#Mario and Luigi rpg games there’s too many to choose from

[hkpika07]

Get ready for me exploding in the tags

what's everyone's favorite mario character?

[tobiasdrake]

Growing up, I didn't appreciate Princess Peach much. In my teen years, I was trying to get away from things that were pink and girly for reasons of toxic masculinity, and Peach seemed like such an empty character.

I liked Zelda. Zelda's cool. Zelda's badass. Zelda gets to be a ninja and she fights Ganon and she's a battle mage and and and and

To my male sensibilities, Zelda had the better aesthetic.

But the problem is? Aesthetic is all Zelda is allowed to be. And I say it that way because I don't want people to think that's all Zelda is. There is so much potential in this character. But it's potential that never sees the light of day, because the will to use her isn't there.

The problem isn't the character. Zelda and Peach are not in competition with each other.

The difference between them is that the Mario franchise loves Peach. She's been playable so many times over the years, since her playable debut in the American Super Mario Bros. 2. She didn't start out that way; Even that game was kind of a fluke.

But as the series grew, it fell in love with its leading lady. She didn't just get to be a cool supporting character; she saw playability not just in the ensemble games like Party or Kart but in core Mario games.

The Wii era brought with it a renaissance of Peach. While Mario still gets games all to himself here and there, it's rare now to see a game where Luigi is playable and Peach isn't. She often gets focus time in the RPGs like Mario RPG or Paper Mario. She's even gearing up for her second solo adventure in Princess Peach Showtime.

The Mario franchise loves Peach.

While Zelda is left behind, floating around the margins of her own series. Her games are based around exploring Hyrule, fighting monsters, dungeon-diving, and collecting utility tools that both increase your combat options and expand your access to the map.

Aesthetically, you could easily make a game in the same format and have Zelda collect spells rather than Link collecting tools, that serve identical functions. If you really wanted to put the work in, you could even do both and let players choose their protagonist at the start of the game.

Functionally, there is little difference between blasting open a wall with a bomb and blasting it open with a fireball. Or latching a hookshot onto a grapple point versus casting some kind of warp spell or magic rope. Link's gameplay can suit Zelda just fine.

Even in the modern open-world games like BOTW or TOTK, Link's toolkit is more magical than technical anyway - sometimes to the point of explicitly using Zelda's gear to do all of his cool stuff. It would be trivially easy to map Link's gameplay onto Zelda. But the will isn't there. LOZ doesn't care about Zelda, the way SMB cares about Peach.

Zelda and Peach both take frequent turns at the damsel role. But outside of that, Peach's series treats her as a capable co-protagonist armed and ready to carry adventures on her own. Zelda's treats her as a power-up for Link to consume.

I'm older now and I'm over all that "Ew pink and girly shit" bullshit that dominated my embarrassing younger years. I have a lot more respect now for Peach than I ever did then. And I still like Zelda too. These characters, as I said before, are not in competition.

But I wish Zelda's series loved her even half as much as Peach's.

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

I hope Princess Peach Showtime sells well.

Not only because it could lead to Peach getting her own spin-off series of games rather than just a one-off (something that I think is long overdue), but it could also lead to Nintendo having more faith that Mario's female leads can carry games by themselves, which in that case...

Here's my idea for a Rosalina game.

Feel free to steal this random Nintendo employee who might be reading this:

1 - The Genre

If this game were to ever happen, I'd want it to stand out from Super Mario games so it wouldn't seem redundant, so it would not be a platformer. It wouldn't be a sports game, minigame collection, or puzzle game either. It would be a subgenre that the Mario franchise has yet to dip its toes into.

I want Rosalina's solo game to be a Space Action RPG that emphasizes real time combat.

Not turn-based, like Paper Mario or Mario and Luigi, etc. I imagine it would play a lot like Kingdom Hearts, just swap out a keyblade for Rosalina's wand:

She could shoot beams of light at enemies for long range attacks, levitate them with her wand only to slam them on the ground, create a comet shower to rain down on enemies, manipulate gravity to deflect their attacks or slow their attacks down, briefly create a force field around herself to shield herself from an attack, emit extremely bright light from her wand to temporarily blind enemies to stun them, use her Grand Star final smash as a spell, maybe for some attacks she just outright uses her wand like a sword, etc. There are so many spells they could either make up or take from her previous appearances that she could use for her moveset. She wouldn't even have to be limited to using her wand! She could do the spin from Galaxy/her spin from 3D World as an close range attack, teleport to short distances away to dodge an enemy, fly, briefly become intangible, etc. Reminder, she has already been shown to be able to do most this stuff anyway!

Of course she wouldn't have all these abilities at the start, she'd unlock different spells and abilities throughout the game as you gain more exp by defeating enemies.

The main collectible and currency of the game would, of course, be Star Bits. The can be used to buy items (healing items, alternate costumes, etc) or to...actually I'll mention the other function later. Star Bits can be found lying around on every planet (as can other various items that can help you during gameplay) and be gained by defeating enemies.

Each level would be a different planet, and the Comet Observatory would act as the hub world as it did in Super Mario Galaxy, and would be used to travel to each planet. Perhaps there could be minigames between each planet where you fly through space controlling the Comet Observatory whilst collecting Star Bits along the way? Eh, I'm not sure. It sounds fun but maybe it'd be simpler to just travel to planets like how Mario did in Galaxy.

I imagine each planet would have a certain number of missions to complete on it before you can move to the next planet. Maybe their could be side-missions too, but they wouldn't be compulsory unless you want to 100% the game. At the end of each mission, you have the choice to return to the hub world (for a reason I'll explain later) or to just move on to the next mission. If you do choose to return to the hub world before you completed every mission on that planet, you can continue from where you left off later and would not have to re-do any missions you had completed on that particular planet so far. What would each mission involve? Well...

2 - The Premise

I think Ubisoft owns Cursa but they would be the perfect antagonist for Rosalina. Mario has Bowser, Luigi has King Boo, Wario has Captain Syrup, Peach now has Grape, so why not let Rosalina have her own nemesis? I know Cursa seemingly died at the end of Sparks of Hope but Cursa is literally made of a fragment The MegaBug so perhaps the same thing has happened again, a fragment of Cursa survived and mutates into a new form. I'm also aware Sparks of Hope isn't canon and likely takes place in a different universe than the one the mainline Mario games take place, but Cursa is a mutant cosmic entity, it wouldn't be so hard to believe it could travel to different universes. Cursa would still remember the events of Sparks of Hope, and seek revenge on Rosalina and rid the universe of all lumas. She would create a new army (of both her own creation and possessed aliens) she would send to capture all lumas.

If Cursa is the villain, the game starts with her making a direct attack on the Comet Observatory. Cursa attempts to possess Rosalina again, but Rosalina reacts quickly and creates a force field to protect herself. Cursa then orders her army to go after the lumas. Realising there's no time to fight each army member one-on-one, Rosalina gets in front of the lumas, briefly puts down her shield, and readies her wand to unleash a huge blast of light and energy to blast most of the army off into space. But Cursa strikes her just as she does so, and the clash causes a bigger, more unstable blast, that sends both Cursa, her army and the lumas away. Rosalina is left injured and soon passes out.

Cursa and her army would survive the blast and still be out there, in search of lumas.

Either do that or just have some new bad guy (preferably one who uses dark magic/symbolises dark matter to contrast Rosalina's star/light aesthetic) kidnap lumas. I don't really care what their name would be, but for the sake of this post let's call them...Void (placeholders don't have to be creative, shush). I'm gonna refer to Void with he/him pronouns but I don't have any specific gender in mind for Void. Void could be female, or genderless, etc.

As for Void's plan, maybe he could plan to absorb half of the lumas for energy so he'd become powerful enough to destroy the universe (except for the rest of the captured lumas), and then would force the other half to transform into whatever he wants (essentially, his plan is to remake the universe so he can rule it). He too would have an army, but of his own creation. Rosalina, naturally, would be the one to stop him given that it's basically her duty, not only because she's the mother of the lumas but also because she's the protector of the cosmos.

If Void is the villain, he (along with his army) would attack the Comet Observatory in the beginning instead. Void would not have to power to possess people, but he can absorb the energy of others. Void would go for the lumas first but Rosalina, in an attempt to protect the lumas, gets in the way and creates a force field around both her and the lumas. Void relentlessly attacks the force field in an attempt to break it, but it's no use. Despite this, Rosalina can tell Void won't give up, so she teleports outside the force field and the two battle, meanwhile Void's army attempt to break down the force field. It doesn't break but as the battle continues it does start to weaken. An unstable blast is caused in a similar way it's caused with Cursa; Rosalina readies a blast of light and energy (since it's one-on-one this one isn't as big), Void also tries to hit her but with a blast of darkness instead of light (something like a shadow blast), and when the attacks clash it sends the lumas and the army flying.

Rosalina and Void are left alone. Rosalina's tired but not severely injured. She's concerned about the lumas but Void, enraged by what has just occurred, manages to catch her off guard due to her fatigue and grabs hold of her to absorb her energy. This leaves Rosalina weakened and she passes out. Void leaves to search for his army and lumas.

The opening would be the in-universe justification as to why she lacks certain abilities (like the spin, teleportation, etc) at the start of the game (I imagine she'd be able to levitate herself and other people or objects, but that's it).

I don't have an entire story planned out, but basically Rosalina will eventually regain consciousness, manage to track down whoever the villain is (it's her job to watch over the cosmos, and with the Comet Observatory this is not a difficult task) and follows them in their search for lumas. She'll regain her energy (and hence the rest of her powers) as the game progresses. She loves the lumas dearly, and won't give up until she's saved every single one!

On each planet, some lumas are on the run from the army, and some have already been captured are guarded by the army, waiting for Cursa/Void to arrive so they can hand them over. Captured lumas are kept frozen in ice crystals found all over each planet in the game.

This is where those missions come in. For most missions, the objective is to save a specified amount of captured lumas, but some missions might be "Defeat [X] amount of enemies" or "Collect [X] Star Bits" or "Find/Go to [X]", etc. Side-missions could be escort missions where you help escort a citizen of that planet get to where they want to go safely whilst protecting them from enemies, or finding a stolen item and returning it to an NPC you've interacted with.

3 - The Hero(es)

The only playable character is Rosalina BUT you can have two lumas in your party as partner characters at a time (they're kind of like Rosalina's Donald and Goofy), and they'd work similarly to how Sparks of Hope handles the Sparks. The lumas would float beside Rosalina at all times during gameplay like the one in Mario Kart Wii.

After completing each world (or at least the first 10), one luma can be added to your party once you've saved them.

Polari is the first saved luma that can join your party, then a Yellow Luma, Red Luma, Green Luma, Blue Luma, Pink Luma, Hungry Luma, Lumalee, Comet Tico, and finally Lubba.

Some lumas have abilities they perform themselves , and some simply have effects on gameplay but don't do anything during battle. So for example:

(Abilities)

Polari can periodically turn into a small black hole that sucks in enemies.

Yellow Luma transforms into a Launch Star that Rosalina can use to launch herself further away than teleporting would, and can be used as a method of attack to dash through enemies with.

Blue Luma can transform into a small ice comet that will freeze enemies temporarily if they make contact with it.

Lumalee can grab items (except for star bits) from afar without Rosalina having to do it.

Hungry Luma can collect star bits from afar without Rosalina having to do it.

(Effects)

If Red Luma is in your party Rosalina will take less damage from attacks.

If Green Luma is in your party the duration of time Rosalina's force field can stay up during gameplay is extended.

If Pink Luma is in your party Rosalina will regain some of her HP when her health falls below 20% her total HP (but only 3 times per mission).

If Comet Tico is in your party the Cosmic Spirit, a clone that can help Rosalina in battle, will appear when her health falls below 20%.

If Lubba is in your party, the power of Rosalina's attacks is increased.

All lumas can be flung at enemies like Rosalina does with Luma in Smash, although here the power of this move depends on each individual luma's size.

You would only be able to swap out party members in the hub world, which is why there's an option to go back there at the end of each mission. Lumas can level up either by gaining exp whilst accompanying Rosalina in battle or by being fed star bits (see? I didn't forget about the other function!)

(Bonus) - Alternate Costumes?

I mentioned earlier that perhaps star bits could be used to buy alternate costumes. They could just be for aesthetic purposes, but I think it would be cool if each costume altered Rosalina's moveset.

Some costumes I have in mind are:

Cosmic Spirit

In this form, in addition to her usual moveset Rosalina can possess enemies, and maybe even the lumas so you can play as them. However, she is slower and cannot teleport.

Guitarist Rosalina

In this costume, in addition to her usual moveset, she can produce shockwaves when she strums her guitar as an attack, swing her guitar at enemies (like an axe), and moves at a faster speed, but she takes more damage than usual from attacks and cannot do her spin. Although I'd replace the guitar in the picture with the one she has in artwork for 3D World's soundtrack.

Young Rosalina

This costume would majorly alter Rosalina's moveset, so no using her wand, no teleporting, no flying, and her spin is weaker. It would essentially be a hard mode. I imagine her moveset in this costume would be more hand-to-hand combat focused. Perhaps she'd jump on some enemies as a nod to Super Mario games, maybe she could throw starbits as an attack, etc.

I'd rather Rosalina not use power-ups on this adventure (to keep this game distinct from other games in the Mario franchise), so no Fire Rosalina, Cat Rosalina, etc.

Some other costumes could be Rosalina Halloween, Rosalina Aurora...basically her Mario Kart Tour costumes other than the power-ups. They'd definitely just be for aesthetic purposes though, no affects on gameplay.

.

.

.

And that's all I got!

