Grazza

Got four StreetPasses today! It reminded me how much I used to like StreetPassing. I've completed StreetPass Quest twice and StreetPass Quest II once, and don't really want to start either again, so I'm just concentrating on Puzzle Swap. For ages, I've wanted to complete the Ocarina of Time puzzle. Well, I saw my new Miis had been playing Monster Hunter, Super Mario 3D Land, Lego Batman 2 and even Yoshi's Island DS! Things were looking good... With the 1st Mii, I saw I could get the only Pink Piece I needed for OOT. Result! With the 2nd Mii, I saw I could get the final piece of OOT, so I had a dilemma. Should I get the one Blue Piece I really wanted or one of the many Pink Pieces I didn't have (he had almost all of them, apart from Luigi's Mansion 2). Deciding I wanted to complete OOT more than make progress on the others, I took the Blue Piece. And wow, what a great scene it makes - Epona pushes out of the screen! With the 3rd person, I got a Pink Piece for Luigi's Mansion 2, and the 4th person didn't have any I needed, but I was in too good a mood to care. So, a great day that reminded me of the early thrills of the 3DS. In the old days, I was up there with the keenest in my town to complete the Puzzles. Then it seemed that no one ever had any pieces for me. Nowadays, however, I have neglected it enough that I am actually behind a lot of people, which is good!

Thing is, you need electricty in order to use a vacuum cleaner, just as you need a phone connection in order to use a mobile phone. To date, it has not been necessary to have an internet connection for a games console, and it never should. To do so just makes them less convenient for us, not more so. We'd be making a rod for our backs, but why? A better experience if you're connected? Great. More versatility? Fine. A one-off registration? Acceptable to me, although there will still be some who lose out. But not mandatory - it's just crazy. Adam Orth is coming across as incredibly petulant if he can't understand why people wouldn't buy the next Xbox over this.

They definitely showed their hand early, it's just that they've often used GDC to show a big handheld game, whereas that Nintendo Direct ws specifically to boost the Wii U.

I don't mean this in a bad way, but can we keep everything official and legal please? Thanks.

I don't accept it! If you have the lowest income, you are a Precariat, which is just ridiculous is you compare it to the lowest previously-established class, the the "Underclass". I'm Lower-Middle Class and that's that!

I'm amazed there wasn't one during GDC. I know it's meant to be for developers, but this is the week that (in the past) we learnt about Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks and Super Mario 3D Land!

Good! I'll have a chance to finish III (which is brilliant, by the way).

I don't know, No.10's not bad, is it? Either way, they should get them making 2D Metroids again!

Now I'm wondering how it'll work. There were nine classes in the original games. You absolutely needed: * a Medic (for healing and Immunize) * a Protector and Bard for one or two of the Dragons Then these were very useful: * a Survivalist for 1st Turn (not sure I could have defeated Primevil without one) * an attacker (probably Landsknecht) * an Alchemist for conditional drops * a Dark Hunter or Hexer for binds OK, you could do without a Samurai, Dark Hunter or Hexer (in that game), but it'll be interesting to see how they handle it. Maybe sub-classes? I know it's a remake but it sounds extremely different indeed.

