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Episode 330: Amnesiacs Anonymous

by Alex Culafi, James Jones, Jonathan Metts, and Guillaume Veillette - March 17, 2013, 6:01 pm EDT
Total comments: 24

Every game protagonist has amnesia, including our hero in Ys Book I.

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With Jon packing for his big move, we welcome Alex Culafi to the show this week for some help with RetroActive. But first, New Business! Guillaume splooges all over Etrian Odyssey IV, which might be the first (or second) great RPG for 3DS. Alex follows with another brand new 3DS game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. He likes it, but that doesn't necessarily mean everyone will. Jonny continues the handheld kick with raves for Gravity Rush, one of the few must-buy Vita games (which he didn't even need to buy). James caps off New Business with some thoughts on the DLC and long-term appeal of Fire Emblem Awakening (which Jonny just restarted on Casual mode).

After the break, we get started on RetroActive with an unexpectedly rich discussion of the game's first part, Ys Book I. (What, you've never played or seen Crystalis?) Opinions and forum comments are strikingly diverse, but the one thing we can all agree upon is that you should play Ys Book I (if only to experience the significant progression between it and Ys Book II, which we'll talk about in a couple of weeks). It's definitely not too late to start playing along -- and if you do, drop some thoughts in the official forum thread!

You'd be forgiven for letting PAX East sneak up this year, as it has on us, but we will indeed be in Boston this coming weekend for the 4th annual RFN live panel. Look for a recording to appear in the subscription feed around the normal time. If you're attending the show, please come by and toss a great question to us during the beefy Q&A portion! Otherwise, beam your equally great question to the show's email account for a future edition of Listener Mail.

This podcast was edited by Guillaume Veillette.

Music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is used with permission from Jason Ricci & New Blood. You can purchase their newest album, Done with the Devil, directly from the record label, Amazon (CD) (MP3), or iTunes, or call your local record store and ask for it!

Additional music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is copyrighted to Nintendo and is included under fair use protection.

Talkback

FjurbanskiMarch 18, 2013

Haha. I figured if you read one of my posts you'd get my user name wrong since I forgot to capitalize the J when I made it.


"F" "J" "Urbanski"

RodrigueMarch 18, 2013

It's better that way, sounds foreign and mysterious.


After listening to the discussion about Castlevania I find it weird that frame rate problems always seem to be addressed as an afterthought. For me these are deal breakers. This happened with Bit.Trip Saga and Code of Princess too.

thedefalcosMarch 18, 2013

Hey guys.  I had a question about the segment on Castlevania.  Jonathan mentioned how in the old Castlevanias, most enemies only took one hit to kill and he named one that didn't. I believe he said it was a knight.  Which old Castlevania games are you referring to? If it is the SOTN era then maybe, but I'm pretty sure there were more than one god-awful enemies in the original trilogy that took more than one hit to kill even with the chain whip.  Imps, ghosts, bone dragons, and axe men are some that come to mind. Heck those axe men took FIVE hits to kill. 


That segment was a little confusing because you kept referring to the "old" Castlevanias and sometimes you were referring to post SOTN era and sometimes to the original trilogy. For an NES guy like me, The old C's will always be the first three games.

It was the ghosts I referred to as taking two hits. The bone dragons are another good exception; I don't recall the others you mention, but my memories of the first few games are hazy. I stand by my assertion that most enemies took only one hit and were differentiated by movement and attack patterns.

RodrigueMarch 18, 2013

XSEED should cite you on the game's Steam page.

"It's kind of like Psycho" -Guillaume Veillette
"Kangaroos are really awesome so you should play this game" -James Jones


It's too bad Alex kinda rushed through it in Easy mode though (understandable considering he was filling in) since there wasn't much talk about version differences.

It's funny, the first thing I wondered when I heard Jonny got a Vita was if he would share impressions on Gravity Rush.

I really, really enjoyed the gravity mechanic used to travel around the city.  It's the most satisfying travel experience in a sandbox game i've had since SpiderMan 2.  I think underneath a somewhat dull cityscape, shallow combat, and underwhelming story lies a great core gameplay experiences that I have hopes to be refined into something truly spectacular for the sequel.

My opinion may have been flavored positively partially due to me not knowing hardly anything about it, as well as not having to pay $40 for it because of Playstation +, but Gravity Rush drew me in quicker than I could have imagined, and left me wanting more when it ended (abruptly).

TJ SpykeMarch 18, 2013

I tried playing Gravity Rush at a demo unit in GameStop (it was the only non-tablet they had set up, they didn't even have a Wii U), and I did not like it. The controls were very sloppy, and the gameplay was not that good.

