685

KungFuKlobber

Chased by Gah? Oh, no!

Also: The original Wet Bandits.

clogboy

That’s the risk of a hype… trailers have entirely their own context. I’m usually more surprised than many other people, because I prefer not to look into things too much. If it sucks then it sucks. Otherwise it’s a pleasant surprise. But with this game, the lore of the world, and where it’s coming from, it will not suck.
You will expect greatness and you will get it. You will also find flaws and gripes. But it just might become the best title to launch this year.

Kid Chaos

Trailers always lie; remember the Godzilla trailers from a few years ago? They showed New York City getting torn up, but the action never got further east than Nevada. 😜
- KaelHyun
  
  That wasn’t New York in those trailers it’s from an actual Casino in Vegas
  - Kid Chaos
    
    Camera angles always lie! 😜
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  Yeah, that Godzilla movie was directed by the same guy who directed R1. In fact, they’re both very similar films in that they spend the majority of the movie introducing bland, forgettable characters while teasing what the movie promised in its trailers (impressive kaiju battle/impressive star wars battle), and then just dumping it on the audience in the last quarter of the film, having in no way established any sort of emotional connection to the players involved. The franchise fans who don’t care about narrative in film leave happy and satisfied by the spectacle, everyone else leaves bored and confused.
  - Nos Rin aka CTCO
    
    I actually was pretty satisfied with the Rogue One but I agree 100% with Godzilla being a big let down on the monster fight quota.
    Let’s hope that king kong and godzilla versus king kong are a lot better.
http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

I’m sure I’ll love it! BUT as for best title of the year, it’s up against some insanely stiff competition. BotW also has my least favorite game mechanic of all time, degrading weapons/gear. I’m personally still more looking forward to Nioh by a slight margin. I think in the end Nioh’s tightly designed levels are going to be tense and exciting all the way through, while after a certain point BotW’s open world will become somewhat monotonous, and replacing gear will become tedious. It’ll still be great, but it will probably suffer from open world fatigue.

I’m also extremely excited about Neir Automata. Gimme some tight, lightning fast sword play and well paced game design!
- clogboy
  
  I was exaggerating a tiny bit. But if you’re an explorer/completionist, every Zelda game always has lots to offer. I’m not a big fan of the franchise (not as much as Arkham or the early Assassin’s Creed titles), but am aware of how much of a following and background Zelda has, and how consistently good they are.
  - Nos Rin aka CTCO
    
    I really like playing as link, but even 100%ing zelda has always had little to offer. i havent played them all but, most of them are quite linear.
    I’ve been wanting another RPGish zelda like Zelda II for a long time and I really hope breath of the wild gives me some of that.
- Nos Rin aka CTCO
  
  I’m hoping you have a big massive inventory to stockpile spare swords, or at least find them commonly enough.

Kid Chaos

FINALLY! This is gonna be good. 😎

SlugFiller

I don’t get the point of the Switch. It does nothing that an Android phone doesn’t. But has a fraction of the processing power and battery lifetime. It’s just going to end up like the virtual boy. 3 games, and no customers.

leavescat

Well for one, it doesn’t have a fraction of the processing power. Android phones are much less powerful than the Switch. The virtual boy was experimental, and didn’t work that well, but going by how pre-orders have sold out in multiple retailers, “no customers” doesn’t seem likely.
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  Pre-orders sell out because Nintendo is notorious for under-shipping its product to create false scarcity. It’s hell on retail employees and consumers, but looks good to Nintendo share holders. It kind of disgusts me, actually!
  - Flaming Squirrel
    
    You’re not kidding! I take customer relations calls at the Walmart home office, and the release day for the Nintendo Classic was a nightmare. “Where’s my Nintendo Classic? I want a Nintendo Classic! What do you mean it’s sold out? I WAAAAANT OOOONE!”
  - leavescat
    
    If they’re making 2 million for the first month like they’ve stated, there shouldn’t be that much scarcity. That said, scalpers are real.
  - ShadeTail
    
    There will be about 1 million units available on launch day in the US. Gamestop alone has about half of them. The Wii U had a similar sized launch. So the truth is, Nintendo doesn’t do that. But lots of people seem to enjoy believing that they do.
    - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
      
      Maybe? But, the Wii, all the amiibo, Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition, the NES Classic, Majora’s Mask 3DS bundle, it seems to happen pretty frequently where there’s not enough product for the demand. Joe went to preorder a Switch online the day after the presentation and they were sold out online everywhere, although he was able to preorder at a local Gamestop. Still, Nintendo fans frequently decry scalpers, and scalpers are only able to profit when there is a scarcity of product.
      
