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TalkBack / Re: Pokemon Pokopia Sells 2.2 Million Copies In Opening Weekend, 1 Million In Japan Alone

« on: March 11, 2026, 09:04:35 PM »

But I thought nobody wanted the game key cards.

Nobody with taste wants game key cards. 

Hey, if Pokemon fans want to hasten the death of actual game ownership, that's on them. Just don't come crying to the rest of us once stuff gets de-listed and services shut down.

As for the news itself, from all accounts this is the rare actual good Pokemon game these days, since it was made by someone other than Game Freak. We should always champion when a good game sells well. Doesn't interest me in the slightest, but good on them.

2

General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: March 08, 2026, 06:32:50 PM »

Rolled credits on Nioh 3 and Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, both with 100% completion.

Nioh 3 is...OK. I really wonder if all the lavish praise for this entry comes from people who simply didn't play the 1st 2 Niohs, because this game really is just OK. The "Open World" is both "unnecessary" AND "a lie." The former is because it adds nothing to the Nioh experience. If anything, having to actually have a coherent world severely undercuts what the level designers could do with any given scenario, and the few times the missions have any life to them is when the game has to segment off an area so the player can only enter it at an appointed time and has to proceed through it in a linear fashion.

Where the designers try to inject some variety into the game is where the "lie" comes in: this isn't an open world game. It's 2 medium-sized fields and 1 small-sized field representing different time periods bridged by linear levels pretending to be other time periods. If you actually came here for the Open World experience, I think you'll find it extremely jarring how the game's structure is a sandwich, with the game world actively getting smaller as you progress until it expands out again at the end.

Overall, this is easily the weakest of the Nioh games, especially in terms of narrative. There is just so much...nothing...here. Characters just flit in an out of the story on a whim, and clearly you're supposed to know who all these people are, historically, ahead of time because the game does absolutely nothing to set them up. If the 1st Nioh was a good story that was convolutedly told and the 2nd Nioh was an OK story that was badly told, Nioh 3 is a bad story that is badly told. Also, I hope you really liked the bosses of the previous Nioh games, because a good chunk of the lesser ones got sloppily copy-pasted here as well.

As for Ender Magnolia, I like the game but it feels too eager to be a "sequel" for my tastes, such that the game rushes through mechanics it took you the entirety of Ender Lilies to build up. For instance, I don't remember Lilies allowing the player to form a full 4 person party until very late in the game. You have a full party in Magnolia in the 1st hour. Where Lilies took its time to build dread; isolation; mystery; & gloom, Magnolia has what passes for entire towns of chatty NPCs that you regularly return to.

What IS a definite improvement over the first game is the in-game map, which is so much clearer to read than Lilies' map was and it VERY helpfully color-codes areas based on whether you've found all the secrets. That said, there were still some times when I got stuck trying to figure out where I needed to go to proceed. I wish the game was better at nudging you in the right direction.

It also takes Magnolia a while to ramp up the difficulty. I remember struggling with bosses in Lilies pretty early on, but Magnolia is a cakewalk until probably about halfway in. At that point, the switch gets flipped and enemies start doing absolutely absurd amounts of damage, including status effects. In both games, you WILL master the parry and dodge or you will die, but Magnolia pretends its lighter fare for much longer.

Story-wise, I feel like Lilies told a better story, but Magnolia tells a more complicated one with more moving parts.

Overall, Ender Magnolia is excellent, but I just prefer Lilies more.

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

« on: March 03, 2026, 09:33:59 PM »

Finished the First Season of The Librarians: The Next Chapter, which is all there is for now. Season 2 debuts later this year.

Well, aside from a pretty awful episode about a bachelorette party and some really questionable guest star acting, that was pretty decent. It more or less duplicated the style and energy of the original show, though it ran into something I like to call the "Spider-Man Game Problem".  I call it that because so many Spider-Man games love to wreck the **** out of New York City by the end while also indulging in fanservice showing that superheroes like The Avengers; Daredevil; and Dr. Strange exist in the game's universe. And yet, they don't show up to help resolve the crisis affecting millions of people...because.

Classic example of The Spider-Man Game Problem with the last episode of the season, where the villain of the season uses a magical artifact that disables all global defense systems as he prepares to nuke major cities across the world. The show has firmly established that ALL the characters from the original Librarians show are still active, and yet only ONE of them shows up to help and he doesn't really do much...because this is not their story, and they could only get one guest star from the original show. In-universe, it detracts somewhat from the seriousness of the entire situation if the Main Library can't be BOTHERED to dispatch the THREE other known Librarians; their Guardian; their immortal caretaker (who is a skilled warrior); and their entire arsenal of magical artifacts to stop a world-ending threat.

