Off Topic Nintendo

[Rob]

1 hour ago, Ashez said:

A Hat In Time announced for Switch! Now that's one I have an interest in!

Is that the indie platformer?

[Ashez]

23 minutes ago, Rob2017 said:

Is that the indie platformer?

Yeah mate, apparently it's really good and better than Yooka-Laylee. 

[Jens]

5 hours ago, samhardy said:

Thought this thread was boring enough then @Jens turns up 😂

Who are you again? 

[Ashez]

Check out @FootballManager’s Tweet:

FMT19 comes to Switch at the end of November. @Jens, @Real_Random. Really not sure why they've worded it as FM is coming TWICE but in the comments they confirm it's FMT. Their branding is so screwed up. 

[Ashez]

What I've Been Playing

August wasn't the most exciting month for me as my time and money went else where with decorating & furniture being the main culprit. We've also had a plumber in for the last few weeks who placed all his items/materials in my games room so I haven't been able to get in there (Wii,WiiU,GameCube,SNES location). So this month has mainly seen me playing on handhelds or in quick bursts on things like Switch demos, I've also played loads of FMM :o.  

Events -  Four Directs & Pokemon World Championships.

Spoiler

 

Smash Bros Direct - I've never played a Castlevania game so I have no connection to the added characters but I'm pleased they're here, especially as their designs are badass. Chrom got me excited as I love Fire Emblem Awakening so it's ace he's now in Smash as I was disappointed he didn't make the WiiU version, Dark Samus is neat but I can't say I care for her as a character design wise. King K-Rool is finally here which is another great addition as he should have been added years ago! The two reveal trailers were awesome though, the Luigi's Mansion connection to Castlevania was so clever and the Dedede swerve for K-Rool was hilarious! Then you got the music and stage news which adds so much to the game, this really is the ultimate Smash! I'm just praying that "blurred" mode is a meaty single player campaign! 

Nindie Direct Europe - It was a good direct but nothing screamed out at me tbh but I'll keep an eye on MoonLighter, This War Of Mine, Slay The Spire and Prison Architect. A Hat In Time being announced after the event got me the most excited though as I've kept track of that for years.

Nindie Direct US - Hardly anything caught my attention with only Hyper Light Drifter and Into The Breach being of interest as I've heard good things. That's the beauty of indie games though as you never know what will sneak up on you. It wasn't in the direct but the news of Shovel Knight getting a physical release next April is awesome, I have a physical and a digital 3DS copy but I've only played the original game on that as I wanted to experience it on the big screen but I never got it on the WiiU, it's a game I've almost got a few times on the Switch eshop but a physical release always felt like it would happen so I'm glad I waited. 

Dragalia Lost Direct - Nintendo's first original IP for mobile should be a big deal and they treated it as such with its own direct, tbh it doesn't look bad but I can't say I'd be that interested if it was a 3DS/Switch release as it looks a by the numbers action RPG. As always with mobile games the issue is how it's monetized but it's free to start so I'll be sure to give it a whirl whenever it releases in Europe. Presentation wise it reminds me of Fire Embem Heroes which I did really enjoy on mobile for a short period of time but that was very generous with the free gems and stuff. 

Pokemon World Championships 

VGC - I watched a little bit of the first two days with the competitive Gothitelle in top 8 (iirc) being extremely hype! I usually watch the World Championships but I tire of seeing the same Pokemon over and over, obviously it's clear to see why the same top Pokemon are used as it's a competitive scene after all but it soon gets boring, I tend to watch in hope of seeing something original. 
Finals
Juniors - Incredible first two games with unique Pokemon on both sides in this format. Highly recommended viewing. 
Seniors - Some good plays but pretty one sided.
Masters - A slow paced switching battle I really enjoyed, some massive plays by the victor!

Pokken - My experience ends at the demo on Switch and WiiU but for some reason I enjoy watching high level Pokken play as I've found myself watching a few finals. I can't stand watching Splatoon and I'm hit and miss with competitive Smash but Pokken in short bursts is fun to watch. I'm not gunna lie I don't understand this game at all with all the phase shift stuff but this final was very enjoyable with plenty of twists and turns with a pretty epic ending. I've since seen people raving on Twitter that it's one of the best finals in any fighting game event! 

TCG - I have zero knowledge or interest in the TCG, I'm not even sure I knew how to play it as a kid when I collected them lol. I think my friends group just made it up as we went along, YuGiOh was the card game I got into playing wise, Pokemon was just the collecting. I'm still devastated I don't have my original cards anymore, I have no idea what I did with them but I'd love the 151 collection now! 

GamesCon - GamesCon never catches me like E3 does for some reason but I watched a few of the separate highlight videos they put on YouTube. They put out a Fifa19 one I didn't bother watching but I did watch the Diablo 3 spotlight, mainly because I've seen so much excitement since its reveal yet I know nothing of the series. From the video I can see why it would be addictive but I'm not sure it's for me as I've never played a game like that. 

OMFG Dragon Quest XI - This game looks so freaking good! It releases this month on the PS4 with a Switch version coming at a later date but it looks perfect, the PS4 reviews are sky high, it's beautiful, it's charming and I just want it! I'm praying the Switch version is a good port and not too far away but I believe it's next year at the earliest. DQ has historically struggled in the West but I strongly recommend looking into the series if you like old school and simple RPG's with wonderful characters and stories. I'm not really a turn based RPG guy outside of Pokemon but I love Dragon Quest which oddly inspired Pokemon haha. 

GameXplain - They've just passed 1m subs which is well deserved! Any Nintendo fan should be following them as they're ace lads with great content. 

