#like different playable characters give u different storylines ARE U SEEING IT???

[adultemophase]

I’m just saying if league of legends could really crack into a new market if they put some of that cash into a single player open world dishonored esque game where your character choice depends on how u wanna play / affects the storyline.

[chorastar]

Posting this on my main to maybe give it some attention

concept for something I might make in the future w some lyrics from a song that I really like that not a lot of people know for some reason

(why did this take me so long)

the song ⬇️

*unprompted chora rambles below*

okay uhhhh there are a few things I wanna ramble abt here so I’ll add dividers

the concept of the drawing

Ooookay as u can probably guess this is an oc thing 🎉 no one rlly cares about them but uhhh i still post relentlessly :D i plan to turn most of them into a video game (that somewhat resembles Nintendo style games (that’s a whole other thing to get into but not right now) and i plan for this to be a side game more dialogue and story focused than the other (more gameplay and story). The main concept is i have snatched up most of the characters and put them into this mindscape place called the Memorial, which resembles a large marble building with lots of pillars and portals (they have name signs but I didn’t want to put them into the drawing). All of the portals are ways to see into their memories and how their lives used to be (for lore opportunities) without disturbing the events and to put it in a more clear light. As for the characters themselves, in both games there’s gonna be at least 6 different playable characters, and despite the drawing only showing Axel (he’s probably gonna be the poster child for this) most of all the characters will be in this. As for their appearance, within the Memorial they will look more like their younger selves (can be small differences like Axels haircut being weird or Quin having an entirely different hair color) and will wear this weird a$$ flowy dress ish thing (w maybe some char special additives (such as axels neck ribbon thing) (they also can float) (dreamscape oooo) I chose this song for a lot of the overall messaging and visuals from the video. (song rambles belowww) aaaaand yea :D that’s mainly it

this SONGGGGG

(I’ve been planning on doing this for a WHILE I almost couldn’t contain it) aaaAAAAOOkay so I like. rlly like this song. and I hate how few people know about it. It uses one of my favorite vocaloids (they keep switching aaaaaa) and I relate with the derealization theme SO. MUCH. (Don’t ask) aaaAAAAA THE VISUAL FROM THE VIDEO ARE RLLY COOL AND UHGM THE LYRICS MADE ME MAKE AN ENTIRE DANG STORYLINE BY LISTENING TO IT A FEW TIME AND SHSHDNSHNZ. ooo i am calm mhm. the creator of it has only like 70 monthly listeners (which is criminal) EEEE AAAAAAND BACK TO THe VISUals AND SOUNF MMMM IT LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE VIDEOGAME MUSIC IM GOING TO EXPLIDE 💥💥💥 AAAND THE BACKGROUND IMAGES MAKE MY BRAIN GO FHUUHDSCBUSDCHUSDCUH (I’m normal. yeeeep) the art kinda looks similar to how I draw and that is very cool 👍 the lyrics fit so perfectly w my brain that it took me a minute to figure out which to use for the drawing cuz they all fit. HOW. yea okay I’m done probably I’m not gonna stop obsessing w this song but it’s kinda late where I’m at so ima. pause (if the creator sees this and my insanity idk if I’m happy or extremely distressed) (this was also… a lot more deranged than the one above…. UH)

That’s all :D srry for subjecting u to my rambles

WAIT. extras :D

the og (but uh…. crunchy ??)

some rough concept but for memorial Axel (w more lyrics !!)

[carbootsoul]

leo i have no clue what your recent post means please explain to me <3

😭 looking back you're right that post is INCOMPREHENSIBLE. im going to give u a rly long rambly explaination bc this is my current obsession and also u are a treasured mutual 🥺

basically ive been playing genshin, which is a gacha fantasy rpg- basically like botw if you gambled to be able to play as like sidon and mipha as well as link. you can have four characters on your team, which are the characters you can easily switch between while playing. theres a pretty complex storyline in the game, and almost all the main characters are playable (if you get lucky in the gacha mechanic and 'roll' them). if you have a phone/computer that can handle the game id totally suggest you play it! it's rly fun (it has a pretty minimal amount of cash grabbing for being a free game, too). i have two accounts in the game for the america server (my main/first account) and the asia server (so that i can eventually play with nitya. once i finish this one quest) and my progress doesn't carry between them :(

so one of the first characters i rolled on my asia account is chongyun, who is a SWEETHEART. he's a teenager exorcist who can't ever meet spirits bc he's so good at exorcisms that the ghosts leave before he can see them. also he's a cryo (ice) vision. ive been maining him, so he's the character i play as the most often. bc i love him. 🥺🥺 (i don't play as him on my main bc on my main i have beidou who is the BUFFEST pirate and also a lesbian and i love her. a lot.) in canon chongyun has a boyfriend best friend named xingqiu, who's a trust fund baby adrenaline junky who writes martial arts penny dreadfuls and is a hydro (water) vision. in canon xingqiu drags chongyun to haunted houses since chongyun wants to see a ghost and xingqiu wants to have an adventure and they they go get dinner together after and xingqiu teases chongyun abt not being able to eat spicy food. they work well together with their elements, since if you have both you can freeze ppl. also like. they're boyfriends i wanted them to be reunited on my team 🥺