      So maybe they don’t limit their product distribution, maybe they do. I do agree that it sounds like a conspiracy theory, and I dislike conspiracy theories without solid evidence.
    - ShadeTail
      
      The reason there’s often not enough product to meet demand is because there is a lot of demand, not because there’s an artificial scarcity of product. Sometimes, like with the Wii, Nintendo was caught flat-footed by how much demand there was. And when it comes to limited edition items, like the Fire Emblem Special Edition and the special 3DS bundle, meeting demand wasn’t actually the point. Anyway, the numbers are pretty clear. The launch of the Switch will have as many units as the PS4’s launch had. That’s no artificial shortage.
      
      But the real problem with this conspiracy theory is that it hinges on the idea that Nintendo would deliberately act stupid. Creating shortages doesn’t increase demand or hype, it does precisely the opposite. Demand and hype depend on momentum, and they simply crater if people aren’t able to buy the product. Nintendo has to know that, even if these conspiracy theorists don’t.
    - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
      
      A lot of video games journalists/personalities accuse Nintendo of underselling their product intentionally or at the very least consistently failing to estimate the number of units needed to meet demand. I tend to find conspiracy theories very suspect, and your explanations make sense. Still, there is a consistent pattern of Nintendo not providing enough product to match demand, and that does put a heavy toll on retail game employees (the gamestop employee I preordered the Switch from was exasperated at the lack of supply from Nintendo). Even if Nintendo’s reasons are business-legitimate or well reasoned, it still sucks for retailers and consumers.
- SlugFiller
  
  I’ve checked it, actually. The latest Sony Xperia has a better GPU than the WiiU. So unless Nintendo do some leaps and bounds in their new console, they’re still going to lag behind the upcoming batch of mobiles.
  - clogboy
    
    Apples and oranges. The Xperia is a jack of all trades, while a gameconsole is basically the spartan among computers: it has one job and it does it quite efficiently.
    - SlugFiller
      
      A GPU is a Spartan among hardware. If you don’t have a stronger GPU, you don’t have a stronger machine. You could argue that CPU and memory advantage matters less when you have virtualization and multitasking vs dedicated single process. But you can’t argue with GPU numbers, especially not when running in fullscreen.
http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

the concept of easily/painlessly being able to undock the screen and play anywhere without pause is very appealing. I love the off-screen feature on the WiiU, but the range restrictions make it mostly useless unless you live in a fairly small house. Also, I love Nintendo games, and you’re not going to get them anywhere else. That’s about all there is to it! My biggest problem with the thing is that at launch there’s basically no software of interest for me outside of Zelda for the near future! If someone asked me “should i get the Switch?” my answer would be an emphatic NO unless they had money to burn and were obsessive Nintendo fans.
- clogboy
  
  The Wii-U has a few of the Arkham titles and also Mass Effect 3. Now that they don’t have to write functionality for a second screen even more games can be ported, especially if it has an AMD APU that comes close to PS4 performance (launch or slim edition). It would be interesting to have at least 10 of the 25 best selling PS4/XB1 titles on it, eventually.
ShadeTail

Gee, you’re lucky. *My* android phone can’t play Breath of the Wilds or Super Mario Odyssey. What model do you have that will let you play Switch games? I want one!

Turul

Oh, yesss! I foresee asskicking ahead.

Flaming Squirrel

Indeed, but who shall be doing the kicking, and who shall be receiving it?
- Xinef
  
  Everyone!
  - Flaming Squirrel
    
    Kinky. I like it!
- Turul
  
  That is of secondary importance anyway!

SKy

If I learned anything in the past years it’s “Never jump on the Hype Train”. Killed so many things that would have been perceived pretty well if the hype didn’t raise the expectations to insane levels…

http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

But the hype train is so sleek and all the passengers are having a party!!
- SKy
  
  Until it hits the wall called “reality”. 😉
  - Xinef
    
    And when I tell people to wait 5 years before buying a video game, they look at me like I’m the one crazy.
    
