Lord_Brand

Since when do we care what professional critics say? I'd sooner judge the game's quality by YouTubers like Arlo. 6.5 million on the first week is no flop. At any rate, the game changed enough about the formula that it got people interested. With sales numbers like that, I'll be very surprised if a future Legends title isn't in development as we speak.

I hope the next Mario Kart brings back Double Dash-style co-op. My bro and I loved teaming up and racing together. Shoot, a remaster of Double Dash itself - with all the expected extra content like new characters, tracks, and items - would be perfectly welcome.

I'm ready for Gen 9 anytime. I only ask that they learn from their mistakes and oversights on SWSH and BDSP.

Also, Disney Speedstorm is a thing. Looks kinda fun, won't lie. Seeing the likes of Mulan and Jack Sparrow in racing suits is comically surreal. But when will you make a Smash title, Disney? You're sitting on a gold mine, here!

Serge

Neat to see Cross getting remastered and all, but how about Chrono Trigger? That one hasn't seen a proper release since the DS. I expect to see fan art of the new cat lady in Kirby & The Forgotten Land by the end of today. I mean, c'mon - an anthropomorphic leopard with an exaggerated feminine figure, long eyelashes, and purple eyeshadow? That's furry bait if I ever saw any.

For the sake of fun, of course. Aside from graphical updates, there are all kinds of tweaks they could make to both games to help modernize them. New items, more diverse NPCs, overhauled mechanics, etc. Yeah, there comes a point where you might as well be making a new game, but the remakes could serve as the new "standard" Zelda titles. A "soft reboot", if you will. This isn't the topic for theorycrafting, though, so I'll refrain from getting deeper into details here.

How about Pokemon Master Stadium? I like that, I'll change the title accordingly. Although, the acronym might be a little problematic... What if there are different unlockable movesets for rental Pokemon? You have full evolution lines available from the get-go, but their better moves have to be unlocked. Or higher evolutions only get their best moves in higher difficulties.

Hoping for Oracle Zelda remakes. Those are two of my favorite Zeldas, I'd love to see them remade on Switch in either the ALBW or LANS styles. For that matter, I'd like to see OoT and MM remade for Switch, too. Although a surprise remake of the original two NES games would really throw players for a loop. Fire Emblem Warriors 2 or a new Nintendo Warriors game would be really cool. Some DLC for Mario Party Superstars, maybe even an expansion outright. Five more boards, new playable characters, perhaps the return of costumes. A Pokemon Master Stadium game that serves as a remake/sequel to Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 for N64. Wouldn't it be incredible if they announced an N64 Classic? Not likely since they're trying to sell the NSO Expansion Pass, but an N64C would provide customers with an alternative option for N64 games without bloatware or Genesis library attached, and - crazy idea - might have properly-functioning emulators and no altered code that causes the games to lag or unexpectedly crash.

You oughta give Metroid Dread a spin. Having played through my fair share of Metroids, I can tell you that Dread greatly improves the controls and thus far has felt mostly fair. The areas you explore look quite distinct, and even the music stands out with instruments I haven't heard in a Metroid title before. Some of the music sounds like something from Ratchet & Clank of all things. The E.M.M.I.s are frustrating to deal with, though; sometimes their presence forces you to wait while they pass by, and when they chase you, the ensuing panic will often cause you to make mistakes, allowing them to catch you and, unless you know how to counter them, kill you, making for rather cheap deaths. I'm also not proud to admit I got killed by the very first E.M.M.I. a few times because I kept trying to shoot downward at it despite knowing it's invincible to your weaponry, causing me to fall and get killed by it. On the other hand, one of my more recent badass moments was sparked by the green E.M.M.I. killing me one time too many; I snapped and just ran through its area full bore, firing my beam in frustration. It caught me on the way, but I countered the mother trucker and kept on going until I was safe. For once, being reckless actually paid off. XD

Looking backward is something I've been doing increasingly often already. Played through the Mega Man Classic and X Legacy Collections, Crash N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Link's Awakening for Switch... I have a feeling Nintendo will always put out something I want, but I'm leaning towards developing my own IPs. I hate PC gaming as I prefer controllers over keyboards. I know there exist controllers for PCs, but playing on a PC would be nowhere near as comfortable for me. I've been loyal to Nintendo for a long time. Always liked their IPs and systems best. My family at one point or another has owned an NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Switch, Game Boy, GBC, GBA, DS, and 3DS. Their games make up like 90% of our library. I also used to be a Sony fan; we bought every one of their home consoles up to PS4 and picked up the PSP as well. I've never touched a Microsoft console (except that one time I played a store demo of Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex on X Box) and have no intentions of doing so.

