Indeed you’re right! I wasn’t aware before that you had played the Lunar games, so knowing that you’re a huge fan is really cool! That’s good to hear, because it was only after I purchased the Touch version that I learned SSS has a lot of other versions for different consoles. Among them being the Sega Saturn, PS1, and even GBA ()?! I’m far from knowing the exact details of each version, but it’s evident from what you mention that the mobile version is a solid choice given how committed the devs have been in touching it up over a long stretch of time. Looking forward to playing Silver Star Story sometime, I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes!

Correct again! I’ve taken an interest in Ace Attorney in recent times thanks to a cousin’s passionate recommendation. My cousin who recommended me the Trilogy had never played a visual novel-like game before, so for them to tell me they enjoyed the first three games to bits and going as far as to show me almost the entirety of AA1’s first case - it was just something I had to add to my library (especially on a sale)! From what I’ve seen, Ace Attorney seems like it’s right up my alley! Plus, I’ve only ever heard high praise for the series - very likely that I’ll be in for a good time.

I’m certain you have long since heard about this particular development, but what do you make of Nintendo’s next console being revealed within the next fiscal year? For one thing, I think it’s surreal that the OG Switch has been out on the market for the better part of a decade () - for me personally, it doesn’t even feel all that old! Nintendo nailed it with the Switch’s portable form factor design, so if there’s any idea that gets carried over from the current console to the next, I sure hope that’s it. Whatever it is that Nintendo comes up with for their new hardware, I’ll be eager to see what new 1st and 3rd party titles get revealed for its first year. Who knows, what if part of the reason we've been left in the dark on DQIII HD for so long could be because Square Enix is preparing a version specifically for the new console? 🤔 (6/6)

I’m glad to hear that! That’s for sure, Silent Hill not limiting your total number of saves is a huge plus, one which I would consider being a major deciding factor for wanting to play it at the time I did last year when I was craving some good horror. All this time later, I frequently think back on my experience playing through SH and confronting the horrors lying in wait within that grim fog. Never expected for anything to dethrone REmake so quickly as the scariest game I’ve experienced, but SH’s brand of psychological horror did just that! I hope you have as much of a good, scare-filled time as I did once you delve into the world of OG Silent Hill!

That’s right, haha(...). I’ve only ever had Sticker Star as my main source of Paper Mario content, even though eons back I’d been meaning to fix that and check out the classic, fan-favorite turn-based entries. With TTYD HD’s release being literally right around the corner, I will certainly be picking up a copy…though I think that’ll be once I’ve thinned out a few more RPGs from my existing backlog.
Man, it’s natural to expect everyone will judge video games differently based on their personal experience, but I can imagine it must still be pretty rough seeing someone you know pick up a game you adore and not enjoy it one bit. Sorry to hear that, truly ().
I’ll do my best to avoid going in with high expectations (as I did with Golden Sun). I would regret having to expect the world out of an otherwise fun game, much better to go in as blind as I can and enjoy the experience for what it is!

Ah, I see. I’ve remained on the fence regarding the Super Mario RPG remake precisely because I’d heard that it didn’t deviate too much from the SNES original outside of some tweaks here and there. Even with those changes, it seems to me that you had a nice time with the game so that’s good to hear! What with everything I have pending in the backlog, it’ll likely be a while (much like any other newer release) until I get around to snagging a copy - unless there’s some compelling sale somewhere. (5/?)

It’s been some time since having left my comment on your video, but I do wish to reiterate again that your video was a superb and entertaining one! Just goes to show, quality work takes time to cook ()! The YouTube algorithm is brutal to channels that don’t already have a gazillion subs, but whenever the time may be that the algorithm picks up your ‘Best of 2022 video’, I sure do hope that your spotlight on Phoenotopia puts it on more people’s radar. Seriously man, you hit it out of the park with that segment!

