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Jonnas

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Posts posted by Jonnas

  1. Posted

    After 10.000 years, this thread is free! Time to conquer N-E!

    *ahem*

    Sorry to necrobump this old thread, but I happened to see Dragon Quest IX at a nearby store for 30€. This has always been a title that put a high emphasis on interconnectivity, social networking, and sharing. Since I never put any importance in that when it came to JRPGs, I've always put a mental block in it whenever I considered it...

    ...My question is: Is the game good in its own right without all of that multiplayer stuff? Obviously, internet services no longer work for the DS, so I'd be playing this exclusively solo (and at an unspecified point in the far future), but if the game is good as its own single-player experience, I think I might go for it.

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  2. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    23 hours ago, Dcubed said:

    You’ll quickly see how mad fun the N64 Mario Parties can be :peace:

    I appreciate the offer, but I truly have no stable time in my life right now :heh: Thank you, in any case

    3 hours ago, Glen-i said:

    Wow, how can someone be so incredibly wrong!?

    The mushroom system in that game is god awful! They're all you ever get and when you can't use the double dice one because it makes you skip the star space, that's how you know it sucks.

    It's called balance, Glen :p It's a risk-and-reward situation, and you can use it to steal coins from other players all the time.

    3 hours ago, Glen-i said:

    It also goes at a snail's pace, and the boards aren't very interesting.

    Yeah, it's slow, that much is true, but I will admit no slander on Goomba's Greedy Gala!

  3. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    And now...

    A Jonnas NSO Update

    Last time, I talked about multiple bad games that... were obviously bad even before I touched them :heh: But there are a few games there that I haven't really given a fair shot before, and they're generally well regarded. So I decided to do those next.

    The NES Classics

    22325_front.jpg

    So I went and tried to play the original Metroid. I knew going in that I never really jived with this game. Yeah, I still don't. Samus feels clunky to play, the environments are monochromatic and forgettable, navigation through the world is confusing... and when I picked it up, the first thing that got to me was that Samus can't crouch nor aim down, meaning she can't even shoot zoomers (the mini-lavos spiky creatures, not the generation). So, she's a slower, less fun Mega Man. I tried my best to play it, but I really did not enjoy any of my time with it. I understand a lot of what makes Metroid Metroid was already present here, but I do not enjoy playing this. I do really like Metroid II, but this one just does not gel with me.

    Next, it was The Legend of Zelda. I explored the map for a while. Moving around is fun, if a bit clunky (the d-pad from the joy-cons probably didn't help, admittedly), and it is a challenge to clear each screen of enemies... but the fact is that I never really found anything of note, beyond a couple of caves with shops inside. I did die 5 times, however. I also know, from cultural osmosis, that several clues are super cryptic (some relying on the instinct of "oh, maybe this bush/wall can be burned/bombed"), and that the dungeons should be completed in order, despite the open-ended structure. I can see that this is a game that requires a lot of investment on my part, and if I was still the age of drawing maps for pen&paper adventures, I'd likely be more into this. Sadly, not only do I lack the time for that, I never really played video games that way. Furthermore, the idea of exploring a whole big map, only to be told that the dungeons have a set order does not appeal to me. As such, I conclude that this is just not for me either.

    Next, a game that I thought would capture me more: Zelda 2 - The Adventure of Link. This one's structure is more linear, even if still cryptic, so I thought I'd be able to progress a bit more. Indeed, I played it for two sessions. Took me a bit long to reach the first palace, and once I did... I realized the true horror of this game: combat sucks, it's really unfun. Link feels a tad slippery, and his sword got no range. Not too bad when you're dealing with random encounters in the overworld, but in the labyrinthic palaces? Where it feels more like a gauntlet than a maze? Every single slime I barely couldn't stab, meant another blow onto Link's health, and nobody drops health in this game. Plus, the palace is huge, but there's no map. I had such a bad experience with the first palace (I ended up relying on rewind just to drag myself to the boss), I realized I wasn't going to enjoy this one. I now second anybody who says this game should be remade, just make combat bearable, please.

