Zera

I face a dilemma - A. If I get Forces, I can beat Jedi's times to become The True Sonic. But then I own a decidedly average Sonic game. B. If I get Mania, I will have a superior Sonic game, but be unable to contest Jedi's skill. Anyways, great run! I heard the level design was mediocre, but it doesn't look too bad... Are Shadow's stages designed any different from Sonic's, or is he just a pallete-swapped hedgehog like in Sonic Adventure 2? Also, are the leaderboards multi-platform?

Whoa, pardner! Slow down! You must know that a collection quest is not necessarily a fetch quest. I define a fetch quest as follows: 1. You travel to get "a thing". 2. The path contains little to no interesting challenges. 3. You backtrack to some arbitrary spot - again, sans interesting challenges. After a fetch quest, you feel like the developers wasted your time - because they did. Odyssey is NOT a fetch quest because A. you obtain (most of) the moons through interesting challenges. B. after getting a moon, there is no backtracking for the next one. And even if there is, there's a fast-travel system to fix it. I haven't played Odyssey and don't claim all the moons are good - most reviewers are disappointed with at least a few of them. However, it seems that on the whole Odyssey is filled with interesting content. As a 3D Mario aficionado, I say Odyssey looks like an easy 9/10, 8/10 minimum.

Sometimes, we replay a game and realize it's not as good as we remember. When we first play a game, we willfully overlook its flaws so we can get the most fun out of the experience (especially if the game was purchased). But upon replaying, the cracks are impossible to ignore. The Sonic Adventure series is a great example. The level design isn't bad, but the godawful camera and enemies that appear out of literally nowhere certainly are. They are the best 6/10's I ever played.

The motion controls in the Wii version of TP are pretty un-intrusive - it's mostly waggle replacing button mashing. However, aiming with the IR pointer is easier than using a control stick OR motion controls (Skyward Sword says "Oops!"), and this version supports widescreen. The Wii U version is your best bet, but the improvements seem very small compared to the price difference (Wii version is $4 on Amazon right now).

Holy baloney, I just saw the WR speedrun of Sunshine, and I am floored. The skill ceiling is incredible! As always, I must wonder if Nintendo actually expected anyone to push the game that far.

Q: How to overcome a new genre? A: Git gud. No, really, that's all there is to it. If you work hard at it, you can master anything - unless your hands are cut off, anyway. The only prerequisite is that you actually like the gameplay. But the best way to enter a new genre is to play the best or most accessible game in it - sometimes they are the same, but sometimes the best is also the hardest. If you provide your current consoles and the genre you wish to try, I will give you a "three course meal" suggestion, like so - Futuristic Racing: Fast RMX, Wipeout Omega Collection, F-Zero GX If you have a complete gamography, it will make life even easier.

DLC: Sometimes (esp. with Nintendo and indies) it's additional content, an expansion for those who really love the game. But just as often (esp. with AAA publishers), it's content that was cut intentionally for more dough. I have a fairly strict "No DLC" policy, which is great because most of it isn't worthwhile anyway. Microtransactions: Studies have shown that, given many small purchases, consumers will spend more money than a single purchase of the exact same content. In other words, and please don't be offended, but if you buy microtransactions, you're a dumbass! Loot boxes: Studies have shown that, when purchasing a loot box, the exact same brain areas light up as when you pull the lever on a slot machine. Loot boxes are gambling, even if the law doesn't state it yet. Any game with loot box or "gacha" mechanics has my open contempt. (BTW, the things I said about microtransactions and loot boxes heavily apply to CCG "booster packs" as well.) The video "HyperNormalisation and Gaming" by Paul William Fassett examines the evolution of monetization practices through the 2016 documentary HyperNormalisation. I recommend watching the whole video, but if not you can skip to 10:38 for the part about games.

Already? Please tell me there's at least $60 worth of content in there...

If I own a game on an older console, I just, y'know, don't buy it again since I literally already own it. I really hope the Switch gets GC VC games. If Nintendo is never going to make another good Paper Mario or F-Zero game, then ports of their finest are the best we can get.

