#Nintendo direct mini

[akkivee]

NINTENDO DIRECT SOON LETS GO

[kirblr-news]

After a todays direct, a demo for Kirbys Return Return to Dreamlands demo will be released!

[surveillance-0011]

Wait

With Inkopolis back in action i can have some ocs still living there!! And the train station opening up is how I can reunite em with the main guys ^_^

[autisticsage]

sage sonic frontiers..... (shaking crying throwing up)

[rivalsforlife]

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Announced

At the Nintendo Direct today, news I have been tirelessly waiting six years for arrived: The Ace Attorney Investigations games are coming to all modern consoles! This includes Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (now officially known as Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Gambit), after THIRTEEN YEARS of being a Japan-exclusive game!

Now everyone gets to experience Debeste Ace Attorney games! ... The Winner Ace Attorney Games!

Key Information

The collection is coming out on September 6, 2024 to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBOX One, Windows, and Steam. It will be available in Japanese, English, French, German, Korean, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese, with new voice dubs. Most of the information in this post will be coming from the official website, which you can check out for more details.

The reveal trailer is as follows:

There's lots of information here, so let's break it down:

New Features

Since these were originally Nintendo DS games, there's a massive jump in graphic quality to HD! This includes a new interface for Logic, the court record, and redone full-body sprites. But if you prefer the classic look, the AAI collection will let you swap between the sprite styles:

Similarly to the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and 456 Collection, the AAI Collection includes story mode, dialogue history, a gallery containing concept and special art, and music including orchestral arrangements of the soundtrack.

You can also change the in-game soundtrack to rearranged tracks! This applies to Confrontation - Allegro, Confrontation - Presto, Objection 2009, and Pursuit - Chase Down The Truth (commonly known as Lying Coldly) with and without the intro.

Pre-Order Bonuses

Much like the AAI tracks, AAI2 arranged tracks can play in game, but these are currently restricted to pre-order bonuses (though this might change in the future). This includes Confrontation - Allegro 2011, Confrontation - Presto 2011, Objection 2011, and the intro and non-intro versions of Pursuit - Uncover The Truth (commonly known as Wanting To Find The Truth).

That's all on the English side, but much like the 456 collection, Japan has a physical collector's edition called the Mitsurugi (Edgeworth) Checkmate Set. This includes an arranged mini-album of songs by other composers, and new album art by Tatsuro Iwamoto.

The new songs include "Objections of Different Eras" (seemingly a remix of Objections 2009 and 2011), "Raven that Pursues The Truth" (remix of Kay's theme), "It's Time for Action!" (remix of Gumshoe's theme), "Howling Echoes" (remix of Lang's theme), and "Unveiling the Truth" (remix of the Pursuit songs).

This collection also includes a diorama set:

The set has two backgrounds (the rooftop of the Grand Tower and Edgeworth's office), and has standees of Edgeworth, Kay, Gumshoe, Franziska, Lang, Gregory, and... Verity and Eustace.

Which is a good segue into:

Localization Differences

Since most AA fans will be familiar with the fantastic AAI2 fan translation, the new names will likely be an adjustment for all of us. Characters in AAI (like Kay and Lang) will not have their names changed, just characters that were previously exclusive to AAI2.

Known name changes include:

Yumihiko Ichiyanagi / Sebastian Debeste -> Eustace Winner

Hakari Mikagami / Justine Courtney -> Verity Gavèlle

Tateyuki Shigaraki / Raymond Shields -> Eddie Fender

We also know that Manosuke Naito / Horace Knightley's new last name is Knight, and Gai Tojiro / Ethan Rooke's last name is Rook, which isn't much of a departure from fan translation names. We also know that Mikiko Hayami / Nicole Swift's new last name is Lloyd. I will provide updates on more names when they become available!

Regardless of your feelings on the new names - it's going to be an adjustment for everyone used to the fan translation that has been around ten years now - let's all keep in mind that despite the new names, the characters behind the names will be the same. And personally, as a massive fan of AAI2, I think the adjustment will be worth it if it means that more people get to experience my favorite ace attorney game for themselves.

With this announcement, all canonical ace attorney games have been ported to modern consoles and given an English translation. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this announcement is thirteen years in the making for AAI2! This is an unprecedented time for the popularity and accessibility of Ace Attorney.

(All we need now is the Layton crossover...)

Thank you all for joining me in this excitement and I look forward to collecting and sharing more updates as they arrive!

[roosterforme]

Don't You Want Me, Baby | Rooster x Reader

Summary: It was like a fairytale, the way you stole Bradley's heart with your gorgeous face, retro denim jacket, and karaoke skills. But when you disappear into the night, leaving only one small trinket behind, he's left wondering if he didn't just dream you up. 

Warnings: Fluff, swearing and karaoke

Length: 3200 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Check out my masterlist for more!

Bradley's favorite thing about '80s throwback nights at the Hard Deck was seeing how his friends dressed for it. Nat usually went with neon spandex. Bob had a vintage Nintendo tee shirt. Jake found a windbreaker and matching pants at a thrift store. Even Penny got in on things by wearing a hideous blazer with enormous shoulder pads. 

But Bradley just wore what he always did: one of his dad's tropical print shirts from circa 1983, his snug Levi's, and his slick mustache. 

When he arrived at the Hard Deck, he realized that his least favorite part of this kind of night was the fact that he was always the odd man out now. He'd been single for such a long time, and it didn't usually bother him. But the way Javy had his arm around Nat, and the way Bob's girlfriend was making him blush... well, Bradley was starting to feel like he was missing out. 

Nat handed him a beer as soon as he strolled up to the bar. "I can't decide if it's funny or sad that you don't even have to try," she told him, eyeing him up and down. 

"Says the woman wearing a neon pink jumpsuit? What even is that thing?" he asked, gesturing to her outfit. Frankly, it was scary, but Javy seemed to like it as he kissed Nat and whispered in her ear before he walked away, turning to look at her several times. 

She rolled her eyes and told him, "It's '80s workout attire! I'm going to sing the song Physical for karaoke, and I thought it would be fun to match the theme. You, on the other hand, wore the same thing the other day when we went out for pizza. You live in the '80s my friend."

"Whatever," Bradley grunted, sipping his beer. 

"Rooster, did you sign up for a song yet?" Fanboy asked him, jerking his thumb to the karaoke setup in the corner. 

Just as he was about to reply, Nat smirked at him. "How about I pick a song for you?"

Bradley just shrugged. "Sure." He liked singing. He was pretty good at it. And with tonight's theme, he'd know all the lyrics even without the video prompt. But he didn't like the smug look on his friend's face as she strolled away in her hideous pink outfit.  

