If deviantart were around and had some sort of guy break out into the "mainstream" in the 1990s, Ken Penders would be that guy. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, he wrote a toooooon of garbage plots for the Sonic and Knuckles comic books. There is a fairly long legacy behind Ken Penders, but I think I'll let someone more well-versed in the matter like Sciz, Azure Dream, or Blaze brush you up on it.
It's sooooo bad. Recently they had to scrub away a few of the characters and reboot the comic a little after they'd already rebooted it because some of those characters were caught in bigger storylines after the reboot. All because Penders laid claim to those characters and there was a legal battle for the last few years. The Knuckles comics weren't that bad when I was a little girl, but I'm going to guess if I went back to read them as an adult, I don't know if I'd like them as much!
edit: to Schala: What is wrong about shovel Knight and Sonic Lost World? a friend of mine offsite keeps on gushing about Shovel Knight and how it is like one of them old NES games. btw, nice avatar, where is it from?
It's the main character from Suikoden I (which is my fave game series ever) and it's art I found of him on Pixiv years ago. The colours were way more subdued until Sciz saturated the colours for me. I've been using the avatar ever since unless it's Christmas and I switch to a Christmas version that someone else on GAF did for me. I don't think I'll change it because it's the av that most people recognize me with, and other people put work into this one and I'm pretty thankful for that they did fix my avatar for me (especially Sciz since he did it without asking years ago).
In Shovel Knight's case, I don't think it's a bad game at all. I backed it and I kinda liked it, esp in subsequent playthroughs. In hindsight, I should've kept in mind that I'm not a fan of Wayforward (and these guys are ex-WF), and I don't generally like how their stuff flows. I didn't like parts of the level design (in fact, i think some of the levels were a mess), but I thought the boss design was okay. I thought some items needed to be nerfed. Otherwise, it's okay. It's more like it's damning to say anything bad about it like Ni no Kuni, Xenoblade, FF4, and Mega Man 2 (which all share their bits of problems), so you get piled on and assumptions are made about you and your character just for saying how you feel. It sucks.
I've already said what I needed to say about Sonic Lost World. It's a really rushed game to me, the game was a game that I played (ie: "the game exists; I don't think too much of it, really, because I've played better"), and it isn't what I'm looking for in a Sonic game; nothing more. The Japanese/French dubs were decent, the music was all right (but keeping in mind that Unleashed is my fave soundtrack in the newer games, you can see that it wasn't what I was looking for), the pacing was off for me, didn't like how it switched gimmicks so much that it felt un-Sonic for me, levels overstayed their welcome, etc. I thought the controls were fine. The strongest level in the game overall is Windy Hill. That is the the time when the game knew what it wanted to be and it does everything it needed to do flawlessly. The game lacks consistency/doesn't know what it wants to be/lacks identity and that's one of my pet peeves in games, outside of games outright wasting my time (which I absolutely hate). I just thought it was funny since I was the one who did the OT for it last year. I think that was when I had thought my longer posts were no longer wanted on gaf since someone took me to task over writing lengthy posts in that thread. (but nope! People still like 'em, which makes me happy.)
I think that was the point when a mod had to jump in because he noticed I was feeling down about it offsite, lol. But the overall impression is that the game "exists" to me. I don't feel strongly towards it or strongly against it either way.
For what it's worth, Ni no Kuni broke the two biggest rules for me: wasted my time a ton, and didn't know wtf it wanted to be. Sonic Lost World only broke one, and it was still a mediocre game to me with some stuff that works really well and stuff that doesn't work so well, whereas I hated Ni no Kuni for being a product of garbage design.
The damning import impressions of recent Tales games were so fatal to eventual overseas sales that to take decisive action Namco claim to be giving Zesteria a worldwide release in 2015 to narrow the gap as much as they can, better step up your game princess, the window of opportunity to sully Zesteria's good name will be smaller than ever.
I think my favourite gaf conspiracy was when Bravely Default came out in America and someone accused everyone who played the Japanese and European releases of deliberately keeping quiet about how bad the later chapters are to trick people into buying it.
Ahahaha, really? Well, you know, conspiracies are everywhere these days from what I heard.
We need to play more Danganronpa 2.
LEARN, Y'ALL.
(Even if Zestiria gets a worldwide release besides the JP January 22nd date, I'm still getting the JP version. Played more Tales games in JP than in English since I've played pretty much the entire series at this point outside of a rare few, so I really can't justify getting the English ver unless I'm out of cash.)
And Dragon Quest VII 3DS. And some PS2->PSP ports. And all those other Tales games. And some PS1/Saturn imports. And a whole bunch of PS3 stuff. And...
