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Jonnas

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Posts posted by Jonnas

  1. Posted

    20 hours ago, Jonnas said:

    Aight, wild predictions:

    • DLC for Pikmin 4
    • Something from Grezzo. Their last work was Link's Awakening remake, right? I feel like it's time
    • Camelot will be shown to be cooking something
    • Dragon Quest III HD will finally resurface
    • Kid Icarus for Switch!
    • F-Zero will be mentioned!
    • Skies of Arcadia remastered!
    • MOLE MANIA, NINTENDO!

    You know what? I'm going to sleep to reset my expectations.

    If I ever expected one thing to come true out of my prediction, it certainly wasn't that!

    This was a weird Direct. There was nothing bad or boring about it, and every announcement had something interesting about it... But when you consider that the bulk of it were rereleases, ports, and remakes, it does leave a man wanting. I associate Directs with proper surprises, you know?

    Anyway, my highlights:

    • Princess Peach Showtime looks pretty good. I wonder if it'll feel like a novelty or like a game with a lot of depth, but in concept and aesthetics, it's already a winner;
    • SaGa Emerald Beyond caught my eye. Looks pretty decent and unique. I'll try to check reviews when it comes out;
    • Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered was not something I was ever expecting! I have them on GOG, so I'll likely not get this. What I'm happy about is the effort to preserve these classics;
    • Unicorn Overlord is a terrible title, but a fascinating-looking game. Just my type. I must consider it for sure;
    • Trombone Champ is a perfect fit for Switch, and I hope it takes off;
    • Dave the Diver I hadn't heard of before. Will try to learn more;
    • I am happy to finally have another opportunity to play Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It was a glaring Gamecube gap in my bucket list;
    • F-Zero 99 makes me happy. I don't actually like the SNES game that much, but the fact that the franchise has a chance to gain fans is a legitimately positive thing. Plus, we're now one step closer to my dream game: F-Zero GX 30
    • Another Code Recollection got me legit emotional. I have so many questions, like, will the puzzles be similar? Is Cing back? Is there a team of developers willing to carry their torch? For now, I just greatly enjoyed the recreation of certain scenes, fully voiced.

    So yeah, though it had some great stuff, I was just a tad underwhelmed by the whole package.

  2. Posted

    Aight, wild predictions:

    • DLC for Pikmin 4
    • Something from Grezzo. Their last work was Link's Awakening remake, right? I feel like it's time
    • Camelot will be shown to be cooking something
    • Dragon Quest III HD will finally resurface
    • Kid Icarus for Switch!
    • F-Zero will be mentioned!
    • Skies of Arcadia remastered!
    • MOLE MANIA, NINTENDO!

    You know what? I'm going to sleep to reset my expectations.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

  3. Posted

    Nice, thank you very much :) I've gotten somewhat used to the screen borders by now, so that isn't much of an issue. Outside of that, it seems that the absence of N64 Paks is the main thing I'll miss.

    14 hours ago, Dcubed said:

    F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, Golden Sun, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

    Very nice selection :grin: Looking forward to F-Zero in particular, and I wouldn't mind replaying Kirby, either. Golden Sun will be great for nostalgia, but it is incomplete until Lost Age is confirmed.

  4. Posted

    Seriously?! That's crazy.

    Like, nevermind greed, this is some stupidity of the highest order. The sort of thing that ends a company's reputation (and likely their revenue) overnight. Their engine is used by indie developers and major publishers alike, and they're not even a monopoly (the only type of business that could get away with shit like this).

    Unity is either run by amateurs who cave in to every investor demand, or some venture capitalists who are willing to burn the company to the ground to fill their personal pockets. Likely the latter.

  5. Posted

    Hello! I've somehow fallen onto an NSO subscription again, this time with Expansion Pass, and I've been wading through all the choice I have now :bouncy:

    NES and SNES seem as tidy as I remember them (with a couple of additions), but the libraries for N64, Mega Drive, GB, and GBA are all new, and it's exciting to try these out. I do have a couple of questions, though:

    • Are there any notable bugs or glitches with the emulation? I heard most of the N64 issues were fixed (such as the Kirby 64 glitch, or the OoT fog), but Paper Mario is still pretty laggy. I also hear that you cannot save normally in Win Back. Any other remaining problems I should know about?
    • What are the known upcoming games we have left? I noticed Golden Sun isn't here yet, and I'm assuming Mario Party 3 is coming soon.
    • Finally, it's been a while, are suspension points the same thing as save states? I'd like to play through Streets of Rage 2 at a leisurely pace, instead of rushing so much :heh:
    • Like 2
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  6. Posted

    Surely the genre can be simply called "Platform Fighter", right? There were other examples to the genre, even before PS All-Stars.

