The livestream commentary confirms 'something resembling a kung fu monkey'. Could be Sun Wukong, which would be awesome. I'd also like to see Qilin. Anyone else got things they'd like to see from the Chinese faction?

Edit: Listened further, Sun Wukong confirmed. Cool.

 

Has anyone tried Ronin yet?

It's a fairly short (5-6 hours) turn-based 2D action game.
A poor man's Mark of The Ninja with no story, rudimentary graphics, only three types of enemies, zero variability between missions, but the core mechanics more than make up for all these faults.

The gameplay is fairly simple, it's real-time until you hit upon enemies when it changes to turn-based giving you ample time to think out your moves and try to predict your enemies (8-10 at a time). Frequent as dying is, so are checkpoints - never raising your frustration to the keyboard smashing levels.

Rather than inhuman precision and reflexes, all the game needs is your patience. Certainly worth a try if you want to play something relaxing.

 

Sorry to interrupt the current conversation. I'm looking for some advice on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. I've got $32 and I'm eyeing up Mario Kart 7 as the top contender right now, does anyone with experience on that game agree that this is a good choice? I used to love Double-dash but I don't typically play online, just solo. Is there something else that might be better for $30 or under? Should I wait for some of the better sales to knock a more pricey game down?

 

I always found MK a shallow solo experience. But if that's your thing...

You haven't told us what games you like. Fire Emblem is supposed to be good.

I don't think Nintendo games get price drops though, do they? They have a shitty PR reasoning for it I don't remember.

 

Growing up my household didn't have an internet connection capable of using online features in most consoles, so I got used to solo or the rare two player offline with family and friends.

A lot of the games I play these days are typically solo - Pokemon, Mega Man, Shovel Knight, Phoenix Wright, Zelda. The only partial exception in Smash Bros. 4, and I don't fight other players too often.

I have played and enjoyed Fire Emblem about a decade ago though.

I remember last year there was a Christmas price drop across the eShop titles. I scooped up Xeodrifter then, and later Gunman Clive/2, Mighty Switch Force/2. Right now Shin Megami Tensei IV is currently sitting at $14.99 and was the only other contender I was thinking of going for but I have zero experience with the series.

 

I'm going to ask you to wait 12 hours max, I'll try to think of suggestions, but more importantly I'll ask my best friend, he's very good at making recommendations AND is super familiar with all of the Kart games.

I'll reply to you on here with a mention once I've got suggestions for you, and I'll Nickalert you on IRC as well. Plus if you're on IRC when I'm with him then I can ask you some questions to see what other games you might like

 

Thanks Zircon, take your time. I'm in no hurry and I appreciate the feedback.

 

Yeah, the ones you've mentioned are all third party, I think.

The new fire emblem looks good. Persona Q, codename steam and shovel knight are other options.

 

I'd recommend Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

You hunt monsters to make bigger swords and better armour to hunt more monsters.
It had a steep learning curve, but MH4U and MH3U have really smoothed it out; I think it's just right for everyone now.

It's all solo-able, including the guild (multi) part of the game.

MH3U has underwater(3d fighting that some have criticised for bad controls) and some different monsters. MH4U is the latest and introduced vertical fighting in climbing/mounting.

Tons of hours per game, so definitely get your money's worth.

Not sure if it's on sale right now though.

 

I anti-rec Persona Q, it's a terrible combination of Persona/SMT gameplay and Etrian Odyssey gameplay with truly shit balance. I do rec getting either Shin Megami Tensei 4 or Etrian Odyssey 4 however. SMT4 is a good mainline game and EO4 is a great intro to the series of dungeon exploring games.

 

Who cares about the gameplay when it comes to Persona games?

 

I mean... I care... sortof. A game can be stylistic as fuck all but if it isn't the teensiest bit fun to play then there's a chance I'm going to give up on it, especially if the story doesn't wow me.

That said, most Persona games have decently complex tb combat mechanics.

 

Take out the style, story, characters, setting and charm and Persona is a bog average jrpg.

In it's defence, P4 came out 2008, so I'll be curious to see what they do with the mechanics in a new mainline game.

Don't mistake me, I think P4G is the best jrpg I've ever played ( maybe even rpg in general). Gameplay has nothing to do with that.

 

So, uh. My erection might last longer than 4 hours.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/cd-p...-is-far-far-bigger-than-the-witcher-3/0156903

 

Kind of hope that game is inside a huge fucking city.

 

Isn't that one of the requirements for a cyberpunk setting, given that the stylistic parts of the genre were inspired by downtown Tokyo and New York? Thinking on it, I can't picture a single cyberpunk movie/game that doesn't take place in an overcrowded, neon-lit cityscape of some kind.

 

I just hope they go to town with it. Like, we've all seen sckyscrapes reaching past clouds and neon lights. That's nothing new.

I'd like to see different levels. There are no green spaces. On the ground level, it's just a network of tunnels, hangars, all of it closed spaces with no natural light. It's weird. Strange creatures live there - they adapted to that dark, eerie environment. Like the bottom of an ocean trench. The Undercity.

When you go up, it starts to be more open, but you can still cross the entire city, north to south, west to east, on foot, without ever going outside. A whole range of people here - from cleaners to industrial workers, middle class, to those almost reaching beyond, professionals in prestigious fields who sometimes venture into the top levels.

Then, the top of the city's gargantuan towers, where the rich and powerful sit in their penthouses with a clear view of the neon- and smog-obscured sky.

Give me an urban jungle, dammit.

 

I think they'll be using Night City for Cyberpunk 2077.

 

I just realized Grandia II Anniversary Edition released over a month ago, and I haven't played it yet.

If you're an RPG fan and you haven't played Grandia II, then let me tell you that you SHOULD. The world, the writing, the characters, the music, the voice acting, and the combat are all top notch for their time, and they haven't aged badly.

Many of the themes are similar to other JRPGs, with a cast of characters who you can fit into molds from other games with ease.. but most of them are pretty standout examples of what those character archtypes Should be, without any of the stupid or annoying Flanderization that goes on in many RPGs seeking to set their characters apart.

The writing itself is witty and competent, with each character having a defined and clear voice through the entire game. The combat is a fantastic mix of turn based and real time in a way that Square Enix are still struggling to master.

As for the story, it has some truly awesome, epic moments, and some truly heartbreaking ones. I've played this game at least once a year, on average, since it's release in 2000. Including both the original PC and PS2 ports (which are terrible, btw). And some of the moments still get me, some of the music still makes my heart soar. Some of the battles are still heart-pounding thrillrides, either because of their story value or just the fun and challenge.

It helps that I love the art style itself. A bit fancy, but without the extreme impracticalities that many products of Japanese fantasy come with.

If you're a fan of Old-school games, RPGs, JRPGs, or just good old Good vs Evil storylines, you should consider giving Grandia 2 Anniversary Edition a try. The graphics may be dated, but the fun and engagement values are top notch even to this day.

 

Lol