Eliwood8

I'm sure they've thought of it, but Capcom likes to drip feed Monster Hunter games as a yearly franchise, so they're probably only going to gradually release new games with more features that combine the style of World with the breadth of content from previous games. After the success of World I'm sure that'll be their focus while moving forward with the series, though I wonder how much Western gamers will tolerate yearly releases (Japan seems to have no problem with this format). They might just stick with World for the time being and add more monsters/content with updates or DLC.

I consistently rewatch Over the Garden Wall and Rocky Horror Picture Show sometime in October each year. Though this year I am trying to watch a few more horror movies. So far I've watched Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead.

For a while there it looked like we weren't going to get this game in the West (originally called Monster Hunter XX in Japan), but Switch owners can rejoice: while other systems are playing Monster Hunter World we've got Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, the most jam-packed Monster Hunter game to date. This is an expansion of the 3DS game originally released in the West in 2016 so the basic premise will be familiar to many players (in fact, I'm reposting my review of that game below since it covers so much of this game as well), but a little similarity to previous entries has never stopped a true Monster Hunter fan. For those of us that are helplessly addicted to the hunt, Generations Ultimate is…well, the ultimate experience. First off, one of the nicest features in this game is simply the fact that you're able to transfer your progress from Generations on the 3DS to this Switch game. It's a quick, simple process and incredibly valuable for saving a lot of time building up an inventory of basic resources. Tackling every hunt can be a lot of fun in Monster Hunter but transferring data like this helps veteran hunters jump right to the new content. It's hard to know what to say about Generations Ultimate since it's basically an expansion of Generations for the 3DS. The core elements are the same but this game adds more monsters, more hunting styles, more maps—more everything! Generations Ultimate may not have a fancy new gameplay gimmick or monster type but the game doubles down on Generations' premise as a collection of Monster Hunter greatest hits. With even more monsters and maps from the franchise's history represented here, this truly is an almost all-encompassing representation of the series's rich hunting history. For fans of Monster Hunter it doesn't get much better than this—Generations Ultimate is everything you love, all packed into one Switch cartridge. And on the other hand, Generations Ultimate may not necessarily win over new players. Monster Hunter games have grown increasingly more accessible with each generation but there are still plenty of little aspects that players might find tedious, like collecting resources or the seemingly endless grind to earn rare item drops from monsters. If the game clicks for you you'll be hooked for literally hundreds of hours of playtime, but if not the gameplay might seem repetitive. Aside from just plain more monsters to fight, one of the more significant additions to Generations Ultimate is two new hunter styles, Valor and Alchemy. Valor isn't that dissimilar from the existing Adept style as both rely upon reading the monster perfectly to time your dodges, but Valor also gives the benefit of building up a Valor State that allows you to perform new attacks, depending upon what weapon you're using. It can be a risky style to use but also a fun change of pace for pros that want a little something new. Alchemy lets you craft items in the middle of a battle, some of which affect the whole hunting party, so it's useful for players that like playing support. It's also pretty complicated to learn since you basically have to learn all of the alchemy recipes and then remember which ones you want to use in battle, but with a bit of practice it's a nice addition to multiplayer hunts. Of course, possibly the best reason to get Generations Ultimate even if you played the 3DS game to death is the addition of G-rank, the highest difficulty rank in a Monster Hunter game where enemies hit even harder and add new attack patterns. One of the best things about Monster Hunter is the satisfaction of defeating a particularly troublesome beast, so adding another layer of difficulty to the game is perfect for players that enjoy a challenge. G-rank is a true test of skill, and rising to the challenge either alone or with friends is a blast. It's been a while since we've gotten to enjoy a Monster Hunter game on an HD system (well, an HD Nintendo system at any rate) and seeing all of the game's 93 monsters on the big screen is a real treat. Granted, Generations Ultimate still has its roots in the 3DS so the visuals are upscaled and still retain a certain grainy simplicity, notably in menus, but the graphics are still good—they're just not as great as they might have been if the game was built from the ground up for the Switch. The music isn't half bad either and helps give each hunt an epic tone—there's no better song to pump you up for hunting than the series's main theme. That "Ultimate" addition to the title isn't much of an exaggeration: Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate takes a game that was already made to be a compilation of the greatest hits from the franchise and packs in even more content with a quest list to make even the most seasoned hunter's head spin. The new features may be pretty minimal in the grand scheme but fans of the series won't mind. This isn't a game made to revolutionize the way Monster Hunter is played—it's a game for hardcore hunting fans that can't get enough of battling gigantic monsters, crafting weapons and armor, and doing it all again and again. Rating: 9 out of 10 Monsters Original review for Monster Hunter Generations (3DS):

That's the Japanese twitter update run through Google Translate. Of course it comes out as nonsense.