[id: xingqiu and chongyun's official art, side by side in an image against a white background. end id]

this is they!!! anyway to roll a character you need a certain number of wishes (you need ten to be guaranteed a new character) and i only had 2 :/ the new rate up banner (which is basically.. a different gambling thing where you're more likely to get certain characters, it ends up being a 18% ish chance for each of the rate up characters) featured xingqiu and i was. very excited to roll him since i didn't think i would! but now i have him and his weird water sword attacks. what a lad.

the rest of the post was about how every 20 levels you need a certain type of plant to level up different characters and xingqiu needs silk flowers, which r from a region of the map (liyue) that i haven't explored yet so it's going to suck having to find the stuff to level him up more. also once u get to a higher level each different element has bosses you have to best to level your characters and hydro characters need the oceanid, which is generally considered the hardest boss by far :( i tried to fight it once on my main for fun and it did not go well

[spelllingandthemysteryschool]

yaz i see you posting abt fire emblem and im just wondering like.. how do you play? do you need a nintendo? is it hard? does it take brain cells? ncjfjfdj i really wanna explore it more but every time i do a google search i get so confused!

AAAAH thank u so much for giving me the chance to talk about this ily! ���💓 sorry in advance for how long-winded this is!

okay so basically fire emblem is a jrpg series that’s been around since the 90s and depending on when they were released, the games are playable on the gameboy, nintendo ds, wii, & wii u. the latest one, fire emblem: three houses, is only available on the nintendo switch though! also there’s a mobile game called fire emblem heroes that u can play on your phone :-)

i actually um…..haven’t played any of the older games, but i know most of the characters & plots because of fire emblem heroes, since it’s a game that incorporates like all the previous characters into its own original plot. it’s honestly pretty fun for a mobile game & i would really recommend getting it if u wanna become more well-versed in the older games :-) it has its own original characters too & little mini-game things & the tactical battle stuff of the actual games so maybe check it out!

some of the older games don’t have the best writing & can be a bit problematic, but the one that i keep posting about is fire emblem: three houses (fe3h) & honestly i’ve just been COMPLETELY swallowed up by it for the past four months because it is SO good…..

basically u play as a mercenary who unexpectedly becomes a professor at this combat academy at a monastery called garreg mach. from there u have three classes of students to from & based on which house-leader u pick (edelgard, claude, & dimitri) u have a unique storyline to follow & there’s a lot of bonding with others and decision-making and battling with others that ensues, esp. once the academy phase ends & war breaks out and things start getting intense!

i super love it because UGH…….i love the storylines (there’s four of them that u can play through!) & i appreciate how intricate they are & i like the balance between open gameplay and battling. also i LOVE (💓🌹💐❤️) the characters and their unique backgrounds and personalities and the ways they interact with each other and the growth u get to see over the course of the game. there’s also some really good commentary on social class systems, separation of church and state, trauma, racism, family ties, and war & there are definitely some heavy moments. but at the same time it’s SO much fun & there are plenty of silly, lighthearted moments as well. the fantasy aspect of it is also pretty fun & the graphics & world-building are really nice! & there’s lots of little details in everything and hndjsndjdj….it’s good

i’m not saying it’s perfect bc i definitely have my fair share of complaints about the game & things i wish they’d done differently, but even still i can say that it’s one of my FAVORITE video games ever. the gameplay definitely isn’t too hard, so even if u aren’t used to the battling with a turn-based map battle system, you’ll definitely get the hang of it! also the fe games aren’t really related to each other, so u can honestly start this one with no knowledge of the old ones

(OH also this is a super minor detail but u can marry people at the end of the fe3h if u want and  there’s five whole canonically bi female characters & one bi male character 💓🌟🤧! they’ve made some really great strides since the old games bc those were not great when it came to this stuff & i appreciate it a lot) (also as far as i’ve seen there’s basically a consensus that fe3h is the most solid game of the entire series. which is kinda really nice) (also claude, one of the three house-leaders [main characters, essentially] is a poc which makes me indescribably happy & another house-leader, edelgard, is bi 💓😪)

AAAAAH this has gotten way out of hand. i hope i was able to clear things up a bit  & i’m SO sorry if i made things more confusing! okay yes that’s all ily 💓

[kattimariias]

some ideas for updated sonic rereleases, in a similar vein to p4g/p5r ;o;

(this is part 1 bc i kinda lost ideas for now orz)

sonic adventure relics

i dont know much abt the original sonic adventure so im going off of memory

obviously there’d be a big graphical overhaul, but nothing like sa1dx. since all of these will be on modern consoles theyre on that level. but hey least this means the cutscene animation would look better!!!

new playable character. her name is oridal and she has something to do with chaos, and that’s all ive got for now. idk about her species or gameplay style yet

new stages added which are related to oridal’s storyline

online multiplayer where u get to fuck around in twinkle park

dlc content included

sonic adventure 2 (idk about the subtitle for this one?)

