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Messages - Evan_B

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1
General Chat / Re: Faceball 2000 Part 3: Faceball 2024 in Milwaukee
« on: March 24, 2024, 11:48:33 PM »
Incredible.

2
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Boredom and Nintendo
« on: March 24, 2024, 07:24:11 PM »
It sounds like you have very particular tastes in games, and while Nintendo satisfies your proclivities for some, you don't always feel that your tastes are satisfied on a yearly basis.

No platform is wholly represented by its first-party releases, though it might have seemed as such during the N64 and GCN years. The Switch has had an incredibly healthy third party and indie scene, with many games filling the void left by your Fire Emblems and Pokemons and Metroids and whatever. And we're not just talking about old ports to new systems, either.

Asking for recommendations might result in some hidden gems that you may have overlooked.

3
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Gods Will Fall - Buyer Beware
« on: March 19, 2024, 01:39:22 PM »
THAT’S GETTIN’ A “honk!” FROM ME

4
Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2024?
« on: March 14, 2024, 10:35:58 AM »
Oh and this right here.  It's funny how in every previous gen people bitched non-stop about the lack of third party support on Nintendo systems, but now when the Switch has had great third party support, many Nintendo fans seem to completely ignore it.  The third party support the Switch had in the first half of this year alone, is already better than the support we'd have in entire years in the past.  Just look at the Nintendo Direct reaction on some of the more Nintendo centric forums last September when a lot of these great third party titles were first announced.  Some people were literally saying it was the worst Direct ever, worse then even the ones from the 3DS and Wii U era that literally had only a handful of games shown and Nintendo having to talk about other **** just to fill up time.

This gen has really shown that a lot of the Nintendo hardcore really don't care about anything that isn't the big Nintendo guns like Mario Platformer, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash Bros, because so many great games get completely ignored by them.  Hell, some still ignore Splatoon despite the fact Splatoon 2 and 3 are both 10 million plus sellers.

It's like anything that's not directly related to the N64 and Gamecube era of Nintendo doesn't count, since that's when so many of them first came online to talk about Nintendo games and are permanently stuck in the early 2000's.
Go off, go off.

5
Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2024?
« on: March 13, 2024, 08:52:52 AM »
2024 feeling dry asf already. If we don't get a general nintendo direct in april like the rumors said then that's going be sooo bad.
Oh no! The software lineup of a seven year old console is lower in the year before its successor is released!

6
Week 24: Current Weighted Top Twenty (as of 3/12/2024):
VVVVVV (4.47)
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 (4.42)
UNSIGHTED (4.41)
Crawl (4.36)
Paper Mario TTYD (4.35)
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (4.3)
The Swapper (4.28)
Inscryption (4.25)
Donkey Kong (1994) (4.25)
Roller Coaster Tycoon (Deluxe) (4.23)
Crystal Project (4.23)
Dandara (4.21)
Mr. Driller Drill Land (4.21)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (4.19)
ARMS (4.19)
Skwish (4.17)
Tetris Effect Connected (4.16)
Kirby's Air Ride (4.15)
Pick Pack Pup (4.12)
Toree 2 (4.12)

Another month, another slow step of progress. I feel like I need to do better than a game a week. This batch of additions has me pondering at what point I can really rank a game- I think it depends on how confident I am in having experienced its "loop," especially since some games long overstay their welcome for the sake of justifying their price. In any case, with no changes on the top 20 list, here's an overview of what I've played:

Firewatch (3.45) - Meh
Wow, with such a strong start and really compelling gameplay, I'm honestly surprised how quickly this game fizzles out in its conclusion. This is a game I'm very curious to replay, as I want to see how changes in behavior affect the dialogue, but knowing the truths behind the narrative, I find it hard to muster any enthusiasm.

