#i had to pirate a fucking update to the game too like. the fuck nintendo

[sacred-pebbles]

after getting a japanese copy of fire emblem fates, i have to say that the whole live 2d/face petting thing is more funny than anything else. like what do you mean i get to poke anime dudes in the eye

[game-boy-pocket]

Alright, Direct thoughts time I guess. I'm not gonna be all flowery and happy because I honestly wasn't that impressed so if you don't wanna read the mean ol spoiled nintendo fans thoughts then keep scrolling.

I care not for Fire Emblem. I also care not fore Advance Wars but I'm still happy to see that this game is coming, I don't want it, but any time Nintendo ressurects an old IP is fine with me. Also the character designs are fun.

I care not for Mario sports spinoffs, but I do think we were overdue for a new Strikers game. I don't want it, but I admit they fill a role, and I do appreciate the more unique rough and edgy style of the striker games, and of course Next Level is bringing their usual brand of extra expressiveness to the Mario crew that Nintendo isn't as good at doing themselves... I do worry that this may be a little more sanitized compared to older strikers games.

I'm just not feeling Splatoon 3. I loved the first Splatoon. I had an okay time with the second one but it felt like more of the same... and this third one so far just looks like even more of the same than before... I guess we'll have to wait and see more of the single player campaign.

Kirby is horrifying now I see.

I guess Chrono Cross rumors were true. I don't feel a storng urgency to play that game, I like Chrono Trigger just fine but I am not one of those people that would put it in my top 10 or even top 50, and I hear the sequel isn't that good. Maybe if it's cheap I'll check it out.

I've been curious about Klonoa forever so i'll check that out if the price is right.

LIVE A LIVE is a genuine suprise. That game has been on my backlog forever. I'm actually not a huge fan of the 3D HD stuff though so I think I may stick with the fan translated SNES version unless they include the original with the remake ( something I feel every remake should be doing. )

Already said my piece about the Kingdom Hearts releases. If you don't have a playstation, pirate it. DO. NOT. SUPPORT. CLOUD. GAMING. It's fucking stupid.

I was excited to see new stuff for Metroid but it all turned out to be difficulty options that should have been in the base game and a boss rush, which also should have been in the base game. Can't complain too much when it's a free update, but I really wish these things didn't have to be added later. Not everyone has guaranteed ongoing internet access.

The EarthBound re-releases.... sigh... I'm just tired of Nintendo and their fans feeling like they deserve a pat on the back for doing things that they've already done before, and should just be an expected thing that they should always do, and doing it a few years later than they should. Earthbound releases are not a huge deal anymore. None of Nintendo's retro releases are and they really shouldn't be praised for the way they handle their retro games, especially since they used to do a much better job at it, but failed to make sure it carried forward to current generations.

Switch Sports is also a genuine suprise. I thought that series would have died with the wii. Is the same audience for those games even on the switch? I know Switch has outsold the Wii at this point but that's largeley due to it being a handheld and not a great console to share with other ppl. I don't exactly see Granny Ethel playing tennis at the retirement home with a Joycon. Still, I liked Wii sports. If I can get it for a bargain bin price, maybe i'd pick it up.

I forgot that I bought portal on Steam ages ago and never played it... oops. I really should give it a go, it's one of those instant classics, yes?

Mario Kart's DLC is pretty cool. Mario Kart 8 really is going to be the best Mario Kart game at this rate, huh? The Switch version already had more tracks than any other Mario Kart game before it thanks to the DLC from the Wii U version being bundled in. And they only want a quarter of the game's price to double the number of tracks? This is way better than a new Mario Kart game imo.

If I didn't mention an announcement, it means I have no thoughts about it.

[scottymcgeesterwrites]

Final Fantasy V Review

Year: 1992

Original Platform: Super Nintendo

Also available on: PlayStation One (Final Fantasy Anthology), Game Boy Advance, Steam (updated graphics)

Version I Played: Game Boy Advance

Synopsis:

Bartz is a drifter, riding across the world with his chocobo – Boko. One day, the wind seems to fall. Lenna’s father, the king of Tycoon, goes off to make sure the Wind Crystal is all right, but doesn’t return. Meanwhile, a meteorite falls. Lenna and Bartz check it out separately, where they find each other and a man named Galuf with amnesia. Together they figure out that the world is falling apart – the crystals that drive wind, fire, earth and water are dying out. They stumble upon a pirate hideout led by Faris, and together they seek to restore the world and uncover the mysterious forces behind the destruction of the crystals.

