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"Casual Trash" Kirbys

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"Casual Trash" Kirbys last won the day on January 18 2022

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  1. The original Samba De Amigo was released on Dreamcast in 2000. The game was a classic for the system with colorful character designs, popping backgrounds, a great soundtrack that just wanted to make players dance, and gameplay that not only implemented the Dreamcast’s own controllers but also what would be considered the rhythm genre’s foray into plastic instruments. The game had a certain charm; and, by 2008, the monkey and friends would be coming to the Wii. The game with some mixed results due to a good soundtrack and visuals mixed in with irrational Wii remote controls. It would be 15 years later that the monkey would try to come back in style for the Nintendo Switch with its motion controls. Is this game any good? Let’s find out. Party Central’s design of the colorful rainbow aesthetic it once had back in the day has been muted for a more modern look. The backgrounds sets and characters have been toned down to a sleeker look and don’t have the bombastic and crazy colors and designs the past games were known for. The circles that used to encompass the screen aren’t the standard red, yellow, and green but this infusion of colors. Even the notes have changed to blue for separate notes, yellow for combination notes, and red for shake-it-notes. The game also doesn’t have its well-known Latin pop feel too. Some classics like La Bamba, Macarena, The Cup of Life, and Vamos A Carnaval are back. Pitbul lends three songs to the game; with other Latin pop artists helping out too. The soundtrack, however, is mostly American pop songs. The theme song that the series' name takes inspiration isn’t even in the game; let alone the song that has the same name of the series. Future DLC will have some other returning classics like Do It Well from Wii and Take on Me and Tubthumping from Dreamcast; but there are songs from KPop and JPop genres that also have been released. What players get is a soundtrack is that good for rhythmic purposes, but not for the actual Latin pop identity the series was once known for. The basic control design returns. The before mentioned single, combination, and shake-it notes are there with also strike-a-pose and shake it mechanics that the series is known for also coming back. There are two new mechanics that are introduced. One is these arrows that the players must follow in the right sequence, while the second one is this random activity thing where anything can happen from the song speeding up to the players having to move to a rhythm sequence. The game is generous for those who don’t want to use the motion controls as docked controls will work the same. So, what’s there to enjoy outside of the usual single player mode? There’s a Battle Royale World Party Mode in that 20 people have the power to make the song they are playing absolute hell with the randomizer mechanic. There is also the 4 player Online Play mode that friends can join in with “open” rooms and closed rooms. They are just basically the same thing because codes are required for both of them. Due to any of mutuals not interested in this game, I haven't even experienced this mode to say much more about it. There is also StreamiGo! which have these challenging missions to do. There is this gallery mode where players can dress up Amigo in different costumes. Players can buy these costumes from the money they can gather from completing songs. Samba De Amigo: Party Central is a hard game to recommend. While the song list is good to dance around, the actual soul of what the series is known for isn’t there. Sure, the game wants players to dance around and have a fun time, but the overall tone has been muted to a way that doesn’t make the game fun. The game wants the series to have a modern look to appeal to a bigger audience, but the modernity loses the energetic identity. Party Central wants to be fun, but the game doesn’t understand the concept of what made the series enjoyable in the first place. 5/10 Nevermind this game has Morgana 10/10
