Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 89

Let’s Talk About the Paper Mario Rumors

While I sit here pretending to avoid Final Fantasy VII Remake spoilers, it’s time we talked about the rumors regarding a new Paper Mario game.

Fans have been hoping for a new traditional Paper Mario game (or a remaster of the original and/or The Thousand-Year Door) for a while now, and this year rumors began to support the idea.

Early this year, leakers claimed to have sources that said a traditional Paper Mario game will be released this year, and the recent Mario rumors from VGC and Eurogamer also mentioned a new Paper Mario game being in development. VentureBeat also reported that the new Paper Mario will be “closer to the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube games.”

It’s been four years since the release of Paper Mario: Color Splash, and since the Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U all got an entry in the series, a Switch Paper Mario game seems likely. But will it really be traditional?

Interviews about Color Splash supported the belief that Paper Mario had changed so drastically because of the Mario & Luigi series. With two Mario RPG spin-off series co-existing, Nintendo decided that Paper Mario would focus more on puzzle-solving to keep the series feeling distinct.

Unfortunately, things don’t look great for the Mario & Luigi series these days either. The developer for the series, AlphaDream, filed for bankruptcy last year.

If Mario & Luigi is effectively dead, that might clear the way for Paper Mario to return to its RPG roots again. On the other hand, if AlphaDream went bankrupt because the series did poorly, Nintendo might decide to double down on the decision to focus on other elements with Paper Mario.

I want to believe the Paper Mario rumors. I’d love to see Paper Mario return to the style of any of the original three; I’d take a Super Paper Mario 2 in a heartbeat if it had as much story content as the original. And yes, I’m still going to give Color Splash an honest chance, preferably before this theoretical new Paper Mario game is announced.

What do you think about the Paper Mario rumors? Is a new Paper Mario game on the horizon? And if so, will it play like the originals, or will it follow the new path Nintendo set the series on?

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Fifth “Platinum 4” Announcement Teased After April Fools’ Joke

Earlier this year, PlatinumGames launched the “Platinum 4” website, which was later revealed to be four upcoming announcements.

The first was The Wonderful 101: Remastered, which they held a successful Kickstarter campaign to self-publish as a multiplatform release later this year.

The second was Project G.G., a new giant superhero IP being self-published by PlatinumGames.

While people expected each announcement to be a game, the third was actually their new studio PlatinumGames Tokyo, which will work on developing “live ops” (live service) titles.

Finally, the fourth announcement was teased for a big reveal on April 1, which should have been a warning sign, but when it turned out to be their April Fools’ Day joke, people became furious. I’ve seen so many people angry at Platinum for making their fourth big announcement a joke, especially since some felt the announcement was hyped up too much.

However, now the Platinum 4 website has been updated with a “5” after the previous reveals, as a “Bonus Stage” is coming soon.

Some fans are once again hoping for whatever game they want to see the most, while others are still mad over the April Fools’ joke. Personally, I think the chance of it being news about an already-announced game like Bayonetta 3 is slim, and the widespread theory that it’s Drakengard 4 seems to have no real basis except that Platinum worked with Yoko Taro on Nier: Automata.

So I’m expecting the fifth announcement to be another new self-published game, but we’ll see. What do you think Platinum’s final reveal will be?

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Final Fantasy VII Remake 8-Disc Soundtrack Revealed

With the Final Fantasy VII Remake almost upon us (with people getting their copies any time between now and who-knows-when due to the current chaos), Square Enix revealed the track list for its complete soundtrack.

Its 8-disc soundtrack.

Okay, the eighth disc is a bonus disc included with the “Special Edit Version” that contains music from the in-game jukebox, but that still leaves us with 7 discs for the game’s main soundtrack, with 156 songs listed.

For comparison, the original Final Fantasy VII’s soundtrack contained 85 songs over four discs – and that was for the entire story. This Midgar-focused first entry of the remake already has far more songs, which makes me wonder how much music there will be once the subsequent games are also remade.

This is not to be confused with the mini soundtrack included with the Final Fantasy VII Remake Deluxe Edition. That is a mini soundtrack sampler that contains 12 songs. The full soundtrack will be released on May 27.

Peruse the track list at your own risk, since the titles of certain songs might imply spoilers for the game.

Speaking of spoilers, now is the time to filter Youtube and avoid Final Fantasy VII Remake discussions if you’re hoping to play it without seeing spoilers ahead of time, because copies are already out in the wild due to Square Enix shipping the game early to certain regions to avoid delays.