    I mean seriously, 5 years after release, the game will not only be better than it was at release time (patches, expansions, user-generated-content, mods whatnot), it will also likely be cheaper. And there’s a good chance (if you bought new hardware in the meantime), you’ll be able to play at highest details.
    
    Oh, and if the game proves to be overhyped, you just won’t buy it at all.
    
    Like seriously, are there any reasons to buy games at release?
    - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
      
      That’s a SOUND STRATEGY! I’m also usually a year behind on triple A title games because they never seem to be finished at launch and their inevitable ‘game of the year’ release is always so much more satisfying. Indie games I’m usually more hyped to jump on immediately because they’re usually pretty much finished and beatable in a couple days
      
      Also, there’s only a limited amount of time to play games anyway, and picking up games you’re not going to play immediately just results in a big backlog pile. That zeitgeist, though, is hard to ignore. It’s also been how long since the last console Zelda? I’m kinda done with waiting!
    - Xinef
      
      Yeah, indie games do have a few reasons to buy them early.
      If anything, to support the developers who care about making an enjoyable game. And who will likely spend the money to improve the game, rather than on making a sequel that is worse than the first game or on some overpriced DLC.
    - SKy
      
      I’m usually going with 5 months or so. After 5 years they kinda feel outdated and you barely find people to play with.
      But yeah, wait a bit, see how it’s received, maybe watch some (actual) gameplay and then decide if it’s worth it.
    - Xinef
      
      Oh yes, believe it or not, youtube let’s plays of video games are one of the biggest reasons (the other being getting a steady income) that made me no longer play pirated games.
      
      With the amount of games that do not have demos, or have shitty demos, I can actually watch let’splays to answer many of the questions that bug me before buying a game. Like for me one of the most important questions is replayability. Guess how many demos will answer that question 😉
      
      But if I see a youtuber make n-teenth let’s play of a particular game… well, I don’t have to watch them all to see something’s on the matter.
    - Jordan Hiller
      
      I typically wait at least 6 months after release. By that time, there’s usually a sale or something on Steam, some decent mods and some reliable feedback on whether the game is worth getting.
    - Nos Rin aka CTCO
      
      five years is too long. two tops. sometimes you only have to wait half a year to get half off or more.
      Steam sales baby.
      Yes, there is one MASSIVE reason to get a game when it comes out.
      MULTIPLAYER COMMUNITY.
      I mean if you just do single player then ya, but the way the gaming industry is, two years after release and you are only buying a single player game, or a very very very small multiplayer community.
    - Xinef
      
      I guess I was never into huge communities. Smaller ones are that much easier to grasp. I mean, look at it this way – take someone who still plays Starcraft: Brood War, or Diablo 2.
      
      The player community is small for those games because all the “annoying” players (cheaters, immature players, Pr0G4m3rz, etc.) switched to the newer games. The ones left are likely to be mature players, who don’t enjoy ruining everyone else’s time.
      
      But of course, YMMV. And there are indeed games where it’s hard to find someone to play with at all, but as long as it’s a GOOD ol’ game, I have faith in the “old school gamers” community. It’s small, but still large enough to find many players who own the same games that you do, and if asked to “reinstall that classic they haven’t played for years” are likely to do so.
    - Nos Rin aka CTCO
      
      I love going back to the classics, but if they’re too old the outdated UI will make it impossible. I don’t care about top of the line graphics but sometimes they do factor a little bit.
      Like I love Quake 1, love everything about it, and I think the graphics are just fine but Quake 2 I think looks terrible and doesn’t interest me much. Part of it may be nostalgia for quake 1, but I just like it more after playing both.
      I tried to play through all of quake 1 and it’s expansions this last year or so, but i ran into a glitch with one of the patches where a door wouldn’t open and have just been playing other games since.
      Around christmas time I got FarCry 4 with a sort of trade with a friend, and have been playing that as of late.
      I certainly understand waiting a year or two if you’re not big into the series or game genre, but five years seems too long to wait.
      
      I do agree it’s nice when the community dies down to just people who care, but a lot of time it ends up being dead because people will get on at a time no one else is on and then just not play so no one really ever gets on. Which is why most FPS type multiplayer games really need bots to keep people online until other pop in as well. It wouldn’t be a big improvement for population increases but it would certainly help.
      Although I hear AI is a pain to program right.
      
      I did replay D2 recently, one of my favorite games back in the day, but now I have Torchlight 2 to play, (and maybe D3 but I like TL2 better.)
      plus Grim Dawn.
      