Background:

Once again, this Final Fantasy game was originally unreleased outside of Japan. Unlike II and III, the developers thought that the game was a different tone than the others and the vast job system would be too complicated for Western audiences. The West didn’t experience Final Fantasy V until 1999 with Playstation One’s Final Fantasy Anthology; a compilation of both V and VI. One notable change from the Japanese version is the name Bartz. The original name for Bartz in the Japanese release was translated as Butz, but because Americans are immature and laugh at such a name, they changed it in the localization to Bartz.

Gameplay:

Holy capitalism, Batman – so many jobs!

Not only that, but each job has abilities that you can mix and match! Every time you level up a job, you earn a new ability for that job. You can switch those abilities across jobs.

The possibilities are seemingly endless!

The gameplay is the most fun I had with customization in a while in any video game RPG. The best part is that the Job System is so rewarding by the time you reach the third act of the game. It gives you such a variety that it allows you to approach battles from many different angles. There’s no one way to be a badass and deal destructive damage.

It’s so much fun that once a year, Final Fantasy V gamers join in “Final Fantasy Five Four Job Fiesta”. It’s a challenge where you are randomly assigned four jobs in the game and have to finish the game ONLY with those four jobs. I’ve joined in the challenge myself and it’s a great way to come together with Final Fantasy players.

I had fun unlocking the legendary weapons and hunting down the most powerful summons - this time naturally without looking anything up. I find it interesting to say that I had legit fun hunting down all the extras. Sometimes in other Final Fantasy games I get weary over hunting for some extra, higher powered spells and summons. I sometimes even wonder if I should bother going after them. The vast Job System in Final Fantasy V keeps you occupied for the entire game and more. I finished the game and there are still some jobs that I haven't even touched. Luckily, the Game Boy Advance version adds some extra dungeons after you complete the game.

Graphics:

The sprites in this game look a bit rough around the edges. They also come off as too small in my opinion. The same is said of the Game Boy Advance version. Regardless, it now looks like an actual SNES game. Unlike Final Fantasy IV, it has more color, structure, and doesn’t look faded.

Something irked me though about the sounds. I never have anything bad to say about the sound effects, but for some reason, in this game, the battle sound effects were meek. Even when someone had a sword, the attack sounded puny.

The PlayStation One version has an FMV sequence that look awkward and ugly as fuck, just like the FMV sequence for the PlayStation One version of Final Fantasy IV. As much as I love Yoshitaka Amano, trying to transplant his style into 3D is not a good idea.

Story:

The story transcends that of Final Fantasy IV. Where Final Fantasy IV can feel weak or simple at times, Final Fantasy V delivers a strong, emotionally charged storyline.

It starts simple. Once again, the world is in danger because the crystals are in danger – but this time because humans are misusing their power and breaking them. So this is a rare Final Fantasy game without any evil empires or rebellions.

Out of all the Final Fantasy games, I had heard the least about what happens in V. Heck – I knew more about II before going into it, mostly because of what people said about the Star Wars parallels. It’s been a long time since I went into a Final Fantasy game completely blind. I kept it that way and was very pleasantly surprised.

I can see what the developers meant by a “change in tone.” Final Fantasy V is probably the funniest of them all. It’s not campy – just humorous. Galuf loves to share puns. Bartz can be a klutz. The characters bicker a lot during their journey. One part actually made me genuinely laugh out loud when you are in a certain underground place searching for clues:

Despite the lighter tone, each character has a pretty sensitive, delicate backstory. I cared for Bartz’s personal history with his parents. I worried about whether Lenna’s father would die or not. I wondered what Galuf forgot and who Faris really was. There are dashes of tropes here but none of them stand out too much. You have to remember that tropes themselves are not inherently bad – what matters is how you utilize them. There’s no hokey romantic subplot thrown in either, which is extremely rare in a JRPG.

It was so rewarding to go into it blind because there was even a shocking death. I thought maybe they would be all right in the end through some Disney cop out.

No. That person is dead. Dead as a door nail. Never coming back. I also enjoyed the bit where they tried to revive said dead person with spells and phoenix downs. They finally imply that there can be a point where someone can go beyond and it’s too late to bring them back.

The henchman Gilgamesh is very memorable and lovable, probably the most memorable character of the entire game. He serves as great comic relief while not being at all annoying. I kept hoping he would show up.

My only real complaint, if I’m ever forced to say anything bad, is that Boko wasn’t really an asset in the story, at least not as much as I assumed he would be.

The story is unfortunately very overlooked. I can understand that maybe at the time American and other Western gamers may have found the third act strange – especially after learning about the villain Exdeath’s true nature. Compared to the other Final Fantasy backstories, it’s a little out there, and something tells me it relates to Japanese mythology. But today? You’d be sorry to miss out on it.