    The fact that Smash Bros. codified the genre really lead to most developers thinking the formula needs to be a crossover mascot fighter to succeed, huh? Between PS All-stars, Nickelodeon Brawl, and Multiversus, there really isn't a major developer out there that just thinks the system can work on an original IP. Sure, Indies got you covered with Rivals of Aether (as they usually do), but mainstream discourse is really stuck on the mascot crossover thing.

    Anyway, the real reason Smash Bros remains the king is just how... vast it is:

    • The physics engine is very flexible, allowing for a seemingly infinite combination of interactions (despite the relatively limited movesets)
    • Stages are incredibly varied, from the tourney-legal, to the barely legal, to the gimmicky, to the outright insane. Lots of choice to be had.
    • Items. I fully understand those who don't like them, just as I understand those who do, but there's no denying that they transform the game in a million different ways.
    • Robust single-player modes. Every game (bar 64, I suppose) has had one or more of these, encouraging a controlled way to get into the game.
    • Excellent collectibles, whether they be trophies, stickers, or spirits.
    • Immaculate presentation.
    • And of course, the massive mascot crossover itself.

    Like, any one of those things could be "the gimmick" for a single game. Soul Calibur built a career out of barely ticking two of those boxes. Street Fighter gets called revolutionary for learning how to tick three of these with the latest installment.

    Smash Bros has somehow been firing on all cylinders to include all of this, and be good at all of them. Very large footprints to follow.

    • Like 1
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  11. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    Right, so I haven't been posting in this thread this year. In fact, I've been posting very little. This is because real life has been very busy, and is likely to remain so. I've had little time to play videogames, and even less so to come here.

    I still like to write reviews on the games I play, so I think I'll pivot my priorities towards writing really short reviews. Like, just a paragraph or two. And a 5 star rating

    With that in mind, here are the games that Jonnas has finished (one way or the other) in 2023:

    220px-Megamanvbox.jpg

    Played it a long time ago, replayed it on 3DS.

    Not as good as I remembered. Robot Master weapons aren't that hot (and overshadowed by the upgrade system), the Mega Fist is kinda clunky, the level design is a tad simplistic as there aren't that many alternate routes... Music is cool, though. I'd say the biggest hook is the plot/setting/premise, really, the Stardroids feel like a refreshing change of pace compared to the usual Robot-Men.

    4 stars. Upon retrospect, I think I like Mega Man IV more

    Mystical_Ninja_Starring_Goemon_(Game_Boy

    Briefly played it a long time ago. Tried to play it in earnest on 3DS.

    Very disappointing. It's a top-down action shooter where you can move wherever. It's pretty dull, there's the same kind of enemy over and over, you can explore, but what you can find is profoundly uninteresting, the hitboxes are kind of janky, the playable characters are all the same, the music is forgettable, and the live system is unforgiving. Oh, and having to play a mashing mini-game to confirm you killed a boss? Terrible idea.

    1 star. At least the dialogue is still goofy.

    H2x1_NSwitch_SuperBombermanR_image1600w.

    (the font is super loud and obnoxious, so FYI, this game is called Super Bomberman R)

    Bought it on Switch for multiplayer. Decided to give the story a go.

    It's fine Bomberman for multiplayer. Single-player leaves a lot to be desired, not that the concept is bad, but the execution... It's hard for the wrong reasons. The camera angle is poor for visibility, icy floor tiles are really hard to tell apart from regular tiles, there's a lives system that turns every World into a gauntlet, and the bosses are obnoxious, being arbitrarily invincible 90% of the time. One of the bosses has this banger of a boss tune, but I otherwise don't recommend the Story Mode.

    3 stars. Soundtrack is mostly obnoxious, but you can play as Goemon, Metal Gear, and Castlevania characters, so it balances out.

    H2x1_NSwitch_SamuraiShowdownNeogeoCollec

    Bought it recently for the Switch at a very cool price. Always wanted to properly get into this series. For those who don't know, it's a weapon-based fighting game that focuses on replicating the drama from Samurai films.

    This collection is amazing, containing development history, developer interviews, hundreds of artworks, design documents, and even recordings of competitive matches! Digital Eclipse is doing divine work, here.

    Samurai Shodown 1

    haohmaru-originalstance.gif

    Promising start to the series. Hits the slow-moving, intense-slashing style it's aiming for, but it feels very stiff and choppy. Best to think of it as the prototype for the excellent Samurai Shodown II.

