Messages

151

TalkBack / Re: Rumor: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy Coming to the West

« on: April 04, 2013, 01:23:08 PM »

I think you mean "4 Heroes of LIGHT"

With that said, 4 Heroes of Light was very underrated.   The art style was this beautiful pastel Phantom Hourglass Styles crossed with Animal Crossing's "rolling" world.   And from what I hear, Bravely Default is a really good iteration of the 4HoL combat system.  Loved the risk/reward mechanic in that one.

I think the title of the game hurt it more than anything else, since it implies that this is a remake of FF3, which it is nothing like, and it makes it seems like you only have 4 characters to control throughout the game, which is also untrue, as you have a big cast of characters coming in and out, FF4 style.

152

TalkBack / Re: Fire Emblem Awakening Team Discusses Casual Mode

« on: April 03, 2013, 12:32:58 PM »

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I LOVE permadeath, and I think people who play casual mode are really missing out.  The way that permadeath affects how the player defines "winning" and "losing," and the difficulty and tension it adds to the game, cannot be understated.   I get how a lot of people get frustrated with having to restart a mission, 5, 10, or even 20 times.   According to the game, I've played the game for 5 hours.   According to my 3DS Activity Log, I've played for 19 hours.   So I get the frustration.   But I'm fine with restarting a game 20 times (which I just did with Chapter 6, the assassination attempt on Emmeryn), because I know that I will beat that mission eventually, which I just did with Chapter 6.  And I've got to tell you, I had this big grin on my face for hours afterwards because I finally beat it.   Making victory (or at least, my "leave no man behind" definition of victory) so hard-won makes that eventual success so sweet.   If I had beaten that same mission in just 1 or 2 tries, it would have made it far less meaningful.

153

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Downloads - March 28, 2013

« on: March 28, 2013, 11:27:59 AM »

Wow.  With Theathrythm and Harmoknight, we should try to guess what the next 3DS music game is going to be called.   Just remember the formula:  Musical Term + Totally Unrelated Term.

154

TalkBack / Re: Miiverse Coming to Smartphones and PCs by May, 3DS at a Later Date

« on: March 28, 2013, 10:05:24 AM »

Also everybody would be long banned by now.

Another reason why Miiverse rocks. An online message board with barely any trolling, etc.? Sign me up.

I'll give that a "Yeah!"   I enjoy reading Miiverse posts FAR more than posts on most internet message boards.  And I can actually read them with my 7 year old without worrying about what will come up.

155

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Two Years Later...

« on: March 26, 2013, 12:54:00 AM »

Retail (Physical only, I don't pay $40 for digital games, Homey don't play that):

Steel Diver
Pilotwings Resort
SSF 4 3D
DOA Dimensions
BlazBlue CS 2
RE The Mercenaries
Nano Assault
Nintendogs + Cats
Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Bust A Move Universe
Super Monkey Ball 3D
Starfox 3D
OoT 3D
Shinobi
Kid Icarus Uprising
Bit Trip Saga
RE Revelations
Super Mario 3D Land
Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy
Mario Kart 7
Ridge Racer 3D
Tales of the Abyss 3D
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Rhythm Thief
Code of Princess
New Super Mario Bros 2
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Fire Emblem Awakening

Downloadable -  Um...this would be easier to say what I DON'T have:

Gameboy VC - Avenging Spirit, Alleyway, that Pacman game
3DS Eshop - Dillon's Rolling Western, Samurai Sakura, Night Sky, Escape Vektor, Colors 3D, Pokedex Deluxe, Johnny Kung Fu, Kerploosh
GameGear VC - Crystal Whatever, that isometric Sonic game
NES VC - SMB Lost Levels


And I've got everything else.  Seriously.  Except for DSiWare, cuz that library just sucks as a whole.

156

TalkBack / Re: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate Review

« on: March 06, 2013, 01:43:35 AM »

It seems those who gave it terrible reviews either only played the recent demo which had relatively bad controls and lopsided boss fights, or had only ever played Symphony of the Night, which is a constant reference point for snooty fanatics.

