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Messages - broodwars

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 455
1
Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2023 NWR Forum Awards
« on: January 23, 2024, 01:13:53 AM »
I found Pikmin 4 to be pretty good. It's probably my second or third favorite game in the series, but I really dislike the last two or three maps and the challenge caves that go with them.

That seems awfully familiar...

I liked Pikmin 4 well enough. It's probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite game in the series...but those last 1 or 2 maps & their associated challenge caves just flat out suck IMO.

2
I understand things change with time, but man the memories.  I remember when pictures of The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker leaked a few days early and people thought "toon Link" was a hoax.  Then things exploded when the reveal happened.

So many memories, but I suppose all good things must come to an end.  But not this site or my account yet, it would seem!

Well, I believe that particular memory was of Space World, not E3.  ;)
Am I merging two events?  I specifically remember photos of the GameCube logo that people thought were fake.  I must be merging the two, because the initial GCN reveal had the more "realistic" graphics for Zelda.

Memory sure is a funny thing.

I just thought of another reason developers probably wanted to ditch E3: the costs of making the demos.  I recall reading they had to distract from game production to get E3 demos ready.

Both trailers were at Space world.

This was the original Wind Waker trailer from 2001: http://youtu.be/aQ7riCXrDxY?si=RzdilChfxgX-_kGH

3
I understand things change with time, but man the memories.  I remember when pictures of The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker leaked a few days early and people thought "toon Link" was a hoax.  Then things exploded when the reveal happened.

So many memories, but I suppose all good things must come to an end.  But not this site or my account yet, it would seem!

Well, I believe that particular memory was of Space World, not E3.  ;)

4
After the slow, agonizing death it's had the last 3-4 years, I don't miss E3 anymore.

I just lament that we haven't replaced it with anything better. On the one hand, we have Keighley's marketing specials masquerading as noble pursuits. On the other hand, we have glorified trailer reels, only Nintendo's being remotely tolerable.

*sigh*

5
General Gaming / Re: 2023 NWR Forum Awards - Best Indie Game
« on: December 07, 2023, 04:31:01 PM »
I'm sure, as usual, I'll be the odd man out on this, but Lies of P is my pick, as it's easily my game of the year. Bloodborne was my first "Souls" game, and Lies of P gave me something I've wanted for the better part of a decade now: a sequel to Bloodborne, albeit in a spiritual sense only. But more than that, I think it improves on the Souls formula in fundamental ways, such as...

- making strategic guarding such an integral part of the strategy.
- the unique weapon customization system that lets you mix and match weapon parts to create the perfect weapon for your build.
- placing bloodstains from boss fights outside the boss wall so you not only aren't locked into the fight in order to keep your XP, but also makes it so you don't have to waste the start of every fight running over to get your Souls back.
- allowing the player to repair their weapon on the fly for free, so you don't have to constantly teleport back to repair it at a vendor.
- giving the player flexibility over buffing or healing AI Summons.
- and marking quests on the fast travel screen so you know when you have business to advance.

This game kinda revitalized my interest in the genre, as after completing it I finally went back and finished Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 2, and now Dark Souls 3 as of last night. It's just a superbly-made game from a small developer that completely nails that fierce combat, moody atmosphere, and rewarding exploration these games are known for. The story is also shockingly easy to follow for a game like this, as it doesn't dump its entire storytelling into item descriptions. And let's just say that Pinnochio isn't the only piece of classic literature that the game borrows from.

6
Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2023 NWR Forum Awards - Best Switch Game
« on: December 07, 2023, 04:19:41 PM »
I liked Pikmin 4 well enough. It's probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite game in the series...but those last 1 or 2 maps & their associated challenge caves just flat out suck IMO.

My vote went to Mario since I found it consistently enjoyable and occasionally surprising, which is impressive for something as well-worn as 2D Mario. Didn't play Tears of the Kingdom, as I didn't enjoy Breath of the Wild so the last thing I wanted was more of it.

7
Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2023 NWR Forum Awards
« on: November 26, 2023, 03:51:15 PM »
I can't speak for Dave the Diver, but Lies of P should definitely be in Best Independent Game. I can't fathom why the Game Awards didn't allow it in that category, aside from reinforcing the stereotype that Indie games are only 2D pixel art games with barely any money or effort put into them.

