud saves (Until 18 months in), you can't charge/use tabletop at the same time without a stand, and several others on the OS/Software front. Those things make me excited for a hardware revision, which I will buy because my wife/kids also use my Switch, but I'd likely end up buying an eventual revision even if I were single. I'll also likely by a dedicated portable if they ever launch one, as I prefer to play my Switch portable. This is getting a bit long-winded, so I'll sum it up by saying there are several things that I respectfully disagree with in your posts, but I will gladly agree that there are too many Nintendo apologists unwilling to admit the flaws of the Switch.

@SethNintendo I'm with you completely. Club Nintendo was outstanding in comparison. It was made so much worse by the constant promises of a new/improved program in MyNintendo. Instead, I don't pay attention at all anymore and don't even bother registering anything for points now. Lack of physical rewards and/or full digital games sucks.

@retro_player_22 The impressive part (To me) is just the custom fabrication and managing to stuff everything in there successfully. Also, I know it's an old 7" CRT case, but it looks like the screen was replaced with an LCD. Overall, really neat project to me - even if it doesn't really do much interesting from an electronics/software perspective.

@TeslaChippie Maybe I haven't tried it enough. Genuinely interested to hear from others - on paper, I should love Monster Hunter. I tried MH3 on 3DS multiple times and just couldn't get into it. I'm super tempted by both this, and MHW for PC, but am a bit afraid to drop the cash on a full price title that I couldn't get into in the past.

@gauthieryannick @Nincompoop Unfortunately, the issue is even dumber than that. The Switch itself is actually using a version of DisplayPort. This is also why a simple USB to HDMI cable will not output anything. The Dock takes the DP signal and converts it to HDMI. Silly Nintendo.

@GraveLordXD Perhaps I'm reading too much into the "Actually", but it seems you are correcting me or disagreeing, but that's exactly what I said. However, there are others that have very strongly disagreed with me when I've suggested it. It's also not something that can be factually proven one way or another, when we're tossing around arbitrary terms like "Metroidvania" whose definition can differ from person to person. I'm with ThanosReXXX... let's ditch all these dumb terms =P

EDIT: @Kang81 I know it wasn't directed at me, but if you like Diablo II (Or any other isometric aRPG, really) you'll like Titan Quest.

@NoxAeturnus I've not played Bloodborne, but based on videos I've seen, I thought the combat still looked quite slow compared to a typical action RPG. Perhaps it doesn't HAVE to be slow/heavy, but it seems like that's fairly common. It may be those aren't the best descriptors, but it is a bit of an intangible quality that makes a game Souls like. One of those things that's hard (For me) to explain, but I know it when I feel it. I'll stick with methodical from now on.

@NoxAeturnus I agree with your last statement of arguing that souls-like at least somewhat refers to a 3D version of the Metroidvania formula, but I've run into resistance elsewhere by stating I felt like Dark Souls 3 specifically felt like a 3D Metroidvania.

In addition to your points, which I agree with (With a minor caveat, that there are a lot of "cheap" deaths in DS on your first run through) I would also mention the combat feel. Souls-like combat is slow, heavy, and methodical. Reading and dodging enemy attacks is critical to success. This is the probably the largest factor for me personally.

EDIT: @ThanosReXXX No worries, I didn't think you were overly critical =) If you noticed in one of my posts, I made a similar suggestion to you - I'm all for ditching the labels, and I stay away from Rogue-like & souls-like, I just haven't found an elegant way to describe a Metroidvania without using that term yet. I'll figure something out someday =P

@ThanosReXXX Really? I don't know how many times I've heard it. I won't say it was all here, because I listen to a couple podcasts as well, but it's definitely a term I've heard a lot of over the past couple years, and I didn't invent it =). Perhaps because there are no Dark Souls games on Nintendo platforms, our community is just lagging slightly behind in labeling everything "Souls-like" but it's coming =P

I have no issues with this article, or valid comparisons to Souls games, Metroidvania, Roguelike, etc... Just poking fun at the overuse of, and often inaccurate, use of the terms.

I'm with you. I wouldn't classify Hollow Knight as souls-like, but due to Hollow Knight's focus on boss fights, I can see why some would make the comparison. I also think Dark Souls has more in common with Metroidvania titles than others like to admit, with the unlockable paths, back tracking, etc... I think soulslike is still ambiguous because it's relatively new - Roguelike and Metroidvania only "make sense" because the terms have been around forever and everyone knows what they mean. Personally, I still think they're all pretty ridiculous sounding and extremely overused. It seems most people just think Soulslike = difficult. I much prefer to use the term "procedurally generated" for Roguelikes, I just haven't found a term to replace Metroidvania yet.

@8-Bit_Superman "Souls-like" is certainly up there with "Rogue-Like" and "Metroidvania" for the most overused video game genre comparison.

@1UP_MARIO @Spoony_Tech @FragRed I would counter that it's still pretty darn impressive. If you only include the systems that launched during the PSX era, Nintendo's sales still total 497.95. To be fair, that is primarily due to portable sales, but impressive none the less. That also means that Nintendo had 200 million sales pre-Sony during a time that video games were far less mainstream. The audience is undoubtedly larger today than it was in the 80's/90's, so I'm not surprised Sony hit the 500 million mark faster than Nintendo did originally.