He sipped his beer. There were a lot of people here tonight that he'd never seen before. It was usually the same Naval officer crowd every weekend, so this was interesting. And there were a lot of cute girls with their hair all teased and hair sprayed wearing things that made Bradley smile. 

Then his eyes caught on a denim jacket and a mini skirt on the cutest girl he had seen in a very long time. "Oh," Bradley gasped, finishing the last of his beer and setting the empty bottle down on the counter. You turned to laugh at your friend who was behind you, but your eyes caught on Bradley's, and he started stumbling through the crowd in your direction.

Then the DJ in charge of karaoke night called up the first singer, and the crowd closed in on the stage. "Shit," Bradley muttered. He lost sight of you amongst the too bright neon strobe lights. The song Sunglasses at Night started blaring, and Bradley couldn't find his friends either. The more he tried to shove through the crowd, the more dirty looks he got. 

Two more singers performed terrible renditions of songs that Bradley used to like until he heard them here. He figured you must have left, because he couldn't see you anywhere. With a sigh, he leaned against the back wall. And then Nat was there, pressing another beer into his hand. 

"Why do you look so pissy?" she asked over the music. 

He just shrugged and rolled his eyes at himself. "It's so dumb. But I saw the cutest girl, and then she vanished...."

There you were, not far from the DJ booth. You were dancing along to someone butchering Billie Jean. Bradley could barely see you through the crowd as he smacked Nat's arm. "It's her. Denim jacket. Little skirt. Fucking gorgeous face."

"Go talk to her," Nat told him with a grin that made him a bit nervous. 

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" he asked, looking for the best way to get over to you. The way you were dancing and laughing had Bradley smiling as he squeezed past Bob. 

When you spun in a slow circle with your friends, you froze, eyes meeting Bradley's again. This time you bit your lip and waved to him. 

Bradley laughed and mouthed, "I'm coming." He watched as you pressed your lips together and ducked your face down.

"Hurry up!" you called when the song ended. 

Bradley was about to start throwing elbows to get as close to you as possible. Then he heard his name.

"Rooster is up next! Where's Rooster?" called the DJ. 

Bradley let his head tip back as he groaned. He waved to the DJ and then winked at you. "Sorry," he mouthed as he smiled at you. 

You smiled and shrugged and that's when the DJ announced, "Rooster is singing that iconic song from Dirty Dancing, I've Had The Time of My Life."

He turned to glare at Nat where she stood against the back wall. "You picked a duet, you jerk! I can't sing that alone!"

But his attention snapped away from Nat when he felt your hand on his arm. You had managed to close the distance to him, and Bradley met your eyes as you let your fingers glide down his arm until they met his hand. 

"I'll sing with you, Rooster."

Bradley laced his fingers with yours, and you led him up to the stage as the bar was filled with applause. Bradley took the microphone from the DJ. You and he were going to have to share it, and he didn't mind that one bit. 

"Ready?" Bradley asked you, keeping his flingers linked with yours. 

"Let's do it." 

Bradley nodded, signaling they were ready to sing, and when the music started, you smiled up at him. He missed the first few words as his heart pounded, scrambling to pick up the lyrics as you giggled. 

Now I've had the time of my life. No, I've never felt like this before. Yes, I swear it's the truth, and I owe it all to you.

Then when it was your turn, Bradley was hypnotized by your voice. He could come up with about a hundred more duets he was dying to sing with you. Either here at the bar, or maybe back at his place. Maybe you'd let him have your number. 

He missed his next line again, completely distracted by you biting your lip and holding the microphone for him. "Shit," he said with a laugh, finally getting back on track again. But you seemed to know you were the reason he was distracted, and he could tell he was blushing. 

And when it was time to sing together, your voice blended perfectly with his. 

So we take each other's hand, 'cause we seem to understand the urgency.

And then you started to dance with him a little bit, just a sway of your hips, but Bradley moved along with you. It was perfect, the way you shared the microphone with him. The way your smile made the song even better. The way you laughed at the end when Bradley's face was close to yours and the room erupted in loud applause. 

"Thanks for bailing me out," he told you as he handed over the microphone. 

"You're welcome, Rooster," you told him with a smile that made him want to taste your lips. Then you were slipping your hand free from his as your friends called you over. You glanced at him over your shoulder, and Bradley turned back to the DJ while another singer took the stage. 

"I need you to let me sing again," Bradley told him. 

"One song per person, sorry."

Bradley rolled his eyes and pulled fifty bucks out of his wallet. "One more song? Right after this one?" 

And then, just like that, Bradley was signed up. When he turned your way, you were already looking at him, challenging him to make a move. 

"Excuse me," he said, encroaching on your friend group and holding out his hand for you to take. "But, my friend accidentally signed me up for another duet. Think you can help me out again?"

You slipped your hand into his and smirked. "Really? It looked like you signed yourself up this time."

He shook his head and pulled you closer to him. "Nah. Just a trick of the lighting, I think. It was definitely my friend."

Your laughter had him reaching his free hand gently around your waist, tucking it inside your denim jacket.

"That's a cute mustache," you told him, reaching up to touch his lip. "Did you grow it just for tonight?"

Bradley shook his head. "It's a permanent fixture."

"Oh, even better."

Bradley was thinking about it. He was going to do it. He was inching closer, ready to kiss you, when the DJ called his name again. "Rooster, you're up for an encore!"

The room erupted in more cheers as Bradley led you up to the stage, hand still at your waist. 

"Which song is it?" you asked over the applause, your lips next to his ear.

His smile grew as he promised, "You'll know it."

Then Don't You Want Me started playing, and you laughed as Bradley danced around on the stage, singing just to you until the chorus when you joined him. Your perfect, smiling lips were so close to his as you both sang "Don't you want me, baby! Don't you want me, ohhh!" together. 

And then he let you have the microphone for your part, and your voice sounded even better than the original song. He let his voice blend with yours again and again, but then too soon, the song was ending. He briefly wondered if he could get away with bribing the DJ for just one more song with you. 

He had the microphone in his hand, about to check if he had more cash in his wallet, when you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed his lips. Right in the middle of the stage. Right in the middle of the applause and the neon lights and the DJ introducing Nat as the next singer.

Your lips tasted as sweet as you looked, and Bradley almost dropped the microphone trying to get his arms around you as well. You kissed his lips softly and then laughed before you let your lips skim over his mustache. 

"I had fun, Rooster," you whispered over all the commotion as you stepped off the stage with Bradley in tow. When Nat snatched the microphone out of his hand with a wink, you took his hand in both of yours. 

"Think they'll let us sing another song together?" he asked, watching the smile on your lips as you took your denim hair scrunchie off your own wrist and pushed it over his hand. He looked down at his left wrist, now adorned with it. "What's this for?" he asked with what he was sure was a dopey grin.

"Keep it, Rooster," you said, but suddenly your friends were there, slowly pulling you away from him. 