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (3.54) - Liked
Now this is a charming adventure. I love the proliferation of short, open-world games with strong narrative theming, and although Alba's controls sometimes get in the way, its environmentalist theming and infectious do-gooder attitude are more than enough to sell the whole experience. Not a great deal of complexity, but a satisfying, short title on the whole.

No Man's Sky (2.83) - Meh
Well, I definitely didn't complete an entire run of this game, but I did get pretty deep into an expedition before I realized that, while this game is addictive and contemplative, the moment-to-moment gameplay is better served in something like Minecraft, and no amount of alien lore breadcrumbing or retro sci-fi aesthetic can mask the relatively shallow mechanics. This is also an example of a game being lower ranked thanks to the Switch, which really can't handle the graphics and complexity of this game with any degree of grace. I'd love to give this a more earnest try on better hardware, but I can't imagine that happening.

Tenderfoot Tactics (3.33) - Loved
This game is equal parts bite-sized tactics skirmishes and contemplative, transportive exploration, and it's a great example of a game I love that isn't necessarily highly ranked. I fully acknowledge that this game is a bit bloated and not all that elegant, but honestly, walking through its surreal landscapes and situating myself with the weird in-game maps is more than enough to satisfy me. Do I think it could be done better? Yeah, but I'm not complaining.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince (3.22) - Liked
I have a great deal of nostalgia for the Dragon Quest Monsters games on the Game Boy. So when I picked this up, I was hoping it would update that experience for modern hardware and sensibilities. It does that in the way that Dragon Quest always seems to do things. Take that as a compliment or an insult.


7
Atlus gonna Atlus, sadly.

8
I was not really sure what this was. Is it DLC for SMT5?
Looks like an enhanced/complete version akin to Persona 5 Royal, or more directly: Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse.

New content, rebalanced mechanics, etc.

9
Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2024?
« on: February 21, 2024, 12:07:00 PM »
Either Madness Khush was aware of the rumored Endless Ocean announcement or he’s just that damn good.

Kind of embarrassed about the lack of Hi Fi Rush today. One game we all know is making it isn’t even mentioned.

EDIT: Further embarrassed by the Xbox press release that deconfirms Hi Fi Rush on Switch. DAMN! I’m stupid.

10
TalkBack / Re: A Message from Miyamoto
« on: February 20, 2024, 09:07:25 AM »
Damn, this really takes me back.

11
Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2024?
« on: February 19, 2024, 09:16:54 PM »
…Does a partner showcase still count as a direct? Otherwise my Hi Fi Rush prediction isn’t gonna net me full points…

12
Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2024?
« on: February 18, 2024, 04:05:11 PM »
To be fair, some of the best selling games on the switch are wii u ports, so there's some logic to nintendo not bringing back backwards compatibility so that people double dip. Not saying it's likely to happen but it still could.
Yeah, but that’s because nobody got those games on Wii U.

13
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Not a hater but... (future prediction)
« on: February 15, 2024, 06:02:53 PM »
Plus, the 3DS had an insanely miserable launch and still managed to be a success overall. I find that wild, but it’s pretty cool.

14
Nintendo Gaming / Re: The OFFICIAL Big N rumor thread *bring your own salt*
« on: February 12, 2024, 10:05:25 AM »
This says that Switch 2 will have physical and digital backwards compatibility
and that Devs can "enhance" Switch 1 games on the Switch 2
https://universonintendo.com/rumor-proximo-hardware-da-nintendo-tera-retrocompatibilidade-fisica-e-digital-com-jogos-do-switch/

I'm assuming that will be higher frame rates, cleaner textures, higher rez output?
The backwards compatibility would be lovely, if true. But I find the backwards enhancements a bit suspect. It has to be a dev-side thing, right? Like, the system can’t possibly perform such actions itself.

