Lurker > zinformant

I'm displaying that Mew now. The Dark Arbok is a very old favorite, as well. The OG Venomoth is alright. It's a basic Sugimori piece, but there's something satisfying about it.

That Lloyd has his head on straight is arguably why the ending works. After all, if the miracles of the goddess' treasures can cheese spacetime to resurrect him, why not use the same power on Guy, Crossbell at large, or any other whim? Isn't that fair, just, or right? Well, the law is impartial, and Lloyd makes arguably the correct decision to not succumb to temptations and reject the Azure Wish. It's arguably not only a central theme of the Zero games but the series at large. Virtually anyone else would have handled things differently.

Good insights.

ZeldaTPLink posted...

She suffers a bit because she is the first main character to get her development, early in Zero chapter 2, and she doesn't progress much from that. But I tend to think people overrate the importance of constant character development. Elie gets a pretty good arc, becomes a better person and then spends a game and a half just being great. I don't need much else.

The argument against her is less that she is undeveloped and more that she had so much promise in the context of this specific story, and, yet, as a set piece, they mostly leave her on the table to look pretty and that's the extent of it. No, she contributes little to the Azure Wish because that's mainly between KeA, Lloyd, and the antagonists, but she could have been, if theoretically or philosophically, more deeply involved in the political aspect of the conflict. She was poised for it. That's all, really. She's fine, but hers is a tale of lost potential when the story writes itself. She is the worst example of this to date and for a little while, arguably.

There is much thematic richness when one picks apart Arios' subsection of the tree. He is one of the more underrated characters in Zero.

They're probably Legendary Collection.

ZeldaTPLink posted...

Grossberg

Now, that's a name that I haven't heard in years.

Cold Steel is richer overall, having more to work with on the table given how far we are into the series and PB story arc, but the manner in which it is told is the worst of the first three story arcs due to the four game deceleration. I am pleased that the topic creator appreciated Azure's relatively no nonsense approach to storytelling. CS is an adjustment following it.

I just put that Wigglytuff up on display, myself.

You can complete the first generation sets readily. It's the e-series that's super cost-prohibitive.

Conception: Please Give Birth to My Child
htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary
Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord?
YIIK: A Post-Modern RPG

PsychicHippo posted...

Match Game for me as well. I love Bret Somers; she wasn't very good at the game, lol, but hanging out with her and Charles Nelson Reilly is like being amongst friends. It's a comfort show, for sure.

This is mine, as well.

GANON1025 posted...

A little over 100. The price seemed almost too good. But from physically inspecting it and comparing it to fakes online it seems real. The back has a decent amount of whitening on it, thats probably why?

If you are not particular about condition, it is relatively easy and cheap to obtain rare older cards in 'played' condition. And, if you want e series or ex era ones, the Japanese versions are often cheaper if played.

Shining Resonance Refrain features an impressive example.
https://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/shining/images/b/ba/SR_Excela_Noa_Aura.png

ZeldaTPLink posted...

Maybe I'm making shit up but I feel like there is a certain pattern for characters of those games. They are more anime like. Characters from Sky feel more like stuff from older jrpgs. And I guess Crossbell ones are somewhere in-between.

Designs are reflective of their release era (or even a generation lagging behind). This conveniently slots in with each country having its own identity in accordance with the regional treasure, but there is definitely a chimeric quality to blending designs from different story arcs.

tazzyboyishere posted...

Why the hell is there crowd noise and why is it so loud? Can barely hear the actual song when they have it going, and then it dips in and out of use. Fucking terrible mixing. The song itself is actually quite good, but its effectively ruined by that crowd noise, oof.

Sword and Shield are based on British football, thus the deafening cheers. The theme, itself, is the well documented Hall of Fame theme (arguably the worst, least inspired Champion battle theme in the series).

Rorona was by most metrics a horrible entry, so you really can only go up from here. Recommendations can be directed according to what you want out of a game. Do you appreciate tighter game design mediated by a time limitation? Play Totori or Ayesha (ideally the latter for the split difference of new and old game design where its sequels progress towards modern design slowly). Do you want a widely open world to fool around in? Play Sophie or Ryza.

I thought of a few more noteworthy ones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4RUegWPdis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMD5XJ1GrTU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCiJGl9NOBQ

Super_Slash posted...

Maria from Atelier Ayesha
^Give this a listen, seriously. I don't even have context for the fight but it's really damn good.

While I would recommend the game as a personal favorite, you get a sampling of the scenario from the Unskippable video.
https://youtu.be/B4YsfG7oadE?t=18
They rightly poke fun at the introductory sequence, but the event theme is called Guidance and furnishes the leitmotif for the final boss theme. The older man guides Ayesha in learning alchemy to save her sister. The sister, Nio (from nioi, smell), appears as a spirit to her across the adventure as she follows flower fragrances towards the answer. The entire soundtrack is recommended if you have no intention of ever playing the game, but the final fight is very atmospheric in light of everything else despite lacking challenge.

It is my pleasure to share this curiosity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq0RbqzPeVY

Per other notes, the definitive version of The Azure Arbitrator follows. Loop is 7:40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4-eqVc_G0U
The Trails series offers several other behemoths. The next song is entirely sung in English.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRBEZYmjneQ
The next two are similarly styled. Don't miss 2:45 on the first one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XInGhdbrSI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dga3Vw1NQ0
This last sample is the magnum opus of a composer who left us nearly a decade ago. It has an official arrangement like The Azure Arbitrator if you enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1GhOzlGXQk

From other series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFpvOGCBSTg
https://youtu.be/o8tiJ8oHfao?t=53
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFNr-iYzd9c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZmyljxDkPQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVCGASdoTZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UhptprZLJg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNHtrSM1RU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WDJLFlSqMA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5REoVhfVSk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR8HcBxaQsk

From the Zelda series, Spirit Tracks' soundtrack is criminally underrated, and the latter includes Zelda's theme in the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk_xjIFlfZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikfDbug2i48

DKBananaSlamma posted...