    (For the record, I'm not discarding the possibility of revisiting any of the games mentioned above. I just understand I need a specific mentality to handle any one of them)

    Finally, a strong note to end on: Kirby's Adventure. I had played the remake on GBA, but never the original. I always felt like the GBA game was a simple, but forgettable game, so I was never in a rush to play this one. Well, I can honestly say that the NES game is actually much better than the GBA remake! This is partly due to perspective: a short Kirby game on the GBA is inherently less impressive than a game that pushed the NES to its limit, and did things no other title on the system was doing. But it's also just how much more charming Kirby is on the NES, how the silent storytelling feels more at home on the NES, and just how marvelous some graphical tricks feel here. Taking this title on its own merits, I had a lovely time beating it and trying to 100% it (had to look up a guide for one of the secrets, I'll admit), it was that enjoyable. Unlocked a Hard Mode by the end, but that'll be a story for another time. 5 stars

    (As a bonus, here's Sakurai's take on his own game)

    A Party of Marios

    2012-02-24.jpg

    I mean, I played Mario Party before... Mario Party 4, that is! Plus, a couple of matches from the Switch titles. One thing that I remember from the Gamecube days is that a lot of people kept saying that N64 Mario Party was sooo much better, and I got curious. I certainly have my own set of gripes with MP4, and thanks to the NSO, I can now compare for myself, with a single match of each. No more fitting trilogy for Mar10 day.

    Mario Party 1 is definitely the first of its kind. Mini-games attribute coins seemingly at random (and sometimes they take coins from the losers), there's no items, and the only real choices you get to make involve branching paths on the board. This party feels anarchic.

    Mario Party 2 is bonkers. Now there's items, but god damn, so many mini-game spaces! Battle mini-games, item mini-games, Koopa banks abd Bowser collecting random taxes left and right... Compared to MP1, the rules of the game are better defined, and mini-game rounds are more consistent, but it's somehow more insane, I could barely keep up with it. The costumes are cute, though. This party feels reactionary.

    Mario Party 3 is much more reasonable. Mini-games and items feel balanced, there's fewer wacky events happening all the time, and there's a semblance of strategy now. Also, a Story Mode, but I know that's not fun in this series :heh: Anyway, after a match of multiple strategic decisions where I barely managed to eek an advantage in the last 3 turns, the game decided to award 3 stars to the CPU in last place, making them the winner, and rendering the previous 20 turns pointless. This party feels corrupt.

    General pros: These 3 games are really fast-paced, that's pretty cool. The menus are really creative and charming too; General cons: Mario Party 4 is sooo much better.

    ------------------------------

    And with that, I have officially cleared over half of the N- What's that? Nintendo just added 3 Game Boy games this week? Instead of clearing that threshold, I'm now exactly one game short from clearing half?

    ...

    Dr.Mario (Game Boy) is exactly the same game as the NES version, except the pills are white, black, and gray. That's cute.

    And with that, I have officially cleared over half of the NSO! 120 games down, only 119 to go, baby! :yay:

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  4. Posted

    I really like Fennekin's line. That's an unconventional design for a fox creature of any kind, and it works really well. Not sure why Braixen is more popular than Delphox, but I like them both. Really cool witch, and excellent addition to Pokkén.

    Froakie's... Well, Greninja's line really, is pretty cool on its own as well. Sure, Smash Bros. exposed Greninja a lot, but it's a legitimately great design. Unfortunately for it, I like witches better than Ninja :heh: Plus, the existence of Ash-Greninja lowers the entire species' score.

    Chespin's line is decent. I don't really like Chesnaught's white colour, though, makes it look needlessly mechanical (when they already have a shell/shield, no less), and it's just garish, really clashes with the light green (the colour scheme that Chespin and Quilladin had going was perfectly fine, don't know why they would change it at the end)

    Overall, a pretty strong generation when it comes to starters. Chesnaught alone is better than the Gen V starters.

  5. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    On 16/03/2024 at 9:05 AM, Cube said:

    New Japan Pro-Wrestling: Toukon Road: Brave Spirits
     

    toukan-box-l.jpg

    toukan-004-1024x582.jpg

    Another Japanese Wrestling game, Toukon Road: Brave Spirits doesn’t focus on real-life wrestlers, but instead creates its own brand new cast of wrestlers. Unfortunately, they haven’t really gone all out with creative or memorable designs, but rather tried to come up with “realistic” wrestlers.

    I'm just now going through your recent reviews, and... That's not a brand new wrestler, that's Jushin Liger.

    jushin-ligerjpg.jpg

    There's probably a few other real-life wrestlers in that cast, if so.

