Dcubed

Yeah, there are lots of series with great music, but I wouldn’t say that there are many out there that really can be said to keep up that really high level absolutely consistently. And the longer a series goes on? The harder it is to keep that unwavering winning streak going (even the Zelda series has Phantom Hourglass’ soundtrack dragging down the average). That being said? Monster Hunter is a good shout; 7 mainline games in (and however many spin-offs) and they’re all pretty great. There isn’t really a bad piece of Monster Hunter music out there! And that’s really pretty darn remarkable! Ace Attorney is another good example; very very consistently good music, 10 games in! But yeah, Castlevania is just in another league. 20-30+ games and ALL of them are winners! That’s just insane!

Mad GCN/GBA vibes. I like it! Doesn't exactly bode well for all the rumours about a Switch Pro coming any time soon though.

Nice update. Took way too long to get cold storage up and running, but at least it's here at last.

Sony ripped off the Capcom CPS Suicide Battery

Something else to consider is that even Sony’s new IPs do tend to follow a very similar design template as already used in their existing games. I know you’ve all seen the meme picture, but the reason why it’s funny is because it’s based on truth. All of Sony’s modern western games share very similar characteristics. You’re going to have a crafting system, you’re going to have a skill tree, you’re going to have light RPG mechanics & XP, it’s going to be a 3rd person shooter/action game that is focus tested to hell & back, it’s going to focus primarily on telling a paternalistic story ahead of anything else, hell it’ll probably even have a forest that looks just like the meme picture somewhere along the way! Even Sony’s new IPs are often barely distinguishable from each other in terms of gameplay (not setting; important distinction to make). Just like with Ubisoft and From Software (now there’s a good analogue to Sony WWS!), Sony struck gold with a winning formula; and by God are they gonna keep milking it. Just like From Software, Sony WWS used to produce all manners of experimental and unique games (not always winners, but certainly a lot of variety and different types of games); but now? Basically everything they make now follows this winning formula, just like with From Software; who now make Souls and nothing else. The days of Sony WWS making stuff like Puppeteer, The Last Guardian, Playstation All Stars Battle Royale, Fat Princess, Killzone, Tokyo Jungle, The Unfinished Swan, The Eye of Judgement etc are long gone. Sure, you’ll still get the odd exception to the rule like Rachet & Clank (itself on its 11th entry, with each game sporting near identical gameplay) or Gran Turismo 7/8/9 (however you want to count it); but if there is a new IP coming from Sony? Chances are very high that you’ll be seeing it follow that Winning Formula that they’ve been perfecting ever since Uncharted. It’s all just so incredibly risk averse. When all of their new IPs play so similarly, are they even new IPs anymore? Sony’s games are all the safest stuff you could really imagine them making. There’s no risk taking anymore. And nothing personifies that better than the shuttering of Japan Studio.

Oh yeah, love Blast Corps! Such a unique little gem. It’s shocking how few games like it there are out there. The concept is so base and simple; I mean, fundamentally speaking, blowing stuff up is fun! It’s the expertly crafted level design and bevy of unique vehicles & scenarios that really make it so much fun though. It’s almost like Rare’s take on Pilotwings, in a weird, roundabout way. It’s a game that is both extraordinarily chill and also really intense & hard when it wants to be! Great game!

Vita was the best PSP there ever was.

Is that an IPS screen by any chance?

BTW, this has nothing to do with anything we were talking about before, but I just started playing through Castlevania: Circle of the Moon again after listening to some of its music and HOT DAHYM does it have a great soundtrack! Special shout-out also goes to the amazing arrangement of Awake as heard in Super Smash Bros Ultimate though! I NEVER thought that we’d ever get to see any sort of love given to COTM, as oft forgotten as it is by Konami (and also IGA himself), but I was SO delighted when I saw Awake surface in SSBU! (Oh! And there’s that extra little addendum at the end in this arrangement too @Glen-i ) On a bit of a tangent, I think it’s safe to say that throughout all of video game history, Castlevania has the most consistently amazing soundtracks of any long running series. Even the absolute shittiest, most utterly awful Castlevania game has an AMAZING soundtrack to go along with it!

Why suffice when you can have something far more impressive? Neither of you have given a compelling reason why they should do a worse thing instead of a better thing. Opportunity cost is one very big reason; the time and effort spent on a full graphical remake would be much better spent on a new game if you’re not going to make any meaningful changes/additions to the gameplay. Another reason is preservation of the original game. Why remake a game instead of just re-releasing the original? Why “delete” the original game from existence in favour of a new paint that doesn’t preserve the original game’s artistic intent? (SOTC is particularly guilty of this). Imagine if Nintendo keep remaking the original SMB each and every time they wanted to re-release it? Not only would it become garbled beyond any recognition of its original version, it would also have taken away significant resources from making new games.