You guys are waiting on a whole lot of stuff.
(I can't take pics of all my PS2, PSP, Super Famicom, Famicom Disk System, Saturn, and PS3 imports because they're stuck in shelves in different parts or in the basement (Famicom/Famicom Disk System). )
Um. I think with respect to the localization environment lately, I don't think as many "bigger" things will come over as often as we'd like, but companies change their mind. It's because costs really can't be justified and it costs more to localize than you think because you're waiting for a return on your product... and if the return is likely not sure, then you're probably not going to see it and localizing it would've been a huge waste of costs. Some scripts might be really really really huge, too, and you might need more manpower. Some companies really like to hold onto their IPs and choose who localizes it or decides to keep it in-house for consistency/because it's theirs (but in this case they may not localize it because they have other things to work on). Some games, like Sigma Harmonics last gen, just can't be localized into English because of how texts work (in that case, the text was written downwards like traditionally, so it's not going to work out in English very well without changing how the entire game is read and viewed). Or, like what's been happening lately: stuff's just going to mobile and PC because it's faster and easier to do it there. Or the game is just not going to connect with an overseas audience, and this stance, depending on the game, is a fairly viable reason if you're looking at cost vs. audience/buyer size.
So... I think we're going to see something a little different this gen than last gen. But it could change halfway through. Depends on where games are going, or costs get too high.
i can't really judge the game since i only saw Sonic Lost World videos. However, it just seems to have a more Marioish style to it. *not sure how to describe it, but it looks and feels more like Mario*. and it seems like the bosses are almost as pathetically easy as the ones in the New Super Mario Bros games. but that is just my impressions.
so since i don't know you too well Schala *to be fair, i don't know too much about anyone in this thread*, you seem to like JRPGs i am guessing. I don't know if i would personally play any JRPGS unless it is pokemon or the mario rpgs. *is Sticker Stars any good? anyone know?* I rather enjoy a good racing game or something fast like Marvel vs. Capcom.
anyway Schala, so have you ever tried the DS verison of Ni No Kuni? *it existed, surprisingly enough. i didn't know about it*
anyway speaking of Sonic Lost World. i heard some rumor about Sonic Lost World is supposedly inspired by Sonic Xtreme or something whatever that is.
That said, there are plenty of good people here. Even the ones you might have come to dislike are great people offsite or non-gaming threads. Don't be so quick to judge because those same people might teach you something about yourself.
Anyway, thought it was kinda funny Beef put me in charge of here when he didn't have internet, when I think he knew I don't post on GAF much anymore for various reasons.
Beef pls be better prez before they impeach you, ok?
I thought Derrick's problem was he got a bit too brazen with his "this game sucks" schtick? Like, extraordinarily blunt, and not particularly friendly when opposing views came about. I'll admit, however, I didn't pay him too much attention, so I may be off-base here.
At any rate, asserting that generally well-liked games like Shovel Knight, Xenoblade or Mega Man 2 have problems is hardly damning - none of them, as much as I love 'em, were perfect experiences (respectively: the blackout segments in Spectre Knight's stage; tedious sidequests expecting you to know where specific people are at any given point of the day, or the specific point where monsters lurk, as well as some difficulty spikes at certain bosses like the Telethia in Makna Forest,
Metal-Face at Sword Valley, and Lorithia near the very end
; that one Wily Castle boss that requires perfect aim with the Crash Bombs or otherwise sacrifice of a life in order to beat).
Ya'all should do what Schalla does and learn dat moon language. ...and shell out the cash for a Japanese 3DS.
Running a light fever, I'm in a night shift, I got Danganronpa 2 on my Vita for the next 9ish hours.
I sincerely hope this messes my brain enough to get me a sick leave for a day at least.
i can't really judge the game since i only saw Sonic Lost World videos. However, it just seems to have a more Marioish style to it. *not sure how to describe it, but it looks and feels more like Mario*. and it seems like the bosses are almost as pathetically easy as the ones in the New Super Mario Bros games. but that is just my impressions.
so since i don't know you too well Schala *to be fair, i don't know too much about anyone in this thread*, you seem to like JRPGs i am guessing. I don't know if i would personally play any JRPGS unless it is pokemon or the mario rpgs. *is Sticker Stars any good? anyone know?* I rather enjoy a good racing game or something fast like Marvel vs. Capcom.
anyway Schala, so have you ever tried the DS verison of Ni No Kuni? *it existed, surprisingly enough. i didn't know about it*
I'd say the Mario comparisons are pretty astute, and that's why we decided to name the Lost World thread as such back then. Actually playing the game, the Mario comparisons are even more plausible. And... well, I've always liked Sonic more than Mario, ever since I was a kid. So Lost World didn't deliver what I wanted out of the series, so i hope the next Sonic Team game does.