      I loved SC:BW, it’s definitely my favorite RTS out there, ( I am not big on army games I prefer singular hero games like TL2, BL2, ES, FO, FC, games like that) but I just couldn’t push myself through the newer SCII
      I also really liked the new Xcom games but I still dont have XC2, and I got too attached to my first team in XC1 to restart in that one.
    - Xinef
      
      Well, I suppose my 5 years is a bit extreme, but I personally consider buying on release day to be much more extreme (stupidity) 😛
      
      Also, for me those 5 years comes from the fact my backlog of games to play is so long, there’s still plenty of games older than 5 years that I’d like to play, I’ve already purchased, but haven’t gotten around to playing yet.
      
      I can definitely agree that UI features can make a difference. I’d love to have no 12-units selection limit in SC:BW, or to have the modern “events awaiting your decision” UI in Civilization games that didn’t have it. That’s one of the reasons why I love modern remakes of old games, such as freeciv, freeorion, freeTTD…
      
      As for community, I think a reasonable solution is to arrange events, just find a group of people who have many old games, and arrange that this week you all play this game, next week you all play that other game… I haven’t really tried that, apart from the occasional LAN-parties, and anime/fantasy-conventions, where it’s often possible to find (or make!) a gamesroom with old games.
      
      As for D2, I like the Zy:El mod, in general one of the things I love the most in D2 is collecting items. I’d love to find every set item, every unique item, and have all of them in the stash. Apparently Blizzard didn’t realize the “Gotta catch ’em all” potential of the game, and anyway mule accounts are annoying to manage, so I just played mods until I found Zy:El, which was just perfect for my needs.
      
      Torchlight 1 and 2 are also nice.
      
      I’m yet to play D3, but based on let’s plays I’ve seen, it seems (slightly) worse than D2:LoD, in terms of how much I think I would enjoy playing, so I’m in no rush to buy it.
      
      As for Starcraft, one thing I hate about it, and most RTS games in general, is that they expect me to do too many things simultaneously. I mean, in reality no one expects a general, king, or other leader to manage the kingdom, and control the army in battle at the same time. Not to mention micromanaging every single peasant and soldier. At. The. Same. Time. Games are harder than reality xD (well, except reality is more unpredictable, and more complex). But still, I hate it when I cant watch a battle because I have to manage workers. I’d love to see more RTS games where during battles you can focus on the battle, leave economy for later. Or games where you have advisors, officers and other underlings who can make smart decisions of their own, and don’t rely on you to hold their hand all the time.
      
      One interesting concept is games where a bunch of players manage the same kingdom, one player controls the economy, another player controls the army etc. That could be interesting.
      
      TL2, BL2, ES, FO, FC … too many abbreviations xD I can’t decipher all of them xD
      
      Oh, and about SC2, one thing I hate about it is how Blizzard changed the business model. In SC1, you got 3 campaigns in a single game. BW added 3 more campaigns. In SC2 they expect me to pay for every single campaign like it’s a separate game? I don’t feel like supporting that change with my wallet.
      
      And X-Com… well, I played most of the series and derivatives, and here’s my opinion:
      Original X-Com – awesome game, which would be perfect if they fixed some bugs and issues.
      Terror from the Deep – I remember it being so buggy I couldn’t progress much.
      Apocalypse – great too, although a few weapons were unbalanced. Guided weapons that alway kill even the most armored target in one hit sounds OP to me. Also it was funny how using real-time mode was easier in the beginning (to deal with headcrabs), then I had to switch to turn based for late game (to always shoot first).
      
      Aftermath, Aftershock, Afterlight – these games had bad reviews from many X-Com players, so for a long time I avoided them. Then I gave them a try and found them quite enjoyable. Aftermath has this very Fallout-y mood. Great idea and execution. Aftershock was decent too. Afterlight has an odd mood, and I can understand the people complaining about granny-soldier voice acting xD
      But with a few mods (primarily the everyone-can-do-any-job mod), it’s a great game. I wouldn’t mind replaying the game and doing things in a different order, with different alliances, and focusing on different technologies first.
      
      New X-Com – nice graphics, ok tactical gameplay, crap overworld. Too linear.
      X-Com 2 – haven’t played, though I watched a let’s play. I’m in no rush to buy it. Seems like a small improvement over XC1.
      