Quote from: TJ

I tried playing Gravity Rush at a demo unit in GameStop (it was the only non-tablet they had set up, they didn't even have a Wii U), and I did not like it. The controls were very sloppy, and the gameplay was not that good.

It's definitely a game that doesn't demo that well.  The first 20 minutes of the game I played gave me the same impressions as you, but as you get more adept to the controls and better understand how you move in the air, you get a better comprehension of how to chain together different gravity shifts to move efficiently.

I think calling the movement sloppy or imprecise is a fair enough charge against it, but I gained a great satisfaction from learning how to make precise movements from this control scheme.

Edit: LOL, I just started listening to the podcast, and Jonny name drops Spiderman 2 as a comparison.  Very apt.

Gravity Rush, for me, is a game that is incredible for like 10-15 hours and then falls apart completely and totally in the final act.

Still, it's awesome for 10-15 hours, so whatever. The last few hours blow, but the lead up to it is amazing.

Greg_HMarch 19, 2013

I'm coming out of lurk-mode to refute JJ's assertion that nobody listening to the podcast played Ys on the TG16 when it was released.  I'm almost as old as Lindy so in 1989 I was 15 years old and had a job washing dishes at a local restaurant which allowed me to save up the money to buy a TG16 CD and Ys.

I largely agree with Alex about Mirror of Fate. It's a perfectly good game; my only complaint is that, like Alex, I wasn't a big fan of switching characters every few hours. However, I DO think they all come together in a meaningful way. Given this game's ending, it'll be interesting to see where Lords of Shadow 2 goes. I don't really mind the separate castle paths for each characters because they have subtly different movesets and that much backtracking would irritate me anyway. I'm having real trouble getting some of Simon's pickups, though. Dude is blocked off by a lot of closed doors with seemingly no alternate route.

My pet peeve is that so many online publications are decrying the game as not being Symphony of the Night. Like it's "almost" Symphony but Mercury Steam couldn't pull it off. I don't think they were ever going for that. I remember sitting in a Q&A with their head guy at E3 where he basically said "we are not setting out to duplicate Symphony of the Night." I think Guillaume was there with me...? I recall one journalist being incredibly confused by that statement, and kept asking variations on the same question: "how will the game be like Symphony?"

It's not going to be, you idiot. Move on. Go play one of the six or seven Symphony games that were already made.

Chad SexingtonMarch 20, 2013

After listening to this podcast, I finally decided to buy some new hardware and have just spend ~$380 in the past 30 minutes:

Nintendo 3DS XL Pikachu Yellow Limited Edition
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
Super Mario 3D Land
Nintendo Official Elite Transporter Case
Nyko Power Kit

It should be said that the last console I played heavily was the Gamecube.  I owned a Wii, but I didn't really play it that much.  I never owned a PS2, PS3, Xbox, or 360.  I actually stopped buying DVDs or any other type of physical media for almost 10 years now.  If I can download/stream everything to my laptop until the end of time that would be perfect.  I don't want to own a TV or regular console ever again.

It should also be said that the last Pokemon game I played was the original Pokemon Red.  I just thought the Pikachu edition looked funny and I don't think I've ever owned a limited edition anything before.

I've never played any of the Etrian Odyssey games before.  Is there anything I should know before jumping into IV?  Should I just wikipedia the others?

(I feels this was a better purchase than backing Shroud of the Avatar on Kickstarter for $400.  $400 would have gotten me a personalized NPC and a personalized gravestone.  I played Ultima Online on and off for 12 years and even I couldn't pull the trigger on that.  There was no way I would be getting my money's worth.)






edit: Did just make a mistake?  I read that if you pre-order you get a free download for Mario or Layton (or some others) for free?  I ordered on Amazon so I can still cancel one of those if I act right away.

ejamerMarch 20, 2013

Quote from: Chad

edit: Did just make a mistake?  I read that if you pre-order you get a free download for Mario or Layton (or some others) for free?  I ordered on Amazon so I can still cancel one of those if I act right away.

This is the free game deal that I've heard of:
http://club2.nintendo.com/3ds-xl-promo/


With that in mind, I'd cancel either Prof Layton or Mario 3D from your order and get Luigi's Mansion instead. That way you get an extra game for the same price.

Chad SexingtonMarch 20, 2013

Quote from: ejamer

Quote from: Chad

edit: Did just make a mistake?  I read that if you pre-order you get a free download for Mario or Layton (or some others) for free?  I ordered on Amazon so I can still cancel one of those if I act right away.