TLDR, Nintendo should make "Kingdom Hearts but it stars (ha) Rosalina".

[sonicasura]

Different Universes of Energy

After the multiple times of collecting energy being a goal/plot point in various Transformers media, I couldn't help but write this. A list that involves different energy sources from different fandom universes. The ones I'll be choosing are either very plentiful or have a large variety.

Marioverse

Oh yeah. We're starting with the series that has a clusterfuck of magical items. Mario practically beats everything on this little list from how many alternate power sources any Transformer can gather. Cat Shines from Lake Lapcat, Shine Sprites of Del Defino, Power Stars to Grand Stars found across the stars and the latest Power Moons scattered all over the world.

I ain't forgetting about the spinoff games either which has their own flavor for powerful collectibles. These are also the easiest to attain since there are many ways to acquire them. You can find one out in the wild, purchase from a store(Power Moons), win through competitions, etc.

Team Autobots wouldn't have much trouble following these rules. In fact, it's probably a fun break from the usual hardships as scavenging in the midst of a war is difficult. Getting coins is easy since coin blocks are common to find and some bots such as Bumblebee would find the games fun.

The Decepticons would have to follow things by the Marioverse rules though. I ain't joking either as there are many ways for inhabitants to send them packing. Powerups especially the Mini Mushroom, Mega Mushroom, Giga Catbell and Super Star.

One little Mini 'Shroom is enough to shrink Megatron to the size of a guinea pig then shove his ass into a cage. A bloke can become a giant through the Mega Mushroom or gargantuan sphinx via Giga Catbell and yeet Starscream across the kingdom. Can't forget the Super Star's invinciblity as Decepticons drop like flies thanks to pure rainbow power.

Every bit of technology in this universe is more advanced but also sometimes mystical. There's literally a vacuum cleaner capable of sucking up ghosts, go-carts that can ignore the laws of gravity, actual magic, to even stars that can grant wishes.

There's also the kingdoms who won't take invaders too kindly either. Bowser definitely gonna declare war and he's got a wide array of technology to pack a nasty punch. The Koopa King is quite a threat when you look at the spinoffs such as the RPGs. Plus he has teamed up with Mario multiple times should the need arise.

Speaking of the plumber, he definitely get involved alongside his friends. The Mario and Luigi RPGs to even Mario + Rabbids shows he can do more than just jump. Latter series literally gave him a gun which later got upgraded to dual blasters.

Best play nice or get your ass kicked by someone no bigger than your little toe.

Knackverse

Next up is the PS4 launch title series, Knack! There are two different types of energy sources that are very very abundant: relics and sunstones. Everything technological in this universe are powered by either one or both sources.

Sunstones are crystalized sunlight that can be found about everywhere. Caves, mountains, grass plains, and even in someone's backyard. They are often used to generate electricity whether through generators, electrical plants or even lamp posts.

Now relics are a bit harder to find. These can be found underground or in ancient structures so mining might be required. Relics produce relic energy which is often used to power vehicles, generators, weapons, etc.

Everything can be obtained without messing with the locals. Although either faction might have to go through a scrapheap to see how relics are used to generate power. They definitely be a bit confused for awhile as these ancient artifacts are essentially spun around akin to a hamster wheel.

Decepticons will have some very painful retaliation if they try to steal relics and sunstones from the populace. The Crystal Wars is proof that humans here act like space orcs but also still do. Ryder and Doctor Vargas literally threw hands with goblins the size of them. The same goes for the latter.

I don't think goblins would be too pleased with otherworldly invaders taking their resources either. Advancement in technology can also prove these aren't people to mess with. Airships are more common, vehicles don't drive on tires, there are tanks that can create forcefields and fire lasers.

Ancient goblin weaponry have been rebuilt. Every one remains a force to be reckoned with. Cannot forget about the people's protector: Knack. He has fought a lot of mechanical foes in various sizes(for both parties).

Decepticons will be fighting on his turf and that's a huge disadvantage on its own. Super Sunstones to grant temporary invinciblity, the Ultimate Move which can destroy barriers/forcefields, super moves that range from solar lightsabers to even a relic tornado. Knack is a crafty motherfucker and can pummel any Cybertronian who dares disturb the peace.

I'm pretty sure a relic haymaker to the faceplate will be hard to dent out.

JNDverse

Last but not least, we have Eco from the Jak and Daxter series. The closest in comparison to Cybertron's Energon from their respective origins but also diversity. Each has different unique properties depending on the color. Their origin being from a long lost civilization/creators now cascaded in mystery.

Eco is very abundant and manifests all over the world. The main source being Eco Vents which constantly spurts it out in a gaseous form. Large liquid pools can also be found but it's highly likely that its Dark Eco, the most corruptive of all types.

Crystals are another way to gather it so mining will be required. Even various wildlife drop eco upon death but not much. There are many ways to gather the stuff without stirring a fuss.

Huge advancements in technology is very common as the most common transport are hovercraft style vehicles like zoomers. Dune buggies are utilized in the deserts with some being capable of jumping large gaps or bust down fortresses from sheer firepower. Eco can also power weaponry.

Weapons powered by this natural energy can have all sorts of abilities that depends on the color. Short range shockwaves, gravity inverters, ricocheting bullets, etc. They don't lack on firepower especially if one has a Morphgun which can use all Eco types by switching cartridges.

Now the Decepticons will face retaliation by disturbing the peace but here it varies. Some cities such as Haven have too many civilians and incompetent military forces to properly protect themselves. *Looks at all the missions alongside lack of self defending NPCs in Haven*

Areas such as Spargus will retaliate immediately since EVERYONE has been trained to fight and is armed. It makes sense because most of the city's population are people exiled to the wastelands by Haven. Can't forget about the Demolition Duo.

Jak and his companion has tackled a variety of opponents including giant robots. The latter were made with Precursor metal which is very hard to break through and probably more durable than Cybertronian metal. Both had wrecked it.

Jak has a variety of Eco cartridges for his Morphgun but can also rely on his Eco Channeling abilities. He can transform into powerful forms through Light and Dark Eco. The destructive animalistic Dark Jak or the angelic time stopping Light Jak.

It's best to be wary unless you want a Dark Eco blast through the spark chamber.

That's it for now! Until next time folks, I'll see you later! Transform and Roll Out!

[astridsfavs]

First Favourite Character

So this is my blog, where I shall ramble about my fav characters. Isn't that fantastic? And I figured I should start with the most famous viddy game franchise of all.

Tetris Super Mario! Mario has a sheer ocean amount of characters, through the platformers, kart racers, party games, RPGs, there's a million bajillion nerds to choose from. So is it the Brothers themselves I love? Princesses? Koopas? Or is it...

WARIO!

The big bad German/Italian/Something Anti-Mario. Super Capatalist Fucker. sigma male. I've loved Wario since day 1. My first Mario game was Super Mario Land 2, the game Wario debuted in (and it came out in Europe the month after I was born, so like, I was a newborn baby with Wario in my life. (the game boy was my parents, not mine originally)). Like, I didn't even know who the fuck Bowser was, or Luigi. When I was a wee bitch, I knew Mario, Wario, and the three fucking pigs who ruined my life in Mario Zone.

We also, at some point, got the first Wario Land game, and I liked the heavier, stronger style of gameplay, and the treasure hunting aspect. The collecting of coins gave the same "yes" feeling as collecting the rings in the Snoic. And the world evolving as you go through the game made it so cool. The tide coming in after finishing world 1, so early levels now are flooded, MT Teapot's lit crashing down and changing some of it's levels layout. And most importantly, Wario with his evil crosseyed grin, a fucking bastard of a man.

And to be honest, for a long while, that was it for me and Wario for a long while, I loved these two games, but I never like, played as him in Mario Kart 64 when we got our Nintendo 64, I was always Yoshi. I had borrowed a copy of Wario Blast from a friend once. And when we played on the playground, like, if we played Mario, which we did shut your mouth, I played Wario and just, "Elbow Bashed" everything (I didnt realise til long later it was a Shoulder Bash actually shut up), and doodled fanart of Wario in "Smash Bros 2"(he was just another Mario clone, but with yellow fireballs instead of red)

Anyhow, years later, I got Wario Land 3 from Woolworths, and that unlocked some shit in my brain because from then on, he was my guy. The cartooney transformations, and the way Wario behaved was like, that was the shit, and then Wario Land 4?! I was in, I am in and in for life! I love this cartooney shit!

Thing is though, again. that was it, I'd now play as him in the Wii games, Strikers, Smash, Kart Wii and Party. But I never played WarioWare until THIS year actually on the GBA Console on Switch. But that doesn't matter. There is SOMETHING about Wario that draws me in, even if I can't afford his own games.

So what do I love? I love an Anti Hero, I love powerhouses, I love selfish agendas (and Wario's love for gold being the drive for all his adventures is selfish AF) and I love hidden hearts of gold, Wario with Shokora shows he isn't entirely selfish, willing to team with others, heck he's got a huge group of friends in Warioware, and even when with the Mario gang, he pals around with Waluigi.

I love that he is allowed to dress up compared to other Mario characters.

He has so many outfits, this isn't even all of them. I love playing as him in Mario 64 DS, I know he's "The Worst" in the game, but punting goombas to hard it takes like 5 seconds for them to land and die is just a silly little fun. I love he is able to punch the fuck out of Tox in Shifting Sand Land.

I love he's a suer arrogant, rude, brash, super like, macho manly man. An Alpha actually, like, man has women throwing themselves at him, and some men too probs. He's a bitch dickhead, but he draws people in, and bitch like, me too.

Also he has the best cast of characters in the Mario series. Mona? Shokora? Syrup? Jimmy T? fuckit the whole warioware crew? Bonko the CLown or whatever his name is? All iconic!

ALSO! SAKURAI. Mate, bud, I love you, listen, Smash is fantastic, Kirby is superb, Kid Icarus Uprising is yum. But my fucking god, Wario is the WORST repped character in Smash. Like Sonic might have a basic spindash only style moveset, which is a bit boring, but whatever. Wario? We got a shoulder bash and his bike, yup, that's it. And a weird amount of farting, calm it down man.

Also give me a Next Level Games made Wario game, it would be so cool. Listen I know Strikers Charged did the fating rubbish too, but Striekrs 3 showed me they got Wario's character down to a T.

So this is my first post, so I'm figuring out the format of my rambles, it might get more organised in the future, but maybe not, maybe people like the way I write. Who knows.

ANYWAY! RUNNERS UP!

PRINCESS DAISY- I will be her.

WALUIGI! Not a meme, he is such a funny, Wacky Races goofy character, Next Level Games puts so much life into his animations in the three Strikers Games, he's a fantastic loser self-pitying dweeb. WAAAA.

[eaterofpi]

Nintendo Direct 6-21-23 LIVE Reaction Post!!

I'm just going to put all my reactions here in this one post!! It's better then watching me live, cause I would just be like; "Pikmin 4 🙏" and make no audio responses to anything else!!

It's starting!!

Pokemon stuff?? Unexpected! Are they covering the DLC here instead of in their own thing? More details on the DLC is real.. Actual footage too!! The Teal Mask.. Lots of returning beasts... Carmine?? Poochy... Normal Wooper? Festival!! Evil Ogre... THE DOGE POKEMON... The Masked Pokemon... Blueberry Academy.. Lacey??? Minecraft Biome Dome.. Lots more returning Pokes.. What are some of these designs?? The thing.. It is nice to see footage of it at least..

Two people directing?? More details later.. Special event too.. I'm probably not getting that DLC though..

Sonic Superstars, I heard about it earlier during some other thing, it looks like they are making a goods Sonics game, after 5 billion years.. I'm still not getting it though.. too fast for my eyes..

Palia--- Free to play... Farming simulator.. FISHING!!! 🎣 I'm not going to get a free to play game, I already have enough of them..

Personas... Didn't this stuff get leaked or something? I'm not really good at any tactics games.. No way Byakko! The models seem nice

Mythforce- First Person Rougelike?? Seems interestings!! The cartoon astehetics is good! I kinda want to see more

Splatfest- I don't actually have Splatoon 3, mostly because I'm really bad at Splatoon, a bit too fast for me.. Strawberry or Mint Chip... Difficult choice.. I'm too indecisive!!

Detective Pikachu 2?? They finally made it?? Pokemon Sleep and Detective Pikachu 2 are finally released after many years... Pikachu with coffee looks funny. why is mewtwo there I guess that's the mystery they are trying to solve

Super Marios RPG!! I never played this one!! OH IT IS BEING REMADE?? THE NEW ARTSTYLE LOOKS SO DEFAULT MARIO, no way mallow, isn't the mallow plush like, super rare.. anyways, nice to see that the game is being remade.. This means so many official models too.. Although I wonder what they might change... No subtitle?

Huh?

PEACH RPG?? I wasn't expecting her to get one.. I kinda hope that Daisy appears.. Who is her compainion?

huh what on earth is happening?

ANOTHER THING?

LUIGI'S MANSION 2 DARK MOON SWITCH? So many remakes!! Next year!! Quite a year to look forward to!

Batsman- I kinda don't really-- Joker from the memes?? I hopes the "Ridders" isn't here!! Buff Joker.. What a odd design.. (Dork Knight) Oh, a trilogy

Gloomhaven- A Card and Tactical game? I really can't play it then, I'm bad with both!! I also kinda don't like this art style... so gloomy..

Just Dance- How many of these are they going to make!! I'm glad I wasn't streaming this, otherwise, I would get DMCA'd.. Streamers have to live in fear... How do these games even work? Live Service Just Dance??

