Dcubed

Absolutely not. Each individual Pokémon animates in a different way from each other. Some may have hundreds of bones for elaborate tail/cloth animations, some might have special effects like lightning, wind etc, some will have special (or even completely unique) shading properties, and some might squash, stretch and morph the entire model (Muk immediately springs to mind). Not every Pokémon is a Pikachu and most aren’t even humanoid; so rarely can you work with a simple “base” model if you will. Funnily enough, here’s an example of what a “simple” model import from a previous Pokémon game can go very horribly wrong!

It IS being outsourced. Creatures are the ones doing the 3D models & animation of all the Pokémon. Ever since Pokémon X&Y, TPC set up the Pokémon CG Group, who handle all 3D modelling and animation of the Pokémon themselves (both in the video games and in all merchandise; including advertisements, movies and the TCG). However, Game Freak still need to incorporate the Pokémon CG Group’s work into the game itself, and that’s still a mammoth task (just the QA work involved must be staggering!)

Ahh, this chestnut again. I’m just gonna unceremoniously steal @Serebii’s post from Resetera on this very topic because it’s actually pretty good… Also this excellent video from New Frame Plus about the ridiculous challenge of animating Pokémon games (fantastic YouTube channel BTW, strongly recommended if you’re interested in video game animation in general!)…

Mad they're still releasing it when it clearly isn't ready yet. Makes you wonder just kind of state it was in last year!

You probably weren’t using a HDMI cable with enough bandwidth for 4K 60FPS & HDR. If you’re getting cutouts like that? It’s probably a HDMI bandwidth issue, probably not your TV itself.

Sonic 1 is a strange game within the wider context of the series, because it isn’t really a “Sonic” game as we know it today (and I don’t just mean that within the context of “Modern Sonic”, but also “Classic Sonic” too). Classic Sonic gameplay is defined by its focus on momentum-based gameplay, where speed is a reward for skilful gameplay. However, in Sonic 1? That only really happens in Green Hill Zone (and to a much lesser extent, Starlight Zone). The rest of the game plays out much like a traditional Mario-like platformer, perhaps more like Alex Kidd than anything else. Marble Zone is outright slow, while Labyrinth Zone is positively GLACIAL in its pacing! The amount of waiting for slow platforms you have to do throughout this game is crazy! And it absolutely runs counter to the fast paced momentum-based gameplay that Sonic 1 sets up right from the get-go in Green Hill Zone; like a speeding car smacking face first into a brick wall. It really does feel like they didn’t have a full grasp of what they wanted to go for with Sonic’s gameplay until near the end of development; by which point, they decided to focus most of their efforts on the first zone and ran out of time to really polish up the latter portions of the game. That being said though? It’s a perfectly fine platformer in its own right, but it really stands out like a sore thumb compared to its sequels (even on the MD), as it’s just so different in terms of design and pacing. It’s no surprise then that Sonic 2 really took the level design of Green Hill Zone and just ran with it throughout the entire game (though that game has more than its own share of problems, especially with its own latter half), as I’m sure nobody would argue that Green Hill Zone isn’t by far, the best stage in the whole of Sonic 1; indeed, that one first stage would go on to define the entire series from that point on (and indeed, SEGA’s entire future).

The company has a strong mysogynistic culture and the CEO is a sex pest... https://supchina.com/2020/09/02/chinese-game-developer-faces-boycott-after-ceos-sexually-explicit-remarks/ Would strongly advise you steer clear of this shit hole.

First hit's free, of course

OMG! Just saw @RedShell's Cardboard Box stage for the first time; absolutely sensational! LOVE the hidden photo on the inside, what a lovely touch

Yakuza on Switch at last!

At least there’s something new in BDSP that wasn’t in the original DS version… it’s very small, but hey! It’s something! Pokemon Legends is a shit Ubisoft empty world game where you exclusively do crappy side quests involving either fighting/catching Pokémon or you craft useless crap. As expected.