OK, I've completed the game and beaten every post-game boss, so here goes... Etrian Odyssey II Review I would say Etrian Odyssey II has a steep learning curve, but that's not quite true. Even if you know what you're meant to be doing, you simply do not have the stats to pull it off, nor the TP (this series' equivalent of MP), until a significant way into the game. Steep difficulty curve? It's more like a cliff! Most of the best moves from the first entry have been removed, like Immunize, Defender and the TP-restoring Relaxing. Almost the only character who can buff is the Troubadour (Bard) and if you use too many of those, some of the bosses will get angry and defeat you even faster. Perhaps worst of all, FOEs no longer give EXP, so there is absolutely no benefit in encountering one until you are strong enough to go back and get their drops - in fact, they are almost certain to defeat you all on the spot when you first fight them. I battled my way through the first two Strata (ie. the first ten floors) thinking to myself "This is a bad game." That's not to say there are no improvements. Auto-battle is handy, and Resting (which gives you back your skill points if you spent them unwisely) now only sets you back five levels instead of ten. Best of all, the "Boost" bar has been replaced with "Force" moves. Whereas in the first game, Boost would boost any attack, buff or debuff, Force gives each class a completely unique move (similar to the Coup de Grace in Dragon Quest IX), which include guaranteed stuns, buffs, debuffs or just an incredible attack. These are quite awesome and come into their own for boss fights. To activate these, you need to spend around 50 turns in battle (or around 15 turns later on in the game when you've got the Force weapons), which is worth doing before a boss fight as it can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Etrian Odyssey II may start badly, but it starts to pick up in the 3rd Stratum. From that point on, and until the post-game, you can play it at a normal pace, relying on your natural instincts and skills. In fact, for three Strata, it becomes a very enjoyable game indeed. Once you have got enough TP, you can use the new and/or improved skills more often, such as Climax, Midareba (which no longer needs the "stance" to be set up) and the Hexer's insanely-awesome skill, Revenge. Whereas the first game was about going deeper into a labyrinth, Etrian Odyssey II is about climbing higher up a tree. Because of the high difficulty level, you really get the sense you are exploring relatively uncharted places (there is far less about this on GameFAQs than there is the original, for instance). One of this series' strengths is its stories and storytelling. The stories are clever and subtle, and told to you mainly through the villagers you become friends with. Each floor is also entitled to give you a clue about the scenario. It may be subtle, but there is most definitely a real story there, not just one open to interpretation. From the 3rd Stratum onwards, you can play Etrian Odyssey II quite normally until you complete the main story. You may groan to see some of the worst ideas from the original have returned, such as Quests where you have to spend several days on one floor; areas full of unmarked pits to fall through; and floors full of FOEs that respawn as soon as you leave... but overall, it's not too frustrating. You won't be able to afford all the equipment, so it's a good idea to stick to the elemental weapons, which help you to get the conditional drops without even trying. It's probably quite fair to say the main game is a 6/10, as it is literally 60% good. But then there's the post-game. Oh dear! The 6th Stratum. At this point, the pace drops and the intensity really begins! Obscure ways to get to the next floor; FOEs that are almost impossible to defeat and only appear if you spend too long in battle; Floors full of confusing warps. The post-game is infuriating, but there is always a way to prevail. Most of the optional bosses are back (but not Primevil, thankfully!), plus two more. They are all rock hard and all have conditional drops. Conventional wisdom says you don't need to Retire. Well, I Retired! I bought all the best equipment, I obtained all the boss drops, and I battled my way back up to Level 71 (the level cap is 70 unless you Retire). By this point I had become more familiar with the skills, and spent my extra eight skill points on moves I hoped would make it easier to get to the end. I battled my way up to Floor 30, where the post-game boss resides. Not surprisingly, it is rock hard, but is more predictable than Primevil, and this time you have those fantastic Force skills. Using my Hexer's Revenge skill, which by this point was doing about 2,200 damage (per turn), I defeated him in nine turns (and am sure I could have done it in eight if I'd remembered to Revive my Hexer before the fight!) Etrian Odyssey II is not a great game from the beginning. It becomes a great game. I emerge feeling battered, tired, and knowing its idiosyncrasies off by heart. More than that, though, I am ready for the next installment!

I hate to say it, but maybe the memory (storage) makes the machine cost too much. How much do you need for game installations? Because as much as we like the eShop on here, there is a type of gamer that has no interest in downloading anything. Assuming you do actually need 8GB for system updates and game installations, perhaps the 8GB machine bundled with Nintendo Land would sell well.

Probably just an April Fool or, as I call it, "Lie Day"! If it was released this week (I can't remember if this is retail or download-only?), that would certainly make up my mind as to whether I was going to play III or IV first! Currently trying to bash the post-game boss in II...

First of all, don't call me an idiot. Secondly, this is exactly the problem - you think it's OK to insult those who disagree with you. The truth is there is no universal agreement on what a console generation is. It's not the same thing as the dictionary definition of generation, and even if it was there's no need to be rude about it. The anger is only flowing one way - towards people who are not including the Wii U as next gen, not the other way round. I'm not even sure people are saying Nintendo should do that. Just for argument's sake, it may well be that Sony and Microsoft have got it "wrong" and have advanced technology too much. I think this thread is more about seeing reality as it is rather than saying Nintendo is wrong to not keep up with Unreal Engine 4. Not really. I don't see why liger05 should be "called out" for posting a story. People should comment on the story, not the person who posted it. A "negative member" to some is a great contributor to others. Forums need people to report news stories!