Okay, I played SotN, AoS, DoS, PoR, and OoE, and knowing all of those acronyms like the back of my hand doesn't make me snooty in the least.

But I did just play the demo, and that was really...underwhelming.  Are they really better in the full retail, because you're right, the controls are a little sloppy in the demo, and I was not thrilled with the framerate either.   And the graphics weren't great either--- it seems like they had a good engine to start with, so it could have looked great, but they got a 14-year old to do the textures.

I totally don't mind the God-Of-War-ness, but these are issues....

157

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Style Savvy Trendsetters

« on: February 22, 2013, 03:08:13 PM »

My daughter LOVED the 2 demos for this game and has been begging me to buy it for her for half a year.  She's already gone through all of her allotted "uses" for both demos.     But I can't bring myself to spend $40 on it, when there are similar games in this genre cost 99cents on IOS.  I've been kind of lying to my daughter and telling her it's not out yet.    I'm willing to spend...oh, $20 for a used copy, but for some reason, this game absolutely REFUSES to get marked down.  $30 on Amazon?  That's getting closer, but not close enough.

And though I haven't played a second of it, my daughter swears that it is over and above so much better than anything similar on IOS.

158

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Downloads - February 21, 2013

« on: February 22, 2013, 12:46:07 AM »

Are there people who are going to buy yoshi at 5$?

No, but it doesn't matter.  Us Virtual Console fans like to joke that such and such a game might as well be put out because it's basically "free money" and costs Nintendo nothing.  With ESRB ratings and paying M2 to emulate, that's actually not true.

But since this was an ambassador game, you know what, it is true in this case.  It really costs Nintendo NOTHING.

159

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Zombi U, I'm warming up to it

« on: February 20, 2013, 12:19:28 PM »

Got the Wii U Zombie U bundle yesterday and proceeded to play this game. After two hours, and 3 survivors left, I'm kinda stuck in a part where the zombies invade my safe zone area. Im supposed to be safe in here! This is the first instance in my mind, where this happens in a game!

Overall, the game is too scary for me I had to play in 30 minute intervals, then watch 10-15 minutes of tv, then back to the game.

Also, it took forever to play, Wii U kept updating stuff, Nintendo Land download and install took at least 4 hours. Is this normal?

Great game so far, can't wait to learn WHY this zombie plague is happening.

Join the club!   I posted exactly what you've said, earlier in this thread.

I think everyone loses at least 1 survivor at that part of the game.

I haven't been able to spend too much time playing the game (or my Wii U, for that matter), which is unfortunate, but I'm now heading to the Tower of London, going through the sewers armed with some fresh C4, and I was really surprised to see what is basically a very short cutscene, completely out of my character's POV.   Very jarring, and not the kind of storytelling that I was expecting.   It's not a bad cutscene, but I'm not crazy about it in the context of the way ZombiU has told its story up till now.   I really hope there aren't more of these in the game.

160

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Downloads - February 14, 2013

« on: February 14, 2013, 11:01:34 PM »

Okay, I was in High School in the 90's, when Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were all the craze....so World Heroes 2 Jet sounds SO appealing to me....

161

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 325: Something About Tingle's Chest Hair

« on: February 13, 2013, 01:57:30 PM »

RE:  Rhythm Thief

I don't have a lot of musical training, but I'm guessing that a lot of Guillome's problems with the mini games near the end might be because a lot of them seem to be based on up-beats rather than down-beats.   That made them very difficult for me, and like Guillome, I had to give up on trying to get perfect A ratings, because I am not just THAT musically inclined.   Also (maybe someone with more musical training can confirm this) it seemed harder because of that more Jazzy themes (rather than Rhythm Heaven's pop focus).   Jazz tends not to follow 4-4 time, right?   It seems like that, because I had a lot of problems finding beats on some of the games, especially the one where your dog has to bite the stupid dolls.   


Despite my problems with the game, I have to agree with James, this is really a very excellent game that, while not perfect, has a lot of potential to improve with subsequent sequels in this series, published in that alternate dimension where this game sold well and Sega isn't cutting off IP's like gangrene infested limbs.