It's almost hard to believe we were once seeing new Mega Man games just about every year, but then waited over a decade between Mega Man 8 and 9, and now eight years between 10 and 11. Even though Capcom likes to keep its fans in constant suspense over the future of its franchises they've produced some outstanding titles recently, including Mega Man 11. With a perfect blend of old school difficulty with new visuals and gameplay features, Mega Man 11 finds a fantastic balance between retro charm and modern flair. This may shock longtime Mega Man fans, but the plot of this game involves Dr. Wily using eight robot masters to try to take over the world. Shocking, I know. Even though Wily is up to his same old tricks he's got a new gadget to get the job done: the Double Gear, a piece of technology he created in his younger days to make robots stronger and faster. To defeat him this time Mega Man makes use of the same tech. Mega Man 11 isn't about to win any writing awards but the game does add a little to the backstories of Wily and Dr. Light, and the use of voice actors helps make the intro and ending cutscenes a little more fun the watch. Despite the facelift to 2.5D graphics, the gameplay here is classic Mega Man. You have eight robot masters to defeat, each with a themed level and a weapon you'll receive upon beating them, and Mega Man has his standard arsenal of tools: Mega Buster, charged shot, sliding, Rush Coil and Jet, etc. Mega Man 11 is everything players love about the franchise and feels right at home alongside the other main numbered entries. The robot masters don't have the same charm as past bosses, nor quite the same challenges, but the formula of defeating one to use its weapon against another remains an engaging one. The one egregious missing element, though, is the fact that Mega Man does not freeze when jumping through boss room doors. How dare Capcom overlook the most important aspect of the Blue Bomber. Mega Man 11 also has a classic sense of difficulty. It's not quite as completely cutthroat as the original NES games but it gets pretty close at times, from spike traps to tricky jumps where wind is pushing you in one direction or the other. As usual there are checkpoints throughout each stage but losing all of your lives sends you back to the beginning. Fans of the series know that some of this repetition is just par for the course though, and the challenge of perfecting your skills throughout the early portions of each stage is far more satisfying than it is stifling. Plus Mega Man 11 makes things easier on the player with a generous items system that allows you to buy extra lives, energy tanks, and permanent upgrades that can be invaluable if you're struggling. This game captures that classic sense of difficulty without the same sense of frustration thanks to these concessions to the player. In addition to all of the classic elements of Mega Man that have returned there is an important new feature: the double gear. This ability lets you temporarily increase your speed or power, perfect for getting around a tricky enemy or taking down a robot master quickly. The double gear feels right at home in the series: it's a valuable tool but doesn't feel like an uncomfortably different play style from classic Mega Man since it only enhances his abilities rather than create new features to learn (although I often forgot to use it, being used to classic Mega Man gameplay as is). Since you can only use it for a limited time before it overheats and reduces Mega Man's power it's also nicely balanced—it'll help you get through some tricky moments but you can't just rely on it constantly, you still need to hone your platforming skills. Mega Man 11 clocks in at a respectable five hours or so—it feels like the right length for a Mega Man game, though admittedly a significant chunk of that time is spent on the first few levels, dying and retrying before you have enough bolts to purchase extra lives and upgrades. If you can't get enough of the Blue Bomber though there are different difficulty levels you can tackle plus a variety of challenges that give you specific goals, from simple time trials to finishing a level while jumping as little as possible. The game's power up system also makes it easy to set your own challenges—playing the game without power ups or purchasing extra lives is a lot more difficult but some players might appreciate the classic feel it offers. Unlike the classic pixel art of the original NES games or even the more detailed pixel art of some of the later entries, Mega Man 11 features 2.5D graphics which gives a pseudo-3D effect while still retaining basic side-scrolling gameplay. The effect is great and feels like an appropriate modernization of Mega Man. You get some beautiful background artwork and a few flashy visuals without betraying the familiar, somewhat cartoonish design of classic enemies and of course Mega Man himself. The soundtrack also does a fine job of capturing the nostalgic charm of past music tracks while still feeling fresh and new. Not all of the songs quite live up to the franchise's history but to be fair those are some big shoes to fill. Just like Mega Men 9 and 10, Mega Man 11 is a love letter to the Blue Bomber, recreating all of the best—and some of the more challenging—elements of the franchise. Unlike the other games though, this one also does a fantastic job of establishing new gameplay elements that feel fresh and valuable without betraying any of the classic difficulty or game design of the series. Longtime fans will love having another Mega Man adventure to play through, and new players will enjoy the fact that, while still challenging, Mega Man 11's item system makes the adventure much more manageable. Rating: 8 out of 10 Robot Masters

I'm just gonna say it: I judge people that wear mixed sets without any active skills. Especially when the guy ends up carting on just about every hunt we go on.