You can say that again! Can’t really go wrong with any of the GBA Castlevania titles, and honestly I would love to revisit them sometime myself. That is especially the case with CotM, which I haven’t played through all the way since having beat it on the Advance Collection. Wild to think that all this time has passed and Konami hasn’t dropped a Castlevania DS collection for modern platforms! If they were to announce that, and bundle SotN in while they’re at it, it’d basically be easy money. One can dream…

Yep! The Nasuverse is a gigantic rabbit hole to dive into once you really sink your teeth in, with tons of works closely tying into each other to varying degrees. And also, yes! I can’t speak for other VNs as I haven’t explored the genre too much (yet), but the production values and character dynamics for Witch on the Holy Night are some of the best I’ve ever seen. I’d love to hear your impressions on it once you get around to trying the demo.
You’re piquing my interest with the Steins;Gate anime adaptation, if I do say! I don’t particularly mind a ‘slow burn’ sort of deal, as seeing the many pieces of a narrative build up over time make the eventual payoff worth it (akin to DQVII, if I had to use a game example). It’s unfortunate though that my backlog of anime is getting to be about as large as my gaming one, haha! Not too sure when it’ll be, but when I do have the time to commit I’d surely like to find out what kind of an impression Steins;Gate has on me. (4/?)

As with you, I also found the dungeons and puzzles to be real neat aspects of Golden Sun - evoking a Zelda-like feeling. The Djinn system I thought was great too, tracking those lil’ guys down and altering your character classes, though I’ll admit I never explored the latter much at all and simply stuck to mono-typing. I had the exact issue you pointed out as well with the overall story not really doing it for me. I couldn’t get too invested in the main cast or villains either, as they hardly got much (if any) meaningful development. Not to mention the NPCs in each town lacking witty / engaging dialogue to read through. Quite the opposite compared to other JRPGs, such as Dragon Quest (off the top of my head), where most of those aspects are done much better. The combat system and soundtrack were what hard-carried my experience with Golden Sun the most besides the puzzles, if I had to get down to brass tacks. Once I get around to playing it, it’ll be interesting to see how many of the shortcomings from its predecessor The Lost Age addresses and improves upon.

After simmering on the idea for a while, I’m more inclined to agree that the Zelda movie would benefit from having been animated from the start. I think I may have said before that it’s not as if the concept of a live-action adaption wouldn’t work, but it will be much more difficult (in my opinion) to capture the charm that the series is known for. Now that I think of it, it isn’t that long ago I read up on a GamesRadar article that the Zelda movie director was stated as saying he would go “to the ends of the Earth” to ensure the movie turns out great. Not too entirely certain at this point in time whether that will actually be the case in the end or not, so it just leaves us having to wait and see if Nintendo and their partners are able to make good on that promise once the movie is set for release! If the Zelda movie ends up being as good as it was promised to be then that’s excellent, but I really do hope any other Nintendo properties to receive the movie treatment stick to the animation route - to best capture the magic of each series they're adapting. (3/?)

That is a great question that you pose btw, with respect to where DQIX stands against the other entries in the series I’ve played so far. DQIX was a wonderful experience, combining many of my favorite aspects from previous games up to that point. Top-notch localization, customization options, and full to bursting with content! Seriously, I have no idea how the devs managed to stuff so much into a DS cartridge (🤯)! I have yet to even touch the post-game content but when I do, ever since learning you can still access DQVC content in the current year (and quite easily too, at that), I can comfortably see myself sinking another hundred hours…heck, maybe even more to knock out every sidequest and legacy boss! That said, in terms of raw rankings I’d say my top favorites of the series are as follows:
DQIII → DQVII → DQXI → DQIX → DQV

It is rather unfortunate that I never got around to making more progress in Persona 4 late last year. A deadly combination of getting too easily distracted with other games popping up on my radar, on top of ‘so many games, not enough time’ in my case. Still remember all too well though the amount of fun I was having up to the point in the story I put it down. I’ve been on a strong JRPG kick all throughout this year so it’s probably only a matter of time until I (hopefully) get back into the swing of things. I’m already mentally preparing myself for the inevitable moment when I get sucked back into it wondering, “Why did I ever drop Persona 4 for so long?!”.

