Grazza

Considering what @Wii has just posted about Sega, it's a bit of a shame you can't access Wii Mode with the Wii U GamePad (or other traditional controller). I have a few Sega games on the Wii Virtual Console and I can't see myself being able to play them again now.

Yeah, but I don't like Pokémon or card games, so...

I like the idea, and thanks for including me (would definitely be up for this with other games) but I think I'll skip this particular one if you don't mind. To be honest, my gaming time and spending on games are both spoken for at the moment.

This explains a lot about why the industry has gone downhill these days. I've always thought there was the potential to use the most powerful hardware in a way that is neither massive-budget nor NES-type nostalgia, and it seems that is now happening with the mid-scale downloadable games described in this interview. It's good the independent scene has a lot of promise, but I'd also like some of the existing developers to get back their companies. (Wonders if Enix could break away and become independent...)

I know they like female characters, and they've done an amazing job with Shia's design, but you really would think they'd put a Goron (Darunia?), a Zora and Fierce Deity Link in there as playable characters.

I feel like this game has been dominating Dragon Quest for too long. DQ IX was released in 2009 (2010 for Europe), which to me feels like an age away. After we eventually found out about DQ X, it was released on: Wii - 2012 Wii U - 2013 Windows - 2013 Android - 2013 3DS - 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest_X It's understandable they want to make their money back from this experiment, but I long for the day when Dragon Quest gets back on track and (from a development perspective) leaves this MMO behind.

Yeah, but you can always Rest or Retire in Etrian Odyssey, thus getting back your skill points. The one big flaw in Dragon Quest VIII (besides not being able to see the full Metal King Armour ) is that you can completely waste your skill points and not get them back. If you find yourself in this situation, then in theory you can steal Skill Seeds (which, again, takes skill points to get that skill!) or wait for enemies to drop them. Neither were successful methods when I played it. The points awarded gets less and less at higher levels too.

I would say so, definitely.

The best? Oh really...? I feel like the only person who can't beat Monster Arena Rank S with My Three Golems, even when the thing in the spoiler happens. I can only beat it by using the exact same monsters as Morrie. I thought it was my fault for mentioning it in the PS2 thread. I really, really want to play it now, despite having so many other games to play. (Investigates component cable...)

The funny thing is, it's really not that much like it (despite me comparing it to Metroid numerous times ). The only true similarity is the upgrades you get in small caves, which give you a better jump etc. Other than that... not at all. There's no backtracking, no 'missile doors' or anything like that. As for length, it depends how thorough you are. I spent ages on my first playthrough (8-10 hours I think), but you can get through it really quickly once you know what you're doing.

With respect, I'd dismiss launch title and waggle as part of its appeal, as people were as hyped as could be before either of those were an aspect (ie. when we thought it was a GameCube game). I agree about next gen graphics, but only as far as 'realistic style on GC over N64', as the Wii didn't play a part in that. What I mean by 'all-out' is that someone at Nintendo really used their instinct to conceive an exciting game. However much the finished product could have done with tweaking, the basic idea for the game was so pure and instinctive, and struck at the core of many people. As for the debate, @darkjak really makes some good points. The irony, though is that the game he dislikes - Wind Waker - proves his point best! It truly is an evolution. Functionally, the game is very like Ocarina of Time - elemental arrows (and therefore puzzles), Power Bracelets (which reveal previously inaccessible holes), shield control (and therefore the Mirror Shield)... Also, I think there's a distinction between grand concepts like Wind Waker and dispensable gimmicks. The whole point of Wind Waker is that it's a sea adventure! Complaining there's not a horse is like having a Zelda set underground and complaining there's no boat. Nintendo must be free to carry out these visions... when they have them. At other times, I must admit I would like a bit more tradition. I was once discussing with a friend how every time there's a massive leap in graphics, I am eager to see how the new console can portray Hyrule Castle, Ganon etc. It doesn't mean every Zelda has to the same, although I think there's a lot of merit in the 'two Zeldas per console, alternating traditional and quirky' model.