 

What I've Been Playing

3DS

Chibi-Robo Zip Lash - I got this game dirt cheap shortly after it released with the Amiibo which was the reason I picked it up, considering I didn't play a true platformer last month I decided this was a decent pull off the shelf. By now I'm sure you've noticed I like to keep things fresh genre wise as I think it helps me keep playing. Anyway Zip Lash is a slow paced platformer where Chibi-Robo is a little robot with a power cord and the main gimmick of this game is you use said cord as a whip to kill enemies and hook shot around the levels, it feels very much like the Yoshi's Island games as you regularly stop to throw the whip like you would Yoshi's eggs. The slow paced nature of the gameplay isn't really my style as I like fast running platformers more but this game does a good job of staying fresh as each stage has its own unique mechanic with most being pretty fun. However for some idiotic reason the level select isn't say 1-1 to 1-2 but instead a spinning dial with numbers on, the number you land on is how many spaces you move forward, so in theory you can skip levels! It's absolutely awful but thankfully you can spend in game currency to change the numbers on the dial which I did to ensure I've gone in order but it's such an unneeded and bizarre hoop to jump through. Each word has six levels and a boss fight with one level being vehicle based which are easily the worst levels in the game while the bosses are also pretty bland and uninspired. Each level is filled with collectables like the usual coins, hidden baby robots, trash and oddly some real life food products but I can't say I went out my way to find them, if I came across them I grabbed them if not who cares. You do however pick up these blue orbs which increase the length of your power cord which was used in some clever ways during the play through. The above was written during the play through but I've just got to the final boss and I'm having a head turn! You can't fight the final boss unless you buy four stupidly expensive items and I can only afford two! So the entire game you're forced to spend money if you want to play the levels in order yet you need money at the end? Oh I'm raging! I need over £5k in coins to buy the remaining items! I get it's intended to make you replay levels but I have no interest in that at all, I've spent ten hours with this game and that's more than enough, I had every intention of saying this isn't a good game but it's not a bad one either but this has pushed me over the edge, absolute joke. 

Switch

Dragon Ball Fighter Z Beta - I saw the beta was available so why not join in! As a kid I was a DBZ fan but I can't say I remember much about it outside of a few character's, however after starting I was immediately hit by nostalgia! Simply put this looks excellent on the Switch as it's so bright and powerful with fast paced action, I only played around ten rounds but I did really enjoy myself even if I was just button mashing. I'd have loved a practice mode or something which I might have missed but I'd have liked to know what I was doing more haha, I did win a decent amount of matches though to be fair. I'm always hesitant of how much play I'd get out of an online fighter but I did really enjoy this. It apparently has a decent story though so I've added this to my list of at the right price games. It's times like this I miss being a kid as I have no one to really play games with regularly and online just isn't the same for me, as a kid and a teenager I'd always be gaming with friends or family but as I've grown up that aspect has left me unfortunately. 

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Demo - I've never played a Valkyria Chronicles game so I didn't know what to expect apart from it being similar to Mario + Rabbids and Code Name Steam so I was once again willing to try the demo out. As I expected the game is a turn based strategy cover shooter with lovely art work, seemingly deep mechanics and a story that catches your attention even if it appears a little cliche character wise. The story is fully voice acted and it was decent imo which helped bring the game to life while it has cut scenes and portrait type dialog. The demo contains a tutorial and the first two chapters of the story but I stopped playing after the first as I was already over a hour and a half in! While the save file does carry over to the actual game I decided to stop now as if I do pick this up I'd likely start again regardless. I did really enjoy it but it was a slow burn with lots of dialog and the maps taking a decent amount of time to get through, I'm saying it yet again but it's another name on my buy at the right price list as long as the reviews are solid for the full game. 

Yokus Island Express Demo - One genre of games I've never seen the appeal of would be pinball games, in truth I'm not even convinced I've ever played on a proper table but I likely have as I loved arcades as a kid. However when I saw Yokus Island Express was a pinball metroidvania platformer i was extremely intrigued. Thankfully the developers released a demo somewhat recently so I gave it a whirl and it's pretty neat! You play as what I assume is a dung beatle who has a ball of what I assume is shit which acts as the ball, you then traverse the level like any other 2D platformer but you can't jump, to gain higher ground and to get to other areas you need to find pinball paddles which will fling you around the area like a pinball table. The demo is pretty short but it appears the world map is full of collectables, upgrades and quests to complete with a Metroid like map. The art style is appealing and the music has a great charm about it and judging by the hype package shown on the completion of the demo it reviewed well. I've just looked and there is a physical release at £20 on Amazon so yet another successful demo as this game's added to my list, however I've read some reviews and discovered it's a very short experience which isn't what I'm after atm. 

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate Demo - Monster Hunter is a series I should love and one I really want to adore but for some reason it's never really clicked with me. I remember a demo disk being packaged with Devil May Cry on the PS2 and I played it a few times but something always bothered me with it, I've since tried it on the PSP and the 3DS but it's still never clicked with me. I love dragons, dinosaurs and all that stuff and Monster Hunters monsters look really bloody cool but I've never enjoyed one. Anyway a long story short I thought screw it lets get the Switch demo as the control scheme has always been crap on the handheld games so maybe I'll enjoy that more. All I'll say is I did the first "beginner" level which is when I remembered how slow the game play is, yeah it's ace to see the monster slowly wear down as you attack it but I guess my attention span just isn't suited to this style of game play and that's not even thinking about the learning curve. After the first level my Pro Controller went flat and I never bothered to return to the game. Oh well. 

GBA

Pokemon Light Platinum - I mentioned recently I had some Pokemon rom hacks in my collection and during this year's Pokemon World Championship I got that itch to play one. Light Platinum (created by WesleyFG) is a hack based on the R/S/S engine iirc which includes loads of Pokemon from R/B up until B/W from what I've seen. Visually it looks and feels like a legit game which isn't surprising but he created a lot of it himself, however the text is somewhat lacking and feels off, for example a number of NPC's say the exact same thing. Starter wise you pick from the original three but really early on you can also add a gen two starter to your party, so I went with Charmander and Totodile, mainly because I'm hoping for a Treeko at some point (and you get one before the first gym!). The beginning is pretty long winded and unbalanced as I had Charmander evolved before I even got Pokeballs and I wouldn't say I grinded at all, then in the customary early forest area I had to waste 80 turns of a battle as on the route I ran out of PP of attacking moves as the Pokemon centres are pretty far apart considering most trainers have almost full teams. I'll likely add to this as I play to keep track of my progress but so far the story is okay focusing on the D/P/P legendaries and the creation of the world and Pokemon, the evil team Steam also appear right from the start. The text is unique as you aren't just spoken to but you respond which feels really odd for a Pokemon game seeing your character interact but I'm not sure I'm a fan of it as it bloats the conversations. However the game does have cameos of trainers/rivals from other games and even Ash Ketchum makes a early appearance.

My Play through So Far & Brief Opinions

Spoiler

 

Gym 1 - Bug - Blitzle Lv18, Charmeleon Lv23, Croconaw Lv20, Grovyle Lv19, Vullaby HM slave. 