neutral story which features three new playable characters, which i dont have any ideas for yet (yall can help with this in general)

free dlc side stories for amy, chaos, and tikal. all three are generally more involved with the main plot but these give more of their perspective (i think amy’s is more about her wanting respect from the others, chaos redeems himself, and tikal becomes in touch with modern reality)

a bunch of new stages obviously

an explanation as to how the fuck gerald managed to record that journal, why theres a pyramid outside of san francisco zone (spoiler: its bc its sonic the fucking hedgehog nothing makes geographical sense here), and a tie into shadow the hedgehog with mentions of the black arms

i dont know what the issues with the mech and treasure hunting stages are at this point so i guess those are fixed

more multiplayer characters + online multiplayer option

intelligence and luck bars added onto chao garden, alongside a new garden, more character chao, and online features

two player green hill zone

all of the cut dialogue + fixed sound and better animation

shadow, knuckles, and rouge get their melanin back

comic sans nerfed

this

sonic heroes: reunion

team hooligans + team retrux added

fang is speed and he rides his motorcycle, bean is flight and uses his small feathers to fly, and bark is muscular enough to crush watermelons

mighty and ray are speed and flight obviously, and play similarly to how they are in mania plus. power is a new character that i again have barely anything on

all characters have different stages so you dont have to go through them over and over again

they also have unique abilities that allow access to hidden areas

less slippery controls

the overall artstyle looks like an updated version of the cgi cutscenes

story isnt drastically different outside of the new teams, and people are shocked to see shadow being alive

shadow the hedgehog: bloodstained (bc of course this needed an edgy subtitle)

this is the least likely out of all these but i’m doing it anyway

rated T like it initially was, and does include some gore and onscreen death

rouge and omega are playable. rouge’s gameplay is like mgs while omega is more akin to shadow’s

also rouge now has a gun

and of course theres another new character who is probably in cahoots with the black arms, or maybe even a metaphor for the player themselves?

the story gets pretty fucking meta with the more routes there are, and the characters become aware of things repeating itself. which eventually leads to them discovering they are being controlled

gun upgrade system

you can now target enemies

shadow occasionally has flashbacks that reveal some parts of his backstory, from early days to spending time with maria. these are saved as tapes ingame, which you can access via the menu

sonic the hedgehog: rebirth (aka sonic 06 2.0)

ohherewego.png

the story’s reworked to have sonic be more involved in it and well...more understandable i guess?

silver and blaze meet later in the game, silver’s alone at the start (and blaze is still from another dimension, she’s called upon to help sonic)

all amigo characters get dlc stories

metal sonic, marine, and cream are also in

elise gets kidnapped less often and learns how to defend herself. shes got like sun powers which she uses to her advantage

new playable hedgehog character that changes things up in someway (leaving it vague for yall to help out)

day/night cycle

rainbow gem

chao garden as an optional chill out place

obviously the glitches are fixed

artstyle is more semi realistic

sonic unleashed: roar within

an idea ive had for the werehog for awhile is changing his gameplay to be more hack n slash. so i guess that for this?

new character is also a werehog who got turned into one for reasons you’ll find out

chip follows you around during gameplay, and helps you out via like...combinations of attacks n shit? idk i suddenly thought of this and it sounds cool/cute to me

night gaia sometimes turns into a chiplike form and attempts to fucking murder the guy. yknow like in mario sunshine when shadow mario takes away fludd?

shadow and knuckles are relevant to the plot bc yknow. chaos emeralds.

rouge, omega, tikal, and chaos too. also some of the newer characters bc continuity

not ALL of them would be super important to the plot but yknow

new locations added. im thinkin like...a mexico inspired one?

no more sun/moon medals

new shorts

night of the werehog 2

[mandragorsa]

Notes On Year Walk (And why video games, on all platforms, are becoming groundbreaking art)

The Music

The main soundtrack consist only of realistic sounds - crunching snow, wind rushing between trees, distant voices of the creatures you are looking for - there is a constant, vibrating sound. This is a phenomenon observable only in winter, where the echos of ambient noise and any sound otherwise produced are cushioned by the snow, trapping the vibrations from it and reverberating for moments after it would have died out.

There is music in the game, played at according times. Such as when encountering the hanging doll in the cabin - while it’s head spins, it plays a simple, six-tone lullaby with a grim, slow rhythm. There is something wondrous about the melody, however unsettling by the toy that emits it. The nerve spiking atmosphere is further emphasised by the deep, somber last few tones; or during the opening/ending credits or cut scenes, to further immerse the player in the grotesque, 19th century experience.

The Narrative and Storytelling

Simogo created a masterpiece, a wealth of crude and tangible knowledge - warning, spoilers ahead! - through your exploration, the spirits and wreaths you encounter have all been crucial parts of Swedish culture and urban legends for hundreds of years. Too often, the word ‘mythology’ brings to mind only Greek gods and Pegasi, when there is a world of treasure buried in every corner of the world. The Year Walk shines well-deserved spotlight on stories we’ve before missed out on.

Completing the game took about 2-3 hours, with diligent note taking and research during, and I don’t doubt it could be completed far quicker.

Despite it’s short storyline, I implore you, delve deeper into it’s plot and backstory, you will not be disappointed. Play it over and over, to truly understand your (the character’s) actions and motive to undertake the journey.

Stina, the main character’s love interest, and the most solid piece of conversational narrative the player receives. Our interaction with her clarifies the setting and story, to a basic extent, just enough to see motive behind the journey one is about to partake in.