"Where are you going?" he asked, his heart lurching as he ran his fingers over your scrunchie and tried to follow you. But the crowd was closing in on him, everyone going wild for Nat singing Physical. "I don't even know your name!"

You called out to him as you blew a kiss, but he couldn't hear you. He shoved Javy out of the way, trying to get to you again. As the crowd thinned near the exit, Bradley ran outside after you. But you were gone. There was no sign of you or your friends. All that was left was your scrunchie, the songs stuck in his head, and the feel of your lips on his. 

--------------------------

"I imagined her," Bradley said for the sixth time at work on Monday. "She was perfect, but she wasn't even real." He was stretched out on the couch in the aviators' lounge with your scrunchie in his hand and a pout on his face.

"She was real, Rooster," Nat told him with an eye roll. "We all saw her. We all saw her kiss you before she left. Maybe it was your choice of song? Maybe she didn't want you, baby?" she asked with a devilish smirk. 

Bradley launched the scrunchie at his friend's face, making her squeal. But then he was up off the couch immediately, running to collect his precious souvenir from the ground before anything happened to it. He balled it up in his hand and tucked it into the pocket of his flight suit. 

"It would be impossible to find her again. I don't even know her name," he mumbled, kicking his foot along the floor as he sighed. "She was just..." He was thinking about your voice as you sang and your pretty face and your vintage denim jacket. "Perfect."

Nat took a step closer and patted him on the chest. "There has to be some way... Oh!"

"What?" Bradley asked, meeting her bright eyes with his hopeful ones. 

"There would have to be other '80s karaoke nights around San Diego," she said quickly, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Bradley's heart filled with hope as she said, "We could go to them, and maybe she'll be there."

"Nat. You're a genius."

When Friday night rolled around, Bradley picked Nat up in her hot pink spandex, and they drove to a bar in Oceanside where a throwback night was in full swing. 

"See her anywhere?" Nat called over the loud music. 

Just then someone started singing Don't You Want Me. Bradley's heart leapt. But it was a guy with a terrible voice and a girl who wasn't you. 

"No," Bradley groaned, his heart full of frustration. "She's not here," he confirmed after walking through the entire bar. 

And the following night, Bradley and Nat went to a bar in Balboa Park, ready to search for you again. They walked into a room full of people dancing around and singing to a Bon Jovi cover band. 

After looking everywhere, taking his time to search the crowd, a dejected Bradley shook his head at Nat, and she followed him back outside to the Bronco. 

The following Friday was no better as they hit up a club downtown. After they had no luck there, Nat told him about another karaoke night in Pacific Beach. 

"This is it, Nat. This is the last one," Bradley told her, glancing at your scrunchie on the shifter as he drove. "If she's not here, then I need to stop looking."

"But, she could be-"

"Nat, come on. I've been like this for two weeks. I can't stop thinking about her, which is absolutely ridiculous. We sang two songs together, and then she bailed. I'm starting to think that even if I do find her, she's not going to remember who I am!"

She sighed in the passenger seat, and said, "I really hope she's here, just so I can see you proven wrong."

So Bradley searched the bar for you while he listened to so many bad singers in a row. He felt desperate now, knowing there wouldn't be another chance after this. And every time a denim jacket and a cute face caught his eye, he did a double take. But you weren't here either. The search was off now. 

"Let's go," he told Nat, swallowing hard as he headed outside. And then he tossed your scrunchie into the center console, started up the engine and left.

-------------------------

"Come on," whined Nat, pulling on Bradley's arm. "I'll be fun!" Bradley was trying to head home after working late on Friday, but she wasn't going to let him.

"I don't feel like going to the Hard Deck tonight." He just wanted to go home, relax and pretend like he didn't still have your scrunchie in his pocket half the time. 

But she stomped her foot. "No. You've been pouting. Javy, Bob and Jake are already there. We're going."

Bradley groaned and agreed to follow her to the bar to have exactly one drink. But when he walked in and realized that it was set up for karaoke, he turned to try to sneak back out.

"There he is!" Nat called, rushing forward to grab his hand before he had a chance to leave. "You promised. One drink."

"Fine," he grunted, sitting at the bar with his back to everyone else who was rushing up to pick a song to sing. And when Penny handed him a beer, he drank half of it in one sip, trying to finish it as quickly as he could. 

When he was done, he reached into his pocket to get his wallet, pulling out your scrunchie at the same time. He shook his head, ready to toss it into the trash can behind the bar. But then he heard the opening chords of I've Had The Time Of My Life start playing. He'd been listening to the song nonstop for weeks, and when he spun to face the stage, he saw you. In your denim jacket. 

"Rooster!" You had the microphone held up to your lips, and you were calling out to him. 

"It's you!" he called back, trying to make his way through the crowd to get closer as his heart pounded.

"It's me," you told him with a bright smile. "Looks like I accidentally picked a duet as soon as I saw you. I need a partner. Are you available?"

He pushed his way through the crowd and jumped up onto the stage. "Yeah, I'm available." Then your hand was grabbing the front of his shirt, and his lips met yours. The crowd was screaming and cheering as you smiled against his mouth. 

"I thought I dreamed you up," he told you, resting his forehead against yours. "Like a fairytale Princess in a denim jacket. Please don't leave this time."

"I won't," you promised, kissing him hard before turning to the DJ and giving him a thumbs up. When the song restarted, Bradley took the microphone and sang to you. 

Now I've had the time of my life. No, I've never felt like this before. 

Yes, I swear it's the truth, and I owe it all to you.

And then he opened up his hand, showing you that he still had your scrunchie. You gently took it as you smiled up at him in surprise, and then you slid it onto his wrist before taking his hand. But after that song, Bradley didn't even bother trying to bribe the DJ for more, because he had you in his arms, your name on his lips, and your phone number saved for later. 

-------------------------

If your man won't search the kingdom for you and then turn to a pile of mush when he finds you, then he's not the one. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

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[kakusu-shipping]

Thoughts on/during Mochi Mayhem? I'm curious. Especially towards the... memetic dance scene(s).

I LOVED IT!!!!

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet really put me in the "I wanna be a kid doing stupid dumb goofy things with my friends" vibes and Mochi Mayhem really delivered! everyone coming over to the player's house and hanging out at the start and the whole finding the remote mini quest at the community center really got to me. We're just a couple of kids doing kid things!!

Also the fact that Arven says Clicker like an old man means so much to me. We really are siblings.

SPEAKING OF ARVEN

He knocked it out of the PARK during Mochi Mayhem being just??? So funny??? Like, he's so pushy about being the player's one and only Best Friend

And he's so agro at Kieran over it to the point of ending the epilogue apologizing for it... But Kieran didn't even notice because he's so use to his sister being agro at him like that???