S&ASRT is absolutely fantastic. Brilliant game. Even without the absurd level of fan service (of which this game is a veritable cornucopia!) it’s a rock solid kart racer in its own right! Unlike most other kart racers (including the first SEGA All Stars Racing), S&ASRT legitimately has its own identity and doesn’t come across as a blatant knockoff of Mario Kart. It takes the Diddy Kong Racing concept of multiple vehicles and does something genuinely unique with it; the Evolving Racetrack concept is brilliant and superbly executed! Just a brilliant game all around! One of the best kart racers out there, and one of the few that can legitimately stand toe to toe with the Mario Karts! If I have any complaint to make? It’s that the performance (at least on consoles) isn’t great; the 30FPS cap isn’t that bad itself, but the frequent slowdown is annoying, and split screen multiplayer is a bit of a shitshow… Thankfully the PC version rectifies this problem nicely (and even has quite a few exclusive characters!), but man would I love a 60 FPS port to Switch!

Can we propose this as the new name for the genre? Sure beats Open Air at least.

Worth noting that getting all 250 medals is a mammoth challenge! Good bloody luck getting A Rank in Paint Roller!

I’m sure it will be soon enough. The Silver Case came out on Switch just recently, and they have the HD remaster on PC just waiting to get the same port treatment. Would be shocked if it didn’t happen!

Two more in the bag! Haven't played this many games in a long time! Feels good Speaking of feel good... Killer7 was Suda 51's big breakout success in the west, and is the game that made him a household name amongts ultra hardcore Nintendo diehards and hardcore gaming nutcases the world over. The last of the illustrious and exclusive Capcom Five for the Gamecube, Killer 7 is a game that absolutely should not exist. It is an aberrition in every sense and nothing about its existence makes any sense. Killer7 is perhaps best described as an on rails, point n' click adventure light gun geopolitical visual novel... what the fuck!? Master. There has been a twist! At a time where the traditional video game industry was starting to lean towards blockbuster AAA Hollywood style movie wannabe experiences, with ballooning budgets that pushed out everything that didn't fit into that "safe" mold (remember that this was just about 6 months before the Xbox 360 launched); Killer7 was pushed as a mainstream action shooter by Capcom. In reality, it is an arthouse experiment made by Grasshopper Manufacture with the financial backing of a AAA publisher that allowed and pushed Suda51 to do whatever the fuck he wanted. I cannot even fathom this kind of game being allowed to exist in the modern era, it is an absolute miracle this game was made! You play as an assassin with 7 different personalities and unique combat & traversal abilities (which basically act as glorified keys); however, each one is usually locked off at the start of each chapter, and you have to kill a certain number of enemies (Heaven Smiles) in order to wake them all up. All movement is handled on-rails, as holding the A button moves you forward, B turns you around and then you select which path to go down when you reach a junction. Level design is labyrynthian in nature, and the included map is basically completely useless; but luckily stages aren't so large as to be impossible to memorise and figure out where you need to go. Each stage is designed in much the same way, enter stage, kill the Smiles to wake up your personalities, find puzzles, find solutions to said puzzles, collect the Soul Shells, then cash-in the Soul Shells at the local rave club (yes, really) to go and fight one new Smile and then the boss of each stage. Despite the repetitive nature of the game design, it doesn't actually feel all that repetitive throughout, as there is enough variety in enemy types and set-pieces to keep things feeling fresh throughout; and the puzzles are just engaging enough to get you thinking, without being overly complex & pace breaking. Combat plays out much like a light gun game, where you must stop, stand still, scan for invisible enemies and then start shooting in first person. Most enemies will have a particular weakspot for you to hit, and it's not usually easy as the game features realistic recoil and demands light gun style precision! Depending on how you manage to dispatch the Smiles, you are granted a combination of Thin Blood (used for healing & powering up certain attacks) and Thick Blood (used for upgrading your Personality's skills). There's an impressive variety in enemy types throughout the game that never lets up throughout its running time, and each personality's unique attributes are put to good use, as certain enemies are usually weak to specific characters (though Coyote was always my personal fave!). It's a bizzare deconstruction of the action adventure genre that breaks its interconnected gameplay up into constituant parts and presents them as distinct genres; and yet it all somehow comes together to create that cohesive hardboiled feeling that this game is going for. The absurdity of all of these disparate elements perhaps shows us how nonsensical the action adventure genre really is, as this ridiculous cocktail ends up making for a surprisingly compelling gameplay experience. You're... FUCKED! The plot is near indecipherable, but involves a dude who wants to take down the US Government by creating Heaven Smiles; invisible monsters that glomp you and explode on contact. Along the way you fight the power rangers, become mexican wrestlers, meet the head of the US Education Guidance Council (who happens to be an anime magical girl), get involved with a religious cult of chronic masturbators and play russian roulette with the US Secretary of Defence; oh yeah, and people also start a nuclear war with Japan for reasons. Needless to say, Killer7 is batshit insane! And I fucking LOVE it! I think that sums things up nicely I'm loathe to go in depth with the insanity that happens throughout, because it really does need to be experienced in person. It is a glorious mindfuck of biblical proportions that combines the sensibilities of Quentin Tarantino with French Art-House, mixed with anime, mixed with horror, mixed with Lucho Libre, mixed with some of the nastiest LSD you could possibly take. It is perhaps the most Punk video game ever made, and it begs to be experienced. Go and play it already! Punk's Not Dead! After that? How about something a bit more "normal"... Finishing off the original GBA trilogy is Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. Released in 2004, this game had an extra 6 months or so of development compared to Justice for All and the results speak for themselves. Trials and Tribulations has, by a clear margin, the most well written and well designed story in the series (with perhaps only Spirit of Justice coming close). This game was originally supposed to mark the end of Phoenix's story, according to series original director Shu Takumi, and it shows; with a satisfying end to the story of the Fey Clan and a wonderfully complete exploration of Phoenix Wright as a character. Every single case is solid gold, not an ounce of fluff to be found here (even the typical "silly filler case" ends up wonderfully expanding the overarching plot and bringing forth some brilliant character development). Coming off the second game, which had some pretty flimsy logic that lead to some pretty frustrating moments, this tribulation is more like a revelation! It's not flawless mind you, there's a couple of moments that do have some annoyingly restrictive logic behind them... ... but thankfully these are very rare. For the most part, all the logic makes sense; a far cry from Justice for All. Every mystery is well written and genuinely compelling, the characters are all brilliantly written and lovable... and also tragic too... This game also has perhaps the best villain in the entire series... While the game doesn't really introduce any new mechanics (making it the only game in the series to not introduce a major new gameplay mechanic), it takes what was added with Justice for All and really makes the most of it in a way that that game arguably didn't. That's all to really be said about Trials and Tribulations. It's the best game in the series, elegently refining what was done in the prior two games; wrapped up in the most well-written and satisfying story ever to grace the series. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! And with that?