A nicely designed gym with the usual trainer battles and a few wild Pokemon which are linked to the story. Irritatingly there is a lot of status and the opposition will poison protect stall, but I walked it without needing Charmeleon. As for the team i'm currently committed to Blitzle but we'll see how he gets on, the three starters will stay but I'm as yet undecided on the final member and obviously the HM slave will change as needed. Just before you can pick a gen three starter you get the experience share and the gen three starter is Lv10 which is nice. 

Gym 2 - Grass - Heracross Lv24, Charmeleon Lv26, Croconaw Lv25, Grovyle Lv25, Britzle Lv24, Bidoof. 

It looks like picking Charmander gave me a easy start with the first two gyms being weak to fire, however this one was slightly tougher. Team wise I've added a Heracross as they're one of my favourites and brought in the HM king Bidoof, however this might not be the case as the second badge gave me access to a fan made move/HM :/. Slightly disappointed as I got into this thinking it was legit so fake moves and mons will put me off if they become a feature. 

Gym 3 - Water - Heracross Lv29, Charmeleon Lv28, Croconaw Lv28, Grovyle Lv33, Zebstrika Lv 31, Bidoof. 

Not the best gym design but it was fairly straight forward thanks to Grovyle and Zebstrika. I found a second experience share which is pretty handy to help keep everyone around the same level. 

The basic story at this point is the evil team are trying to capture legendaries in each major town you visit, they succeed in finding them but fail in capturing them and they appear in their rival pairs (Hoho/Lugia and so on). They then start fighting when Arceus turns up and stops them, after that you continue to the next town. In truth the story isn't the best but it does it's job, it's Pokemon after all. 

Gym 4 - Ghost - Zebstrika Lv33, Charmeleon Lv31, Heracross Lv32, Grovyle Lv33, Feraligatr Lv33, Bidoof. 

The first really challenging gym as my team really wasn't ready for it, especially as Heracross and Zebstrika had few moves to hit ghost types. I was lucky to not have been party wiped as a Lv40 Gengar breezed through my team but I managed to stall with Bidoof to revive some members and thunder wave the Gengar for Feraligatr to finishes it off with a bite. 

Gym 5 - Ground - Feraligatr Lv40, Charizard Lv42, Zebstrika Lv39, Heracross Lv42, Sceptile Lv40, Marowak Lv35. 

The time between gyms 4 and 5 seemed to really drag for some reason but it was finally Sceptile's and Feraligatr's time to shine! We finally moved away from the constant bug and grass types and on to ground and rock types which these two handled without issue. Bidoof has been dropped for a Cubone who I evolved into Marowak as it is my favourite Pokemon so I always wanted to fit him in if possible, this choice was made a lot easier since HM's really aren't used much so I had no need for a dedicated HM slave. 

Gym 6 - Electric - Feraligatr Lv41, Charizard Lv43, Zebstrika Lv43, Heracross Lv43, Sceptile Lv42, Marowak Lv43. 

Catching that Cubone came at just the right time as he absolutely bossed this gym boomeranging it in to destruction! His easy sweeps also had the added benefit of him levelling up to catch up with the rest of the team so he'll hopefully be more useful now.

Gym 7 - Ice - Feraligatr Lv46, Charizard Lv45, Zebstrika Lv46, Heracross Lv45, Sceptile Lv46, Marowak Lv47. 

This area felt really filler with two sets of back tracking but another easy enough gym which was more water/ice than ice so Sceptile cleaned up. The difficulty has really eased up since the tough beginning but I wouldn't say I'm over levelled as the gyms/rivals Pokemon are typically higher, the standard trainers are around my level and the wild Pokemon are ten levels lower. The story is still pretty bland though with my last story recap basically being able to cover this section as well, with one badge left I don't expect many surprises in the final stretch tbh. 

Gym 8 - Dragon - Zebstrika Lv50, Sceptile Lv48, Feraligatr Lv49, Marowak Lv47, Heracross Lv46, Charizard Lv46

When I saw this was a Dragon gym I was concerned as I had no real way to damage them outside of teching an ice beam on a jolly Feraligatr who couldn't even one shot a Flygon who is 4x weak! So instead I attempted to cheese the fight using Zebstrika to paraflinch (T-wave + headbut) those dragons into defeat which was just about enough to claim the 8th badge.I mentioned earlier the difficulty but a level spike did occur here with story sections and the gym being up to 15 levels stronger than me! Thankfully they don't have full teams so I've been able to chip at them with a full party but it's a definite increase. Bring on the Elite Four!

 

Thoughts So Far

I had hoped to have this finished before this update went out but I've yet to continue from winning the 8th badge as yet so this will continue in my September update. As for the game I've really enjoyed it but it has issues, like I've said before I think the story is serviceable but nothing amazing and the dialog is slightly long winded, the balance is also slightly off as routes are massive with loads of trainers so items are needed. Pokemon variety is also slightly disappointing with a lot of focus on grass and bug types early on but the available Pokemon to use is very varied and fun. Challenge wise it is a difficult start but the middle gets easier then a level spike happens which is noticeable yet manageable so far, I suppose the E4 will be the real test. I wanted a new Pokemon experience and I have to say this game delivered and really scratched that itch and I found it rather addictive. The one thing I'm really not keen on is you have way to many rivals that it's impossible to keep track of who's who and it feels like you can't go anywhere without one popping up and challenging you, this is extra annoying with how long routes are and when you just want to get to the next town. The town's and visuals are top draw and when I found out they were mostly custom I was even more impressed, all in all I would strongly recommend this game for someone after a GBA Pokemon adventure. I know @Nucleushas also played some but I dunno how far he's got. 

Game Of The Year So Far

Spoiler

 

New Releases

1. Darkest Dungeon 
2. Dragon Quest Builders
3. Owlboy
4. Axiom Verge
5. 

First Time Played This Year

1. Steamworld Dig 2 - Switch
2. Pokemon Ultra Sun - 3DS
3. Fire Emblem Warriors - Switch
4. LA Noire - Switch
5. Code Name Steam - 3DS

 

Recent Pick Ups

007 Quantum Of Solace (Wii) - £1
Star Wars The Force Unleashed (Wii) - £2

Unfortunately I found few deals this month and money was needed elsewhere so I wasn't able to pick up much. My two main targets were for a Japanese physical version of Okami HD which I hoped to pick up already imported but the site I use let me down with the notification email and it sold out quickly, thankfully I've found another site with it in the UK so I'll hopefully grab it in the coming week. Dead Cells was the other game I wanted but as the site I use charges on order I don't tend to preorder too far in advanced, unfortunately I went to buy it a few days before release to see it sold out, I'm not surprised as it was £5 cheaper than elsewhere but I've not had this issue before, so I'm currently awaiting a restock as even Amazon have sold out! Anyway I've added another 007 game to my collection as well as the Star Wars game I wanted so I can't complain, two out of the backlog and two in for the month isn't bad either. Next month will hopefully see me playing Okami, finishing off Light Platinum and maybe getting back into the games room! 