For those of you with digital pre-orders, the pre-load begins this Friday. I’ve debated about switching to a digital copy to play the game on its release day, but right now my love of physical games is still winning out.

Anyway, I’m excited by the sheer number of songs in this game (and I thought this would be a safe topic to blog about instead of news that could be mistaken for a prank today), and I can’t wait until I can play. Are you looking forward to the Final Fantasy VII Remake?

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Nier Replicant Remaster and Mobile Game Nier Re[in]carnation Announced

In honor of Nier’s 10th anniversary, we knew a live stream was set for yesterday and there were plenty of rumors about a potential Nier remaster.

Well, the rumors turned out to be true! Square Enix has announced NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

(And yes, that’s the name they’re going with, “NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…” That number is the square root of 1.5, but I don’t want to see any Nier fans picking on Kingdom Hearts titles ever again.)

The remaster appears to be specifically Nier Replicant for both Japan and the west. For those of you who don’t know, when Nier was released in Japan, it had two versions: Nier Replicant and Nier Gestalt. The sole difference between these two is the protagonist and his relationship to Yonah. Replicant starred a young man who was her brother, while Gestalt starred an older man who was her father.

Only Gestalt was ever localized for the west, so this remaster will mark the first time the younger Nier has ever been playable in an official western release. It appears as though this will be the only version remastered.

Now, I’ve been calling it a remaster, but the official explanation translated by Gematsu leaves that slightly uncertain. It was officially described as “neither a remaster or a remake, but rather an upgraded version of the game.”

Voice-overs and background music have been re-recorded, and new elements have been added, including at least one new character, and the voice actors for 2B and 9S from Nier Automata will have small roles. However, it’s still undecided if there will be any new endings.

It still sounds like a remaster to me, but whatever it is, they hope it will feel fresh even to fans who have already played the game. I enjoyed Nier a lot when I played it last year, so I’m keeping my eye on this for sure.

But that wasn’t it for Nier news yesterday! They followed that announcement by revealing Nier Re[in]carnation, a new entry in the series for iOS and Android.

I’m not crazy about it being a mobile game, but additional details translated by Gematsu make it sound more promising.

According to producer Yosuke Saito, “at first glance, it doesn’t look like a smartphone title” and they’re approaching it as though it would be a multiplatform release, and he wants it to “cause a stir” even if it isn’t a profitable game. Director Yoko Taro described it as “a strangely startling type of game.”

This sounds like there’s a chance it won’t follow the usual free-to-play gacha model that turns me away whenever I see a mobile game announced. I’ll be interested in seeing more about Nier Re[in]carnation.

Meanwhile, I’ve gone back to my playthrough of Nier Automata and hope to make progress in that soon. Are you excited for the Nier Replicant remaster? What about Nier Re[in]carnation? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Kingdom Hearts III’s Re:Mind DLC Pushed Me to My Limits

After Kingdom Hearts III’s Re:Mind DLC launched in late January, one thing about its reception became very clear.

Players who had no interest in fighting superbosses often criticized the DLC as not having enough content, while players who enjoyed superbosses generally found the DLC to be fantastic.

Now I’ve finally finished playing Re:Mind in its entirety.

The DLC is divided into three major parts: the Re:Mind story scenario, the Limit Cut, and the Secret Episode.

(Plus the Data Greeting feature, which lets you pose characters to set up your own scenes for a ton of creative potential. I messed around with that for a while, although I was disappointed that some of my favorite characters like Vexen weren’t available for it.)

Each unlocks after the previous one, so you begin with Re:Mind. The start of the scenario is a little bland, since it largely retreads the final part of the game, with new context and content.

I enjoyed the changes to the cutscenes, but it is a bit repetitive. After that, however, things become more interesting, as Re:Mind gets into new content and lets you finally explore that certain area in Kingdom Hearts III that felt like it should have been an explorable world. The latter half of the Re:Mind scenario has some pretty cool moments, and I enjoyed it a lot.

I took my time exploring, and so that part took me about 5 hours.

Then I unlocked the Limit Cut episode and realized that not only were the superbosses a good portion of the DLC’s content, but I would also need to fight them if I wanted to see all of its story.

The first boss I attempted immediately destroyed me. I was tempted to call it quits there and look up the cutscenes online or even play through the main game again to use the newly-added EZ Codes to make the fights easier (the DLC also added Pro Codes, which make fights harder), but after waiting so long for Re:Mind and finally experiencing a Kingdom Hearts game when it came out instead of years later, I decided to give the fights an honest try.

