wollywoo

Alex, I love you forever for mentioning Wetrix. Now there's a game that deserves a sequel on Switch.

@WaveBoy X1 to me is a good game, but not great. I know it is a classic, and I enjoyed it in the day. But after the 50th time dying because an enemy respawned on top of me it got a little wearisome, and I had no desire to play X2.

I picked up the MMX Legacy Collection and played through MMX1 for the first time in decades. The game was... okay. Some things really didn't age well, like the enemies that respawned after dying if you moved two pixels back in their direction, or the need to constantly farm for lives and ammo.

I played the original game back in the day and it was one of the most original and fun concepts I've seen. But, I feel like I got the gist of it back then and I don't see any big reason to go back to it.

@westman98 Or, circa 1998... "Pokemon is just another fad. Within a year or two it will go the way of pogs..."

I consider myself a diehard fan, as I have played and beat every console release except for Zelda II on NES. This is by far my least favorite. I'm happy for those who want this game in HD, but it was the first Zelda game I did not enjoy. For one, the motion controls were VERY fiddly and unresponsive half the time. But more importantly - who thought it would be a good idea to cut out almost all of the exploration elements? Aside from the main town and a few other places, every damn location in this game had the feeling of a dungeon, with constant lock-key type puzzles blocking your path - not to mention the INCESSANT interruptions from Fi. I need a little bit of a break in-between dungeons, Nintendo. I just wanted to freely explore your beautiful worlds. Luckily, BOTW came along with the most opposite design philosophy imaginable.

That said, this game does have a couple of the cleverest dungeons and bosses in all of the series, which is definitely saying something.

There’s something about the world of Ocarina that just makes it feel more alive and real than other games, even something like the Elder Scrolls. Everything seems steeped in history, and important. The various symbols you see on doors, chests, clothing etc. throughout the game are not throw-away designs - they always have a meaning that seems rooted in history. The eye of the Sheikah. The crescent moon for the Gerudo. These things feel ancient, and significant. You don’t get detailed, and boring, timelines or backstories a-la Bethesda or BioWare - you’re left to wonder. What’s that eagle on Link’s shield? Why do demons haunt the village, and who built the Shadow Temple? Hints are given, but no answers are forthcoming. While some of the pieces are missing, it doesn’t feel as if the world was put together just to make the game fun (although, it was!). It feels as if you are a stranger to this world, and the world has no particular desire to give up its secrets

@Steve_Bowling Ugh, that's terrible. I hope your friends and family are okay. If you know a good place to donate to help, you should let us know...

@Muddy_4_Ever I have to say that some of the puzzles are pretty damn obscure. The graphics are 3D, but the gameplay is very much the old-school, convoluted puzzle design of 90's adventure games. But don't let that scare you away. Most of the puzzles you can figure out, and for the ones you can't, just use an FAQ after a while of being stuck.

My god, Jigglypuff here is the creepiest thing I've ever seen.

These games are great, and beautiful! I didn't get that far, though. Probably would have kept my interest better with two players.

I loved Human Resource Machine, so I might pick this up! I found the interface a bit clunky on Switch, though, so I might get it for PC this time around.

Neat! I can't wait for the inevitable BOTW 2. I loved BOTW, but it was a bit empty. Now that they have the concepts and engine in place, Nintendo should be able to concentrate on filling the world with interesting things. I hope they go with a more compact, diverse world and more focus on story and general weirdness (like Majora's Mask to Ocarina of Time, or Link's Awakening to Link to the Past.)

Thoughts -

I don't really care much about NSMBU. Where is Super Mario Maker?

I sure hope FFVII, IX and X also have the fast-forward feature of FFXII. I just played through all of FFVI on an emulator and the ability to fast-forward through random battles is a godsend. It's not the way the games were intended to be played, but then, random encounters in almost any RPG is a bit of a design flaw IMO, and this fixes that up to some extent. It would be especially nice for FFIX. I never finished that game because the original had a terrible load time just to start any encounter, as I recall.

Regardless, I don't really need any of these FF's; what I really want is Final Fantasy Tactics! Or better yet, a brand new sequel.

I tried to play this a couple times but I did not get very far. Did not like the controls - it feels like a game that needs a full dual-analog setup. It was also too grind-y, forcing you to fight the same enemies over and over.

However, the soundtrack is absolutely incredible. I have listened to it many, many times, and it is among my favorite albums, not just of video game music, but of any music.

I am tempted to play this but I can't stand the Rabbid characters. Rabbid Mario looks way too much like Ron Jeremy for me to handle. I wish they would use Rayman and friends instead.

Yay! These games have some of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

Also this means Pyre must be coming? Right? Please make it so.

This game is brilliant. Really, really fun. If you're a fan of Advance Wars, you will probably love this (although it is very different.) The ability to force your enemies to move around the map to launch them into obstacles is very fun, and I hope it becomes a standard in this type of game from now on. Also I have weird melancholy memories of playing this game a ton while eating ice cream and cheez-its and trying to get over a sort-of breakup. But that's not relevant. Should be perfect for Switch.

Actually, now I recall the most interesting parts of said book were about less-than-AAA development (Shovel Knight, Stardew Valley).

I really enjoyed "Blood, Sweat and Pixels", about recent AAA game development, by Jason Shreier of Kotaku fame.

I originally read this as the "Kant edition" and now I'm disappointed. I would have asked for the Schopenhauer and Hegel editions as well.

Yay! I may actually buy this now...

I am re-playing FFVI. Have not played it for maybe two decades or so, but I remember most of the key beats. It is great! Although, I have to say, I probably have rose-tinted glasses for this one; it was mind-blowing to have a game with this kind of story at the time, but compared with later games the story is pretty simplistic. Characters sometimes seem to do things with little motivation or explanatory dialogue. But what it lacks in detail in more than makes up in charm and humor! And all those beautiful pixels. And of course, one of the greatest game soundtracks of all time (even now.)

