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Lord_Brand

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Everything posted by Lord_Brand

  1. Something that just ocurred to me: What if Generation X was dedicated to stripping away a lot of the more frivolous elements of modern Pokemon titles that, in the eyes of some fans, may be leading to a decline in the overall quality of the series? Now, to be clear I'm not talking about just remaking Red and Blue and calling it a day. I mean more of a "back to roots" in concept, such as the villain team being simple crooks using Pokemon to commit crimes with no grandiose plans of reshaping the cosmos or pushing self-righteous ideals, or the rival being someone not necessarily nice but maybe "love to hate", with a wit and virtue to them that still makes them likeable or admirable in some way. The legendary Pokemon don't have to factor into the plot, they can be optional superbosses that you seek out (seriously, every generation since III has forced the legendaries to matter to the plot in some way; would be nice to finally take a break from that convention). I guess the best kind of comparison I can make is to a game like Mega Man 11, which wasn't a remake of Mega Man 1 but does pattern itself after 1 in various ways, including featuring Robot Masters whose designs and abilities are clearly based on those in 1. Nevertheless, Mega Man 11 does update the series' look and sound, and does add its own twists and innovations such as the Double Gear system, as well as animation and voice acting that are actually serviceable. So, what if Generation X was basically the new Generation I?
  2. Or they just use their Pokemon against him directly. Who's gonna stop them? The police who aren't allowed to use Pokemon? Not to mention, wild Pokemon can still be a threat, and most likely would not be kept in check if no one was allowed to train Pokemon. Suddenly, this hypothetical Chancellor is gonna wish they'd never outlawed "Poke-slavery". And finally, how would they enforce this mandate if rebellious trainers say no? Using Pokemon they're not supposed to be "enslaving" to force everyone else to give up their Pokemon, including the Pokemon who are perfectly happy with their trainers and thus are just as likely to put up resistance against their would-be liberators? Like, I get it's mainly a joke, but such a plotline sounds even more infuriatingly dumb than when everyone let the Sword and Shield fops just get away with crimes despite being perfectly capable of dogpiling them with their Pokemon to wrest those jewels back from their smarmy grip (I royally hated those two, they were hands-down the worst thing about SWSH, Dexit be danged). Now, a case could be made for a darker story akin to the Colosseum titles (could even be a third trip to Orre) where the regional government has instituted "Pokemon control" for everyone but themselves, leading to a resistance fighting against them, but that feels like it'd swing way too close to real-world politics with the obvious parallel. I just worry it'd end up being too controversial and divisive, and pile on to the heaps of flame wars and drama we already have to endure. The less Pokemon mirrors real-world political strife, the better. As for B&W remakes, I'm choosing to be cautiously optimistic that they'll learn their lesson from how poorly BDSP was received and actually put in some effort for Thunder Black and Blaze White, and do some of the things BDSP should have done, like give us more Mega Evolutions and actually evolve the gameplay to match modern generations (they have a bunch of Gen IX Pokemon models to use as a starting point). They need to learn from their successes with FRLG, HGSS, and ORAS - players want to see remakes get the same level of love as the shiny brand-new games. Now, one can make an excuse that these games came out at a time when the current generation were babies, so they don't "need" to change them all that much, but they certainly shouldn't be repeating the mistakes the originals made, as BDSP did. BDSP simply does not look impressive next to Legends: Arceus or SV. Many fans would have rather waited a year or two for proper DP remakes with LA to tide them over in the meantime. Heck, a smart move would have been to include some nods to LA in BDSP, or crazy idea, build BDSP off LA's engine. A recurring pattern with remakes is that, with the exception of FRLG, they have always ocurred in the generation twice their number. Originally it seemed like it was gonna be remakes every two generations later, but ORAS's absence from Gen V nixed that idea. So, logic stands that we won't see Gen V remakes until Gen X. They could choose to deviate from that, of course, but for now that's a pattern we can use for predictions. My hope is that new Megas will start becoming a more regular occurence, but if they insist on being stubborn old gits about keeping Megas limited to Gen VI and VII, then whatever new hook comes along in Gen X may be applied to Gen V instead, assuming it's not another stupidly region-locked phenomenon like Dynamaxing or Terastilizing (seriously guys, way to kill the potential...). I guess you can say I'm jaded but stubbornly hopeful at the same time? I mean, we live in a world where a SMRPG remake happened and a Paper Mario TTYD remake is happening. If Nintendo can pull their heads out of their rear ends long enough to greenlight the next best thing after a new proper Paper Mario, then I see no reason to believe a miracle can't happen at the Pokemon Company as well. Honestly, it wouldn't be a bad idea if they created a "legacy" dev team to handle remakes, so long as they can avoid the laziness that brought BDSP down, as well as LGPE's alienating changes.
