@“JoJoestar”#p99240 Hahaha… I'm so stupid. I imagined this happening recently.
@“Toph”#p99013 the box art for the Atari 8-bit version is likewise quite good! I can’t even imagine trying to puzzle it out without the instructions though!
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Been playing some of that Sonic Frontiers and, man, I am really feeling it.
Basically, any open world (or “open zone”) game with fun and fast traversal gets my stamp of approval but you put Big the Cat‘s weird feet in there? You may as well just kill me now.
The music rips so hard, even the somber piano music really works for me.
The story explanations for things are really funny. It sounds like they said they were gonna put a tiny bit of effort into it, but also, maybe don’t think about it too hard.
I‘ve got a few more hours to go and I’m excited to see what else they have planned for it.
Also started Pokemon Scarlet the other day.
I'm playing unpatched (unless they did another print run that was pre-patched. Do they still do that?) and have not run into any glitches yet, but I'm having a really great time.
Sword was my first Pokemon in awhile and I liked it enough, but never finished it. Went back and played Silver (an old favorite) and wasn't really feeling it, so I figured I may just not like Pokemon anymore and that's fine! But my partner mentioned wanting the Violet/Scarlet double pack so I got it for Christmas and I have had a wonderful time playing it.
Being able to send pokemon out to autofight other pokemon was a great addition.
There are also some incredibly silly new pokemon and I love them.
Anyway, it's good.
Next on my list is probably either Vampire The Masquerade: Swansong (looks like some incredible eurojank), No More Heroes 3, Death Stranding, or maybe, like, Ultima IX or something.
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Started playing the new Mario + Rabbids game today with my son (non-cat) while my son (cat) ripped and roared around the house. Even only playing about an hour reminds me how much I loved the first one.
I don't know why Mario versions of every genre are the absolute best introductions to that style of game. You sometimes hear people ask for an entry level RPG or TRPG and I think the best of both are Mario games. They give you a sort of dumbed down, easy to digest version of a complex genre but they make it consistently fun so even hardcore genre enjoyers can still have a great time playing.
@“edward”#p99454 oh, awesome! i've been eyeing this game very hard lately. i also enjoyed the first one a great deal, but the rabbids in general sort of rub me the wrong way. it sure does look like a lot of fun, though.
added to the Mario genre introduction theory: Mario Strikers! i've been playing the demo of the Switch version lately, and it's just a precision-engineered, gloriously-smooth bit of sports-game design.
@“whatsarobot”#p99462
Yeah, I don‘t I even know what the rabbids are from. I find them so absurdly bizarre to be in a Mario game that it kind of begins working for me. Like, it’s so strange an intrusive that it manages to fit somehow.
That being said, I tend to play with the characters I like, which sidelines as many of the rabbids as I can.
I really want that Striker game but I feel like I really need someone to play it with to get the real experience out of it. This is the unfortunate aspect of being older, I think. Used to be I could find just about anyone to play N64 with after school. Adults though, man--they require planning to hang out with.
@“edward”#p99463 haha yeah are the Rabbids even from something? they do seem to be in a few different games, but where did they originate? they occupy the same area in my brain as do Minions: annoying and vaguely repellent mascot-type characters of mysterious provenance.
@“whatsarobot”#p99466
This is a good question! I assumed they were from some super popular franchise I'd just never paid any attention to, but they may even have been invented for Mario.
Which, honestly, is so fucking bizarre it's giving me a headache.
They originate from a minigame spin-off of a somewhat well known franchise (not Mario) that I won‘t spoil, because it’s more fun for you to use your imagination. It'd be like if the supporting cast of WarioWare became more popular than Wario, and started getting shoved into other games, e.g. Jimmy T's Just Dance
@“saddleblasters”#p99470 oh yeah!!
i have admired Nintendo's attempts to make Ashley happen. i'm fully in favour of this. get those weirdos into Mario Kart, Mario Strikers, Mario Party, etc.
Can‘t believe rabbids are from Assassin’s Creed.
I was in Paris for a long weekend just before Christmas, and I saw many delightful things, but perhaps the most delightful was the discovery that their French (i.e. domestic) name is lapins crétins.
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That their name is French while everything else is English speaks to some fascinating quirk of IP-building, I suspect.
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bizarre
@“captain”#p99517 les dumbass rabbits.
Luck be a landlord 1.0 will be out tomorrow! I have spent ridiculous hours on this one and plan to waste my whole year with it
I have played a bunch of games recently!
Ridge Racer 2 and Lumines Remastered: I played these back to back one evening. Ridge Racer 2 is an extremely blissful game for me and so is Lumines until it gets fast and I had a very calming session with them both. I was all anxious and depressed about various things and they immediately lifted me out of the hole.
Disaster Report 3: straight up, there is no licking the knife in this game. It is the most bare bones and normal in tone of the DR games. It still gives you what you want; a low poly and sterile Japanese town that you clunk around in. It is cumbersome and set pieces can frustrate with muddy objectives and unclear use of mechanics. I loved it. The DR games are pretty singular and if you like the others, this fan translation is worth trying. Enjoyed it.
Chaos Legion: a very repetitive Capcom PS2 kind of Musou game where you have a monster friend that follows and fights for you. Kind of cool but I looked up how long it is and it does not have enough going for it justify 12 hours.
Operation Winback: quite a cool cover shooter with very goofy cutscenes. I only played through the first hour or so and the levels all seem too long with no variety. I would love to see Koei Tecmo revisit the cover shooter with all that we know now.