It seems like almost every game is "perfect for Switch!" but this is one of the few that are not. It could be made to work, yes, but I think it would be pretty frustrating. REALLY needs a mouse and keyboard for optimal play.

No to Goku. I don't need anime characters ruining my video game paradise. I've hated the stupid pointy-hair-and-testosterone DBZ art style since fifth grade and I'm not changing my mind now.

The idea is cool, but I cannot get past the art style. It is so stark that it is almost painful to look at.

My prediction: One new character. Maybe somebody from ARMS. And some other smaller nuggets, like a new stage or skins.

I am amazed that one person could develop this beast. It looks beautiful and I might pick it up.

I finally beat Hollow Knight (although not 100%), which was amazing. Accordingly I have moved on to the Mega Man X Legacy Collection. I have almost reached the end of X1, but I have never actually managed to beat a Mega Man game before because the final levels are always difficult, so we'll see if I can pull it off. It was very good for its day, but I am finding it very frustrating now, especially with the enemies constantly re-spawning when inch out of camera view and back into it. I find myself constantly hit by seemingly unavoidable attacks, something that doesn't happen in modern, more balanced (but still difficult) games like Hollow Knight. Also - be sure to play on the pro-controller. If you're like me your hands will cramp up from the constant holding onto to the tiny charge and jump buttons on the joy-cons. Still, I have to say the game still looks and sounds great and some of the battles are pretty satisfying!

Picked this up. So far only managed to beat Chill Penguin in MMX. It's pretty good! But in my memory the enemies weren't so annoying. They constantly re-spawn even if you killed them and their spawn point comes back into frame, which can be extremely annoying. Also very disappointed there is no save state feature! This seems very obvious. In 2018 I don't want to play through the same content over and over when I die too many times on a stage.

I played the intro to MMX4 and it seems pretty good! The voice acting is hilarious. What's with the sound X makes when he wall-jumps? I guess it's supposed to be a grunt but it sounds more like a clown honking his nose.

@impurekind However I am not a lawyer so I am probably completely wrong about everything

@impurekind Sure, but what I would consider to be fair use is not always considered fair use by the IP owner. e.g., remember Bethesda threatening Mojang because of the word "scrolls". (also, Nintendo doesn't own the Tetris name either. I believe The Tetris Company does.)

The name is so close to Tetris I am surprised this isn't being hit with a cease and desist.

I don't see how a silent Link would work unless it was built into the plot (a Little Mermaid-style curse maybe)? It would be pretty strange either way.

I just can't see a live-action Zelda working at all. Zelda really needs a bit of abstraction and mysticism for the story to work. I could see a Studio Ghibli film working, maybe. I cannot imagine Zelda as a Hollywood action film at all.

I enjoy Mario Kart, but I never bothered with 8 because I don't have anyone to play it with. I hope Nintendo isn't working on a new one already. I would much rather see them devoting those resources to a new IP.

More Hollow Knight! Fantastic game. I am closing in on the finish now, but I think there is a lot more optional content I have yet to touch, so I might be playing for a while.

Art style looks pretty boring to me. Will pass

How is Hollow Knight not an option? Game is amazing.

Pretty tempted by the MMX collection! I only ever played through the first one, which was amazing and I think still holds up pretty well.

I will be very tempted to pick up the MMX collection. I only ever played through the first one, but I remember it was pretty amazing. Also slightly tempted by Captain Toad. I had no interest, but the demo was actually pretty fun and relaxing. 2018 has been a bit slow so far for major first party releases, but for ports and indies the Switch is bloody amazing.

Looks like Super Meat Boy but with squishy physics puzzles. Sounds fun!

Still working my way through DK:TF. Almost done! Just one level and the final boss to complete, and then the last secret world. I will be sad to see it finished! But, I can imagine running through it again sometime.

Will be playing a ton of God of War. Just dying to know where the story goes. YOU GUYS it is really good.

Everything about this game sounds unappealing to me. Zelda is about childlike wonder, not just killing billions of dudes.

It's unfortunate Tropical Freeze is not on the list. It only came out two weeks ago! Did everybody forget about it already?

@Chayshirin I'd say it's just as good or better. They are very similar gameplay-wise so it might be hard to decide, but the stages are even more dynamic and inventive. The soundtrack is great, with David Wise returning from the original DKC games to compose new tracks, and that puts it on top for me.

I really hope they let Retro cut loose with a new IP. They've wanted to do their own projects since the GameCube days with Raven Blade and other demos being canned for Metroid Prime. They've obviously proven their worth by now, so let's see what they can do creatively!

I would love to see a slightly less ambitious, but more focused Zelda. Give me a side-story like Majora's Mask or Link's Awakening, with the same open-world engine as BOTW but with a smaller world more densely populated with things to do. Take me to a locale I've never been to, somewhere strange and colorful. Wouldn't mind finding out what the Wind Fish has been up to all these thousands of years...

Missed this before since I never had a Wii U, and I've been dying to get my hands on this for four years. Now is my chance!

I am playing Light Fall and FAST RMX on Switch, and God of War. GOW is amazing, but it's so big and high-budget that I somehow feel the need to take a break with smaller indie games.

@Fake-E-Lee Just bought it. It's good! Just running and jumping on your own boxes feels really good. Got to Act II already after only an hour, so it does seem pretty short.

How is Light Fall? Not too many reviews up yet, but the ones there seem to say "Great game, but too difficult and too short." Those are both pluses for me - I love difficult platformers like DKC and Super Meat Boy, and lately I am preferring shorter games that I can actually finish.