Reminds me that a friend of mine used a sort of placeholder name for his PSN ID, thinking he could change it later. He's been stuck with it for like almost ten years now and has probably gotten used to it, but I'll have to ask him if he's gonna change it.

Thanks! Yeah clothing designs can get pretty ridiculous in games like this. I can understand wanting to have some fun with it and make a unique or elaborate outfit but a basic amount of practicality would be nice—no one would be running around fighting monsters in the outfits Dana wears.

- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Switch) A few rough edges but overall I really enjoyed it. I know it's a port but I hope more people get a chance to check this one out. [image] - QUBE Director's Cut (PS4) Pretty fun Portal-esque puzzle game, well aside from one magnet-based puzzle that just annoyed me for so long. [image] - PAN-PAN A tiny big adventure (Switch) Bought this on a whim because it looked cute and was only $3. I was not prepared for its completely esoteric puzzles though. Still a cute little game but damn. [image] - WarioWare Gold (3DS) I'm not really an expert on the series but this seems like a pretty great collection of franchise highlights. I'm just not usually that invested in score-chasing games like this though. [image] - Mega Man 11 (Switch) Feels like a really good blend of classic MM gameplay with new ideas. The double gear system is a natural fit for MM. [image] C : 102 H: 8 P: 0 M: 0 O: 110 Challenges: 19 points

I have a launch Switch with hundreds of hours on it by now and I don't really have any problems with it. There's some light scuffing on the system and on one of my joy-cons but nothing I wouldn't expect from general use/wear and tear. Sometimes it seems like my left joy-con is finnicky but it's not consistent; generally it works fine. Also if you're debating whether to get a Switch now or hold off for a new model, bear in mind the new model reports are just rumors and we know nothing about what a remodel might entail. The system might even end up being less durable for it.

No worries, thanks for looking into it Kodiack. I figured it might just be something funky with the browser.

