Glen-i

You're obviously wrong because Purple Green Mario is there.

Stock format tonight. Custom stages from 7:30pm.

Same reason they pronounce it "Morio" and "YOOOOshi" They just assume that's what it sounds like, and refuse to be corrected whenever an official source of how it's pronounced comes along. The Yoshi one in particular annoys me, because, while it was fair enough that you'd make that assumption back in the SNES days, Yoshi has been saying it's own bloody name since Yoshi's Story, and they still get it wrong! Another good example is Pokémon names. But that one's even more hilarious, because the English dub for the anime is done by Americans, and yet American fans still end up mispronouncing some names. Two particularly egregious examples I've encountered are Suicune (Swee-koon), which I have heard people pronounce as "Soo-e-sign". Where are they getting that second i noise from, for Arceus' sake!? Oh god, speaking of Arceus! If I ever see you pronounce that Pokemon's name as "ARSE-ee-us", I will slug you! On the other hand, when the eighth generation of Pokémon came along, the pronunciation of them, as usual, fell onto the American anime dub. But because that generation is heavily inspired by the UK, some of the official pronunciations they settled on are enough to make my skin crawl.

Tales of Symphonia "Remastered"? Better you then me...

It does imply there's more swag that they're not telling us about. The original game also had alternate equippable costumes, but those could be purchased from particular end-game shops. I'm interested to see if they've moved those to the minigame token exchange, or if these are actually completely new ones. Tiz and Edea alone have a smorgasbord of costumes from Bravely Second they could repurpose. What I find interesting here is that said accessories and costumes aren't on that menu. Are there multiple exchange shops? Do they add new stock as you progress? If so, when does the more unique stuff turn up? EDIT: Oh hang on, because this encounter accessory exists, will that mean Freelancer has the Poison Immunity passive like in the international version then?

Development on the 0% encounter rate thing. From a PR thing detailing details on the game. Interesting choice to lock it behind the minigames. The 3DS game only ever went up to 200%, so the grinder in some of you will probably really like that new cap.

Yeah, I'm glad a good amount of people answered my rallying call on here, including a couple of people on the lapsed N-E member Discord. It was nice to send the game off with absolute chaos.

Now, to start with, our first night will be on Friday 6th June. This should give everyone the chance to set up their Switch 2's and download Mario Kart World. I've also provided a poll up above, where you can let me know what days you're able to play on. Please only vote on the poll if you plan on taking part on a somewhat regular basis. See you next week!

It's 2025 right now, and we're finally getting a second HD Mario Kart! All we had to do was kill off Donkey Kong! Welcome to the N-Europe Mario Kart World Get Together. Every week, we'll be playing Mario Kart World (Most of the time) for some good old fashioned racing, with copious amounts of item-based sabotage. Cheating is a legitmate skill, after all. Sprinkle in a bit of occasional Battle mode, and you've got a recipe for making everyone on this board hate each other! What a Shame! As you'd expect, you will need a Nintendo Switch Online account to take part. You will also need to add me on to your Friend List if you haven't already. I also recommend adding BowserBasher, as he takes over hosting duties when I'm not able to. Glen-i - 3034-9087-7910 Simon (BowserBasher) - 8313-9234-5620 Schedule Do note that this is subject to change depending on what options are available in the final game. 7:30pm GMT - Free Roam Gone are the waiting lobbies of old! Now the entire world in this game is the waiting lobby! Get together with me and other N-Europe players to explore this place, hang out, share secrets you've discovered, shout "I'm Excited! and "Hooray!" way too much, or even lie about using Tilt Controls! Don't deny it, you know who you are! 8pm GMT - The Main Event Destroy any sense of camaraderie that Free Roam might have possibly built up by annihilating each other in the only way Mario Kart can! Each session will consist of 12 races/battles (Three 4-race Grand Prixs). I expect this to take around 30-45 minutes, so plan accordingly. The first and third GP's will be the tried and tested 3-lap races. If you've played any Mario Kart game, you'll know how this works. The second GP will consist of "Intermission" tracks. These differ from the traditional format by asking you to physically drive to the next track and complete 1 lap on it. Most nights will be "Player's Choice" nights. These allow everyone playing to vote for whatever track they like. The settings will be 150cc, with Normal Items. For the sake of variety, avoid voting for a track that the group has already raced on that night. No-one wants to do the same track 12 times. Starting from August 2025, the first week of each month will be a "Theme Night". Here, the tracks have been pre-selected, and you must do your best to pick those tracks. The cc class and items may also be changed. I will post a graphic showing this information beforehand. The Theme Nights may also have a "Recommended Setup" where I suggest a character and vehicle combination that fits the theme. These are entirely optional. 8:45pm-ish GMT - Knockout Tour Finish off the night by trying to force everyone else to not play anymore! Race alongside CPU's and everyone who still hasn't rage quit yet on massive 6 segment races. Careful though, at the end of each segment, the last 4 racers will be eliminated! Big massive thanks to @RedShell for the excellent logo and headers!