8
Considering this version is probably using the shitty original control scheme and not the modern one in Rare Replay, I'll stick with that version, thanks.

You know, unless you actually like flicking the right stick to jump in a game with a not insignificant amount of platforming. You know, because jumping used to be a C Button action.

I also actually own that version, compared to this rental.

9
TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Announces Development Of Live-Action Zelda Movie
« on: November 07, 2023, 06:49:48 PM »
This being live action instead of animation is troubling. There are very few good live action fantasy movies outside of Peter Jackon's LOTR films, which this will be inevitably compared to in an unflattering light for Nintendo. This being a co-pro with Sony is doubly troubling.

The perpetually mediocre Tom Holland potentially being cast as Link because Sony is involved is triple troubling.

I just don't have a good feeling about this one. Illumination's Mario film was at best passable, but I actually care about Zelda.

10
General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter
« on: November 06, 2023, 11:06:58 AM »
Demon's Souls is the 4th FromSoft game I've completed, following Bloodborne; Sekiro; & the original Dark Souls.

Which of these Souls games would you recommend to someone looking to play their first in this genre? I have come close to picking up Bloodborne, Dark Souls remastered, and Dark Souls 3 at times, but never was quite sure where to start.

Well, Bloodborne was my 1st, so I'm biased there. It's basically the best 3D Castlevania ever made. It really depends on what kind of gamer you are, as these games have fundamentally changed over the years. The early Souls games are very SLOW. Combat and progression is less about skill than performing the correct actions in response to what the game is doing. As the series has gone on, though, the games have gotten faster. Reaction time matters more than it used to, starting with Bloodborne. If you're not that great with action games, probably start with the original Dark Souls and then branch out. Dark Souls 3 is basically a love letter to fans of 1, Dark Souls 2 is crap, and Demon's Souls is very particular. And Sekiro was easily the most reaction-speed dependent FromSoft game until the most recent Armored Core, so I definitely wouldn't recommend that as a 1st game.

If you're just starting out, I haven't played it yet but I'd probably recommend starting with Elden Ring. From everything I've heard, it's largely very forgiving to the player, by Fromsoft standards. You get checkpoints by bosses, the freedom to go elsewhere to gear or level-up if you get stuck, and the summoning system is very accommodating.

11
General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter
« on: November 04, 2023, 12:30:14 PM »
I also have a final entry to make to this list, and it is a game I finished on Halloween Night (though didn't Platinum until last night due to NG+ requirements): the PS5 remake of Demon's Souls, a game that's mocked me from my backlog for years, ever since I abandoned it near the end due to frustration with one of the game's more obscure mechanics. I started a new game, and after 1.75 playthroughs it's finally done.



Demon's Souls is the 4th FromSoft game I've completed, following Bloodborne; Sekiro; & the original Dark Souls. It's a very good game that occasionally threatens to be a great one, but there are just some baffling design decisions born of this being FromSoft's 1st attempt at this sort of thing that really hold it back.

Some will bemoan the game's lack of interconnectivity, as the game consists of 5 reasonably-sized levels (largely broken into 3rds with a boss at the end) linked via teleporting gateaways to your central hub safe area. Personally, I really liked the freedom it gave me as a player. When you get stuck in one level, you're just a Nexus jump away from making progress somewhere else. And because the levels don't have to link with each other, they are free to be extremely different: a medieval fortress & castle; a lava-filled mine; a treacherous prison & tower suspended over a Lovecraftian hellscape; a stormy island filled with flying manta rays; and the progenitor of all Soulsborne poison swamps. And the atmosphere is just fantastic.

Unfortunately, while FromSoft games have a reputation for being "tough, but fair", Demon's Souls is just downright mean. You can be in 1 of 2 states at any one time: Body Form and Soul Form. If you die in Body Form, besides the usual penalty of being sent back to your last checkpoint you also lose half your health while in Soul Form. You can and should use an early-game ring to increase your Soul Form Max HP to 75%, but that also means permanently sacrificing 1 of your 2 ring slots. You can use a rare item to restore your Body Form and you get it back every time you kill a boss, but both because it's rare and because of the severe risks of BEING in Body Form you really shouldn't.