[Rob]

How’s your games room set up? Sounds a bingo bonus in a house.

[Ashez]

33 minutes ago, Rob2017 said:

How’s your games room set up? Sounds a bingo bonus in a house.

Not the best atm as I'm trying not to focus on it lol. Currently I've a TV on a table with a Wii (Gamecube), WiiU and Snes classic hooked up and a N64 and 360 available but the N64 is iffy on the TV. I need to get an old CRT at some point, I did tell my dad to keep one he had but he forgot and chucked it. I've then got a load of cheap cube shelves with all my games on (I have 318 physical games 🐵 and stuff like DC Graphic Novels. When it's set up and finished I'll be sure to show it but I'm in no rush to finish it off atm, it's functional so I'm happy enough lol. I don't even have a decent seat in there atm as I'm currently using one those outdoor camping chairs that closes into a bag haha. 

[Rob]

Would love to see it when done. 

[Ashez]

2 hours ago, Rob2017 said:

Would love to see it when done. 

Will do, it's just a slow process and I'm in no real rush haha. 

[Nucleus]

Not played Light Platinum for over a week now due to putting some time into FMM. Really enjoying it so far, text is a bit broken as you say but it’s one of the best rom hacks I’ve played

[Ashez]

2 hours ago, Nucleus said:

Not played Light Platinum for over a week now due to putting some time into FMM. Really enjoying it so far, text is a bit broken as you say but it’s one of the best rom hacks I’ve played

I've finished the E4 which is brutal and found a massive surprise I'm not sure what I think about lol. 

[Ashez]

@zaangie, I've seen you've been playing Hollow Knight, is it as good as everyone makes out?

[Ashez]

Nintendo Direct tomorrow!!!!!!

Check out @NintendoUK’s Tweet:

I knew it was always coming as September usually has one but it's finally here :D. 

[zaangie]

On 04/09/2018 at 17:31, Ashez said:

@zaangie, I've seen you've been playing Hollow Knight, is it as good as everyone makes out?

It's awesome, but it's so fucking hard ahahaha I just want to throw the console through the window 

[Ashez]

15 minutes ago, zaangie said:

It's awesome, but it's so fucking hard ahahaha I just want to throw the console through the window 

It looks really good but I've heard it's difficult lol, it's one I do really wanna try out though. I'm waiting for the physical release though I think, especially as I want to get Dead Cells soon which is also a Metroidvania.

[zaangie]

I only bought it digitally because it was 4 bucks xd

[Ashez]

8 minutes ago, zaangie said:

I only bought it digitally because it was 4 bucks xd

You can't knock that! I have £7ish in Nintendo coins but I'm gonna use that on the Mario+Rabbids DLC at some point I think :).

[Ashez]

What a weak direct, granted I'm not a Final Fantasy or Animal Crossing fan but nothing spoke to me at all. Oh I hope Fire Emblem is reasonably early 2019 if not I'll only be playing shitty NES games 😛

[Rob]

8 hours ago, Ashez said:

What a weak direct, granted I'm not a Final Fantasy or Animal Crossing fan but nothing spoke to me at all. Oh I hope Fire Emblem is reasonably early 2019 if not I'll only be playing shitty NES games 😛

Animal Crossing (assuming it is online) and Luigi will get purchased and played by me, but that’s about it. I understand why they are bringing Mario Bros U over, but I wish they’d build a new platform for the system, especially post-Mario Maker. Smash Bros does nothing for me. Never appealed whatsoever for some reason.

[Ashez]

3 hours ago, Rob2017 said:

Animal Crossing (assuming it is online) and Luigi will get purchased and played by me, but that’s about it. I understand why they are bringing Mario Bros U over, but I wish they’d build a new platform for the system, especially post-Mario Maker. Smash Bros does nothing for me. Never appealed whatsoever for some reason.

You'd think Animal Crossing would be online, but what type of online is the question. I'll admit I've never played one but they don't look appealing at all, I almost got New Leaf once but I got Fantasy Life instead which I adored lol. 

I played Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon and it did nothing for me, I loved the humour and cowardly Luigi but the gameplay isn't for me, it's a little too much like a point and click adventure game for my tastes. 

Mario WiiU is an excellent game, I love the 2D Mario series but I played that game to death so I have no interest in a port, a new 2D Mario would of had me so hyped. I suppose Yoshi is an option as he is one of my favourite characters but Crafted World doesn't look appealing like Wooley World did, also as it's all cardboard based you know Labo will be involved as well. 

I'm funny with Smash as the hype pulls me in, I love the reveal and the excitement around the game but I just don't play it much. I played Brawl a lot but I hardly put any time into Smash 4 which makes me hesitant on Ultimate. I think a deep story would make me pick it up, especially as there is nothing else I want in the distant future as it stands but my excitement is for the hype train and not what the game is. 

Then you have Let's Go which had me so excited when it was first revealed but every trailer and news dump since I've lost all confidence in the game as it looks like a baby's first Pokemon. Gen one is also a short region so having a dumbed down short game just isn't appealing at all and feels so disappointing, seeing the locations remade in HD makes me giddy with nostalgia but everything else looks so bloody meh. I'm at the point now with Let's Go that I'm not convinced they can pull me back in tbh. 

My list of potential pick ups for the rest of the year has three games on it, two of them being the two mentioned above that i'm far from sold on and Salt and Sanctuary which I'm also 50/50 on. Thankfully my list of older stuff I've yet to get to is much longer so I'll have stuff to play just not the games I hoped for. DQ XI, Pokemon, Fire Emblem and DQ Builders 2 can't come fast enough! 