    Samurai Shodown 2

    snk-haomaru.gif

    I played this one before! It's the quintessential SamSho game, and the one that really nails the "Samurai Film Drama" the series is going for. You can tell that SamSho 2019 modelled itself a lot on this game's rhythm and pacing.

    Samurai Shodown 3

    snk-haomaru2.gif

    "We can't improve upon the perfection that is SS2! Let's try something different". Samurai Shodown III aims for a faster pace, with rolls, spot-dodges, high jumps... I don't like it. It's too busy, visually, and detracts from the point of the series. Plus, the hitboxes feel very unintuitive, and the animation is choppier than it needs to be.

    Also, it introduces the "Slash" or "Bust" system, that is, the concept that each character has two different movesets: classic (Slash) or "evil" (Bust). Same normal moves, different special moves and mannerisms. Not a fan, it's just a way to introduce Echo Fighters for the entire roster. I will admit that Bust Nakoruru (who fights with a wolf instead of a hawk) is a pretty distinct character, and makes the best use of the concept.

    Samurai Shodown 4

    hao-toss.gif

    "Well, we can at least improve upon SS3". This is a game with the concepts introduced in Samurai Shodown 3, but refined to the point that they're actually fun and enjoyable. Reuses the same sprites, but it's much more fun to play. There's also a consistent dark tone to the game, as the story says that an evil castle has appeared out of nowhere, and sure enough, you can see it in the background of every stage (it matches the map you see in Arcade Mode). Plus, when a character gets low health during the final round, the villain's face will appaear in the background, cackling, like he's pulling the strings.

    There's also this cool concept in Arcade mode where you can only fight the bosses if you reach them within the time limit. More engaging than usual.

    Samurai Shodown 5

    rasetsumaru-stance.gif

    The series lay dormant for 7 years before some bloke decided to revive it while SNK was bankrupt. Samurai Shodown V really feels like they were throwing a bunch of ideas at the wall and trying to see what sticks. Like, they did away with the Slash/Bust system, but split some Bust versions into their own characters. They also introduced some bizarre concepts for characters, like Elvis Tokugawa, Mina the Archer, and a big hulking monster that has no place being in this game. They're also reusing the same sprites from SamSho 3.

    I will give it credit, it's fairly easier to pick up and play than its predecessors. I also like its minibosses (sadly not playable). But it definitely feels like an oddball experiment.

    Samurai Shodown 5 Special

    Same thing, but more refined gameplay (new mechanics, smoother movement, etc.), and lacking the minibosses. The tasteful fatalities are back. Oh, I also played this one previously.

    Samurai Shodown 5 Perfect

    A never before seen Neo Geo ROM! Digital Eclipse somehow found a surviving copy and put it into this collection! It is now officially the last game to ever be released on the Neo Geo! Holy smokes!

    It's almost exactly like Special, but with some adjustments here and there ::shrug: Not even a new character. There's a new story mode that encourages you to try out its mechanics, so that's cool. Very sweet piece of history, but it's underwhelming that it's mostly what it is.

    Samurai Shodown 6

    Sir-not-appearing-in-this-collection-for-some-reason :mad:

    Verdict

    SamSho I gets 2 stars
    Samsho II gets 4 stars
    SamSho III gets 2 stars
    Samsho IV gets 4 stars
    All versions of Samsho V get 3 stars

    The collection itself is 5 stars. Simply fantastic.

    (All sprites taken from FightersGeneration.com)

      My 2021 log (Hide contents)

    -Mega Man V (1994) Beat

    -Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon [Game Boy] (1997) Dropped

    -Super Bomberman R (2017) Beat

    -Samurai Shodown Neogeo Collection (2020) No Goal

    -Samurai Shodown (1993) No Goal

    -Samurai Shodown II (1994) No Goal

    -Samurai Shodown III (1995) No Goal

    -Samurai Shodown IV (1996) No Goal

    -Samurai Shodown V (2003) No Goal

    -Samurai Shodown V Special (2004) No Goal

    -Samurai Shodown V Perfect (2020) No Goal

     

    • Like 2
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  17. Posted

    Just now, Julius said:

    I'm kind of curious to hear what the English VO was like and hate random little pieces of gaming history like that falling into the aether with re-releases, so fingers crossed they can update it at some point!

    Sadly, there aren't that many on youtube. It's either a megavideo with ALL of the cutscenes, or a spoilerific scene.