      Xenonauts – now, that’s the best modern X-Com game. I definitely recommend it to any X-Com fan.
      
      Then there’s this open source attempt called UFO:AI, which seemed like a decent game last time I played it, but the campaign wasn’t fully implemented… and years later it still isn’t. Also the fact there’s no destructible terrain, and the devs have some annoying ideas such as “shields would make the game too easy, therefore no shields planned” or “no saving during missions, because if you want to save during a mission, for whatever reason, you suck”. Eh… Xenonauts solved those issues with more dignity.
      
      So I’d recommend UFO:AI to die hard genre fans, who want to experience one more game of this sort, but I don’t think it’s worth the attention of anyone else.
      
      And I know there are a few more games of this kind (UFO: Extraterrestrials comes to mind), that I haven’t played.
      
      Oh and I recall also playing Laser Squad Nemesis. Fun little game, although gets boring quickly. But I love the “give orders”->”simulate 5 seconds” mechanic.
    - Nos Rin aka CTCO
      
      Yes, better to wait then buy it full price and not yet get to it, I have a lot of partial played games. STILL haven’t beat Chrono Trigger…. (hard to play handhelds when you never go anywhere and you have a PC)(Okami for PS2 as well) I totally regret preordering bioshock infinite. Last game I preordered was Shadow Warrior 2 which I beat and have barely played since but I definetly like it, before that I have no idea what the last game I preordered was.
      
      Fallout and Baldur’s Gate are prime examples of ancient UI I can’t get around. Also System Shock, hooo booy….
      Sacred Gold though, is just fine, just have gamer ADD and have a hard time getting back to it. Quake has also aged fine with just a patch to add in the old music and being able to look with the mouse freely without holding a key.
      
      I constantly insulted Diablo 3 for a long time. I remember one friend saying it would never happen, then it was announced and I was so hyped, but it was in development for so long I lost interest, found torchlight, and just feel Torchlight 2 is so much better.
      The only reason I ended up playing D3 is because of the Crusader. who I LOVE (personality wise for one thing). It’s a fun simple game that’s easy to learn but I’d only go back with friends.
      
      having helping NPCs or team players would be great in RTSes.
      I am absolutely terrible at playing RTSes so my starcraft strategy was basically, surround my base with bunkers and planted siege tanks, and deploy only goliaths, wraiths(? the fighters with cloak) and sometimes battlecruisers. oh and cheat codes galore. cause I suuuuuck at strategy games. I always feel overwhelmed trying to manage everything. so i know what you mean.
      
      Torchlight 2, Borderlands 2, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Farcry (omg I love farcry’s combat, 3,4,Blood Dragon, 2 wouldn’t work so I dont know if it’s the same and 1 was too hard. lol)
      I like first person shooters and RPGs, also loot is mega important to me, I hate RPGs with fancy weapons on the table that look cool, or enemies in badass armor, yet I can’t take any of it. but when i can take everything it’s all basic generic stuff. if only there was an RPG that could let me take everything with a massive variety of gear at the same time. oh boy would that be overwhelming!
      
      I own whatever bundle steam has for the old x-com games, but haven’t played them. ideas like having my base ruined (although hey cool i can fight and defend my base) or having my dudes die before they even get off the dropship, scare me away.
      I only play x-com on the easiest difficulty and I do a lot of savescumming.
      like I said, I’m more into first person games then strategy but I still like to leave my comfort zone sometimes.
      As a newcomer to x-com, I enjoyed the remake but felt a team of 8 or at least 7 would have been nice.
      I love having assault guys with run and gun so much. but i never properly used snipers and didnt do anything with heavies.
      I definitely want to try X-com 2 at some point for making my own customer characters so I can recreate my old badasses from x-com 1.
      Not a huge fan of x-com 2’s story but it works.
      
      i might have UFO:EX, I toss a lot of money at old games on sale, just to expand my library. been cutting back on that as of late.
      
      I dont mind a thinking game once in a while but I tend to enjoy fast paced games, and mainly I love games with a sense of solidty.
      games like fallout and elder scrolls where you take what you see, and you have an open world, and you can have your own home base and can change it how you want. a sense of progression is what I like.
      
      I also do enjoy deathmatch games like halo, or hawken, or overwatch although I haven’t played that. but those kind of games are only fun longterm with friends.
      not a huge fan of linear games but I don’t mind linear shooters I guess, dont need much story when blasting demons and aliens with cool guns.
      