As for Sticker Star, it's... divisive. I think some of us liked it in here and some of us couldn't stand it. I was on the side that couldn't stand it. I think I talked a bit about it with Aeana a looooong time ago and both of us had dropped it for the same reason (though I returned to it and finished it off). It's a platformer with RPG elements with little sense of progression. It has good ideas, but it has poor execution.
I was thinking of getting the DS version of NNK back when they released it in Japan, but I couldn't justify the cost of it and the book it came with back then (it was suuuuuper-expensive for a DS game-- I should let you know that there is no such thing as MSRP in Japan; they can generally charge what they want for something... so NNK DS was like $70+ for me to import. It got price-slashed a lot since then because no one bought it and people didn't like it much over there.) For comparison, whenever I import a game for PS3, I pay almost $100 for it when we factor in an exchange rate and shipping. At the time, I was still in undergrad and didn't have as much income, so I couldn't afford it.
NNK PS3 did better in the west than in Japan, though. It's more well-liked here than there. I think I would've preferred the DS version (outside of its controls) because it knew how to end itself (the PS3 version has an extra scenario that the DS version didn't, and that extra scenario was pretty unnecessary and needlessly lengthened the game). Though... considering I don't like Level-5's work outside of Layton and Time Travelers, maybe that might be a silly prediction to make.
Ummm... when I started playing games, I mostly played platformers so those are always going to be my first love. I don't really remember what my first actual RPG was. It could've been Ultima, Phantasy Star, or Dragon Quest. I just played whatever my cousins played because they're all older than I am. RPGs just ended up being what I was really really good at and I try to play as many of them as I can even if I have to import. I play most genres, but RPGs, VNs, music games, and platformers are what I'm going to be more knowledgeable about. I was talking to Aeana and a few others elsewhere a few months ago about this old thread and we were thinking about making complete lists and updating what we've played as opposed to omitting things due to a character limit. One day! I forgot a tooooon of games on my list and I've played way more RPGs since then.
I thought Derrick's problem was he got a bit too brazen with his "this game sucks" schtick? Like, extraordinarily blunt, and not particularly friendly when opposing views came about. I'll admit, however, I didn't pay him too much attention, so I may be off-base here.
At any rate, asserting that generally well-liked games like Shovel Knight, Xenoblade or Mega Man 2 have problems is hardly damning - none of them, as much as I love 'em, were perfect experiences (respectively: the blackout segments in Spectre Knight's stage; tedious sidequests expecting you to know where specific people are at any given point of the day, or the specific point where monsters lurk, as well as some difficulty spikes at certain bosses like the Telethia in Makna Forest,
Metal-Face at Sword Valley, and Lorithia near the very end
; that one Wily Castle boss that requires perfect aim with the Crash Bombs or otherwise sacrifice of a life in order to beat).
I kind of went back and looked at what Derrick had to say and under the circumstances, I see where he's coming from, and I kind of admire him for sticking to his guns even though a lot of people piled on him (sometimes unfairly!). Before he got banned, he was going through a pretty rough time at various points throughout 2013, and I think that somewhat affected his demeanour (ex: one being that his mom died last year, so I empathize with him on that front). I don't see him has this "ogre". There are things he liked, and he just has different tastes from others. He can be a little volatile and maybe a bit pushy (and in the last months prior to his exodus, he was even moreso, but that's partly because he was going through some shit irl), but that's kinda how he was and I don't really penalize him for that. There's a part of me that misses his presence because it contributed to less of a hugboxy atmosphere and he was generally honest about how he felt, I guess. Honestly, it if wasn't for him, I wouldn't have written how I felt about Ni no Kuni because he didn't like it much either and got pounced on in the OT repeatedly for saying how he felt. >.>
Like I said, I don't call people out as much as I used to because people are going through shit offline, so don't judge them based on what they say about your favourite games or favourite company. That's not all they are, and it actually ends up hurting their feelings a bit if you continuously tell them about their bad karma or laughing at them behind their backs for something they said with respect to games because they really really really don't need that shit from you. Being on their perspective of it sometimes, I can tell you that that is really the worst thing you can do since the other person might feel bullied and pressured to not say anything anymore.