    But I did find a decent video, at least:

    It's actually a pretty decent snippet of the game! It shows the battle system in full display (including two instances of a terrible hand, where the player couldn't attack), and then an inoffensive cutscene. There's no singular moment of horrendous acting, just our two main characters sounding stilted, stressing the wrong words, and lacking direction on which emotion their character is supposed to be feeling. You do hear how the script just... blanks whenever the player's name comes up, it's still hilarious that this is how they decided to write dialogue.

    If I had to pick a singular moment to represent bad acting, I'd pick the one kid in the starting village that says "Meemai" several times. It sounds like he's reading each individual word as he says it, and the sound quality is like he's speaking through a cardboard tube. It's some Shenmue level of jank.

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    Is it confirmed that it lacks English audio? Sure, the trailer goes with JP audio, but surely that's because the English voices are the same as the original, which are awful and would make the game look bad.

    Since I have nostalgia for it, I'd like the option to be there. Plus, even if the acting is bad, it's still fun to hear the attack names in English. Heck, it can even be fun to hear the story dialogue, in a The Room kind of way

    • Like 1

  19. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    Normally I'm reserved for predictions, but this time, fuck it:

    • Remakes for Fire Emblem 4 AND 5. Reinhardt will make the announcement;
    • "And while you wait, we'll sell Fire Emblem 3 digitally, translated for the first time ever, for one month only :) "
    • Freedom Planet 2 finally gets a release date for Switch!
    • The grand return of Murasame Castle!
    • Persona 3 Remake: Funky Kong Edition, featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series & Knuckles
    • Mole Mania? Mole Mania!
    • Final Fantasy 9 remake is coming to Switch
    • Final Fantasy 16 is shadow-dropped on Switch
    • A certain game will be renamed to 1-2-Everybody-Switch-to-Pikmin-4. It's a metaphor for Half-Life.
    • Mario&Sonic in Paris 2024 will be announced. It's not actually about the olympics, it's a romantic Visual Novel.
    • F-Zero GX HD. And also, F-Zero GX 2.
    • Metroid Prime 4 will be announced. They'll act like this is the first time they're revealing it.
    • And since I'm feeling a little crazy, a Baten Kaitos trailer
    • Like 1

  23. Posted · Edited by Jonnas

    Man, that thread takes me back. I remember the times were "leakers" would go around faking interviews about what to expect of the next Zelda. Rereading that one in particular, it's so obvious that "Aonuma" is acting so overly passionate about Zelda continuity!

    There's another fake interview that I remember making its way to the N-E main page, but it's not this one. It's one that had the exchange:

    Interviewer: "Wind Waker's opening cutscene was the best part of that whole game"
    Aonuma: "Yes, I thought so too"

    So brazen :laughing: The levels that the OoT/WW rivalry reached

    EDIT: Wait, it really is this one!

    Quote

    [Aonuma:] You remember the opening of Wind Waker, correct? Where it spoke of how Link never came to slay Ganon?

     

    Kyle: One of the best openings I’ve ever seen actually.

     

    Aonuma: I’m glad. I think it was one of the best parts of the game.

    Haha! :grin:

    • Thanks 1

  24. Posted

    Regarding what you spoilered... yeah, I thought that as well. Fascinating to see how lore can develop, internally

    On 27/05/2023 at 1:27 AM, Glen-i said:

    I always find it amusing that all the bad things that happen in Awakening

    To be fair, what you're describing is very likely non-canon :heh: Not the lore bits, just the... singular event that "caused all the bad things in Awakening". It's a bonus chapter that those characters aren't experiencing, so it probably happened at some other time, in some other fashion, with somebody else.

  25. Posted

    I own the Fire Emblem Awakening artbook. Naturally, that's a game with gorgeous art behind it, so it's worth looking at, for sure. Even though I find most armour designs to be garishly awful, there's a lot of material as to how they were designed and conceptualized.

    Yarne_concept_art_02.png

    The most interesting thing about it, is that there are a lot of developer notes actually left a few notes here and there. For example, they redesigned the Falchion only after finding a random piece of Archanea lore that said it was possible, they intentionally made Priam's Ragnell look old and cracked, stuff like that.

    Anyway, the real gem for me is found in concept artwork for the final boss, that is, the gigantic dragon known as Grima

    GrimaConcept.jpg

    This page right here is how I learned that Grima's forehead... is actually a helmet! And it has a frigging human face underneath it! What the hell!?

    (Sadly, the only pictures of the book that I can find are these tiny pics from the FE wiki. Uploading pics of my own is troublesome right now, it's frustrating that Google can't help me more than this)

    • Like 1
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