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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/23/21 in all areas

  1. The most important skill Metroid fans have developed since the series began probably isn't shooting, exploring, or even sequence-breaking. It's patience, because how often do fans have to wait 19 years for the continuation of a franchise's story? Clearly good things come to those who wait though, because Metroid Dread is an incredible return to side-scrolling form for Samus Aran. With a combination of classic abilities, exploration mechanics, and intriguing new twists on the familiar gameplay formula, Metroid Dread is well worth the long wait. Samus is back to doing what she does best: investigating mysterious transmissions on dangerous worlds. A video from the planet ZDR reveals that the X parasite, a deadly life form that Samus battled in 2002's Metroid Fusion, may be alive on the planet. The Galactic Federation dispatched a team of powerful E.M.M.I. robots to investigate, but they've lost contact with them. Enter Samus, the one woman uniquely qualified to deal with this threat. Dread takes its storytelling cues from the best of the Metroid franchise. There are engaging mysteries and light cutscenes scattered throughout the game but it never loses that feeling of isolation and exploration that define Metroid games. There's a light touch of world-building at play here and it feels like the perfect amount. Dread also features a fantastic characterization of Samus, not through dialogue or inner monologues but essentially through mime. The way Samus moves through a hostile environment, the way she carries herself, and some small touches during cutscenes paint a picture of a seasoned warrior, perceptive and adaptable, that says so much about her history and thought process without the need for words. Dread's gameplay is exactly the kind of side-scrolling Metroid action you'd expect, and a clear continuation/refinement of the formula that developer MercurySteam established in 2017's Metroid II remake, Samus Returns. Like that game Samus has a melee counter that puts another fast and fluid ability at her disposal, allowing you to efficiently smash through enemies with one sleek counter shot after another. A new slide ability allows her to squeeze through tight spaces or even underneath an enemy's legs, again emphasizing speed and grace in Dread (and don't worry, the Morph Ball is still in the game). There's a real sense of always being on the move in this game without sacrificing the joy of exploring and testing out new abilities to unlock secrets, which really shows how well the developers understand the Metroid series. One of the key features of Dread—and really the source of its name—is being pursued by the E.M.M.I.s. These deadly efficient robots have, naturally, turned to hunting Samus, but her weapons can't pierce their thick armor plating. E.M.M.I.s are confined to specific "hunting grounds" but every time you enter one it's awfully tense. You only have one small window of opportunity to counter if a robot grabs you, and it's a truly tiny, precise window that is pretty hard to master, so your main hope is to outrun or hide from these robots. Samus will also gain new abilities specifically to help avoid these mechanical menaces, adding some fun new twists to the familiar Metroid gameplay. Especially early on these E.M.M.I. sequences are intense and stressful, and they give the player an interesting opportunity to focus on evasion instead of firepower. However, the stakes of escaping an E.M.M.I. are actually kind of low, which is both good and bad. If you're caught it's game over, but the game autosaves every time you enter an E.M.M.I. area so you lose very little progress. That kind of spoils the stakes a little bit though, and by the end of the game these E.M.M.I. challenges are a little more tedious than they are exciting and stressful. The autosave is definitely preferable to backtracking to a save point though, so even if it's imperfect it's maybe an appropriate solution. The rest of the game certainly doesn't coddle the player, though. Recovery stations and save points are fairly generously sprinkled throughout the game but enemies hit hard—you're clearly not expected to get hit often—and even more importantly boss fights can be pretty difficult. However, it's a good sense of challenge. Boss attacks are often well telegraphed and you'll even have opportunities to recover health and missile ammo during the fight. Any of your mistakes will be thoroughly punished, but it keeps the battle exciting and engaging without being too overwhelming. Dread may be one of if not the most difficult Metroid game, but it never feels unfair. Most players will probably clock in around ten hours on their first playthrough of Dread, though of course this game is made for speed-running and testing the full extent of your skills. It feels like just about the perfect length for the adventure—there are twists and turns and depth to the gameplay but the brisk pacing ensures the action never grows stale. There's also a hard mode if you need even more of a challenge, and naturally there are tons of hidden upgrades scattered throughout the planet. The game makes tracking these collectibles easier than ever—not only does the map light up when there's a hidden item in the area, it even tells you what percentage of hidden items you've collected in the region. It's perhaps a little too easy, but then again sometimes it's hard to figure out how to actually reach an item even if you know it's there, and there are some incredibly tricky ones that fully test your Metroid skills. Completionists should have a lot of fun figuring out what are essentially Metroid puzzles. These screenshots don't really do justice to Dread's visuals. The gameplay seems to emphasize speed and fluidity, and that's reflected in the sharp art design, smooth animation, and intriguing environments that have just enough detail to get your imagination going without cluttering the screen as Samus whips past. And as previously mentioned Samus's movements and animation say so much about her, both in cutscenes and outside of them, that really shows a wonderful attention to detail. The soundtrack is sharp as well: intensely atmospheric, as you might imagine, and provides a perfect backdrop for exploring a mysterious world as well as battling deadly enemies. Metroid Dread is a thrilling continuation of Samus's adventures. Developer MercurySteam proved they had the chops for working on established Metroid concepts with Samus Returns, and now they've proven they can go a step further and help lead the series forward in engaging new directions. Combat is satisfying, exploration is engaging thanks to the tools at your disposal—and the steady rate that you unlock new abilities—and the intense challenge of massive boss fights provides wonderful moments of triumph and accomplishment. Hopefully we won't have to wait years for another adventure with Samus, because as Dread proves, the quality of the series hasn't lost a step. Rating: 9 out of 10 Metroids
    2 points
  2. I feel the big wild card is how folks who only have a Switch, or at least NSO, because of ACNH react. That's probably somewhere between half and a third of NSO subcriptoins (sauce, but this graph in particular); there's a reason Animal Crossing DLC in particular was chosen to hard carry this pass. (And, for what it's worth, I will fully agree if Emily Rogers' claim that Sega inflated the price is true, it just seems incredibly bonehead given Sega actually ports their old games). as for whether NSO expansion pass flops or not? I honestly just don't know. Like, if I had to hedge my bets I'd sooner expect it'll fail to meet whatever expectations Nintendo has because I don't know a single person who's paying a full $50 for this, but we'll see.