Despite the intro, the Year Walk’s narrative is mostly visual and soundtrack based - after speaking with Stina, we do not encounter any other people to converse with, nor is any non-diegetic commentary provided. We can see, from her clothing and the machinery around her, as well as the fact we find her in a mill, she likely works or resides there. From her statement of, ‘you and I, we come from different worlds.’, it is hinted she is from a different social hierarchy than the character one has taken on, though as she is the only human we encounter throughout the gameplay, no other hints to racial, gender, or political representation are given. The player finds their way around and discovers the events via journal entries and gameplay uncovered directions - for example, the crude owls scratched into the shed walls on both sides of the wooden doll, signify the sequence in which the birds should be addressed when approached.  

The narrative and progress are both linear - your choices do not affect the outcome, and no progress is made unless you follow the game’s clues and directions.

The Art

The  flat-shaded, 2D, monochrome artstyle, very well captures the unsettling atmosphere, rarely straying from black, white, and grey, with few variations of faded, light blue and brown to upkeep the nature of the unforgiving Scandinavian setting. There is no shown progression of time, giving off the impression that no time passes at all -at least for Daniel, the embodiment of which the player becomes upon entering the game’s first half. This rings true to the practice and legend of Year Walking as a tradition, as the entire journey would span over a singular night - the Walker, after fasting for a day and engaging no human contact or seeing no light, is made by the practice fit to enter a variant of their own reality, in which the monsters and gods they encounter converse with, guide, or hinder their progress. We do not meet any other humans during the game’s progress, nor do we see any sign of remaining life, past ominous footprints marring the freshly fallen snow - there is no fire in the furnace we find whilst searching for clues, cart long abandoned by the horse that may have lead it. Simogo masterfully captures the progression, moulding each chapter together with impressive smoothness. Year Walk is a short game, meant to be played for it’s story and visuals, rather than relying on enemies and nerve wracking pace to instil fear and suspense in the player.

The clean cut lines resemble shadow-box art, a medium in which different colours, patterns or textures of paper are expertly cut and layered over each other to create the illusion of deeper than reality dimension, by play on shadow, lights, and colour. The craft was mostly prominent in the northeast, where shadowboxes often most served as children’s entertainment. For adults, also, more elaborate plays, highly detailed landscapes would be crafted with utmost patience over the courses of weeks. It was a theatrical art, similar to puppet plays, with paper figurines mounted on thin, wooden or metal sticks to allow control. The game uses similar methods to create a feeling of distance in the 2D landscape - the foreground and background layers shift accordingly with each move the player makes.

In 2013, it sold 200,000 copies on the App Store, with Apple singling out the developers -

Simogo - as ‘’developers to watch in 2014’’. Simogo created a multitude of similar games, in their known theme of ‘experience’ based media, rather than focusing on skill and action. Year Walk artistically grasps the vague and fleeting nature of folklore and cultural customs, both via visual representation and information embedded in its lore and game progress - enhanced by the ‘Companion’ App, which consists of background stories for the game’s characters, and historical facts on the creatures featured.

Public Response

Consistently receiving ratings between 8/10 and 10/10,  the game’s fanbase and following has skyrocketed with the release of the Steam version - it features improved graphics, new puzzle pieces and saturated landscaping.As stated in the Polygon online newsport, at Unite 2013 conference, Year Walk won the category for ‘Best 2d Artistic Experience.’ This view was shared by over 1,160 Steam users, with the game coming up to a ‘Very Positive’ standard on the Store page (Game cost - £4.79/$5.99)

At a wider perspective, though the genre the developers decided to pursue rarely adheres to such a broad audience, Year Walk managed to stun the charts and tear through the App Store’s lists to the top 50 games in the beginning of 2014, as well as a nomination for the Nordic Best Artistic Achievement Award, Nordic Best Handheld, and Nordic Best Game of the Year in the same year. Other titles by the developer and publisher, Simogo, also featured as nominations in the Nordic Game Awards ceremony.

The Year Walk has since been ported to the Wii U. It is now one of the most readily available titles, playable on PC, smartphones, tablets, and console.

[miketendo-64]

After an incredibly agonising week and all the hype, a Direct finally came but not in the way we wished it. Instead of being a full blow event, it was a Mini Direct and some of the newest games revealed, were merely ports. But hey, who doesn’t love Donkey Kong and Hyrule Warriors? So in our usual Digest fashion, here’s a covering of everything revealed from the Direct, starting with a video and ending with tweets:

  Nintendo Continues Momentum Into 2018: Dark Souls, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Mario Tennis Coming To Nintendo Switch:

  Updates Bring More Characters and Content to Hits Like Super Mario Odyssey, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Pokkén Tournament DX

  REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 11, 2018 – Nintendo debuted a new Nintendo Direct Mini video presentation today spotlighting a selection of first- and third-party titles coming in early 2018. Following a strong holiday season, Nintendo Switch owners will see a variety of new games and content arriving in the next few months, including DARK SOULS: REMASTERED, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Tennis Aces and Kirby Star Allies games, and a certain green-clad brother bringing a new mode to the Super Mario Odyssey game.

“Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling home console in history, and Nintendo is not taking our foot off the gas in 2018,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “For the millions of people who just received Nintendo systems as gifts, or consumers getting ready to join the growing community of Nintendo Switch owners, Nintendo and our third-party partners have fun new games and content in store at retail or for digital purchase.”

