Spikkle

Oof. Can't say I didn't expect this but looks like I can safely tune out of about 90% of that show.

Miriel from Awakening

The funniest thing is that even if these ID checks were implemented, for anyone with even a passing interest in computers and the internet (read: virtually anyone under the age of 35), it's extremely likely that such checks would be circumventable, and even if you're not doing that there will inevitably be services that slip under the radar and offer FORBIDDEN CONTENT like MTX while wilfully not complying with the legislation. That's just how the internet is; swat one down bad site and a dozen more spring up the next day. There's actually serious and I would say valid concerns that, by driving under-18s to these less legitimate services, the law actually puts them more at risk of viewing extreme content, or getting malware and other nasties.

Governments are already beginning to introduce technologies that catch up with this old problem. Here in the UK, our lawmakers are currently implementing laws that will require you to verify your age when attempting to access certain 'adult sites'. Big whoop, you might think, except that this verification process requires you to provide a form of official ID (here at least, that means your drivers licence, credit card or passport). Point is the tech to actually verify your age on the web (instead of just asking you to tick a box) is coming, and if it can be applied to those sites, there's no good reason why it can't be applied to games too. Side note: I don't know about you, but I'm extremely uncomfortable about providing that sort of personal information to a government database, whether it's for a game or for anything else. And as with the recent GDPR rulings, this is something that will likely need to be repeated for each new site/game you visit. As if we don't have enough of those pop-up notifications already.

I agree on only being interested in the Nintendo show for this, I used to follow the whole conference religiously but my interest in it has waned significantly and I suspect I'm not the only one. Might have something to do with the fact that I've mostly been gaming almost exclusively on PC lately, whereas before I owned and regularly played a number of consoles. For me, news about SWSH is top of the bill. While SM and LGPE seriously dented my confidence in the franchise's future, this game looks like it was engineered to appeal to me. It's basically set in my home country, the starters look awesome, and they've been saying from the start that will be a game for the more hardcore fans of the series. As OP said new Smash DLC is another big one and I don't even own it, lol. I just love following the Smash scene nowadays, it's great seeing everybody's reactions to new reveals and Smash tournament play is one of the only esports I get properly excited about. I'm also interested to see the indie lineup this year, mostly because I like seeing these weird games, some of which I might even recognise, reach the massive audience provided to them by listing on Nintendo's and others' storefronts. Anyone who does that has officially made it against the odds, and I'm seriously happy for them. This looks hella fun. I'mma nick it and make one too.

The trouble with removing these alternative revenue streams is that developers need to find a way to pick up the slack. In the case of high-budget games the problem is exactly that, they are high-budget i.e. they cost a lot to make. And while these production costs have only risen in the last 10 years, the box-price for a AAA game has remained squarely at £50 (or equivalent), meaning games companies have to pick up their profits elsewhere. And if I'm honest with myself as a consumer, I'm much more likely to buy a game with that pricetag and MTX that I know I can safely ignore should I choose to, than I would be to buy a game priced at £60, £70 or even higher. Because that's what we'd be looking at as an alternative. Gacha games I have less sympathy for, as they clearly cost less to make (though obviously a non-trivial amount, considering all of the luxuriant character art that gets produced for those things), and the MTX is the main income stream rather than a supplementary one. This whole discussion seems pretty immaterial either way, as other posters have mentioned. It'll be bandied about a bit in the American political system and the one who proposed the bill gets to add it to his CV or some crap like that. Pats on the back all around, no meaningful change for anyone.

Thanks! Phantasia was probably my earliest experience with the JRPG genre so it's fair to say it left a big impression on me, even if the other games in that particular series have largely escaped me. Been looking into Symphonia a bit and I didn't realise that's the one that Lloyd is from (who only I know as "the one character people won't shut up about putting in Smash Bros.") I still have a Wii kicking around so I'll have to see if I can rustle up a copy at my local CeX (I'm almost certain I've seen one in there).