It may not have the star power of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest but the Ys series been around just about as long as those two RPG franchises, and continues to put out new content with Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, originally released in Japan in 2016 and recently ported to the Switch. Don't worry if you haven't been keeping up though; Ys VIII acts as a standalone title that anyone can jump straight into, and RPG fans will want to give the game a look for its fast-paced combat and large, engaging environments to explore. Each game in the Ys series follows the same protagonist, Adol Christin, adventurer extraordinaire, who seems to have a knack for stumbling into the right place at the right time. As the game begins Adol and his pal Dogi have found work aboard a passenger ship, but when a ferocious sea monster attacks Adol wakes up shipwrecked on the deserted island of Seiren. Strange rumors surround the island though, and it's up to Adol to get to the bottom of them while also rescuing other castaways and finding a way off the island. Ys VIII does a fine job of keeping the player engaged as you gradually find more survivors and uncover more strange happenings on the island. There are, however, some cliché plot points and one subplot in particular that feels completely out of left-field and oddly melodramatic—some parts of the writing definitely could have been tightened up. Also, despite a patch to address the more egregious typos and text errors, there are still a handful of noticeable typos throughout the game. But there's still a lot of charm in the writing thanks to a large and likeable cast of characters, as well as the mystery at the heart of the story. One of the defining traits of the Ys series is its action-based combat. Rather than turn-based or even combat-mode battles of similar JRPGs, Ys VIII lets you run right up to an enemy and smack it with Adol's sword. Monsters are scattered everywhere on the island and thanks to the seamless fluidity of attacking or fleeing from them Ys VIII has a great sense of fast-paced combat. You're free to move about while attacking and you have both dodging and blocking mechanics that give battles a satisfying intensity. Plus the game finds an excellent balance of difficulty. There may be an emphasis on dodging to avoid attacks but you're not going to be overwhelmed if you're not the type of player with perfect timing. This isn't a full-on action game where you need to pick your moments precisely—there's enough freedom that you can just go all out on an enemy, you'll just do a little better for dodging and blocking effectively. It makes the combat feel vibrant without bogging the player down in learning every monster's attack pattern. There are also a couple of other important aspects of combat. Most monsters have an attack-type weakness (slash, pierce, or strike) and each member of your party uses a different attack-type, so to play most effectively you'll want to switch between your three active party members (naturally, as an action-RPG, you can only control one at a time). Additionally, every character has unique skills for dealing more damage, and the party shares one SP meter. With these other elements in mind, combat in Ys VIII has a satisfying blend of both strategy and fast-paced action—there's something incredibly rewarding about demolishing a monster by using the right attack-type to break its defenses then using flashy special attacks to defeat it. And again, Ys VIII never bogs the player down with little details. You don't have to worry much about managing your SP meter since it recovers pretty quickly as you attack. The members you're not actively controlling still attack for a small amount of damage, but on the plus side they'll take little damage as well so you don't have to babysit them. The only minor annoyance here is that status effects can be hard to notice sometimes, but you can pause the battle at any moment to use a recovery item, so once again Ys VIII makes it easy to just enjoy the combat without punishing the player for not playing perfectly. The other core aspect of the game is exploration. It's only one island but Seiren is a big environment to explore, although it's mostly linear thanks to specific checkpoints that require special items or plot progression. Also each area is divided up into smaller regions, so the island isn't quite seamless (and even with these subdivisions distant objects sometimes pop into view with a jittering low framerate). Still, exploring is pretty fun in Ys VIII, partially thanks to the item collection/crafting system that encourages you to explore every nook and cranny. The materials you find or pick up from defeated monsters can be used to upgrade weapons or craft new armor and items, so it behooves you to pick up everything you can. This kind of item collection can be tedious in other games but Ys VIII makes it pretty simple, especially because you can also trade materials for others, so if you're missing just one piece of ore to upgrade your sword you don't have to run around fighting monsters until you find it. The only problem with exploration is the odd use of adventuring gear. These are items you need to progress further, such as gloves that let you climb vines. What's odd is that the game forces you to equip these in special adventure gear slots, which feels like a pointless restriction when these are simple necessities for exploration. It's not hard to swap out these items on the fly but it still feels like an unnecessary quirk of the game. Control-wise Ys VIII isn't too hard to pick up, but if you do have any trouble with them the game features full button customization. For example I swapped L for ZL and R for ZR which felt more comfortable for dodging and blocking. The game makes it easy to find the right fit for you. The visuals in Ys VIII feel like somewhat of a mixed bag. The graphics are by no means bad—characters have a charming anime look that is bright and colorful, and the animation is nice and smooth—but overall the art style never truly impresses. The environments are fine for what they are but there aren't any scenes that feel particularly stunning or stylish, plus there's a grainy, low-res look to some of the textures. As mentioned the draw distance can get a little funky at times as distant enemies stutter through low framerate movements. None of these are problems that will spoil the experience at all, but it does feel like the graphics are the one area of Ys VIII that truly lacks polish. On the other hand, the game does boast a pretty excellent soundtrack, one that is just as fun and catchy when it's playing for a momentous boss battle scene as when it's just adding ambiance to exploration. There are plenty of great songs to enjoy throughout the adventure. With it's large island teeming with monsters and treasures, Ys VIII clocks in at a pretty respectable 40 hours or so, assuming you don't waste too much time just exploring. But the game also features a number of side quests, courtesy of the other castaways you rescue. You're able to help them and raise their affinity which aids in another side adventure, fortifying your base of operations from monster attacks. Plus there are also optional areas to explore, and if you decide the gameplay isn't challenging enough you can up the difficulty. And finally once you finish the game you can start again with new game+ and carry over certain features. For RPG fans there's plenty to enjoy here. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana feels like it has a good chance of completely flying under the radar thanks to other high profile recent RPG releases on the Switch, but RPG fans would be doing themselves a disservice by overlooking this one. With its appealing story, fast-paced combat system, satisfying exploration, and stellar soundtrack, Ys VIII offers a lengthy, engrossing adventure. A few rough edges in the plot and visuals shouldn't deter anyone looking for an engaging action-RPG on the Switch. Rating: 8 out of 10 Castaways

I wouldn't be surprised since that's sort of been Nintendo's MO with their handhelds since…well always I guess if you count things like the GameBoy Pocket, and Sony and Microsoft have gotten into the same deals with upgraded PS4 and Xbox One models a few years after their initial release. I can't imagine there'd be any huge changes though since it'd divide the userbase, so I'd probably pass on it.

PS Plus gives users 2 PS4 games, 2 PS3 games, and 2 PS Vita games every month. It's $60 for a year's subscription but there have been some high profile AAA games given away through the service, and occasionally even brand new games that premiere on PS Plus.

This sounds like a hilariously bad idea to me but we'll see; seems like there are so many video game movie projects in production lately that maybe this is a new start for video games and Hollywood.