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Just finished Yakuza 0 after 8 or so weeks (super fun, great story and characters, lots of interesting substories and minigames, but also overstuffed resulting in some serious tedium)

I was planning to start Life is Strange, but I noticed Yakuza Kiwami was on sale and immediately broke my decision not to buy anything until I'd cleared my backlog. I'm not sure whether I'll play that or LiS first.

I'll get back to my Switch after those (or maybe after some more Yakuza games...)

I'm struggling to remember. My first console was an N64, so I didn't play the NES/SNES ones until I got those consoles years later. My brother had a PS2, so I think X was possibly my first, but I played IX at around the same time... Those, FFTA and VI (III) are the only ones I've completed, despite having played most of them.

Fourth weekend, I think, playing Yakuza 0. I'm maybe halfway through the story, which has become very exciting, but rather than continuing I've spent a load of time doing Kiryu's side missions whilst completing the real estate business. The Media King is the first fight that I just couldn't manage without healing items. The side stuff is pretty good, but I'm looking forward to getting back to the main plot now.

Sea of Stars, The Plucky Squire, Bō, Tiny Thor and Snufkin most immediately appeal to me, but a bunch look intriguing. Trailers without gameplay make it hard to judge.

The style of battles in She Dreams Elsewhere remind me of Earthbound. I'll keep an eye on it, but tend to avoid thematically heavy games.

@MarioBrickLayer Several I've had for ages and a few that I bought in a moment of weakness during the most recent eShop sale. Some are pretty short, but I don't game a lot so they'll probably last me well into 2024 after I add TotK.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Triangle Strategy, Okami, ElecHead, HADES, Ape Out, The Messenger, Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling, Nobody Saves the World, XCOM 2, Please, Touch the Artwork and Grim Fandango.

To be honest, I'll probably break my rule again for at least Silksong.

@deecas I went a few years ago and it was great recognising places I'd seen in games. Bits from Nioh, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #fe and Persona 5 were especially cool. I had no idea I'd be visiting one of the places from Nioh and it was really weird realising why I recognised the place. Enjoy your trip.

I've decided not to buy any new games (except TotK) until I've finished my backlog: 13 games on Switch and two on PS4. (My Steam library doesn't count and is rarely played anyway.)

I finished Death's Door last weekend (recommended) and have now started on Yakuza 0, which is completely ridiculous and great fun so far.

When they first announced Pokémon Sleep, I assumed a major part of it would be ambient noises and Pokémon purring, etc. to help with falling to sleep. A bit disappointed.

I'm nearing the end of Death's Door, but I've noticed a bunch of secret areas and I can't find a way to access them, so I'm guessing I'll have post-game content to keep me going for a while longer. It's been excellent, albeit mechanically uninventive. Zelda-esque, but with more of a challenge.

I started with Primrose the Dancer last time and would probably choose Agnea this time. The ability to boost another character's skills was really useful. Since I cycled through the stories, completing one chapter per character, I was unable to swap her out until the end. She never felt limiting; I imagine other characters could be in some situations.

@Sam_TSM I'd like that too. I've blurred them out using some CSS and [StopTheMadness] (https://underpassapp.com/StopTheMadness/support-safari.html#custom-elements), but I don't think it'd work in every browser atm (li:has(a.title[href*="zelda"]), etc.) and isn't exactly an accessible solution

The graphics are obviously greatly improved, but tbh looking at the original is persuading me that I may not need to buy it again (again). It's remarkable how well it's held up. I think I'd be perfectly happy plugging my GameCube back in.

Zelda is probably my favourite series, so I answered yes, but reluctantly. If other games increase in price, I'll end up buying fewer “AAA” games at launch and buy more indies whilst waiting for a price drop or to buy them second-hand.

I assume developers can charge less than in the 90s, inflation adjusted, despite games costing more to make because the market size and number of sales has increased faster.

I don't really understand the desire for TotK news; I want to go into it with as little spoiled as possible. Encountering Farosh over Lake Hylia in BotW, for example, was magical and I want that feeling again. From a hype / marketing perspective I understand including it in the Direct, but not as a player.

Hoping as usual for F-Zero, Silksong, Pikmin 4 and Prime 4. (Although at this point I think Metroid Prime Trilogy on Switch and 4 on the Switch 2 might make sense.) Dates for Advance Wars, Sea of Stars, The Plucky Squire, Nine Sols and Little Devil Inside would be nice.

Ideally, I'd like a moment akin to realising what was being introduced when the Prime 4 teaser occurred at E3 2017.

No love for Majora's Mask? I haven't played it since 2002-ish so maybe they don't hold up (or it being my first Zelda affects things), but I remember them being pretty inventive. And who can forget Majora's Incarnation?

@MarioBrickLayer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_views_of_J._K._Rowling#Transgender_rights

Every time I see this and every new bit of information about it makes me consider purchasing it and then I remember how uncomfortable I find the GBC... I with they'd based the design on the GBA instead

@Deady Ah, thanks for the correction. Perhaps I read someone complaining about another game and praising Horizon. Good to know.

Text size adjustment is definitely my most needed accessibility feature. I sadly haven't managed to play Fire Emblem: Awakening due to contrast/text size. Octopath Traveller was a struggle. I'm debating whether or not playing Triangle Strategy will be worth the struggle.

I'd also like:

• to be able to remove transparency (e.g. from text boxes)
• to be able to disable auto-advancing text
• to be able to remove timing in button press events
• for button press events to show the button to be pressed spatially rather than by letter (i.e. show A/B/X/Y laid out as they are on the controller with the button to press highlighted)
• to be able to remove effects that reduce contrast such as fog and lens flare. The push for more realism often makes newer games harder for me to play

Various other thoughts:

I don't have issues with hearing, but I remember reading something about someone's tinnitus being triggered by, I think, Horizon Forbidden West, which made me more aware of other accessibility issues.

I think Celeste is a good example when it comes to difficulty. Those who could play it without any assistance weren't affected by the developer providing a range of difficulty features up to making the character immortal for those who needed it.

Apple's done an amazing job of providing dynamic text, contrast controls, colour filters, voiceover, etc. I know games are more difficult, but game engine developers and platform vendors could do more. Accessibility should be considered at the foundations, not added at the end when it's hard to impossible to make changes without huge and expensive changes.

It's unfortunate that accessibility is considered too expensive given a it isn't needed by almost everyone since everyone will need accessibility features eventually: the people who can currently play games will eventually be older and have worse eyes, ears, or reactions; or might injure a hand playing sport; or might have a friend or child they want to experience a game with.

There are so many things that aren't considered and reviews rarely cover these issues (which is fair enough given how diverse issues can be).

Perhaps there should be a certification for games that do well on accessibility.

@PJOReilly A few questions about accessibility:

• Are there any accessibility settings to increase text size or remove transparency in the dialogue boxes?
• Are there any other accessibility settings of note?
• Is there any auto-advancing text (i.e. moving to the next paragraph without user input)?

Thanks

Have there been polls covering what people chose for every generation? I think, but can't be sure, that I chose Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Torchic, Piplup, Tepig, Fennekin, -, and Scorbunny

@FailSecure89 In the picture with all three starters I thought it was wearing a pirate hat. (My eyes aren't the best.) Disappointing scrolling down to find otherwise. I hope you're right

I typically choose the one I find cutest (Sprigatito in this case), but for some reason I rather love Quaxly and it'll be my choice unless it has terrible evolutions. Fuecoco looks like it could have evolution potential though 🤔