Agreed, but we're aficionados, Jonnas. We see things like that, but I still say, on a broad scale, Twilight Princess was basically what people wanted. It's got loads of flaws, but the basic idea - running round a solid overworld as Adult Link - was the right one. Good point. Majora's Mask is definitely the biggest mystery on the list - how can it go from the massive-selling OOT to the low-interest MM? I can only put myself back into the mindset I had at the time Majora's Mask was unveiled, which was "This doesn't have Adult Link in it?" I also know a significant amount of people who didn't like the time limit (not the 3-day cycle specifically, just the feeling of being rushed). Overall, I feel there were enough clues to know MM wasn't going to be an OOT-sized hit.

I didn't actually know about them, but they look just my thing. Might try to track them down and get the PS3 remaster of FFX. This thread is making me think I should get more not just out of my PS2, but my PS3 as well.

I used to be a true pro-Sega, anti-Sony fanboy, but then I saw what Nintendo was doing with the Wii and realised there was no point in being loyal to companies. I decided to buy a PS2 and catch up on the games I had heard about that I thought I'd like. Saying that, I can only remember playing and completing five: Okami - If anything, this was the No.1 game I bought a PS2 for, as I'd read it was the closest anyone had come to replicating a 3D Zelda. My opinion? Not too keen. Whilst I completed it (and what a long game it was), I found the gameplay somewhat unintuitive and unnatural. Still, it's a game with a unique atmosphere that I won't forget. ICO - It's a good job patience was on my side, as I struggled to get into this one. The early stages of the game don't seem anything special, and it took me a while to get into its groove. Eventually, though, I began to appreciate to movement around the game environment, and how the overall form truly felt like a fortress. A good game, although probably does veer a little bit towards "overrated" territory. Shadow of the Colossus - Like ICO, I needed patience to get into this, although soon found it more rewarding. Once the controls are learnt, you realise you are in a remarkably huge game world, chasing down giants on an unrivalled scale (at the time, certainly). It almost helped that the land was quite empty, as it made it more fascinating how such giant creatures could hide in it. Is that one on top of the hill? Will there be one in this cave? Traversing the overworld and finding them was almost like meditation. Final Fantasy XII - My first Final Fantasy. At first I found it quite confusing, and quite honestly the learning curve continued for me throughout the game. This is the FF that introduced a real-time combat system to the series, something similar of which was utilised, I believe, by games like Xenoblade Chronicles. The 'Gambit' system fuelled this by offering an enormous list of command options, and on top of that was a gargantuan overworld. Although I struggled with FF XII, I would quite like to have another crack at it someday. Dragon Quest VIII - I saw a review of this in a games magazine and though "I've always wanted to try a Dragon Quest; I'll give this a go". Oh man, I'm pleased I did! Massive overworld, easy-to-get-into battle system, colourful graphics, beautiful music... to date, the best RPG I have ever played, and worth buying the PS2 just for this. I genuinely hope to play another game I love as much as DQ VIII. ... So yeah, glad I bought a PS2! Even with those five games (and even just with Dragon Quest), I liked it enough to be one of my Top 2 systems that generation. Actually, it's no exaggeration to say the PS2 was the last time I truly enjoyed hooked-up-to-the-TV console gaming. Now sure why - maybe they (the consoles themselves) are a bit too complicated and demanding for me nowadays, with everything so internet- and accounts-focused. Anyway, that aside - a great console, and I still have it, so if there's a hidden gem that I didn't know about I could still play it.

I have to wonder though, how many fans complained TP was too similar to OOT compared to the amount who actually bought it? It must be a tiny percentage. What TP achieved is that it got almost 9m people excited enough to stump up the money for it. If you look at the less successful titles in that list, their low sales were totally predictable. Whilst I preferred Spirit Tracks to Phantom Hourglass, there was no hype for it in advance. Skyward Sword was not highly anticipated and, although it got good reviews, it now seems to be judged in line with its pre-hype. A Link Between Worlds is an excellent game, but I honestly wasn't very excited about it in advance, and certainly didn't buy the 3DS for it (I'd already bought two!) What I'm saying is that I think there's a lesson here. The higher sales are from when Nintendo went all-out to make the best possible game for the system, and fans were desperate to get their hands on them.

