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TalkBack / Re: Ys X: Proud Nordics (Switch 2) Review

« on: Yesterday at 08:21:40 PM »

It's worth noting that, apparently (for once), this release does have a bunch of stuff you can carry over from your original Ys Nordics save IF you already beat it and have a clear save, including levels; equipment; etc..

https://www.rpgsite.net/guide/19637-ys-x-proud-nordics-save-data-bonus-guide-clear-complete-items-weapons-accessories-infinity-mode

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TalkBack / Re: Konami Reveals Multiple Switch Family Titles Including First MGS Ghost Babel Rerelease

« on: February 13, 2026, 08:07:22 PM »

My brother is a big Metroidvania buff.  For reference he suffered through Bloodstained's lousy Switch port.  When I told him there was a new Castlevania at a Sony presentation he was ready to buy a PS5... until I told him it's coming to the Switch as well.

I would recommend that he play the Dead Cells Castlevania DLC. The developers of this new game made it, and it's pretty good...albeit stupidly hard.

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TalkBack / Re: Other Switch Family Announcements From The Sony State Of Play

« on: February 12, 2026, 10:57:04 PM »

Hopefully they've either implemented a dodge roll into Mina (the footage at the State of Play seemed to indicate there might be one) or shortened the dive process, because the previous demo showed the game desperately needed Mina to have more mobility.

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TalkBack / Re: Konami Reveals Multiple Switch Family Titles Including First MGS Ghost Babel Rerelease

« on: February 12, 2026, 10:49:01 PM »

Belmont's Curse was IMO one of the few games at that State of Play that looked worth a damn. I'm still hoping to get collections of the Lord of Shadows & N64/PS2 games, but I'll take a new game.

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General Gaming / Re: Community Event: Forum February 2026

« on: February 12, 2026, 10:47:11 PM »

I’ve already seen two recent posts about this so it should be noted that Discord isn’t “requiring facial scans or ID to use”.

Yeah, they pretty quickly walked back their original statement after it was clear to just about everyone that it was going to lead to the end of Discord.

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Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen

« on: February 10, 2026, 01:38:42 AM »

I just can't see viewers introduced to Trek by watching Brave New Worlds deciding to follow along with what happens to Kirk and Spock in the 60s series after. It hit me while watching the show that they should just reboot the original series. Sure, there'd be some fans in an uproar about throwing out the original series canon and replacing it with a new one but reboots and revamps happen all the time nowadays. Plus, I feel it would mainly just be more of the much older fans who care that much about the older series and thus a shrinking base. I think there would be more Trek fans open to it than against it but maybe I'm wrong. With the Trek movie series reportedly dead because it would cost too much for the actors and effects based on expected box office returns, it seems like the door is open to not have two competing visions of the original era and to redo so that it could be a bit more inline with the Trek rules and regulations we think of nowadays from the TNG - present era.

Eh, I watched TOS in its entirety for the first time not too long ago via the BluRay remasters. Yeah, I'd seen the odd one-off episode on TV back in the day, but this was my first time doing a dedicated watch. The remaster with all the redone effects does an excellent job of making the show more watchable, and that's pretty much the version anyone remotely curious about the show these days is going to find.

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Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen

« on: February 10, 2026, 01:22:10 AM »

Saw a rather spirited debate on ANN regarding a certain recent piece of trash that was up for review, so I thought I'd take a break from gaming and partake in the feast.

I sat down and watched "Backstabbed in a backwater dungeon: My friends tried to kill me, but thanks to the gift of an unlimited gatcha I got LVL 9999 Friends and am out for Revenge on my former Party members and the world”

Go ahead. Guess what it's about.

That's right: "racism", specifically that this is a fantasy universe where humans are enslaved and tortured for fun by every other fantasy race.

And yes, it's a shameless Overlord knockoff, though at least "Light" is a slightly more morally defensible character than Ainz Ooal Gown. I checked out of that show once he started torturing prisoners who had surrendered after capturing them in a raid he arranged.

The show's not good, but it is somewhat entertaining in its trashiness. I got a good chuckle out of "Light" adopting the name "Dark" as his edgelord undercover adventurer name. At least the dub cast seem to recognize how stupid the show they're in is, so they ham it the **** up. Nice touch giving the sentient gun with the funniest lines in the show something approaching a Goofy impression.

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General Gaming / Re: Community Event: Forum February 2026

« on: February 09, 2026, 09:33:31 AM »

With the news about Discord this morning now requiring a Facial scan or ID to use, I expect the forums are about to become much more popular. I would hope, anyway.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 08, 2026, 08:54:57 PM »

Tried the Monster Hunter Stories 3 demo. Yeah, it's certainly pretty, if suspiciously visually similar to Breath of the Wild at times, but after trying the combat this just isn't my thing. For some reason, I wasn't expecting them to still be using that predictive rock-paper-scissors combat system from the original Monster Hunter Stories, and I didn't care for the combat there, either. I also didn't like the foreboding feeling I was getting scooping up generic crafting loot off the ground every .5 seconds just walking through the overworld. Looks like a quality game if you're into what it's doing, but it's not for me.