Demon's Souls is unusually punitive about player death. Most of the stages don't have the door & elevator shortcut FromSoft games are known for, and the few that do largely have them either by accident or with a significant cost, such as the wall you can glitch over in the Shrine of Storms to skip 3/4 of the 1st level to reach the Adjudicator boss or the goddamn death pit you have to carefully drop down to skip the ENTIRE 2nd level of Stonefang Mine to reach Flamelurker, losing health every time you land due to fall damage. Oh, and WHEN you die, you get sent back to the start of the level, because there are no "bonfires", no "checkpoints" in the traditional sense. You beat a level boss, or you're starting over.

And if you die in Body Form for any reason, you get to play with by far the dumbest aspect of Demon's Souls, an idea so dumb that FromSoft never brought it back: WORLD TENDENCY.

To put it simply, Demon's Souls punishes you for dying in Body Form by making the game even harder. Enemies drop more Souls (XP), but they also have increased health and damage. Powerful Black Phantoms are more prevalent. So if you're struggling and you dare to use the resources the game gives you to try to overcome and fail, the game's going to become even harder. But hey, if you beat a boss, you shift the world towards "White" World Tendency, where enemies have less health and there are NPCs with quests to make the game easier. So THERE'S your Easy Mode, kids! Just don't die, and the game will get easier! -_-

The game explains NONE of this, so if you don't want to **** yourself over, you'll be suiciding a lot in the Nexus and playing through the ENTIRE game with at most 75% Max HP.

"But hey! Just 'git gud', right? You can risk using Body Form so long as you don't die, right?"

Being in Body Form also allows you to get invaded by other players, and dying to them carries the same World Tendency penalties that dying to anything else does. And other players LOVE to gank new players who just beat a boss and dared to take a step out of the arena to see what the next area is like. Because the FromSoft Community are dicks.

Perhaps you see why I gave up on this game years ago?

There's a lot of other stupid **** in this game, like having to farm different kinds of healing items because the Estus Flask hadn't been invented yet; upgrading weapons being a convoluted mess because there are DOZENS of different level-specific upgrade materials with rare drop rates and upgrade trees that make NO sense; several bosses that are either a joke or an utter annoyance to take out; and New Game + just being a nightmare in general compared to the NG+ of every other Souls game.

Also, just as an aside...the boss who's essentially the final boss has an attack he loves to spam that permanently de-levels you. Because **** you.

But...BUT if you can learn to put up with the game's arcane bullshit and how to circumvent its more esoteric aspects, there's a lot to enjoy here. The worlds are very well-crafted; the bosses are extremely varied and memorable; and there's so much freedom to explore and craft your own journey. And for a FromSoft game, the story is actually pretty straightforward and doesn't require you to consult lore videos and wikis to make any sense of it. The foundation for much better games of this style is still very much here, and I'm glad I finally bested it. I just really wish that Bluepoint had done more than a mere graphical facelift here, because this game has very fundamental and obvious gameplay flaws.

12
TalkBack / Re: Switch Twitch App To End Service On January 31
« on: November 02, 2023, 01:02:19 PM »
Twitch on Switch was pitched as a cinch, but which ran into a hitch when the users ditched.

13
General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter
« on: October 25, 2023, 11:47:06 PM »
Wrapped up my 100% playthrough of Pikmin 4. Yeah, the game is good, but I still think Pikmin 3 is the better game. To be frank, I think most of the content after the game's 1st ending kinda sucks. The last 2 areas aren't particularly well-designed (especially that last area), and the final batch of caves and Dondori challenges are just annoying, doubly so if you endure the Sage Cave challenges for the White & Purple Onions you need to get all the treasures.

And that last cave...ugh...I thought we left 20 floor caves behind in Pikmin 2 with the rest of the trash. And it all tops off with a boss that can party wipe you in seconds if you don't know exactly what his phases will be and what Pikmin to bring in with you. I probably used the rewind feature more in that fight than I did in the entire rest of the game.