      Oh, I also still need to beat Zeno Clash 2. talk about a crazy world.
    - Xinef
      
      Oh, and one more thing I wanted to add, but forgot due to getting too preoccupied with “OMG, I can write what I think about X-Com”-itis.
      
      ___
      As far as game graphics are concerned, I think I’m more picky about the game mood and skill of the artists, than the modernness of the technology.
      
      Best example would be Heroes of Might and Magic series:
      HoMM0 – (King’s Bounty 1991 game) – I played it without being distracted by the poor graphics. They were good enough considering what technology allowed at that time.
      HoMM1 – bad graphics, looking too unprofessional for my tastes. Also why the heck the only kind of dragons was… purple? X_X
      HoMM2 – AWESOME – mood, quality of art, I LOVE the art of HoMM2. And this fairy tale mood. One of the best games EVER.
      HoMM3 – Very good graphics, although I preferred HoMM2’s mood over the more photo-realistic mood of HoMM3
      HoMM4 – Too much sugar. And behemots that look like gorillas. And phoenixes that look like KFC. i.e. I didn’t like it much.
      HoMM5 – Good. Very good. For me somewhere between HoMM3-good and HoMM2-AWESOME levels. Although some castles were better than others in mood regards. Still, the mood seemed to focus on epicness and mysteriousness, and that’s ok with my tastes.
    - Nos Rin aka CTCO
      
      freaking might and magic man. heroes is controlling army? that name chosing always bugged me. shouldn’t heroes be playing the single group?
      I forget which heroes I played but when i found i could give myself countless black knights and angle the game got boring fast lol.
      
      For me, each game is different with ugly or good or acceptable or amazing graphics.
      Cell Shading tends to age very well, but not always. You can always refresh and make crisper, but I think Jet Grind Radio still looks good while Borderlands does definitely look dated compared to borderlands 2.
      Any game that just goes for realistic looking will date very fast but games with unique styles stand a chance of still looking good like maybe TimeSplitters Future Perfect? Hmmm, cell shading though is definetly one way to fight against time.
      And 2D games with 2D sprites can remain good for a long time.
      
      But graphics are still the least important thing say compared to, gameplay and replayability.
    - Xinef
      
      Lol, it’s indeed true that in most HoMM games the heroes only lead armies. I think HoMM 4 was the first to have heroes be actual units on the battlefield, while HoMM 5 has heroes performing attacks, without being a possible target for attack. But despite all this, the cinematics and lore of ALL HoMM games center around heroes, depict them dueling other heroes in hand-to-hand combat etc.
      
      Anyway, the way I found to enjoy those games, despite the odd unit-stacking and no unit-upkeep causing those balance issues, is that I always play with some sort of self imposed challenges.
      
      Most often my SIC is to not lose a single unit during the whole game. Well, it’s not that I restart/reload after losing a single gremlin, but I spend a lot of brainpower planning how to avoid that if possible.
      
      As for graphics though, for me it’s all about mood. Even old 3D graphics, as long as they have a unique mood fitting the game, work great for me.
    - Nos Rin aka CTCO
      
      I recall playing I think a SNES might and magic once, where you had to go to a trainer to level (lame, lamer then fable’s experience format) and there was one a friend had that I tried and soooort of maybe want to play again where you are in a tournament to win a castle. i didnt play it as much as pick classes then watch him play. same with Betrayal (FINALLY FOUND THAT ONE OUT!!! through PURE RANDOM CHANCE) and baldur’s gate and daggerfall. he was lame.
      I wish they’d bring might and magic back, with the group hero thing.
      
      ya, definetly. like Quake’s graphics are just the right amount of pixelly textures and blocky figures that I dont find them bad.
      whereas goldeneye and medal of honor games have NOT aged well.
      sad COD beat MOH, MOH older games were MUCH better. (after playing COD1 it was as much garbage as CODMW)
      
      I’m trying to play MGSV now, it’s kind of funny stealing jeeps and people with balloons. BUT, I SUCK at stealth.
      