@NintendoVideoGa The article did specifically call out a few missing consoles, stating that the number would be even higher.

So... here's the thing - you don't want a "gaming" branded SD card. Gaming isn't even all that stressful on a card. If you're seriously worried about speed or durability, just buy one of the high speed cards from a well known brand (Like Sandisk or Lexar) that's designed for Photography/Video use. Will likely be cheaper and more reliable. The coolest thing about this card is the texture on the edge, all micro SD cards should have that. They're so darn hard to remove in some devices.

I don't really know how you could be disappointed in that direct. I really wasn't expecting 5 new characters, least of all K. Rool. Castlevania characters/stages look outstanding too. I was sad to see Luigi go, though. RIP. The amount of content included in Smash Ultimate is completely insane. I haven't really got excited about game release dates for about the past 20 years - but I can't wait for Smash.

@NiaBladerunner Or people who travel frequently, long flights, long drives, etc... I can't count the number of times a power bank has saved my hide, especially when traveling in a foreign country, using my phone as a GPS, only to realize my battery was about to die. Or saved me from boredom on a 9 hour flight. Or was just more convenient when laying in a hotel room than carrying a bag full of wall adapters/cords and being tethered to a wall.

@MooPenguin32 Many thanks for posting a link to the documentation. This is exactly what I was referring to in my initial response, and it's what prevented my GPD WIN 2 from charging at all on my old charger.

I had an Anker 12,000mah and it worked fine for me for several years. I upgraded because it wouldn't charge my GPD WIN 2. I upgraded to a RAVPower 26800mAh PD bank. Some devices require higher voltages, which is what USB PD provides. If you have multiple devices, know that you need higher voltages (Like the GPD WIN 2) or just want to future proof, make sure your battery supports USB PD/whatever voltage your device needs.

@jhess826 It depends entirely on where you live if it is legal to dump your own roms or not. Even so, that does not mean they have been preserved. Again, if it is legal to dump my own roms, what functional difference did it make if I downloaded it instead? The end result is the same.

I'd be lying if I said the ROMs I've downloaded didn't exceed the titles I've legally purchased and owned. However, I can say that despite that 99% of the roms I have played, I either own (Multiple times, in many cases) or have no way of obtaining. I fully support the developers whenever possible, but that's not always possible.

A slightly different example is I've purchased Neo Geo roms for my Switch. I also play Neo Geo ROMs on my AES flash cart. Me shelling out hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, for a single cart on eBay does not benefit the developer/publisher in any way.

As for people profiting off of Nintendo's IP - no argument there, of course that should be illegal. That's not the only way ROM's are distributed. Me dumping my own rom may or may not be legal. Giving that ROM to a friend who also owns the game is illegal. P2P sharing of ROMs is just as illegal, even if you own the games. Ad-free ROM sites are still illegal. Pointing to ad revenue isn't really relevant to the conversation as a whole, as I would imagine even the most staunch supporters of ROMs will tell you they disagree with people profiting off of someone else's IP.

@jhess826 I'm not sure if it's my misunderstanding or yours, but I have no idea what you are trying to say with the statement below, but I'm pretty sure I did not present that argument... The only argument I made is that many amazing games, including several listed in this article and it's comments, have not been preserved by any legal means. If I misunderstood something and you can clarify, I'll gladly respond.

"You are presenting an argument that the only reason any game was captured was to profit off of it by allowing for it to be freely distributed? I would greatly object to that argument."

As for "telling myself" something just to make me feel better - that's not event remotely true. I feel just fine because I own and purchase games regularly. If I own a game (Multiple times, in many case) and I play on my original cart, one of my many legal digital copies, a ROM that I dumped myself, or a ROM that I downloaded, there's no functional difference. Regardless, the end result is the same. Legality does not equal morality in all cases.

To say that preservation is not a reason many people pirate is just not accurate - it's a huge reason many people pirate. To experience classic titles that are no longer readily available is a very common reason. That doesn't make it right or lawful, but that also doesn't change the reasoning behind it. There's a difference.

@AlternateButtons Considering there have been multiple opposing viewpoints presented, it would appear you are incorrect. If you want to equate legality to morality, feel free to do so. That doesn't mean it isn't up for debate. History has shown countless occurrences of immoral laws. Rather than spouting insults and repeating the same "ITS ILLEGAL SO ITS WRONG IDIOTS" why don't you try having an intelligent discussion with those with other ideas? Just because something can be abused, doesn't mean all uses are inherently evil.

@AlternateButtons So remember the part where I said it's not all or nothing? I'm fully capable of not condoning all piracy? Just like I can use a butter knife without butchering people? Or how I said you should put some thought into your responses before posting them? Because it doesn't seem as if you've read anything.

I agree, you should pay for games. Which I have, many times over. I also agree, in this case, it is Nintendo's IP. Which I support by purchasing said games - Both via a large physical collection and multiple digital editions of most roms. Very nice job on posting a complete non-sense, irrelevant reply.