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TalkBack / Re: Labo VR Kit To Also Serve As A Play Option For Nintendo Classics Virtual Boy Library

« on: February 08, 2026, 03:16:43 PM »

If they're still gonna make things compatible with the Labo VR kit, then they should re-issue it, those cowards!

I suspect the VB games being compatible with this thing turned out to be a happy accident someone discovered testing the games with various peripherals, so they figured they might as well tell people given the general complaint online that you have to buy overpriced crap in order to play this eye-destroying crap.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 08, 2026, 12:41:21 PM »

Finished off Ball x Pit and got the Plat. Fun little game, but it sure gets kinda boring and monotonous in the end game when you've unlocked all the worthwhile upgrades and basically just have levels you've already played a lot with characters you don't really like using. Can't really say the game has that much replay value, and I don't think any update is really going to help that.

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Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen

« on: February 06, 2026, 08:02:28 PM »

Deep Space Nine's a classic. If you liked the writing in DS9, you might want to check out the Battlestar Galactica reboot from the early 2000s, as Ronald D Moore went on from DS9 to write for that. I have issues with how that show ends, but it was pretty good for the most part.

I'm very familiar with Battlestar Galactica. I watched it as it was running and was a big fan. It's funny you mention it, though, since I was already leaning toward watching it again next, largely because a podcast I'm a fan of is currently doing a watchalong series for it.

Yeah, I should probably get around to watching those BluRays I purchased some 20 years ago of it. I just remember being so soured on that show by its final season that I don't know if I can objectively watch it again. Yes, I bought the BluRays anyway. That's just how it goes.

On a side note, I actually have a stack of DVDs I've been meaning to get to for quite some time. Back in the day, I really got into this show called The Librarians, but for some reason or another bailed on the show around its 2nd or 3rd season. It's basically a knock-off of Warehouse 13, albeit an entertaining one. I should get around to a rewatch/finally finish it, especially since I hear the show got a sequel recently...because.

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Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen

« on: February 06, 2026, 07:49:24 PM »

Deep Space Nine's a classic. If you liked the writing in DS9, you might want to check out the Battlestar Galactica reboot from the early 2000s, as Ronald D Moore went on from DS9 to write for that. I have issues with how that show ends, but it was pretty good for the most part.

As for me, been doing a lot of gaming lately so as far as TV stuff is concerned it's mostly been watching a bunch of generic trash anime on Crunchyroll, as the good stuff only recently started spinning up their English dubs. Man, what happened to the variety of shows we'd get in the 90s and 2000s?

A co-worker of mine recently started getting into anime, unfortunately with the inferior Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and now with Code Geass. Trying to steer him on a better path, but apparently he plans on jumping into Evangelion after he completes Geass.

The Eva talk reminded me, though, that I'd never gotten around to watching my RahXephon BluRays, so I spent a few nights catching up on an old favorite. Man, they really don't make them like that anymore. While the show looks pretty terrible on BluRay (this being a DVD upscale), in general I think it holds up. The writing is generally pretty solid, though I didn't remember all the hinting about Haruka's origins being as blatant as it is. I'm pretty sure even toddlers figured it out by episode 5. I also don't remember the action in this series being as...bad...as it is. This is ostensibly a mecha show, and yet the mecha fights make up maybe a 1/10 of the overall show. And even when there is a fight scene, it's not particularly creative or exciting. It's very...workmanlike. It's obvious that it's just there to fulfill a necessity, as the show is much more about character relationships.

Still, can't fault that Yoko Kanno music. Apparently, she's gotten back into touring with the Seatbelts again.

Speaking of which, trying to steer the guy into watching Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star, since he's very music into Jazz music and he wants something "like Star Wars."

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 06, 2026, 07:34:26 PM »

Closing in on the end of Ball x Pit. I only have 1 more stage left, along with completing various past stages with characters who haven't done it yet, plus the Regal Update characters I haven't run into yet. Just about out of buildings in the game to construct, too, and I nearly have the encyclopedia filled out. Will be nice to finally 100% one of these kind of games.

I'm glad I unlocked the Radical at more or less the same time I unlocked the Tactician, as those 2 pair together well and playing this game with turn-based combat (which is the Tactician's special trait) is incredibly tedious. The Radical will play the game entirely by himself, and aside from some really stupid AI at times he does work well to maximize the turns.

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TalkBack / Re: Capcom Brings Amiibo, Demos and more in Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase

« on: February 06, 2026, 04:56:00 PM »

I am interested in Pragmata but want to see how the reviews are before picking it up.

I hope you really like split-screen hacking. There's an extremely short demo up if you want to try it. There's something both distinctly "Vanquish-y" and "Wii U" about the game's flow, and I suspect you'll either vibe with that or you'll really not enjoy the game.

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TalkBack / Re: Orbitals, Tokyo Scramble To Offer Unique GameShare Functions This Year

« on: February 05, 2026, 07:34:27 PM »

If I had a nickel for every mid-looking indie survival horror game featuring dinosaurs as enemies that came out this year...I'd only have 2 nickels, but it's still weird that it happened twice.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 05, 2026, 07:01:40 PM »

Played the Pragmata demo. This game missed its calling as a Wii U exclusive. That hacking minigame you constantly have to do screams "2nd screen experience."