Silent Hope - Finally.. an RPG without reading.. Why are they still making like, scream sounds... This sounds (Harvest Moon Cow?) there's dialouge 🤯

Fae Farm - Magical Rune Factory? Animal Crossings? Friends? Preorder Bonuses...

HOT WHEELS - The shift in voice tone!! Building your own tracks? Reminds me of Re-Volt... I miss that game

Manic Mechanics - Is this one of those Overcooked styled games? I don't have local players..

Rabbids Sparks of Hope - The Rabbids's designs are getting so out there.. KING BOMB OMB!! bunny bomb :)

Is this that Dragon Quest stuff? A Remake? Monster Wrangler? Kinda reminds me of that one.. CD game, where you like.. put in CDs and get Monsters.. seth or roth

Many announcements,, so fast.. I'm a slow typer..

PIKMIN!!!!!!!

ship sounds!! SO MANY RETURNING AND NEW STUFF MAMUTAS

WHAT DO YOU MEAN CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT??

UI??

OATCHI GETS A BAR?? TREASURE GAUGE??

DOG SNEEZE

HOUSE

OATCHI SO GOOD!!

OATCHI CAN BATTLE

GAMEBOY??????

CANNON BEATLE??????

CAVES!!!

LIKE THE PIKMIN 3 MISSIOM MODE?? 3 to life

BAD ENDING??? DANDORI?? Dandraff?? BAD ENDING IS CANON???? Olimar has become corrupted.. 30 days..

OATCHI SKILLS??

!?!?

YONNY??

THE NIGHT IS REAL?? NIGHT MAKES THEM CHAOS??

GLOW PIKMIN???

THE GHOSTS ARE REAL??? THEY HID THEM SO WELL

THEY CAN CHARGE????? PURPLES

SO MANY NEW THINGS!!!

I NEED THIS GAME

I will need to get this..

MORE PIKMINS??

HD PIMIN?????? PIKMIN 2???? >!!>!??!?!?!?!>L<#@JKNJESKNJF

HD PIKMin2???? DEMO PIKMINE 4??

HD PIKMIN 2/??

HD??? PIKMINNOW???

--- okay back to normal

metals gears

how am I supposed to be normal after "hey Pikmin2 HD download today"

The entire Pikmin game series (except Hey!) is on Switch..

I'm sorry Pikmin².. You could've never expected that...

Vampire Survivors...

bird musics (battles royale

I have no music skills

yo

I can't focus anymore..

How am I supposed to survived knowing that there's an HD remake of both original Pikmin games?

That's just like.. You can buy my favorites now

Marios carts!! Pikmin course... The bathsroom

Petey!! Double Dash!! Wiggler!! Kamek finally in Mario Karts.. it has been so long.. This summers.. I never actually bought it, I just play the tracks online..

More remakes.. There's a lot of this HD 2D stuff nowadays (I only see it in Nintendo Directs)

Now I can tell everyone to buy Pikmin 2... I can do a playthrough right before Pikmmin2..

NEW WARIO?? SMOOTH MOVES 2?? This is something I really want, Ialthough.. MARIO 64 DS?? I need to have more space.. PIKMIN!!!! Why do Wario games always use Pikmin 2 (swag) 😳

Warioware is awesome... A few more things?

Seattle? I don't think I can go there right now!!

Wait.. I wonder.. Pikmin might get more phyiscal copies..

Tears of the Kingdom.. I didn't end up buying it.. New Amiibo!!

The Finale..

NEW MARIO!! AHHH VOICE ACTING!!

New Style!! I really wish I could enjoy it, but my eyes stunk!!

Voice acting is scary!! New Flower...Woah.. Chaos....

Wonder...

luigi

peach

toat

DAISY??? DAISY MAINLINE?? YOSHY CARCTER? I'm claiming Daisy

That's somewhat soon!!

elephant marios

seriously mario why would you do that

DAISY!!

That was a VERY good Direct!!

The end

[vg-sanctuary]

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

Moonsprout Games - Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - 2019

I don't like the core gameplay of 99% of all RPGs, but the ones I do like have been some of my favorite games I've ever played. case in point, Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling, a modern interpretation of the classic Paper Mario formula and an ideal example of indie developers adding to the legacy of a cult classic. its main feature is turn-based combat with action commands, like old Paper Mario or the Mario & Luigi series, and strategy in its intentional design and small health and damage numbers that goes way beyond "spam damage and heal every third turn, use mana items as needed". (in case you want to be 100% blind for your playthrough, past the Keep Reading link are some very minor spoilers: an item a specific cook can make after a side quest, some basic enemies, environments that are about halfway through the game, and the names of some medals.)

“wow, vg-sanctuary posting about a game that's not even two years old at time of writing? and it's an RPG? are you not a retro/legacy blog anymore? who are you and what have you done with the writer?” I still am a retro/legacy blog, mostly, just this time I thought I'd share something that its developers still get money from, and whose developers aren't mega corporations. and I just beat it, enjoyed it, and really felt like writing about it because it still doesn't have the popularity it deserves even after that puppet guy on YouTube talked about it. not that this post is going to reach any significant number of people, but still. I'll write about some more indie games sometime in the future. (and indeed I am writing about another RPG and you better believe it has a lot to talk about.)

anyway, Bug Fables starts with a brash little bee called Vi and a polite and honorable beetle named Kabbu wandering into an explorer's guild and not having a partner to join the guild with. they reluctantly decide they're going to fight together because companionship is a requirement for this guild, foiling off each other and sometimes off their third friend Leif, a blue moth they find in a cave, for the whole game. every character has a distinct personality and all the party members get some valuable character development through a side quest, which I really liked, but I'm no connoisseur of RPG stories. while I'm on story, people that come here looking for a well-made world will get what they want from the many optional lore books hidden around the world.

the plot becomes more complex and compelling as the game continues, though it generally lets gameplay take the spotlight. which is great, because the gameplay is also mostly great. about a third of it is doing puzzles on the overworld using the abilities of each character to move forward a la the Mario & Luigi series. they generally make use of whatever your newest overworld ability is, and some areas early on have inaccessible things you have to come back to, sort of like a Metroidvania except it isn't required to do this for progression. some puzzles take longer they could because they involve using Kabbu's horn to repeatedly fling an ice block many times over a distance. it's never egregious, but it could have been faster if the guy would use his arms. this is a minor caveat and not a majority of the game.

a lot of people probably don't know how the combat for this or Paper Mario works, and it's really important to Bug Fables, so I'll explain that here. it's turn based, which is typical, but basic attacks and skills need you to time a button press to do as much damage as possible. you can also time a button press when an enemy attacks to take less damage. Paper Mario and Bug Fables also both have medals instead of other equipment that give characters higher max HP or a new skill, for example. you have limited medal points and stronger medals require more points.

this is going to sound like a lot, but any RPG's combat will sound like a lot if you try to detail it in a single paragraph. the game introduces these things slower than I am here. in Bug Fables specifically, the character standing in the front of the group does one extra damage but is more likely to be attacked, and you can pass turns from one character to another in exchange for that character dealing one less damage (which is a lot because basic attacks only deal two damage by default). certain enemies can only be hit by certain attacks; some enemies fly, so Kabbu can't hit them until Vi knocks them down with her beemerang. not a typo, beemerang. and many of Bug Fables' status effects have upsides -- being paralyzed reduces damage taken everything by one, poison has many medals that make it a good thing, and being asleep heals the sleeping character every turn. there are others that are straight up bad things, though, and usually don't come until later. all of this adds up to even small encounters having strategic depth, which is great, and if you don't feel like small encounters you can just avoid them. skills that would typically be relegated to one character, like healing and support skills all going to one, are instead split between party members to make decisions more difficult in a good way. there's also a lovely medal that instantly kills any enemy the game deems too easy for you, sort of like in Earthbound.

I figure I spent more time doing housekeeping like cooking (simple A+B=C or A-becomes-B crafting), buying items, and arranging medals in Bug Fables than in any other RPG, which is because it was designed that way. by the way, cooking recipes start hidden, but a foodie at each restaurant will share some strong ones for free, which is a big help early on. anyone who's played The World Ends with You (i.e. me) will be spoiled by its excellent quality of life: no consumable items and you instantly heal to full after every encounter. it makes items seem like a ridiculous formality that RPGs only still have because they've had them for years, but in Bug Fables any item that isn't simple healing -- a lot of them aren't simple healing -- has great strategic use, and the exact way you spend your medal points can determine whether you win or lose any fight, especially bosses. for example, one character having one extra damage for two turns when they typically only do two is pretty important, especially when they use an attack that does multiple hits, and having it in item form saves valuable medal points and skill points. part of that time was kind of a waste, though, because I generally had one set of medals I use for multiple enemies and one I use for single enemies like bosses. being able to save loadouts would have helped a lot. I would like to compliment Bug Fables on allowing you to restart any boss with different medals without having to repeat cutscenes, and commend it for letting you do-over your level up bonuses late in the game when it starts to matter.

it's not like spending a lot of time on strategizing before fights is strictly mandatory. I was mostly playing on hard mode where enemies have more health and more difficult attacks, and mostly with a medal called Hard Hits that makes all enemies deal one extra damage in exchange for extra money after each fight. it can be less difficult if you'd like, but it's never mindless; even if you're doing a strategy that manages 20 or 30 damage (again, a lot in this game) in a single turn, it takes effort to choose your medals to do so much damage and actually play the strategy out in combat. the combat strategy is the best part of Bug Fables, and it makes each fight almost like a puzzle. I've typed some form of "strategy" six times so far, which is fair because it's the best part of Bug Fables. don't let it put you off, though, it's RPG combat strategy, not chess-like or RTS or something, so if you've enjoyed any other turn-based RPG it should be easy to get used to.

it's also worth mentioning the ample side content. each chapter of the game unlocks a handful of side quests, some about trading, some about combat, and almost as many bonus bosses as main bosses. you're allowed to fight them fairly early on, and a few become available after the final boss that are actually a bit harder than it in classic Paper Mario fashion. basically, if you like Bug Fables, there's a lot of it to play. there's even a trading card minigame because of course there is. it's fairly fleshed out, too, and unlike the one in Chocobo Tales the animations between turns don't take six years. the reward for the whole card side quest isn't something that's important for combat, so you can skip it if you don't like it; I didn't especially like it so I think that was a great decision on the developers' part.

rewards for some of the other side content, though, are so good it's kind of a wonder they can be completely skipped. it doesn't make the game harder to not have those skills or medals, but they are some of the best in the game and undeniably really useful. they make great side quest rewards in that sense, but it's important to know for the people that usually wouldn't do side content. I don't know if that's a common kind of player, but just in case. (this game's 100% achievement has been earned by a sky-high 5.9% of players on Steam. usually it's more like 2% or less. the point is none of the extra content is overly obtuse.)

I will complain about the forced stealth sections though. and be astounded that they fixed the main issue with them in the last stealth section. these are minor caveats and take well under an hour total unless you're really, really, really bad at sneaking, but they bothered me when I got to them. I mean, I understand why they're in the game, I understand why Zelda has them, but I didn't really like them. the main issue for all but the last stealth section is that there's no vision cone or other indication that "if you stand here they will see you" or even an opportunity to recover from mistakes which are incredibly important for playable stealth. the last stealth section does have a vision cone and does have an opportunity to recover from mistakes, which is a great step up. I would like to use even more italics to remind you that these sections total less than an hour of gameplay. Zelda: Breath of the Wild's forced-ish stealth was much worse than this.

I don't know where else to put it, so I'll add here that the soundtrack is great and the graphics are perfectly Gamecube-y and the sprites capture the cuteness of Paper Mario really well, even though they're, you know, bugs. each environment is distinct and themed well, and each one’s music matches well. I really wish I knew how to talk about music because there are a lot of different songs in this game that work well for what they go with. boss music sounds intense and boss-y and appropriate for each boss you're fighting, the not-music hits just right, and everything else feels good. some songs use Nintendo 64 MIDI instruments, which I loved. and the bee boss music has a synth that sounds like bees buzzing.

anyone that likes RPGs -- and even some people that don't -- will probably enjoy the story and strategy that make up the excellent Bug Fables. it goes beyond being a homage to Paper Mario and becomes its own thing entirely, though its roots are obvious from the art style. not that this takes away from it -- Paper Mario is a great legacy, and this manages to be even better. for all its little bad things there are a dozen great ones. I admit I haven't played the classic Paper Mario games, but this made me want more -- I guess I'll have to go back while I hope for Moonsprout Games to continue forward.

[papermariosuggestion]

What are you hoping for from a new Paper Mario? What's your "golden ideal", I guess?

I could spend, like, years thinking of things I’d like to see in a Paper Mario game, but I’ll try to narrow it down. Here are some of the main things I’d really like to see:

☆ New partners (plural)

• Based on previously established Mario species, preferably “enemy” species, as “The circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”

• Unusual, but believable, and perhaps even poignant, backstories and fully realized character arcs. I want to care about these characters because I’m invested in this world, its inhabitants, and those inhabitants’ personal successes and failures, not just because their design is so kawaii and/or their dialogue is so funny, though those things are a plus.

• Distinct personalities and opportunities to show those personalities off (through design, body language, dialogue, etc).

☆ RPG mechanics

• Built on the solid foundation established in Paper Mario (N64)

• Turn-based combat

• A leveling system where you get to choose which stat to increase

• Badges (Including superficial badges like the L Emblem and Attack FX badges)

• Something new, like being able to use two partners to perform a Bros.-Attack-like move, or maybe even stats specifically pertaining to your partners.