And so I leveled up until I hit level 99 and started fighting the Limit Cut bosses. It’s strange, but while each boss has its own pattern and style for you to learn, I also felt like I had to learn how to fight superbosses at all. I’d never beaten a Kingdom Hearts superboss before, and they all felt impossible at the start, but there was a certain point where it clicked and I understood how to learn the fights.

Countless deaths and hours later, I’d defeated all of the Limit Cut bosses and unlocked the Secret Episode, which presented me with the most challenging boss I’ve ever faced.

I don’t want to think about how many hours I spent on that fight. Certainly more than 10. I’d sit down in the evenings and fight for an hour or two, dying over and over but slowly learning how to deal with each attack and gradually getting better, until I finally won.

As for the story, I’m confused about everything, but I’m ready to ride this wild ride to the end and see where Nomura is taking us in the next Kingdom Hearts saga.

Re:Mind left me with some satisfying story moments, many hours of death entertainment, and a sense of accomplishment from beating all of those fights. I’m one of the people who found Re:Mind to be an excellent conclusion for Kingdom Hearts III.

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Konami Denies Silent Hill Rumors

Silent Hill rumors have been rampant lately, from the claim that Konami is developing a Silent Hill reboot and an episodic spin-off, to the more recent rumor that Sony wants to buy the Silent Hill IP and have Kojima develop a new Silent Hill game.

Well, Konami has officially denied these rumors.

According to Rely on Horror, who initially reported the reboot/spin-off rumors, a North American PR representative for Konami said, “We’re aware of all the rumors and reports but can confirm that they are not true.”

However, they did reiterate that the Silent Hill series is not gone forever.

Some people believe Konami is simply denying the rumors because nothing has been officially announced yet, but since this isn’t the usual “we have no news to report at this time” style of response developers usually give, the outright denial makes me think they’re serious.

I had no enthusiasm for the rumored reboot and spin-off, and I was skeptical about the Sony rumors as well. It’s sad, but I’ve gotten so used to the idea of Silent Hill being dead that seeing this denial barely moved me at all. I can’t imagine Silent Hill returning in a form that actually feels like Silent Hill.

But maybe I’m being pessimistic. What do you think the future of Silent Hill holds?

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Thoughts on the Resident Evil 3 Remake Demo

All right, it’s time to talk about the Resident Evil 3 remake demo, which became available to download last week.

I went into the demo looking for one thing: evidence of a survival horror gameplay structure.

And I got it! Although the demo is pretty short, I encountered some locked doors (including a type of a lock I couldn’t get through in the demo) and the majority of the demo involved searching for the fire hose to unlock the path forward. It felt a lot like the Resident Evil 2 remake in its setup, so I have confidence the full game will too.

So in general, I’m pleased with the demo.

Nemesis also seems like he’s going to be terrifying. He’s like Mr. X, except much faster and with more abilities, including tentacles that can drag you back toward him and a jump that sends him sailing through the air to land in front of you and cut off your path.

One of the things I liked about Mr. X in the Resident Evil 2 remake was that by the time he appears, you have enough doors open that it becomes a game of picking the most efficient path to throw him off your trail and return to where you were. It didn’t feel like that here. However, Jill also has more capabilities, such as a dodge, so maybe it will all balance out.

The only thing that left me uncertain was Jill’s attitude.

And yes, I know this is a point of controversy among fans right now, and yes I know she has good reason to mistrust mercenaries working for Umbrella. It was mainly her sarcasm that rubbed me the wrong way. Hearing Jill respond with a sarcastic, “Right. How’s that going for you?” when Mikhail says they’re there to rescue civilians made me do a double take, because it didn’t sound to me like something Jill would say.

On the other hand, it’s been a long time since I played the original Resident Evil 3, and this demo is just a small slice of the game, so maybe I’m overthinking it. At least I know the gameplay is looking good.

Have you played the Resident Evil 3 remake demo? What did you think of it? Am I crazy for being bothered by Jill’s sarcasm? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Clive ‘N’ Wrench Planned for Switch and PC This Winter

Five years after its unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign, the 3D platformer Clive ‘N’ Wrench is finally coming out!

Clive ‘N’ Wrench is a 3D platformer inspired by games like Jak & Daxter and Spyro. It stars a rabbit and monkey duo on a time-traveling journey through 11 worlds (and a hub world) to stop the evil Dr. Daucus.