To add a more season-appropriate game to the pile, I just finished Scars Above, a Sci-Fi horror game that's heavy on the sci-fi and really heavy on the body horror. It's a good game, and also a very short one. I finished it in 2 sittings. The presentation and gunplay are pretty janky, but the game has a solid core to it and I had a decent time with it. I'm surprised they actually found a way to work the game's respawn mechanic into the narrative in a way that's only moderately goofy.

14
General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter
« on: October 20, 2023, 06:23:11 PM »
Salt and Sanctuary

So this game is basically a 2D Demon/Dark Souls.  The gameplay is a complete clone of what you would expect from the Souls games, except in 2D.  But hey, it does a pretty good job of being like the game it was clearly inspired by.  I had fun for the most part, exploring the world and killing most of the bosses.  My biggest problem though some area's of the game have enemies that blend in with the backgrounds too much, as well as traps that are hard to see as well since they also blend in with the background.  Like most of my death outside of boss fights are from **** I didn't even notice until it was too late.  This is my biggest issue with a lot of indie games in general is they get so obsessed with their ART, and don't seem to realize how hard it is for the rest of us to tell what the **** is even going on in their games at times.

I really enjoyed that game on Vita & PS4. It's funny...I played that game not too long after I finished Bloodborne, my 1st Souls game. I didn't really understand just HOW much it was straight-up ripping off Souls until I went back to replay it years later after playing a few actual Souls games. I remember really enjoying...most...of the bosses (that one in the catacombs where you fight pieces of it over a spike pit can **** off). But yeah, the game has a really grimy, overexposed art style that can sometimes make it hard to tell what's going on.

Sadly, I've heard NOTHING good about Salt & Sacrifice, the game's sequel that's apparently more Monster Hunter than it is Souls.

15
General Gaming / Re: Shocktober 4: The Final Chapter
« on: October 19, 2023, 05:58:16 PM »
To be honest, I kind of don't like Resident Evil 2 remake so far. Every zombie is a bullet sponge. They often take three or four headshots to go down. And sometimes they still get up. What the fu...

There is enough ammo in the game to kill all the zombies and lickers in the police station, sewers, and lab on Normal Difficulty with enough persistence. That said, something you catch onto when you try to speedrun the game for the S+ clear time is that zombies are more like obstacles in the remake that you're supposed to push past than put down. You'll notice when you headshot a zombie you'll get a noticeable stun and knockback, allowing you to run past them. One of the herb combinations is explicitly to create a temporary health shield so you can tank just running past a pack of zombies. You can also target a zombie's legs to permanently remove their ability to chase you.

I go back and forth on whether I like this change, as it does mean that zombies actually DO feel like the lethal bioweapons the movies and the lore keep telling us they should be. On the other hand, it does make it annoying to clear a room, so you should really only do it in areas you intend to run through a lot.

I've been playing a few games that loosely fit the month's theme: The Outbound Ghost and Pikmin 4.

As to the former, I feel like no one would be talking about this game if it didn't launch in such a broken place and if the developer didn't create a legal situation with the publisher. In terms of Paper Mario clones, it's nowhere near as good as games like Bug Fables. Every boss battle and most of the normal battles after a point are just insufferable wars of attrition, and it got old quickly. The plot basically requires a wiki to make any sense, and the chapters are just way too long for their own good. Reportedly, this game wasn't going to BE a Paper Mario clone until the Kickstarter backers thought that's what the guy was making, and it really feels like it.

On a side note since performance was such an issue with this game, the PS5 version on the latest patch feels fine. I saw some slowdown a few times across the entire game, but nothing major. And the black screen battle load times were only 15 seconds tops instead of the minute+ they were in the Switch version at launch. So yeah...strip away the performance issues and you just have a pretty middling Indie game of no particular notice.

As for Pikmin 4, I just today cleared the game's 1st ending, and so far I'm quite enjoying it. I still think Pikmin 3 is the better game since it does a good job of balancing that survival tension from the original Pikmin, but Pikmin 4 would be a strong 2nd best game in the series. Considering it's practically a remake of the absolutely dogshit Pikmin 2, that's quite the accomplishment. The game just has a lot of quality of life changes the series really needed, like Oatchi basically functioning as a mobile fortress so you don't have to worry about the series' awful Pikmin pathfinding AI anymore when walking about the levels. And the caves manage to not be **** like in Pikmin 2 since they're all individually crafted instead of randomly-generated.