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

« on: March 01, 2026, 12:06:01 PM »

So...started watching The Librarians: The Next Chapter, and so far it's better than I thought it would be, though it's not so much a sequel to the original show as a spin-off. The pilot only features 1 returning character: Librarian Jacob Stone, though he talks at the other characters from the original show off-camera to maintain continuity.

It looks like this show is about a new cast of characters who are...basically copies of the old cast, working in yet another annex of the Library on the other side of the world. You have your loner Librarian, this time a time-displaced 200 year old wizard; your frustrated Guardian; your dude who knows history and art; your lady who knows math and science; and your cantankerous immortal Caretaker(this time a lady). I don't know whether to call it a funny joke that there's no analog for The Librarians' master thief Ezekiel Jones, or perhaps the showrunners knew that Jones never had much to do in most episodes if it didn't involve stealing or picking locks.

I know that Cassandra returns for an episode at one point, but I wonder if any of the other old cast will. I know the actor who played Flynn is an executive producer of this show, but allegedly he doesn't want to come back for it.

A few episodes in, and this show feels like more of The Librarians, though I'm amused that they've tweaked the Librarians musical theme so it sounds a good deal less like the 11th Doctor's Theme.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Classics GameCube To Get Pokemon XD In March

« on: February 27, 2026, 09:43:02 PM »

Is this the first or 2nd of the GameCube Pokemon games? I remember playing the first one, but not the 2nd.

2nd. Colosseum came out in 2003 Japan/2004 elsewhere, XD came out in 2005

OK, thanks. Thought this was the one I hadn't played. Then that would mean Colosseum was the weird Stadium sequel with the campaign mode where you could only steal other trainers' Pokemon. That's all I remember about it.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Classics GameCube To Get Pokemon XD In March

« on: February 27, 2026, 04:18:55 PM »

Is this the first or 2nd of the GameCube Pokemon games? I remember playing the first one, but not the 2nd.

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

« on: February 26, 2026, 09:05:23 PM »

Well, that's Season 4 of The Librarians done and dusted. Overall, it's a good season, probably the 2nd best in the show behind Season 1, but it's a bit of a weird one and kinda forgettable. The individual episodes stand well on their own, but the connecting tissue is somewhat weak and the overall ending of the show is a bit rushed. I get the feeling the showrunners didn't know the show had been cancelled until very late in production. Still, rushed as the show's ending is, it's fitting enough for this sort of thing. I was expecting something on par with Warehouse 13's very emotional ending, but The Librarians was always much more goofy so instead we get a knockoff Doctor Who finale, complete with plenty of wibbly wobbly timey-wimey...stuff.

Speaking of which, does this music sound a bit familiar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vn7UyEoBCo

It does to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arAjbSkKF-Q

Through a strange turn of fate, though, this is not the end of my time with The Librarians, though I get the feeling I'm going to wish it was...

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 26, 2026, 03:48:42 PM »

Nice going. Those kinds of levels are easier in co-op if you have the option.

Are you going to go for all of the best times too?

The four Odyssey stages in the bonus book are worth playing.

I tried the challenge times, but even with the first level in the game those times are way too strict. I'm not much for speed running to begin with, but those times require absolute perfection. I did it on that first level, but that's all I'll do.

Tempted to do the Odyssey levels. Wish the 3D World levels had been kept in from the Wii U version.

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TalkBack / Re: John Plays New Star Fox-like from Original Star Fox Designer

« on: February 24, 2026, 07:52:00 PM »

I'm surprised that the new Legal-side Nintendo hasn't slapped down the Cease & Desist on a game this blatantly trying to emulate Star Fox 64. From the looks of your video, it also doesn't seem to be a particularly great attempt (particularly with the sluggish movement and the spongy enemies, as particularly seen with the boss), though it's just a demo so there's time for improvement.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 24, 2026, 06:11:21 PM »

Rolled credits on Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Switch), obtaining all the gems; pixel toads; and bonus objectives in the main game levels. I also obtained all the gems in the DLC levels, as well as all the bonus objectives aside from the final one. Sorry, but I don't care enough to run through 30 consecutive levels without getting hit as I obtain an increasingly-longer train behind me.

I don't think I'm going to bother with the bonus levels, as I've pretty much had my fill of the game at this point. Too much of the game is just extremely same-y, especially with how often levels get repurposed. Overall, the game is good but I could have used a bit more variety.

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 23, 2026, 05:59:48 PM »

I don't think I get the reference, so uh, thanks, I think...?

Perhaps this one will make more sense.





As for the video linked in your post, I've never cared for Dunkey. I've always found his routine perpetually unfunny.

Meanwhile, looks like I'll be done with the 2nd area of Nioh 3 pretty quickly, as it's about half the size of the Warring States era map and most of it is platforming over instant-kill water. Got my first permanent Amrita loss from a bad platforming section, so that's just great.

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NWR Feedback / Re: Connection Problems

« on: February 22, 2026, 11:03:39 PM »

So, what's going on with the site now? Thing seems to crash 4 out of every 5 times I try to load a page.