As for Shovel Knight, I'm soooooooo glad you're expressing similar misgivings to mine because it makes me feel less alone, I guess (there are other folks elsewhere who feel similar to me, so at least I feel like people are analyzing the game with a critical eye). The game isn't perfect, and it should be perfectly acceptable to say how you feel about something not being as good as other people say it is, but people can be quick to say that you're wrong about something when in reality it just doesn't jive with you, even if you've tried to ameliorate the circumstances.
Mega Man 2 isn't a perfect game and it isn't my favourite Mega Man game. It's my first Mega Man game, and it was my first game that made me like video games (so basically the second game i'd ever played). If it weren't for Mega Man 2, I wouldn't have wanted to pick up a controller ever again after a bad Battletoads experience (great first game that my cousins picked out for me to play!). But I can't romanticize it like everyone else because it has some design and mechanics issues. A lot of 'em.
Xenoblade... I... don't know where to start, haha. Lots of balancing issues, some animation issues, quest issues (especially "quests for the sake of quests" syndrome), etc. I'm glad I imported it from Europe to get the big-ass controller and the big-ass box, but it also has its share of issues and it isn't my favourite RPG of the generation since I've felt like I'd played better. I still do. I kinda feel bad for some people who were saying stuff like that in 2011 and got piled on for being honest about how they felt even back then.
Either way, the hugboxy atmosphere in some OTs became a bit of a turn-off, so it's hard to check into them since you can't really go against the common train of thought without getting slightly piled-on. I just miss being able to freely be honest, I guess. Like, I love Radiant Historia. I think it's super-cool, and I wrote a big post saying why I thought it was super-cool. AniHawk later says that he doesn't like it, and reading his points, I see where he's coming from. I'm not going to jump all over him and tell him that he's wrong because: a) he's someone I've respected ever since lurking GAF in 2007 and I pay attention to a lot of what he says, b) he's made valid points and I see them when I look at them from his perspective, and c) they're his opinions, not mine.
Basically, I just want people to act like rational adults, but that's kinda asking too much.
I've been so busy in the last few weeks that I haven't had a chance to get deeper into Layton v Wright or DR2. DR2 is getting priority, though. Soundtrack is super-great and the localization seems pretty good outside of JYB and we don't need no JYB no mo'. Also, the voice direction in English is muuuch better than the first game, so I'm pretty impressed with what they did with this one.
There are a few areas with spelling/grammatical errors, and there is one textbox where the text doesn't wrap, but it seems to iron itself out by the second chapter.
I kinda want them to bring that game over but I don't think it will unless otherwise stated. Those types of games seem to be getting more popular lately from other publishers' works, and I don't think it would be too bad to bring it over. I've never played a Hayarigami game before, and I'd really like to one day.
If stuff like Ace Attorney, Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Hakuoki, etc. seems to be gaining some momentum here, I think it would be an interesting gamble to bring it over and promote it somehow. There are more VNs and stuff coming, so stay tuned.
Ya'all should do what Schalla does and learn dat moon language. ...and shell out the cash for a Japanese 3DS.
Running a light fever, I'm in a night shift, I got Danganronpa 2 on my Vita for the next 9ish hours.
I sincerely hope this messes my brain enough to get me a sick leave for a day at least.
You should've seen me yesterday. It was 40*C in our lab in the afternoon and all of us were clustered around the LIS (lab info system), and the plasma/urine/spinal fluid analyser, so it got REALLY HOT. There was no air conditioning, so most of us were fanning ourselves with our folders or operating procedures manuals. By the end, I was dead and nauseous and wanted to go home to sleep but I had a lecture to attend. It sucked, haha. I was lucky that my prof pointed out that I looked like I was dying before lecture so she wouldn't pick on me to participate. What I wouldn't have given to go into the blood-banking/analysis/histology lab instead that afternoon because that lab is always freezing cold!
I'm sorry about that. I got really sick a few weeks ago and that was basically me for those three weeks. I slept so much and could barely do anything. So fevers suuuuuck.
You know....this may seem crazy, but I'd like the Mario series to be as willing to do as many crazy things as Sonic does (but with the quality usually expected of Mario games, of course).
For example, Sonic Boom looks like an atrocious game, but I'd like to see a Mario game with the same ambition made by a competent and skilled developer. I'd also like to see Mario Kart try to compete in features and content that Sonic Transformed offers. Despite Bioware making a terrible game with Sonic Chronicles; I'd like to see a Mario RPG as ambitious as that instead of something as completely pointless and dumbed-down as Sticker Star.
Every time I play Sonic Generations/Lost Worlds 3DS and Mario 3D Land/World back-to-back; it makes me wish the Mario games tried to do as much as the other games did instead of washing themselves down compared to past installments.
