darksnowman

He doesn't call himself hear no-, see no-, speak no EEVILMURRAY for nothing. Know more. Metroidvania = to the discard pile with it. Played the Pepper Grinder demo. We've got a live one here.

Well, well. This seems like it'll be a good one. Unfortunately, it's another of those that's a poor demo because it's the start of the game—I had it on for about 90 mins and the gameplay to watching scenes ratio wasn't the best. I'd rather it dropped you into a few scenarios minus the excessive storytelling. I could definitely get immersed in managing these troops. The menus and customisation look pretty overwhelming at first glance so there must be a good bit of depth to it. The knockbacks, stamina, toggling which of yours will act when you've more than one bearing down on an enemy, the way it forecasts the outcome before you commit, the valor moves. Not that any of this matters in the early going as encounters take care of themselves and it starts you off with a lvl 20 character to fall back on. I didn't use him as soon as I had more characters than I was allowed to deploy and they still waltzed to victory. I just plumped for the middle difficulty. I don't care about the story or setting but I'm sure I'd get into it as the game unfolds. Very interested in this from the small taste I got of how the gameplay works. My main question would be the length because I'd be worried it's going to overshoot the sweet spot by 100 hours.

Demo gives you the first level. It feels decent enough! Otherwise, it looks cheap, I ducked and fell through the ground to my death at one point (couldn't replicate) and the music cut out during a stretch when I replayed it with a different character. Don't think silence was their perk. Seems to chug momentarily in the same spots too. Can't see the graphics getting a touch-up but the other stuff needs ironed out. I flubbed a few times and thought it was down to me, but seeing input lag mentioned above, I'm gonna use that as my excuse.

Fair play because I wouldn't give Pokémon an inch in this regard either... but it's the biggest thing in the world and should be held to a standard reflecting that. I'm one of the people who bought the original SMT V and I think more SMT in any form (on Switch) is a good thing. So it looks like you're just bitter about Vengeance as a late adopter of a not-evergreen title, as is your wont. That's the way the cookie crumbles as, for instance, I put off getting MK 8 DX thinking a new one had to be imminent. Sure you can "eh, whatever" it soon enough on your souped-up backwards-compatible Switch successor and it'll be the same diff. So we all agree Atlus has previous in this area. With and without SMT in one way or another. Late 2021-mid 2024 isn't a bad stretch for SMT V—longer than IV to IV: Apocalypse which I easily disregarded. Be less favourable if they took Vengeance multiplatform and left Switch as is. If it was DLC and this definitive edition elsewhere, I'd personally dismiss it as something for a rainy day (perhaps you two wouldn't) but because it's a "new" game for everyone, I'm a bit torn for some reason this time. Not that it's an exact science because there are a couple of games I sometimes wish had DLC expansions that don't.

Thanks for the races. Not for the first week, I held B on the start line of the first race then it took me a few more to remember to swap over to the joystick which I've been trying to get the hang of for a while. Both lapses likely down to F-Zero 99. Not that you'd know it from the standings—pretty much a steady Eddie there. DK Snowboard Cross, the one pick of mine that made it in this week, was by mistake. I meant to go one more to the right and select Yoshi's Island. Wouldn't you know it.

For example, they already did Strange Journey Redux—a mainline game in all but number—which you neglected to mention. But maybe because it's not on the same console it doesn't count? As a company, they have given us updated Etrian Odyssey's with story modes added to originally pretty storyless games, though again, not on the same console. SMT is the main series and Persona is the spinoff with runaway success so there isn't inherently any shame in taking a leaf out of its book if it keeps the relatively niche main series ticking over. Just because you didn't get on SMT V years ago. This we can agree on. For anything.

That's all good then as I don't have much of a slush fund for them to get at. Since I don't know when the next shops and armouries are coming, I've been stocking up.