[Ashez]

What I've Been Playing

After last month I've came back strong playing 11 games this month! Some I've finished, some were demos and some I've only just started but I've got a lot to say! I basically spent the first half the Month waiting for Okami which I've finally got

Switch Online

Nintendo Online - I haven't bought it as the system sucks and I have no need for it, I have very little interest in NES titles and as I rarely play online I'll hold out until I have a reason to get it. I do want cloud saves though as I'd cry if I lost most these save data's lol. 

NES Switch Online - The only games of any vague interest are Mario Bros 3 and Zelda 1 which are two games I've dabbled with in the past but never finished, so I took the free trial opportunity to give Mario 3 a proper go. It's good but not in the same league as Super Mario World in my opinion, but Mario World is one of my favourite games of all time. The Switch pro controller is awful for old school 2D games though but am I balls paying the ridicules price for the NES controller by Nintendo, maybe once SNES games and later hit the service I'll get a 8Bitdo controller or a wireless conversion kit. I got around half way through Mario before the free trail ended so I'm sure I'll continue when I buy the online, I will say however the interface is excellent and really snappy which is brilliant, I just wish they were Snes games. 

Switch

Okami HD - I managed to track down a Japanese copy of Okami HD already in the UK for £33 which is either £3 dearer or £7 cheaper than importing a copy (if it got caught in customs) so I was happy, especially as the missus bought it as a birthday gift. The bad side of that is it sat on my dinning room table for a week before I was allowed to play it haha. With my birthday being the 18th and that day being busy I didn't get chance to try it out until the 19th or 20th but I still managed to put around ten hours into it. Firstly the art style is as beautiful as the screenshots suggest as it's simply stunning, I've always liked cel shaded graphics like Wind Waker but this being in a Japanese water colour style just makes it pop, it's truly a beautiful game. The music is good but I did turn down the dialog noise as it's Banjo-Kazooi style which I found grating fast so I turned it down to where I can only just hear it to get the jist of the dialog flow. The story starts right away with like a 20 minute opening cut scene and it's good for what it is as it pulled me in instantly. The gameplay is very Zelda with quests to complete, mini games to play, towns to find and items to search out and at times it can be a tad fetch questy but it's not been annoying yet. I've played through two dungeons so far which have been short and simple compared to Zelda's but they're still very fun to play, the boss fights again take heavy inspiration from Zelda as a skill you recently got is the key to victory. My one major concern before playing was the use of the brush mechanic which you use to draw and in simple terms "cast spells", for example if you draw a sun in the sky a sun will appear. I was worried it would be gimmicky, frustrating to use and just get in the way but it really doesn't, admittedly at times things won't register but it's never really an issue and I've enjoyed what it's brought to the game. The one thing I didn't expect was the humour as this game has made me laugh out loud multiple times with stupid little things like jokes and actions, like one fight is against a dog and he'll try to "mark his territory" on you which is just daft but the shock brought a laugh lol. The one slight negative is the combat so far at least is a tad button mashy but you can see enemies so you can avoid them usually if you want, it's not bad but a little mindless, however you can use your brush in battle to target monsters weak points to speed battles up. I believe I'm around a fourth of the way in now and I'm really enjoying it so I'd recommend it to any Zelda fans, especially as it's cheap digitally I believe and on other systems. I'm not sure if I'll finish it during October but I'll have more to say next update for sure. 

Darkest Dungeon - I felt like playing this again so I grinded for some of the Crimson Court items I was missing so I have them all now, including the Shield breaker set as I mustn't have done all the dream sequences during my playthrough. As I was inbetween games and enjoying myself I also grinded for the 1000 crests I needed to unlock the last two buildings, tbh it didn't take that long at all. As it stands the game is now 100% complete I believe so I can't wait for the DLC to hit the Switch as I just love this game. Edit - The Colour Of Madness releases on the 11th of October! Or around then for me as it's actually a free update for the physical release but it might be slightly delayed compared to the for sale release, either way I'm hyped!! I intended to buy this day one but getting it for free is a nice bonus for sure. 

AeternoBlade Demo - I had this demo on my 3DS for years but I never bothered to play it, I downloaded it simply because it's a game that went on sale really often. When I saw a Switch demo was released I downloaded it and again never bothered to play it....Until now! Let's just say I was missing nothing as it's a pretty bland 2D hack and slash with its 3DS origins clear to see as it doesn't look good at all on the big screen. The gimmick is your sword can rewind time which in the demo at least had some cool effects like you fight a wizard type boss and to beat him you rewind time to cancel his spell casting so he's not a threat, but by doing that he's not a threat so it's dull. I've read some reviews and it's apparently a Metroidvania which the demo doesn't showcase at all or I never picked up on it, but the reviews basically say it's a bland hack and slasher as well so yeah give this one a skip. The only thing it has going for it is it's slight Devil May Cry vibe but all in all I found the demo unappealing and boring. 

Mega Man 11 Demo - Another embarrassing thing about my gaming life is I've never played a mega man game! I'm not sure why since I love platformers and i always have but for some reason the blue bomber past me by. The demo suggested I started on the easiest difficulty so I did which saw me beat the level after a few tries, mainly because I didn't understand the mechanics. I tried again on the next difficulty and died pretty far into the level but I didn't see the point of trying again. From the impressions I've seen from Megaman fans it appears the game is balanced around the slow down mechanic which is what it is, I can't say this demo tempted me to want to buy the game though. 

Morphite Demo - I decided to check it out as the graphics are very striking and the description made it sound like an Indie take on Metroid Prime. That's a pretty basic description tbh as the demo has you going to planets while scanning and shooting things, the bright graphics give a totally different vibe to Metroid though. There is a story which seemed serviceable and voice acting which I wasn't a fan. It could be a fun little exploring game but I get the feeling it'll get repetitive and boring pretty quickly but the art style is really interesting.

Dark Souls Online Test - I've never thought this series was for me but I thought I may as well try out the demo, my play session lasted ten mins and yeah I have no interest in this. Maybe if it wasn't a 50 hour grind i'd have interest but that length and the difficulty make it not appeal at all.

