Comments 310

Re: Feature: Pokémon TCG Community Engulfed In Potential Fraud Scandal

stinkyx

@NinjaWaddleDee $40 for deck made from singles is about what MTG takes, but last I checked, the deck I wanted to make for Pokemon TCG was much more than that. Probably because I did go for the alt art cards...some cards, like Duralodon VMAX or a number of the trainer cards, look kinda junky otherwise, IMHO.

Re: Soapbox: After 25 Years, Pokémon Legends: Arceus Will Be My First Pokémon Game

stinkyx

I personally have never really liked the mainline games. The single player is such a slog because of all the annoying random encounters, how long it takes to level-up, and braindead A.I. opponents who will do stuff like waste a turn using a debuff on your Pokemon that has 1 HP left. I've always wanted to get into PVP but it seems like it takes sooooo long just to get 6 Pokemon to a point where you won't die in 6 turns. Then again I haven't played Sword/Shield but I hear it's not much different.

All the spin-off stuff I love tho...the trading card game (especially all the new V and VMax stuff) and the fighting game Pokken especially.

Re: Arika Announces Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash For Nintendo Switch

stinkyx

@DrDaisy One "tip" that helped me get back into fighting games is that you don't actually need all that great of reflexes. Mine have gone waaaaay down in the past few years, lol, but I'm better at fighting games that ever.

It's because reflexes aren't as important as "match up knowledge." That means knowing enough about your opponent's character that you can PREDICT what they will do (instead of REACTING to them). It's actually not too hard, since most characters only have a 2-3 effective things they can do at any one time. Also, look up a video series on YouTube called, "Don't Mash, Think!" It's about Street Fighter, but can apply to all fighting games in general.

Great genre, all I play these days. Fighting EX Layer is a cool game, but I think the online portion will die out fast (or at least quickly be reduced to really good players that beat casuals down so hard it's simply not remotely fun), and the single player offerings are sparse.

Re: Save Up To 87% In Arc System Works' Switch Sale (North America)

stinkyx

@Kidfunkadelic83 Skullgirls (Switch) has an insanely good tutorial mode that will teach you about fighting games in general (as in, skills you can use in other games), especially if you're like me and grew up thinking fighting games were "button mashers" where you just spam special moves and win (which couldn't be further from the truth).

Only thing is...Skullgirls has a very tainted past now, on the developer's side, but it's kinda one of those situations where one man's actions destroyed the entire studio.

Otherwise, Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Xrd, Dead or Alive 6, and Killer Instinct all have great tutorial modes too that will make you see fighting games in a new way (they're all I play now, lol). However, all of those games are unfortunately only on other platforms. As a consolation, Mortal Kombat 11 (Switch) has a decent tutorial mode too (but nowhere as deep), and is a great game to boot.

Re: Soapbox: It’s Time For A Pokémon Trading Card Game Reboot On Switch

stinkyx

@ZebZed Yeah, I just lost a tournament last night in the finals because I had a water deck against the deck you just mentioned, lol.

The main reasoned I mentioned Togekiss V/VMAX is because that's how I started and it worked really well for digging out my good cards. I'd typically get to V/VMAX on turn 2-3, pull out my 3 good cards (literally, all the rest were total trash): Steelix V and Malamar V/Vmax. I ended up winning probably 30-40% of my matches, instead of losing 99% with the starter cards the game gives you (before, my only wins were if my opponent milled out their own deck).

The Marnie card will always be a problem, IMHO, but for beginners without a large pool of good cards to draw from, I think Togekiss VMAX is a lifesaver!

Re: Soapbox: It’s Time For A Pokémon Trading Card Game Reboot On Switch

stinkyx

@Silly_G I used to feel the same way about PTCG Online, but now it's the complete opposite. I love it! Basically, you won't get much enjoyment out of it unless you spend $30-$60 on eBay to get booster pack codes. Once you get these boosters, do NOT open them. Use the "trade" function to build your deck that way.

In particular, wait for the weekend to do trades, because that's when other players post the most on the marketplace. The great thing about trading too is that if you trade, say, 3 boosters for a particular card and don't like it, it's easy to just turn around and trade it back to someone else for 3 boosters. No loss!

Personally, I recommend getting 2-3 each of Togekiss V and Togekiss VMAX because they provide a great base for any deck. They're colorless, do a decent 120/130 damage, and most importantly has a 2-energy move that lets you search your deck for ANY 2 cards, meaning you don't need multiples of good cards to draw them out.

Once you get rolling with a good deck, you'll start racking-up wins and getting a bunch of coins, which you can use to buy more boosters (which aren't tradeable if purchased in-game...dumb I know) or save them up for when the next expansion releases. After two weeks of playing with a good deck, I have enough coins right now to get like 20+ boosters when the new set comes out. By the time Battle Styles releases in March, I'll probably be able to get 40+!

All of this isn't even to mention how fun the game is when you start developing your own decks based on all the mechanics of the new cards, which make the originals seem like total trash in comparison. Lots of strategy and flexibility, and just sooo much fun. Went from "frustratingly unfair game I never want to play again" to "best experience I've ever had with Pokemon."

Re: Soapbox: It’s Time For A Pokémon Trading Card Game Reboot On Switch

stinkyx

I seem to remember blasting through the entire original game in like 3 days when it first came out. Not because I played it non-stop, but because it was so easy. I think that the A.I. in Pokemon games (ALL of them) ruins it, IMHO. Opponents are soooo stupid. There's nothing like battling a real person!

Even in PTCG Online, for example, if you play the single-player portion (a long series of opponents, using pre-made decks), your opponent will do stuff like put 10 fire energy on an Arcanine and use "Flop" every turn instead of "Flamethrower" and just die on purpose.

Re: A Pokémon Sword And Shield DLC Bundle Hits Stores This November

stinkyx

How does online work in these games? I only played a little bit in the older ones, and it was just go online, get rekt by an enemy team with maxed-out stats.

Do I really need a team of fully leveled-up pokemon to even stand a chance online? Or is there some kinda stat balancing system where you can just jump online after only several hours of catching creatures?

Re: Talking Point: Does Nintendo Have A Refund Problem?

stinkyx

@Heavyarms55 I think your view is very anti-consumer, frankly. If there were refunds, it helps protects us from bad products and get better value for our money. Also, from the developer side, it allows people to try a game without risk of a bad purchase, so it helps when people are on the fence about buying a game. I think it's a win-win all around.

Re: Talking Point: Does Nintendo Have A Refund Problem?

stinkyx

@Heavyarms55 I think returning things because you didn't like them is a totally legitimate reason! Imagine buying a game and just flat out not liking it AT ALL, despite researching it, reading reviews, watching videos, and giving it a shot for 2 hours. And then you're stuck with it forever.

  • Maybe the game is harder or more tedious than you thought (Dark Souls)
  • Maybe the framerate hurts your eyes more than you thought it would (Deadly Premonition 2)
  • Maybe the online play is much worse than expected or no one is playing online in your region (Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Kill La Kill IF, Guilty Gear, BlazBlue)
  • Maybe most of the game is locked away when you're offline (Mortal Kombat 11), all reviews you read failed to mention that, and you take your Switch on the go a lot
  • Maybe there was a gameplay mechanic that looked and sounded fun but isn't (weapons constantly breaking in Breath of the Wild)
  • Maybe the controls are weird and can't be changed (Gun Gal)
  • Maybe the file size is way bigger than advertised because of a bunch of added DLC, or you just didn't notice the file size, and the game can't fit on your Switch without uninstalling everything else you already have on it (Capcom games)

It doesn't happen often, but it does happen!