I thought Derrick's problem was he got a bit too brazen with his "this game sucks" schtick? Like, extraordinarily blunt, and not particularly friendly when opposing views came about. I'll admit, however, I didn't pay him too much attention, so I may be off-base here.
I always felt like he had some good points and on occasion could back them up but somewhere down the line it almost fell into a sense of parody to the point that numerous posters would be correctly predicting his arrival to dump on something or other, when you reach that point it's definitely time to dial things back.
At any rate, asserting that generally well-liked games like Shovel Knight, Xenoblade or Mega Man 2 have problems is hardly damning - none of them, as much as I love 'em, were perfect experiences (respectively: the blackout segments in Spectre Knight's stage; tedious sidequests expecting you to know where specific people are at any given point of the day, or the specific point where monsters lurk, as well as some difficulty spikes at certain bosses like the Telethia in Makna Forest,
Metal-Face at Sword Valley, and Lorithia near the very end
; that one Wily Castle boss that requires perfect aim with the Crash Bombs or otherwise sacrifice of a life in order to beat).
I guess some view this sort of thing as hyper nit picking and the assumption that you can't be enjoying games if you're able to find the flaws within even great games, actually I had a conservation with a friend of mine recently along these lines that just had to end with an agree to disagree thing.
You know....this may seem crazy, but I'd like the Mario series to be as willing to do as many crazy things as Sonic does (but with the quality usually expected of Mario games, of course).
For example, Sonic Boom looks like an atrocious game, but I'd like to see a Mario game with the same ambition made by a competent and skilled developer. I'd also like to see Mario Kart try to compete in features and content that Sonic Transformed offers. Despite Bioware making a terrible game with Sonic Chronicles; I'd like to see a Mario RPG as ambitious as that instead of something as completely pointless and dumbed-down as Sticker Star.
Every time I play Sonic Generations/Lost Worlds 3DS and Mario 3D Land/World back-to-back; it makes me wish the Mario games tried to do as much as the other games did instead of washing themselves down compared to past installments.
Hmm now that you say that, i would love to see a Mario Kart maker. Something that Modnation Racers did. Modnation was a pretty good effort, but was not the most stable game. And i can imagine that Nintendo should be able to match and surprass Modnation in that regard.
I'd love a level creator like Little Big Planet. *unfortunately so far, Mario Maker doesn't seem to be it*
Edit: So how much truth is in those Halo 4 statements on IGN? *never played Halo* Or is it just one of those instances where they exaggerate something. *GTA 4's so called "Oscar-Worthy" story*
I know this is always a sensitive subject in certain quarters but I'm more and more inclined to believe that Penders suffers autism. It's a lot more palatable as an explanation than outright insanity.
You know....this may seem crazy, but I'd like the Mario series to be as willing to do as many crazy things as Sonic does (but with the quality usually expected of Mario games, of course).
For example, Sonic Boom looks like an atrocious game, but I'd like to see a Mario game with the same ambition made by a competent and skilled developer. I'd also like to see Mario Kart try to compete in features and content that Sonic Transformed offers. Despite Bioware making a terrible game with Sonic Chronicles; I'd like to see a Mario RPG as ambitious as that instead of something as completely pointless and dumbed-down as Sticker Star.
Every time I play Sonic Generations/Lost Worlds 3DS and Mario 3D Land/World back-to-back; it makes me wish the Mario games tried to do as much as the other games did instead of washing themselves down compared to past installments.
I don't think it's crazy at all. Even if Sonic's experiments don't always work out due to development schedules or bad design decisions, it tries to do something different with most iterations. Not saying that Mario doesn't do that because the series does, but it tries to play it safe with a don't fix it if it ain't broke attitude... which is fine, but maybe sometimes you want them to expand their horizons a little. But that said, I wouldn't mind something Sonic Heroes/Boom-esque with Mario because I know that they'll get some competent people to do it and QA the game to hell and back. I wouldn't mind something being a little more story-based like Unleashed because I appreciated everything that the game did and a lot of things went into the game's overall design to make it more cohesive. So I see where you're coming from completely. They have the cast and characters for it, and they have the teams for it. They have the marketing and characters for TV, books, a mobile game, etc. much like they did back in the 1990s, so I don't see the harm in trying.
Oh, I tried Mario Kart 8 at my cousin's place because he was moving to another province. There were some things I liked (presentation), and some things I didn't (item balance). Granted, it was the first MK I'd played since... maybe SMK? I've played 64 and DS because of college or my other cousin had the game, but I don't know much about those. I kinda wished that they went the ASRT route with some things because I just liked how ASRT felt and performed a little better. But I'm not well-versed in the series so I don't know if my statements are accurate, but I didn't feel like MK8 balanced things very well.