SNES Classic

Super Castlevania IV - I mentioned in my last update that I've never played a Castlevania before so I decided it's time to put that right! I've always had a slight interest in the series but more in the PlayStation game Symphony Of The Night since it's that which sparked the Metroidvania sub genre but Super is the only one I have access to. Castlevania has always made me hesitant due to the knock back which is something I've never enjoyed, it's like you've hit me and I've lost health so I don't need to be flung across the screen as well, however now the series is in Smash I've got to try it out. A long story short you're a vampire Hunter after Dracula and the game is full of similar movie monsters while you attack with a whip. The whip took some getting used to as it's range is tricky to get a handle on but you soon pick it up, the same can be said for the rather stiff jump as that definitely takes some practice. This is meant to be the easiest of the classic games but it totally kicked my ass! I got around half way then my BS levels got a tad high due to crappy platforming sections so I'll admit I did use a few save states now and then to keep me playing, I try not to use save states but at the same time when BS hits in classic games with frustrating difficulty I will occasionally use them to see me finish the game. I'm not a kid anymore who can waste hours memorizing shit, I just want to play the game. The platforming/knock back were my biggest complaint but I loved the combat, I'm not sure why but it was really satisfying and fun. The last levels however are brutal, for example there is a boss rush at the end before Dracula and the first boss in that rush is arguably broken lol. Even with save states it took me ages to get through the boss rush and the final boss! Without save states i'd of had to redo the level once I ran out of continues and screw that! I really enjoyed the game though and I even found the grinding pretty fun, however I now know never to try a earlier Castlevania title! My interest in the Metroidvania type sequels however is at an all time high, unfortunately I have no way to play them as it stands. Maybe a Castlevania HD collection will come to Switch since they're in Smash and one has be announced for the PS4. I'm glad I've played it and I would recommend it but be prepared for the grind unless you have save states and even then it's still tough! The visuals are okay with nice looking levels and the music is good which is an added bonus. 

GameCube 

Spiderman The Movie - Yeah I'll admit the Spiderman hype for the new PS4 exclusive caught my eye and as I'm not buying a PS4 anytime soon I decided to play a classic. The game loosely follows the plot of the movie with some extra levels and bosses included, that's my main memory of the game tbh as the Shocker and Vulture levels have always stuck with me. I remember being obsessed with the Spiderman movie games back in the day which caught me off guard by how short the first one actually is, the game can be beaten in like 4/5 hours so I must have played through it a lot in my youth, and I'm sure being able to play as the Green Goblin helped with that! Admittedly it's not held up well as the camera is awful and you attach to every wall you contact but I had a blast reliving this adventure! The combat isn't that special but flinging web and zipping around really does deliver that Spiderman feel you'd hope for, however the in air combat and stealth missions suck. I seem to remember the sequel being a lot better so I'll have to try that out again soon. Like I said I had a complete blast and I can think of many worse ways to spend a few evenings. 

Wave Race Blue Storm - I only had a little play around with this as I bought it purely to be a multiplayer game for friends and family so it's not one I want to get good at, as imo there is little worse than battering someone less experienced or being battered by someone who's played the game a lot before. I've never played the Wave Race series previously but from my brief experience I'm amazed at the depth of the game, I always saw it as a jet ski racing party game but i was way off the mark! You have these targets you have to weave in and out of and if you miss 5 you're disqualified, you also have weather effects which impact the race and the wave heights, so there really is a lot of deep gameplay here! The speed of movement takes some getting used to as you obviously have to hit the targets and missing one by miss timing a turn can easily lead to missing multiple which can be disastrous! It's also easy to hit a big wave and fly off in an unexpected direction which can lead to missed targets or getting stuck on obstacles so there is some learning curve here and my appreciation of the series is a lot higher now, I can see where all the sequel demand comes from at least as there is a lot more here than I expected. Visually the game is easy on the eye with the water effects being top draw for the time period the game came out, overall I'm impressed and I'm looking forward to having someone around to play it with. It may seem odd to hold off playing a game due to my reasons but I have so few multiplayer games in my collection I like to have a few that I can pick up and play with basically anyone, like my girlfriend's mates son was around the other day and I was struggling not to obliterate him on MK8D, I don't find holding back fun and he didn't enjoy seeing me dicking around and not playing properly so having games I'm not good at around is a good thing. 

GBA

Pokemon Light Platinum - Continuing from my previous update - Spoilers. 

Spoiler

 

My Play through So Far & Brief Opinions

We left off after winning the 8th badge so it was off to Victory Road for us and it was a pretty linear trip which I appreciated, sure a maze can be fun but I'm happy it wasn't that frustrating although it did involve three rival battles! 

E4 
Round 1 - Ground - Entered the fight to see them 17 levels higher than me! I have no idea how as i did every trainer battle I could so it feels like a massive difficulty spike with my Pokemon being around Lv50 and the AI rocking high Lv 60 Pokemon. I decided to crack on and it was going okay until a Krookodile sweeped my team, thankfully a revive on Sceptile was enough to claim the win. 

At this point I thought screw it lets save scum this so I healed and saved which I did after every round. 

Round 2 - Water - This round was fairly straight forward with Sceptile and Zebstrika ruling the show but it did require some stall and heal tactics. 

Round 3 - Dark - The levels jumped even more this fight as they now had Pokemon in the 70's! They started with a lightning quick Houndoom who wiped me out in seconds so I restarted my save before the battle. I started with Zebstrika to get a thunder-wave off to slow the dog down which done the job, after that the battle wasn't as difficult. 

Round 4 - Steel - The easiest of the four as Charizard ripped through the team with few issues. 

Champion - I got to the Champion which I was happy with who started with a Charizard but after a few turns he switched into a Lv 76 Garchomp! His speed and power was unstoppable as he spammed Hyper beam and one shot everything! I restarted and this time I took out the Charizard and Lucario for him to bring in a Lv 75 Salamance! I was getting very salty at this point! I soon died and tried again! The Charizard went down, as did the Lucario again, in came the Salamance who I T-waved and headbutted to death but by this point I was stalling, healing and switching trying to get an advantage. I knew the Garchomp was the big issue but then in came a Lv77 Haxorus who proceeded to Dragon Dance in my face! I thought it was game over but I continued to stall and after a while his outrage confusion led to him killing himself! The Garchomp came in and I decided to stall his Hyper Beams and attack on his recharge turn which was working until he full restored his health! I was losing hope! Once I knew he was out of Hyper Beam I worked out he had Earthquake, Crunch, Hyper Beam and an unknown move so I continued to heal/stall and eventually he ran out of PP for everything but Earthquake and Dig! At this point the win was in the bag as he couldn't touch Charizard so I chipped away at him until I was the new Champion! It was more epic than it sounds trust me! This would have been a lot easier if I had a strong ice beam user or a dragon attack so I recommend anyone playing this makes sure they have one of those! 