I just hope Capcom and SEGA don't end up under Sony's umbrella. Mega Man no longer being allowed on Nintendo systems would emotionally hurt me, and both he and Sonic have had a rather spotty track record on Sony systems with some of their worst games being closely associated with those platforms. I dunno guys, I just feel like my interest in commercial video games is starting to fade. I haven't supported Microsoft for over a decade, I stopped supporting Sony in 2020, and now even Nintendo's losing my faith. Just feels like I have no one to turn to but myself now, you know?

Another interesting note about Rock is that if a Pokemon that's every type at once existed, Rock would be the only type super-effective against it.

Well we can always turn to indie games. If the prices climb too high, people will just stop buying them. The more creative peasants among us will find workarounds. Maybe one day these anti-consumer practices will finally blow up in the corporations' faces, they'll fall, and a new generation of dedicated developers will rise to replace them.

When will they learn that their actions have consequences? Rock Slide, Power Gem, Stone Edge, Diamond Storm, Meteor Beam, Head Smash, Rock Wrecker...granted, most of those weren't available back in Gen I, but even so, Onix was also part-Ground, so at least it could have taken advantage of Dig and Earthquake.

Then why make us wait so long to catch one ourselves? But there are plenty of Rock-types that hit hard. The Geodude line, Rhyhorn line, Aerodactyl, Kabutops...Rock should hit hard. Not only is it heavy, it can also form sharp edges as demonstrated with Stone Edge. Heck, Rock's better as an offense type than as a defense type, what with it being weak to Fighting, Ground, Steel, Grass, and Water. And Onix is a freaking giant snake made out of rock.

Magic Room, Trick Room, Trick, Power Trick, Thunder, Thunderbolt...lots of moves have similar names. My main reason for using Intellect as S. Defense rather than S. Attack is because S. Defense has a preexisting connection to smarts through the Clever (formerly Smart) contest condition, while S. Attack is connected to Beauty, hence my use of Spirit (which can also refer to spiritual energy aka ki). That said, yes, giving each stat its own first letter would make abbreviation much less confusing (I've gotten tripped up by SPD myself before ^ ^; ).

This is a little creativity experiment where we come up with new costume ideas for Cosplay Pikachu, beyond the original five. The general rule is that each costume should ideally be part of a set of five, one for each of the contest conditions, and be tied to a particular type through a move unique to that costume (the move also should match the contest condition). Currently there are 18 types in the game, so either two types have to be repeated or we have to add two to round out the number to 20. As a refresher, here are the original five: Cool - Rock Star (Meteor Mash, Steel) Beautiful - Belle (Icicle Crash, Ice) Cute - Pop Star (Draining Kiss, Fairy) Clever - Ph. D. (Electric Terrain, Electric) Tough - Libre (Flying Press, Fighting) Here are some ideas of my own: Set 2 Cool - Ninja (Night Slash, Dark) Beautiful - Fire Dancer (Fiery Dance, Fire) Cute - Swimmer (Soak, Water) Clever - Florist (Aromatherapy, Grass) Tough - Adventurer (Dig, Ground) Set 3 Cool - Superhero (Acrobatics, Flying) Beautiful - Nurse (Heal Bell, Normal) Cute - ??? (???) Clever - Magician (Trick, Psychic) Tough - Shaman (Ancient Power, Rock) Set 4 Cool - ??? (???) Beautiful - Pretty Soldier (Moonblast, Fairy) Cute - Princess (After You, Normal) Clever - Witch (Toxic, Poison) Tough - Martial Artist (Dual Chop, Dragon)

Why does Amnesia increase Special Defense, anyway? Though the flavor suggests the user is actually clearing their mind to forget their concerns. So why not call it Clear Mind? Even a child should be able to figure out that being stronger lets you punch or throw something harder. If nothing else, the game could always spell it out. "Physical attacks use Strength. Special attacks use Spirit. Endurance resists physical attacks. Intellect resists special attacks." I think it's dumb that Onix's Attack is so low to begin with, especially considering you can't even catch it until the Rock Tunnel later in the game. How does one explain Shuckle having so much higher Special Defense than other Rock types in the first place? What's different about it? That's an issue outside the realm of renaming stats for better flavor. The whole point is to enable the system to expand beyond combat. You could have minigames that care about the Pokemon's stats, like weight lifting and running, or a wrestling move where either the target or user takes damage, the probability of each depending on their respective Strength values. Maybe contests could include stunts that call for different stats, like juggling requiring high Speed or "Pokemon towers" that want stronger Pokemon on the bottom to support the weight of their companions on top? And of course there could be humorous inverted challenges that want you to pick Pokemon that are as poorly suited for their task as possible.