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  6. Posted

    Man, this one hit me like a brick.

    He was a living legend, but not one that had retired yet. He was still working on Dragon Quest, and a new Dragon Ball series, and there's a new game coming out based on one of his Manga, and... he was still quite prolific.

    And by all means, he had the best of reputations. You know how rare that is, with a career that long? By all means, a true treasure.

    This sucks :( Rest in Peace, Akira Toriyama.

  7. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    13 hours ago, Glen-i said:

    This was the beginning of the series basing the regions off of actual countries (Well, countries that aren't Japan). Unova is based off of America,

    I thought Unova was only New York? Is it based off the entire mainland?

    Snivy's line is great, I dig Serperior's design. I don't care much for the vestigial arms, but they're barely visible, so whatever. I just wish they were all legless.

    Oshawott's line is like Mudkip's, but less messy. At least Samurott looks properly quadrupedal (even if Dewott looks super bipedal), and I like the funky beard.

    Tepig's doesn't do much for me. Cute pig, but I'm not into that sumo boar. No reason to make it fighting-type either, the pig from Journey to the West isn't famous for fighting or anything.

    13 hours ago, Glen-i said:

    Something about the fiery beard just makes me smile.

    The fiery what?

    *re-checks the design*

    Oh! Because he has no neck! I've always seen that as a fiery collar, since it covers the shoulders :p

    12 hours ago, Glen-i said:

     

      It's wearing nothing at all! (Reveal hidden contents)

    358.jpg?resize=640,539

    That image cracks me up, did it have to be pointing at it's crotch?

    Here's a rough translation.

    Quote

    It may look like Machoke and Machamp are wearing underwear, but they’re actually not wearing anything. What looks like underwear is just a pattern. After all, Pokémon don’t wear clothes to begin with, right? ‘It’s not wearing anything!

     

     

    ...I mean, a black "pattern" around the crotch usually just means highly concentrated hair :heh:

    EDIT: I'm sorry, I hadn't seen the following page, and...

    10 hours ago, Dcubed said:

    Enjoy your present

    I... No, I don't think I will :nono:

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  8. Posted

    On 07/03/2024 at 8:52 AM, Cube said:

    flydragon-023.jpg

    Huh, turns out there are now three distinct fighting game series with a Min Min on the roster. What are the odds?

    In a more serious note, the 32/64 bit generation was wild. Releasing two distinct fighting games (in then-recent 3D, no less) in the same cartridge? How does such a thing even happen?

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  9. Posted

    12 hours ago, Cube said:

    The "remake" (or retelling) of TS2 was what they were trying to pivot to.

    The plan was seemingly to star off with a Fortnite clone that none of the developers wanted to make, get a budget, and then make the game they wanted to do.

    When it came to Embracer needing to cut costs, a studio that lied to them and spent years making something they invented to discard to make something else instead was probably an easy choice.

    Ah, that makes more sense. Didn't get that feeling at all from the article that DCubed linked to, as it simply says this was a remake in development.

    Thank you for the context :)

  11. Posted

    4 hours ago, Glen-i said:

    Actually, they do. The Pokédex mentions it a few times. This is the entry from Platinum.

     

    Oh, so it's an informed attribute... I mean, I accept stuff like Machamp's 1000 bullet-punches, so that's fine.

    But I dare Game Freak to draw some bugs and birds on that turtle's back! Make it feel gargantuan.

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  12. Posted

    My personal attachment to these starters is basically zero. And I don't find any of them to be that hot.

    Turtwig line is okay. I like the concept of a large tortoise that carries an ecosystem on its back, but the art itself always looked odd to me. It's just the one tree? And it's not even centered? Would be cool if Torterra had caterpies and stuff living on its shell, but instead, it's just the one uneven tree.

    Chimchar line is admittedly consistent, and I can't find much fault in it. I'm just not that into fighting monkeys (unless they have a magic staff that can alter its size).

    Piplup... I liked this little critter when I first saw the trio. Penguins are cute and lovely. Empoleon, however, is a mess, in the sense that it does not look like an animal. It looks like a machine or a scarecrow that's meant to only somewhat resemble a penguin, and I don't like it one bit.

  16. Posted

    From Gen 3 onwards, my opinions aren't as strong.