  A sampling of some of the announcements includes

DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED: The first title in the genre-defining action role-playing franchise is coming to Nintendo Switch. DARK SOULS: REMASTERED includes the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, as well as improved framerate and resolution from the original DARK SOULS game for an exhilarating return to Lordran. This marks the franchise’s debut on a Nintendo platform, and now for the first time ever, this revered (and challenging) game can be played on the go. DARK SOULS: REMASTERED launches on May 25.

Mario Tennis Aces: A new Mario Tennis game is bringing a new level of skill and competition to Nintendo Switch. Mario steps onto the court in classy tennis garb for intense rallies against a variety of characters in full-blown tennis battles. New wrinkles in tennis gameplay will challenge your ability to read an opponent’s position and stroke to determine which shot will give you the advantage. And this time the game adds the first story mode since the Mario Tennis game on Game Boy Advance, offering a new flavor of tennis gameplay, with a variety of missions and boss battles. The game launches for Nintendo Switch this spring.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong return for the franchise’s debut on Nintendo Switch. This title includes all the fun and challenge of the original game, plus a new beginner-friendly mode that lets players enjoy this critically acclaimed adventure as groovy surfing simian Funky Kong. Funky Kong can double jump, hover, perform infinite rolls and even perform infinite underwater corkscrews. Thanks to his sturdy surfboard, even spikes can’t slow him down. The game launches for Nintendo Switch on May 4.

Kirby Star Allies: Kirby’s debut on Nintendo Switch is a grand new adventure packed with content. The new Artist ability lets Kirby unleash his creativity, while the new Spider ability lets him ensnare enemies in webs. Kirby also can hurl new friend hearts at enemies to win them over with love and add them to his party. Plus, up to four friends* can team up and combine Kirby’s unique abilities with ally abilities for powerful new Friend Abilities. The game launches for Nintendo Switch on March 16.

The World Ends with You: Final Remix: This 2008 Nintendo DS game has been updated for Nintendo Switch with HD visuals and a new epilogue that sheds new light on the game’s story. Players can join rhythmic battles using either Joy-Con controllers or the Nintendo Switch touch screen. The game is scheduled to launch this year.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition: A new, ultimate version of the exhilarating action game set in the Zelda universe will include every map and mission, plus all 29 playable characters from both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of the game, along with all of the previous paid downloadable content. Play as Link, Zelda, Midna, Skull Kid and dozens more in action-packed battles at home or on the go. Additionally, the game includes new outfits for Link and Zelda based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game. This new version launches for Nintendo Switch in spring.

SNK HEROINES ~Tag Team Frenzy~: Play as iconic heroines from SNK’s history in a new, two-on-two tag-team fighting game. Players can activate a variety of Special Moves with the press of a button, and make use of special items to turn the tide of battle. One of the competitors will be Yuri Sakazaki from ACA NEOGEO Art of Fighting 2, which launches today in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch. SNK HEROINES ~Tag Team Frenzy~ launches on Nintendo Switch this summer.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana: When the passenger liner he was aboard sank, the adventurer Adol drifted to a deserted island inhabited by vicious creatures that have evolved in many different ways. To survive, Adol must gather fellow shipwreck survivors and build a base. High-speed battles require players to change between three types of characters at a moment’s notice. The epic RPG launches for Nintendo Switch this summer.

PAYDAY 2: As players join with friends* locally or online to execute elaborate heists, full touch-screen support makes menu navigation easier than ever, while the HD Rumble feature lets them feel everything from explosions to weapon recoil right in their hands. Debuting in the Nintendo Switch version of the game, a new playable character named Joy will be introduced. Joy is a Japanese computer whiz who wears a custom LED light mask that changes her appearance as she sees fit. PAYDAY 2 launches for Nintendo Switch on Feb. 27.

Fe: In this new type of platforming adventure, players run, climb and glide their way through a dark Nordic forest to explore its living, breathing world. Use the motion controls of the Joy-Con controllers to sing in tune with creatures and plants to unlock new abilities. Each song has a distinct sound and feel thanks to HD Rumble. The game launches digitally for Nintendo Switch on Feb. 16.

Celeste: This modern take on the pure action platformer lets Madeline climb any surface on Celeste Mountain if she has the stamina. Playing in Assist Mode lets players tweak the difficulty, from a slower pace to full-on invincibility. Unlockable B-side chapters offer even more challenging adventures. The game launches digitally for Nintendo Switch on Jan. 25.

  Game Updates & DLC:

Super Mario Odyssey: A new mini-game called Balloon World is coming to one of the highest-rated games of all time. Once players download the free update and complete the main story, Balloon World will become available. In “Hide It” mode, players have a certain amount of time to hide a balloon. In “Find It” mode, players have the same amount of time to locate balloons hidden by other players from around the world. Players can move up the rankings** by finding hidden balloons and becoming expert hiders. The free update will be released in February with new Snapshot Mode filters and new outfits.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: A new hero swings into action! Donkey Kong is headed to the game as a playable character, complete with an exclusive new storyline and world to explore. The DLC pack will release in spring and will be available for purchase individually, or as part of the Season Pass or Gold Edition of the game.