☆ New locations

• It’s a delicate balance. Locations should both feel like they could realistically exist in Mario’s world and feel like something we’ve never seen before. TTYD has some great examples of this (Rogueport, Boggly Woods, Twilight Town, etc). Super Paper Mario has some creative locations as well, but because it takes place in another dimension, not in the typical world that Mario inhabits, none of them really feel particularly “Mario-esque” in nature. They’re all a bit off-brand, so to speak.

• On a technical level, graphics are improving all of the time, but that doesn’t automatically lead to more intriguing and/or more visually satisfying designs. At it’s core, Mario is a fantasy franchise, an escape from reality, and the Paper Mario series is one of the few series in the franchise that really builds out- or at least used to really build out- its world, and that world was interesting because it was new and mysterious, it practically begged to be explored. Paper Mario games should show me something I can’t see in reality; I know what paper and cardboard and lemons and steaks look like, show me underground cities and palaces, show me sprawling gardens with talking flowers, show me a floating tourist trap in the sky. The biggest limit is your imagination, so let it run wild, and show me that, show me that Alice in Wonderland-like controlled chaos.

☆ An interconnected world and motivated backtracking

• No stage-selection maps. Even if the game is fairly linear, I don’t need to have that shoved in my face. I don’t want to feel like I’m working my way down a to-do list, glued to a track, I want to journey through the world and explore somewhat freely.

• No fast travel by default (maybe you unlock fast travel after beating an optional challenge like the Pit of 100 Trials)

• No pipes that take you right from the hub world to the chapter area; I wanna walk…

…and I want it to be through a believable, expansive, intricate world that changes as I progress through the game, a world I could see hundreds of times and never get sick of because its details are constantly in flux, and because those details are the kind that make it feel realistic and lived-in. I don’t want to be teleported from A to B, or confined on a path from A to B to C, I want to explore, I want to discover, I want to experience this world and to form an attachment to it. This alone would make backtracking more worthwhile, but…

• …another way to make backtracking even more enjoyable would be to add events that make walking into a game in and of itself, like having to follow a creature up in the trees, or having to get through a cursed area in Mirror Mode, or having to dodge and weave through falling rocks because there’s a huge earthquake destroying- and altering the actual geometry of- the area. Walking doesn’t have to be a chore for you to complete in order to get on with the game, and it shouldn’t be, it should be part of the game, just as engaging as anything else you’re involved in.

☆ Non-linear elements

• The game should still be fairly linear overall, because Paper Mario games are chapter-based stories with beginnings, middles, and ends, but having some say  in which chapter comes next, or which partner you meet, or even just which puzzle you solve next would give the player a stronger sense of agency. Story-driven games are at high-risk of making the player feel like they’re just along for the ride, and this would help to counteract that.

☆ Spin dashing

• Gotta go fast! Getting rid of spin dashing always felt like an odd choice to me. Characters like the Yoshi kid, Carrie, and Dashell kind of replaced it, in the sense that they allow you to move quickly, but being able to speed up without switching partners, as well as being able to spin attack and just to witness the utter chaos of Mario flinging himself across the screen again, would make backtracking and walking around in general less of a slog. It would also give you more agency in the overworld and serve as a nice callback to the original game.

☆ Free-moving NPCs & situational dialogue

• In past games, NPCs have been confined to certain paths and locations. They might move from chapter to chapter, but they would always stay in the same general area until you triggered an event that placed them somewhere new. I’d like to see characters wandering around, going in and out of buildings, visiting other locations, having private conversations with one another, getting into fights, buying and selling items at the shop, putting on different clothes, and doing just about anything else they would typically do in-universe. Obviously this would be huge challenge to program, but we’re talking about an ideal here, and anything in this general direction would be an improvement in my eyes. We already see a bit of this in the series, but I’d like to see even more.

• When NPCs say things like “Where are your manners, Mario? You shouldn’t climb on the table” and “Don’t be so careless. There are too many enjoyable things in the world to gamble with your life!” it makes it feel like they actually see what you’re doing and care about what you’re doing. Having NPCs respond to you differently because of where you’re standing, or what partner you have out, or what badges you’re wearing, and so on, makes them into more than just set decoration or a sign to read, it makes them people, or at least more person-like. Nintendo’s been pretty good about this in recent years, probably because technical improvements have made it easier than ever before, and I think it would be fitting for a series known for its world-building.

☆ Dynamic lighting design & a day/night system

• This is all about aesthetics because, as it turns out, visuals are pretty important in a video game. Paper Mario (N64) had some really interesting lighting design, notably in darker areas like the secret passage in Peach’s castle, and we haven’t really seen a lot of that since, despite having more advanced technology that would allow for advanced lighting.

• I’d like to see things like swinging chandeliers that cast beams of light, and cracks in the ceiling that light pours through, and mirrors/reflections that Mario uses to solve puzzles, and shadows that hint at secrets. Lighting is a huge part of shaping a world, and using it in a variety of different and meaningful ways just makes your world seem that much more complex and grounded.

• As for the day/night system, I am picturing a game that visually changes based on the actual time of day, kind of like Animal Crossing games do, but not a game that requires it to be a certain time of day for any gameplay purposes, not for the main quest, not for side-quests, and not even for easter eggs. All I want is for it to be bright when I play in the morning, orange when I play at sunset, and starry when I play at night. This also would add to the game’s replayability, as different chapters would look and feel different depending on what time of day it was when you played through them.

☆ Easter eggs that reference other games in the franchise

• I want it to be clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Mario we see in Paper Mario games is the same Mario we see in other Mario games, not another person, and talking about the time he visited Isle Delfino or when Bowser fused with a sentient tennis racket would really drive that home.

• Make me really look for some, though. It’s cool to spot easter eggs in plain sight, but what’s really rewarding is having to dig for them. I don’t just wanna see Luigi standing in the background, I want to spot little inconsistencies and cracks in the walls and cryptograms spread throughout the world. Sure, the five-year-olds playing might not find them on their first playthrough, but when they’re fifteen and they remember that awesome Paper Mario game they played a decade ago, they won’t just be revisiting a world they’ve fully explored, they’ll be playing on a whole new level, figuratively speaking.

☆ amiibo Compatibility/functionality

• I’m not a big fan of DLC in general, as it’s often overpriced, but I do think amiibos are neat; using a real object to unlock something in a virtual world makes the virtual world feel just that much more alive to me, that much more like it’s a little world I can actually affect.

• The Paper Mario series never really got official merch, and while you do see a bit of your partners’ lives in the epilogue, it’s only a glimpse into their future, so getting little figurines of past partners that make them appear in the game, tell you about a recent adventure they had, and give you a unique badge based on their abilities/personalities/experiences, would be like a dream come true.

☆ Just be creative (I know it’s not that simple, but like, figure it out)

• Surprise me; throw in something inventive and revolutionary, like Wall Merging from A Link Between Worlds or The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device from Portal.  There’s a whole universe of possibilities out there; please dream a little bigger than items disguised as a gameplay element and a hammer that fills in glaringly obvious gaps in paint. Nintendo’s always pushing the video game industry forward with their creative consoles. Use that, take whatever whacky control method they come up with next and integrate it like Super Paper Mario did- but hopefully even better than Super Paper Mario did- with the Wii remote.

• I see fans writing stories, and drawing characters, and making sprites, and working with all kinds of mediums to make art that knocks everything from recent “Paper Mario” games out of the park. Obviously Intelligent Systems can’t just steal those ideas, but I’d love to see them get on that wavelength and match that passion.

• Make a game that you’d never want to put down because you just can’t get enough of it, and don’t even bother with that “You’ve been playing for a while. You wanna take a break, grab a snack, chill out for a sec?” message; if I die playing your game because it’s truly that good, I see that as an absolute win. That’s legendary game design, my friend; aim to make a Paper Mario game so good it’s worth dying for, and if you fall short of that, hopefully you’ll still land on something pretty awesome.

[lemonadeflashbang]

Katana Zero Thoughts/Review

Almost two weeks ago I had the pleasure of playing through Katana Zero while conked out on my second shot. I waited before writing this post to fully digest what I actually thought of the game. It’s definitely a stylish game, and fits in quite well with other games published by Devolver, but I think it was likely held back a bit by its’ own ambition. For those who don’t know, Katana Zero is an action game where you play as a time controlling samurai who has to kill every enemy in an area before proceeding to the next room. Enemies die in one hit, but so do. The gameplay is twitchy and the concept is kind of anime as fuck, and when it works it works. There’s also a cool cyberpunk story, and for an indie it’s actually pretty well written. There’s a narrative system that allows you to pursue different dialogue paths, but you can also “get to the point” by spam pressing all the initial ��rude” prompts. You can also choose to wait out a timer and reply with silence. Generally speaking though, even though I liked the story I felt like its’ focus was ultimately a detriment to the final game. The whole game is only a few hours long, and you probably spend at least half of that time navigating through dialogue. Tons of resources went into the writing and the cutscenes, many of which are lovingly animated, that I think might have been better served by being poured into the core gameplay loop. There’s a bit of a myth in gaming that games are the sum of their parts. For example, if you clone a game but improve the story, the game is objectively better. I believe that to be false. Take a Mario game, for example. Taking the quick “princess is kidnapped” story and replacing it with something epic- maybe from a JRPG or from something more western like Horizon Zero Dawn, wouldn’t result in a better game. And the reason is simple- the core gameplay of a Mario game is about the platforming. That’s the most fun part of the game. Even if you improve the story, so long as that story takes up more time you’ll find that your players will be having less fun on average simply because the story isn’t as good as the platforming segment, and now you’ve blown it out and made it more important. There’s a reason why these Nintendo games have such basic stories. Nintendo has no problems writing funny Mario RPG’s as any fan of Mario & Luigi or Paper Mario will tell you. They’re choosing not to so they can focus their energy on the most fun part of the game. Narrative and RPG games have a lot more room to play with long story segments, because story is part of the core value proposition for these genres. But that’s not true of all game types. So let’s loop back to Katana Zero. There are now half of your game sections that are about the narrative... but the narrative is short, raises more questions than answers, incomplete, and doesn’t give you time to get attached to most of the characters. And let me be clear- this isn’t because I think the devs did a bad job. But indie games are stretched thin, so creating content, especially cutscene and effects heavy narrative content that can’t be reused, is super time consuming. And at some point you just have to ask- are we going to be able to tell a story that’s as gripping and exciting as our gameplay? Does the story enhance the gameplay, like in a narrative or RPG game? Is the enhancement worth the time? I’d argue that it isn’t. Not that there isn’t a good story there, but that the story is way too big to fit comfortably in an indie package and get really attached to. Not without a genre shift, resource injection, or cutscene de-escelation. There’s a reason most RPG cutscenes look so donkus, even today. So in the end, you have a game where you spend half your playtime as a kickass time bending samurai, and the other half navigating dialogue trees that don’t result in alternate endings or secret levels or anything all that gameplay related, but tell the prologue to a story that may never have an ending. There’s a mismatch between your most fun thing, and the rest of the game, and the gap is big. Not because the story sucks, because the core gameplay is fun. Let’s talk more about the core gameplay though. Story isn’t the only place where I feel that ambition may have caused some problems. There’s a point in the game where you can play a single stage as a second character. Just the one. Why implement a character just for one stage? Why not bring them into more of the game? As an unlockable character choice to increase replayability, perhaps? There could be some level design constraints around that, but I don’t think it’d have been an issue with the alternate character that existed as it was. Finally, I feel like the level design starts to break down in the last third of the game or so.As you approach the last act, you lose freedom to express yourself in your approach and become more constrained by enemy reaction times and numbers. This isn’t necessarily a huge issue, but it also starts to force you to rub against the bits of randomness in the game. You might kick open a door only to get immediately shotgunned by the police officer across the hall, unable to deflect the bullets because the spread is random and two of them are too far apart to hit in one swing but close enough together to kill you during your attack’s cooldown. Maybe it’s not one shotgun blast but three or four pistol rounds, shot by enemies without friendly fire. Maybe they’re guarding a laser cannon with that will blast you unless you descend precisely from above. Maybe you retry a prior tactic, but it doesn’t work because when a level resets it doesn’t move enemies to a fixed position- and their different placements results in different AI behavior even when executing the exact same moves. Whatever the case, the game becomes significantly more punishing and less predictable. You may have to idle and wait for enemies to move into a good position again before retrying a tactic simply because it just won’t work in the current spawn position, which slows down the pacing of an otherwise fast game. Most importantly, the games difficulty increase has nothing to do with mechanics being harder- it’s just repeating the prior challenges but generally less forgiving. Increased mastery is good to aim for, however there’s a couple things you want to avoid. The first is shrinking the play space too much. If your increased mastery comes at the price of player freedom and flexibility, what will happen is levels devolve into rote memorization and the game loses replayability. It also starts to feel like farming, or a chore, even if it’s the first time you’re playing it. The second is you want to make sure that you maintain predictability- which is lost with the shotgun shell randomness and the variation in enemy starting placements. The game ends up feeling stale towards the end of its runtime, which is odd given how short it is. I think an extra mechanic or two to play with for the core gameplay could have taken it farther and let it keep its’ shine. The game was good, and is definitely a fun ride for an afternoon or so, but I can’t see myself wanting to go back to it- even with a DLC update. Generally speaking, I recommend it- but maybe on sale.

[bearpillowmonster]

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Review

This game has been out for years now so if you haven't played it, you either don't have a Switch or don't have enough interest in it. So I will try and give you reasons why to play this game and spoil some gameplay details along the way but will save what the bosses are.

This game doesn't appeal to me, "Mario and Rabbids: Battle Kingdom", I mean Rabbids are basically the original Minions. I've heard it called a "Baby's first XCOM" and I, for one, am not about strategy or turn based combat. So, then why is it that when I got my Switch, this was the first thing that came to mind that I wanted to get? 