The last two Mario RPGs were a bit subpar. Dream Team outstayed its welcome and went on much longer than it truly should have. Sticker Star... didn't know what it wanted to be. They have the teams to work on it and do a proper party-based RPG, so I'd like to see them go the extra mile. That goes for Sonic too . I remember complaining a few years ago that I didn't have anything that great for a Sonic RPG, even in fan circles. The closest thing I probably had was Unleashed since it had a lot of RPG elements and successfully pulled some of them off. I'd like another outsourced Mario or Sonic RPG, though. I have some companies in mind, but I think each IPs' owners have competent people in-house.
I guess some view this sort of thing as hyper nit picking and the assumption that you can't be enjoying games if you're able to find the flaws within even great games, actually I had a conservation with a friend of mine recently along these lines that just had to end with an agree to disagree thing.
Yeah, I'd agree to disagree there since I really don't think it's hyper-nitpicking. I think it comes out of having played so many games and thinking about them that you do have to take some of the Little Things into consideration. Like, after playing so many games after 23 years, you do end up analyzing things with a bit of a critical eye. Or... maybe that's just something I typically do no matter what, even if it's books, movies, schoolwork, whatever.
You do enjoy the games; there are just some things you don't like about it, and that's perfectly fine. Even my favourite game of all time has some issues here and there. Nothing is ever perfect and acknowledging that makes you learn. I mean, look at that Gunvolt review I posted a few posts back. I really like the game, but look at the reams of text I had spent on saying some parts of the game aren't that great. Being honest is being able to take the good with the bad, and being analytical is a great thing because some people treasure that a lot.
Ah of course. the reviewers making the game seem better than it really was. You know, the first time i recognized how full of shit some of the big reviewing sites can be was when they tried to make the story in GTA 4 seem like it was "Oscar-Worthy" when anyone can see that it was anything, but.
Yeah, I'd agree to disagree there since I really don't think it's hyper-nitpicking. I think it comes out of having played so many games and thinking about them that you do have to take some of the Little Things into consideration. Like, after playing so many games after 23 years, you do end up analyzing things with a bit of a critical eye. Or... maybe that's just something I typically do no matter what, even if it's books, movies, schoolwork, whatever.
You do enjoy the games; there are just some things you don't like about it, and that's perfectly fine. Even my favourite game of all time has some issues here and there. Nothing is ever perfect and acknowledging that makes you learn. I mean, look at that Gunvolt review I posted a few posts back. I really like the game, but look at the reams of text I had spent on saying some parts of the game aren't that great. Being honest is being able to take the good with the bad, and being analytical is a great thing because some people treasure that a lot.
Sounds about right, once again you've wrapped this up in such a way I don't have much to add, I guess in some cases I view it as thinking of how a great game could potentially be even stronger and what changes (even small) could be made to help reach that goal.
I haven't read comic books in a long time. I rather just watch Movies, animiated series, or video games based on comic books.
So i wouldn't know anything about Penders and how good or bad of a writer he is. *i think the only writers i know about is Frank Miller, if only because All-star Batman and Robin is the funniest thing ever, 300 and the Dark Knight Returns*
So, I figured I'd post this here as this thread looks more active than the Lost World OT. I've had more time to game as of late, so I figured I'd get around to a few games I've had sitting in my backlog. My Wii U collection is the smallest right now and I'd like to clear/beat/100% as much as I can before some of the Fall/Winter titles I'm looking forward to drop.
I picked up Lost World day one, but I wasn't feeling it when I popped it in during its early days. As I have read in this thread, I pretty much share the same sentiment towards this game. I play Sonic games for three basic reasons; Sega's blue skies, S-Ranks, and good OSTs. This game meets some of that criteria, sure...but there's just so many things so off about it that the bad/questionable stuff outweighs whatever good there may be. Oh well, I'm still a stubborn completionist at heart (and I've A/S-ranked all these other dumb modern 3D Sonic titles, can't be worse than doing Sonic 2006...), so I've been s-ranking/collecting those red star rings as I play. Still haven't finished the game yet (lol!) Here's my progress:
This game is so fucking weird. Total case of not knowing what it wants to be. I'll absolutely echo the sentiment that Windy Hill was the most realized/refined world in the game. I may be an odd one out in this regard, but I actually prefer the weird, non-traditional Sonic levels in this game (the water rail stage and the snow ball level). I can't stand those 2D levels. The controls feel extra weird and the flow is completely NOT there. The Mario Galaxy-like "standard" stages are okay, some are worse/better than others, but yeah, the whole game is a mess.
