FireMeowth

I know, which is why I think the balance they have now is really good - you know which maps to expect, but you don't know exactly which map you're ending up in. Telling you which map is coming up would be just as bad as having the map selection be completely random.

I think doing that would come with its own set of problems, though: 1) They'd have to increase the time between rounds to give people time to change gear. I'm quite happy with it only taking 10-15 seconds from the end of one match to the start of the next. 2) You'd still end up with the problem of people just picking the best gear, only this time they'd pick the best gear for each individual map, which would be even worse. 3) ...I like not knowing exactly which map is coming up. I'd rather things just stay the way they are now.

Wait... what? Where is the logic in this? If the map was chosen at random between all 8(-14) available ones, then allowing gear changes in lobbies wouldn't help anything. People would definitely just opt for the "best" loadouts just like Amano said.

Having read the thread and your details of this proposed enhanced Pokémon interaction, why couldn't this just happen in a future handheld game, though? (Apart from the fact that it's obviously just a design choice, of course.)

To be honest, most "fans" that ask for a main game on home consoles seem to be the same fans that lost interest in the series years and years ago. Why cater to them and risk losing the millions of people who enjoy the portability aspect and still buy every new game released - you know, their main target audience? Especially when it's in their best interest to keep the games social, making fans meet up locally at Pokémon Leagues, tournaments or the numerous other events. You might've missed this part: We'd need the full game to do this, not just a handheld companion app.

Why does this game have to be so painfully difficult?! And I'm still only in the first world...

I meet up with friends at the local Pokémon League twice a week. We battle, trade, help each other out, show off things in our games, share our Secret Bases etc. I would never want them to sacrifice that in exchange for better graphics and (potentially) grander scope, which are really the only benefits I could imagine a console release would have over the handheld games.

I want the main Pokémon games to stay handheld-only, as the benefits of portability far outnumber the minor advantages a console release would have, but I really do wish we had more spin-offs on the Wii U. ...Okay, mostly I just want a new PokéPark game. PokéPark 2 was one of the very best Pokémon spin-offs (like no one ever was), and one of my favourite Wii games, too.

My problem with voice chat in Splatoon is that I don't think people SHOULD be coordinating in that way. It's just too unfair to the people who don't or can't use voice chat, like me. Of course, friends who really want to voice chat will find a way regardless, but having an in-game option would most likely make the game near unplayable for me. (The Carbon Roller is one of the worst weapons in the game, by the way. )

For anybody wondering, it was the title screen music for Yoshi's Woolly World! What a lovely and pleasant surprise upon starting the game.

I just joined the crowd who have completed the Hero Mode. I think that might have been the best final boss + credits in video gaming history. Further cemented this game into its spot as my top GOTY 2015 candidate.

Really? I've never had any problems with the motion controls in Splatoon, and wouldn't hesitate a second to call them 100% perfect.

Because Activision's benefit of the crossover is to get amiibo collectors to buy their games (and potentially get addicted to Skylanders collecting as well), not just the individual figurines? :P Though as they said, they're not planning on making them available outside the starter packs "at this time". It could still happen in a future wave - as it usually does with most of the Skylanders starter pack figurines.

Well, they couldn't have bundled them all together unless they increased the price substantially over the other starter packs (the starter packs all have two Skylanders and one vehicle), and considering parents are more likely to pick up the cheaper versions, I'm sure they wouldn't want that. Besides, the Wii/3DS versions are completely different games from the Wii U version, so it's not like you have to buy the same game twice to get all four Nintendo figurines. Sounds pretty consumer friendly to me.

As someone who has next to no interest in SMT and little interest in Fire Emblem, I must say... this game looks absolutely amazing! I loved everything I saw in the Treehouse segment. That said, I'm not sure I'd trust Atlus to give us a game with dual-audio (or Japanese-only with subs, either would work for me), so I probably shouldn't get too excited...

The Treehouse stream started broadcasting early with some lovely music. Yesterday they only had Nintendo music, but I can't place this track. Anyone know what it is/where it's from? EDIT: It stopped now.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Personally, I loved all the writing, so the talking and tutorials were only a plus in my book. I never felt like it was drawn out, either - if anything, I wish it was longer! As for it being grindy, I never once felt like I had to stop and grind for experience or items or anything to progress through the game, but maybe I'm just used to other JRPGs being far worse. Granted, I am a completionist, so I always explored every area fully and battled most enemies I came across anyways... My completionist spirit also made me do this in the end, but even then I never felt overwhelmed by the grinding:

This is my paper jam right here. So excited! Also reminded me that I should go back and 100% Dream Team Bros. already... Got some Giant X bosses and Mad Skillathon events left, I think...

Hoping to see this shown off at the Treehouse stream. It looks so amazingly charming, so I'm definitely interested.

I unlocked everything in the 3DS version ages ago, but I still play it more than the Wii U version because I smash with friends at the local Pokémon League twice a week. (And also because most of my Wii U playtime is occupied by Splatoon these days.)

Finished a match on the Miiverse stage with Charizard's Final Smash, so why not: You must have JavaScript enabled on your device to view Miiverse posts that have been embedded in a website. View post in Miiverse Got some practice drawing Alain, too.

Pretty cheap DLC considering the genre and amount of work it takes.

In my opinion, Pokémon Link is one of the worst spin-off games ever, almost all the way down there with Pokémon Dash. Pokémon Link: Battle is waaay better. They all have quite different gameplay, though. Personally, I far prefer Shuffle over the others.

Really? I thought it seemed very roller friendly - the match where we dominated the most (think we won 66% to 18% or something) had three rollers on my team against a balanced team of opponents. ...Or maybe we just got all the best players on my team. :P

Stayed up late to play some Kelp Dome as early as possible. Won all the six matches I've played on it so far. Liked it in the Hero Mode, like it even more in Turf Wars.