Pokkén Tournament DX Battle Pack: The Battle Pack is now available for purchase in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch and includes two Waves of Battle Pokémon and Avatar items. Wave 1 of the Battle Pack contains Battle Pokémon Aegislash and a new Support Pokémon Set featuring Mega Rayquaza and Mimikyu. Aegislash can change between two formes, and players can wield them both. Wave 2 includes the new Battle Pokémon Blastoise and a new Support Pokémon Set featuring Mew and Celebi. Wave 1 will be available Jan. 31, and Wave 2 is scheduled for Mar. 23.

  Demos:

Kirby: Battle Royale: The free demo is available in Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

Dragon Quest Builders: The free demo is available today in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch.

  https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/951453981397565441

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/951461233672286208

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/951469238815993856

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/951484316726517760

Lastly, we have another batch of images for you to go through, enjoy:

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We hope you found our Nintendo Direct Mini Digest helpful!

  Source: Nintendo PR

Nintendo Direct Mini (11.01.18) Digest (From Hyrule to a DK Port & all the Other News) After an incredibly agonising week and all the hype, a Direct finally came but not in the way we wished it.

[diddgery]

the “I Want To Play Fire Emblem But Don’t Know Where To Start” post

Hi! Are you one of the many people whose first and only exposure to Fire Emblem is Smash Bros. and/or Fire Emblem Heroes? Do you want to get in on Fire Emblem but feel unsure what game to play first because there’s so many? Well here, let me help you!

There are three games I consider good starting points for new fans. All of these games have been released outside of Japan, so you don’t need to worry about futzing with fan translations. All of these games have characters that you can get in Fire Emblem Heroes, so if you’ve been playing that game you can learn more about your random pulls in these! Two of them are easy to emulate as well, if you don’t have the systems or funds to play them but want to check them out. 

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, known just as Fire Emblem outside of Japan, is a GBA title and the first game to get a worldwide release after Smash Bros. Melee introduced the world to the series. As such it was designed with a global audience in mind; it is the first game to feature a player-made avatar (though they are not actually playable) and the first ten chapters are designed to gently ease new players into the series by gradually introducing and explaining various mechanics. This game serves as a prequel to The Binding Blade, the game that Roy is from, and one of the main characters is Lyn, who you may recognize from Smash Bros. The game lacks some of the more user-friendly mechanics that have been added in later games- namely, the option to play without permadeath- but if you play on an emulator (or on the Wii U Virtual Console) you can use savestates to make your life easier. This is the game that introduced many fans to the series, and as such it’s a great entry point.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a DS remake of the first game in the seris and stars Marth. If you’re curious how the series started, this is the best place to go, as you’ll be introduced to many of the series’ recurring themes and character archetypes. This game is also surprisingly friendly towards the permadeath mechanic; should you lose a certain number of characters the game will give you access to bonus chapters where you can pick up new characters you otherwise wouldn’t see. However, if your primary reason for playing Fire Emblem is because you like shipping, this may not be the best choice for you. The support mechanic that allows characters to hold conversations with one another doesn’t exist in this game, and as such many of the characters are woefully lacking in personality. The art style for this game is also not as colorful as other games, opting for a more realistic look than a stylized anime one. This game is available on the Wii U Virtual Console as well.

Fire Emblem Awakening is the first 3DS game and is the most accessible game on this list if you are afraid of the permadeath mechanic- because you can just turn it off entirely! This game stars popular characters like Lucina and Robin (who is customizable and can be renamed) and builds on a variety of mechanics and themes from every other game in the series. This game was designed to be the ultimate Fire Emblem game due to uncertainty about the series’ future, but as a result of its success Fire Emblem has exploded in popularity. It’s easy to understand why if you play it! This one is the most expensive game on the list and can be difficult to emulate, but it’s by far worth it.

“But Diddgery,” you may be saying, “What if I’ve played those games and I want more Fire Emblem? Where should I go next?” Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

If you enjoyed The Blazing Blade, you absolutely should seek out the fan translation for Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. This game stars Roy and takes place several years after The Blazing Blade wraps up, so you’ll be able to learn about what happened to your favorite characters and potentially meet their offspring. Some aspects of the fan translation clash with the translations you may see in games like Awakening and Heroes- most notably character names- but the fan translators did a great job of being true to the way Blazing Blade was translated. You should also consider checking out Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, the third and final GBA entry. This game features branching promotion paths and an overworld map, two elements that hadn’t been seen in the series since the NES days. If you happen to be a 3DS Ambassador, this is one of the free GBA games you received, so you really have no excuse not to try it out if that’s the case.

If you enjoyed Shadow Dragon, track down the fan translation of Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem. This game is a remake of Mystery of the Emblem, a SNES sequel to Marth’s first game, and remains the only game in the series to not get a release outside of Japan after the series went worldwide. It features a customizable player avatar who is playable much in the vein of Robin. Many gameplay features that were missing in Shadow Dragon make it into this game- most notably support conversations. Another game you may consider trying is Fire Emblem Gaiden, which is a sidestory set on another continent in the same world as Shadow Dragon and features a variety of unique gameplay differences that have rarely been seen since. Keep in mind this game’s remake, Fire Emblem Echoes, will be releasing outside of Japan in May, so it may be best to just wait for that rather than play the NES original.