    1 point
  3. id rather eat chalk than use nookazon at this point in my ac career, so i figure i'll check here instead does anyone have a changing room in a color other than blue or green they'd be willing to buy me? i don't want the pink one but any other color would be better for where i wanna place it
    1 point
  4. DLC theme? Pirana Plant-Sora all night with first __ Sora exclusively.
    1 point
  5. Started seeing the NSO expansion controversy talked about more elsewhere, and some things said made me realize that we might actually be underestimating the number of people besides those like us that will mostly refuse to go with the new subscription plan. For one, there's already a Sega Genesis Classics game collection on the Switch that's pretty cheap, which makes the inclusion of Genesis on NSO redundant. I forgot if that was already mentioned here earlier; maybe it was, but regardless, should've been Sega Saturn NSO if anything. That along with some Game Boy and Gamecube stuff added would've made it well worth the $50, but as it is, the current plan lacks enough value. Funny enough, even the Switch NES and SNES apps avoided games already featured on collections, which makes Genesis NSO existing even though there's already a Genesis collection on the Switch even more strange. With all that in perspective, I doubt even more that Sega's the reason for the $30 price hike. (Then of course there’s the N64 games that had been repeatedly available on previous system’s Virtual Consoles, and some 64 games that had ports made for the DS/3DS) Secondly, fans in general who see the other options available aren't just gonna eat up the $50 plan without a 2nd thought. I like to think even as bad as the most diehard loyalists might be, who may pretend that Nintendo's their family rather than a company who sees them as a number or statistic, has to draw the line somewhere. More casual families and consumers are also willing to draw the line somewhere. I feel like only the most extreme loyalists or some truly ignorant people that don't know better would get the $50 plan as is; Nintendo's counting on them at least, which may be enough for them to not change the price or current lack of options, but we'll see. And this is all besides the point that our subscription money shouldn't be going to simply being drip fed old games (ones that we'll never truly own on the system no less), but to a good online service, or a better one than what we used to get from Nintendo when it was free at least. Their online priorities are completely backwards.
    1 point
  6. As of this evening, Prince Snufflemuffins is no longer with us. In the past few months, his health was declining rapidly. We noticed he was losing weight, but still acting normal. We figured it was old age, but we took him to a vet anyway. They discovered he had pancreatitis, and that his diet needed to change. We got his food updated, and just two weeks later, on this day, we had to put him down. Mom called near the end of work to tell me to come over, that she has found him pressing himself up against the corner, and couldn't walk straight. Both of his eyes were dialated, and his normal purring was replaced with heavy breathing. We ran him to the vet immediately, where they diagnosed that it's neurological. With his condition, his quality of life had plummeted. I didn't want him to suffer, I didn't want him to be scared and alone. I didn't want him to suffer like my previous cat, who suffered far more than he ever deserved. But I didn't want to let him go. As painful as it was, through uncontrollable crying and heartache, I made the decision that he would be put to rest. Through the process, he was surrounded by me, my mother, and my girlfriend as we pet him, even after the doctor had confirmed his heart had stopped. I snuggled him before I could tear myself to leave the room. When petting his cold body, I could still hear his purring in my mind. Prince Snugglemuffins was brought into my life just two weeks into my first year in high school. My mom bought him off craigslist for $5, but we gave her $10, because as my mom mentioned to her, "he's just that gorgeous." He was scared of his new home. He would hide behind the guitar case and underneath my bed. It wouldn't be long for him to feel comfortable, to where he would follow me up stairs, lie on my desk, or sleep in bed with me. Anyone who came into contact with him was enamored with him. He was always happy to snuggle up to new friends, whether that was lying across your lap, or finding your leather jacket to be a cozy spot. As the years went on, I would eventually leave home for multiple reasons. Everytime I left for the school year, I would tell him good bye and hug him closely before leaving. When I graduated and returned home, I had to focus on getting my life going. I was caught up in learning to drive and starting my career all at once. It was stressful. But every night, this little guy would be there for me. He would lie in bed with me, and he liked it when I held his front paws. I'd often take pictures of him, a lot of my friends and people online really liked seeing him. Prince Snugglemuffins received so much love, but he had just as much love to return. Even when being examined at the vet, the nurses had difficulty hearing his heart because he was purring so much around them. It's been a few hours now, and I keep tearing up as I write this. My head hurts so much, and I don't know what to think at this stage. It hurts a lot, and I hope I did the right thing. I included some photos of him, including a picture of me:
    0 points
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