15
Week 19: Current Weighted Top Twenty (as of 2/8/2024):
VVVVVV (4.47)
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 (4.42)
UNSIGHTED (4.41)
Crawl (4.36)
Paper Mario TTYD (4.35)
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (4.3)
The Swapper (4.28)
Inscryption (4.25)
Donkey Kong (1994) (4.25)
Roller Coaster Tycoon (Deluxe) (4.23)
Crystal Project (4.23)
Dandara (4.21)
Mr. Driller Drill Land (4.21)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (4.19)
ARMS (4.19)
Skwish (4.17)
Tetris Effect Connected (4.16)
Kirby's Air Ride (4.15)
Pick Pack Pup (4.12)
Toree 2 (4.12)

You thought I’d given up on this wild and crazy ride, didn’t you? Well, as it turns out, I’m still going, though my previous commitments have been… compromised.

I did spend the holiday season getting some eShop credit and using it to pick up some new releases that I had an interest in, so I guess my streak of buying no new games… ah, who am I kidding? It barely lasted a quarter of a year. But I am still doing everything in my power to chip away at old games that have sat in my backlog for far too long, as you’ll see from a number of my completed list for this update.

I once again took a look at my top 20 and did some restructuring, in addition to adding a newcomer that has proven to me that I can still fall in love with something new. I also added more pages to the spreadsheet that are even as of the past week very much outdated. Oh, joy.

Transistor (3.56) - Disliked
Can’t say much about this one, other than the slow unlock of abilities and lack of helpful tutorials made for an uninviting and bland play. I’m sure Supergiant managed to do this thing a bit better with Hades, but I don’t care much for that game’s priorities.

Mortal Shell (3.25) - Liked
The Switch version of this game seems to run better in handheld than docked, oddly enough, but the mechanics are sound enough to make for a decent Soulslike experience. A little harsh with its world traversal, though.

Gone Home  (3.5) - Liked
I don’t see why people were miffed with this game. It’s a very earnest attempt at making a meaningful narrative experience, and I can respect that. Sure, it is a bit ham fisted at points, but I do love how the house is designed.

Kingdom Eighties (3.36) - Meh
Feels the most linear of the Kingdom games, which makes sense for the narrative but isn’t really why I play these games. Beautiful, as usual, but I’m so tired of the eighties and that might have affected my enjoyment.

Everhood (3.31) - Meh
I respect this game’s commitment to being weird, but I can’t really justify its rhythm-oriented combat system for any reason other than “bullet hells are fun.” This is not really a statement I agree with, and I also don’t really think the game does a good enough job with its mechanics to make any of its first half enjoyable. Aesthetically, it’s really quite special.

West of Dead (3.23) - Liked
I like Ron Perlman, I like roguelikes, I like West of Dead. I think its cover system is a bit too sticky at times, but I also think it is very smart about using guns and cover to develop build variety.

Toodee and Topdee (3.4) - Meh
I think there’s a very novel concept here and I respect this developer for following through on their vision, but the cutscenes are overly long and I don’t really need as much writing as what is present here to play a puzzle platformer.

Disjunction (3.45) - Liked
A stealthy action adventure game with a bit of customization of experience and multiple narrative threads. Nice pixel art and solid gameplay that benefits from having concrete choices.

Shadows Over Loathing (3.69) - Loved
It’s more of the Loathing series, which is criminally underrated despite its great writing and pretty solid role-based gameplay. I don’t know what else to say. If you don’t like stick figures, I don’t like you.

Under the Castle (3.75) - Liked
A cute little roguelike about a guy in a hat that I played for Playdate. One of the highest quality games to be released on the system from an aesthetic and playtime standpoint. I thought very highly of it.

Tasomachi (3.16) - Liked
Janky platforming in a sterile, but beautifully rendered world. Weird and charming as a result, I couldn’t possibly recommend this game to anyone, but I did enjoy it.

Undergrave (3.09) - Liked
A crushing strategy/resource-management roguelike with neat mechanics and highly punishing combat. Nowhere near as compelling or replayable as the greats of the genre, but unique enough to worm its way into my heart.