  3. I think it'd be cool if Mario got a new Final Smash featuring, say, the Mega Mushroom or Giga Bell. I feel Donkey Kong deserves the "grow giant and punch" FS more than Bowser, since he was the first fighter to be featured as a giant in Smash. Bowser could still get Giga Bowser but use it differently, or he could update to Bowser's Fury. Peach I expect could get something from Showtime, maybe even a Final Smash *called* Showtime.
  4. In Shanty Pete's topic about his idea for expansions to the Glitz Pit in the TTYD remake, I posited the idea of gender variants of traditionally male or masculine enemies in the Paper Mario series, in the interest of adding some variety. I also began positing the notion of regional variants of Mario baddies, such as pirate or western outlaw versions of Goombas and Koopa Troopas. I didn't want to derail that topic however, so I'm making this topic to discuss the idea instead. So first, regional variants. I think this would be an interesting alternative to the more traditional palette swap variants like Gloombas and Hyper Goombas. The stats of these variants would depend on when they're introduced of course, but presumably they would have higher HP and Attack than the base versions encountered early in the game, not to mention extra abilities. As for gender variants, I think there are a couple ways to approach this concept. One would be aesthetic variants that add some feminine touches (within reason) to traditionally male or masculine enemy designs. For example, maybe a Goomba with eyelashes and a cute fang like Goombella, or a Koopa Troopa with a ponytail like Koopie Koo. The tricky part is to convey that these enemies are functionally the same, unless we want to explore the idea of them having distinct stats and/or abilities. Subtlety and small touches are key, there. A female Spiked Goomba might keep her hair low in buns so as not to distract from the pointy spike on top of her head, for instance. Regional and gender variants can thus combine in interesting ways, like a Koopa Troopa pirate wench (maybe with a black shell emblazoned with a skull and crossbones for that extra piratey touch) or a Calamity Jane-esque outlaw Goombette. A consequence of enemies looking homogenous most of the time is that it trains the mind to treat any difference in appearance as important; if the enemy is a different color or has different features, that's got to mean it's different functionally, right? And that is, to an extent, a handy tool for distinguishing different kinds of enemies. But, it's also kind of boring on an aesthetic level. So, I think it'd be cool if there was a certain range of features enemies can have that provide a bit of variance in their appearance while still conveying which kind of enemy they are. Ordinary Goombas for instance could have hair, eyewear, and/or non-pointy headgear, but do not have spiked hats or wings, whereas Spiked Goombas all wear spiked hats, green hats in particular, and Paragoombas have wings (would be cool to see variants with bat wings, especially in a spooky region). The Ninjakoopas in PM64 are an interesting example of subverting the homogeny rule, incidentally; though they are distinct enemies and characters, they have the exact same stats and moves. Come to think of it, standard Shy Guys in PM64 also have different color variants, and one formation encountered late in Shy Guy's Toy Box actually clues you in to a puzzle solution. And honestly, I'd be cool if more enemy formations could be like that. Imagine encountering a gang of Goomba outlaws in a Western region; they each have different facial features, hair styles (in the cases of ones that have hair), and wear differently-colored hats and clothes, but their attire is still uniform enough to convey that they have similar if not identical abilities. As an aside, I think it'd be neat to see more Mario NPCs exhibit such a range of greater variance. In their case, there isn't a concern for conveying gameplay distinction since they're neither playable nor enemies. I like the idea of a grid where each NPC on that grid is a unique combination of two traits, one from category A and another from category B. Just five traits for each, and you have 25 distinct NPCs ready to go right there. That's more than what most towns in the first two Paper Marios even have. Add in different ages, genders, etc. for these characters and the variance becomes even greater. For example, a village of Koopa Troopas could have five different shell colors, child/adult/elderly ages, and a mix of males and females among them. Goomba Village was a great, if simple, example of this: Goompa and Gooma were the elders, Goompapa and Goomama were the middle-aged parents, and Goombario and Goombaria were the kids (implied to be teenage and possibly young adult in Goombario's case). The Yoshis of Lavalava Island were another great example, where the five main colors each have a corresponding adult and kid version. Feel free to share thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc.