I haven't played many games on the Switch yet but I can tell that there are games that are best played on the TV, best played on tablet, and best played with the Joycons loose, some fall under all of the above such as Super Mario Odyssey. This falls under the best kind of tablet game, it's like it was meant to be played port-ably and is something you can play a level here and there, casually, or seriously and play a whole chapter's worth.

This is pretty much as clever as it gets, it's no wonder they got Grant Kirkhope to compose it, it has the humor of Banjo Kazooie, it's not even Minions-like humor, it's charming to the max.

There are times where you'll play a stage and just go guns blazing but you need to be careful because sometimes there will be a gauntlet of levels and you will either have to find a mushroom or just go straight to another level before it heals you again. Of course later in the game you can switch up the characters (that have more health) but you shouldn't always assume it as a fail-safe, especially for a boss, so if you're low on health and haven't found a mushroom, change BEFORE you get to the level, that is if you keep your other character's stats and weapons, good and balanced.

Ok, I hear this and that about how everybody loves Rabbid Peach and while her gameplay has a lot of perks, Rabbid Luigi was instantly my favorite and I tried to use him for every battle, I mean he has a Yo-Yo and his hat is on sideways, how can you not love him? I made him a beast with his 'Vampire' ability which allows you to slide into enemies and take some of their health to add it to yours. There is a Fridge boss that it's strongly recommended not to use him but I sure as heck tried. So you will more than likely get attached to a certain character but it's up to you who it will be towards and remember that you might not be able to use them EVERY time. You can choose to have 3 different characters at a time but one of them has to be Mario, he's a default and you can't exchange him. There have been multiple times where all my other characters have died and all I have left is Rabbid Luigi and I pull a clutch with that Vampire ability, making a clean sweep and finishing the level alone, I wasn't really able to do that with any other characters (though I valued Rabbid Luigi more so maybe I didn't try hard enough). And don't worry, even if you don't have a character in your current party, they still obtain skill points for the skill tree so you won't have to grind for a character once you unlock them or anything.

So, how do you make your character stronger if every level is right in front of you and not really an RPG style of sidequests? Well, there are little puzzles you can go around, collect coins, hidden chests, some cannons that you can shoot out of that take you to a Red Coin type level (except blue coins) and you get a new weapon out of it. Also you can go back to worlds you've completed and complete challenges, I usually hate doing stuff like that but it's all good in this game. And it's not required, this game is pretty balanced, it's not too hard but not too easy either, there's no difficulty setting so that's good to hear. Sometimes I would play a boss just to kind of test them out and see what they did and then adjust for my second playthrough for them when I inevitably failed. There are definitely some levels I would spend a few days on, usually those bosses and I would lay in bed thinking of different strategies to beat them, some of those were the most satisfying after beating. Now that may sound like a lot of thinking and seem repetitive but it doesn't force you to come up with a strategy, do you think I actually did stuff intentionally? Not really, I used trial and error and it never even got tired, I usually fail the same level of a game just a few times before putting it down and say "I can't do this." because yeah, I am kind of a baby when it comes to some of these games but I feel accomplished when I beat stuff like this. This is where the 'Baby's first XCOM' comes into play, if you're not into that genre, this is the right game for you but if you are into the genre, you're experienced and it may seem a bit more tame but it's still a good play, Win-Win.

Given that topic, if you feel "too challenged" then it will offer you extra health for a level so it will heal your party up and add some extra, but I like to think of it as the chicken hat in MGS5, only use it if you need it, and even if you do need it, it's not ridiculously easy once you have it. I HAVE failed using the extra health before, sometimes you're just not using the right characters or weapons or need something from the skill tree, it's not a bail out free card, it's just a boost. I've played the ending gauntlet many times and each time it was different, some times I would do great until the third wave, sometimes it's just left up to chance whether your shot hits or not because if they're hiding behind a wall, it may not hit and are you hitting the enemy with the right character? Maybe you need a different order for maximum damage. It's a lot to process but you're not forced to think about it too hard, you have time, that's why it's turn based, I am describing it in a lot of detail but don't think that it's overly complicated or anything, if it was, as I mentioned, I wouldn't play it, it wouldn't seem so darn good of a game to me if it was.

And before you think that enemies get too easy or anything because you just upgraded everyone, they're constantly introducing new ones so it's always even with where you are in the game. Some of these enemies need to be handled differently because of how they attack such as the big ones without guns, they usually have a big stone or log or something and if they get close to you then they'll do a hefty amount of damage so it's always entertaining, keeps you on your toes, and brings me to my next topic.

I suppose it's easy to think that they all just have similar blasters but that's wrong. Most weapons come with a status effect such as honey which prevents them from moving on the next turn, ink which does the opposite and prevents weapons from being used, flame which catches them on fire and and makes them run around until they are extinguished, this ability is especially cool because if they hit another enemy, he will also be on fire, that doubles for you though so be careful with placement. There are also some other abilities but I'll get back to this topic in a minute. Not only are there different variations, which really just fit your preference, but there are also shotgun types which only have a short range but a higher amount of damage, rubber-duck grenades, yes you heard me right, and they're even decorated, there's even a Sam (King)Fisher one from Splinter Cell, not even joking. There are hammers which can get multiple enemies at once if you're within range, and these things that are called sentries but don't shoot anything, they're more like rolling bombs, they can be used to divert an enemy's attention away or can be used similar to a grenade but with more power, and then there are rocket launchers which can fire farther and machine guns which are a bit of an odd ball because you shoot a bunch of weaker bullets vs one big blast but you have more of a chance of hitting due to it's ability to instantly break a wall that an enemy may be hiding behind, leaving them open for the next person. I also wanted to mention that before you attack, aiming at an enemy shows you how much damage you'll do, I guess that's easy to look past or expect but given I haven't played a tactical game of this nature, I want to be thorough.

It tosses it up with a few different types of missions, rather than just walking from area to area to fight the next battle, you actually get some landscape to look at, some puzzles which are actually quite fun, I like a good puzzle and it makes me want to try Captain Toad, but there are also escort missions. Most players dread escort missions in games because they take forever to follow you, this is in a different genre though. It will give you a goal and all you have to do is get that character (most of the time it's Toad) to the goal, sure they can't attack or anything and you have to rely on your other characters to defend but you don't have to defeat all the enemies like most stages, just get to the goal and you control the escort just like you would any other character so they don't drag behind. My only slight complaint with this is that Toad or whoever, isn't be able to use a teammate to bounce like everyone else but it's still fine. Same with the bosses, the only requirement is to just beat the boss, there will be other enemies too though. Before you think you can cheese it that way, most bosses have multiple health bars so you may take out their first form tanking hits with guns blazing but will you have enough to last the second and third form? Probably not so you need to take out those side enemies first because for one, they make it harder, and two, once the second form comes, the boss will bring a second wave of enemies and if you don't have the first wave beat yet then it will stack.

Ok, so easily the best thing about this game is the atmosphere, every little detail feels so good to just walk around in, they didn't have to make the world so good but they did, this accompanied with Grant Kirkhope's music is splendid even the different versions of classic Mario tracks. My favorite one would have to be "Exploring the Mine". With that, the designs for characters, enemies, and such will be added as collectible models throughout the worlds, it's a fun little thing to look for if you're into that sort of thing, I made sure to get a few for the bosses I liked the most. This goes double for the music tracks, you can collect them and go back and play them in the museum. But back to the way it looks, it looks so good that there will be points where Beep-O (who is kind of the guide and serves as a reason this tactical map exists) will have a magnifying glass option and if you press it, he will bring attention to certain landscapes and sights such as a Rabbid in a hot tub burning himself or a Bullet Bill with Underpants on his head, it's all in good fun and really makes you see the vibe they're going for with this fusion between worlds. The landscape for battles includes these pipes that you can travel between to slide kick enemies easier and get a better piece of ground to defend, it's really cool when you get a chain of attacks for example: With Mario, you can stomp on top of enemies, so you slide kick an enemy, bounce off of a teammate to get farther, land by stomping on another enemy then finally make your destination where you want to shoot, so much damage can come from just one turn if you really know what you're doing. And about those effects like flame, there will be different boxes around the stage where if an enemy is stationed behind them and you can't see them good enough to get a hit in, you can fire anyway and hit the box, making the effect hit the enemy so it wasn't a wasted shot and may even make them vulnerable enough for another character to shoot.

Some characters have something like "Hero-Sight" or "Steely-Stare", this is amazing, it's up there with the Vampire ability for me. This comes in handy for those bulkier enemies with the stones and if you have a weapon that has "bounce" it's so freaking satisfying because you can use the ability, fire at the enemy and if they make an attempt to get closer then your character will shoot a few more times.

There is a bit of a problem when you don't properly close the game however because sometimes I would just leave it open on the home screen then shut the console off and come back to it later. Yeah only do that once or twice, don't leave it on standby every time because what will start happening is that the models for some of the items and characters will glitch and turn into blocks, it's not a performance based issue, just visual but it was my fault in the first place for not closing the game for so long so I can't really complain.

There is a bit of DLC that I'm actually considering getting (if it wasn't as much as the base game, crimeny!)because it expands off the story and revolves around Donkey Kong, so that's cool. Speaking of after the game, there is end game content. Throughout you unlock puzzle abilities such as moving crates, picking up totems to put them on pedestals so you can unlock new areas, break blocks, and drill a hole. You can go back to each of the worlds and finish some puzzles you weren't able to before because you didn't have one of those unlocked, if you're going for 100% that is or even if you're just trying to make some extra moolah during the game.

[freckledskittles]

104th SSBU Mains

In the midst of playing Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the trailer for the second half of SNK’s third season, this heap of crap came out of nowhere and now it’s the only thing I can think about

I don’t know a lot about some of these series so please excuse me for any mistakes or inaccuracies!

x-x-x

Eren: Roy. He got into Fire Emblem when he first played SSB:Melee, and he fell in love with that red-haired boy. When he plays Ultimate, Eren is less likely to stick to one character (his argument is that “everyone is good and I love all of them DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE”), but when he has to, he knows his boy Roy is there for him. Alternatives are Ryu, Mega Man, and Zelda, which, in his mind, if you’re going to play anyone, they’re the best options.

Fun fact: half of the reason he plays Ryu is to bug Armin to be Ken since “they’re best friends and we’re best friends and you look like Ken.” Same for Simon and Richter.

Mikasa: Young Link. LOZ is her favorite video game series by far (Majora’s Mask is her favorite hmu about Mikasa headcanons I love her) and when she heard he was coming back to Smash, she was sold on him before the game was out. She likes any Link, but Young Link has a charm and holds a lot of nostalgia for her. And she likes how he's the only one of the Link trio to have fire arrows. Alternatives are Yoshi (somewhat for the IRS meme but mostly for her fave green dinosaur), Mewtwo for the Pokemon representation, and Samus. Nothing beats an “I’m strong” catchphrase than the first female video game protag.

Armin: Mega Man. Of the video game series he’s gotten into, Legend of Zelda and Mega Man are the ones he’s most loyal too. For Ultimate, he’s more into the mini easter eggs that Mega Man’s moves give to other characters in the franchise than winning the game, and will probably play the single player modes the most, but he doesn’t mind fighting his friends. Alternatives include Pit, Pikachu and Falco; he doesn’t know much about Falco or Pit, except what he’s heard from everyone else, but it’s better than giving into Eren’s whim to play as Simon or Ken.

Jean: Ike. He grew up on that good old GameCube system, so of course he’d go to Ike, whose first game was for GC. He won’t admit it out loud, because he’s a Cool Guy™, but RPGs are near and dear to this boy’s heart. And what better way to share that love than with a blue-haired boy with a big ass sword? Also, he’s pretty good at Smash? So whatever smack talk he has is actually backed by some type of skill and experience. Alternative mains are Zelda, Young Link, and Pichu, all which took a very deep study of each character to develop. It was a serious decision.

Marco: Link. Like Armin, he has limited experience in videogame knowledge, and he’s just here to play with some characters and sass his friends. Link is the one he knows best, and the BOTW design is really pleasing to him. He’s really not here to win or show off how good he is cough cough Erejean. He just wants to have fun! And will do so in ways that make everyone regret handing him the controller, but he doesn’t know that. (Ridley just came out how the hell has he already mastered him?) Alternatives are Ness for the baseball references, Kirby for the deceit, and Marth for a cute blue-haired boy.

Fun fact: it’s a running joke among the 104th nerds that Ness’s design was inspired by Marco, and just to play into the joke, Marco has learned how to imitate Ness’s voice perfectly. For shits and giggles, he’ll spam the “okay” taunt if he’s doing better.

Sasha: Kirby. A classic, in her opinion, and the most versatile character since he can get the move of any player he inhales. There’s nothing more terrifying than a smiling pink glob hitting you with a hammer and nothing will change her mind. She put in so many hours to Kirby’s GBA and DS games when she was a kid that she can’t not play as him. Alternatives are Toon Link and Luigi for the GameCube nods, and Daisy. She makes up for losses by whispering “hi I’m Daisy” under her breath. It has a 95% chance of making them laugh.

Fun fact: the 104th buds have enforced a ban on Sasha’s Luigi when they’re playing together. He is too strong for mortal minds to comprehend.

Connie: Diddy Kong. The peanut gun really sold it for him, and he loves that Donkey Kong being the big goof that he is has a tiny sidekick like Diddy. He’s not here to win or compete seriously—he just wants to have fun. And that fun requires shooting peanuts and slapping opponents with his tail, but he’s not keeping track. Alternatives are Snake for laughs, Villager for the Look Of Death from that one skin (you know which one), and Peach. If he and Sasha are on a team, it’s a nightmare of hip bumps and golf clubs. If they’re facing off, No One Is Safe.