The night missions are a total heresy to the series, but they're not the worst thing I've ever played. I'm really mixed on there being a fixed number of enemies in the game. On the one hand, it makes it incredibly easy to just clear a map and then gather collectables at your leisure. On the other, it renders the game completely toothless since the game doesn't even try to kill you outside of the fairly-easy boss fights. Also, just about every enemies dies to the "charge at the enemy with Oatchi and knock all your Pikmin onto them" strategy.

16
TalkBack / Re: Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy (Switch) Review
« on: October 17, 2023, 06:01:23 PM »
For the life of me, I don't understand how they're still making Trine games at this point. I think you were being charitable saying that you could put Trine 4 and Trine 5 side by side and not be able to tell the difference. This series has been essentially the same since Trine 2 (Trine 1 has a lot of weirdness to it that was ironed out in its immediate sequel). Every game is essentially the same story with essentially the same progression. For all the bitching people did against Trine 3, at least it was trying something different. It was blatantly unfinished (and I really didn't appreciate Trine 4 lampshading that), but at least it was trying to move the series forward.

I'm a fan of this series, but even I can't see the point in picking up Trine 5 when the series has basically stayed the same for 12 years. You'd think at this point they would at least add a new character class with a new set of abilities than the same ol' box wizard, grapple/archer thief, and boring warrior.

17
The West Wing is pretty much great from the start, but it runs into HEAVY seasonal rot by its 6th season and limps its way through its final 2 seasons.

Funny enough, I've always been interested in getting around to the West Wing because of its last season since I know Alan Alda was a big part of it. I've always liked checking out other things he has been in since watching M*A*S*H and I remember reading bits of reviews and articles about the West Wing at the end and how he played a candidate running for President. Him playing a role like that is the biggest reason as to why I sometimes think about getting around to watching that show but, aside from downloading it somewhere, I've never really seen any easy option to get around to watching that show. So, it's an idea that keeps getting kicked further down the road.

According to Google, The West Wing is streaming on Max right now, as well as Amazon Prime (though that one may be a premium purchase).

Strangely enough, Warehouse 13 is not available on streaming right now. It HAD been on Peacock until a few months ago, but joined Eureka and BSG in getting delisted. You know, because "shiny digital future" and all that.

18
I always meant to watch Warehouse 13, as it was in some way related to Eureka which was another show I enjoyed and completely forgot about till W13 was mentioned.

I also never got far into West Wing , another show I meant to binge watch that I heard was excellent.

Eureka actually shares a universe with 2 other Siffy series: Warehouse 13 and the short-lived Alphas, though they don't have official crossovers until 1 episode each series late in their respective runs.

If you do watch Warehouse 13, just bear with the first 4 or so episodes. The show doesn't really find its footing until Best Girl Claudia joins the show 5 episodes in. I like Eureka, but it's very clear that the show runs out of ideas by its 3rd or so season. Warehouse 13 had fewer episodes per season, so it had a stronger run IMO until its extremely long and segmented 4th season, leading to cancellation and a short but memorable 5th season.

The West Wing is pretty much great from the start, but it runs into HEAVY seasonal rot by its 6th season and limps its way through its final 2 seasons.

On a side note, animation (as usual) got ignored on this list. Avatar TLA being on the list period is nice (especially since I don't believe Korra was, as it deserves), but it's way lower on that list than it should be and the DCAU got screwed in general. Seriously? No love for Batman Beyond; Justice League; or Justice League Unlimited? No love for Spectacular Spider-Man, either.

19
I've been thinking about this and still need time to collect my thoughts and put together a list, but I'll jump in and agree with the general idea of what Khush heard about Battlestar Galactica. That show was incredible for a while, but seemed to lose focus at a certain point, and the last season or season and a half weren't up to the same standard as the earlier parts. I still liked the show and watched all the way through, but not sticking the landing is probably what's going to prevent that show from making my list.