All these amazing tracks, and we finish on Moo Moo Meadows!? Why!? But there we go. 11 years after the original WiiU release, we'll be moving on to a brand new Mario Kart, so this thread will be getting retired. New game deserves a new thread, you know? What does that mean for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Now, Mario Kart World will of course be the main focus going on, but I can be certain in that most of the tracks in that game aren't in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It seems like a real waste to just leave 90+ tracks behind, and seeing as how the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible, I can promise that MK8DX will return at some point, but much less frequently, and not for a long while, anyway. They'll be relegated to the occasional Theme Night to help add some diversity to the new Get Togethers. So don't go deleting the game from your Switch just yet. But thanks to everyone who kept this going for so long, especially the more regulars of you. And especially thanks to @BowserBasher for being there to host when I couldn't. I'm hoping you can continue to back me up on the Switch 2. Just a heads up, to give people a chance to set up their Switch 2's and to download MK World, the first Get-Together there will be on Friday 6th June. More details on how it'll play out will be posted on the new thread. See ya there!

Hey, some good news then!

I see @Ugh first aid accidentally booted up Fantasy Life with your account, then. Yeah, it happened to me too.

Hey! I hate FIFA too!

Hey, remember when Greninja was good? So, yeah. Greninja is a Water/Dark (Although the type of this particular Pokémon is completely irrelevant in this topic) Pokémon. It's the final evolution of Froakie, the Water type starter for Gen 6 (X/Y). This also makes it the second starter to get banned to Ubers It's a ninja frog, of course Speed is it's best stat. Greninja didn't actually get banned in the game it debuted in. It was very good, but despite having a respectable Attack stat, it learned no good physical moves to actually function as a mixed attacker, so it had trouble dealing with special walls, such as Blissey and Clefable. But then Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire were released, and in those games were various "Move Tutors" which expanded the movesets of Pokémon. Greninja in particular really benefitted from that, because it could now learn some good physical moves like Gunk Shot (120 Power Poison attack) and Low Kick (Fighting Type, damage is higher in accordance with the target's weight). And now that it had answers to the Pokémon that could previously shrug it off, it became a centralising force in the Gen 6 metagame, and that got it banned. So what gives? Why is a Pokémon with OK attacking stats so much of a... You already know it's the ability, don't you? Protean: Before the Pokémon uses a move, it becomes a Pokémon of that type. I shouldn't have to explain why this ability is amazing, should I? Being able to change your type while attacking is incredibly useful. Adding to that is the fact that the type change happens before the attack is used. Which means that good old "Same Type Attack Boost" applies, to every attack. So Greninja's offensive stats are 50% better then what they look like. Not to mention the sheer confusion you can inflict on your opponent by changing type so freely. And you know what? Greninja got better in Gen 7 (Sun/Moon), but it actually dropped back into OU, so there's no need for me to talk about that. But this happened because Gen 7 introduced a lot of Pokémon that could deal with it, such as Toxapex, and Tapu Koko. These days though, Greninja has fallen quite heavily. Protean was nerfed because of a completely different Pokémon, and it no longer has it's Ash-Greninja form that it had in Gen 7. So yeah, as far as competitive Pokémon goes, Greninja just doesn't hold up anymore. Which sucks, because it's one of my favourite Pokémon! Does that mean it's good in casual play? It's OK. Protean is the hidden ability, so you'll struggle to get one of those. However, if you still have the downloadable demo for Sun/Moon, you can transfer a special Greninja to the full game that has the "Battle Bond" ability. That's the one that lets it transfrom into Ash-Greninja. Ash-Greninja is stupid powerful for a casual playthrough. Both Attack and Sp. Atk go up by 50, and it's Speed goes up by 10. You'll look lame doing it, mind you. Man, I hope Z-A gives it a Mega Evolution...

Welp, just under a week to go! If there was ever a time for you lurkers out there to make an effort and play some Mario Kart 8, this is it. Room opens at 7:45pm. Races start at 8-ish.

Hey guess what? I disagree! I think both Octopath games are better then Triangle Strategy. Although Triangle Strategy is still excellent. But to actually answer @Julius's question. Yeah, Octopath II is the game to play if you're only playing one. But if you plan on getting both, you should play the first game first. The sequel has more polish and QoL to it that could make going back to the first game harder.

I don't know, but I can tell you one thing. The male trainer in the foreground is an idiot! His Chikorita is super dead! What are you doing!? Didn't I just explain why Mega Lucario is busted two weeks ago? I wouldn't even use a Meganium against it! Then again, I wouldn't use a Meganium, period. Because I'm good at battling. Anyway, apart from that, gorgeous box art! And it's nice to get more confirmation that battles are the focus this time, not boring landscapes. And no Charizard on this artwork as far as I can tell! Blimey! Actual restraint!? "OK, how's this?" "Sugimori, you fool! You didn't put Pikachu on it!" "But Pikachu is barely relevant in this game! I drew the starters and some Megas to go with it. Those are the focus, right?" "No! Last time we didn't put Pikachu in a game was Black and White, and it uber-bombed! Add Pikachu." And so Ken Sugimori reluctantly drew yet another bloody Pikachu, except he drew it very small, so no-one would actually notice it. The End.