Super Crush KO (3.35) - Liked
Stylish and cute platforming brawler with more of an action vibe than a belt scroller. I don’t have the urge to master it, but it was enjoyable and very charming

Blue Reflection: Second Light (3.41) - Meh
I don’t know if I only consider this a “meh” as its unique premise is enough to make it one of the more memorable JRPGs I’ve played recently. I guess there is a demographic out there that can enjoy slice-of-life anime magical schoolgirls for 30+ hours, but it ain’t me. The combat was very passive, too, which didn’t help things.

Collection of SaGa (3.09) - Meh
I respect this collection very much, but it did a great job of reminding me that my memories of Game Boy RPGs are definitely not what they actually looked like. I was a bit bummed to see a lack of customization/accessibility for these games, as they could definitely use it.

What Remains of Edith Finch (3.74) - Meh
I don’t really know why this story needed to be told. It’s very artful in its presentation and the controls are simple and intuitive, but I don’t think it’s all that thematically rich. I don’t regret playing it- the game was a very brisk hour and a half, or it felt that way, at least. This was actually in preparation for a “video games as literature” unit for my Senior English class.

Crystal Project (4.23) - Loved
Finally, the job system I was promised from Bravely Default mixed with a non-intrusive narrative and meaningful exploration and dungeon design that game lacked. I’m really happy to say that I’m consistently finding new favorites, and I’m also very happy that Crystal Project exists and does what it does. Excellent experience that continues to reward with its substantial NG+.

Born of Bread (3.59) - Liked
Well, here it is. The Paper Mario clone. It’s definitely got its own style, though I find some of its nature and mechanics a bit too squarely rooted in pop culture. The combat lacks a bit of depth and I’m not sure if the swapping system is bugged on Switch or if it’s designed to be bad, but I don’t think the game does enough to escape the shadow of The Thousand Year Door or even Bug Fables.

Super Kiwi 64 (3.69) - Liked
It’s a Siactro game, which means it has a very acute understanding of its source of inspiration, and it’s also bite-sized. This one might take you a bit longer than any of the Toree games due to its expansion, but it’s still a very brisk experience that presents a healthy variety of level designs and mechanics. If anyone ever asks you to sum up the 3D Platformer era, you can point them in this game’s direction. It might not be as bloated as the games from that era, but it has the right mixture of charm and jank to accurately represent it.

Sephonie (3.67) - Liked
Well, this the odd 3D Platformer that feels inspired in its design, and not inspired by any particular classics of the era. Or maybe it is, and I missed them. But Sephonie is a rare 3D Platformer with a STORY. It uses its narrative and setting to show off some pretty crazy visuals, oh, and there’s also a weird puzzle mini game. It’s not perfect, but it’s incredibly unique and the writing is wonderful.

Spooky Ghosts Dot Com (3.22) - Meh
It’s a low-grade Metroidvania that relies on tight, but floaty platforming and punishing damage optimization to make it worth your while. The art style is simple, but cute. The game is simple, but cute. It’s slightly below average.

Once again: the linked spreadsheet.

16
Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will Nintendo release in 2024?
« on: February 05, 2024, 09:01:25 PM »
Once upon a time, I was known as NostraDOOMus. It's time to get back in the saddle. EDIT: Adding specificity to some of these because I don't want to be the dude predicting things won't happen.