Don't be daft. Didn't read that way at all—there are exceptions to everything; it was clear what you were getting at. @Glen-i'd be all over Pokémon doing this (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, etc) and now he'll post irrefutable evidence to the contrary. SMT V came out around the time of the Matrix Resurrections. Me, I grabbed it shortly thereafter in January because I was worried it was already on the verge of becoming scarce. I don't mind being pulled up on this as I only have (mainline) SMT III, IV (original) and V but they didn't seem to do a "Royal" version of these before, so I always reckoned a definitive edition of V would extend no further than going multiplatform + DLC bundle. Vengeance is a surprise to be sure as they're showing they have the cheek to repackage it with added story (as much as SMT has a story). But now you see it, it's obvious. It's 2024, and a lot of releases have gone under the bridge so those million-plus Switch fans might well be ready to go again. My heart says yes, my head sees the hours required and says wise the bap. The new part.

Skimmed through an influencer video of this (doubt it was the Switch version). They seemed positive about it but that'll be their schtick so I'm taking it with a generous pinch of salt. Apparently the movement feels good but how can you to tell when you don't have it in your hands. All I know is there's something about the look of this that makes me sceptical. Especially since they had to bill it in the showcase as "from the makers of..." instead of letting it stand on its own two legs. A short demo would assuage this I'm sure.

Sending some demos to the Switch and the price of this? The demo better knock my socks off.

That was an irritating listen. Yeah, looks like it would be slow going. Wonder if there'll be a demo to try out a selection of the mini games.

True to their word, they came back with a gameplay demonstration. Doesn't show a great deal, imo, and takes about 20 minutes before he actually commits to his attack. The guys passion and enthusiasm for it is infectious—he's definitely taken pride in his localisation work.

Can't wait to see if my thumbs still remember a few combos. Will have to get the instruction book out for a refresher.

Opening yourself up to some backlash with that. Blast the core! Blast the corpse! Just dang and blast it! Hmm. Then maybe I didn't get everything back but I did relieve him of everything I was able to. Aye, guilty as charged. I have a few others but PoR & RD generally remain my reference point for the series. Based on what you've said, that could have something to do with why I'm storing all the items in this one and going in armed to the teeth with the troubadour on healing.

Same. They were quite the gems. Do you remember if they were budget releases? I seem to recall getting the first one for £20 from HMV. Don't think I knew that about the MP3s or I'd have made a playlist with those tracks as well. My Excite Truck had one of the best soundtracks in all of gaming.

I don't get a lot of mileage out of Mario Party. Though from the showcase it looked like it could offer some frantic fun. Not sure how to best describe Fantasy Life. It's an action sort of RPG where jobs/classes are called lives. I'd a good time with the one on 3DS which is why I'm up for this one by default even if I'm not convinced about decorating another island after Animal Crossing. Cautiously optimistic.

Grounded & Pentinent : first time seeing these. First impression was a grimace. If this is what other consoles have maybe they should keep them. But I'll keep an open mind and do some homework on them over time. Ender Magnolia: Not my cup of tea but looks good nonetheless. Arranger: Looks cool! Drew a nod from me when he said "handcrafted dungeons." Unicorn Overlord: Forgot about this because, seeing it again, it looks forgettable to me. Will need to have a look at the demo. MH Stories: Liked the demo on 3DS. Not especially fond of 3DS games coming after they fomo'd us with the eShop closure. But that's business. Should've said, "Now fully voiced and in... TWO D." Epic Mickey: Enjoyed on the Wii despite it's shortcomings. Annoyed at myself for being open to picking it again. SMT V Vengeance: A long time coming. Would like to have the willpower to skip it. Battlefront: had a few 2-player sessions on this/these on Playstation 2. Unsatisfying gameplay. South Park: Snow Day: looks cool. Sword Art Online: Looks nice. I'm in no way well-versed in these. Gundam Breaker 4: yep, another one that looks cool. Monkey Bollocks: just the kind of thing I wanted from the showcase—games for the fans, not for me. Then my eyes lit up at the 20-player clips. World of Goo 2: good to see it live on. Fantasy Life: good to see it pop up. Another Crab's Treasure: looks cool. Penny's Big Breakaway: looks iffy. No doubt decent. Suika update: yes! Get it back on game trial. Suika 99 coming next. Pepper Grinder: still looking cool. Pocket Card Jockey: enjoyed it on 3DS. Snufkin: everyone loves the moomins! Tales of Kenzaru: would like to know more. Demon Slayer Sweep the Board: curious what this entails. Kingdom Come Deliverance: looks all right. Contra: classic. Rare NSO: I felt a twinge of emotion at the KI music. Really nice that they added these without the drip feed. For a split second, I thought borders were coming with the way the crossfade was done. Endless Ocean: liked it well enough on Wii. Need to learn what this one offers exactly because some group dives could be fun. Overall, just a handful of games I'd write-off. The polar opposite of what I wanted. "In this presentation we'll be focusing on Nintendo Switch games launching in the first half of 2024." Then just say coming this spring for those undated 2024 games, eh? Relieved Fantasy Life is October. Don't need it this side of summer. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Standing by for Killer Cuts.