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TalkBack / Re: Hollow Knight Switch 2 Edition Headlines Games Available Today

« on: February 05, 2026, 02:48:55 PM »

Huh. Apparently the version of Hollow Knight I own is the Switch version. Don't like the game, but I'll take the upgrade.

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TalkBack / Re: Xanadu Heads To Kyoto In 2026

« on: February 05, 2026, 10:44:37 AM »

Well, that was a disappointment. Tokyo Xanadu was one of my favorite Vita games, was still an excellent PS4 game, and I was so excited when they announced there would be a sequel.

Then they showed us this, a game that makes the decade-old Vita game look next-gen by comparison.

Nope.

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TalkBack / Re: Disney Afternoon Collection Finally Coming To Switch February 26 Alongside Switch 2 Version

« on: February 04, 2026, 02:43:25 AM »

I'm hoping Goof Troop at least comes to the other versions. I bought this years ago, and I'd rather not buy it all over again for just one OK-ish SNES game (as unironically significant as that game is to gaming history).

What do you mean about its significance in gaming History? Was this the first Capcom licensed franchise game on the SNES or something?

As mentioned in the article, this was Shinji Mikami's project just before getting tapped to work on remaking Sweet Home, which would become Resident Evil. If this game had gone poorly, we might be looking at a very different industry, at least in terms of horror games.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 04, 2026, 12:20:52 AM »

I’ve been playing Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, which is a spiritual (maybe also actual?) sequel to Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Night. If you couldn’t tell, both games are pretty heavy on the melancholy, but more specifically, are Soulslike Metroidvanias with a distinct visual style and. Combat system that has you summoning assist spirits to perform your attacks, as your player character is a vulnerable child figure in both games.

Ender Lilies was a game that I started, but didn’t get very far into for some reason or another. I do know that the developer Live Wire Inc worked on one of my favorite Switch games in Harvestella, so I wanted to support them by picking up their other titles. Anyway, Ender Magnolia has a bit more of an alchemical/dieselpunk aesthetic in contrast with Ender Lilies, which was a bit more gothic/fantasy. This has resulted in a bit more artistic freedom and some truly gorgeously rendered environments, though the actual level geometry is still pretty standard for a 2D Soulslike. While the lore isn’t terribly compelling, the game is at least trying with its narrative and characters and I can respect that. I’m close to finishing now and feeling the Soulslike fatigue- while I do think generally better-designed games in this genre tend to avoid this, Ender Magnolia has this sprawling world map that also has a big final area with hard hitting enemies. This area also feels a bit less dynamic in design than other areas, which has somewhat tighter layout and decent gimmicks. I’m going to push through because the best part of the game are its boss fights, which are brutal dances that demand precision and tight inputs and also feature their own cute gimmicks. It’s not my favorite 2D Soulslike but it’s doing a fine job.

Ender Lilies is quite a good game. Definitely one of the better 2D Souls-likes I've played, though I hear Magnolia is more of a Metroid game than Lilies is. Magnolia's on the docket for me this year, but I'm currently waiting on my delayed physical version from..."them."

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 03, 2026, 10:33:28 PM »

Still picking away at Astral Chain, mostly as a lunch break game when I have time. Made it to Chapter 9, where I finally have all the legions. If the chapters weren't so long, I'd feel tempted to go back and replay some just to get some of the collectibles I couldn't obtain before and to better some scores now that I have a stronger kit. Getting rather annoyed at the Premium Gene Code requirements for some of these unlocks. Many of them are locked behind the game's rather tedious and nebulous in-game "order"/achievement system, and you have to spend a LOT to unlock the final tiers of legion upgrades as well as your weapon damage & legion battery.

Went back to Ball x Pit. Cleared my way through the Fungi Forest and secured 10 playable characters & most of the stat upgrades. Pretty much everyone has A-level stat scaling, but the big bonus was the building that allows you to take a 2nd character into the levels, as well as to bump up their special attack strength to Level 3 from the start. Still a dangerously addictive game.

Finally, an old Vita favorite, Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, was on sale on the e-Shop and I had $.60 to burn from picking up Xenoblade X the other day, so picked that up. I remember this game being more laid-back and relaxing than it is, as it's basically a 2D Katamari Damacy game. I don't remember so many timed segments with instant-kill lasers.

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TalkBack / Re: Disney Afternoon Collection Finally Coming To Switch February 26 Alongside Switch 2 Version

« on: February 03, 2026, 10:24:56 PM »

I'm hoping Goof Troop at least comes to the other versions. I bought this years ago, and I'd rather not buy it all over again for just one OK-ish SNES game (as unironically significant as that game is to gaming history).

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General Gaming / Re: Community Event: Forum February 2026

« on: February 03, 2026, 10:22:27 PM »

Don't mind me. I've just been posting walls of text no one reads for years.

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TalkBack / Re: Dispatch (Switch) Review

« on: January 30, 2026, 06:33:11 PM »

I definitely want to pick up a true physical version of this game if they ever make it, but I won't buy an apparently heavily-censored version when all the other versions on the other platforms are untouched.