Music:

Final Fantasy V’s main theme is somewhat reminiscent of Final Fantasy IV’s main theme. They have this melodic soaring feel with a continuous beat. “The Four Warriors of Dawn” in Final Fantasy V is reminiscent of “Red Wings” in IV. Meanwhile, the biggest and most interesting display is “Battle with Gilgamesh”. (sometimes titled “Clash/Battle on the Big Bridge”). The piece opens up with some intense drumming. While the later orchestrations and adaptations of “Battle with Gilgamesh” are pretty good, nothing seems to capture the tempo and umph of the original.

“Dear Friends” is probably the most endearing tune in the soundtrack. It’s played at the end and gives a really bittersweet feel. The Distant Worlds concert version is extremely bittersweet. It has a sweet, gentle guitar, and it reminds me of how Uematsu said one of his inspirations was Simon and Garfunkel. “Dear Friends” definitely has that folk tune.

Exdeath’s theme song gives a heavy rock vibe. That heavy rock vibe was last heard in the opening segment of the final boss fight in Final Fantasy IV. The rest of the score has a lot of drumming incorporated, partially due to the fact that pirates are involved in most of the plot. Ultimately, this Final Fantasy score broke out all of Uematsu’s classic and hard rock inspirations – and it’s fucking awesome.

Notable Theme:

“Battle with Gilgamesh”

I have replayed this song over a thousand times by now.

Verdict:

Definite must-play. It’s the most underrated Final Fantasy game. The Kob System can be overwhelming, especially if you have never played a Final Fantasy game before. I wouldn’t suggest playing this for beginners – more after you get your hands wet.

Direct Sequel?

Yes. And No.

While not a video game, Final Fantasy V did receive an anime sequel titled Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals. It’s technically the first sequel to a Final Fantasy game. The anime is set 200 years in the future, with the heroes of the original game having become legend. Critical reception of the miniseries was mixed.

[oamshark]

I can’t believe people are still trying to say the Switch is bad, this is not the fight between PC/Xbox/PlayStation, and it’s not because Nintendo is irrelevant, it’s because Nintendo have been years ahead for decades. They have very few fails throughout their long history, they’ve literally had the Wii U and some minor flops, but even those minor flops are now immortalised by sky rocketing prices. want to buy a eReader? Tough shit it’s well over £100 now despite it being a failure at launch. In about 15 years, Wii Us will probably be worth hundreds despite being a failure.

But regardless of their other successes and failures, Nintendo have never stuck with the crowd the first time they changed to disks was with the Wii, they were so determined to be different and make sure everyone was treated fairly (so the cartridges are harder to pirate so developers don’t have money stolen by pirates and gamers aren’t being treated unfairly by buying full price games when they could pirate it) and the Switch just went back to cartridges. They have gone back to their routes and they’re supporting third party developers so people can just have fun.

What other set of people do that in gaming? Is it the PC companies selling you overpriced equipment every year, so you can play those games that have been made way too beefy so most people couldn’t play it? Was it Microsoft with the Xbox One S update that isn’t even compatible with some Xbox One games? Was it PlayStation releasing all the games you just bought for you PS3 onto PS4 with all the DLC you’ve already paid for either for free or ready to be paid for again?

Even though Amiibo can be seen as another cash grab like Skylanders and Disney Infinity, it’s one that doesn’t fuck you over as much. Amiibo are compatible with nearly every game on the Switch, even if your Amiibos don’t do much in the games you have, the fact that you don’t need add ons to play it on the consoles they were made for AND they gave you the option to buy a £20 add on rather than a £300 New 3DS so you could play with Amiibo on your original 3DS, goes to show how much they actually care about the people playing their games.

That should be all that matters, not the new graphics card that does fuck all when it stops the games you’ve already bought working, and isn’t worth whatever extra you paid for it when it’s a few frames faster. If Nintendo do a Switch 2.0 it will be just like the Wii and all their previous consoles, where it makes absolutely no difference it’s just a tiny bit better, you can buy it if you want they won’t make a big deal.

And if I ever have to pay for my online play on Switch, or whatever Nintendo does next, I think it would be a last ditch effort to shock some omnipotent being out of destroying Earth like Link pulling out the fishing rod in the Ganon boss fight.

[gentlemanpenguin]

GentlemanPenguin rants about people being dumb about Paradox Interactive

Okay, so, if you’ve looked at the Steam comments for any of the Paradox Interactive games recently, you’ve probably seen this, but I’m gonna summarize it anyway.