Sure took Nintendo long enough to put it up on NSO, but yeah it was neat finally getting to see what Golden Sun was all about! After hearing people hyping the game up for years, I was going into it expecting one of the best RPGs I’ve played in years (something on par with EarthBound or DQIII). I’ll be honest and say that it didn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations, but I still had a fun time playing through it. (2/?)

Hey, Dekumonz! It’s been a little while. Indeed, things over here on my end have been equally busy with schoolwork piling up among other IRL things. But other than that I’m faring well, hoping that's the case for you too!

I’ve been a little disconnected from most online discussion as of late, but it is wonderful to hear that people are liking the new DQM. I would love to say that I hold the same opinion about it, but I have yet to pop it into my console even once since it arrived in the mail back in January! I think it’s the same thing for me as well, there being just too much stuff in the backlog to sift and commit to in a reasonable amount of time. Want to say that the summer season could be an ideal time to get a crack at it, but with my plans to take summer coursework I’m not too sure yet if that’s going to work out as I want it.

Seems like you’ve been playing some long games too, gotta respect the commitment there! Understandable if DQVII seems too daunting to approach soon after having finished your recent long games, as that one is indeed a behemoth playtime-wise. I’ve been playing some meaty games too, such as FFVII, but if something like, say, DQIII HD were to drop within the next month or two then hoooo boy I’d be at the ready to sink dozens of hours explorin’ and grinding away!

Regarding Yu Miyake stepping down from the DQ series, yes I have heard about that. That piece of news alone had me worried enough, but then there’s also those more recent reports that Square Enix has halted production of all their HD remasters / remakes currently in the works. I’m certain that Dragon Quest is simply too big of a juggernaut to get hit with the cancellation hammer, but I still can’t help but be slightly concerned such things could hamper the pace of development in some way. I’ve got my fingers crossed that hopefully we get some news about DQIII HD and DQXII this upcoming Dragon Quest day! (1/?)

Yeah I’m really enjoying SotN!The gameplay is really smooth, I’m using my PSP Go to play so I’ve tried with both the handheld controls and the DualShock 3 controller; both are great! It’s definitely the cream of the crop as far as PS1 games go. (at least PS1 games that I’ve played haha)

I’ll definitely be checking out the stage-based Castlevanias, probably starting with IV just because I love the SNES so much but the lower difficulty sounds perfect as well! For 3D, I got Lament of Innocence on the PS3 store at the recommendation of a friend. I’ve heard 3D Castlevania can be hit-or-miss, so I’m keeping an open mind! I enjoy the series, so I look forward to seeing some of their variety.

It is my first time through SotN! Playing on the recommendation of a friend, and I’m really loving it! The first portion was already one of the best Castlevania games ever, and the inverted castle just adds an additional tier of content to an already great game! Once I’m through I intend to try some of the 3D Castlevanias from the PS2, and maybe the Genesis after that, who knows!

Haha more info than you asked for but yes I’m enjoying it immensely!

Oh my gosh all of them are amazing! It depends on your tastes but none of them are going to be disappointing. I'd say of those the hardest to get into might be Crash 1 as it has a bonkers save system, but every one of those series is excellent.

But father, what if something happens to you?

Kind of reminds me of Yakuza 1 on PS2.

My top 10 games of 2023!
Only counting games I for the first time this year.

Bonus: Soul Blazer: Dark Genesis
- This fan game would be very high on the list, but I don't really count it as a full game since it's only a single chapter. But it sure was a great time. There's not much else quite like Soul Blazer.

10.) ChaoS;HEAd Noah
- A strange, foreboding, and weird psychological thriller about a comically anti-social weaboo. Felt like I was in a trance every time I played it.

9.) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- One big improvement over the last game is this one's fun boss battles. Coupled with some elemental dungeons, this game thankfully felt a little bit more like Zelda. (The hairdo and outfit granted by the Ocarina of Time amiibo certainly helped the illusion.)