I remember everyone was clamoring for a friend safari that had a ditto in it

I was receiving messages about my Chansey Safari as late as 2019. Eventually, I had to stop responding.

Anyway, for those who have not heard it, please enjoy the live performance of the vocal ending theme.
https://youtu.be/WtP_mALCz54?t=29

I am impressed that Current Events got this one overwhelmingly right

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Gym Leader/E4 theme is so unhype in this game.

The Masters EX team actually scored a new Gym theme because of this, reserving the original theme for the Elites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJHL1KeFXcI

Anyway, Gardenia's attitude is infectious.
https://i.imgur.com/FN83EmN.jpg

Roxanne is my favorite. She received several special illustrations last year in the card game featuring her interest in fossils.
https://product-images.tcgplayer.com/478096.jpg

Norman is satisfying as a mid-game boss before growing up, as it were, and crossing the river. Wallace and Juan are both fantastic, and the twins are a great concept. Brawly and Flannery are definitely the weak links of the crew wherein the latter's claim to fame is that she is not good at her job.

I won with four Tera Bug Mews. Mine ran Swords Dance, Leech Life, X-Scissor, and Misty Terrain, but other moves were covered by the rest of the group.

@tejtejtej appreciation.

The reason why 'Johto kinda sucks' is because they did not know where they were going with the series at the time. They didn't know that we would have one thousand monsters or what game design would carry us here. Notice how Ruby and Sapphire established the general serial formula followed for more than a decade thereafter. Gold and Silver were sequels loaded with pasta-thrown-at-a-wall ideas, most heavily tied to Kanto necessarily.

@CoachTravis @Davzz may enjoy reading the preceding post.

The fourth case is stellar, and the concept of the fifth one is riveting; it just loses steam at the climax of all places for well documented reasons. All else aside, Investigations lays the groundwork for a much better-written game.

There is little more satisfying than dumping Mystery Seeds on the penultimate final boss (?) through Seasons' upgraded slingshot, but Ages' items generally permitted more interesting overworld interactions. I suppose the gloves with the spiked ball in the Digdogger fight is exciting, too, given how dangerous overshooting that was.

Have you ever been served?

There are several bad histories being told here. Folks forget how 2006 was essentially the Stone Age and that RS had just established the serial formula. If Emerald was the first truly 'complete' entry in the series, DP followed its act by providing a lengthy, quasi-open map with substantial postgame content expanded by Platinum. The remakes are rough around the edges because certain design tenets are less palatable today, but they were the best entries in the series at the time of release with vibrant competitive and trading scenes thanks to online capabilities. Is there a particular aspect of the games that you had in mind? This series' game design is fairly easy to track as evolutionary.

Tag.

For amusement's sake, I submit the Lou Bega Pokemon segments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB_hAAZ60EM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eo3E7eTMLQ

Another one from the polka world is a glaring 'Who's that?' segment mistake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dUpAWrb4ig

ellis123 posted...

Apparently none of them. There was a really tragic video from a while back where the person was trying to get into any of them and how all of them were just massive list of issues, and even the "solid" ones had problems.

This is the short answer. There are opportunities aplenty from decades ago to today if you want to scratch the itch, but compromises must be made at virtually every junction. You're probably better off watching Ghost Game (which I haven't seen, admittedly).

KhlavicLanguage posted...

it got like a 55 on metacritic <_< did they all just miss something

Review fatigue is very real on handheld systems. Circling back to Mega Man, each successive Battle Network or Star Force game basically scored worse despite being better due to the mistaken belief of 'same game every year'. Reviewers do not want to see multiple versions which was Explorers' first sin, and releasing a third version was honestly a bold move in that environment. Like I said (speaking as someone who had previously dropped Explorers of Time), Explorers of Sky is an incredible experience worth the patience of cutting through its cheese and yesteryear presentation and game design. It's loaded with content if that sweetens the deal.
Calwings posted...

That's a good game in its own right, just not as good as its successor. If you decide to play that one, play it before Explorers of Sky, because you'll find it hard to go back if you play them the other way around.

Many who play Rescue Team never make it to the rest of the series, though; that's the risk. Since the topic creator has a wide library to sift through, I would skip straight to Explorers of Sky.

KhlavicLanguage posted...

Is that like the pokemon mystery dungeon for gba? I have that one

Every version of Rescue Team is marginal to outright bad. Explorers of Sky (the 'third version' with numerous updates to the other Explorers games) is still rough around the edges, but it's a very solid, very fourth generational era game. I played it years later and missed out on a rich narrative. Gates on the 3DS is hit or miss, but Super on the 3DS is also great.

Did your evaluation became more rigorous as you began teaching more content?

KhlavicLanguage posted...

I hear 999 brought up a lot but don't have the faintest clue what it is, not even genre-wise. Should I go in blind >_>

It's a Japanese adventure game that many consider to be a visual novel, as well. The scenario is that you awaken locked on a sinking ship and have nine hours to escape a series of escape rooms; gameplay is split between talking and puzzle solving in the escape rooms. The game is lauded because there is much more to the story (and series that resulted therefrom) than that. Go in as blindly as possible with maybe direction on what choices to make at best. It's probably twenty hours to the true ending.

If you liked Mega Man Battle Network, look at the Star Force series. 999 is absolutely essential, as well; please ask any questions.

Fun fact: in BW2, Ghetsis' ace monster knows Frustration to highlight his relationship with his monsters.
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ghetsis#Party