That's an extremely interesting chart' date=' and although it's a shame to see top class games like Majora's Mask and Link Between Worlds near the bottom, I do think it correlates [i']very[/i] strongly with how much hype/excitement there was for each title. Link to the Past? Seeing it in a magazine made me buy a SNES. Ocarina of Time? It was the N64 game we were all waiting for. Twilight Princess? I've honestly never been as excited for a game in advance, before or since. I won't count Legend of Zelda because I didn't have a NES, and Wind Waker (my personal favourite) is pretty much the last one on the list that genuinely made me buy a console for it (I did buy a DS for Phantom Hourglass, but my expectations weren't high). What I'm saying is that this list is an excellent indication of which Zeldas were exciting, rather than a 100% fair representation of their quality. I suppose I'm stating the obvious, really - after all, it's a sales chart - but the Top 6 are the ones that truly felt like Nintendo was going all-out to make the best game they could at the time.

Having a quick look at the Android devices, these seem to be about lifestyle rather than health, ie. ordering dinner. Whereas previous wearable tech I've seen measure pulse, alertness, that sort of thing. I must admit, I am interested to see which angle Nintendo goes for. To elaborate a bit more, I've never been too interested in wearable tech because, in addition to generally finding the idea complicated and unnecessary, I'm not 100% sure what it is. Or, to put it another way, I'm sure science will come up with some interesting health-related breakthroughs over the years, but of course Nintendo is not a science lab, so is limited to using what is already out there. Considering this, I can only imagine them taking existing tech (that measures pulse, alertness etc) and making some sort of software solution to it. I wasn't being flippant when I talked about dreams, by the way. I would genuinely be interested in something radical like that, but I just can't believe it will be. At the moment the best I can think of is some sort of relaxation device. So the truth is I'm not exactly uninterested - quite the opposite - but being realistic I can't see it being a product I'd buy.

Ah, that sways me back to the 3DS version then. I like the d-pad on the 3DS XL.

Haha, actually, that's why I'm thinking of getting it on 3DS. My televisions have never had particularly good sound (and I don't run my consoles through a sound system either), so my biggest aural enjoyment has come from handhelds. I put on a pair of headphones and I'm in another world - DS, 3DS... even something as low-tech as the GBC sounds better through headphones than my TV speakers. Still, I'm tempted to get the Wii U version for the other reasons. It really is a conundrum.

Bulblins are in it! Lots of Twilight Princess homage in these new pics!

Uninterested. Unless Nintendo has invented something that'll let me have flying dreams every night, that's different, but I'm sure it'll be something boring instead. Every single piece of 'wearable' tech I've seen has seemed completely pointless to me (apart from the good ol' wristwatch, of course) so I hope I'm wrong, but I expect Nintendo's 'non-wearable' tech to be the same. More Metroid please!

EO III is the one I haven't completed (but have started), so I'm not sure whether I'd play a remake of that or complete the original. Probably both. EO II is a strange game. The difficulty curve over the first two Strata is like a cliff. Strata 3-5 are like playing normally, then of course Stratum 6 is rock hard as usual. I'd guess a remake would fix the "no EXP from FOEs" thing, plus the "EXP from Quests" mechanic from EO III onwards would probably be introduced. But yes, it seems like Atlus (or Sega?) is trying to get this series a firmer foothold. I'm glad the 3DS iterations have all had physical releases, as it gives them more chance of success (I looked up Conception II on the eShop, but it's currently £31.99 - to me, that's too expensive for something I can't resell). EO IV seems to have been much more successful than I expected. I've got loads of StreetPasses for it (30-50, that kind of figure) and get a few every time I go out. EO Untold doesn't seem to have been as successful, unfortunately, as I only have one genuine StreetPass for it. I don't know what the experience of others on here has been? What's interesting is that EO Untold makes explicit how many Yggdrasil trees were planted; thus how many games in the series we might expect.

I'll have some of that. Etrian Odyssey II is the one with the best individual special moves (instead of Boost or Limit). The post-game boss is not too frustrating either.

If you really know what you're doing, you can 100% it in 90 minutes. I'm trying to do that at the moment, although I normally fall a bit short with speed runs. Ah, I'm the complete opposite. All my Metroids have long play sessions, as I just love to explore and explore.

Yeah, I can see how the map graphics could seem like a DS game. The battle graphics, however, are absolutely brilliant in my opinion. I'd love a game with those graphics that I could actually play. Definitely.