@mbun I try not to begrude award show lists since I learned long ago my tastes don't line up with the general publics (unless something drastically changes in the next month my top two games this year are a visual novel and an expansion pack for example) but a lot of these nominees are so bad that I have to assume that either I'm officially not "with it" anymore or there's some inherent bias against anything but western AAA titles. I don't want to shittalk the game as I haven't played it but the way these lists play out makes me almost think Celeste is only in the GOTY list as a pity nomination for people like me that don't care about your God of Wars and Red Dead Redemption 2s.

Those CGI models don't look like pokemon. On a good day they look like fuzzy pillows with a pokemon license and on a bad one they're straight out of those "hyperrealistic blood" type of creepypastas. And again with the snark. Why's everything gotta be snarky? That Pikachu isn't a gruff detective he's just a wiseass. Do people really enjoy that in every single show, movie or game they watch? I swear I can't escape it. I can't be crazy for constantly noticing this and I can't be the only one.

You'd think this movie is aimed at kids but between the creepy models and the obnoxious pikachu I honestly get the impression it's aimed at young adults that want to go on a nostalgia trip with Pokemon but think they're too cool to just watch some dumb kids movie.

Been a couple of years since I read Vento Aureo so I forgot how cool Moody Blues is. It's actually my favorite stand in part 5 and probably a top 3 contender for one of my favorite stands period.

Shame it barely if ever gets used again after this episode though.

Kyle and Lucy: Wonderworld is about as blatantly inspired by Sonic as it gets but it doesn't feel like a ripoff since it's more about exploring the levels than just blazing to the end. Considering that was my favorite aspect of Sonic CD I can't complain.

Also been playing a bit of Wandersong and I dunno if I like it or not. The whole singing mechanic is great and I love messing with the world while doing it like causing leaves to fly around or changing colors of flowers, but one major gripe I have about it is how some characters have a bad case of the "high schooler that thinks they're too cool for everything" attitude in their writing. I feel like I've been seeing that a lot lately and it's always incredibly off-putting.

I'm not gonna argue legality but from a moral standpoint, far as I'm concerned anyway, anything more than like seven or eight years old (or just a console generation) is free game. They've made their money. I can't buy a new copy, and a used copy ain't giving the developers or publishers money. For rereleases on a digital market or Virtual Console or the like it's murkier, but the older you go the more likely the people who actually worked on those games are long gone from the company. That's assuming the developer as a whole isn't shut down and sales aren't going to god knows where. Even if Nintendo isn't just ripping ROMs off the internet, they're still selling you games you've probably bought in some way shape or form like five times at this point anyway. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy them, I know I get Mega Man X any chance I can (except that godawful phone port.) I'm just saying I don't feel a pang of guilt when I load it up in an emulator instead.

@yoshi This is the dumbest shit I've ever seen and only emboldens my belief that some people just live to be offended these days.

@dmcmaster Virtua Fighter might just be due to Akira showing up in Smash Bros as an Assist Trophy (or just the usual renewals companies do like the article said) but Battle Genesis has me curious. I have to hope it's essentially Sega's idea of a smash bros from that title but if it's for arcades it's probably not aimed at the markets that called the Mega Drive the Genesis so it might just be some random arcade game.

@sacred-arfaid Considering these kinds of games tend to rely on diehard, niche fanbases that will have no qualms moving from one system to another if that's what it takes I don't think the size of the install base matters. At least, not if the developers feel burned by the company that makes the console. Even if it does though the Switch is only barely behind the PS4 in Japan and will probably pass it in short order. Really though the true test is if they decide to stick with Sony on the PS5 when the new console gen starts soon or if they abandon them entirely for Switch/PC/maybe even Xbox if MS decides to try another push like they have done in the past.

More Sony censorship, this time Mary Skelter 2 (will update with an english link if I find one but for now just put this one through google translate.)

I know I keep posting about these stories, and honestly I really don't want to beat a dead horse since I know how you all feel about it and you know how I feel about it, but this story's a bit different. For one, it originates from China (though from what I'm gleaming in the article it might be affecting the Japanese version too? Not 100% sure on that, honestly having a hard time finding any actual news on this story besides one or two GameFAQs threads) but far more importantly this game has been out for a while already before it got patched to have the content Sony decided they didn't like cut. If they're starting to retroactively remove content from games then that's just a whole level beyond what they've already been doing.

@capnbobamous I think it's more about the specialized rules and item uses than the characters themselves. Even if you went all-in on customizing with special smash and tweaking item drops and the like it wouldn't be as effective as the game just outright designing challenges based on other characters. I do agree it's not like actually fighting those characters but the intent is there at least.