    Still, I definitely liked Torchic far more than the others. That lil' chick is cute as heck. Combusken looks like ass, but Blaziken looks pretty dang cool, and I respect him taking up Hwoarang's moveset in Pokkén. Fire/Fighting was novel at the time, which helped. Just wish that hair looked more natural (the curtains, I mean. The drapes look bushy enough).

    Treecko probably has the most consistent line out of all of them, and Sceptile looks pretty cool and confident (can't get over Treecko's little stubby fingers/toes, though, are these supposed to be pods like a gecko's? They don't look right at all). I see Grovyle has gained a lot of popularity from other media I haven't consumed, which is nice, but I don't feel too strongly about him. I appreciate his excessively long teenage-metalhead-hair, though.

    Mudkip... doesn't work for me. Speaking as a Quagsire fan, the typing is excellent, and I think the animal is supposed to be the same as Wooper, but the design is so busy! Looks like a dog with too many accessories. Marshtomp looks a bit better, looks like he's getting his shit together... aaaand Swampert happens. I thought we were going bipedal, but then Swampert shows up with this weird-ass curved posture where we don't know if he prefers to be standing or stay as a quadruped. Looks like evolution (real-life evolution, I mean) pranked him by giving him the most uncomfortable skeleton his body could have.

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  17. Posted

    20 hours ago, EEVILMURRAY said:

    And you can lick a foot to death. Need I say more...

    I mean, yeah, is this only in Multiplayer? Why is it "foot" instead of "feet"? These matters are never discussed in articles.

    14 hours ago, darksnowman said:

    Played the Pepper Grinder demo. We've got a live one here.

    Indeed, that was a good one. Instantly wishlisted.

    Unicorn Overlord I tried for significantly less time, as I've just lost a lot of patience with RPG demos. I just wanted to check the general gameplay loop and feel, and that was enough to impress me. Wishlisted as well.

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  18. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    Somehow, none of my predictions came true :nono:

    But it was a pretty solid showing:

    • Gonna try out the demos for Pepper Grinder and Unicorn Overlord;
    • The 5 Rare games are games I have never really played, so to my NSO backlog they go;
    • Penny looks good, though my priorities are elsewhere right now (same thing goes for Another Crab, really);
    • Pretty cool to see Epic Mickey return, honestly. Wishlisted;
    • I already have Pocket Card Jockey on the 3DS, so I won't repurchase it, but it's really dang good!;
    • Monkey Ball, Endless Ocean, and MH Stories aren't my cup of tea, but I'm happy they're there.

    All in all, pretty decent.

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  21. Posted

    15 hours ago, darksnowman said:

    You and @Ike will be pleased to hear that in a previous chapter, I was able to position four units around a thief until I got mine there to steal some gear back. Then I skewered the scoundrel. Felt good. 

    Very nicely done. Not an easy task, especially when you consider the amount of items that can't be stolen back.

    15 hours ago, darksnowman said:

    For some reason, I thought maxing a character to lvl 20 made for automatic promotion, whereas the items are if you're in a rush to promote prematurely. But I got Lyn there and nothing happened. So now I'm handicapped if I want to make sure she doesn't sap exp away from the other weaklings. When I retry that chapter I'm just going to load her up with keys and she can do double duty as a door and chest opener.

    You might be thinking of the GCN/Wii games, where the system worked like that. In the GBA, it's all items, which demands one to consider their resources wisely.

    Regarding Lyn... there's quite a few chapters before her earliest promotion. Yeah, it kinda sucks, the next few maps would be perfect to train her promoted form.

  23. Posted

    I always loved the Squirtle line. Squirtle is easily the cutest of the Gen 1 starters (well, it was, before the anime gave it rough, chain-smoking voice in the English version), Wartortle looks like a dopey teenager still finding themselves (as mid-evolutions ought to do. This is a 12-year old rascal if I ever saw one), and Blastoise is a strong, proud grown-up who knows what they're about. Love that it launches its water from hidden artillery bits, makes her look more like a tank, and allows crazy stuff like the rapid spin, or even her finishing move in Pokkén.

    pokemon-blue-version_c6tz.jpg

    Always liked that cool-looking pose on the original cover, too. In fact, I love that there isn't a single shot of Blastoise where they don't look confident.

    I don't particularly care for Mega Blastoise (where it looks excessively mechanical), or the Pokkén version (I mean, you know why), even if I love that Blastoise is in a fighting game.