Yeah, I won't be able to resist this - I used to be absolutely obsessed with scrolling beat-'em-ups. Pretty sure I've played the Dungeons & Dragons coin-ops here and there, but it will be downloaded! Please bring us Sega's and Capcom's other ones too!

All good points, Dcubed. Personally, I would say there's a simpler explanation - middleware. The 6th gen is the generation when middleware became extremely important (or at least better known). So to me, all this is really about is people becoming more aware of game engines, rather than an extra interest in graphics. Still, as I say, very good points. I would be happy for graphics to take a back seat as long as the games ran better and were once again built as well as they used to be, but that's just me.

Out of interest, how long do you think this has been going on for? Because I don't think it's conditioning, I just think it's natural. When the SNES and Mega Drive were new, it just seemed right that they were better than the NES and Master System. I think some great points have been made today, and I agree with those who say advancing a generation doesn't necessarily mean you get better games (personally, I've noticed that RPGs aren't "built" as well as they were on the PS2/GameCube), but more capable hardware is still an instinctive aim.

Shovel Knight has reached its goal...! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yachtclubgames/shovel-knight/posts/440878 ...And unlocked even more goals. Is that usual? Oh well, fair enough, I suppose. Ex-WayForward staff, soundtrack by Jake Kaufman... can't wait! (3DS version for me.)

Why does it have to be noticeable? The PS4 is objectively on a higher power tier than the Wii U, even if you can't notice it. 8GB of DDR5 RAM compared to 2GB of DDR3. Much faster CPU and GPU, no doubt. It's not about being slightly better or slightly worse (Xbox 3 will surely be slightly below and possibly slightly above the PS4 is some regards), it's about what developers establish as a tier/standard. Besides, it is noticeable. There might not be any PS4/Wii U games to compare, but if you compare modern PC games to PS3/Xbox 360, there is a clear difference nowadays.

The point you're missing is that until the Wii, a new generation of consoles meant a leap in power. Just because Nintendo started making machines that are one gen behind doesn't mean everyone has to adapt their definitions to suit them. Secondly, please explain how you are more qualified to define a generation than Mark Rein.

Right, I've only got two points to make for now: 1) Please don't call people fanboys or say their posts are "dick'ish". Saying "I know you love Nintendo" is not patronising or insulting. Always keep your debates about the actual topic. Don't get personal. 2) Maybe, just maybe, publishers and developers, including ones who make highly popular graphics engines, have some sort of right to determine what a console "generation" is. Don't you think they have enough expertise? Keep it friendly, please.

Lots of reasons, really. Price, convenience, simplicity. The cost of a good PC may or may not be exaggerated, but a console only costs about £150-200. Plus, I'm pretty sure you'd have to build your own to get good value, which not everyone knows how to do. Another reason is that PC games are so scaleable, all you're really getting is better graphics and games that run better, which I'm sure is nice, but I'm always happy with whatever graphical level has been set by Microsoft/Sony etc. All in all, gaming is just a hobby, and the PC requires just too much financial and intellectual investment than many of us want.

Yeah, I noticed how good the graphics engine was when I played the 2nd one. In the 1st game, L and R were used to change floors on the Stratum map, yet Etrian Odyssey II changed it so that L and R perform a "sidestep" move. When you see the scenery shift about with ease, it's almost like an FPS.

Ah, I don't think I'll be able to resist buying this. The original has become one of my favourite RPGs - it's so deep, you can't help but learn all its tactics and secrets. One thing I loved was its amazingly clever story and subtle storytelling, so I hope that stays as good as it was. But either way, I hope to play this. Ridiculously, this will be the 5th time I've bought Etrian Odyssey! Once for me, twice for a friend, and a third time to complete the post-game (which I gave up on first time around). Then a fourth time as a bundle with II & III (American versions) and, potentially, a fifth time for the remake!!!

In Europe, yes. I suppose we'll get a digital version of the manual. But still, no CD, no manual - I'm grateful we're getting this but I definitely think it should be £20.

It would be if shops were selling it, but it's eShop-only. Even so, it's not too bad.