1. All but confirmed, I expect Hi Fi Rush will be announced, maybe even shadow dropped at the next Nintendo Direct. (I'll take half credit if both don't happen)
2. Metroid Prime 4 is the last major Nintendo-published Switch game, set for a cross-launch with the Switch Successor. This means it might not even come out until 2025. (Does this count as a 2024 prediction? NOT-releasing in this year?) The prediction: Metroid Prime 4 is seen this year, in gameplay and cinematics. It may not release in 2024, but it will be on the Switch. Nintendo uses their weird honor code for having announced the game as a Switch title and keeping that promise.
3. The Switch Successor is announced to be backwards compatible this year.
4. With Pokemon Bank going offline, the GB/C App gets Red, Blue, and Yellow. I'll go one step further and say these are announced around Pokemon Day this year, and Gold/Silver/Crystal will come later in the year. I'll go ONE STEP FURTHER and say Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald come to GBA Expansion owners and FireRed/LeafGreen will come later in the year. They will be structured as such so non-Expansion owners don't feel cheated out of playing the "inferior" Red/Blue/Yellow in place of FireRed/LeafGreen.
5. Pokemon gets a *new* spin-off this year. It's not exactly like the core games, it's not a remake, it's definitely not Legends-tier. But it's something. I wouldn't be surprised if it was developed by ILCA.
6. The next 3D Mario is a launch title for the Switch Successor. Prediction: It is announced/seen this year.
7. The Switch Successor gets a Xenoblade Chronicles X port. Prediction: It's announced this year?
8. THE LAST STORY is a late-game Switch Port, baby! (Maybe a tease of a sequel on the Switch Successor?)
9. Kirby gets some big-ol-minigame extravaganza. Think Mario Party, but Kirby.
10. There is a Princess Peach Showtime! Amiibo. It is stupid. Starting to regret this one.

17
Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2023 NWR Forum Awards - Best Switch Game
« on: December 07, 2023, 01:46:02 PM »
I’m not going to claim I’m sort of expert on Nintendo (as I used to), particularly because I haven’t played all of these games. But of those that I have played, I would say that I am confident in picking Zelda over Pikmin 4, which I found to be a colossal disappointment… in its story campaign. I haven’t looked at the endgame content thoroughly enough to make a judgment call.

18
Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2023 NWR Forum Awards
« on: November 25, 2023, 04:32:22 PM »
I have heard that Dave the Diver is not an independent game. But, that does call into question what an independent game is, these days.

19
Impressed by the summative power of AI commenters.

20
Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 847: Aggressive Worming
« on: November 06, 2023, 08:14:37 AM »
Gui didn’t point out a particular detail about Sparklite that makes it’s roguelite structure doubly frustrating: the map rearranges each time you die, so seeking out specific spaces for certain kinds of puzzles and power ups can be a bit of a slog. I’m right there with him, though- once I started to steamroll that game, I didn’t stop until o got to the final boss… who proceeded to whoop my ass so hard I needed a fully kitted equipment grid just to take him down, and even then, I had to rely on a bit of RNG bull.

Another novel take on the roguelite Legend of Zelda clone is Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos. The dungeons are randomized and the overworld is persistent, and the game is co-op, for the Karen in your life! It’s not stellar and can also sometimes feel like a grind, but it’s in the service of building a character that you like, which is arguably the fun of the game.

21
General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?
« on: October 23, 2023, 08:14:28 AM »
Man, I am not vibing with Transistor. I don’t know if this is a quality that all Supergiant Games suffer from (this is my first of their catalogue), but the game does not tutorialize itself well at all, and that’s beside the fact that the story remains nebulous, but also infuriatingly chatty at all times. I don’t mind an ambiguous narrative, I actually welcome them from time to time. But the over-talkative nature of the Transistor and the lack of substance in so many of its comments is grating.

I am about halfway through and learned about its ridiculously punishing revive system, which then led me online to discover the true nature of its customization options. I was confused by all the individuals praising its versatility when I finally realized how to switch functions. Anyway, the combat bores me and I’m thinking I’ll probably drop it.

22
General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter
« on: October 21, 2023, 12:11:37 AM »
Lost Ruins

Well this is a dark metroidvania staring anime girls.  When you first start the game the message even tells you this is going to be a survival experience where every decision matters.  So I'm thinking OK, this will also be a Soul-like experience as well, since we all know these indie's love to make everything either a Souls or Rouge-like these days.  Well for the 30 minutes, it was kind of like that with my character having limited items to heal, and slower combat that you had to be more careful with.