If you enjoyed Awakening, you should check out Fire Emblem Fates for the 3DS. It builds and polishes on Awakening’s gameplay and completely overhauls the weapon system of the series. It also goes full anime as far as story and character design goes (albeit with some censorship outside of Japan so you can’t pet and stroke your units). Unfortunately this game has its three storylines divided into three separate games; if you want to play all three, it’s going to cost you about $80 USD and will eat up a lot of time. Whether or not it’s worth it is entirely up to you. Fans of Awakening may also enjoy Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, a SNES title that Awakening drew heavy inspiration from.

If you liked any of the above, check out Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance for the Gamecube. It’s got catgirls and catboys and y’all like that, right? Also this is the game that Ike from Smash Bros. first appeared. He fights for his friends, and if you play this game you can learn who his friends are and also why he fights for them.

Here’s a link to a page where you can find a bunch of info and links to fan translations, also. Happy Fire Emblem-ing!

[kaiserdingus]

The Return of Classic Sonic - Part 4 - Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces

Over the past couple of years, and especially recently with the release of Sonic Mania, we’ve seen a resurgence in media depicting the classic version of Sonic the Hedgehog from the 1990’s. He’s shorter, he’s voiceless, and he represents a simpler time in video games from before voice acting and cinematic cutscenes.

In recent games he’s been offered as an alternative to the modern aesthetic and play-style that’s been the standard since Sonic Adventure. How did we get to this point? How has Sonic changed over the years, and why are there now two Sonics?

In this series I plan to observe the time period in Sonic history where SEGA decided to shake things up and make what was once old new again. This is The Return of Classic Sonic.

Sonic Mania

After the release of Sonic Generations, things seemed to be going well for Sonic Team. In 2013 they announced an exclusivity deal with Nintendo for their recently released Wii U. The deal was that the next three Sonic the Hedgehog titles would be exclusive to the Wii U. Sonic Lost World, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and Sonic Boom were the three Nintendo exclusive titles as part of the deal. After how good Generations was, things were not looking good for Sonic the Hedgehog fans who weren’t fond of Lost World or Boom.

Things felt dark at the time, but then in July 2016 Sega held a big Sonic-themed fan event where they announced two new titles. The first was a new collaboration with Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, and PagodaWest Games called “Sonic Mania”, a true return to the classic 2D gameplay that Sega and Sonic Team tried to achieve with Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

The second game was an untitled 3D game introduced with a pre-rendered trailer showing Sonic in a dystopian wasteland, and joining him yet again would be Classic Sonic. The trailer looked drove home the idea that this was a new modern-style Sonic game that followed the style of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, except now with a darker, more serious story. Even though the trailer featured Classic Sonic, the producers were quick to express that this wasn’t a sequel to Sonic Generations. Eventually, the title would be revealed as Sonic Forces, and we’ll talk about that a little later.

Despite Sonic Forces raising a ton of questions, the real show-stealer that night was Sonic Mania. An officially sanctioned new title in the classic Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, one that compiled new, original stages with stages from older titles that were remixed for a new generation of fans.

The game launched in August 2017 and was a smash hit, having the highest score for a Sonic the Hedgehog title on review sites in years. Previous Whitehead produced Sonic titles include Sonic CD, Sonic 1, and Sonic 2 which were remakes of classic titles with some enhancements. Now, his team were able to fill it with not just new enhancements, but completely new features. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are all playable with their own moves and character-specific paths, but now Sonic has a new “Drop Dash” that allows him to charge a spindash while in mid-air.

Similarly to Sonic CD, Sonic Mania opens with an animated full-motion video. Animated by Tyson Hesse, a comic book illustrator who previously worked on Archie’s Sonic comics as well as having done Sonic fan comics online, it’s the perfect cherry on top to complete a wonderful game. Hesse’s art has been celebrated in the Sonic fan community, from his parody comic “Sonic’s Big Fat Adventure”, to his Sonic CD/Sonic OVA style designs in the Archie mini-series Sonic Mega Drive.

Something that’s usually considered taboo when adapting another’s work is adding new elements, but that taboo has been successfully broken with the addition of the Hard Boiled Heavies as antagonists assisting Dr. Eggman this time around.

Originally Egg-Robos from Sonic & Knuckles, they’ve been corrupted by the Phantom Ruby which is given each of them individual personalities. The boss fights against the Hard Boiled Heavies are some of the best in the entire game, and I would not be opposed to seeing more of them in future titles.

The marketing for Sonic Mania disguised one of the bigger plot points to the game, and the game itself doesn’t make it clear, but Sonic Mania cleverly ties into Sonic Forces which was released 3 months later. The Phantom Ruby, Eggman’s world-altering MacGuffin, appears in Sonic Mania and is the force that transports Sonic to Modern Sonic’s world in Forces. They even snuck Sonic Forces’ theme song “Fist Bump” into the final boss battle.

When Mania came out I played the hell out of it and cleared each of the 8 save files. The special stages from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles return, but now they replace the pinball bonus stages. They quickly become irritating as you find yourself entering nearly 3 special stages per level. It’s not that they’re not fun to play, but rather that they take longer than standard bonus stages so they break up the pace of the game.

I loved Sonic Mania, I thought it filled a much needed desire in me to play a game that really understood what makes Sonic great. The way Sega released Sonic Forces following Mania made Mania seem like an appetizer, but one that’s infinitely better than the perfectly acceptable main course.