My BIGGEST disappointment is the soundtrack though! It's one of the things I look forward to most in these games. I love Sega's/Sonic Team's sound team. There's like one or two songs I really dig. My favorite track is Sea Bottom Segue, which is ironically one of my favorite/preferred stages in the game. I wanted to hear more music like this though... =(
If I had one criticism about the Lost World soundtrack, it tried a little too hard to 'cater' to the 'Nintendo' fanbase but didn't completely grasp what makes Nintendo music so good in its own right. (You probably could say this about the entire game in general)
Where it stuck to its roots (Sea Bottom Segue, etc) it was stellar. Outside of that it was serviceable but not one of Sonic's better aural showings. The orchestral themes of Colors and Unleashed both blow it Lost World's out of the water, too.
The Knuckles comics weren't that bad when I was a little girl, but I'm going to guess if I went back to read them as an adult, I don't know if I'd like them as much!
and other people put work into this one and I'm pretty thankful for that they did fix my avatar for me (especially Sciz since he did it without asking years ago).
And Dragon Quest VII 3DS. And some PS2->PSP ports. And all those other Tales games. And some PS1/Saturn imports. And a whole bunch of PS3 stuff. And...
puyo puyo tetris, dqvii, trails in the blue/zero evolution... i wish i had the power to single-handedly bring them over.
Um. I think with respect to the localization environment lately, I don't think as many "bigger" things will come over as often as we'd like, but companies change their mind. It's because costs really can't be justified and it costs more to localize than you think because you're waiting for a return on your product... and if the return is likely not sure, then you're probably not going to see it and localizing it would've been a huge waste of costs. Some scripts might be really really really huge, too, and you might need more manpower. Some companies really like to hold onto their IPs and choose who localizes it or decides to keep it in-house for consistency/because it's theirs (but in this case they may not localize it because they have other things to work on). Some games, like Sigma Harmonics last gen, just can't be localized into English because of how texts work (in that case, the text was written downwards like traditionally, so it's not going to work out in English very well without changing how the entire game is read and viewed). Or, like what's been happening lately: stuff's just going to mobile and PC because it's faster and easier to do it there. Or the game is just not going to connect with an overseas audience, and this stance, depending on the game, is a fairly viable reason if you're looking at cost vs. audience/buyer size.
the big companies in particular have a hard time in letting go of their franchises, even if it would net them profit overall and they don't really have to put in a lot of work. if you have to know who, it's pretty much every major gaming company that's been around console gaming since the 80s.
Either way, the hugboxy atmosphere in some OTs became a bit of a turn-off, so it's hard to check into them since you can't really go against the common train of thought without getting slightly piled-on. I just miss being able to freely be honest, I guess. Like, I love Radiant Historia. I think it's super-cool, and I wrote a big post saying why I thought it was super-cool. AniHawk later says that he doesn't like it, and reading his points, I see where he's coming from. I'm not going to jump all over him and tell him that he's wrong because: a) he's someone I've respected ever since lurking GAF in 2007 and I pay attention to a lot of what he says, b) he's made valid points and I see them when I look at them from his perspective, and c) they're his opinions, not mine.
i'm also unusual in that i'm a big fan of the concept of time travel, particularly using back to the future rules where affecting the past affects the future. radiant historia's system made sense to me (otherwise it quickly becomes too dense), but it also sort of annoyed me because it was so linear. it's basically the biggest reason i dislike the game, especially since it's built around the concept of time travel. something like chrono trigger appealed to my sense of 'what if?' more.
I've been so busy in the last few weeks that I haven't had a chance to get deeper into Layton v Wright or DR2. DR2 is getting priority, though. Soundtrack is super-great and the localization seems pretty good outside of JYB and we don't need no JYB no mo'. Also, the voice direction in English is muuuch better than the first game, so I'm pretty impressed with what they did with this one.
There are a few areas with spelling/grammatical errors, and there is one textbox where the text doesn't wrap, but it seems to iron itself out by the second chapter.
i can't wait to play it. it's the editor's first game, so i want to see how they did (they're very concerned over the final product).
I kinda want them to bring that game over but I don't think it will unless otherwise stated. Those types of games seem to be getting more popular lately from other publishers' works, and I don't think it would be too bad to bring it over. I've never played a Hayarigami game before, and I'd really like to one day.