  2. The original Theatrhythm Final Fantasy released back in 2012 on the 3DS. It was focused on from the original Final Fantasy to XIII and had a unique emphasis on using RPG elements to level up characters. It's success lead to the sequel Theatrhythm Curtain Call which released in 2014 and expanded on the original game with more tracks and more games like of the Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns and XIV as well as many of the spin off games like Tactics, Crisis Core and Crystal Chronicles. It would be almost nine years before the latest in the series Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line would be released on the Switch and Playstation 4. Featuring the biggest track list in series history is this latest music/RPG another wonderful tune or a sour note? Let’s find out. The game has players choose a few unlocked games from the series to choose from. Each of the game has their own first song which can unlock a new song or two or three down the line. Completing the actual quests from the song also gives players items and a part of the completion goal. A bit of the middle of the roadmap of each game leads to players given a key to unlock more games to unlock. And the cycle continues with each game of the series doing this. Actually beating a game unlocks the end boss character of that series. Doing all of the quests on all of the songs in a roadmap rewards the player with a completion mark on game. Theatrhythm has the typical way of just needing to press buttons timed whether it's a simple tap or a button that needs to be held for a long time; even a flick of the stick for most of the game. The game more challenging difficulties present longer notes coming with flicker notes on them. There's also these wavy notes that are designed for these special map songs that require to hold the button while holding the stick button up and down. A thing that sets this games from other rhythm games is that, since it has songs from the RPG series, it brings most of the cast from the series that can be a DPS, Healer, Tank, or Thief. Each character starts at level 1 and won't have more of their classic skills. This requires a lot of days of grinding from the songs. Some of the quests that I mentioned earlier are not going to be dealt with easily and require the patience for certain characters that have the abilities to beat that quest. Thankfully there are a lot of songs the series. Some are good that there will be times wanting to repeat them or find other good songs to play for hours. But grinding really doesn't have to be an alone thing as progress for the player's characters can level up happen with the multiplayer. The multiplayer can be a room to four players with just showing the player's side and no one's else's. A distressed Kupo will alert of the player what place they are or if another player is gaining the lead. With everything going on the screen and with the sounds of notes being played, it would be better to turn off the Kupo warning alert. Online also unfortunately doesn't have the special maps that use the wavy lines which is a major upset since some really good songs use this format. The real hurdle is that since this game has songs based on an RPG series. The songs are good to listen to, but it's one of the only type of rhythm game that does it and can turn away people that doesn't like Final Fantasy that much. Another part is the aforementioned grinding that can be a wall to players. Leveling characters enough just to get items and skills to beat quests can be taxing at most for those that really don't have the time and patience. Despite that, there is a lot of charm and fun to have. Again, there are a lot of songs to play, characters and other things to unlock, and the online lobbies can be used as a way to beat the grind. I love the chibi designs of each character and what a character will say at and after the song. For those that aren't really into Final Fantasy might give this game an overall pass; but as a fan the experience, while can be a slog sometimes, can be fun. Reviewer's Note: By the time this review has been posted, there have been loads of DLC for the game that contains certain songs from Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy XVI, LIVE A LIVE, The World Ends With You (and Neo), Trials, Legend, and Secret of Mana, Bravely Default 1 and 2, and Octopath Traveler. The score and review below is a reflection founded on the base game without the DLC. 7.5 out of 10
  3. Oh man does it feel like ages since I've been in here. How is everyone doing?
  4. I love playing this expansion to the game and I hope there will be another to it. I'm happy they brought the crab monsters again