Many RPGs have stats with organic, flavorful names like Strength, Stamina, Agility, Intellect, and Wisdom. Pokemon's stats have decidedly more artificial and bland names: HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense. While they do an adequate job of describing their basic function, I can't help but to think more organic names could not only add flavor but also expand their functionality beyond combat. To determine more organic names for these stats, I would look at what each stat's basis would be. HP - No real need to rename this stat, but it could be tied to a Stamina or Vitality stat. Attack - This is used to determine the power of physical attacks, so Strength seems like the obvious candidate. Defense - This describes the Pokemon's resistance to physical attacks, therefore could be described as Durability, Endurance, or Toughness. Bonus points for the fact this stat is associated with the Toughness contest condition. Speed - Of the six, this is the most flavorful and doesn't need to be renamed, but I could see it being split into "offense" and "defense" categories like Special was in Gen II. Special Attack - In most RPGs, Intellect is the stat most often associated with stronger magic attacks, which Special Attacks are analogous to. However, in Pokemon intellect or cleverness is tied moreso to Special Defense, so perhaps Spirit could be the organic replacement for Special Attack here? Special Defense - Wisdom or Spirit are the stats most often used for magic defense in RPGs, but in Pokemon, Special Defense is tied to cleverness, so Intellect could be the organic replacement here. So, the six stats I would suggest are HP, Strength, Endurance, Speed, Spirit, and Intellect. Thoughts?

But unlike Banjo-Kazooie, who were allowed to flounder and lay dormant, Crash has been an active name for the last six years, and Spyro's seen a little action too. So Microsoft now has two active platform heroes to capitalize on. I just never imagined Spyro 4 was going to be a Microsoft title of all things... While they're at it, how about a new Lost Vikings game, finally? Maybe a 3D title this time?

One other possibility I see is an ActiBlizz-centric platform fighter developed to celebrate Microsoft's acquisition of the company - still basically being their answer to Smash, but with a focus on ActiBlizz itself, something they could have conceivably put out at any time before Microsoft acquired them. That would probably be less exciting in the long run due to a lack of high-demand reps like Doom Slayer and Master Chief, unless they include them as "guests", but the tradeoff is that you can include a few more reps from ActiBlizz series themselves. Still hoping for Crash in Smash one day. Banjo-Kazooie and Steve both made it. Now Crash and Spyro are two more names to add to Microsoft's list under Doom Slayer and Master Chief. And if a Smash 6 doesn't happen, that'll be an opportunity for Microsoft to make their mark. And if that game comes to Nintendo systems, I just might check it out. I agree. It's rather sad that Microsoft is so creatively bankrupt that they have to eat up independent third parties in order to compete with Nintendo and Sony, both of whom had no problem finding developers able to put out genuine original IPs for their systems.

Assuming we don't get to play most every Pokemon, this is the roster I'd pick: I'm gonna update the roster over time since this forum has the stupid tendency to wipe out huge swaths of my progress every time I hit ctrl + Z with the intent to undo one action. I also have ideas for boss Pokemon that I'll add on to over time: Kingdom Hearts Warriors would be fun, too. The Heartless and Nobodies work perfectly as mob material, and there's quite a cast of characters to pull from for playable status.

A skill tree like you're suggesting has been done by other similar games such as Monster Sanctuary. Not saying Pokemon shouldn't do that, just pointing out there's a precedent for it. Honestly, a skill tree would be a cool twist for the Pokemon series. Different Pokemon's skill trees could be geared towards different strategies. For example, do you want your Lucario to favor physical attacks, special attacks, or balance the two? Is your Gardevoir going to be a special sweeper, or more of a supporter for Double/Triple battles? Do you value having status buffs at the cost of attack diversity, or do you prefer more diverse attack options? Furthermore, instead of the Pokemon having "empty" levels, moves can be learned or upgraded by acquiring skill points. However, to help balance the game, certain moves require your Pokemon to be a certain level before you can learn/upgrade to them. Your Charmander has to be Level 20 before it can learn Flamethrower, for example. But you might be able to unlock some power boosts for Ember beforehand. Say, +10 at Level 10 and +15 at Level 15? That would raise Ember's power up to 65, not quite Flamethrower's level but still stronger than when you first get Ember. This of course begs the question of where TMs and TRs come into play. In a system where each Pokemon has a baked-in skill tree, TMs and TRs might cease to be relevant, unless they too unlock skill trees. But you know, there's always the option of an original IP. ; )

I wouldn't call them "Human-like" to begin with. I should revise my definition of "Human-like". Though I'm not sure which of my groups the Nidoran family would fit into. I think the categories may be larger than first appears. These are the Pokemon I'd include in each: Fairy Fiend But I guess lumping them together could work. Maybe a "Spirit" group, referencing the Japanese concept of kami? I also need a group or groups for non-arthropod invertebrates like cephalopods, jellyfish, and starfish. I'm thinking of adding an "Alien" category for creatures with otherwordly physiologies. I'm also considering an "Object" group for Pokemon based on inanimate objects like Litwick, Celfki, Honedge, etc. I realize there is another purpose to the "Eggs Undiscovered" Group: Baby Pokemon. Though much like Legendaries, they could have some kind of indicator that they're unable to breed, like being "immature" (in the sense of being not fully physically developed yet).