If stuff like Ace Attorney, Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Hakuoki, etc. seems to be gaining some momentum here, I think it would be an interesting gamble to bring it over and promote it somehow. There are more VNs and stuff coming, so stay tuned.
yes definitely stay tuned winky face. although shin hayarigami didn't seem to be that well received in japan among the public so i don't know about that one.
I've been so busy in the last few weeks that I haven't had a chance to get deeper into Layton v Wright or DR2. DR2 is getting priority, though. Soundtrack is super-great and the localization seems pretty good outside of JYB and we don't need no JYB no mo'. Also, the voice direction in English is muuuch better than the first game, so I'm pretty impressed with what they did with this one.
I haven't read comic books in a long time. I rather just watch Movies, animiated series, or video games based on comic books.
So i wouldn't know anything about Penders and how good or bad of a writer he is. *i think the only writers i know about is Frank Miller, if only because All-star Batman and Robin is the funniest thing ever, 300 and the Dark Knight Returns*
Ken was a weird beast, for all his weird plot stuff, weird focus on some relationships, and sometimes ruining characters or having them job out so they can push ones no one cares about . At least some of the bad stuff sprouted from actually neat ideas that went on to long that went to crap. There is a lot of bad stuff .
Ian flynn the current head writer is much uh... much much better. ( to the degree in which I think sanic boom probably shouldn't exist , but that's another conversation. ) Ian Flynn has made some of the most annoying and useless characters some of the most funny and interesting and him combined with who ever is designing all these background... I would say mobians but I think ken owns that term so background sonic characters, are designing one of the most interesting sonic universes I have seen , epically thanks to reboot.
Ian Flynn isn't free of criticism though, he contributed to what I believe to be one of the worst sonic comic arcs period, the sonic and whatever amount of years later arc. What should have just been a cute what if thing spiraled into for lack of a better term dumb bullshit. Ian didn't even start it, but eug.You said you haven't read the comics in a while, I can tell you about it, I don't mind. Usually I don't care to mention sonic comic stuff I think is particularly bad, because that stuff just exists. But this, this goes into the weird comic book bullshit bag, with avengers number 200 and that time Luke Cage invaded latveria for like 50 bucks. This is the kind of thing you inform people about so they learn what to do or not do, and in this case not do ever.
And I read this, I read all of it and even the attempts to salvage it. Why, I have no idea.
Edit: In like a PM or something, I dunno if this thread wanna live through that again.
Is it just me or has the scare factor in Five Nights in Freddy diminished a bit when you see people playing it all the time? *not unlike Slender Man* I mean, Foxy doesn't seem too scary now to me as he seems fairly easy to watch out for and fairly predictable.
The scary went away for that game when people started making all that benevolent fan art of the characters. Now I see them as weird creatures who only really want a hug rather than evil misguided anamatronic ceatures.
Scary? Probably not, now it's more funny than anything. I still think the presentation and the idea is great. After a while though, you get the feeling that it becomes more frustrating or tense more than scary, but I guess you could say that for a lot of horror games.
Funny how things go. i just played Freddy's at a friends house just today. It is still pretty creepy. I might buy it on my Laptop sometime. *Anyway, Anyone know how to deal with the Jammed doors and lights?*
I can't beat the final boss in Dragon Quest II. The lead up has so many powerful wild monsters that I'm basically out of MP by the time I reach him.
Anyone have any tips? My party is level 32/29/23. Am I underleveled? I was grinding all day yesterday in that ice area before the final boss' castle.
I think I love Dragon Quest. Over the last month I played through I and I'm at the final boss of II. So fun. Toriyama character designs get me every time.
I can't beat the final boss in Dragon Quest II. The lead up has so many powerful wild monsters that I'm basically out of MP by the time I reach him.
Anyone have any tips? My party is level 32/29/23. Am I underleveled? I was grinding all day yesterday in that ice area before the final boss' castle.
I think I love Dragon Quest. Over the last month I played through I and I'm at the final boss of II. So fun. Toriyama character designs get me every time.
This is still on my list of series to try out. I bought the GBC versions of the first three games recently, but haven't touched them yet. I should get a move on that.
This is still on my list of series to try out. I bought the GBC versions of the first three games recently, but haven't touched them yet. I should get a move on that.
Nice! I'm playing 1 and 2 on GBC as well. They are the perfect handheld games. Apparently, the remixed GBC versions of each game are better for beginners, too.
I've been watching a lot of Lets Plays of Digimon games. Any of them worth it? I find the first one (Digimon World) game fascinating, but I would never want to play it.
I've been watching a lot of Lets Plays of Digimon games. Any of them worth it? I find the first one (Digimon World) game fascinating, but I would never want to play it.
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