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

« on: February 22, 2026, 10:13:38 PM »

Season 3 of the Librarians is pretty bad. No wonder this is the season I originally ducked out of the show, as this whimsical adventure show about magical doodads and creatures...tries to be serious as it indulges in cliches. We went from a magical cult lead by a former Camelot knight in Season 2 to Prospero from The Tempest trying to rewrite his own story...to an ancient Egyptian God trying to bring about...*sigh*...



...as part of a grand war over the Balance between Good & Evil. 

Plus, at least 3 of the season's 10 episodes are about romance, which just gets tiresome, especially the endless "will they-won't they" between Flynn and Baird. Between that and a triple-cross Liar Revealed storyline...bleh.

Well, at least it's over and on to Season 4.

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TalkBack / Re: Xenoblade Chronicles X Gets Surprise Switch 2 Edition Today

« on: February 22, 2026, 01:40:33 PM »

So apparently this "upgrade" has some major issues because it makes the game visually worse, especially in handheld mode.

https://mynintendonews.com/2026/02/22/nintendo-offering-refunds-for-poor-xenoblade-chronicles-x-switch-2-upgrade/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvMtsLXxXMM&t

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General Gaming / Re: What are you playing?

« on: February 22, 2026, 12:49:58 PM »

Sometimes I like to relax and play a game with no violence, okay?

Slowly working my way through Nioh 3 after I just kinda lost interest in Trails in the Sky: First Chapter (I'll get back to it at some point, but there's just something about that game that gets old fast. Maybe it's the mediocre soundtrack). The game's good, but I definitely prefer the level design, boss design, and gimmicks of the previous 2 Nioh games. This shift to Open World works better than it should, but it also means that you see an awful lot of the SAME level design since what used to be distinct levels now have to fit together coherently.

It was cool to run through a random cliff-face cave at point point and suddenly end up in a stormy seaside shrine area with a giant Yokai chucking boulders at me, so I had to run from cover to cover to get to a safe area. More of that, please. Less cool was triggering a lengthy sidequest after entering a cave, only to end with a combat encounter against a boss that's been re-used since early in Nioh 1 and who is STILL using her entrance CGI cutscene FROM Nioh 1 AND 2. Team Ninja should be up there with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio for an environmental impact award due to their dedication to recycling.

I'm in the 2nd main area of the game now. I'm really mixed on how they've separated out the weapons into "Samurai" and "Ninja"-exclusives. The weapons that are now in the "Samurai" class basically function how they've always done in the series, but the Ninja class can't Ki Pulse or stance change and it's really throwing me off. It's also really annoying that my primary weapon in these games, the Kusarigama, is relegated to being a Ninja class-only weapon and you have to do a bunch of button and stick inputs to do moves with it that used to be relegated to stance changes. It also means I no longer have my whirling buzzsaw of death I got so used to annihilating enemies with in Nioh 1 & 2.

On the upside, Ninjutsu has never been more useful than it is in Nioh 3, since there's now a dedicated form for it and it refills by attacking enemies instead of having to run back to a shrine. On the downside, Omnyo Magic has never been more worthless. It's all tied to equipping magic cores like in Nioh 2 that you acquire via random drops, and enemies are pretty good at dodging it in 3 compared to the previous games. Sloth has been neutered to the point of basically being worthless, and that was a key part of my combat kit in the previous games. You basically use Omnyo Magic to kill enemies with high physical defense now, and that's kinda it. Even Ninjutsu is typically better at killing flying enemies since those projectiles have tracking.

I see that Nioh 3 also continues from Nioh 2 in the story being absolutely an absolutely pointless sea of forgettable names, as well as being another time travel story because that's what Nioh 2's DLC did. I'm not sure there's a setting with less aesthetic point to having a time travel gimmick than feudal Japan. Yes, the 2nd area has snow. Take away the snow, and it looks exactly the same as the Warring States map.

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

« on: February 20, 2026, 07:19:08 PM »

Well, I'm halfway through my latest attempt to watch The Libarians, having finished Seasons 1 & 2 via an old DVD collection. These are the 2 seasons I vaguely remembered from my original watch.

Man, I miss shows like this, where there is an overall story to a given season but it's still mostly episodic.

So far, it's been a fun watch and the show mostly holds up from a writing and acting perspective. The main cast doesn't particularly stand out, often feeling like early CW Arrowverse characters, but they work well together and generally put out solid performances. Definitely the most solid actor from the main cast Christian Kane as rugged art historian Jake Stone, though Noah Wyle does well as returning character (from the original Librarian TV movies) Head Librarian Flynn Carson. Rebecca Romijn is pretty standard "tough girl" as Colonel Eve Baird. John Kim can get a little annoying as the thief Ezekiel Jones, to the extent that he would in the middle of one of his egotistical rants and I'd just be thinking "shut up, Dax!". Unfortunately, I think Lindy Booth is somewhat weak as Magic Mathematician Cassandra Cillian. I don't envy her role as the character in the show that has to motor-mouth exposition and constantly having to do her best Tony Stark Iron Man virtual visualization impression, but she often feels like the character with the least to do and the most annoyance to convey.