Well they ARE the best 3rd party on Switch.

Come on Mega Evolution!!!

In Japan? Yeah, it’s not impossible for 2020 to beat 2021 (though it’s gonna be very close either way!). Worldwide though? Not a chance. Will still handily beat 2019, 2018 and 2017 WW either way though.

Windjammers 2. SURELY!?

Ahh crud! Wrong thread!

I don’t think that Sonic Adventure 2 is a bad game per-say, but it IS pretty rough in places. Naturally, the Sonic/Shadow stages are the best part of the game; but even these stages can feel really rough. It also relies a lot on automation of your movement in certain parts… which would end up being a predecursor to the modern games that basically play themselves. Still, SA2 does have its moments; and those moments ARE genuinely entertaining. It’s a fun enough time to blast through the Sonic/Shadow stages at least. The Knux/Rouge stages are absolute torture in this game though! WHY did Sonic Team think it was a good idea to make these stages like 10x bigger than in SA1!?!? The SA1 Knux stages were fun because they were compact! The entire concept falls apart when you expand the stage sizes to ridiculous proportions! It’s about as much fun as pounding nails into your skull! Hell, I’ll take the Tales/Eggman shooting stages over that trash any day!

If you wanted to get it on DS, it’s not very expensive… It averages around £20-£25… Only issue is that you have to watch out for fakes… eBay is rife with counterfeit DS games now…

Hey there. I have a set of Bluetooth Headphones and I’d say that you can get a good experience from them… IF you get Low Latency APTX going from both your headphones and transceiver (BOTH elements must support the Low Latency APTX codec for it to work). Without that? Yeah, you’re going to notice some pretty obvious audio delay issues.