I was sat feeling proud waiting for the credits to roll but they never! I awoke in my bed and was handed a ticket to a whole other region with 8 more badges and another elite 4 :o. After 18 hours I feel done yet I'm intrigued, I'm just concerned after that E3 run of what waits ahead! I'm unsure if I'll stop here, continue now or continue the next time I feel like playing Pokemon, I'm just not sure!!! 

After a few days my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a try at least. First I looked at the wild Pokemon which were Lv 40ish and then I tried a trainer who was a similar level to me so I decided to continue. 

Part 2 

Gym 9 - Rock - Heracross Lv49, Charizard Lv53, Zebstrika Lv51, Feraligatr Lv54, Marowak Lv50 and Sceptile Lv51

The gym was pretty easy as I can deal with rock types with this team, the Pokemon were around Lv60 so it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the Elite 4 were thankfully. So far no extra story appears to be taking place and I hope that continues as I'd be more interested in this if it is just a badge quest, however another two rivals have been introduced! Errr! My intrigue will continue for now!

Gym 10 - Flying - Heracross Lv49, Charizard Lv54, Zebstrika Lv51, Feraligatr Lv54, Marowak Lv51 and Sceptile Lv51

Gym 10 came by super quick with only a cave and a short route between it and the previous, no messing about at all as into the town and on with the battle. I can get behind this type of post game as long as it continues! However one downside is the game has now introduced HM like moves! The first half rarely used them but now I'm having to edit my team to use rock climb and a custom move called glide to progress, everyone hates HM's so I've no idea why this has been included now. Glide is pretty cool though as it's basically replaced the bike but it's hard to control as it's very quick.

Gym 11- Fighting - Heracross Lv50, Charizard Lv56, Zebstrika Lv52, Feraligatr Lv54, Marowak Lv52 and Sceptile Lv52

Unfortunately the story resurfaced but it was a brief distraction then we were back to rapid fire gyms! Once again it was a short journey and the story event which was a handful of battles then it was back to the action. The gym was a complete joke though and mainly because I received that glide TM from the last gym which I had to teach Charizard to progress and it more or less one shot everyone. The difficulty spikes up and down are mental in this game!

Gym 12 - Fire - Marowak Lv55, Zebstrika Lv55, Sceptile Lv53, Feraligatr Lv55, Heracross Lv52 and Charizard Lv57

Gym 13 - Normal - Marowak Lv56, Zebstrika Lv55, Sceptile Lv54, Feraligatr Lv55, Heracross Lv53 and Charizard Lv57

As you can see by the level changes these gyms were in quick succession and offered absolutely no challenge. Marowak stormed the fire gym while Heracross walked the normal gym. I wonder what the final three gyms will have in store. 

Gym 14 - Poison - Marowak Lv56, Zebstrika Lv56, Sceptile Lv56, Feraligatr Lv55, Heracross Lv55 and Charizard Lv57

A really annoying fetch quest took place before another piss easy gym. This was followed with a tad more story then it was off to the next town. 

Gym 15 - Psychic - Marowak Lv57, Zebstrika Lv56, Sceptile Lv58, Feraligatr Lv56, Heracross Lv57 and Charizard Lv58

Yet another fetch quest occurs here and it's a right pain! You need to get an item but for some reason you can't fly so you need to run around the island again to get to where you need to be and then get back! Gym wise this was likely the hardest of the set as I had no dark moves and Heracross is obviously weak to psychic attacks but it didn't cause me many issues. 

Gym 16 - Steel - Marowak Lv57, Zebstrika Lv57, Sceptile Lv58, Feraligatr Lv57, Heracross Lv58 and Charizard Lv58

This was a brief stop as there were no gimmicks and the fight was pretty easy thanks to Charizard and Marowak.

Victory Road - A simple enough trip I repelled through as I wanted this finished by this point. There was a slight story distraction followed by three yes three back to back rival battles! So four tough battles on a route full of tough battles! Err. 

Elite 4 

Current Team - Marowak Lv57, Zebstrika Lv57, Sceptile Lv60, Feraligatr Lv58, Heracross Lv60 and Charizard Lv58

After the brutality of the first E4 I've spent all my cash on items and fully intending to save scum it. 

Round 1 - Poison - Mid 70's - A easy round tbh as Charizard dealt with the poison grass and bug types while Marowak handled everything else. 

Round 2 - Ground - Mid 70's - A stroll in the park as ground types are no issues to this team thanks to Sceptile and Feraligatr. No deaths as yet!

Round 3 - Dark - High 70's - The Dark types gave me so much trouble last time around but this was again super easy :o. Marowak one shot the Houndoom and Heracross now having Megahorn were massive difference makers. Still no deaths!

Round 4 - Dragon - 80ish - Charizard and Zebstrika unfortunately fell in this battle but apart from that it was pretty smooth, thankfully I managed to thunder wave Salamance early so he was a none issue. I was worried as I had to remove ice been from Feraligatr for a HM but I put Dragon Claw on Sceptile which was a massive help. 

The Champion - Mid 80's - Wow! He had a balanced team this time instead of relying on the OP dragons and it was much easier! Heracross, Zebstrika and Marowak fainted and were revived and it was challenging but nowhere near as broken as the previous fight, he also didn't item spam like he did last time. 

End Game.

So it took around 18 hours to beat the first region and Elite Four but the second region only took around 5 hours to get 8 more badges and the Championship. There is even more content in the game however as there are a few more battles but I'm done here, I've completed both leagues and champions so I'm happy to finish my time with the game. 

Final Thoughts 

I really enjoyed my time with this game, sure it frustrated me loads at times and it has issues but it was a complete blast to play. I wasn't keen on the addition of HM type moves in the second half of the game but having that extra short and streamlined "mini Pokemon game" after the proper journey had finished was really neat. The second half was shorter than I expected but I appreciated that as after finishing a decently sized first half I think I'd have struggled to keep interest in part two but it became rather more-ish due to how short it all was and how fast progress happened. This is a easy recommendations for anyone looking for a fresh Pokemon game to play, sure it's not as polished as a legit title but for a fan game this is bloody outstanding. 