Also the fact that he has just enough control while mind controlled by Pecharunt to be embarrassed by the stupid dance dskgjdfjgjdfh Hysterical

There's a lot of other really silly moments that got to me very personally, like how much everyone calls out Nemona for being entirely too much, or just the implication that the three of them were hanging out without me, implying they've all become friends as well really gets to me

I don't like the paid DLC direction Nintendo is going in, but this is the best Pokemon Game post DS Era in my opinion, even if with the DLC it's more than double the price of a DS era Pokemon game with about the same amount of content...

But yeah! I really liked the Epilogue! I had a great time, I loved seeing everyone getting to have a fun time and being silly, I ADORE Pecharunt to no end, and am super happy to have Kieran back in the club room finally!

[sincerely-sofie]

Sofie's Belated Reactions to Today's Nintendo Direct:

Mario & Luigi: Brothership

I'D KNOW THOSE CRIES OF TERROR ANYWHERE

BEES

LOOK AT MY BOY GO!!!!! YOU MOMENTARILY DEFY THOSE GRAVITIES MAN!!

Wasn't sure about the visuals for the new Mario & Luigi game but they very swiftly grew on me!

ADORABLE CHILD CONNIE I LOVE YOUR HAT

I already love the Extension Corps mini boss squad

"Brothership" is the best title for a Mario & Luigi game oh my word.

(More below the cut!)

Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition

Neato! Nintendo-sanctioned online speedrunning competitions is not something I expected in this Direct, or at all, but I'm happy to see it!

This is reminding me of my goal to speedrun the first Luigi's Mansion game and see what my personal best is... I gotta do that sometime.

Fairy Tale 2

I don't go here but I'm happy for all you Fairy Tale enthusiasts out there!

FANTASIAN: Neo Dimension

WHOA WHOA WHOA did the announcer just say the creator of Final Fantasy created this game??????

I don't go here either but it looks fun!

Nintendo Switch Sports (free update)

MIO: Memories in Orbit

I'm digging the visuals for this!!! Not sure what I'm looking at, but I like it!

OH??????? RAIN WORLD-ESQUE ROBOT CHARACTER????? I'M LISTENING OuO

I absolutely adore this player character design oh my word

THE ENVIRONMENTSSSSSS OH MY GOLLY GEE WILLICKERS

NINTENDO YOU CAN'T JUST SHOW ME THIS TRAILER WITH NO COMMENTARY AND DROP A RELEASE WINDOW WITHOUT ANY FURTHER COMMENT. I NEED TO KNOW MORE.

Disney Illusion Island (free update)

Not many thoughts here other than I absolutely LOVE the pin connecting mini game idea.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure

OH MY GOSH HI HELLO KITTY HIIIIII

There's a Sanrio game with character customization????? EXCUSE ME??????? MY SANRIO-SONA IS PENDING YOU GUYS.

WHERE is Tuxedo Sam. WHERE is My Melody. WHERE are my children.

THERE THEY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nintendo this can't launch next year, I need it NOW

Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports

Oh they had to get people's attention for this with Lola Bunny, huh

The lineart effect being blurred and pixelated in places even in the trailer does not bode well in my eyes (they are the eyes of someone playing Pokemon Scarlet)

It's a fun cartoony idea for a party game though! I like it!

Among Us (free update)

No comment beyond I still have never played a game of Among Us. I don't know if I could survive a public lobby.

Farmagia

OH MY WORRRRRRRRD

Digimon / Pokemon / Harvest Moon / Stardew Valley / Ooblets combo punch of a game I LOVE YOU

WATERING CAN NOSE GUY I LOVE YOU

IT DROPS IN MY BIRTHDAY MONTH GUYS

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

I'm sorry everyone but I hate monkeys and apes and I don't like Donkey Kong or anything to do with him ;w;

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

INSTANTLY IN LOVE WITH VISUALS FOR THIS. I AUDIBLY GASPED SEEING THEM AND SENT MY BOYFRIEND INTO A FIT OF GIGGLES

In a perfect world, all HD remakes of 2D games would look like this photo-bashing beauty instead of uncute 3D adaptations (side-eyes the Diamond and Pearl remakes)

I think I might enter the series with this game, or maybe 1 or 2 when they launch. I LOVE THE VISUALS.

Funko Fusion

Exclaiming that I hate this game and then listening in shock and horror as my boyfriend tells me there's two or three other Funko Pop games on Switch

Bonding over our shared distaste for Funk Pops with my boyfriend right now. This is true romance.

Luigi's Mansion 2 HD

Seeing the tagline "Spooky, Silly, and Strategic" and PRAYING it's the Luigi's Mansion 2 HD's launch trailer

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

The New Denpa Men

Got jumpscared by the Denpa Men character and immediately fell in love.

Unironically adore the character design of Denpa Men. I gotta get this thing.

Metal Slug Attack Reloaded

I'd rather play Battle Cats. Sorry guys.

Darkest Dungeon II

I have no words, only polite applause as I wait for the next drop to enthrall me.

Switch Online Expansion Pack

I miss the Four Swords companion manga!!!!! I loved that thing!!!!!!

"AND" says the announcer, followed by a black screen and dead silence, causing me to burst into laughter.

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero

*gets yeeted offscreen* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA---

I like the eye designs in this! Very fun!

Marvel VS. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics

My dreams of learning a fighting game and getting really good at it... they are returning........ I gotta main Peach on Smash Bros...........

Learning about fighting games and the concept of infinites from my boyfriend and feeling myself wither at the realization it's just a matter of reaching your infinite before your opponent in order to win.

Super Mario Party Jamboree

Boyfriend exclaimed in utter glee when this little guy came on screen and I got to hear about how much he likes them!!!!! My man is adorable!!!!!!!

I gotta get this...... I've never played Mario Party before and I need to main Goomba or Shy Guy.............

Learning about the legacy of Mario Party 4 from Boyfriend and I'm utterly enraptured

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

THE LEGEND OF LINK EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally can play Zelda for the first time since Spirit Tracks!!!! And it'll be for realsies this time!!!!!

I LOVE THIS GUY I LOVE THIS I LOVE THIS GUY I WAS GENUINELY SPEECHLESS WHEN I SAW THIS GUY I LOVE YOU LITTLE GUY I LOVE YOU

I'm playing this game for Tri oh my word. The gameplay mechanics are amazing but Tri is the number one reason I'm gonna play and fall in love with this game

I love how this game is so much more strategic than straight-up combat focused!!!! We're playing Zelda mode lads!!!!

Putting September 26 on my calendar POST-HASTE

Just Dance 2025

Lego Horizon Adventures

Lego adaptation of Playstation and Window exclusive video game supremacy!!!!!

Stray

MY BABY BOYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! THE KITTY MAN!!!!!!!!