Reiner: Samus. As a kid, his mom wanted him to get into video games that were “safe for the kids” and so there was a bit of a limit to what he could play. But Metroid was something she okayed, and the series now has a special place in his heart. Samus is amazing to him? A bounty hunter in space who fights a giant dinosaur and is also a woman? He’s proud of that. Alternatives include Donkey Kong (more to play with Connie than anything else, really), Mario, and Olimar. Pikmin was another series he was able to play; if he had to choose, the white Pikmin are his favorite.

Bertholdt: Olimar. Sorta like Reiner, his video game knowledge is limited, but more by choice than anything. His knowledge stems from friends and his brothers playing DS games. (Their favorite is Spirit Tracks hmu about Bert headcanons I love him.) He chose Olimar, who he recognizes thanks to Reiner, but also because he looks like he is waaay out of his element. Which is how Bert feels 98% of the time. Alternatives are Marth, Shulk, and Pit; he didn’t choose them until he played at least some of their main games. (Which he did end up doing and enjoyed them all.)

Annie: Incineroar. She’s a Pokemon girl when no one’s watching, and that asshole cat pulling a clothesline on stage is exactly why she’s playing the game. She didn’t choose Litten when she played Sun/Moon (Rowlet is her dear round boy), but by god if she’s not going to take her chance. She was skeptical of Incineroar at his release but once she played him, she was a fan. The stone-like facade she wears playing him doesn’t help either—it’s win or death. Alternatives are King K. Rool, Zelda, and Ridley. She makes heavy characters look easy and the 104th does not appreciate it.

Ymir: Little Mac. A 5′7″ boxer from the Bronx is squaring up to fight a fire-breathing dragon, an anthropomorphic hedgehog, and a pink blob that wants to put her to sleep. It doesn’t matter—he’s here to beat everyone up and he won’t stop until he wins. She may be biased (modern au headcanon that she’s from the Bronx what up) which some will allege is her reason for picking Little Mac, but that’s just slander to her. Alternatives include Mega Man (after so many years of not having that iconic blue boy), Chrom (“that’s an ugly ass tattoo put some sleeves on”), and Sheik.

Fun fact: it takes every bit of her lesbian heart to not choose the girls because the 104th knows her attraction to long blonde hair and is waiting for her to do it. And sometimes, you need Peach to shut them up.

Historia: Marth. He’s a royal blue boy! Look at how pretty! Soft headcanon that Historia likes fighting games and RPGs because hello punching bad guys and using sword to battle evil? Yes please she wants that. She’ll distract everyone with praises of her character and “how beautiful” they are while attacking the 104th with every chance she gets. She’s here to win, and when she will, she just smiles and says “don’t worry we’re all winners.” But everyone knows who the One True Winner is. Alternatives are Ryu, Zero Suit Samus, and Pichu. When she chooses Pichu, the 104th buds know the game is over.

[breegullbeakreviews]

My hopes and dreams may have been dashed by the Jim Carrey who stole Christmas and a Tony the Tiger’s luchador cousin, but we still have DLC to look forward to. Here are my out there and not so out there ideas on who should join the roster in the Smash Pass.

Rules: No echos. The announcement claimed these types of new fighters won’t be a part of the pass. This doesn’t mean a new fighter may not come bundled with an echo of themselves, but these types of fighters won’t be a part of this list.

Also no Assist trophies. As much as I want Spring man and Ribbon girl to punch in I don’t see them replacing or removing an existing assist trophy to add a character in.

Fighter: Banjo & Kazooie

I am still holding onto the dream. The duo of bear and bird are tied to the Nintendo 64 despite no longer being owned by the big N. Phil Spencer is down to get Banjo in the game so the only real question is if Sakurai thinks they are worth adding. As far as Nintendo wanting them, it would only be if some deal was worked out for the N64 classic. I’d assume both announcements would be near one another.

I’ve gone over their endless potential for moves before and that hasn’t changed. Grant Kirkhope killed it on the soundtrack for these games so there are plenty of tracks to choose from. The only real question is what the stage will be. Smash is usually inspired by stages more often than it copies a direct area, so in that regard I think Spiral Mountain would probably make the most sense. I think the Rusty Bucket has a lot of potential as well, but if the idea is to go for something iconic I think you have to go Spiral Mountain.

Fighter: Doom Slayer

Not giving up on this one either. Odds probably aren’t great though. Doom is a very western franchise and not one super linked to Nintendo, and let’s not even get into the violence and religious aspects. The one thing it has going for it is that it is a very important franchise to the history of gaming and Bethesda seems to be on good terms with Nintendo. Doom Eternal is coming to the Nintendo Switch so it could be a cool marketing move to drop this fighter in to build up hype.

Just because he wouldn’t be a Snake echo anymore doesn’t mean he doesn’t have potential. The Doom Marine has plenty of weapons to pull from in his past games and it wouldn’t be too hard to pull some from the upcoming Doom Eternal. I also don’t think it’d be much of a stretch to give the Doom Marine an echo fighter in the form of B.J. Blazkowicz. He is equally important to the history of first person shooters. Doom Marine would certainly get the stage though as Nazi Germany isn’t something I see getting shown off in Smash. A space station on Mars with maybe a transition to hell seems perfect for a stage.

Fighter: Lara Croft

Odds are if we get another Square Enix representative it would be Geno, but Lara Croft is another major gaming icon, just again more western focused. She has appeared on Nintendo consoles so the only issue is coming up with her moves, and I don’t have many ideas for this. Her combat style is very weapons heavy, but she doesn’t have much that would work for close range at least from my experience with the franchise. Like Doom Slayer, I only see Nintendo green lighting this if we are getting some Tomb Raider title on the platform before February 2020.

Stage wise Lara Croft has tons of crazy set pieces to draw from. I assume the stage would be a tomb of some kind with plenty of hazards and maybe even a guest appearance by the iconic T-rex. Lara has plenty of costumes to pull from. If one major thing keeps Lara out it’ll be her moves.

Fighter: Geno

People want Geno. I am not one of those people. I have never played Super Mario RPG, and unless it comes to Nintendo Switch I probably never will. I really have nothing else to say except that I think he is rather likely to be in the game as DLC. Geno could be tied into a remaster or rerelease of the game on Switch, but it is possible Nintendo will just bring him in because fans want him.

Fighter: Shantae

Being a spirt does not preclude one from being a fighter. Despite having yet to review it, I was a backer of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero despite having zero history with the franchise. Shantae has history with Nintendo. Debuting on the Gameboy Color Shantae is a mix of traditional platforming and some metroidvania mechanics. Now I’m sure plenty of people would be pissed if she got in over Shovel Knight, but I think she has a lot more to offer.

For one thing we don’t have another fighter who uses their hair. That alone will give her some interesting standard attacks. She also has a plethora of magic and transformations that could make for an interesting set of special and smash attacks. As far as a stage goes I think the central town would be the best representation of the series as a whole. Maybe have part of the stage feature a dock so that Risky Boots can dock.

The music in the latest game is fantastic. You could bring everything over unchanged and it’d fit in. Every track has a beat that makes you want to get up and dance while still getting across the mood. Overall I don’t think Shantae’s chances are great. Mostly because she is an indie character and she’d be pretty obscure for Nintendo to pick for one of five DLC fighters. Let’s just say I’m not holding my breath on this one.

Fighter: Dixie (& Kiddy?) Kong

Another much more likely fighter with a ponytail. I have not played a Donkey Kong game featuring Dixie. I also don’t like the Donkey Kong Country games, though I do like DK64. That all being said I understand people want Dixie in. She is one of two playable characters in DKC2 which is regarded as the best of the trilogy.

Now why did I say Dixie and Kiddy? Well I think there is potential to make Dixie unique by having her nephew help out in some way. One thing that neither DK nor Diddy get across is the weird health system of the old games. If a Kong is hit you switch to the other one who was running alongside. I think using that relationship between the two could make Dixie really stand out. That being said I could also see her coming in on her own. Potential have it be a Zelda/Sheik style swap.

Now I also think there is echo potential with Tiny and Chunky, though I think it’d be more likely to have s singular Dixie have Tiny as an echo than getting all four. Dixie’s single ponytail versus Tiny’s two could change the range and speed. People talk about Tiny as Dixie’s replacement so I don’t think it’s a stretch. I have no idea what sort of announcement this could tie into. Maybe another DKC game or a DK64 remaster.

Fighter: Gen 3, 5, or 8 Pokémon

I expect this would be a gen 8 Pokémon over a gen 3 or 5 one if only because outside gen 1 additions new fighters have been from the latest generation. Melee added Mewtwo and Pichu. Brawl added Pokémon trainer and Lucario. 4 added Greninja and Ultimate is adding Incenaroar. Who knows what Pokémon it’ll be, but I’m for a grass type.

If we do roll back to gen 3 I’d hope for Sceptile or Grovyle. We need a fully evolved Grass starter in the battle. As far as gen 5 goes Emolga would be a third electric type but it’d be interesting to have in there with its flight and thunder. Outside that maybe Krookodile. I’d also not be opposed to a new Pokémon Trainer as long as the Fire starter isn’t the third stage. Ideally it’d be Tepig, Dewott, Serpirior or any combination if the Hoenn starters without Blaziken.

If the stage is gen 8 I don’t know where it’d be obviously. As for gen 3 the Sky Pillar could work, but I would not be opposed to a plethora of locals. Fortree city, and Mt. Chimney come to mind. I think Shoal cave could be interesting using the games internal clock to change the stage with the tide. Gen 5 I’m not picky. Mostly because I hated gen 5 and forget almost everything about it.

Fighter: Fire Emblem: Three Houses character

I actively do not want this, but knowing Sakurai it’s possible that we will see another anime sword boy or girl. With Nintendo selecting odds are lowered, but it is still a possibility.

Fighter: Tetris Block

Yes I watch GameXplain. I think this might be a bit far outside the box for Nintendo to pick, but if a Gameboy Classic is in the works this is some easy cross promotion with the system’s killer app. Music is obvious. Having the stage be a game of Tetris seems to be obvious. If the Tetris block is a fighter the stage would need a different art style than the character. Don’t ask me how it’d fight. Only Sakurai truly knows.

Fighter: Steve & Alex (Minecraft)

Most people know Steve’s name, but less know Alex. This is again Microsoft owned, and outside getting representation from the second bestselling game of all time, I don’t know what would compel Nintendo to select them as fighters. Stage wise the possibilities are endless. In a world of blocks and biomes it is hard to pick just one. I could see a stage divided into multiple areas like Delfino Plaza. I could also see a destructible stage that rebuilds like Luigi’s Mansion, though maybe not always the same way.

Move wise the two have a lot of tools, potions, and blocks to pull from. If a Creeper doesn’t show up here or as a stage hazard, than it needs to be an assist trophy. Music may be an issue. The music doesn’t seem like it’d transition well to battle music.

Fighter: Tails

I have never owned a Sonic game. I am not a Sonic fan. That being said with Shadow out of the picture I think Tails could be a great addition. From what I know of the character he seems to be more about verticality than speed. He also has gadgets that could make up his final smash.

As for a new stage maybe pull something from Mania or Forces. I assume most of the music is already going to be in the game so that might be an issue.

[monsters-conquer-the-world]

10 Games

For Jack’s 10th birthday, Will got him a RetroPie.  Pretty cool, especially since it’s so easy to just dump a zillion games in there and let the kid go nuts.  But that’s a one-way ticked to analysis paralysis, so Will had a a super sick idea.  He asked me and Jess and some other friends to put together a list of 10 must-play classic/retro games and write a little bit about why we chose them.  As someone who loves video games and writing and lists, I was ALL ‘BOUT THAT.  

Now that Jack’s birthday has come and gone, I can share all the junk I wrote about these ten games that mean so much to me!  Check it out:

I love this idea.  I know the initial prompt was just "pick your favorites" but I couldn't help but impose a bunch of additional caveats. I know where this list is headed (and I have a pretty good idea of what games will pop up on the other lists)!  I could have easily listed off 10 Super NES games or 10 N64 games, but I wanted to hit a variety of consoles and franchises.  I would have liked to have hit a variety of genres and studios too, but I can't lie: I love platformers, and I love games by Nintendo.  It was challenging but rewarding to shave this list down to ten--a lot of old favorites and recent discoveries couldn't fit on the list, leaving these few.  The ones I've always treasured, the ones that stuck with me, the ones I memorized the music and sound effects to, starring the characters I love, exploring the worlds I wanted to live in.  Maybe you'll dig 'em too.