  5. I could see them going for more of a "bad girl" aesthetic, as opposed to "super cutesy makeup and bows". Like, you know how enemy Koopas have shades and studded wristbands? If we assume those to be male, then the female counterparts could have a similar aesthetic with maybe the addition of a ponytail or shade frames. Female variants of, say, Spiked Goombas could have eyelashes and cute fangs like Goombella. That said, it doesn't *have* to be aggressively gendered; you could leave open the possibility that the Goomba with lashes is a feminine male Goomba. But, I think fans who enjoy having female characters will leap at the idea of "Hey, now there are more female characters!" Ooh, while we're on the subject of variants, what if there were regional variants of enemies, like Pirate or Western Outlaw variants of Goombas and Koopas? Then, gender variants can play into those themes, like a "pirate wench" Koopa gal with a bandana and a black shell with a crossbones emblazoned on it, or a Calamity Jane-esque Goombette robber with a black or red stetson hat, neckerchief, and cowboy boots. (As another aside, it'd be neat to see Kuribo's Shoe reinterpreted as a cowboy boot; Kuribo's Boot?) At any rate, the series already does anthropomorphic gender traits as seen with Goombella, Koopie Koo, Lakilulu, etc. So, might as well make the most of the convention. But, best we steer things back on topic. We could start a separate topic to properly discuss the idea of variants, including gender-associated variants, of enemy characters or even NPCs. EDIT: I have started such a topic: Variants of Paper Mario Baddies.
  6. Bosses and villains, sure, but I'm talking common enemy encounters. Female Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Bob-ombs, Boos, etc. Or even more distinct species with female designs by default, such as Birdo. I think it'd be cool to see male and female variants fighting side-by-side, whether as simple genderswaps or as distinct foes with different tactics. Regarding Jolene:
  7. It's not really a sexism thing per se, moreso the memory of bringing Goombaria's dolly back to her and seeing how tearfully happy she was to have it back. It'd be like if Goombario had a little brother named "Goombuigi" who lost his Super Mario action figure, and was overjoyed that the real Mario brought it back. I'd feel bad fighting "Goombuigi", too, for his "little brother" energy. (Hmm, maybe the Goomba family could have added a Goombuigi since their appearance in PM64?) But, the pain would be softened if Goombaria herself assured Mario she's okay with him fighting her at his best. (As a side note, I would like to see more overtly female enemies in the Paper Mario series, and the Mario series as a whole for that matter. Most of the enemies we see are either masculine or ambiguous. Could simply be a gender variant, or could be something distinct in gameplay, like a Goombette who can call Goombas and associated variants to join them in battle, with according Gloombettes and Hyper Goombettes, or perhaps the ability to power up their friends, maybe even with their own version of Rally Wink a la Goombella. Birdos would also be a fine addition, being one of the few feminine-by-default baddies to have shown up in the series. Though friendly Birdos would also be interesting; maybe it could be a similar situation to the Koopa Troopas where the enemy versions have a more delinquent look? Kind of a "bad girl" vibe, in the bad Birdos' case?) It's funny, I almost suggested Blue and Red Goomba having Multibonk and Charge myself, only swapped. I'm now imagining Gloom and Hyper versions of the Goomba King. Y'know, I think it'd be awesome if a lot of Paper Mario bosses genuinely got the chance to return with new twists in future PM titles. I could easily have seen the Goomba King becoming a recurring boss in Paper Mario, if not for Troopa Jr. filling that role. Bowser's Castle was sorely missing rematches with the Goomba King, the Koopa Bros., Tutankoopa, Tubba Blubba, General Guy, Lava Piranha, Huff N. Puff, and the Crystal King, each with new appearances and revised strategies. What if "Tubba & Grubba" was "Dubba Trubba"? Though I'd think Jolene would have Grubba dogpiled the moment he showed his face around the Pit again, after what he did to her brother and many other fighters. But the idea of a team up between the Spike/Clubba bosses is neat. (Also, you just inspired an idea for a Clubba boss duo in my Paper Mario: Star Patrol idea...) MVG 3.0 sounds really cool. The first two are among TTYD's most memorable bosses, quite novel for being the first instance in the series of a recurring chapter end-boss character, which really helps Crump feel like a proper rival to Mario.
  8. Primarina's singing voice in New Pokemon Snap is lovely, too.
  9. My lists will be WIP, as these things take time for me. Super Smash Bros. 64 Melee Brawl Smash 4 Ultimate
  10. Creating a new topic to talk about our favorite Pokemon. I'll be able to go in-depth later, but here are some favorites of mine. EDIT: Okay, now that I have more time, I'll go a bit more in-depth as to why these are my favorite Pokemon, listed by generation. Generation I Generation II Generation III Generation IV Generation V Generation VI Generation VII Generation VIII Generation IX Might be fun to write down favorite Pokemon by gen, type, etc.