I've already played this but I'm so happy it's getting an adaptation for Switch!

Tales of the Shire

I still need to read Tolkien's works so bad ;w;

Not going to play this most likely, but I enjoy the idea of a cozy LotR game regardless!

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

*SCREAMS LOUDLY*

YOU CAN SWITCH BETWEEN THE NEW ART AND THE ORIGINAL PIXEL ART???????? I'M SOLD

The Hundred Line - Last Defense Academy

Squinting during the whole trailer while trying to figure out if it's made by the team who made Danganronpa

I WAS RIGHT

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenging of the Seven

Boyfriend and I just share a Look because we're bored

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond

MARBLE TRACK SAMUS GO WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Boyfriend and I are weeping and wailing at how this game looks compared to Scarlet and Violet

Conclusion

TLOZ ECHOES OF WISDOM BEST GAME Y'ALL!!!!!!!!

[demifiendrsa]

SPYxANYA: Operation Memories - Nintendo Direct 9.14.2023

Spy x Family video game, SPYxANYA: Operation Memories (SpyxFamily: Operation Diary in Japan), will launch for Nintendo Switch in 2024 worldwide.

Screenshots

Overview

About

Anya Forger has a new assignment from school: creating a photo diary!

Let’s collect memories by going to school on weekdays while going out to all sorts of exciting places like the beach or an art museum on days off, in search of subjects to photograph.

Take memorable pictures to complete her diary by living out the daily life as Anya in the world of SPYxFAMILY!

Will Anya be able to complete her photo diary?

Key Features

Experience the World Through Anya’s Eyes – Tasked with making a photo diary as an assignment for Eden College, players must take memorable pictures of Anya to complete her diary from the series through outings including parks, beaches, dog parks, aquariums, and museums.

Take Pictures When Anya Finds Something Interesting – Find something that catches Anya’s attention to capture memorable pictures of her, her family, and her friends. Good pictures will be saved as Anya’s memories.

All Fun and Mini-Games – A variety of more than 15 mini-games are available to players. Experience fun games based on familiar scenes from the anime – ranging from peanut-themed bowling to rhythm training with Yor to earn points and get costumes and outing items.

Create a Memorable Style – Customize the Forgers with unlockable costumes and other items to create a memorable style. Also use the game’s photo mode to take the perfect portrait of the Forger family.

[ganbaria-art]

I actually was yelling over this game in the Nintendo Direct Mini in February. I am incredibly excited for it and I think the new designs are precious!!

[somewheric]

240711 THE BOYZ for Mini Magazine July 2024 Issue [Full Individual Interviews Translation]

(T/N: May contain inaccuracies! The Korean translation seems to be just a Papago translation from the original Japanese. And just as a note, they seem to be referring specifically to Japanese deobis in some of the answers here since this is a Japanese magazine.)

Something you would like to say to/about the other member?

Sangyeon -> Jacob: Whenever there are English lyrics I don’t know, he’s very kind explaining them to me, and he looks really cool always working so hard on his singing!

Jacob -> Younghoon: Lately we’ve been shopping and practicing TikToks together. Younghoon is the same age as me but he feels like a dongsaeng too. We help each other and he’s an existence I’m thankful for. Thank you always!

Younghoon -> Hyunjae: Recently, I filmed a content video with Hyunjae. We grilled meat and I made budaejjigae, and we ate so many delicious things; the meat Hyunjae grilled was delicious. Also, let’s cherish our friendship!

Hyunjae -> Juyeon: Juyeon suggested we make a video content so we filmed it when we went to the USA. I asked him when it was going to be uploaded but apparently he hasn’t edited it yet so I want to say to him [in Japanese] “Hurry up!”.

Juyeon -> Kevin: He’s an existence that always shows earnestness. I often joke around with Kevin and I’m thankful that he always receives it well.

Kevin -> New: During ASEA 2024, there was a direction for us to wear masks, and I was supposed to hand out the masks to the members. During rehearsal and practice it was fine, but in real time I was worried because I had to wear gloves and yet was able to deliver it to New right away, so I felt then what good teamwork is.

New -> Q: I want to tell him “You’re doing well, always. Let’s maintain our relationship as good friends the way it is now.” He’s a good friend who always listens well when I need advice for my worries.

Q -> Haknyeon: I’ve gotten into Nintendo (T/N: Switch, I’m assuming?) recently and Haknyeon got into it as well so I’m glad we can play together. This year, don’t get sick and don’t get hurt and let’s work hard doing our best while promoting. Please look after me!

Haknyeon -> Sunwoo: Sunwoo is working really hard right now. Fighting!

Sunwoo -> Eric: Stop joking around! And continue to be cute as you are now! That’s all!

Eric -> Sangyeon: A while ago I wanted to talk something serious with him so after a schedule I called him and he told me to come over to the dorm. I went and we ordered galbi and some other delicious food, drank beer, and had an earnest conversation, and that was a moment that put my emotions in order.

A place you recommend in South Korea?

Sangyeon: People visiting from Japan like to eat whole chicken stew when coming to Korea, so I would recommend a restaurant that specializes in that.

Jacob: If you have the time, it would be good if you visited Jeju. The weather is nice, it’s a good place to stay, and the samgyeopsal is delicious. If you go to Jeju, make sure to eat samgyeopsal. In our team, when it comes to Jeju, we have Ju Haknyeon. (laughs)

Younghoon: I want to recommend "Daehan Gobchang". The first time I ate there, the gobchang was so delicious that I couldn’t forget the taste. I hope deobis can experience that taste as well.

Hyunjae: Myeong-dong (Myeong neighborhood) has many people and you can eat street food or shop there, so I recommend it. Even though I’ve never been there. (laughs)

Juyeon: I recommend Samcheong-dong (Samcheong neighborhood)! There are Korean-esque streets and comfortable parks as well. It’s nice to go on walks on streets where you can feel the vibes of Korea. Go for a walk. Try it once, please.

Kevin: Seongsu-dong (Seongsu neighborhood) has pretty stores and cafes, and since there are many different stores lined up, I highly recommend it to people who want to do shopping too.

New: Try going to Han River at night and cooking and eating ramyeon. There are so many different types to choose from but I particularly recommend ramyeon with broth.

Q: There is a delicious dakgalbi place called “Dalkeuro Ga” (B&D Chicken Restaurant) on Rodeo Street in Apgujeong that we used to go to all the time. We tell deobis to go there if they come to Korea even if there might be deobis who already know about it. However, it is a bit spicy, so for those who can’t handle spicy food, please keep that in mind before going. (laughs)

Haknyeon: I recommend "Cheongdamgol". It’s the real flavor of Korea!