It will be released not only on the PC but also the Switch sometime in winter 2020. (I’ve seen people arguing that winter 2020 just ended, but I think it’s safe to say the developers mean Q4 2020.)

Last year, I played the public alpha demo and found it to be quite promising despite some rough spots and a frustrating camera. Hopefully those issues have been ironed out for the final build.

According to publisher Numskull Games, Clive ‘N’ Wrench will be available both physically and digitally. A new trailer is out now.

After all this time, I’m thrilled to see Clive ‘N’ Wrench being completed. I’m still disappointed over the cancellation of Fiona Frightening. It looks like Lobodestroyo came back from the dead, however. And another 3D platformer we discussed around the same time, Happy Hell, got a new demo last month!

Speaking of demos, I enjoyed the demos for both Trials of Mana and the Resident Evil 3 remake, and I intended to blog about them until I saw the news about Clive ‘N’ Wrench. Since we’ve been following Clive ‘N’ Wrench for so long, I wanted to highlight that first.

What do you think of Clive ‘N’ Wrench? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Trials of Mana Demo Out Now, Resident Evil 3 Demo Out Tomorrow

A week ago we talked about the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo, but that isn’t the only one of April’s big-name releases giving fans an early taste of the gameplay.

The Trials of Mana remake, which is due out on April 24, has a demo available now from Steam, PSN, and the eShop.

I have the Switch version of the demo downloading even as I write this. I’ve only played one Mana game, Sword of Mana on the GBA, although I did get the recent collection of the original trilogy. The Trials of Mana remake looks pretty good, so I’m excited to give the demo a try and see how it feels.

Meanwhile, Resident Evil 3 is also getting a demo tonight/tomorrow. It looks like the PSN and Xbox release of the demo will be earlier than the PC version, and it’s already available in New Zealand and Australia.

Unlike the Resident Evil 2 remake demo, it doesn’t appear this one is limited in any way. I’m even more excited to try this demo once it’s available. RE2make got me hyped for this remake, but I’m still a little nervous that Resident Evil 3’s greater focus on action might come on too strong. Here’s hoping the demo feels like a survival horror game. I’m hoping for some locked doors and puzzles.

(Now that I think about it, it’s interesting that April has 3 high-profile remakes coming out, all with demos.)

Are you planning to play either the Trials of Mana demo or the Resident Evil 3 remake demo (or both)? Have you already played them? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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New Final Fantasy VII Remake Screenshots: Honeybee Inn, New Characters, and More!

Today, Square Enix revealed a bunch of new Final Fantasy VII Remake screenshots, as well as some new details.

The major focus of this update is the Wall Market area and the Honey Bee Inn, although the post starts out with new images of Tseng, including his render.

From there it details Don Corneo and then several new characters. Andrea Rhodea, who was shown in past trailers, is the owner of the Honeybee Inn, as well as a dancer. He has “the authority to approve women for Corneo’s auditions.” The next new character is Leslie Kyle, who works for Don Corneo. Next is Madam M, a woman who runs a hand-massage parlor in Wall Market and also has the authority to approve women for the don’s auditions. Finally, the last new character introduced is Chocobo Sam, a Wall Market Chocobo handler and gambler who can also approve women for the auditions.

That repeated mention of characters who can approve women for Don Corneo’s auditions strikes me as a pretty interesting detail. It makes me wonder if you’ll need to pick one of the three to impress in order to see Corneo.

Of course, it could make you meet all of their approval or simply a world-building detail, but right now I’m imagining a scenario where you do quests to help out Andrea Rhodea, Madam M, or Chocobo Sam in exchange for being approved.

The next section of the post talks about Barrett’s combat abilities and the Enemy Skill Materia, which gives you a chance to learn enemy abilities.

And then it’s on to more beautiful, dazzling screenshots!

Several screenshots of Wall Market, the introduction of the Corneo Colosseum, and of course several screenshots of the Honeybee Inn, as well as Tifa, Aerith, and Cloud all dressed up round out this section of the article.

All of these areas look so beautiful, and I can’t wait to explore them in-game.

The final screenshots are of the Beginner’s Hall, the new Jukebox feature that lets you play songs you acquire, and the Leviathan summon.

Final Fantasy VII Remake looks great, and now it’s less than a month away. I’m excited to see what the rest of the game has in store (and I was never even a big fan of Midgar). What do you think about the latest Final Fantasy VII Remake screenshots and details?

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