Yeah, a simple remaster would’ve sufficed. A full remake was totally unnecessary; doubly so with SOTC. And Capcom needs to leave RE4 the hell alone!

Agreed. It’s not a very common approach for a remake to take with its soundtrack (even amongst those that might be considered full “Retellings”; like Metroid Zero Mission), but I do wish that more remakes would take a similar approach! It’s really great when it does happen! Actually, come to think of it... some games DO do this when they include rearrangements of music from previous entries in the series... The “Final Fantasy Prelude” is perhaps the best example that immediately springs to mind... You might be fooled into thinking that what you know as the “Prelude” has always been what it is, but you would be WRONG! Here is the original version... Here is Final Fantasy 3’s version... And HERE is Final Fantasy 4’s version; where the additional section that we know today was added... This isn’t that uncommon of an approach for a long running series to take with recurring themes, but it IS uncommon to see in a remake.

The remake of Demon's Souls was great and very highly regarded. It was the £70 price that wasn't needed. I didn’t say it was bad, I said that it was unnecessary (for the record I think the same thing of the Link’s Awakening remake on Switch. It’s a great remake, but ultimately an unnecessary one). Did Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus really need remakes? Especially when SOTC already had a fantastic remaster? Was there anything wrong with the original games that really warranted full remakes? I’d argue no (and it’s not like they even brought anything new to the table other than a shiner coat of paint anyway). A remake should be done to make substantial gameplay changes that improve the original game’s gameplay in a truly meaningful way. Like RE2: Remake, Pokemon Rescue Team DX, or Wonderboy 3: The Dragon’s Trap.

Same reason why those completely unnecessary remakes of Shadow of The Colossus and Demon’s Souls were made. Easy money. Capcom is about to do the same thing to RE4 as well...

Oh shit... https://www.engadget.com/harmony-remote-rip-020210167.html?guccounter=1 FUCK!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!! My AV setup completely relies on the Harmony remote!! WHY LOGITECH!? WHY!?!? RIP The greatest line of universal remotes to ever exist

Why haven’t you played through Shining Force yet @Glen-i? I get trying to put off finishing off Shadow the Hedgehog for as long as possible, but why do this to Shining Force!?

Absolutely the right decision as far as I’m concerned. So long as you’re not really into Sony’s first party exclusives (save for MLB The Show ), going Xbox over Playstation this generation is a no brainer.

Yeah, SOTN has some problems with its level design being unnecessarily cryptic. I actually don’t think the level design is all that great in general; with lots of dead ends, overly flat & long rooms and wonky pacing towards the latter half. Aria of Sorrow/Dawn of Sorrow have MUCH better level design than SOTN. As a result, I’ve never been able to stomach 100%ing SOTN. I’ve never liked the 360 versions of BK or BT (or Perfect Dark for that matter!). Lots of stupid, unnecessary and clumsily made tweaks that are actually pretty disrespectful to the source material. They also completely ruined the FPS sections in BT with one really stupid tweak they made to the controls; they made the cursor snap back to the centre when you let go of the stick (why they did this? I have no idea!) and it is absolutely MADDENING! (It makes the final battle an absolute nightmare as a result!). It’s death by 1,000 little cuts really (like come on! Why disable saving when using cheats!? It makes Super Banjo totally pointless!). Much prefer the original N64 versions, even with all the slowdown in BT!

Speciesism IS actually a word (and Speciest is a colloquial variant of Speciesism), so yes! You’re actually right!

It was a weird experiment that ended up being a bit of a mess design wise. I wouldn't really say that it felt much like a "multiplayer" or "battle royale" experience though, because you're largely still playing solo; just that your gameplay affects other people's games. It's a bit like Maboshi: The Three Shape Arcade on Wii Ware, if you've ever played that game (only WAY more chaotic). It was fun though! Can't say that it would've had the longevity of Tetris 99 (which is just brilliant design wise), as SMB35 is just a bit messy and unrefined, but I did have fun with it while it lasted

Knew he was a no good bum! G.U.N probably can't find him because he's a hobo who won't get off of Sonic's lawn.

Nice to see something more centralised this time (last year was just an embarrassment). Still don't really see E3 surviving much longer, but hopefully we can at least get Digital Events centralised around the same time going forward.

We definitely got the better deal with the Metroid Prime releases. Shame we didn't get Chibi Robo though (but that's far from the biggest loss in the world to not get the Wii version I suppose). You poor soul... I hope you've at least got the far superior GCN original with the DK Bongos!