Sunwoo: Right next to Lotte World is Seokchon Lake. The lake is nice and it’s nice to go on a walk there. You can also do shopping at Lotte World so that’s really good.

Eric: I want to recommend Seongsu-dong (Seongsu neighborhood). There are many cafes with a good ambiance and delicious food, so I think it’s a good place to eat something with friends and enjoy some dessert.

Are you strict with your Instagram or do you follow your own rules?

Sangyeon: I post things from when I’m working or a type of singing content called #singSangsong where I can showcase my vocal colors.

Jacob: I post things thinking will deobis like this pic, or this one. I hope deobis like my content! (smiles)

Younghoon: Among the pics that came out well, I post the ones that will make the fans smile when they see it.

Hyunjae: More than pics from work, I think daily life pics make people happy so I’m consciously [choosing] things that will make the fans feel good when they see it.

Juyeon: Since there are different platforms where I can talk to fans, I’m making Instagram the place where I can express myself. I want to show different things like lifestyle and my cool sides. I’m adorning myself.

Kevin: I’m using it as a picture diary. It’s images filled with records.

New: When I want to post something, I just post it freely. If a pic comes out looking good, I post it.

Q: My rule is to wait until I’ve gathered a good number of pics I like before I post. It’s hard to explain what kind of pic I like but it can take some time until I gather the pics I like [before I get to post them].

Haknyeon: I’m the kind to post much more stories than pics to the feed. Because the stories are seen only by the people who follow you, right? So I do that to induce people to follow. (laughs)

Sunwoo: I’m not very strict and I don’t think too hard about it. When I first started [my account] I had many ideas but now I think if you do it without pressure, soon enough you’ll naturally be showing your own identity. It’s hard to act cool but I’m posting pics that come out pretty.

Eric: The first thing is that my face needs to come out pretty, and the second is that I want to post things that have a vibe or a mood. You can post up to 10 pictures on Instagram, right? But I personally think 10 is too many, so I’ve been aiming for 5. But then if there’s even one more that I want to show, I always end up posting 10. (laughs)

Something you won't lose at against the other members?

Sangyeon: Tenacity and stamina!

Jacob: Big smile!

Younghoon: Height.

Hyunjae: Gaming. The other members don’t play all that much but I play often so I’m good. I’ve been playing LoL for 10 years.

Juyeon: Hand size and shamelessness. (laughs)

Kevin: I can do well with an earnest workout routine. Except for the days where I really can’t do it, I workout every day without a fault. I do it when I’m in Japan too, but the hotel doesn’t have something like a gym open 24-hours and that’s very sad. (laughs)

New: Mental arithmetic. I learned it a long time ago but I often use it well when splitting the [restaurant] bill.

Q: Long neck! (everyone laughs)

Haknyeon: The perseverance to keep doing something.

Sunwoo: Uhm… (thinking) Big eyes…? (Jacob: You have good sense! Q: You’re skilled in TikTok! Juyeon: Thick lips!) Since I’ve been acknowledged as having TikTok skills, I’ll film a TikTok later. Please look forward to it! (laughs)

Eric: Energy, and passion. I’m full of passion!

Something cute about deobis?

Sangyeon: Seeing the fans work so hard trying to speak Korean is so cute and lovely and it makes me grateful.

Jacob: During the concert, if I go near deobis, they get really surprised and shy, and that’s cute.

Younghoon: When I send messages on Bubble sometimes saying “I love you”, “I miss you”, deobis of other nationalities will answer in different languages like “I miss you” (T/N: Probably said in Japanese), or “I miss you” (English). I think that’s so lovely and so cute.

Hyunjae: The vibe of foreign deobis speaking Korean a little awkwardly is [in Japanese] cute!!

Juyeon: I think their reaction when we do cool performances at the concert is cute. They get shy or embarrassed and make faces or cover their faces. I think they’re cute when I see that.

Kevin: Be it on stage or when we communicate on Bubble, seeing them making an effort to communicate in Korean or English is cute.

New: Whenever I see slogans or signs, or decorated lighsticks, I’m like “oh, you made that at home” and think it’s really so cute. I can see especially that Japanese fans always make those.

Q: When there is a sign asking “please fire at me!” and then I do and they react like “ahhh!” and pretend to fall down (laughs) that’s really cute.

Haknyeon: Recently during a fansign a young fan in the 5th grade of middle school called me “cute” and I thought that was so cute. (laughs)

Sunwoo: Be it at fanmeetings or concerts, everyone is always cute whenever we meet.

Eric: They’re always cute no matter when, no matter where! During concerts, deobis hold up signs asking “please make a heart”, or “please give a flying kiss”. When I do that or when our eyes meet, their reaction is so great that I find it very cute.

An episode of something that happened with deobis?

Sangyeon: When the pop-up store was open in Korea, I went to buy chicken breast after a workout near the company and as I was leaving the convenience store, I ran into three Japanese fans. I was in such a natural state (T/N: in terms of appearance, not dressed up) that I got embarrassed and only said hi and ran away. (laughs) I wanted to give them an autograph but I couldn’t and I’m sorry about that.

Jacob: One time a deobi got the Korean spelling wrong on a sign with Kevin’s name and wrote “Kebongie”, and because of that we called him “Kebongie” too. (laughs) I think deobis comments when we’re live are funny. A while ago Sunwoo went live and while taking screenshots deobis wrote in comments asking him to pose in a way that would make it look like his eyebrows were connected and I thought that was so hilarious.

Younghoon: I’ve posted so many pics of Bori, my dog, that one day my mom and my older brother were walking with Bori and someone recognized her and greeted my mom.

Hyunjae: Japanese deobis write our names in Korean for slogans but there has been times when they got it wrong. For example, “Hyunjae” written as “Hunjae”, “Hyunje”, and “Kevin” as “Kebongie”, and those things are so cute and fun, so I want to cheer them on.

Juyeon: During the encore concert, everyone sang [for the fan event], right? Deobis sang the main parts together so loudly but the parts of the lyrics that they didn’t know they just hummed or pretend to sing and that was so cute that it was funny. (laughs)

Kevin: The fans made signs with our faces spinning and seeing that shared through videos was fun. I came across the Japanese tour in many places.

New: All the fans we meet during concerts stay in my memory.

Q: There was one time when a fan’s sign read “Kebongie” instead of “Kevin”. Even Kevin liked it and went “As expected of someone who’s my fan, that’s cute”. (laughs) More than funny, deobis are cute. Also when we did a nationwide Japan tour, deobis would say to us “see you tomorrow~!” and that was fun. It’s cute to feel like you’re meeting neighborhood friends.

Haknyeon: I heard that when my mom attended our concert in the past, the fans told her “thank you for giving birth to Haknyeon”. (laughs)

Sunwoo: During a Japanese performance, one of Kevin’s fans was holding a sign with his name but it wasn’t “Kevin”, it was “Kebongie” and that was funny and cute. (everyone laughs) But even then, the things deobis do for us are all cute, so more than funny, everything is cute.