162

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Xenoblade Chronicles.Confirmed for North America April 6th 2012

« on: February 12, 2013, 12:56:05 AM »

If any of you guys are interested, I wrote a top 10 wishlist for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 / X over on Negative World:


http://www.negativeworld.org/topten/9332/top-10-improvements-that-i-would-like-to-see-in-xenoblade-chronicles-2-aka-x


It really just focuses on things that were already in Xenoblade and can be improved.  I wasn't throwing totally new stuff in there.

Hey, great article!  Just read it, you have a lot of good points.   I'm commenting here, because I'm not on Negative World's boards.  But everyone should give it a read.

However, I strongly disagree with you on #3 (Changing the Chain Attack System).   You have a lot of good points on this one.  You're right, the risk/reward gap is HUGE -- losing those revives is an incredible risk, especially in the last 20 hours of the game, where the bosses are just ridiculously difficult.  But at the same time, the stress and "tension" it adds to the game (I've got to be careful saying "tension" as it is also a Xenoblade term) really adds to the appeal to gamers like me, who are attracted to high-difficulty games. 

Also, to be honest, if you have to revive anyone, including yourself, more than a few times in a boss fight, then your strategy for that boss is seriously flawed, and you will not win.   I don't care whose auras you stack or how high your tension is,  there is no way you can revive...oh, let's say your tank, more than 4 or 5 times in a fight and keep pace with your party gauge.   And if it's not your tank that's dying that much, then you have got to manage your aggro differently.  I'm generalizing, sure, but I think what I'm describing here neatly applies to every post-lvl69 boss fight.  Especially the one at Level 69.

And the chain attack system, more than anything else, encourages you to organize your skills so that you maximize the damage you get from the color coded (especially, the red) multipliers.   Even for the toughest bosses, if you can string 5 strong reds in a row, then you can maybe knock a tenth off of a boss's health.   Add to that if you can topple and daze that boss BEFORE you initiate that string, then oh my, you are a damage dealing machine.  I will admit, at least, that if you aren't exploiting the chain attack system in this way, then you shouldn't bother using chain attacks.  Well, maybe to do some topple/daze's, but you don't really need to do that within a chain attack, it just makes it easier.

163

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Xenoblade Chronicles.Confirmed for North America April 6th 2012

« on: February 12, 2013, 12:36:22 AM »

I think there's a decent large scale video game story there but the execution of the dialog and the excessive use of slow mo and making EVERYTHING AS DRAMATIC AS POSSIBLE is kind of laughable.

I'd have to agree with this, a lot of the dialogue felt like they were saying the same thing in slightly different ways. They also make a lot of the twists obvious and predictable. I wonder if part of the reason the story is like that is to make sure people remember what's going on if they haven't played in a while. It's tough to have a story that stretches out over the length of a game like Xenoblade.

Eeh...some people make call a twist "obvious."  Others might call it properly telegraphed.  One thing for sure, nothing is completely out of the blue.  Everything that happens late-game is hinted at by something in the early game.   And I'm not just talking about the super-ominous conversations between   Lorithia, Alvis, and Dickson

164

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Fire Emblem Awakening in North America -- Preorder Bonus

« on: February 08, 2013, 01:54:49 PM »

My kmart has 5 copies of the game.

They say:  "My Kmart has 5 copies of the game."

*FACEPALM*

I hate Gamestop.   Next time they ask me to preorder a game, I'll just have to say "Why?  So I can get it a week later than everyone else?"

165

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Fire Emblem Awakening in North America -- Preorder Bonus

« on: February 08, 2013, 01:49:50 AM »

Anyone else pick up the game yet? I've got to say, I'm quite pleased with the product so far.

No.   

I preordered this game at Gamestop weeks ago, as the first post in this thread, WHICH I FREAKIN STARTED, clearly shows.   I preordered the physical copy to get the stupid preorder bonus.   