But then you find equipment you can equip that autofills your HP after taking any damage, which completely destroys whatever survival experience that developers where trying to do.  Seriously, it only takes about an hour until you realize just how broken some of the abilities you can equipment can make your character, and the rest of the game is just a joke difficulty wise.  Every non-boss enemy I was able to one-shot by the half way point of the game, and even the bosses go down pretty fast once you realize their patterns.

At least it was a short game, takes less than 5 hours to beat.  After you beat it it had a new mode that lets you play as different characters, that once again, they also become easy to cheese the game after about an hour as well.  At the end of the day it was an overall OK experience, especially since I bought it on sale, but the game completely fails at being this challenging survival experience it literally advertises itself as when they make it super easy to cheese the whole thing
Not to be confused with Lone Ruin, which is a wild and crazy twin stick roguelike that has great music and aesthetics and brutal difficulty.

…I hope we just run out of video game titles soon.

23
TalkBack / Re: Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy (Switch) Review
« on: October 17, 2023, 06:38:47 PM »
A honk! To that, good sir.

24
Week 7: Current Weighted Top Twenty (as of 10/16/2023):
VVVVVV (4.47)
Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 (4.42)
UNSIGHTED (4.41)
Crawl (4.36)
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (4.30)
The Swapper (4.28)
Donkey Kong (1994) (4.25)
Inscryption (4.25)
Roller Coaster Tycoon (Deluxe) (4.23)
Dandara (4.21)
Mr. Driller Drill Land (4.21)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (4.19)
ARMS (4.19)
Skwish (4.17)
Tetris Effect Connected (4.16)
Kirby's Air Ride (4.15)
Pick Pack Pup (4.12)
Toree 2 (4.12)
Toree 3D (4.12)
Paper Mario TTYD (4.11)


Sometimes, you have to make really tough choices, like asking yourself: is UNSIGHTED the best top-down Zelda ever made? The answer is obviously yes, but how much better is it than the highest-rated Zelda title on my list? Eh, it’s a toss-up.

So I’ve gone through my top 20 and done a bit of restructuring. First of all, I was a bit shocked to review my rankings and realize I didn’t have DK94 on my spreadsheet- it’s a game I regard very highly. But, in the month I have spent working through my backlog, I have made the following additions to my spreadsheet:
DK94 (4.25) - Loved
Evil Tonight (3.80) - Loved
For a Vast Future (3.74) - Liked
Wolfstride (3.71) - …
Master Blaster Zero 2 (3.67) - Liked
Lone Ruin (3.41) - Liked
Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Night (3.41) - Liked
Traumatarium (3.16) - Liked
Evertried (3.00) - Meh
Nova 111- (2.92) - Liked
Townscaper (2.92) - Loved


…As you can see, I had a moment of weakness. Traumatarium was so cheap, I couldn’t resist. Turns out, it’s maybe the perfect Game Boy-sized RPG, wrapped in an even nicer 3D simulation wrapping. But, there’s not much to it outside of its randomized dungeon crawling, so it was easy to rate. This is in contrast with games like Lone Ruin Nova 111, which do require a bit of fast-paced, skill-centric gameplay. I don’t think I’ll ever really get much further than the basic difficulties of the former and I am hoping to finish out the latter soon, but both felt right enough to rate at the moment.

I don’t know how I feel about Wolfstride. Objectively, it’s such a unique game from an aesthetic and gameplay standpoint, and my disdain for video game writing and some of the artistic choices make it hard for me to love. I’m going to need a bit more time with it.

25
Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 844: Why Are We Talking About Horace?
« on: October 15, 2023, 11:04:01 PM »
Hey Gui, if you’re looking for the intersection of “Game Boy homage” and “brisk JRPG,” I recommend For a Vast Future.. It’s also sort of SaGa inspired too, but only slightly.

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