Hakama may have only released a handful of games since their formation by Yoshifumi Hashimoto in 2018, but with Rune Factory 4 Special and Rune Factory 5 as two of their more noteworthy releases, it’s fair to say the focus is more on quality over quantity. Unfortunately, although their latest title Elrentaros Wanderings (previously known as Rear Sekai) has hints of their trademark creative brilliance, ultimately fails to deliver on almost every front.

More: Bushiroad, Hakama, highlight, Rear Sekai, Red Art Games, top

Examining Pokemon X and Y’s lost story via an old leak

Posted on 5 months ago by Ethan in 3DS, Features | 0 comments

Today, we’re looking at a Pokemon X and Y leak from March 2014 that contained cut story elements that wound up reused in subsequent games.

Pokemon X and Y were the first main series game in full 3D. All of the characters, environments, and the Pokemon themselves were fully modeled and animated for the first time ever, which marked a big leap forward for the series. Despite this giant leap in technology, though, X and Y aren’t exactly the most loved Pokemon games (though they do have their fair share of dedicated fans). In a strange way, X and Y are something of an anomaly. Generation 6 is the only generation that didn’t have a third version game, for instance – there was never a Pokemon Z or a Pokemon X2 or Y2. In fact, Zygarde had new forms introduced to it in Pokemon Sun and Moon, a completely separate generation. So what happened here?

In March 2014, a user going by the name “XYSider” posted a giant leak on 4chan discussing story points and mechanics that wound up cut from the final game due to time constraints. This leak is absolutely huge in terms of size, so we’re not writing today on the assumption that it’s all true. That being said, for being posted in March 2014, a few elements from this leak wound up coming true in some way or another in future games. So today, we’re taking a look at every part of this leak and examining all of the things that came to fruition – either coincidentally or because maybe it was real – in Pokemon games that came after X and Y.

More: Game Freak, highlight, Pokemon X, Pokemon Y, top

[Review] Cat Quest III

Posted on 5 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch | 0 comments

System: Switch
Release date: August 8, 2024
Developer: The Gentlebros
Publisher: Kepler Interactive

We have had so many cat-focused indie games over the last decade that it could practically be a genre unto itself, but few are as charming, engaging, or downright fun, as Cat Quest. The simplistic yet punchy combat, tightly-packed but unrestricted open world, and overbearing onslaught of feline related puns all combine to make it an experience that has always left me wanting more. Developer The Gentlebros have now graced us with a third installment, Cat Quest III, which continues to improve upon the established formula and takes it into uncharted waters as we set sail on a swashbuckling pirate (or should that be “Pi-rat”?) adventure.

More: Cat Quest: Pirates of the Purribean, highlight, Kepler Interactive, The GentleBros, top

Zelda: Majora’s Mask N64 vs. 3DS – examining which is better

Posted on 5 months ago by Ethan in 3DS, Features, General Nintendo | 0 comments

We’re taking a bit of time to reflect on the Zelda: Majora’s Mask N64 vs. 3DS debate to think about the pros and cons of each version.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is often regarded as one of the better (if not one of the best) games in the series. This is despite how heavily it borrows assets from Ocarina of Time – it fashions old assets into new characters with set routines and believable reactions to the tragedies that occur in the game. That being said, the two versions of the game available right now, N64 and 3DS, provide different experiences. There isn’t a consensus on which version of the game is objectively better, however. Today, we’re going to discuss the differences between Majora’s Mask N64 vs 3DS and ask you the question: which one do you like better?

More: highlight, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, top

[Let’s Talk] What do you want to see next out of Monolith Soft?

Posted on 5 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 0 comments

Monolith Soft has become one of Nintendo’s most important subsidiaries over the years. For one thing, the company has developed a very consistent RPG in Xenoblade Chronicles going back to the Wii era. Monolith Soft continued to expand and now has extra teams working on other first-party games, ranging from Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild to the Splatoon titles.

This week, we heard that Monolith Soft is hiring for a “new RPG” with Tetsuya Takahashi at the helm. It’s certainly possible that this could be for a new Xenoblade game. On the other hand, we can’t help but be intrigued by the company working on something entirely new.

We want to ask you though: what would you like to see out of Monolith Soft? Let us know in the comments below.

More: highlight, Monolith Soft, top

[Rapid Review] Thank Goodness You’re Here

Posted on 5 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments

System: Switch
Release date: August 1, 2024
Developer: Coal Supper
Publisher: Panic

It’s not very often that a video game makes me laugh. There are usually a few lines of dialogue that will elicit a smile or two, or maybe even a small chuckle if it’s especially witty. But prior to playing Thank Goodness You’re Here I couldn’t remember the last time I was genuinely amused, especially not to the point that I needed to put my console down to compose myself for a few moments at times. It’s definitely something you need to experience firsthand to appreciate, and unlike anything else I’ve played this year so far.

More: Coal Supper, highlight, Panic, Thank Goodness You're Here, top

The history of the “free update” model in Switch games

Posted on 5 months ago by Ethan in Features, General Nintendo, Switch | 0 comments

Today, we’re going over the history of the “free update” business model of certain first-party games released for Switch.

Free updates and DLC weren’t quite as common for Nintendo games back in the Wii U and 3DS era. Company culture changes aside, one possible reason for this is that those consoles could only store so much extra data and updates for their games (with Super Smash Bros. pushing the limits of this restriction). Needless to say, things have sort of changed during the Switch era. Free updates have gone from a nice bonus to… something else, we’ll say. Here are some of the most prominent examples of Switch games that relied on a free update content cycle, and what these updates added to each game.

More: highlight, top

Worst Shiny Pokemon of all time

Posted on 5 months ago by Ethan in Features, General Nintendo, Switch | 0 comments

Following our recent list of the best Shiny Pokemon of all time, we’ve put together a list of the absolute worst Shiny Pokemon of all time. When you look at a big list of every Shiny Pokemon, you’ll notice that there are many more average or poor ones than good ones. This is especially prevalent in some of the earlier generations. It’s rumored that Shiny Pokemon colors were originally determined via an algorithm, but we couldn’t actually find any confirmation of this – maybe the developers just got better at picking colors as the years went by. In any case, we’ve looked through every single Shiny Pokemon and included some of the very worst ones here.

More: highlight, Pokemon, top

[Review] Trinity Fusion

Posted on 5 months ago by Dawn in Reviews, Switch eShop | 0 comments

System: Switch
Release date: August 1, 2024
Developer: Angry Mob Games
Publisher: Angry Mob Games

The idea of a multiverse is nothing new, but it tends to be the domain of movies and TV series rather than video games, especially in recent times. Angry Mob Games’ title Trinity Fusion brings this concept to the roguelite genre in some interesting ways that make it a far more immersive experience than I was expecting, although it never capitalizes on its more unique premise to deliver a more memorable time. Despite this, for fans of the genre it is definitely worth a look-in.

More: Angry Mob Games, highlight, top, Trinity Fusion

[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – August 2024

Posted on 5 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 0 comments

A new month just started up this week. Now that we’re in August, we want to know what you’ve been playing.

Have you been busy with Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition? How about other games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate or Star Wars: Bounty Hunter? No matter the case, let us know in the comments below.