This is the free game deal that I've heard of:
http://club2.nintendo.com/3ds-xl-promo/


With that in mind, I'd cancel either Prof Layton or Mario 3D from your order and get Luigi's Mansion instead. That way you get an extra game for the same price.

I actually just cancelled all 3 games.  I didn't know they were all available for digital download.  I assume I have to get the physical copies of either Pokemon or Luigi's Mansion to get the code... hm...

Oh geez, I hope you end up liking Etrian Odyssey, Chad! Even though there is no reward or incentive for doing so, EO is also available digitally. And there is a demo that is basically the first few hours of the game. You can save your progress, and transfer it to the full game when you decide to buy it, whether it's a digital or retail copy. There is no need to blind-buy it.

I never played the previous games and I don't think I'm missing anything. As I said, there isn't a whole lot of story to it, the game is all about exploring, charting a map, and killing enemies. Very old school, but with many more modern niceties.

If you want to read more about the previous games, I have to recommend Jeremy Parish's various blog entries about them. He's a good writer, and he's very good at communicating his passion for the games he likes. They're spread out on 1up, his personal blog and IGN, so just google him and the game.

edit - Sounds like it's your first 3DS system. Just ask if you've got questions. Some things you'll want to know:

- The XL comes with a 4GB SD card. If you plan on buying everything digitally, you'll want to upgrade.
- You can transfer content between cards simply by copying everything on a PC, then copy to the new card.
- You queue up downloads by selecting "Download Later". The downloads start after you close the eShop.

edit 2 - I don't think you need to buy a retail copy of those games to qualify. It shouldn't matter. Just make sure to register your 3DS and link it to your Club Nintendo account.

ejamerMarch 20, 2013

Quote from: Chad

...

I actually just cancelled all 3 games.  I didn't know they were all available for digital download.  I assume I have to get the physical copies of either Pokemon or Luigi's Mansion to get the code... hm...

The promotion says "Games available ... in stores and in the Nintendo eShop." so I'm assuming that it will work with digital downloads.  I have no proof of that though.


The recommendation to get the demo for Etrian Odyssey IV before buying is a great idea. The demo is a prefect way to figure out if you'll enjoy the game, and buying digitally means you have no re-sell option if you don't like the game.

Chad SexingtonMarch 20, 2013

Quote from: Pandareus

edit - Sounds like it's your first 3DS system. Just ask if you've got questions. Some things you'll want to know:

- The XL comes with a 4GB SD card. If you plan on buying everything digitally, you'll want to upgrade.
- You can transfer content between cards simply by copying everything on a PC, then copy to the new card.
- You queue up downloads by selecting "Download Later". The downloads start after you close the eShop.

How much memory do games usually take up?

Fatty The HuttMarch 20, 2013

Chad, you should also know, if you don't already, that buying digitally on Nintendo systems is different than downloading on, say, your PC. The Nintendo downloads are tied to your system, not to an account. So, you can only play the games on the system on which they were downloaded. If you lose your system, your downloads can be difficult to recover, though Nintendo Customer Service is often helpful. If you sell your system, the downloads go with it unless, prior to selling, you physically have your old and new systems together and perform a one-time system transfer. There are a few other inherent quirks and oddities, but you get the drift.

That said, I cheerfully throw caution to the wind and download full games on Nintendo systems regularly. 

TJ SpykeMarch 20, 2013

Speaking of Etrian Odyssey IV, Atlus has posted a few QR codes that can be used in the game:

http://etrianodyssey4.blogspot.com/

toshironikkoMarch 27, 2013

Gravity Rush is the reason i got a Vita and the only reason i still have my Vita >_>

Chad SexingtonMarch 30, 2013

Alright, got it all settled here on the last day of the promotion.

FYI: You have to register for a Club Nintendo account and link that account to your 3DS before buying Luigi's Mansion from the eShop for it to all work correctly.  If you don't, you'll have to contact customer service, they'll need some information, and they'll have to activate it manually.  The back-and-forth communication isn't the best when dealing with a 7 day promotion, but it all worked out in the end.

Just posting this for future reference for similar promotions.

So now I have Super Mario 3D Land, Luigi's Mansion (free), Professor Layton, and Etrian Odyssey (which I'm liking a lot so far).  And with 4 games, that leaves me with only 9000+ blocks of memory left on my SD card.  I'll probably get a 32MB card later.  I should have one laying around.

Doesn't the promotion end on April 30?

Quote from: Shaymin

Doesn't the promotion end on April 30?

Yep

Chad SexingtonMarch 31, 2013

Quote from: Shaymin

Doesn't the promotion end on April 30?

Oops.  Guess I was stressing for nothing.

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