      I want to play skyrim again but, UHG
      
      And FTL is fun but too much randomization for me to be able to play it without at least a little bit of mod help and the one best mod out there is broken.
      I should put some effort into finding a different one but, uhhhhg.
Flaming Squirrel

*COUGH*NOMAN’SSKY*COUGH*
- SKy
  
  Prime example there. It was a rather small indie project from the beginning but it was hyped up to levels even AAA companies would struggle to achieve. It wasn’t a bad game in and of itself, but even the developers boarded the hype train and rode it to hell…
  - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
    
    Yeah, NMS’s PR campaign was this huge pile of impossible promises. Admittedly, the trailers, aside form showing a few glimpses of giant creatures that aren’t in the game, pretty much did show what you’d be doing, wandering from planet to planet collecting stuff.
    
    I do hope they keep updating the game, though. The most recent update that added an exploration mode and more varied planet ecosystems is great for just chilling out and listening to podcast/music. Since the galaxy generation algorithms are basically the crux of the game, having a mode where you can just wander around and look at it without any restrictions is pretty great, in a meditative kinda way. (I am not a huge fan of inventory management)
    - Xinef
      
      I’d say the game doesn’t look too bad… it’s just hugely overpriced for an “alpha version”. Well, I didn’t play it yet, because of that price. I’m just saying based on what I’ve seen on youtube and various reviews.
      
      And by “alpha version” I mean, the developers promised many things, so a version that fulfills all those promises would be worthy of being called the full release version. An incomplete version is an alpha or beta, right? So they just need to start calling things right.
      
      Overall, I’m baffled why game publishers are trying to sell promises rather than features that are actually there. Or rather, why players are actually buying those promises. I mean seriously, if they release an incomplete, buggy game, they should lower the price accordingly, and then increase the price as they fix things and add new content, because the game becomes worth more money. The promises are worth no money at all, from a buyer’s perspective (unless there’s a binding contract saying the developers MUST fulfill those promises, or give the money back or something).
    - Nos Rin aka CTCO
      
      basically. Alpha and Beta are stages of development. If I had to guess, Alpha has the basics of the game down and Beta has enough content to play it a bit, but not enough to be considered a full game.
      
      But No Man’s Sky just reminds me of the entire Fable Series and all it’s promises.

IDPounder

Ah boys, if you only knew what was usually in the waters of a rice paddy, you would be doing your spit take at this point with much greater gusto!

http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

B-B-BACTERIA??? Maybe Fumio was responsible and got his vaccinations.
- animalia555
  
  How about leeches
Hfar

Fish poooooop!

animalia555

Does anyone else wonder what Ina would look like with long hair?

http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

She would look like Yori with eyelashes.
- Flaming Squirrel
  
  And hijinks would ensue!
- animalia555
  
  Breasts as well
- animalia555
  
  Sorry for bringing it up I just have a thing for girls with long hair.
  - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
    
    That’s fine! Every other girl in the comic has hair that falls to her waist or longer, after all.

Flaming Squirrel

Now I see why they sent those two to collect the firewood. You can trust them being this close to a farm(s).

I’m kinda kicking myself for buying a WiiU last year instead of a PS4. Now I have to buy ANOTHER Nintendo console, and I *still* don’t have a PS4! You know what caught my attention, though? Super Mario Switch. Namely, the fact that he’s running around a realistic world (at least part of the time) with realistic looking people walking around it. That’s got me a little worried. Come on, Nintendo, don’t Sonic your most beloved franchise!

http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

Yeah, Super Mario Odyssey looks bonkers and disjointed. It’ll still be leagues more fun to play than the most busted Sonic game of all time, though. I also strongly debated whether I should bother with the Switch. Most of the games coming out for it this year either have no release date and will likely get pushed to 2018 or later, or are ports of WiiU games. I’m just one of those lucky people who has the disposable income to sink into frivolous stuff, but I’ve still got a strong streak of frugality in me that leaves me feeling gross for buying a system with one game that will ALSO be available on the system I already own and use frequently. I also love my WiiU so it feels like a BETRAYAL.

But you shouldn’t feel too bad about having a PS4, because in the next few months we’re getting Gravity Rush 2, Nioh, and Neir Automata and my hype level is OUT OF CONTROL!!
- Flaming Squirrel
  
  Yes! Plus Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Final Fantasy XV (easily my most anticipated game of last few years, possibly of all time), Overwatch, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ni No Kuni 2 (finally getting around to playing the first game), Kingdom Hearts 3 (don’t know if I’ll even bother, my interest in KH has been waning over the years), and a few others I’m probably forgetting. But seriously, as much as I like my WiiU, I should have gotten a PS4. The list of games I want for it is sooo much longer it’s ridiculous.