8.) Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- A step up over the New Super Mario Bros. series, but far from being as good as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. Daisy's inclusion is a huge plus.

7.) Astro's Playroom
- Brimming with creativity and fan-service; Makes you use the controller in so many different ways. Consistently joy-inducing throughout its very short playtime.

6.) Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line
- The revamped controls are more complex than the touch controls of the 3DS games, but it's still just as fun as ever. The impressively large track list helps make this one of the best rhythm games I've ever played.

5.) Wonder Boy in Monster World
- Been on my to-do list forever, and it didn't disappoint now that I've finally played it. It is every bit as good as The Dragon's Trap.

4.) Super Adventure Island II
- Played this hoping for more Wonder Boy-esque fun, but found something I enjoyed even more. The fun I had exploring this world is something I'll remember for years to come.

3.) Mega Man Legends 2
- Better than the first game in nearly every conceivable way. If I had known the game would be this fun, I'd have played it sooner. Great towns and addictive dungeon exploration.

2.) Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
- A mid-tier Yakuza game, but a Yakuza game nonetheless. Came out at just the right time for me personally. Had a very poignant finale.

1.) Resident Evil 4 (2023)
- The standard all remakes need to live up to. Improves on the original game in nearly every aspect. Extremely replayable; I'm already on my 5th run!

I actually played Diddy Kong Racing back in 2009 or so, around the time I first got into Project 64. I only just recently played it on console for the first time though, thanks to the EverDrive. It's awesome! The Adventure mode is a lot of fun, but those silver coin races get pretty damn hard. I'm focusing more on F-Zero X at the moment, but I might get back into it.

Man, I have to say that it was a blast reading through your impressions of the initial TTYD HD announcement and the amount of joy it brought you knowing that the original Paper Mario formula is soon enough going to be brought back on a modern Nintendo console! Seeing the footage in that Direct had me absolutely floored too, as I was convinced Nintendo was never going back to the classic turn-based style. For all of us (myself included) that haven’t experienced this revered game yet, having an accessible version of TTYD to play on Switch was terrific news all on its own! Seriously can’t wait to play it for the first time once the release date is upon us, as my only real exposure to the Paper Mario series so far in life has been…Sticker Star. Not a terrible game on its own IMO, but I could understand the frustration that it essentially buried what fans found appealing about the series in the first place.
I’m really happy for you friend about TTYD and its long awaited remake, next year can’t come soon enough! Fingers crossed tight that both the Mario RPG + TTYD remakes do well enough that it encourages Nintendo to dip their toes into producing more turn-based Mario RPGs for their home consoles eliciting the same charm / creativity of those classic titles. We could potentially be witnessing the dawn of a new era of Mario RPG very soon, and I’m all here for it!

A pleasure as always to engage in some fun conversation with ya Dekumonz, hoping that life on your end has been treating you well throughout the year! With a lot of free time on my hands now, I plan to make the most of it relaxing and playing catch up on some games without a care in the world. Ah, and I just wished to mention that I saw you just recently completed the Mario RPG remake. Woohoo! I’m curious to hear what are your thoughts on it, and how does it compare to the original SNES release?
Wishing you all the best these upcoming holidays, as well as the new year! Let’s finish 2023 off strong! (6/6)

If it does happen that WotHN ends up capturing your interest enough then there is no shortage of additional Nasuverse content to dive into including: Tsukihime, Fate, Garden of Sinners, and more! All of it being superb stuff, not to mention all the dedicated fans putting in the work to translate works that never left Japan!
No indication as of yet when the revised script will be available as a console version update, but you can bet that when it happens I will be there to re-experience that fantastic story again. 🤩

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Steins;Gate over the years, and there have been a couple times where I’d meant to look into reading the VN or at least watching the anime adaptation, but just haven’t yet due to getting sidetracked with other fixations. I see it regularly listed among the best visual novels ever released so I certainly want to check it out sometime to experience the story for myself and seeing what the hype is about…one of these days!