So 99/35 is a series now? Perhaps it's a genre. Perhaps we should call everything else a 99/35 Like now? I propose the Numberwang Genre!

So I've got another two games done and under my belt now... Super Mario 3D World (Switch version) Before talking about my thoughts on the game itself, I want to address the changes made to the Switch version in particular... The first, and most obvious one, is the replacement of Gamepad features with the onscreen pointer motion controls. Personally? I think that the pointer is a perfectly fine substitute for the touchscreen really, but the way that the pointer has been implemented here isn't as seamless as it is in Captain Toad (co-incidentally, also ported to Switch by NST). Having to press a button to make the cursor appear feels a bit clunky; especially when it doesn't autocentre the cursor when making it first appear (you kind of just have to guess where on screen it's gonna appear). I think it would've been much better if they just had the cursor onscreen at all times, ALA Captain Toad Switch. But it's not game breaking or anything, just a bit clunkier than it needed to be. The loss of the microphone however, has not been compensated for in any meaningful way. As such, the microphone controlled platforms are just exorcised from the game entierly; replaced by standard, boring lift platforms. Bit of a shame really, takes away from the uniqueness of some of the game's stages. The loss of Miiverse is also a real shame, as I really enjoyed seeing everyone's stupid messages scattered throughout the world map. Some sections of the map just feel a bit pointless & empty now as a result. Thankfully they've managed to find a decent use for the original game's collectable stamps with the new Photo Mode (It's basically the same as the one in Mario Odyssey; but with a couple of extra filters added and the ability to place stamps within the scene for stupid photos); a nice compromise to an unavoidable issue. Hopefully they do something similar with Twilight Princess HD when it inevitably gets ported to the Switch. And of course... the big one. For some very strange reason, NST/EPD Tokyo felt the need to increase the running speed of every character by around 30% or so. This has some pretty big ramifications on the core gameplay; which I have semi-jokingly referred to as 200cc mode. Outside of a couple of particular things (most notably, the Rabbits that you can chase), the stages & enemies haven't been altered in any way to compensate for this new increased speed; quite literally making it the SM3DW equivilent to MK8's 200cc mode! Toad now absolutely blitzes through stages like he's in a Sonic game; and because of this? Each character is now much harder to control at high speeds; braking literally becomes crucial here as you now actually have to let go of the run button to not go flying off everywhere! (Letting go of the run button? In a Mario game!?!? Unthinkable!!). The increased running speed also has other ramifications... as all new sequence breaks are now made possible thanks to each character now being able to jump further than ever before! ... while certain parts of the game have now been rendered largely trivial... The Great Goal Pole? Finished it in less than 7 seconds as Toad now literally outruns the goal poal! 200cc Toad laughs at Wii U Peach's pathetic attempt to catch the Goal Pole Another controversial change is the new rules behind Green Star collection; which NST/EPD Tokyo decided to change in the Switch version for goodnessknows what reason. In the original Wii U version? You had to survive to the end of the level (or reach the next checkpoint) for a Green Star/Stamp to be counted as "collected", where deaths would reset which Green Stars/Stamp you have. In the Switch version however, Green Stars/Stamps now stay collected as soon as you touch them; even if you die. This ends up trivialising MANY of the Green Stars/Stamps throughout the game as a result; as you can now happily suicide jump to get any of the Green Stars/Stamps that float over a pit/lava/poison/whatever... Who needs friends? Or Propeller Boxes? While I appreciate the boost in speed; and actually enjoy being able to sequence break parts of the levels in ways that were never originally intended. I do feel really split about this decision because there's no option to play the game as it was originally designed. I think it would've been much better if they had made 200cc an unlockable feature for beating Champion's Road. That would've been an amazing unlockable, and it would've meant that you could still play the game as it was originally intended. As things currently stand? It's kind of a bastardised rendition of the original game. That's both a good thing and a bad thing, but it's a real shame that the original game design is doomed to be forgotten and left in the dust of history; as the Switch version inevitably replaces the original Wii U version in the minds of the general populace. That being said though? Online multiplayer is an excellent addition, and it works shockingly well in my experience! It's certainly not gonna replace the couch experience, but it's surprisingly playable. As for the game itself as a whole? It's a real good time, with some incredibly creative level design and gameplay concepts. The Cat Suit is a brilliant addition that literally adds an extra dimension to each level and each level is bursting with new ideas & concepts, delivered at a blistering cadence that even puts Super