This past Monday, 2/4/2013, I called Gamestop.  "Do you have my game?"   "No, we're expecting a shipment on Wednesday."   

On Wednesday, I call again.  "Do you have my game?"  "No, but it might be in a shipment tomorrow."

Today, I call again.  "Do you have my game?"  "No, but we're getting a shipment tomorrow.  Maybe it'll be there, maybe it won't, we don't freakin know. "

And to top it off, the girl at Gamestop said "The thing is, Fire Emblem didn't really have a street date, just a ship date that was not set in stone, so we can't really tell you when it will arrive."  What is this, the 90's again?  I just wanted to tell her, "Listen, miss.  I have the internet.  I know other people are already playing this freakin game, and have already downloaded DLC."

Never mind that everyone and their sister and their adopted brother have already downloaded it or gotten it somewhere are are just plain waving it in my face, taunting me.   

They say:  "Wow, this is the best Fire Emblem ever.  EVER." 

They say:  "This Fire Emblem is SOOOO good, even people who hated the entire Fire Emblem series will knock themselves silly with how much they love this game."

They say:  "I love this Fire Emblem game.  I love this Fire Emblem game so much, I want to marry it.  OH WAIT, I CAN MARRY IT, HAVE CHILDREN, AND RECRUIT THEM TO FIGHT FOR YOU.  BECAUSE THEY CAN COME FROM THE FUTURE.  BECAUSE THERE IS FREAKIN TIME TRAVEL IN THIS FIRE EMBLEM."

166

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Downloads - February 7, 2013

« on: February 07, 2013, 10:57:26 PM »

Mega Man 2 and the EO IV demo.

Good week!

Especially since the EO IV demo apparently lets you transfer your save to the retail game.

167

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 324: Punky Hamster

« on: February 04, 2013, 09:34:18 PM »

Great episode guys.
 
I can't wait to play Awakening, really looking forward to it.

I want to play Awakening, but now I have to wait--  I preordered at Gamestop (because of the stupid artbook bonus) but apparently NOA is having shipping problems-- they won't arrive until Wednesday, at the earliest.   Apparently, I (and Gamestop) are not the only ones having this problem either.

168

TalkBack / Re: PSA: Fire Emblem: Awakening Downloadable on the eShop Right Now in North America

« on: February 04, 2013, 07:45:47 AM »

Sure hope people buy this game. The 3DS could use a new system seller beyond just Mario games.

Eh, they've been marketing and pushing it hard enough, but....will this catch fire?  I doubt it.  People in general don't like hard games.   

169

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Miiverse

« on: January 24, 2013, 06:27:19 PM »

I'm amused that well over half the posts in this thread are things that would be immediately censored and blocked, were they posted in the actual Miiverse. :-)

170

TalkBack / Re: Two New Updates, Smartphone App Announced for Wii U

« on: January 24, 2013, 12:31:16 PM »

Finally, I have something to do on my Ipad 4!   For the last couple months it's basically just been my $500 comic book reader.

171

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Advance Wars

« on: January 24, 2013, 12:24:32 PM »

Co-op missions.
An extra open ended randomly generated world war mode along side the linear campaign.

I am not sure how most of your suggestions would fit into an Advanced Wars game Kytim89. Doing all that would literally result in a completely different game. Maybe you are thinking of Battalion Wars.

Yeah.  I agree.    I mean, especially with your suggestion of casual mode, Advance Wars has always just BEEN that way.  You can save anytime, on most maps you can always just make more guys if you lose some.....

Also, did anyone try multiplayer on either of the DS games?   I never bothered, because turn based multiplayer doesn't sound like a great idea to me.   Especially with an Advance Wars type game, where your average map has, what, 20 turns, with who knows how many unit movements within each turn?   It would be like playing a game of Axis and Allies or Diplomacy with your friends.   Man, I remember having game sessions lasting 5 or 6 hours with those games.   In one sitting!

172

Nintendo Gaming / Re: What will MonolithSoft's "X" be about- Xenoblade SPOILERS!

« on: January 24, 2013, 12:17:49 PM »

So I take it no one thinks that's Shulk at the end of the trailer?   