    I've always respected the Bulbasaur line as well. Precocious Bulbasaur doing what he can, menacing Venusaur with its imposing weight, and Smash really made me appreciate Ivysaur's in-between form a lot more. Plus, the anime really showed how those Vine Whips mean business. A shame about its lack of competitive viability, Venusaur looks like such a mean tank.

    But the Charmander line... Never liked them. So basic. The flaming tail is their one cool feature, and even that isn't consistent, considering how often it gets drenched without ever going out. Okay, Charmander is fine, but Charmeleon has a stupid unihorn in its head, and Charizard is as generic as dragons get. Despite this, Charizard was all the rage (and still is), and its fans so obnoxious.

    MRQT0X_zyhIc1t5mjyc_cRGRTHpkTRJUKeY3snK9

    Facts don't care for such feelings, though.

    On 18/02/2024 at 11:47 AM, Hero-of-Time said:

    One of the best things to come out of gen 2 was the opening for the cartoon.

    Love it.

    Mah man :grin: I'll be hearing the PT version of this for some good ol' nostalgia.

    I picked Cyndaquil way back then, and never regretted it. This is a line I like a lot, with each form looking like a different mammal, but with a growth that makes sense. Plus, having flames replace what would otherwise be patches of fur (or porcupine spikes) is pretty clever. Quilava looks like an edgy-but-kinda-dopey teenager, and Typhlosion is explosive in all the right ways. I've also always thought of Flame Wheel as its signature move, and even if it isn't that great a move, it's pretty rad-looking.

    Totodile... isn't my style. No hate, it just doesn't gel with my sensibilities much. Croconaw doesn't do anything for me, either, why does its skin look like caveman clothes? Feraligatr looks pretty awesome, though, good thing the line ends on a strong note. I like the lack of an "o" in its name too, makes him more unique. Too bad the physical-special split didn't exist back then, he wasn't that hot back in GSC.

    Chikorita is a lovely design, I remember being a kid and really wanting to pick it, back when GSC was Japan-only. Bayleef is a surprisingly endearing mid-evolution, nothing dopey about it, it's just a nice-looking dinosaur with a leef moteef. Meganium is where it all goes wrong. That neck looks awful, the pink flower clashes horribly with the green skin, the movepool sucks... Bayleef looks pretty good throwing razor leeves, how does Meganium screw even that up!? Meganium alone made me go for Cyndaquil, it's that bad.

    On 10/02/2024 at 1:32 PM, Glen-i said:

    By the way, this is a good opportunity for a confession. I genuinely think Blastoise is one of the worst designs in all of Pokémon. Squirtle and Wartortle are fine, but Blastoise is a crap design. The tail doesn't follow the increasing elaborateness that the other two do, and, well, the cannons are absolutely dumb. Blastoise is not a mechanical Pokémon, why the hell does it have cannons!? I hate it, no thought put into the evolutionary theming what-so-ever!

    nfNeT7YvTozx0cv7ze3mplZpo1_500.gif

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  24. Posted

    On 19/02/2024 at 9:35 AM, Cube said:

    And some completely random trivia - the name of Puyo Puyo Sun in this Saturn Power review - they called it Ijidkijidk Sun, mistaking the Japanese on the box for English characters. 

    I'm sorry, I somehow missed this bit the first time around and... Oh my God :o How did they not know that Japan uses a different alphabet? Jesus, this is amazing :laughing:

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  25. Posted

    10 hours ago, EEVILMURRAY said:

    You guys are making me want to play this now... it seems so in depth

    The cool thing about Fire Emblem (especially the GBA games) is that the interface and UI are surprisingly simple and direct for the genre.

    Despite this, the mechanics and details have a lot of depth to them. There's always a lot to explore and talk about.

    2 hours ago, darksnowman said:

    Last left it at a chapter I need to restart. I was all but done with it (was just trying to corner a pair of enemy thieves that were giving me the run around, the one with a name had me particularly curious) and left insufficient cover for Merlinus' tent.

    I see you're making good progress. Just a couple of tips:

    • Merlinus is the only character protected from permanent death. If he dies, he just comes back next chapter (he only levels up if he survives, though);
    • Won't spoil it if you want to figure it out yourself, but if you do want to know what to do about the named thief, click the spoiler below.
    Spoiler

    Talk with him with either Eliwood or Lyn. I think Hector works too, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

     

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