Damn. I need Switch 2... in 2027 on the condition nothing else comes out except what's officially known. Perhaps even JFG if we behave ourselves.

Harsh. So it's permadeath with items too. Better use em or lose em. I hadn't taken note of who had what but noticed Lyn came back with a recharged Mani Katti which has been very nice. Impressive how you boys remember these games in so much detail. I could only talk about the entries I've played in the broadest of strokes. Yep, the game actually told me that. I just want him to survive every chapter to see what levelling him yields (I've my fingers crossed he will become a shop). I said I left insufficient cover for the tent, but it'd be more accurate to say I left it wide open. When they came in the side door to attack the tent, I was only able to get the peggy knight back in time and she got sent to the big Fire Emblem in the sky for her heroic efforts. Canas and Raven were only one square out of range from taking some heat off her. Like I said, the map seemed done and I was more concerned with trying to corner those slippery thieves lest they flee. Schoolboy error. 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. Of course I'll check that. Useful tip as I supposed Matthew would be the key character there. 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.

Oh no. Since it's out now, I've been able to find this on the website: *The main game and gallery screen (*Gallery) are in Japanese version. *Other menu screens and ""How to play"" screens are in English. Sounds like English doesn't extend to everything. A bit of a letdown but why let something like that stop us! Sure it'd skip our region entirely if they didn't think we're up to the task.

For a closing megaton: now partnering with Epic for Nintendo Lego in Lego Fortnite. If the Internet is down I will know this has come to pass. I wouldn't mind an update on Mina the Hollower but that's probably Nindie and I'm getting by all right with it not having a release date. Nor would I put it past Capcom to do a remake of Streetfighter 2010 (NES) that looks like a flash game and is graciously Nintendo exclusive because it is low-effort dross.

The countdown is on. I recommend Rilakkuma. They could do something like a Pokémon Pikmin game—the names have always been close enough. Could be good in the unlikely event time and care was put into it. A game that's complete in its own right and they can cross-promote between the phone apps for monetisation. Really the only thing I expect from this Presents is something that gets my attention in Unite then when I try to unlock it, it takes too much time to do for free and that's me off that game for another year until it happens again.

Woud like to see: Metal Slug Tactics. Shiren on the reel! Suikoden slotted in. Eiyuuden too. SaGa Emerald Beyond shown to the masses. Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan!! comes west, feels good. Jack Black singing a Bowser cartoon into existence. These are not my demands because I couldn't give much of a fig what's shown—I'm already well stocked for games so I'm just content the release calendar will be ticking over. And since third parties have brought the goods on Switch where possible, a Partner Direct is as welcome as anything. Whatever is in it, I'm expecting a good showing (by my assessment, anyway) and anything I want to get from it will be an annoying bonus. Personally, the scheduling isn't ideal, but when is it ever for these? Will go dark and enjoy it after the fact. This would be such a snub to the rabbids. I could see it happening with Nintendo's new movie making partners.

Something new and good. Pokémon Concierge: The Game would at least be a start.