I feel like that’s exactly it when it comes to horror games, with the main ‘scare’ factor not often coming from the actual game’s content itself but the growing expectation that something will come around the corner and get you good. And as you mention, being limited in resources in titles such as REmake add all the more to that tense feeling while playing as you’re never quite sure if you’re fully prepared to take on the next set of obstacles to get in your way.
When playing OG Silent Hill, a lot of rooms you explore in the early-game locations (Midwich Elementary School comes to my mind vividly) are void of enemies but I could never shake off the constant feeling of anxiety that a monster would pop out from the darkness or fog. It left an incredibly strong impression on me with its ever-present ominous atmosphere, which I wasn’t expecting another horror game to have on me so soon coming off playing REmake earlier this year. I was presuming the game’s tank controls / camera to give me more grievance coming from an earlier era of 3D game design, but I managed to get accustomed very quickly!
If SH had implemented stricter resource management or a limited save system as seen in the early RE games, goodness knows how much longer it would’ve taken me to get through the entire game! Horror games like that I think I could only handle playing...every so often, lol.
If you’re ever looking to scratch the horror game itch, I would for sure give Silent Hill a high recommendation! (5/?)

No worries at all if Harmony of Dissonance didn’t have the same impact on you as the other ‘Metroidvania’ titles in the series had. Given how far removed it is from even the other two GBA titles (especially Aria of Sorrow) in terms of visuals and audio quality, I suppose it’s just that kind of divisive game where it's either ‘you really enjoy it or don’t’. Having replayed Harmony myself not too long ago, I can understand where you are coming from in terms of the execution for the ‘Inverse’ castle.
Thematically speaking I think it’s great, as it demonstrates how Maxim’s soul is corrupted by Dracula’s power and split into similar (yet distinct) halves, but I could see how from a gameplay perspective it could be a chore, effectively having to re-explore the same areas you've been to not long ago again with only that slight variation in color palette and enemy types to distinguish the castles as you’ve mentioned.
Thinking on it now with a more objective lens, Harmony’s second castle isn’t anything too mind-boggling (bearing in mind its legendary PS1 predecessor) but on my first playthrough I was awed with seeing those differences and how some actions you’d take in Castle A would affect how you progress in Castle B. Truthfully speaking, even if it is your least favorite of the GBA titles I’m pleased all the same that you at least played through one of my most beloved games of all time and gave it an honest, fair shake. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Ayy that’s pretty neat! Always nice to go back to a traditional book now and again to spice things up. It’s alright if you haven’t yet had the chance to try out WotHN, as with the recent Steam release I’ve learned that errors that were present in the English translation on the console versions have been fixed! They weren’t too rampant or anything if you were to have read the VN when the localization first dropped, but the ones that did occasionally pop up were rather apparent so hopefully the second editing pass that's been made is enough to now to make WotHN an enjoyable reading experience for all! (4/?)

I heard about the live-action Zelda movie too, and even now after all this time since the initial announcement am I still coming to terms that it’s actually a very real project currently in the works! I would’ve loved for the Zelda movie to be animated, just as the recent Mario movie was, so it wouldn’t contend with the limitations inherent to live-action filmmaking but heck if it doesn’t intrigue me regardless to see how Nintendo will pull this one off. The cast reveal announcement for the Mario movie was one for the history books; I can only fathom how the internet’s reaction is going to be for the reveal of the Zelda live-action cast. Will the long running memes come true and they’ll have Tom Holland play our legendary hero, Link?! We’re a ways off from hearing any concrete news about it I’m sure, but in any case I’m leaning towards being…cautiously optimistic!

I don’t know all that much about the director who’ll be in charge of the Zelda movie, not much of an avid movie watcher person myself to be honest. That said, I’ve read up a brief plot overview of the first ‘Maze Runner’ movie and I’ve gotten somewhat curious to check it out. I faintly remember the first Maze Runner being a popular topic when I was still in High School, had no idea about the other sequels that came out after it. :o

I said something similar earlier, but great things take time to fully manifest right? It’s cool to hear that you’re continuing to go ahead with your ‘Best of 2022’ video, even now that we’ll soon be coming up on 2024! I’m sure the subscribers won’t mind learning about what your top gaming picks for 2022 were even once we reach the end of the current decade. After all…it’s never too late to sing some well-deserved praise for Phoenotopia: Awakening and make more folks aware of its sheer awesomeness!!
I, for one, will be interested to see how this epic video in-the-making shapes up to be once it’s completely ready to hit the limelight! (3/?)