 

Game Of The Year So Far

Spoiler

 

New Releases

1. Darkest Dungeon 
2. Dragon Quest Builders
3. Owlboy
4. Axiom Verge
5. 

First Time Played This Year

1. Steamworld Dig 2 - Switch
2. Pokemon Ultra Sun - 3DS
3. Fire Emblem Warriors - Switch
4. LA Noire - Switch
5. Code Name Steam - 3DS

 

Recent Pick Ups

Yooka-Laylee Rant

Spoiler

Before I get into what I bought I want to rant about Limited Run Games and Yooka-Laylee, to begin with I'm annoyed such a high profile game ended up a limited release on Switch considering it was a standard release on other consoles. This has meant I won't be picking the item up as they're pricing it at $50 due to Eshop pricing apparently and postage to the UK is $15! So $65 or around £50 for a game that released at £35 elsewhere according to camel, camel camel and the PS4 version is now £10. I love What LRG's do but the postage alone makes anything they make almost unbuyable for me and Yooka-Laylee was going to be my exception. Like many I loved Rare and I wanted to support Playtonic and play the game but now I'll get the download at some point. Maybe I'm just being tight but £15 postage is basically another game as I'm all over these £20-25 Switch physical releases, hell £15 is a handful of games digitally, or like 10 Wii games as they're dirt cheap atm, I just can't justify it and I won't along side a price spike as well. Yooka-Layee's home is Nintendo systems so this being limited sucks massively. I wanted Mario, Zelda and Yooka on my shelf like I had as a kid with OOT, Mario 64 and Banjo. Sure this is only happening as LRG's are doing it and I understand there isn't much they can do about postage costs and import tax but what they do really sucks for people outside the US, like imagine you want all their releases, the postage cost alone would be massive. 

Okami HD - Japanese Import - Switch - Gift/£33
Star Wars The Force Unleashed II - Wii - £1.45
True Crime Streets Of LA - GameCube - £1.45
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Chaos Bleeds - GameCube - £7.95

I saw the sequel to The Force Unleashed so I added it to the collection since it was cheap, I've actually not played this one before as I've only previously played the first game in the series. I also picked up True Crime Streets Of LA which is a GTA knock off I remember really liking on the PS2 back in the day so for £1.45 why wouldn't you pick it up! I've actually found a new local DVD store which has games hidden away that I had no idea of which is where I've shopped of late, their prices are pretty competitive as well which is a bonus. I've picked up these two titles and that Bond game from last month there recently and it works out £2 cheaper than Cex would be, sure £2 is nothing but to me it's an extra game judging on these prices so it's a win win. It appears more a local store than a chain though so I wonder how often they get stock, frustratingly they have shelves and shelves of PS2/XB games but only a handful of Gamecube, their Wii shelves are pretty stacked though tbf. I'd love to find a store stacked of GameCube games as I'd go crazy searching through them but any store I go to is always limited GC wise unfortunately. The Buffy game is a pick up I'm really excited about getting as it's one I've been after for a few years but I've never seen it in the wild and it doesn't appear on Ebay that often at a good price so for £8 I had to grab it, especially as it's in excellent condition. I loved Buffy as a kid and a year or two ago myself and the missus watched all of Buffy and Angel, the bad episodes are really bad but the good ones are excellent. If you can get through the bad episodes it's a recommended watch for sure as the characters are really good so I'm hopeful the game is decent as well. 

@Nucleus Did you return to Light Platinum?K

@Real_Random impressions on fifa? It appears a mixed bag from what I've seen, IGN killed it in a questionable review imo but Nintendo site reviews seem positive.

[Nucleus]

Got to around the 6th or 7th gym (can’t remember precisely) and the emulator app I was using decided to be a bitch and not work. Sadly I can’t be bothered to start again as I was rather enjoying it, like you say it’s not as polished as a legit title but it’s a hell of a lot of fun all the same

[Ashez]

1 hour ago, Nucleus said:

Got to around the 6th or 7th gym (can’t remember precisely) and the emulator app I was using decided to be a bitch and not work. Sadly I can’t be bothered to start again as I was rather enjoying it, like you say it’s not as polished as a legit title but it’s a hell of a lot of fun all the same

Oh man that sucks! If you get into any other hacks let me know! I'm checking Ebay daily trying to find some new ones, of late though their prices are daft or they're full of fake mons which doesn't interest me. Flora Sky and Ash Gray are two I'm after the most I think. 

For a fan game I can't knock it at all tbh, sure the reliance on grass/bug types is frustrating and the difficulty spikes are bizarre but otherwise it's excellent. Hell it has less bugs than FMM and that has SI/Sega behind it! It's highly recommended by me and technically free so everyone should give it ago if they can. 

[Nucleus]

Ash Gray is awesome, it’s just a shame it’s not completed! Doesn’t look likely to be updated either to be honest. It’s still great though

[Ashez]

1 hour ago, Nucleus said:

Ash Gray is awesome, it’s just a shame it’s not completed! Doesn’t look likely to be updated either to be honest. It’s still great though

Oh, I thought it was a finished one. How unfinished is it? 

[Nucleus]

2 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Oh, I thought it was a finished one. How unfinished is it? 

I’m 90% sure it’s unfinished. You have me doubting myself now

[Nucleus]

https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonROMhacks/comments/48pgz0/how_finished_is_pokemon_ash_gray/

Have a read of this thread. Certain events don’t happen in game if you evolve certain pokemon and the like 😂

[Ashez]

8 minutes ago, Nucleus said:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonROMhacks/comments/48pgz0/how_finished_is_pokemon_ash_gray/

Have a read of this thread. Certain events don’t happen in game if you evolve certain pokemon and the like 😂

Interesting, maybe one best played with a guide then to get the full experience. Finished up until the second film seems pretty complete for me as I think I fell out the TV series by then, I know I didn't see the second film until I was an adult anyway. Pokemon the first movie is fantastic though. 

[Nucleus]

51 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Interesting, maybe one best played with a guide then to get the full experience. Finished up until the second film seems pretty complete for me as I think I fell out the TV series by then, I know I didn't see the second film until I was an adult anyway. Pokemon the first movie is fantastic though. 

I played with a guide iirc. Yeah seems pretty complete. It’s just the lack of a definitive ending that sucks a bit, but then you’re never going to have one as the anime is still ongoing lol

[Ashez]

46 minutes ago, Nucleus said:

I played with a guide iirc. Yeah seems pretty complete. It’s just the lack of a definitive ending that sucks a bit, but then you’re never going to have one as the anime is still ongoing lol

True, it's on my list either way. As much as I love Pokemon I can't watch the anime for some reason, yet I can watch Yugioh and enjoy it which I never liked as a kid :s