Nice to see another Bravely fan, haha

Mate. Phantasia was awesome. I've only ever tried that and Abyss in the series, and the latter didn't really grab me. But if you liked Phantasia and would recommend Symphonia then I might have to check that out some time! I really really love the Bravely series (that's ya boi Ringabel in my profile picture) and pray for its continuation, despite little to no interest in the main FF games (tactics was very good though). I also used to be massively into Pokemon, but the last generation was godawful enough to mostly kill my interest in the series. If SWSH is actually good (and I mean REALLY good, not just passable) it could rekindle my interest, but I won't be holding my breath.

Games are an artistic medium that lend themselves to a unique kind of audience collaboration with the author. To use a rather played-out comparison: a reader collaborates with the author of a book to 'create' the final work they consume, by the simple act of picturing the scenes that the text evokes in their head. They change the 'set dressing' of the story and hence the impression that it gives, making their 'reading' slightly different from that of another reader. This is a big part of what makes something like a book club enjoyable, as comparing these different readings can let you see the text in a way you might never have considered by yourself, even though you both read the same story. Games take this concept to a whole other level; instead of the set dressing of the text, you're invited as a player to change details about the plot, characters, details of conflicts and their eventual outcomes, and all sorts of other elements. The extent to which you can change these things, and what exactly you can change, varies wildly by genre and game, but one thing is for sure, it breeds that sort of book-club style discussion on a huge scale, where you can not only discuss your interpretation of the story, but also the ways that your story differed from your friend's. So yeah, to sum up a very long-winded post. I think games are great because of the stories they tell, the ways they let players express themselves through play, the discussion that springs up around those stories, and the friendships that those discussions can foster.

Hello, I'm Spikkle. I'm 27, have a background in both english lit. and computer programming, and outside of videogames my hobbies include small writing and coding projects and learning japanese. I have a particular interest lately in visual novels, which neatly combine all of those interests. I'm still pretty new to the FE series; though I picked up Sacred Stones with the 3DS Ambassador Program back in 2011 (christ that's longer ago than I expected), played it to the end and enjoyed it a lot, I have only recently dipped my toes back in after a long absence. I finished Awakening for the first time a couple of weeks ago and am trying a Hard difficulty run now. I also started Fates on Hard, but it's...a lot more demanding, heh. Probably not going back to that until I've actually finished beating Awakening on Hard. I look forward to discussing these unique and fascinating games with you all!

Here's my favourites just from what I've seen: Gregor x Cordelia - Actually co-opts the poisonous Chrom obsession into something more positive, as Gregor supports Cordelia in her pursuit of him until she realises that she's developed feelings for the man who's been by her side all along Maribelle x Vaike - Just a hilarious clash of classes and egos F!Morgan x Laurent - After initial exasperation, Laurent gains some respect for Morgan's genius, something that would obviously appeal to him, even if she does insist on playing 'Tome Stackers.' Libra x Olivia - Just really cute, Olivia takes an interest in one of Libra's ritualistic dances and her performance of it moves him to tears. F!Avatar x Gregor - " You sleep in same bed as Gregor! Then we share body heat! " Panne x Kellam - Kellam wins her heart by getting mauled half to death, repeatedly, and surviving. D'aww.

Hah! Reminds me of the Deathwing fight from WoW where you had to distribute your raid evenly around his back (not too many on the left, or right) or he'd just barrel roll you off. Yes, him not doing it immediately makes about as much sense there, too. It's funny, I thought the OP was talking about Gangrel at first. If you think about it he's another example of failure twisted into a villain; clearly he's bitter about his failure to win the war with Emm's father (whether this is out of kingly pride or a genuine concern for his people at the time is unclear). The way Chrom and Gangrel react to failure is very different, and the game draws no uncertain parallel between the two. While Chrom is willing to defy Grima's supposed fate and move on, Gangrel is self-absorbed and possessed of a manic, cynical despair. Basically, if Grima is the voice of despair, Gangrel is what happens when you listen to that voice and let it guide your actions.