  5. For awhile now, I’ve been planning to do a review for Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master! as I am a huge fan of the series. The problem is that the review started to transform into a rambling about how I personally thought about this game compared to the Switch and PS4 version. This is not to bash the game, but to explain some of my feelings toward this one especially some of my frustrations when trying to play it. One of those good qualities is that well this is the series first foray into the Microsoft line up. See, the series up to this point had always been going to Nintendo and Sony consoles (most of them Sony) due to the large Japanese market for those brands. However, with the series properly coming to Western shores, it was probably a tactical idea to bring the series to what has been popular here: the Microsoft consoles (including the PC). Seeing this, I was very happy because there would be inclusion from the series to players that haven’t had the chance to enjoy what it had to offer. Starting the game, one thing was missing right from the bat: the intro theme song. Both the Switch and PS4 games when coming to the West showed how fun and energetic the series is. What the intro this game has is “well, here’s a Taiko no Tatsujin game for the Xbox and PC.” It comes as if it was a last minute thought and nothing else. There are some good songs that are new and from past games that new players will enjoy for the first time on the PC and Xbox. Notable songs that have their first actual Western release are Tales of Arise Battle Medley, Incompatible Thoughts, Theme of Ryu, Daddy Mulk, Captain Neo, dance storm, Choco Chiptune, Hoshikuzu Struck, Stage 0.ac11, and Baladium’s Drive, Blue Bird, and Go!. Compared to what the PS4 and Switch have, it has a lot more Game Music and Anime songs; but most of them are from past games. As for the DLC, it’s kind of bare; but that’s not a surprise since it was the same deal with how Bandai Namco did it for PS4 and Switch. For those that come from PS4 and Switch games, the disappointment comes in. Sure, there are some new songs that some of us never experienced; but, like I said before, most of the songs are from past games. Even the DLC is from past games; so, besides the new songs, why come back to this game? Well, there are a lot of features not present from the past games that make this game surprisingly fun. First game is that it’s introduction to the donderful combo which is hitting notes perfectly in synch. This makes the game even more challenging just to try to play the songs in the rhythm and the beat. It requires a lot of focus and dedication just to pull it off in any song. Also, the game brings the timer that was used in the online mode for the Switch for both offline and online modes. The game also is the first Western introduction to the coin system from WiiU Version that rewards players coins based on how well they did on a song. Clearing to full combo to donderful combo rewards from least to most. And, when a random song each day has a star next to it, it rewards more coins. And, randomly at certain points of the day, online rank matches offer twice the coins earned no matter if a loss or win. Unlike how the WiiU version did it, the coins aren’t used for a gatcha machine; but are used to buy a lot (and when I mean a lot I mean A LOT) of various random items in the store. So, if the game has good songs fun things that rewards players to come back, why have I been seeing this game as a disappointment? Well, in a sense, there is no reason to come back to the game. Unlike the PS4 and Switch, there are no party modes or events that happen online. Sure, there are the daily rewards and a lot of items to buy at the store, but that will only retain so much for players to come back. So, let’s make a counterargument to the online and party modes from the PS4 and Switch games. For those that didn’t experience it, when the online events happened for the PS4, there weren’t many; and it came to an end in 2020. When it did happen for the Switch, it came much later down the cycle when nothing was going on. The party mode for the Switch was a nice feature; but, honestly, for Western players how many owned the game to play with other people for the party mode? Lastly, the PS4 online mode didn’t have a private room feature that the Switch had; which was a feature that came much down the road. So, the original question comes back one more time: why be upset with this game? The game doesn’t have what the Switch and PS4 had going on. But it took a while for some of those features to come to where they are now, other features are long gone, and did any Western player used the party mode with Switch? What it does have is something the previous games had; and they make the game fun. It’s not a bad game; hell, to some it’s not a disappointing game. So why am I frustrated with this game? *NO INTRO THEME*… This is the worst game 1/10.
  6. Going to see the Jackass forever movie tomorrow after watching the first three movies
  7. I'll be watching the movie he was a part in... you know the one...
  8. That's good you are doing well. Due to personal reason I haven't been at a SDCC. Once this shit is over might finally do it again. Still have like little Sword kirby riding on the warpstar you have me years ago.