Eric: My mom went to the concert and the fans noticed that, so they gave her many slogans and handwritten letters. It was a bit special so it’s something I’m thankful for.

What does THE BOYZ think of their relationship with deobis?

Sangyeon: Deobis always listen to the new songs we release, right? I hope when they’re spending a good time with friends they can be happy with that song, since I believe that’s what it means to achieve success with our work. I hope they can find more happiness through us and that they can keep cheering us on.

Jacob: They are precious colleagues. I want to take care of them, make them happy, and I hope they’re always happy.

Younghoon: On weekdays, waking up, studying, and coming home is exhausting, right? So I hope we can be the kind of existence that will give deobis strength during those times, be it through our videos or our music. Actually, hearing “thanks to THE BOYZ, I felt strong” gives me strength too and [motivates me to] work even harder. I want our relationship to be one where we don’t get tired of each other and are able to work hard together.

Hyunjae: There are many people who get really nervous or can’t say everything they prepared to say when meeting us, but I hope you will think of us as oppas who are like your close friends. You don’t need to feel nervous, it's ok!

Juyeon: We will keep supporting and taking care of each other. I think of it as that kind of relationship.

Kevin: I hope we can become the kind of relationship where we support each other and even in hard circumstances can overcome it thanks to exch other’s existence.

New: I hope we can have a relationship where we can trust each other.

Q: Best friend! Sharing many things, laughing, crying, a colleague or a friend you can open your heart to. That’s how I think of our relationship.

Haknyeon: I think of it in terms of hoping that we can become an existence that is a source of strength when life gets hard.

Sunwoo: A mom. Family that takes care of you!

Eric: I really like our current relationship with deobis and I hope we can continue to keep it that way forever. And I hope deobis won’t neglect their own lives and will live healthily by studying and working diligently as well.

-

(JPN -> KOR translation/transcription: @ satowith126 / pic cr: @ daydream913hj)

[microwave-kid]

Currently thinking about if someone made a game called "Patent Bending" (where the logo looks like it originally said "Patent Pending" but somebody modified the second P into a B.)

The gameplay would probably be action horror or something, but the entire game is designed around utilizing as many software patents as possible, out of protest.

It would have a sanity meter that causes gameplay changes, based on the fact that Nintendo legally owned the concept until November of 2021.

It would have mini-games during loading screens, since Namco patented the concept and to this day no game utilizes it because in the TWENTY YEARS they held the patent loading times became negligible.

It would absolutely have a direction arrow to point towards your objective, since SEGA owned that concept for exactly 20 years and infamously won a lawsuit against Fox Interactive because The Simpsons: Road Rage used it.

The game could either only use recently expired patents or truly protest the concept by using still active ones.

[zeldauniverse]

The 2024 Zelda Dungeon Marathon raises over $17K for No Kid Hungry

The Zelda Dungeon Marathon, an annual charity event supporting No Kid Hungry, raised $17,085.16 this June. Each year, members of the Zelda Dungeon team stream on Twitch for a week straight, playing Zelda games, related titles, and mini-games. They also live-reacted to the Nintendo Direct. The event took place between June 15 and June 22. Their initial fundraising goal was $12,000. No Kid Hungry…

[glassmarcus]

Dragon Quest 4‘s JRPG vibes

So weirdly enough, I had never touched a true Dragon Quest game until this year. Sure I've played the first Dragon Quest Heroes, checked out the Dragon Quest Builders demo, watched like 5 episodes of the Dragon Quest: Adventures of Dai reboot, and played a few matches as The Hero in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, but I never experienced a numbered entry. I’m not sure if you've heard, but Dragon Quest is a bit of a big deal. Even of you don't make full eye contact with the franchise, It's pretty hard to avoid seeing it in your periphery. Dragon Quest was always something that I assumes was up my alley, but I don't want to get sucked in to playing 11 games that aren't all necessarily accessible. So I avoided its gaze. But upon the passing of franchise artist, Akira Toriyama, my attention towards the series became harder to divert.

It was never a question of if I would engage with main line Dragon Quest, but to what degree I would. First of all, its character art is helmed by the GOAT himself, so I was magnetized towards it by default. I'm willing to give everything Toriyama had a hand in a shot. If my Xbox Series S had the ability to play games that aren't Sonic Unleashed, I would have already played Blue Dragon by now. But even beyond wanting to celebrate Toriyama's legacy and appreciating his craft, Dragon Quest was always an inevitability due to its DNA being a part of every Japanese Role Playing Game that came after it. The curiosity is too strong for me to resist.

When the first entry in the series was on sale on the Nintendo Eshop, I pounced at the chance to try it out. My first reaction to this purchase was "Wait, this isn't the NES version". It seemed to be some mobile rerelease of the original game. I didn't research this, I just know in my soul that's what it was. The graphics looked a bit more modern and I assumed there were quality of life additions that would make my journey smoother while still evoking the soul of the original. So I started playing it, and seeing it in motion really caught me off guard. When you combine the constant idle movement of the sprites with the mediocre art, this game becomes profoundly ugly. I was having trouble keeping my dinner down with how ugly it was. I'm talking Greek tragedy where the goddess of beauty gets jealous of someone levels of ugly. My face was scrunched up for the next hour after seeing it. I came to this series because of the art, I wasn't going to subject myself to this much of a downgrade. I had no choice but to accept my lost 3 dollars and drop the playthrough.

I decided to not trust Dragon Quest 2 and 3 on the Wshop a jump straight to Dragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen. Still seeking Quality of Life improvements, I gravitated towards the DS remake. And I was elated to see that this version of the game isn't a hideous chimera of conflicting art directions. It looks good for the most part and the sprite art for Toriyama's designs really shine in the battles. The overworld sprites leave a bit to be desired but I'm sure the original wasn't much better in that regard. Again, not researching this at, it’s just a gut feeling I have.

Going into a popular old school JRPGs such as this, I expected to get closer to the roots of the conventions I've come accustomed to. With Dragon Quest 4, it wasn't just to norms that I saw start to blossom, but the more fringe ideas as well. Dragon Quest 4 has a very odd structure. It's set up like a 5 act saga and it adds such grandeur to the whole journey. And what makes it so different is that the first 4 acts are basically nothing but set up. Each act follows a different group of main characters and their own mini adventures. They're vignettes, but they are also well connected in that they increasing build toward the main scenario in act 5. Each story in Dragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen acts as its own tutorial on how to play a JRPG

Chapter 1 is the base essence of the gameplay loop: Hit creatures that are weaker than you, so that you can get stronger and have more creatures that are weaker than you that you can hit. You play as a knight who can only attack and defend as options. And you won't be defending in this part of the game. It's quite dull, but I will admit there is a satisfaction to just slugging it out with the boss of the chapter after leveling up to the point in which you can do so.