NES

Super Mario Bros. 3

I had spent some quality time with our Atari 2600 well before we ever had an NES in the house. I have fond memories of playing but not really understanding Pac-Man, Haunted House, and the bleak nuclear apocalypse masterpiece Missile Command.  But the first game I really wrapped my head around was Super Mario Bros. (and Duck Hunt, but that's not as relevant!).  Mario and Luigi's multi-screen adventures under a friendly blue sky expanded my concept of what a video game could even be--plus it was super fun, and Rochelle and I could both play it together! Super Mario Bros. 2 was technically more impressive, but so weird (and flanked by so many similar games) that it didn't rock my world like Mario 1 did (though I of course have a huge soft spot for it anyway).   Then Super Mario Bros. 3 came along and Mario had learned how to fly.  It was bigger, more beautiful, and stuffed to the brim with secrets and surprises! It was so exciting even Mom and Dad would play it with us.  Super Mario World is maybe the bigger, better, beautifuler game (and you can ride a FREAKING DINOSAUR), but I'll never forget the day I woke up to find my dad and sister playing this in the living room because we finally owned it.  It was too good to just keep renting! Kid Icarus

I didn't catch Kid Icarus the first time around.  I didn't even play it until high school, but I was inspired to track it down because of my love for Greek mythology and the Metroid series.  Kid Icarus takes place in a world heavily inspired by (but still distinctly different from) the swords, sandals, and sorcery epics of ancient Greece!  It's considered a "sister game" to the original Metroid, released around the same time by the same team, and the game shares a lot of the core elements that make Metroid so unique and awesome: eerily lonely, dangerous worlds to explore, a challenging beginning, player-empowering character growth, and a focus on exploring vast, often vertically-scrolling worlds with satisfying run'n'gun'n'jump gameplay. Kid Icarus borrows all the best stuff from Metroid, but tempers it with a slate of unique design choices: instead of one sprawling world, KI is split into discrete levels.  The first world is an ascent out of Hades with vertically oriented levels, the second world is a horizontal trek across the surface world, the third is another vertical ascent into the sky, and the finale is a horizontal, forced-scrolling shoot-em-up to reclaim the heavens!  Every fourth level is a sprawling, maze-like, Metroid-ish dungeon, capped off with a frantic boss fight!  Plus, Eggplant Wizards, credit cards, and RPG-style character upgrades!  They don't make 'em like this anymore!! Duck Tales

It's not as groundbreaking as Super Mario Bros. 1 or as innovative as Super Mario Bros. 3, but that doesn't change the fact that Duck Tales could possibly be my favorite NES platformer of all time. You don't need to know anything about or even like the original cartoon (or the comic books that birthed it) to appreciate the challenging charms of this hop'n'bop classic.  Duck Tales only has a handful of levels, but they're huge, full of hidden treasures, packed with alternate paths, swiss cheesed with secret passageways, and just gorgeous translations of Disney's lush cartoon worlds.   Getting to choose your own path through Duck Tales' roster of big beautiful worlds is reminiscent of the Mega Man games (also by Capcom). What really sets Duck Tales apart is controlling Scrooge.  He's spry for a septuagenarian billionaire, but his real talents lie in swinging and pogo-sticking off his cane!  It's delightful cartoon nonsense, but if you get the hang of it, it's also incredibly satisfying, allowing you to make some wild, death-defying maneuvers.  If you dig this and find yourself hungering for more bounce-centric gameplay, Shovel Knight takes Scrooge's cane, turns it into a shovel, and builds a deeply satisfying modern classic around it.  Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze finally gives Cranky a chance to shine as a playable character, and he straight-up jock's Scrooge's style, cane and all.  It rules.

Super NES

Yoshi's Island

The first thing you'll notice about Yoshi's Island is that it looks like it was drawn with crayons, markers, and colored pencils!  The second thing you'll notice is that Mario is a freaking baby!  It's an odd premise, but it all comes together in perhaps the best sidescroller ever made.  With Mario mustache-less and diaper-clad, this game puts you directly in control of Yoshi, and he is a joy to play as.  Hovering to extend his jump power, turning enemies into eggs and chucking them, and butt-stomping are Yoshi's primary tools of the trade, and they mix things up nicely.  This doesn't feel like "just another Mario," but it also feels right at home in the Mario pantheon. Beyond the Yosh-man's most basic maneuvers, there are some wild power-ups that turn Yoshi into a helicopter, a train that zips along in the background, a mole-tank, and more, plus special areas where Baby Mario gets superpowers and runs up walls and stuff!  Yoshi's Island is another magical micro-world, jam-packed with extremely clever and fun level design and very possibly the biggest and best boss fights of all time.   Ya gotta play this one.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong-Quest

I know I just talked about Yoshi's Island maybe being the best platformer of all time, but Donkey Kong Country 2 is right behind it, nipping at its heels.  DKC2 has a wildly different aesthetic, dropping you into beautifully computer-rendered pirate shipwrecks, janky-but-glitzy night time carnival rides, endless bramble patches, a skyscraper-sized beehive, haunted forests, and more!  They're not just beautiful to look at, but beautiful to listen to, because DKC2 features one of the all-time greatest video game soundtracks.  Maybe the greatest.  But this game ain't just another pretty face!

DKC2, like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Duck Tales, is stuffed to the gills with tricky little secrets and hidden areas and surprises.  This game doesn't just have secret levels, it has a secret WORLD.  This game doesn't just have a secret world, it has an entire secret ENDING.  The classically solid platforming is accompanied by a wealth of mine cart challenges, awesome animal buddies, mini-games, and enough level design variety to keep you coming back for every last hidden treasure.  

Super Metroid

Super Metroid doesn't just have secrets, it has mysteries.  This was the first game to ever actually scare me. The first one to ever creep me out.  And that just made me want to play it even more.  It feels lonely and dangerous.  Unlike the games earlier on this list, it is one HUGE and continuous world.  It is a world of incomprehensible alien horrors, ancient moldering ruins, and high-tech space-faring bio-terrorists.  This world, named Zebes, is a world where the sky continuously rains acid and almost every living thing inhabiting it wants to kill you.  Good thing you're Samus Aran, the toughest, smartest bounty hunter to ever clean up Space Pirate scum!

Samus explores this acid-drenched nightmare planet by running, gunning, and jumping... but also by solving puzzles and thinking her way out of traps.  With each power up she gets a little stronger, and can find her way deeper into this gnashing alien hellscape.  It's a game that is sadly beautiful just as often as it is ghoulish.  The story, simple and sketched-in as it is, is also deeper and more moving than you will ever expect. The boss fights are as massive, memorable, and epic as the ones in Yoshi's Island, but about a thousand times more intense and frightening.  The music perfectly sets the dark, burbling mood of each region of Zebes, and by the end of the game you will feel like the most powerful hero in the galaxy.  This mix of sci-fi, horror, and adventure isn't just a must-play, it's a life-changer.

Gameboy Color

Wario Land II

I love the Mario series, but I'm also absolutely crazy about Wario.  He's a fat, greedy, chaotic, prideful, disgusting, bull-headed oaf.  He's the polar opposite of Mario... and that's why I love him!  He's not exactly a villain, but he's a definitely a troublemaker, and it is hilariously fun to walk (or stumble!) a mile or three in his shoes.  The game before this, Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land is a ton of fun (as is Super Mario Land 2 before it!), but Wario Land II is the first one that truly feels like a Wario game.  What makes this game so different?  Wario can't be killed!

You read that right, there's (almost) no way to actually "die" in this game!  No way to lose lives.  That might sound too easy, or boring, or both, but it's not!  Wario might be unkillable, but all KINDS of bad stuff can and WILL still happen to him.  A LOT.  He'll get flattened, set on fire, trapped in bubbles, fattened up, frozen, drunk, zombified, and more!  And here's the kicker: those wacky conditions are required to solve the puzzles and challenges of each level!  On top of that ingenious and perfectly wacky set of game mechanics, the story branches off in wildly different directions: you'll blow up the annoying alarm clock in your castle, play street basketball against a giant bunny, be nice to a chicken, visit Atlantis, race through a weird world of mouths, noses, and eyes, and more!  There are multiple endings, multiple hidden exits, and multiple secret treasures and minigames to find and conquer.  Almost all of the Wario Land and Wario Ware games are oddball masterpieces, but WLII is the perfect balance of weird, smart, funny, and challenging.

Nintendo 64

Super Mario 64

This is it.  This is the game.  In 1996, when I was in sixth grade, Super Mario 64 was the only thing I cared about.  I begged and wished and hoped for a Nintendo 64 that Christmas, but it didn't come.  I was crushed.  Occasionally I was able to rent an N64 and Super Mario 64, and I'd lose whole days to this magical, miraculous game.  When I couldn't rent it, I'd bug my classmates about it endlessly.  "What level are you on?  What's that level like?  What stars can you get?  What secrets have you found?"  They'd answer a few of my ravenous, bug-eyed questions before getting uncomfortable and leaving to do something else.  What was the big deal? Why was I (and still am) so obsessed?

The leap from Super Nintendo to Nintendo 64 was like the leap from console and computer games to virtual reality.  But instead of short, funny minigames, it is a huge, sprawling world where anything seems possible.  A magical, secret garden full of surprises, wonder, challenges, and secrets.  Where the sun always shines in a cloudless sky... except when you plunge into the death-defying Bowser levels or the inappropriately terrifying Big Boo's Haunt.  Oh Mario can definitely fly in this one like he did in Super Mario Bros. 3, but just the simple act of running around in circles and jumping through 3D space felt like a joyous miracle... one that puts 2-dimensional flight to shame.  Each world (accessed by jumping INTO paintings in Princess Peach's sprawling but empty castle) is colorful, full of possibility, and chock full of distinct personality.  Adventuring through 3D space for the first time ever was incredible on its own, but doing it in such richly detailed, lovingly crafted worlds made me want to play there forever.  I still do. 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Take everything I just said about Super Mario 64 and multiply it by ten!  Well, sort of.  Ocarina of Time took the lessons learned from Super Mario 64 and applied them to the dungeon-crawling, puzzle-solving Legend of Zelda series.  The result was an incredibly groundbreaking game that I cherished almost as zealously as Super Mario 64.  I don't think it's aged as well, but I don't care.  Ocarina of Time is a grand story, spanning seven years (!!!) and the entire fantastical country of Hyrule.  As Link, you jump forward and back through time, meet strange and wonderful new friends, discover hidden kingdoms, face the blood-soaked evil of Hyrule's past, save its future, outwit cunning puzzles and traps, steal and ride a magnificent horse, challenge towering, Super Metroid-style end bosses, wield magical weapons, break hearts, play beautiful music, and go fishing.  It's an entire, epic fantasy life in one little cartridge. 

This was the first Zelda game I ever spent SERIOUS time with, and the fact that it plays like a fantasy-fueled hybrid of Super Mario 64 and Super Metroid means I've lost entire days to it.  I've played it start to finish at least 8 or 9 times.  It never gets boring. Like Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time invented how we make and play 3D games.  This was the first 3D game where you could lock onto enemies and points of interest, plus a bevy of other camera controls that come standard in 3D games now (or at least they did for about a decade after Ocarina's release). The story is surprisingly cinematic and even gripping at times.  You'll want to live in this world.  You'll be sad when you see the end credits.  Not because of the ending itself, but because there's no more game for you to play... until you start it all over again on the next save file.  

Star Fox 64

Star Fox 64 was a life-changing event for me, just like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time.  So is Star Fox 64 a slow-paced, exploration heavy adventure into beautiful and fantastical solitude like those other two games?  N O P E.  It's a guns-blazin', fast action, dogfightin', barrel rollin', rock'em sock'em intergalactic action epic in supersonic spaceships!  Piloted by talking animals!  That actually talk!  YES!

Instead of the wide-open freedom of Super Mario 64 and  Ocarina of TIme, Star Fox 64 either puts you on (invisible) rails in a forced-scrolling attack run or in a contained 3D arena.  Here's the kicker though, the levels are all so perfectly designed and the action is so expertly paced that you never feel restricted.  You're too busy racking up kill combos, saving your wingmen, and navigating through flying, burning space debris and buildings and asteroids and terrain to think about what you can't do.  And even on rails, Star Fox 64 gives you ways to explore!  Most levels have multiple exits and there are a whole mess of different, branching paths through the entire, war-torn Lylat system.  The game is designed to be played start to finish in a single sitting, but experimenting with repeat playthroughs is the only way to experience everything this laser-blazing action classic has to offer.  On top of all that, it's got a great story, iconic, meme-worthy dialogue, and an absolutely banging soundtrack.  It might not have changed the face of interactive entertainment like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, but it delivered the ultimate shoot'em up space adventure.  

[jacobhallyear2fmp]

Battle Systems In RPGs

I wanted to use this post to take a look at some other RPG combat systems that have their own unique twists on the base of turn based combat and why I decided that the Mario and Luigi RPGs were the style that I wanted to replicate over so many other formats.

Persona 5:

Persona 5′s combat system is at it’s core the usual system, there is the player’s team and the enemies and they take turns as they progress through the combat. What makes Persona 5′s combat unique however is the ability to completely remove an enemies turn from the rotation for one turn as well as then perform a follow up.

The way this works is very similar to the Pokémon series, every playable character and enemy have strengths and weaknesses to certain attributes. Some have resistances, completely block or even heal when being hit by some affinities, most to all have neutral affinity types that means they neither take massive damage or reduced damage when hit by them, while all have at least one affinity that does increased damage as well as knock them out for a turn, wherein they take more damage and the character that hit them gets another turn immediately to perform a follow up. Both the player and enemies can utilise this ability which makes for a very in depth combat system where the player needs to realise who has the ideal abilities for each combat encounter while also not putting team members in a bad spot where they can be more easily killed.

Aside from that unique spin on the base the game primarily focuses on the main playable character Joker who, with the ability of the wild card, is able to convince some enemies who are knocked down to join their side to then join his own roster of personas that he can freely switch when in battle, who all have their own move set as well as affinities. To counteract this freedom that he grants when it comes to what you’re able to pull off Joker has a crushing flaw wherein if he gets downed in battle the player instantly loses, even if there are other team members alive. This is what makes Joker the main character as he is also unable to be taken off of the team, which means that the player needs to make sure that he is always safe.