173

TalkBack / Re: Crystal Adventure Review

« on: January 24, 2013, 12:15:15 PM »

Great review.   Just wanted to let you know, Josh, that I GET the reference the tagline for your review.   But then, I'm old.

174

Nintendo Gaming / What will MonolithSoft's "X" be about- Xenoblade SPOILERS!

« on: January 24, 2013, 12:46:15 AM »

XENOBLADE CHRONICLES SPOILERS!   

At this point, it seems fairly obvious that the next MonolithSoft game, X, will be a direct sequel to Xenoblade --- similar if not identical combat system, and a world which seems an awful lot like the flat, godless world that Xenoblade Chronicles left us with at the end of the game.   So what do you think the next game will be about, and how will it pick up? 


My thoughts, based on the trailer and the way the story played out in Xenoblade Chronicles:

1.  New Characters - It is a very JRPG-thing for direct sequels to feature different characters, which would explain why the characters in the trailer don't seem to have any resemblance to Xenoblade characters, except for maybe the character with the large sword featured near the beginning.  He may be Dunban, but it's a stretch.  There's a blonde woman at about 0:27 who uses both a mini-gun and a shield kind of like Reyn's.  I have no idea who the hell she is.

2.  Same world as Xenoblade, after the death of Zanza - If we are to take this as a direct sequel to Xenoblade, it seems like this is the world/universe without gods - hence, no giant guys off in the horizon locked in struggle.  You get a pretty good look at the world at about 0:52, where someone climbs into a mech perched on top of a mountain.   There's nothing but ocean as far as you can see, which is exactly what the ruins of Colony 9 looked like during the epilogue of Xenoblade.

3.  Where are the other races? -  The trailer featured Homs, but I'm curious how the game will, if it does at all, incorporate the Nopon and the Machina.   And what about the remaining High Entia population, who didn't get turned into Telethia?  Like Melia?   

4.  Where's Alvis? - While not completely explicit, it can be easily assumed that Alvis is immortal, being some kind of bodiless, incorporeal computer and all.  If the game takes place in the future far after the death of Zanza, then Alvis would still be alive, possibly acting as a guide/quest-giver much like Dickson did.

5.  What will it be like to play an ENTIRE GAME without the Monado, or will the bring it back?  -  A lot of the gameplay in Xenoblade hinged on the properties of the Monado.   But because Shulk decided on a world without gods, the Monado is gone, right?  No more Monados?   So does that mean there will no more visions?   Or will they contrive some silly, nonsensical reason for why the Monado comes back?

Those are my thoughts, for now.   I have no idea what the story or premise could be, though I really hope that it isn't something stupid, like "Oh, we are the descendents of Shulk and Fiora and everyone....and a new threat has emerged that is threatening our world!  Time to level up and beat it!"

And even though it's early, anyone else notice how the arts on the hotbar were color coded?  That implies that some aspects, at least, of Xenoblade's combat system (stratified arts, chain attacks) may be coming back.

175

TalkBack / Re: New Game from Monolith Soft Revealed

« on: January 23, 2013, 08:25:10 PM »

Have you even played Xenoblade? The entire games wasn't all super-colorful. There were many parts of the game where the environment was incredibly bland.

Yeah, you're right, but they definitely weren't the parts we want to remember, are they?   I would say the early game parts were the most jaw-dropping, by far:  Colony 9, Bionis Leg (how amazing is the Bionis Leg!?).   Satori Marsh, OMG.   

The bland parts were basically the ones that were all indoors:  The cave bit between Colony 9 and the Bionic Leg, anything inside the Mechonis , and that High Entia Tomb Place .    Oh, and maybe inside the Bionis

But the absolutely beautiful parts of the game were so numerous.   And you may not agree, but the first time I entered the final "level" of the game, my jaw dropped, and kept dropping.   Absolutely amazing.   Despite the fact that, admittedly, having that kind of world as the last level of a JRPG is kind of a cliche.    How many times has a JRPG ended in space?