Chapter 2 adds far more to the basics with party management and magic. In this part of the game you follow the adventures of a Tsarevna and her two vassals. I'm not sure how it works in the original, but in this version you have full control over each party member's actions and those actions are far more varied than just attacking. This is where the battles become even slightly interesting as you have to manage party members hp and mp and figure out which roles they will play in fights.

Chapter 3 introduces an important aspect of all RPGs, the economy. This vignette is about a merchant trying to start his own business, and the only way to do that is by completing quest and selling inventory. Gameplay wise, it's similar to chapter 1 as you only control one character without any magic. But the task you do outside of battles are far more complex and require exploration and knowledge of the world.

Chapter 4...doesn't really have a strong identity of its own. You play as 2 sisters who are both magic users so you aren't doing anything particularly new. The only lesson it serves to teach is how vital item use can be mid battle, as that lesson acts as the bouncer for the real game that comes afterwards.

Chapter 5 is where the game opens up for you to fully explore. It takes a hell of a long time to get going, but I respect the structure. It's very similar to how Mother 3 introduces its party members before chapter 4 starts. I have little doubt that Mother 3 derived its structure from Chapters of the Chosen, unless there's some other older RPG that takes this vignette approach. I'm not expert on the roots of RPG history, I really only know the bullet points. Regardless ,I love seeing connections of mechanics and tropes throughout time.

I played this game mainly for research purposes and I walked away with many mixed conclusions on it. It was pretty much exactly the experience I sought out. Dragon Quest 4 has Immaculate JRPG vibes. It feels like an adventure where anything can happen and it can only achieve this by being unhinged. A lot of modern RPGs have a fair level curve where you can usually beat any enemy you encounter and can avoid the ones you can't beat. Dragon Quest plays by different rules. Every area of this game is a potpourri of monsters of varied strength and composition. Some encounters might be cake walks, others might be marathons. You'll be fighting a couple of weak healing slimes in one battle and then pulling up to a hardened gang of shamans who can Insta-kill you in the next. It is frustrating, but the friction the game provides does a lot to sell this dangerous, yet wondrous dungeon delving world.

The disorganized balancing is but a small piece to the Dragon Quest puzzle. This opposition to the player is baked into every mechanic in the game. Dragon Quest 4 is game composed almost exclusively out of monkey paws. There are a lot of really strong spells your party members can use against monsters and it adds a lot to strategies you can build in fights. But the down side of this is that enemies can use any of these spells, so those same ones can be used against you. I know spamming sleep magic is effective because I've seen the results on both the sending and receiving end.

And it's not just the spells being symmetrical in availability that acts as a double edged sword. The effects of those spells follow that same internal logic. Spells can miss you seemingly at random, but your spells can just as easily fail. Even the ability to resurrect party members isn't guaranteed on both sides. My favorite example has to be the bounce spell. It reflects spells back at the caster and can be a great counter to magic attacks. It is not however, a good counter to healing magic, as that is also reflected. Characters with this buff cannot be healed sometimes. When you cast bounce, you need to be sure your character doesn't need anymore buffs afterwards and that you have plenty of healing items to use instead. It adds this risk and reward to the spell and ends up being far more interesting than if the spell only worked with damaging spells.

Keeping up to date with the best equipment available is vital to your success in this game, so it's only natural that the most brutal double edge sword can be a literal double edge sword. Cursed items are an RPG staple. Them being present in Chapters of the Chosen is no surprise, but the commitment to the permanency is still appreciated. You will get a debuff if you have a cursed weapon, and you will not be able to unequip them. There may be some way to cleanse the curse, probably at a church or something, but when I encountered it I didn't know how and just had to adapt and accept that my tank would always go last in turn order.

The adaptation to the brutal old RPG design sensibilities is what makes this game enjoyable. If there was no memorable adversity, I would have just been bored. Modern RPGs, hell, even just slightly later RPGs than this one, have more interesting battle mechanics and satisfying traversal. They don't really need this kind of design to be fun and would probably just get in the way. If Octopath Traveler pulled some of the shit this game pulled, I would have never gotten through it. I know this for certain because the secret final boss feels like some early JRPG bullshit and I never actually beat it because the 60 hours of game prior to that were relatively friction-less. I feel like there's a balance between mechanical smoothness and roughness that I want games to have.

I don't think Dragon Quest 4 comes close to hitting this balance, I still had fun with it. I don’t know if it is good or bad, but it's funny and charming, which I think are all I really require to like a game. its consistency in its mechanics and indifference to the player feels brutal, but that only strengthens the contrast from the surface level coziness of the setting. That dissonance is where I think the essence of classic JPRGs comes from. If this story had a dark and grim tone, but was mechanically the same, I wouldn't fuck with it. But it's a colorful world filled with goofy Akira Toriyama Monsters. So when I get jumped by a gang of Giant Slimes and get party wiped, I can really help but smile along with them.

[erniichan]

Waku waku! SPYxFAMILY game announced for Nintendo Switch!

SPYxANYA: Operation Memories launches in 2024!

“Complete a photo diary for homework by living your daily life as Anya in the world of SPYxFAMILY! You will surely find treasured memories in the ordinary daily life.

Not only the family members, Loid and Yor, but also Anya's friends, Damian and Becky, and even Yuri and Fiona will appear in the game.

In addition to outings, play unique mini-games to get cute costumes, and add color to your memories by dressing up characters in your style!”

Soo excited for this game! Best surprise of the Nintendo Direct for me!

[jestergirlbosom]

When I first saw F-Zero 99 announced in the direct I had a sigh of disappointment. After 20 years of no new F-Zero titles we were getting a free-to-play battle royale of all things. But after some thought and getting to play it, I'm realizing that this game actually captures the spirit of F-Zero extremely well and marks where the series can go in the future. It's an excellent combination of the old school SNES/GBA racing style with the 3d game's emphasis on risky plays and absurd number of racers at once. The mechanic of tying your boost power to your health bar is what made f-zero stand out to me so much, and we finally get to see how that plays out in an online setting with real human racers. And I love it. I'm pushing my machine to the limits at all times to stay in the top 10 or so racers, defensively spin attacking to stay alive, and exploding just as I cross the finish line. By the end of a race, I can feel it in my whole body. Not to mention that the game has way more content than I expected with mini grand prixs, team battles, and full grand prixs and may even get more modes as its obvious they plan to add the rest of the tracks from the original SNES game later. I sincerely hope there are a massive number of people playing this game right now and Nintendo takes this as a sign to move forward with F-Zero after the last 2 decades of nothing please