  11. I got no problem listing my favorites, but why not start a new topic instead of bumping an old one?
  12. I chose Ice Beam due to how close it is to Sludge Bomb in power. Funny that both are TM moves, which arguably makes them even more fitting as counterparts. Icicle Crash and Freeze-Dry aren't bad suggestions, though. Dragonbreath is...ok? Guess no reason it couldn't have that move, but would feel a bit odd on a Pokemon that isn't draconian. Thanks! I'll let my bro know. I was considering a Sickness status that could be essentially like Poison or Burn, but with a different stat reduction. Or, perhaps their ability can function a bit like Mummy? Contagious Cold - Contact with this Pokemon changes the attacker's ability to Contagious Cold. If this Pokemon isn't Poison or Ice-type, it loses 1/8 of its HP at the end of each turn, and damage dealt by its physical attacks is halved. Of course, they'd probably have either Levitate or Neutralizing Gas as their other ability.
  13. I figured they could implement a dungeon-building algorithm based on a general layout with some skeleton components (like a tower or split path), then fill that out with different specific elements based on the theme of the dungeon chosen, as well as the placement in the order if applicable. Ultimately, I realize combining all these together might be a bit too hefty, but I still think giving the player multiple origins for Link would be cool, allowing them to pick different secondary skills to make their playthrough different each time.
  14. The thought of Banjo-Kazooie not returning hurts, as they were my favorite addition among SSBU's DLC fighters. I would rather that they add new characters to replace the ones being cut, so that the game at least offers a markedly different experience than its predecessors. This said, I can probably offer my own tiers, though I use just four. Almost Guaranteed >75% Highly Likely >50% Less Likely <50% Unlikely <25% So, if I were to guess what the base roster might look like sans newcomers, this is what I would expect.
  15. I would argue leaving them out completely would be the pitfall. Say what you will about them, but they are the most iconic characters of the series. That said, Link in particular has been shown embarking on adventures without Zelda or Ganon in them. Link's Awakening (okay, Zelda is mentioned and Ganon's likeness is used by the final boss, but still), Majora's Mask (Zelda shows up in a flashback once), Four Swords (not one mention of Ganon), Minish Cap (again, not so much as a peep about Ganon), Phantom Hourglass (Okay, Zelda does technically appear as Tetra, but Ganon is simply alluded to in backstory), Spirit Tracks (Zelda is featured, but instead of Ganon, we get a lame Ganon expy; still, not Ganon per se), and most recently, Tri Force Heroes (Zelda's dress appears, but not the princess herself, to my knowledge - but of course, I only played the game once and have yet to pick it up again, so for all I know maybe she makes some kind of cameo and I just didn't know). And seeing as Princess Peach Showtime is drawing enough attention to presumably get a sequel, I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see Zelda get her own proper solo outing one day. The "costumes as powers" gimmick would work just as well for her as Link or Peach, honestly. The ability to play as a different race definitely sounds like a good idea for a Zelda game. A long time ago on another forum (that I have since left), I suggested a Zelda MMO that would let you do exactly that. But, I think it's unfair to shunt the idea off solely to RPG land, as interesting as a Zelda gaiden RPG sounds (perhaps deserving of its own topic). I think there's real untapped potential here for a Zelda game where, for once, you choose Link's background instead of having it chosen for you, where you can choose Zelda's role in the story, where you choose whether or not Ganon even appears (and if so, in what form), and for that matter what kinds of other NPCs you encounter. Shoot, maybe you can even choose a land outside Hyrule to be the setting. Good place to bring back Holodrum, Labrynna, Termina, or even introduce someplace new (but that's stepping towards an outright Zelda Maker, though fans have been requesting that for years now). Think of it as a chance to write your own Legend of Zelda, and set it in virtually any era of the series. The game could even allow players to save their particular Legend seed and share it with other players. We've seen "Open World Zelda". So how about "Open Worldbuilding Zelda"?
  16. Today, I had an idea for a Zelda game that asks the player some questions at the beginning that lets you effectively tailor the adventure according to your tastes. This includes giving Link different backgrounds that provide him with different skillsets, allowing Zelda to play different roles, and even allowing a main villain other than Ganon(dorf) to appear. Whether you like tradition, innovation, or sheer randomness, you can have it in your Zelda adventure. The core gameplay would be consistent across playthroughs, but the exact events that play out and how can vary. You can for example elect to have a more linear adventure with dungeons tackled in a specific order, or you can opt for another open world Zelda that lets you tackle the dungeons in any order. Link can tackle the adventure solo, or have a companion such as a fairy, an animal companion, a fellow warrior, or even Zelda herself. The main villain could be Ganon (either as a pig man or as a Gerudo mage-warrior), or could be someone new (perhaps using a kind of villain generator to combine various elements together). The NPCs can be pulled from a pool of recurring characters as well as new faces, and some could likewise be generated using a character creator. You can hand-craft characters yourself, or let the system randomize some or all of their traits. Link's background gives you access to different skillsets, such as a blacksmith's ability to craft tools and weapons, a shepherd's ability to command animals, a soldier's ability to coordinate with fellow soldiers, or a prince's ability to command servants. The number, order, and complexity of dungeons can also be decided. You can have a traditional nine dungeon set up, with one dungeon being accessible after the other eight are cleared, or you could go for four major dungeons that you can tackle in any order. What do you all think?