Sunwu

Two things

1. when being chased by a powerful bad guy never run back towards camp and lead them to the rest of your friends.
2. The water in that rice paddy most likey has night soil in it, sooo Fumio I hope you’re caught up on your Cholera shots.

Xinef

1. Unless your friends can “Deal with it” in style.

Xinef

Next panel:

Yori: “I’ve changed my mind. We’ll reach Maru’s village TODAAAAAAYYYY!!!”

Hfar

Knowing what they keep in rice patty water, I do not envy these two right now. Bleh!

Zelda Nerdboi Mode:
Interesting. So I’m seeing Koroks, which means that this is in the Wind Waker timeline. But it’s on land and far enough into the future that not only are there cities but ruins as well which implies that it takes place well after Spirit Tracks as well.

Although it looks like we’re also getting a Rito and a Zora character in the same game. Which is a bit interesting since I thought one race evolved from the other. I’m thinking that it’s either a case of an ancient Zora being revived or it’s Nintendo going “Eh, both these races are cool so we’ll stick them in the same game. Because they’re cool.” The cynic in me is leaning more towards the latter, but I think I’m going to allow at least a tiny optimistic side of me to hope for the former.

And holy mackerel on a sea salt cracker! Are they implying this game is going to have full voice acting for characters during cut scenes? That is a quite a bold move, especially after the negative back lash from Metroid: Other M. But you know what? Color me intrigued! I believe that any venture into new territory by Nintendo is welcome and this is a pretty big gamble. For better or for worse, props to them.

Also, enjoying the continued humanization of princess Zelda. Link seems to continue to be the lovable but kind of generic hero, which seems to be Nintendo’s modus operandi for most their protags. But I’ve been noticing a trend of them sneaking in strong characterization with the deuteragonist with Zelda games, in particular with Zelda herself. And here we see a Zelda who seems to be the most human of them all. She wants to do what’s best but she doubts herself and everything that’s happened has brought her to her breaking point. It implies that she has her own character arc, just as Link does. In a trailer filled with awe inspiring moments, it’s that small moment at 2:48 sent shivers up my spine.

And boy do the secondary characters look interesting as well. Not only are they all visually striking, but you can a strong sense of unique personality from each as well. The fact that we can tell at a glance that each NPC has their own characterization at a glance through a few seconds of trailer footage really makes me hopeful for the writing of this game.

Although on that note, the overall plot of the game seems to be rather cookie cutter “Ganon threatens the land and the eternal cycle of good and evil, yada yada yada.” So far it’s looking like the same overarching plot we’ve seen dozens of times before and that plot, while certainly still serviceable, is getting stale. So I won’t be looking for enjoyment from the overarching plot of the story and instead in the personal character moments, which are already shaping up to be some of the best parts of the game.

Of course nothing is certain. This game could be an absolute steaming pile of failure, or an absolutely boring run of the mill Zelda game. But I think I will allow myself measure of anticipation, because this does look interesting as hell.

http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai

We’re in fanboy hype agreement on everything but timeline! I personally think the Zelda timeline is a joke continuously perpetrated by Nintendo. I’m fairly confident that if they have an idea that they want to put in the game that contradicts their established timeline, they’ll just do it. I feel like the Zelda series is more a re-iteration/re-innovation of a core concept of Link on an adventure, with a focus interlocking game mechanics more than story. Not to say I don’t love the story, mind you, but in Zelda games it tends to serve the gameplay more than the other way around. This is kind of true for nearly all Nintendo games, which is one of the reasons their games are usually great! Gameplay first, everything else second! (even if the gameplay is not great *cough* starfoxzero *cough*).
Flaming Squirrel

I’m no expert on the Zelda timeline, but didn’t the goddesses flood Hyrule to contain the evil that had overrun it? Maybe BotW comes *before* WW, and this is the story of how Link actually fails to defeat Ganon, leading to Hyrule becoming a gigantic ocean.

Nos Rin aka CTCO

I’m not getting on the hype train with this one. I reeaallllly want to play breath of the wild. But I got my PC, and a bunch of old systems and a wall of anime so I have plenty to keep me happy until I see how well the switch does.

Insane Disciple

And taste

IndigoGollum

Breath of the Wild was good. I played it on my Wii U because i don't have a Switch.

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