Back in May, Paradox Interactive raised the prices of their games and DLC for multiple countries, with the explanation being that the economies of those countries were stronger now, and the prices could be raised to be more in line with the prices for countries like the United States and most of Europe. For a great number of people, this translated into Paradox Interactive cranking prices up across the board in a frantic attempt to squeeze more money out of their customers.

Back then, I ranted to my friends that people were being dumb and not reading the whole story, but whatever, the internet is dumb. It is known.

Recently, the CEO of Paradox Interactive came out to say that they were rolling back those price increases after the Steam Summer Sale, and that they would do one of three things:

Refund the difference between the raised and original prices

Reimburse with games/DLC with a value equal to or greater than the difference

Donate double the difference to charity

People. Flipped. Their shit.

In the Steam comments, I’ve seen people bitching about the game being too expensive anyway, and that Paradox was still grabbing for money, and they were never buying a Paradox game again.

As a member of the nebulous group defined as “gamers”, I want to say something to the rest of us.

Grow the fuck up, you self-entitled fucks.

I swear, gamers are the most self-centered group of people. If a game costs more than $10, everyone bitches about the developers grabbing for money. If the game is more than $5, they say they’ll wait for the 75% sale. People brag on the forums that they only bought the game after spending 100+ hours on a pirated version.

To repeat: People complained about prices going up, and then complained when the prices went back down.

Paradox is not your friend who lets you play their games for fun. Paradox is a company. Their job is to make money. Making games does not print money, and no-one does that for free. In order to make money, the money has to come from customers.

If I had a machine that printed $10 bills whenever someone pushed a button, and I knew that 30k people were going to push the button per day, I’d be a damn fool for not making the machine print $20 bills.

Paradox has maybe 5 IPs that sell on a regular basis: Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Mount & Blade, and Cities: Skylines. Maybe Stellaris, but we’ll see how that turns out in like 5 years. Other games that they make aren’t as popular, and don’t make as much money. Paradox uses the money they get from these games to fund their other games like Tyranny.

Nintendo does the same goddamn thing with Mario and Zelda to fund Pikmin and ARMS, and everyone loves them. You can’t complain when one company does something that another company does and everyone loves.

In 4 years since it was first released, Paradox has made 13 major expansions for Crusader Kings 2. In that same time, Activision has made 7 Call of Duty games, all of which are essentially identical, and with an 8th game on the way for this year. Your average Call of Duty game costs $50 at launch, compared to $15 for a CK2 DLC.

On top of that, Crusader Kings 2 has had 8 major updates since its initial release, including a large amount of completely free content whenever they release a DLC. When’s the last time Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 updated? 2013? It’s almost like Paradox is trying to let people get comfortable with one game engine while adding new features instead of making people shell out $50 every year for the exact same game.

And before people start saying “well they’re locking features behind a paywall”, ya’ll can fuck right off because there’s a simple solution to not wanting to spend money on features.

Don’t buy it.

Problem solved.

If you spend money on DLC, you can’t complain when companies release DLC. You cannot complain about an industry that you are supporting without destroying your entire argument. And if buying that DLC supports a company that produces games that I enjoy, I will open my wallet for any DLC that match my interests. Because it means I can expect them to make more DLC that match my interests. And if DLC matches my interests, it means I’ll have more fun playing the game I have 600+ hours in.

When I was growing up, it weren’t called DLC. It was called an expansion pack, and you were lucky if your favorite game got a single expansion. The fact that Civilization 4 got not one, but two expansion packs, I was amazed. I had never seen a game I enjoyed having more than one add-on. Now we live in an age where pretty much every game has at least 2 major expansions, and a dozen $2 DLC. It’s almost as if making content for games that people enjoy makes more money than trying to sell a new game.

People are prepared to drop $450 on a console before any games are even announced for it. And yet if a company decides to make money on games that people have been playing for almost 5 years, suddenly Lucifer is at the helm boys we’re heading straight for the river Styx!

Last note: If a company makes a mistake, then rolls back that mistake and says that they’re listening to their fanbase, don’t bitch at the company for listening to you. No-one learns solely from negative reinforcement. Bitch when the company is doing something bad, and then reward them for doing something good. If all you do is bitch, then all the company is gonna learn that their fanbase is filled with bitches.

You like something? Throw money at it.

You don’t like something? Don’t throw money at it.

You don’t got money? Don’t throw money at it.

But don’t complain that you don’t have money because you spent it all on video games. It didn’t work for me when I was 9 years old and trying to save up to buy Pokemon Stadium for the N64 (god I feel old now), and it’s not gonna work for you.

Grow the fuck up.

God.

DAMN.