  17. 50 Fighters, all with notable appearances on Switch, NSO doesn't count. Alright, here goes. New fighters in bold. Honestly, this looks like a pretty fun roster. All it's missing are Star Fox characters, but I felt these 50 would take priority. Admittedly, Geno & Mallow, Dr. Wily & Robot Masters, and the Warriors of Light (Warrior, Thief, etc.) are cheating a little, as they would all be effectively multiple fighters in one, but hey, Smash has examples of that already.
  18. The game has a lot of platforming in it, so definitely qualifies as a platformer. "Action" also applies, particularly for Swordfighter, Cowgirl, Mighty, and Martial Artist. "Adventure"? I guess you could say there are adventure elements, but exploration is fairly limited here compared to most modern platformers. The structure is highly reminiscent of Kirby games, which makes the comparisons between this Peach and Kirby funnier. I'd say "Action Platformer" fits best.
  19. I did consider having the partners be accompanied by associated supporters, such as Goombario and Goombaria. In Goombaria's case though, it just felt...kinda mean? I mean, sure, she's probably a bit older and tougher now, but still, she has that "little sister" energy that would make me feel bad for hitting her, even in a sports battle. Ditto for Goompapa and Goomama; I'm fond of Goombario's whole family, really. Still, the idea of facing the four younger members is interesting. Maybe Goompapa could use a hammer as a nod to the fact Goompa owned one, and Goompapa presumably used one when fixing Jeff the gate? No Lakilulu? Did think of a tweak to Tattle-Shell: Goombario only uses Tattle when Kooper is also active, as Kooper is the one he's talking to when he uses Tattle. If Kooper goes down before Goombario, Goombario will stop using Tattle, which means his every move will either be a Headbonk or a Charge followed by a Multibonk. On that note, I've thought up some Goombario Tattles for Mario and his TTYD partners as well. Three different entries in the case of his partners, one for each of their ranks. Mario Goombella Koops Flurrie Mini-Yoshi Vivian Admiral Bobbery Ms. Mowz
  20. I love the idea of expanding on the Glitz Pit, but I understand why they give fans a second shot at the enemies unique to the Pit, so they have a second chance to Tattle them if they didn't already. That said, a second or even third "league" sounds like a fantastic idea. One thing I think would be cool to see, whether in Round 2 or Round 3, would be matches against the original Paper Mario partners - Goombario, Kooper, Bombette, Parakarry, Lady Bow, Watt, Sushie, and Lakilester. There could also be rematches with some Paper Mario bosses. As an extra bonus, these battles could use remixes of music from Paper Mario. Goomba Bros. Tattle-Shell Koopa Bros. Dive Bombers Shocking Spooks Rainstormers
  21. Koraidon and Miraidon would be interesting as Echo Fighters, though if it has to be a starter Meowscarada is the obvious pick. Tinkaton would be novel for the large hammer. Ceruledge is cool, but with blades for hands, how is it going to use items?
  22. Eevee & Eeveelutions (WIP) These sections will be a bit lengthier than normal, so I've broken them into multiple parts for greater convenience. Overview Attacks, Grabs, and Throws Specials & Final Smash Other Stuff Eeveelutions by stage (WIP)
  23. Hmm...what if each fighter had their own portion of the Adventure Board? Like, their own set of stages, their own boss(es), and perhaps fighter unlock stages that in turn open up new areas of the board? When attempting to clear a stage on the Adventure Map for the first time, you may be required to play a specific fighter, but after clearing that stage the first time, are free to use any fighter you like. I also think it'd be neat if they had some "transition" stages that connect different sections of the board together. For example, say Mario and Sonic's sections of the map are connected by such a stage that transitions from Mushroom Kingdom to Green Hill Zone or vice versa. Depending on which side of the stage you enter from, you end the stage either by jumping through a giant ring at the end of Sonic's half, or sliding down a flagpole at the end of Mario's half. Thus, this stage could be said to have "A" and "B" variants. Fighters would have Adventure Stage clear animations accordingly. Regardless of the exact stage clear mechanism (each series could have one), the fighters will perform their stage clear animations afterward.
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