Fire Heroes (Hard Luck): I really wanted to love this game. You play as either a fireman, a cop or an architect in a skyscraper that is one fire and you have 5 real time hours to escape/solve the crime. I played the fireman route until I got fed up and that sees you putting out fires, diving out of the way of back drafts and carrying the injured to safety. Everything is so hecking cumbersome. Everything is just a pain in the ass to do. If you are carrying someone, you can't open doors so you have to drop them, open the door then pick them back up again. Your AI pal keeps getting stuck and needs constant attention. A lot of the floors in the building are the same so it is easy to get lost/not find your objective. There is something brilliant probably hidden in here that some polish could have brought out.
Way of the Samurai: my friends, Acquire might be the best developer in the world. I played this when it came out and didn't get it. Like other Acquire joints, it tells you NOTHING. This is in equal parts intoxicating and frustrating. Once you get it, you realise it is probably a masterpiece.
You are a samurai in a small mountain pass and you find yourself wrapped up in events that unfold over two days. A playthrough takes 90 minutes to two hours and any money and swords you get carry over between playthroughs. You are supposed to playthrough several times because everything you do or don't do changes the game. Do you save a girl being kidnapped or not? If you don't, do you ignore her, leave the area and find a government conspiracy, or just not her kidnappers on their way. If you save her and take her up on her offer of a thank you meal, do you go to her restaurant and meet a samurai otaku from the US or do you go to the foundry and earn some money by killing 100 men? If you go to the restaurant do you stand by when the Yakuza come to shake her down or do you stand up to them? If you stand up to them do you win the fight or beg for your life and join them?
The thrill of discovery and a very natural feeling branching system makes this an absolute joy to play and poke at. Everything you do is important and makes each playthrough become a story full of drama. It is fantastic.
I played Way of the Samurai 4 and thought it was great but the shorted play time of the original works a lot better as it allows you to really get to grips with the system and experiment. Wonderful game.
@“Chopemon”#p99580 Wow! This post could‘ve been made by teenage me, except for the mention of DR3(Played Raw Danger as a teen though).
Way of the Samurai is an absolute all-timer for me, I’ve played and enjoyed the others, but the I think the first gets it almost completely right, played again recently and it‘s a genius game.
My memory of Chaos Legion is that it can be beaten in a few hours, but I think it’s another one of those where it's meant to be played multiple times. Fun and stylish! But very shallow.
@“Chopemon”#p99580 I‘ve enjoyed following along on this Acquire journey you’ve been on lately. And yes, it's been fun watching you develop Acquired taste.
Goodbye forever, now. First self-ban in ic forums history.
played Pokemon Coral 2.0 Demo for many hours. I am very sensitive when it comes to hacks and fan creations, finding them usually to be very offensive to my tastes. Pokemon Crystal Clear was the first exception because it stuck so close to the original while opening up the mechanics for major lifelong wish fulfillment.
Coral version is comparable to Crystal Clear, but a wholly unique experience. I have some nitpicks, but that‘s what just what they are, nitpicks. It’s a very impressive creation.
Writing - 10/10 , I feel like this is the creators' strong suit. Not like classic literature, but they nail the Pokemon tone while making it ever so slightly more self aware. Each scenario is tasteful, yet does some things that feel like Pokemon should have explored long, long ago, much more interesting than the usual Pokemon story beats while still feeling right at home and the suspension of disbelief remains. A great role playing experience.
Music - this is where my opinion differs to most reviews. ROM hacked music has a very low bar to clear, anything that isn't utter garbage gets a pass. But I also don't think this original soundtrack deserves much praise. It's not great music theory or composition, it does the job and is *inoffensive*. Inoffensive is my key phrasing here. Multiple channels but questionable melody choice at times, especially compared to the source material and what the gameboy soundchip is capable of. Nothing especially annoying though, and I consider *inoffensive* to be quite a compliment considering what a pretentious pokemaniac I am.
I heard the OST compared to Toby Fox's work. There is nothing comparable to Megalovania in this game. Toby was trained and applied good music theory. This OST sounds like someone is playing by ear.
Pokemon Selection - Very fun and interesting choices.
I am one who "trades in" low level pokemon that are otherwise unavailable in early parts of the games, to have an interesting experience. Nidoran is always my starter these days. I use the mew glitch in blue version to have a level 5 lickitung, kangaskan, etc. So I know my stuff when it comes to what's an interesting experience of pokemon availability.
I like many of the choices in this game, it trickles in pokemon from gen 3-7 in small quantities compared to gen 1+2, which, as well as being a pragmatic choice, I think is tasteful.
Pokemon for the most part appear where they belong. My main criticism is at times they do go overboard with rare encounters becoming commonplace, and I think some mundanity and watering down of the gene pool would only serve the game world. I encountered 5 pikachu in a row before seeing a single weedle in the forest. Speaking of the forest, they throw all the classic "fairy" types at you at once, and I think they could have made the encounter rates more true to pokemon lore. It's true for more areas too.
Graphics - very tasteful and I like what they did here.
Difficulty - Spot on. No grinding, challenging, smooth curve with a few pleasant spikes to up the ante.
Highly recommended. Once you get through this demo if you're feeling high and dry, try Pokemon Crystal Clear. Aside for Roaming Red, I can not recommend any other hacks for pokemon purists.