If you want to have an intelligent, respectful conversation about the topic, I'm down. If you want to continue your angry, irrelevant, insulting rants - feel free to do so without me. It's no wonder you feel like you're talking to a brick wall at times. Likely because no one wants to engage in a petty flame war.

@jhess826 Any video game worth saving has already been saved? Sure. As a result of piracy. Otherwise? Absolutely not. Not even close.

"Preserving history" is definitely a huge reason many people pirate. The only difference is you clearly have a difference in opinion on what "preserving" mean. Preserved works of art in a museum are still able to be consumed by the general public. "Preserved" roms do absolutely nothing for the average user - because there's still no way for someone to consume that media, even if the game/developer/publisher is long at of print. So yes, having a large personal collection of roms (Which I do) for preservation sake, is a very real thing, regardless of how you feel of the legality of it.

EDIT: Nowdays, I play most of my classic games via flash cart, despite owning physical carts for just about every rom I've ever played and multiple digital copies of many of the games. Why? I prefer playing on original hardware, and I want to preserve my original carts/not deal with the hassle of getting my entire collection out of storage every time I want to play.

@AlternateButtons It's not all or nothing. We absolutely can talk about certain aspects of a technology while simultaneously not condoning others. Your responses are so incredibly narrow minded. I don't care if you hate emulation and think it should be illegal - that's a fine stance. At least put some thought into your replies before posting them - especially when you've attacked folks like @electrolite77 without ever actually addressing what we're talking about. As for my personal stance, you can see my original comment on post 51.

You also mention that because some people would abuse emulation, it should be illegal. Do you hold that same stance with everything? Some people do stupid things when drunk, ban all alcohol. Some people abuse prescription meds, lets ban all narcotics. A friend of mine was killed by a drunk drive some years back, I suppose we should ban all cars as well. Stabbings are relatively common, so I would suggest only butter knives be legal from now on. (EDIT. And not the serrated ones. Those can still cut people)

@Syrek24 Holy self-righteous reply Batman! You bring up morality, and then state it as if it is black and white. Morality is not, has not, and never will be a constant. For the most part, it is entirely subjective. Of course, there are some major common areas that most people can agree on - you shouldn't kill someone - but even then there is debate. Capital punishment? Self-defense? War? Not every has the same morals. As I stated in post 51, I've played emulated versions of Super Metroid, Super Mario World, and A Link to the Past on a handful of devices. I own physical carts for all of them and multiple digital copies. I will likely buy it again. My conscience is clean, regardless of the legality of my actions, and there was absolutely no harm done to Nintendo.

I don't understand how so many people can think that because something is illegal, it is inherently evil. Thank goodness not everyone feels that way, and we've seen some positive change over the past 200 years or some, even it does take time. There are plenty of laws that are immoral themselves.

@Caryslan The only thing I would add (Not to sabotage your or my position, because I agree with you) is that in the case of Mother 3, I actually can see a point of how damage is being done to Nintendo there. I for one would buy a physical release of Mother 3 again in a heartbeat, should it ever come out legally.

However, I do have to wonder, how much damage has already been done by so many people playing the fan translation? Will the game not sell as well not that so many had the opportunity to play it? I can't answer that for sure. All I can answer for is myself, and I know I would buy it again, so I've no personal moral issues playing the game, but that scenario does make me pause and think a bit.

I understand, accept, and agree it should be illegal... but I have no moral qualms with playing a rom of an old game, especially when there is absolutely no way for me to give Nintendo my money for said game. The other example would be I play Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and A Link to the Past on emulators before. I own physical carts for all of them and I've also purchased all of them on Wii, Wii U, 3DS, and will likely do so again for Switch when the become available, so there is absolutely no damage done.

@nhSnork The other thing that bothers me with that type of "preservation" is... great, now what? When a museum obtains other types of art for preservation sake, the public can general consume said art in one way or another. Preservation isn't important to me if there's still no legal way to appreciate the art.

@ThanosReXXX Agreed, absolutely nothing changes. As you mentioned, no one has ever been successful in eliminating piracy, and I would say it's much harder now than it ever has been with the prevalence of Torrent/P2P sharing in general.

@geox30 I won't disagree. There's enough games that run better and look better, that it should certainly be possible. As I mentioned previously, Overcooked is a 10/10 game for me when played with others locally, and I purchased it on PC and Switch both - extremely rare for me unless I am double dipping for a physical release. For the most part, I wish I would have not double dipped in this case. The performance issues meant I always wanted to play it on PC instead.

@geox30 The first wasn't, so I'm going to guess this one isn't either. Like you, I've not yet seen confirmation. It's also the one reason I'm still considering picking this up on PC, rather than physical release on Switch.

On the topic of score, when played correctly (Local co-op, 2-4 people) the first game is a 10/10 for me. Few games have been this much fun for me & my wife & friends, and I would highly recommend the games to anyone looking for a local co-op title.

@boop22 Exactly how high could your hopes have gotten before reading the very next word?