I'm not sure how this incredibly low-budget TNT show managed to get some of these guest stars, though. The 1st season alone has Tricia Helfer; Bruce Campbell; Rene Auberjonois; Bob Newhart; and Matt Frewer playing fairly substantial roles. And of course John DeLancie would come on in the 2nd season playing a trickster devil. That's just a casting directing layup.

The real heart of the show is definitely John Larroquette as Jenkins, the curmudgeonly library caretaker who alternates between sage advice; frustration; and withering sarcasm. If this show is a shameless lower-budget Warehouse 13, he's definitely the "Artie".

If you go into this show, prepare the wine because the showrunners are definitely going to provide plenty of cheese. This is a silly show about a motley crew of intellectuals (and 1 thief) going around trying to stop would-be magicians; magical creatures; and fictional characters come to life, and the show isn't the least bit ashamed to ham it up. And the effects are only barely convincing, being both quite cheap and very scarce. Still, where I think a show like this succeeds compared to a lot of modern shows is that for all the silliness there's still a solid core of sincerity. The Librarians isn't afraid to be stupid, but does want its audience to care.

Of course, watching this now makes me want to pull out my Warehouse 13 BluRays again and rewatch that show all over again.

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

« on: February 20, 2026, 07:02:00 PM »

Was in the mood for something different last night, so threw in my 4K BluRay remaster of The Last Unicorn I recently picked up on sale.

To the shock of no one the movie still holds up quite well, though it's kinda funny how much this feels like one of Disney's 70s compilation animated films like Robin Hood. There isn't so much a coherent narrative so much as a string of episodic events the characters just move between, and you can definitely tell where scenes got cut. There are some abrupt starts to scenes and jump cuts where clearly something violent got sliced. It lends to the movie having a certain "roughness" characteristic of films of its era.

The voice cast in general is excellent, though Mia Farrow is a bit weak as the Unicorn and Jeff Bridges is pretty bad as Prince Lir. Thankfully, the cast surrounding them picks up the slack, including Angela Lansbury; Tammy Grimes; Paul Frees; and Rene Auberjonois. I went back and forth on Alan Arkin as Schmendrick, as he had some good line deliveries but some really wooden ones, too. But Christopher Lee BY FAR kills it as King Haggard. I don't know how this is 1 of only a few animated voice roles he ever took on during his career, because he is an absolute natural at it with a certain softness and nuance that I don't usually hear from him. Apparently, he was something of a fan of the book, and it shows.

I was surprised at how much I dug the soundtrack...with one notable exception. The title theme is incredibly catchy, and it gets instrumental reprises throughout the film. I don't know who thought it was a great idea to give Mia Farrow and Jeff Bridges, 2 actors that clearly CAN'T sing, a duet, though. Farrow is constantly off-key and Bridges mumbles his lyrics.

Regarding the 4K transfer, it's absolutely stunning. This movie always had fantastic animation from the team that would eventually become Studio Ghibli, but in my experience transfers from 80s animated movies always look like **** and this very, VERY much does not.

Overall, a very enjoyable rewatch with some bumps in the road. Some minor pacing issues and jarring editing decisions.

Screenshots from BluRay.com.

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TalkBack / Re: Pokemon Fire Red And Leaf Green To Release On Switch February 27, Pokemon Presents Announced

« on: February 20, 2026, 03:54:20 PM »

Dunno how to feel about this, really. On the one hand, this is my era of Pokemon: Gen 1. I can always go for a game of that.

On the other hand, these feel really overpriced at $20, especially with no online trade ability or a feature to allow you to trade with a separate save file from the other version. I feel like for that price, you should at least get both versions.

*shrug*

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General Gaming / Re: I for one welcome the glorious return of overconfident E3 2006 Sony.

« on: February 19, 2026, 03:29:35 PM »

Sony shut down Bluepoint Games out of nowhere and I am fucking pissed. There. That's your post. Sony had more Concords to make, so they shut down one of their most reliable studios.

And game companies wonder why their audience is increasingly hostile or apathetic about the overpriced slop they put out now.

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TalkBack / Re: Xenoblade Chronicles X Gets Surprise Switch 2 Edition Today

« on: February 19, 2026, 09:58:27 AM »

Not loving having to pay for a framerate update on a game that just came out a year ago, but at least it's only $5. Wish Nintendo had given the other Xeno games an update before I finished them last year. At least I'll be able to enjoy this one at a stable framerate.

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

« on: February 16, 2026, 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.