One final element that the game utilises is truly making the player’s team feel like a unified group of friends helping each other through the toughest times. During the sections of the game where the player is able to just walk around the real world they can choose to socalise with the various members of the Phantom Thieves and get to know them better. The more the player does this the more abilities those party members will gain to aid in battle, from being able to automatically recover teammates from status ailments such as being stunned or slept, to being able to take a hit that would’ve killed another party member that can sometimes save the battle. The game makes use of the non combat sections to strengthen the allies you gain along the way in believable ways.

When it comes to why I chose the M&L style of gameplay over this one is that this combat style just appeared way too daunting to try and replicate. I would need several affinities that each enemy and player character would use, on top of the various move sets and stats they would have seperate from that. I also just find M&L’s combat more engaging in general.

Cris Tales:

Cris Tales is in many ways a typical RPG, the player has a basic attack, a skill list, a party of characters to level up and the battles are turn based, but the key thing that the game uses to switch this up is the ability to control time.

In both the overworld and battle the player can invoke the power of two crystals, the Future Crystal and the Past Crystal. Using them can either age the enemy your fighting greatly or make them much younger, making them weaker and more fragile in the process. This by itself is already an interesting premise that shakes up the traditional RPG combat, but it’s when the game gets more experimental with this system that it becomes a real game changer. A good example is if the player is fighting a mechanical enemy such as a robot, or maybe someone in armour. If the player was to hit that enemy with a water attack and then used the Future Crystal, that enemy’s body/armour would rust and become much easier to defeat. Another example is that say an enemy spawns some extra enemies, if the player uses the Past Crystal then not only will those new enemies no longer be present, if the player defeats that enemy which spawned those extra enemies then goes back to the present, those new enemies will be permanently gone. It’s a super interesting system with a lot to play around with and is fully realised in so many ways.

Aside from the time element of the combat, the game also has some elements more similar to the M&L RPGs, with the ability to do more and take less damage with well pressed button inputs. This is a system that makes the combat more engaging for me as it means I need to be constantly paying attention in battle instead of just clicking one button every so often. This system sadly isn’t quite as realised as the original M&L games however and is actually closer to the style of the Paper Mario RPGs as there isn’t a way to completely dodge or even counter an attack in a clean, fluid motion, you just need to time a button press to a specific moment just before/as the character is hit.

That’s the main reason that I decided to go with M&L’s style of gameplay over this game, the game with it’s timing focus on combat was nearly there, but I felt that M&L’s combat is just more engrossing and enjoyable when it comes to timing attacks and dodges and with the elements of manipulating time I just couldn’t think of any new or unique methods of utilising it that hadn’t already been done by this game.

EarthBound: 

EarthBound is one of the most rudimentary RPGs, with the usual assortment of a player party, enemies in combat, a variety of abilities to use in combat and the classic turn based combat.

The main things that set this game apart and make it stand out are it’s greater focuses on a more free flowing world. Unlike many other games at the time enemies are not randomly encountered as the player walks around, instead they can be found all over the overworld and need to be walked into in order to fight. If the player walks into an enemy from behind they gain the benefit of a guaranteed first turn, but this also applies to enemies who can walk into the player from behind guarantying them the first strike. Another element of this combat engagement system is that as the player grows stronger weaker enemies that the player comes across actually get defeated on contact, completely skipping the battle phase.

Aside from that element of starting battles a cool feature of the actual combat is that when a player character gets hit they don’t instantly take the damage, instead the damage is gradually reduced from the HP bar in real time, with greater damage numbers or multiple attacks from enemies on a single character reducing that number quicker. This actually allows the player to save their characters from otherwise instant death if they are able to heal the injured party member before the HP ticks down to 0. It’s a really interesting element that I haven’t really seen anywhere else before.

The main reason for not using this combat style over M&L’s is that just like Persona 5 and Cris Tales before it I just don’t find this style of gameplay as investing, but I do find it’s element of HP reduction really cool and it is something I might try to implement if I have the time.

Slay the Spire:

Slay the Spire is a bit of a different style of RPG compared to the other games in this post, with it being a deck-building rougelike where the player must build up their roster of attacks, buffs and other various abilities.

Slay the Spire still has many of the traditional RPG elements that I’ve mentioned across this post and others, there’s a turn based battle system, a set of playable character’s with varying stats and attacks and a large roster of enemies the player needs to fight through. The main difference is the card system, with the cards the player collects in each level of the Spire dictating how the player fights, with multiple “builds” being able to be made with each new attempt at the Spire. The rougelike element means that no 2 attempts at the game are the same, with different enemies, cards and rooms being present in different combinations each time the player tries to climb the Spire.

This gameplay style is really interesting and I do find it very enticing, but when it came to deciding what style of combat I’d rather do this game wasn’t particularly high on the list due to just how many elements I would need to make. From all the various cards, the the playable character and the enemies, I just didn’t feel that it would be that investing and interesting to make.

[makerof150papermasks]

Hamlet Mariofied Act 1 Scene 4

Bolded names refer to the Mario characters playing the roles. The character role names remain unchanged in the context of the play and its dialogue.

Mario = Hamlet

Luigi = Horatio

Yoshi = Marcellus

Donkey Kong = Ghost

Act I, Scene 4

Elsinore. The platform before the Castle.

 Enter Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi. Play Bowser’s Keep tune from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Mario. The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold.

Luigi. It is a nipping and an eager air.

Mario. What hour now?

Luigi. I think it lacks of twelve.

Yoshi. No, it is struck.

 Luigi. Indeed? I heard it not. It then draws near the season

Wherein the spirit held his wont to walk.

[A flourish of trumpets, and two pieces go off.]

What does this mean, my lord?

Mario. The King doth wake to-night and takes his rouse,

 Keeps wassail, and the swagg'ring upspring reels,

And, as he drains his draughts of Rhenish down,

The kettledrum and trumpet thus bray out

The triumph of his pledge.

Luigi. Is it a custom?

 Mario. Ay, marry, is't;

But to my mind, though I am native here

And to the manner born, it is a custom

More honour'd in the breach than the observance.

This heavy-headed revel east and west

 Makes us traduc'd and tax'd of other nations;

They clip us drunkards and with swinish phrase

Soil our addition; and indeed it takes

From our achievements, though perform'd at height,

The pith and marrow of our attribute.

 So oft it chances in particular men

That, for some vicious mole of nature in them,

As in their birth,- wherein they are not guilty,

Since nature cannot choose his origin,-

By the o'ergrowth of some complexion,

 Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason,

Or by some habit that too much o'erleavens

The form of plausive manners, that these men

Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,

Being nature's livery, or fortune's star,

 Their virtues else- be they as pure as grace,

As infinite as man may undergo-

Shall in the general censure take corruption

From that particular fault. The dram of e'il

Doth all the noble substance often dout To his own scandal.

 Enter Donkey Kong. Cue level music from the Donkey Kong Arcade Game.

Luigi. Look, my lord, it comes!

Hamlet. Angels and ministers of grace defend us!

Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn'd,

Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,

 Be thy intents wicked or charitable,

Thou com'st in such a questionable shape

That I will speak to thee. I'll call thee Hamlet,

King, father, royal Dane. O, answer me?

Let me not burst in ignorance, but tell

 Why thy canoniz'd bones, hearsed in death,

Have burst their cerements; why the sepulchre

Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn'd,

Hath op'd his ponderous and marble jaws

To cast thee up again. What may this mean

 That thou, dead corse, again in complete steel,

Revisits thus the glimpses of the moon,

Making night hideous, and we fools of nature

So horridly to shake our disposition

With thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls?

 Say, why is this? wherefore? What should we do?

[Donkey Kong beckons Mario.]

Luigi. It beckons you to go away with it,

As if it some impartment did desire

To you alone.

 Yoshi. Look with what courteous action

It waves you to a more removed ground.

But do not go with it!

Luigi. No, by no means!

Mario. It will not speak. Then will I follow it.

 Luigi. Do not, my lord!

Mario. Why, what should be the fear?

I do not set my life at a pin's fee;

And for my soul, what can it do to that,

Being a thing immortal as itself?

 It waves me forth again. I'll follow it.

Luigi. What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord,

Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff

That beetles o'er his base into the sea,

And there assume some other, horrible form

 Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason

And draw you into madness? Think of it.

The very place puts toys of desperation,

Without more motive, into every brain

That looks so many fadoms to the sea

 And hears it roar beneath.

Mario. It waves me still.

Go on. I'll follow thee.

Yoshi. You shall not go, my lord.

Mario. Hold off your hands!

Luigi. Be rul'd. You shall not go.

Mario. My fate cries out

And makes each petty artire in this body

As hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve.

[Donkey Kong beckons.]

 Still am I call'd. Unhand me, gentlemen.

By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me!-

I say, away!- Go on. I'll follow thee.

Exeunt Donkey Kong and Mario.

Luigi. He waxes desperate with imagination.

 Yoshi. Let's follow. 'Tis not fit thus to obey him.

Luigi. Have after. To what issue will this come?

Yoshi. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Luigi. Heaven will direct it.

Yoshi. Nay, let's follow him.

Exeunt 

[wazafam]

In between the outstanding Nintendo 64 and Nintendo Wii consoles, there is the wonderful Nintendo GameCube. It is hard not to love this system from an aesthetic viewpoint itself, as it is in the literal shape of a cube and comes in many eccentric colors. This raw originality is just not seen in many of today's consoles, so this warrants praise. However, looking at the games on this system, they also are aging quite well.

RELATED: 10 Classic Nintendo Games That Have Aged Remarkably Well

Perhaps nostalgia plays a role in its appeal, but even so, many GameCube games are just entertaining. Although they are behind in terms of graphics, there is no question that they still offer joy whilst playing. In fact, the success of some of these games has actually led to later installments for the consoles that followed. When people bring out their GameCubes from the basements, these are the games they likely want to play.

10 Super Mario Sunshine

Really the most iconic Mario game on this system, Super Mario Sunshine will likely never grow old. This is due to the fact that it not only offers magnificent gameplay, but also a great story.

It is clear that it holds up nicely, as it even was granted a remake this past year with Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Although mastering F.L.U.D.D takes practice, it is worth it when seeing how entertaining this game is. Also, Isle Delfino is simply breathtaking in looks.

9 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is definitely one of the most popular games from this specific console. It should not be too much of a surprise though, as games from the Zelda series always tend to be spectacular.

With this specific game, though, it offers a new cartoon-like style, which marks its own identity. However, its gameplay doesn't suffer from this stylistic choice and it's full of deep adventure, as Link's voyage takes place at sea and is full of difficult tasks.

8 Super Mario Strikers

Nintendo created something immensely unique with Super Mario Strikers. For one, the game has an electric fence surrounding the pitch, which creates a lot of turmoil for the characters who are body-checked into it.

RELATED: 10 Nintendo 64 Games That Still Hold Up Today

This element alone makes this game so much fun to play. It is easy to admire the doomsday-type vibe the game has, too, and the soccer gameplay in the game is actually done quite well.

7 Luigi's Mansion

Luigi's Mansion is quite an iconic game, as it is the first one that offers Luigi his very own adventure. Although he accompanies Mario in other games, this one allows him to tackle his own heroic journey.

The music in this game is quite memorable and it meshes well with Luigi having to fend off an abundance of spooky ghosts. The game also introduces the legendary side character, Professor E. Gadd. Thus, it is wonderful in so many respects and well worth a revisit.

6 Super Smash Bros. Melee

The sequel to the original Super Smash Bros, Super Smash Bros. Melee, really builds off the first game well. It introduces far more characters to the series, such as Peach, Roy and Mewtwo, which definitely helps enhance its quality.

It also has a brand new Adventure Mode and many more stages to pick from. Its significance to the series is therefore massive, as it introduces elements and characters that gamers in its most modern installment, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, are still enjoying today.

5 Mario Kart: Double Dash

Mario Kart: Double Dash is one of the coolest installments in the series, as it allows the player to control two different characters. This also gave Nintendo the opportunity to introduce new characters to the game, such as Baby Mario and Petey Piranha, to name a few.

RELATED: Waluigi & 9 Other Nintendo Characters Who Need To Be In More Games

This game definitely takes a step forward from the 64 edition of Mario Kart because of this. It is always enjoyable to play any Mario racing game in general, as they possess very entertaining power-ups.

4 Super Monkey Ball

Nearing its 20-year anniversary, Super Monkey Ball is a fun game that offers cute characters, yet challenging levels. The beginning of the game may seem like a piece of cake, but that changes rather quickly.

The art style of this game is beautiful with its bright colors and focus on nature, and it offers just an entirely different objective of gameplay in the process.

3 Mario Superstar Baseball

Mario Superstar Baseball is a great example of why there needs to be a new Mario baseball game. It kind of came out of left field, but it is still a fantastic game. It offers a very compelling story mode, while also having so many characters to choose from.

Although it is not necessarily as complete as its sequel, Mario Super Sluggers, it is still a fun game to play from time to time. Whether the player elects to embark on a journey with Mario and company, or simply just play an exhibition, it is surely worthwhile.

2 F-Zero GX

Although fans of the GameCube tend to see Mario Kart: Double Dash as the best racing game on the console, overlooking F-Zero GX is a sin. This game is stupendous and allows the player to take control over the iconic Captain Falcon.

It certainly provides a much higher intensity than most racing games, which is appealing. It also is one of the last installments from this series in general, so it is absolutely worth giving it a try.

1 Pokémon Colosseum

Pokémon Colosseum is a huge achievement from the series, as it is its first-ever 3D RPG game. This alone is important to note, but the gameplay is also quite splendid, as it allows the player to search for Generation III Pokémon.

What allows this game to stand out more than others is the fact that it also has a very deep storyline. It is far more than just a game where the player catches Pokémon, which warrants praise.

NEXT: The 10 Best Sports Games On The Nintendo 64

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