Did it also end on a cliffhanger or unresolved? When I was typing that, my mind suddenly recalled a sketch on Portlandia in which two people had binged the show but then felt it needed an ending so they tracked down Edward James Olmos and then had him star in their own made up ending for the show. That's what sort cemented the image in my mind that it could be a unresolved journey.

Granted, it's been a little while since I've watched it, but as I recall it had a pretty definite ending. It was somehow simultaneously too sudden and dragged out too long, and kind of weird how they did it, but it was a clear ending.

It's fitting that BSG and Game of Thrones were both on the list together, because both were ruined by final seasons where the writers basically just gave up while simultaneously trying to spike the ball. It's been a while since I watched BSG, but what I most remember about that final season was that this was a smart show about shades of gray that got very, very DUMB but also somehow pretentious in its waning hours. And that ending pulled one of the more annoying cliches in Sci-Fi writing.

20
I find the lack of The West Wing and Warehouse 13 on this list disturbing, especially when stuff like BSG is on it. Like, I suspect the writers actually forgot that West Wing started in 1999, because it was both extremely critically acclaimed and beloved.

As for Warehouse 13, it's just an exceedingly "fun" show that knew just how silly and kinda cheap it was and just rolled with it to some surprisingly heartfelt moments.

21
TalkBack / Re: Hideki Kamiya Departing Platinum Games, Next Thing Unknown
« on: September 25, 2023, 10:32:54 AM »
I would expect Platinum to fold or get bought out after this. Kamiya is the only reason anyone cared about that company, and Babylon's Fall was a massive flop.

As for Kamiya, I just hope he didn't leave to join a Chinese company, as some of his contemporaries have in recent years.

22
General Gaming / Re: 2022 NWR Forum Awards - Best PlayStation Game
« on: September 24, 2023, 09:52:50 PM »
As commented before, I've played none of these. However, I now see that Stray is one of the nominees so I voted for it because it is the game I'd most like to see come to Switch. It's been awhile since I've seen a game that I'm kind of jealous is PS-exclusive. If it had been released on Switch, it would have instantly been one of the most wanted titles I'd want to purchase and add to my library.

I wouldn't be surprised if Stray was a very limited timed exclusive. I expect it will probably be on Xbox and Switch as some sort of "Game of the Year" version by next Summer.

It was.

23
The thing that makes this email bad us Microsoft's history - especially Nokia - combined with them having an "inside man" gobbling up Nintendo stock on the sly.
Not defending the practice in any way, but isn’t this a thing that regularly happens?

Ultimately, no one gets controlling interest of a company like Nintendo without Nintendo knowing. I thought it holds controlling interest in itself. Can someone else verify?

According to Google, Nintendo only owns 10% of its own stock.

What I'm not sure of is whether Microsoft could legally even acquire Nintendo. I seem to remember there being a law on the books in Japan forbidding ownership of any Japanese company by a foreign one. IIRC, it's one if the reasons the Oriental Land Company owns and operates Tokyo Disneyland. Disney only leases its properties and expertise to OLC. That said, Google seems to indicate that law is no longer in play.

24
Stuff like this is why I've never liked Microsoft in the gaming industry: they don't "create" anything. They just use their PC warchest to buy their competition until no one CAN compete with them. It doesn't matter if it's profitable so long as it's DEFINITELY unprofitable for everyone else. They're the Google of the gaming industry.

And everyone's happy with it "because GamePass", though something else that came up in the leaks is that Microsoft apparently has very high estimates for how much it costs them to buy Day 1 GamePass "content".

Ugh...I have my issues with Sony & Nintendo, but I just have utter disdain for Microsoft. And yeah, it doesn't help now that we can contextualize Banjo-Kazzoie & MineCraft guy in Smash as well as GoldenEye returning just being part of a move by Microsoft to try to assimilate Nintendo.

25
TalkBack / Re: Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door Remake Announced For 2024
« on: September 15, 2023, 07:34:34 PM »
I would actually argue that Thousand Year Door desperately needs the entire chapter where you're chasing General Bob-omb cut from the remaster (ala the Triforce hunt in Wind Waker HD), so the "censored" version would actually be the superior one.

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