Mario Galaxy to shame by comparison. There are some significant problems with the game though, that are perhaps made even more obvious when looking at it in comparison with its direct predecessor, Super Mario 3D Land. Quite frankly, this game's camera perspective is a problem... a BIG problem. It features the same kind of orthographic projection as in the 3DS title, but without stereoscopic 3D support? This game becomes a depth perspective nightmare! I can't even tell you the amount of times where I literally had absolutely no bloody idea where my character was in 3D space! SO many deaths that came from not knowing where I was in relation to objects/ground! It actually does become pretty infuriating after a while (and this is even worse in stages that are filled with pits where you can't see your shadow). It feels like I've had one eye poked out of me while playing this game, and it never really gets any easier; even right at the end. Hell, I'm just gonna refer you back to that last screenshot I just posted; where the hell is the Green Star in relation to Mario? Is it in front of him? Is it behind him? Who the fuck knows!? Another problem is that the game doesn't really put up much of a fight until the post-game. It's fun all throughout, but it doesn't put up much a fight until right near the end of all things. While the Green Stars & Stamps did provide some additional challenge? That of course, has been significantly nerfed in the Switch version. Thankfully the post-game puts up a healthy challenge... and that's mostly intact in the Switch version. If anything? Champion's Road is harder than ever before, as 200cc only serves to make your character harder to control and doesn't actually help in any way throughout this hell gauntlet... Naturally I did it again with 200cc Toad & no items, of course So yeah. Super Mario 3D World is still great. Killer level design, killer soundtrack, killer everything; but good lord does the camera make things incredibly frustrating! It's not the best 3D Mario, but it's a great time! So after playing a great game? I felt it was time to take on a shit game to wash the good taste of Mario out of my mouth... Perfect Dark Zero Fuck this utter fucking shitheap and everything it represents! Shit gameplay, shit music, shit visuals, shit characters, shit everything! It's a truly rare combination from Rare. Yeah, this is definitely the moment where it became crystal clear that the Rare we used to know and love was gone forever. Now I have actually played this game before, but never to completion. So I have Xbox Gamepass, I figured... ahh go on. It can't be AS bad as you remember, surely? Oh I was right alright... it was even worse! Hey look! It's Discount Masterchief in Discount Halo This is NOT a Perfect Dark game, make no mistake. This is Halo mixed in with every single early 2000s wannabe Halo/COD clone. Gone is the intricate level design of the original game, the remarkable array of weapons & satisfying gun play, the huge variety of mission objectives & ways you can interact wiith the world, the legendary soundtrack, the tightly designed pacing & thoughtful puzzle-like gameplay in favour of completely braindead Flavour Of The Month early 2000s FPS shlock and perhaps the absolute worst level design I have ever seen in a FPS game. It is outright OFFENSIVE in how poorly designed it is, especially when following up from the greatest FPS ever made! I shit you not, about 70-80% of my total playtime was spent running around in circles with absolutely no fucking clue where to go or what I was supposed to be doing. It's all of the worst elements of Halo shoved into what is trying to be a linear corridor shooter; and the resulting mess is a complete fucksquaddle! The level design is SO fucking bad, that even the game itself acknowledges this, by having arrows appear across the ground after you've spent too long running around in circles like a lost cat that point your dumbarse in the direction that the game wants you to go... An outright failure in level design, where the level designers actually gave up partway through. I like to call them the Ahh Fuck It Arrows The story is, I have no fucking clue. The music is a total joke. Obnoxious sandpaper for your ear holes. About the only good thing I can say about the sound is that it nicks a few sound effects from the N64 game. At least they reminded me of a better game. Even something as fucking basic as shooting your weapon feels wrong in this trashfire. The gunplay feels fucking awful! Joanna feels like a broken robot in desperate need of WD40 that can't move her arms properly; and enemies turn into string & paper as soon as they die (Oh, they take a billion hits to kill too; even if you get them with headshots. Perhaps they're all made of Nintendium?). And WHAT DID THEY DO TO JOANNA!? WHY IS SHE AN ANGSTY AMERICAN TEEN!? WHO THE FUCK APPROVED OF THIS SHIT!?!? JINO - Not my Joanna Fuck this game. Fuck what Microsoft did to Rare. Fuck what Rare became! I hate this game. It's absolutely the worst game in Rare's history (save for perhaps their licensed LJN games, but those don't really count). I played this chucklefuck to the end this time and don't regret doing so; but oh man... I haven't been this angry at a game in a long time; as it opens some real old wounds! There is a VERY good reason why modern Rare isn't being let anywhere near their old franchises anymore; and thank God they're not trying to chase their old glory anymore. And with that?