Possibly. Both of the pinball games aren't on the apps, so I wouldn't be too surprised. On the other hand, the fact that those were in that "coming soon" lineup means I have no doubt those games aren't happening anytime soon, especially seeing as it's incredibly likely that Mario Smash Football will be the first game to be added post-launch. Maybe, depends on who takes care of the advertising. It might be the case that Lego want to do that themselves. No idea how it works there, though. Now, apart from Z-A, this is the one console related thing I'm actually sure will show up. It's possible that Champions could be how VGC happens in the future, and VGC is a big deal for TPC. Of course, I'm half expecting it to be microtransaction hell, because most spin-offs are these days. You already know the answer, going by the emoji. Shiren the Wanderer came out February last year. I'm not expecting anything PMD for at least a year. And amazingly enough, I'd be OK with that, because it'd mean it would be more likely to be made for Switch 2. Where have you been? It's been dire since the second half of the 3DS! You can blame Pokémon GO for that. But TPC have little interest in console spin-offs. They're still chasing the mobile Dosh. Anyway, that pretty much sums up what I think will turn up here. Z-A, Champions, TCG, and a load of mobile crap.

Geez, for a moment, I started to really question my sanity there. Because I know I played it with 3 other people here on NSO!

Look, I respect that game for doing what it does in 1991, but it's aged really badly.

At least half a million people desperate to finally get a life. Nicked from @Ugh first aid This having online play kinda tempts me. If I wasn't saving up for a Switch 2, I probably would've bit.

A couple of games for me to add. Various Daylife is a very stupid name for a game. It's also a turn-based RPG mixed with life management sim(?) aspects that originally released on Apple Arcade in 2019, before getting removed and then released on various consoles in 2022. It's developed by DokiDoki Groove Works alongside some of the key staff that worked on Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler (Hence the similar logo and artstyle). I played the Switch version thanks to Virtual Game Cards. The game follows a nameless schmo as he travels to the island of Antoecia, a mostly unexplored region where fellow colonists have established a fledgling city. Joining up with an expedition guild, it's up to Schmo to chart the island, get rid of dangerous beastmen, and find out what secrets the place hides. The majority of the game takes place in the city of Erebia. You spend each day taking up random jobs to get money and make the main character stronger. You need to do this, because you'll eventually have to go on expeditions to progress the plot, and that's where the RPG elements kick in. Traversal across the island is done automatically, with fixed encounters depending on the mission you've taken. The problem doesn't actually come from the enemies, it's the fact that as you travel, your max HP decreases, and the only way to get it back up is to eat food. Which makes it a real shame that the amount of items you can actually carry is extremely limited. So you need to be careful with your party setup and balancing food and healing items. The battle system utilises a lighter version of the Job system from Bravely Default, but the key mechanic is the "Cha" system. Every attack can inflict status effects, and if you successfully do so, you initiate a change. You can then go on to replace that status effect with a different one (That's called a "chain"), and replacing certain status effects with certain other ones will cause a "chance" attack will do massive damage dependant on how many chains you did before hand. Chance attacks are one of only two ways that you can inflict damage higher then 999, so it's your only reliable method to do decent damage. The thing is, sooner or later, the main protagonist's stats start getting massively higher then any other party member. He's the only one who gets stat boosts from doing jobs around the city, so battles will eventually boil down to the other three party members using abilities not to actually damage the enemy, but to buff the main protagonist as much as possible. Which kinda undermines that pretty neat battle system. Unfortunately, the game is pretty grindy. There aren't any microtransactions, but there are some obvious mobile fingerprints all over it. It feels very budget. Not the music, mind you, the music's amazing! Par for the course with games that Asano is involved with. So yeah, Various Daylife is OK. Probably wouldn't recommend buying it though. Streets of Rage 2 is a beat-em-up developed by Sega that first released on the Mega Drive in 1992. I played the one on the NSO Mega Drive app on the Switch. Set one year after the first game, Mr. X has somehow come back and recruited even more random gang members to take over the city. But this time, he's managed to kidnap one of the previous playable characters, Adam. It's OK though, Axel and Blaze have decided to be smart and bring way more back-up this time! Said back-up comes in the form of one steroid-infused muscleman, and a kid with roller blades. Eh, good enough. I don't think I need to explain how much of a beloved classic this game is for the Mega Drive. Despite that, I've never actually finished this game. The two reasons for that is that I'm generally not great at the genre, and with the exception of Shredder's Revenge, they're not much fun by yourself. But well, the NSO app has online multiplayer, so @S.C.G, who has played this game a lot, helped me out. But yeah, I see why so many Sega fans love this game. It's solid. Probably the best beat-em-up of it's time, actually. It does still suffer from some enemies being ridiculously hard to avoid attacks from, but having a second player to help split their attention really makes a difference. Music's also great too! Although, when the NSO app itself points out how good the soundtrack is, that's kind of a given. So that's a blind spot in games I've played done with. ...What's like Boo?

Right, Time format tonight. Custom stages from 7:30pm.

Hey, good memory! Then again, you provided the quote. Looking at that list, I realise it's the only one I've never played.

OK, were you secretly in our voice chat? Because we said that a lot this week.