HandsomeDead

I think FFIV is also worth consideration as I'd say it was the first one to really be the Final Fantasy game as we know them and set a lot of FF tropes. Earlier ones are a little light on story. I played the GBA version and I don't remember it being hard either. I've only played some of FFV and that's the hard one, and not in a fun way.

What came to mind for me was Persona 4, but not because of any ludo-narrative stuff, I just don't think it earned its twist and it soured the whole thing. Other problems I have are just narrative decisions I think are a bit lame. But as for the on topic reason It absolutely soured the whole game for me, anyway.

It's something Nintendo has been doing a lot lately. No-one even knew who was making this game until it was out. It's like they just want people to think of them as Nintendo games and keeping quiet about which specific studio it is. Kinda sucks imho

As much as I'd love a proper Chibi-Robo game the rights to it are spread around because the Skip just had a relationship with Nintendo, and also the developer is kinda AWOL. Maybe technically alive with a few staff. We'd be lucky with a remaster but they've not made anything for nearly 10 years. That clique of developers have kinda gone apart from the Onion Games guy, it's sad really. My idea for Star Fox is mostly keep it traditional (or not, I dunno make it like Chorvs) but really lean into the original vision of them being puppets. Make the game look like a Gerry Anderson show. For F-Zero I just want a remaster of GX. I new one would be cool but I'm not sure it's happening. I don't want some open world thing, but I would be well up for a Captain Falcon action game, have him Falcon Punching all over the place, maybe some Blue Falcon driving between missions. Get Platinum on it. I don't really consider the other two dead. Lad's reaching.

Nice. Evil West for me. Been hoping it would turn up I'll get NMH3 too, the gentrified version.

Oh yeah, and I've heard people pronounce Dyne a bunch of times but I was always sure it was just a fantasy way of spelling Dean and I guess I've got to take an L there.

I just saw the Barret part of the game and was wondering how this would go down. While I think both of the games so far have been good at using the technology to deliver on the dramatic moments I think they whiffed this one, which is a shame because it's harrowing in the original.

Fair point.

Maf relating to the most neuro divergent character in the game, who would have thought 😉

Okay, I think the OG may have been the first single player game that took me over 100 hours. So my first play through was closer to that. And I'm sure I did less of the game than I did with this Reload run.

What are you doing? I was watching the credits at 85 hours.

I forgot about that Sony deal for a moment there. I think younger folk probably just think of FF as that MMO for the most part, maybe? And those who got into FF through XIII or XV are a rarer bunch compared to older and younger millennials who got into it through VII and X. But the global numbers must still be pretty good. It's been proven a lot that Japan isn't as interested in console games that aren't on the Switch anymore.

I'd be willing to put a big bet on there being Switch 2 versions of the FFVIIR trilogy. I'm sure it'll be a headache of a port but it seems like it'd be the only way to get good numbers in Japan.

I've not seen The Crow since I was a teenager but I liked it a lot at the time. Probably worth a revisit rather than see this. It looks kinda run of the mill but I remember the OG being pretty strange in parts.

The game is complete without the 'The Answer'. The epilogue arguably over indulges.

I dunno about this. Everyone involved are the types always trying to stir shit like this up. I could be charitable but they don't deserve it. There is maybe an argument that some of this stuff is a bit toothless, always a bit too cozy and wholesome and maybe some more confidence in their world building would be better but that's not what these chuds are bothered about. It's that there are minority characters are just there in the first place. Fuck 'em.

Yeah, it's hard to say because it's more a case of what kind of stuff gets reported. I don't know if the Japanese games media reports a lot on labour stuff, and if there is, where? and is anyone translating it? There's just these barriers that makes these global comparisons unclear. I've heard of the strategy of sticking people in low responsibility roles to make people resign because of these labour laws they have. It's the sort of thing that happened to Igarashi, I think. But overall there does appear to be more health in their industry and they do maintain staff a lot more. As we've seen a successful game doesn't lead to layoffs like it does in the west now.

I was reminded of some games recently. One being Cosmic Spacehead. I weird point & click / platformer from Codemasters on the Megadrive: It was obtuse as hell but that's pretty typical for the genre, even well remembered ones. And also Puggsy, which looking it up is an early Traveller's Tales title: This was a very Fantastic Dizzy style puzzle platformer but I always preferred this at the time. It just looked better and had some pretty nice pixel graphics despite the 'weird little guy' character. I think it's just another case of these very European games getting lost in our American-centric games media. Cosmic Spacehead I can kinda understand being forgotten but I remember Puggsly being legit decent, as much as other flawed but fondly remembered games.

Yukari is only mean to Junpei and more than half the time he deserves it for being a weirdo. He does pendulum swing from being da' man to Stupei.

@Maf Maybe you don't remember, I'll spoiler in case you don't but Koromaru...

It's an optimal team, that's all 😇

With the Switch 2 now practically set for next year and 2XKO next year too I'm kinda out of it, even if my others do well. The first month predictions haven't paid off. Maybe I can hold on if MP4 still comes out for the Switch this year as like a swan song.

Sephiroth did sound how I imagined him. The two that took me a bit to get used to were Reno and Rufus. I imagined Reno to be a bit slicker and Rufus to be brattier. But I soon rolled with what they were going for.

No

I would guess anything they made under Activision is still under MS's ownership but can't say for sure.