Sonic Forces

Originally announced alongside Sonic Mania in June of 2016, Sonic Forces was released in November 2017 and landed with an unfortunate thud. Dr. Eggman has taken over the world and now it’s up to Sonic to save the day, only this time he’s joined by a new friend - YOU. Oh, and also Classic Sonic returns from Sonic Generations for no clear reason. This game isn’t bad by any means, but it certainly isn’t seen very positively within some parts of the fan community? The fans celebrated Sonic Generations, how did Forces go so wrong?

When planning this game simultaneously with Sonic Mania, it’s assumed that the producers wanted to cater to two very specific audiences: people who grew up with and prefer the style of the classic Sonic games, or people who prefer the more story driven modern titles. Mania was meant to be for the fans of the classic games, while Forces would be aimed at those who liked Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations.

The only problem with basing this game off of Generations is that by the time this game would come out, that game would already be 6 years old. For some perspective, that’s the same amount of time between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Adventure. With that big of a time gap, it was assumed Sonic Team would be able to make a game that would surpass the quality of the ones that came before it. Instead, we got a game that feels more or less like Generations 2 (more like Generations 2 Late).

This isn’t to say the game is bad, it just feels dated, ironically its biggest competition is a game that’s entire gimmick is how dated it is. The game follows an edgy storyline about Dr. Eggman capturing Sonic and taking over the world, and the resistance group that forms to stop Dr. Eggman and liberate the world. Typical for a Sonic game post-1992, Dr. Eggman has a new friend with him, a jackal named Infinite who’s been made incredibly powerful with the strength of a magical MacGuffin known as the Phantom Ruby.

The story wouldn’t be an issue if it weren’t for the fact that none of the characters develop or grow, aside from the player’s Avatar character. The avatar is the last of their people after Infinite showed up and killed them all for no apparent reason, and now they’ve teamed up with Sonic and the resistance to stop Eggman from… keeping control of the world.

That’s right, besides the lack of character development or growth there’s also a lack of motivation for the villains. Dr. Eggman beats Sonic with the help of Infinite at the beginning of the game, Sonic gets captured and taken to the Death Egg, and his friends break him out.

Sonic Adventure 2’s edgy storyline worked because characters had motivation and they grew as the story went. Shadow wanted to avenge the death of his friend, but eventually discovered that vengeance wouldn’t be what she wanted. Rouge offers her skills as a jewel thief to help Dr. Eggman, only to double cross him when it’s revealed she’s a spy working for the President. Tails, having overcome his fears in the previous Sonic Adventure games, asserts himself as a competent mechanic and hero. Even Eggman realizes the error of his ways near the end of the game and helps the heroes stop the destruction he caused.

Gameplay wise, the game plays just as good as Sonic Generations did, and it even looks better. Sonic Lost World and Sonic Boom, the two titles to come out in the years between Generations and Forces, were too radically different and didn’t work. Sonic Forces might feel like too little too late, it its very playable. The levels are more cinematic this time around, but they’re also a lot shorter. While Generations had 9 different areas with two stages each, Forces only has 6 areas with a combined 24 action stages. A casual Sonic player can easily clear the game in under 4 hours.

The game has a lot of replay value, though. Especially in regards to the Avatar, who can equip clothing and accessories that you gain by clearing stages and missions. The Wispons act as different equippables for your character’s grappling hook, giving them new abilities that can help them reach different pathways.

Classic Sonic, honestly, feels a little tacked on in this game. Like I said previously, Classic Sonic felt integral to Generations, but this time he feels like Werehog-esque filler. I love the gameplay and the dedicated 2D levels, but you they didn’t need to shoe-horn Classic Sonic into the game. It feels like a cheap gimmick to bring in people coming down from the high of Sonic Mania, rather than something that’s important to the story.

Sonic Forces really isn’t a bad game, it feels like a love letter to the fans of the 2000’s era Sonic games. It’s cheesy, with the grim-dark story, the DeviantArt-esque character creator, the butt rock theme song featuring Hoobastank singer Doug Robb, and the incredibly edgy Infinite who automatically replaces Shadow as “most cringey Sonic character”. It probably won’t ever be seen in the same light as it’s companion game, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

After 9 years of attempts by Sega, prompted by the passion and dedication of the Sonic the Hedgehog fan base, we’re finally seeing a resurgence of classic Sonic. Sonic 4 was a shallow attempt, Sonic Generations was an honest try, but Sonic Mania nailed it completely. A team of fans have done the impossible and have used their skills from making fan games to make a perfect Sonic game. Something any Nintendo fans would’ve been shut down for, Sega allowed to happen and are now benefiting from it.

It’s an exciting time for fans of Classic Sonic, as this July Sega are releasing a definitive edition of Sonic Mania called Sonic Mania Plus. The new content will be available as DLC for players who already own Mania. Alongside Sonic Mania Plus is a new animated series directed by Tyson Hesse. Five short episodes released in the weeks leading up to the release of Sonic Mania Plus.

What’s next for Sonic fans? Beyond Sonic Mania Plus, not much. If fans respond to Sonic Mania Plus well and it sells enough copies, I’m sure Sega will produce more games in the classic style. Hopefully using Christian Whitehead’s Retro Engine and with the same love the team put into Sonic Mania.

Where to Buy

Sonic Mania  (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC)

Sonic Mania Plus  (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)

Sonic Forces (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC)

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