  9. The Eighth Generation of consoles was a weird experimental phase with most consoles. Both the WiiU and PSVita were supposed to be next successors to the Wii and PSP but failed in sales due to what they had and their competition at the time. The 3DS, while its introductory games were mediocre at best, destroyed the PSVita with its abundance of games. The domination of the PS4 and XBoxOne over the WiiU led Nintendo to drop the latter and have it reformed into the Switch. The Taiko no Tatsujin series had a bit of hard time because of this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iv09wlMOdg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8QGFvsjF84 The 3DS was the most popular of the handhelds that Nintendo provided but somehow got only three games. The first game, Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb had a good story mode with likeable characters including the evil… Mao… Original name do not steal… The songlist comprises of notable songs like Fighter’s Honor, Wasabi Body Blow, An American in Paris, and Kimi to Hibiku Harmony. It was a basic start for the console that would have two similar but different games. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQJmVOgKfQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eJGrfsENcw Enter Don to Katsu no Jikuu Daibouken: one of the first 3DS games that would later down the line become a port on the Switch. The game would be an RPG game with an ability to roam areas more freely. The RPG elements would have some enemies fight by Don and Katsu’s side while offering their own abilities. The costumes would return but would be unlocked by both songs and the story mode. Speaking of the story mode, it has the twin taiko brothers traveling around in different time periods to find pieces of a friendly clock named Tikkun after an encounter of Professor Tinedyne’s helpers. Each period also has it’s own person of interest like Cleopatra and Nobunaga. Songs that are seen this time around are Republic Praise, Monster Hunter 4 Medley, Geragerapo no Uta, and Choujikouu Adventure. The game also had dlc songs, costumes, and extra story scenarios that wouldn't happen on the Switch version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWtG82uHS-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-HxEKaBRPY Surprisingly last of the 3DS games was Dokodon! Mystery Adventure which would be bundled with the previous game as a Switch port. The game’s rpg story this time around would have the brothers travel to mystical places of the world like Greece/Rome and the Easter Islands. The goal is to retrieve the missing artifacts to restore balance to the world. Notable songs this time around would be Jinsei Dramatic, Yokai Taizou Dai Ichi, QUESTION, Ride of the Valkyrie, Kirby’s Dreamland Medley, Phoenix Wright 123 Medley, Makaimura (Overworld BGM) and Sekai wa Itsudemo Mystery. Like the previous game, this one also had dlc songs, costumes, and extra story scenarios that didn't make it on the Switch version. As for the WiiU games, it also had surprisingly three games too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUufG7boHlI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmoGdPM-Z2c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN_XfMzrTEY WiiU Version was a game that brought the baton pass which had players pass around the WiiU gamepad around after each of them complete a game. Songs this time around are Entry of the Gladiators, Highschool Love!, Usagi no Shippo, and Atsumare Taiko Matsuri! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEP_g26lbMs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY9QI0Bh86Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB27UssAK_M Tokumori! is the second game for the WiiU that had more songs that were mostly returning songs from past games and returning game modes and costumes. The game had this new game mode at least called “Intro Don!” which had players guess what song was playing. And the game would give out coins that would be used in a gacha thing instead of just buying them. Some of the more notable songs would be Imagination! from Haikyuu!, The Windmill Song, and Thunder and Lightning Polka. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW4cvN5k3ak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RntRVGiKR00 Atsumete Tomodachi Daisuken was the third and last game of the WiiU by coming out in 2015. The game had a story mode with Kat-Chan trying to be a star by befriending wild animals with music. DLC songs would return as well as the Mekadon gacha part. The game would be the only one to actually use Amibo's that would unlock certain songs like the Animal Crossing New Leaf Medley and Eat 'Em Up! Other notable songs would be Baladium's Drive and Inu Hoeru. The PSVita would only have one game. *Looks at “The iDOLM@STER Must Songs game”*… The PSVita would only have one game that was rightfully called V Version. The game didn’t do much differently with just having a story mode, costumes that would be useful in the story mode, and DLC songs. Some songs included would be TO MAKE THE END OF BATTLE, Ashita e no Kodou, Let’s Kouken!- Koi no Chouki ha 1,000,000- Nen~, and Dr.Wily Stage 1. In the years 2017 to 2018, players would get what would seem to be the last of the Taiko no Tatsujin games on consoles for a while. Session de Dodon ga Don! and Switch Version would be games that would finally see Western markets. As for now, Session de Dodon ga Don! has lately died down with DLC since 2020 with the Switch Version still getting some online and DLC support today. Besides the bundle of past 3DS games, there hasn’t been a new game confirmed to come out yet. It has been 20 long years since the first Taiko game graced the arcades and almost another 20 years for the series to be on the consoles. Although it didn’t receive a lot of success in the West at the start, I want to thank Bandai Namco for keeping the series strong for these many years with the inclusion of the recent games being localized. And, with that, the series retrospective comes to an end.
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