I told them how to discourage unfair business practices by Nintendo and others. That's as "contribute" as it gets, right? The only truly good DLC I've seen from Nintendo was the Mario Kart 8 packs... but then an even more complete version of MK8 released exclusively on Switch, so... the one good example... wasn't even a good example... dang.

Ah, you folks and your DLC-laden games. I am so glad to avoid such problems by not purchasing such games at all. And then there are people hacking NFC devices to get amiibo-locked content for free... Gotta be savvy, I guess.

I played a friend's copy of the original Nier for 3 hours, and concluded it was a 4/10 piece of junk. But the combat was kinda interesting. When I discovered you could erase projectiles with your sword, I thought, "Man, this is like a poor man's poor man's Sin & Punishment game. I know Nier Automata is a lot better, and now I really want to play it." So maybe you'll like the S&P series. Maybe not. But that's the comparison that sprung to my mind. I know Nier Automata has some RPG-like mechanics, so you might like Okami, made by Clover Studios (who are now Platinum Games).

I thought Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks had wonderful touch controls, that were both fluid and responsive. In fact, I almost missed them in Link Between Worlds. It's been a long time since I 100%ed Spirit Tracks, but I must say the game only had one serious issue - padding. The Train Is So Effing Slow Seriously, if I could make the train go 10x faster, the 25-hour adventure would turn into a 15-hour one, and it would be in my top-two top-down Zelda games. Anyways, you should play Link to the Past next. Or Okami. Okami is good.

Grim Dawn? Never heard of it. What are the mechanics, and what actually makes the game better than the competition?

According to the developers of Wargroove, it will have a VERY powerful editor. https://wargroove.com/scripted-events/ So powerful, in fact, that you will be able to make not just maps, but story arcs and even full campaigns. It's the same editor the devs themselves are using.

This is a dumb topic. I'm in. Man, there were like, 10 viable games for the "S" spot. Knowing what letters are never used might be very useful for market research... @Anacybele Did you 100% Wario Land: Shake It?

Ah, behavioral game design. Fun stuff. https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MikeStout/20151019/256645/Influencing_Player_Behavior.php Shovel Knight's checkpoints are a great example. http://yachtclubgames.com/2014/06/checkpoint-design/

I think Dive would be the most fitting character in terms of gameplay, but I have not owned any of those indie games, so I can't say for sure. Also, I'm calling it now, Captain Viridian from VVVVVV will be top tier.

If your runs are bad and you know you can do better, replace them. It is only entertaining to watch someone be bad at games if they're really bad at them.

CHU CHU ROCKET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV7UXMOqHvg&list=PL9CE40E22CE09540D

@NinjaMonkey I think the poster literally wants you to answer the question you posted. Give and take. On a scale 0% to 100%, how refined is your taste in games? My taste is 77% refined. A zombie apocalypse has broken out in your country. Your family are the only ones left. What do you do? I would grab my backpack/phone/flashlight/shoes/food/water/shovel, and drive to the nearest gun shop.

I wouldn't say "in general", just buildings with more than a certain number of floors. The reason the shooting was so effective was that the gunman had a serious height advantage. https://i.imgur.com/gFZVWUS.jpg In this image, you can see the Mandalay Bay hotel on the left and the back of the concert stage on the right. If he were forced to commit his massacre at ground level, it would've been stopped much sooner.

Did anyone else wonder how the bad guy carried 20 suitcases full of guns to the 32nd floor of a massive hotel, and there was no security or metal detectors to stop him? I think there should be a law, like "All hotels with more than 4 floors must have a metal detector at the entrance."

What's the difference? (Not a regular FPS player.)

https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1529052/its-magic-without-things-suck-about-magic-and-then This is one of many, many positive reviews for Codex. It was designed specifically to address the many issues of CCGs. Literally the only reason Magic isn't dead yet is that not enough know about / have played Codex. When I can afford the Deluxe set (Which includes all 700 cards that will ever exist), I will review it for you and likely give it a 10/10 or something. Just the fact that it is competitively balanced and fair, and uses an ethical business model, is worth huge praise in the current climate of CCGs.