Is that so?! Makes me glad to hear that I ain't doing so bad with communicating what makes the games I love, such as DQVII, shine!
You played through DQIX before when it first came out? I never knew that, that's awesome! The similar 'vignette' story structure to VII is what I've been enjoying most of what I've played of DQIX thus far, though truthfully it has yet to reach the highs of the former in my eyes. From my experience with it, DQVII's writing consistently hit home with getting me heavily invested with the circumstances of the notable NPCs for each town, and so I wish for something akin to that in IX further along into my current file.
Here's to real fun playthroughs when you revisit either entry in the future! DQVII will undoubtedly be long as heck even if you're not grinding out a bunch of the advanced / monster classes (like how I did), but it's a treat in every sense!

I would’ve loved to have poured in even more hours playing Persona 4 from when I first picked it up via eShop back in August to now, but oof having to constantly juggle college work put a damper on my mood for playing longer games. Now that I’m on break for the holidays though, I’m looking forward to revisiting Inaba and making further progress on getting a certain delinquent lad out of a steamy sauna! That’s some real golden praise too I see that you’re giving to P4. Hoping the game makes a similar impression on me as it did for you by the time the credits roll since so far it’s been nothing but constant fun being around the main cast, my main man Brosuke for sure as well as Yukiko whose personality has grown on me a lot after she officially joined as a party member!

Wait, has Nintendo yet to drop Golden Sun on GBA Switch Online ?! I-I thought they had already put it on there a long time ago(...). That’s a darn shame to hear, as I’ve been recently mulling over hopping on the Expansion Pass and trying out some heavy-hitter N64 / GBA titles, and Golden Sun was one such game I was interested in trying out first. We can only hope that it gets added to the GBA Online lineup sometime soon, maybe early 2024? (2/?)

Other than Kirby's Return to Dream Land DX, Pikmin 4, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, and the physical version of Witch on the Holy Night (if that counts?) it's true that I haven't hopped on many of the year's hot releases. When I get around to drafting my top game picks for 2023, it’s going to be largely dominated by a bunch of older games!
I stacked more than a few looong RPGs on my current backlog plate in recent months, which I kept piling on to for some reason even with less free time to spare. It’s something I’ll likely have to work on next year in order to make more meaningful headway on my overall backlog, haha!

I had a great time with the DQM demo when it initially dropped on the Switch eShop, with my only real concern being its overall performance in terms of the frame rate. I loved the gameplay loop, and can definitely see myself putting in some serious hours scouting every monster I encounter and fusing 'em together to create more powerful allies! Planning on getting it for the holidays, keeping my fingers crossed that any issues that were present in the demo have been addressed for the full release. I was planning on snagging that new DQ Dai game as well, but have heard that it turned out to be quite the dud unfortunately.

Hold up, you said Yuji Horii spent time playtesting DQIII HD-2D?!?! THAT. IS. AMAZING !!! I hadn’t been keeping up with any news regarding the series too closely lately as I was busy gearing up for my Uni finals. Was wondering just recently too, before this year’s Game Awards, if we'd hear a peep at all about DQIII before year's end. It’s without a doubt exciting stuff (THANK YOU for letting me know), and perhaps this could be an indication that we're sure to get a steady info. stream in 2024!! I'm hoping the same with regards with DQXII and that we learn something about its development status soon, next year too sometime at the earliest! 🙏

Giving shape to great art takes time, and your Torneko piece was certainly a clear example of that in my humble opinion. Completely understandable. Rooting for ya whenever the desire to make more art comes back! (1/?)

Breath of Fire 1 and 2 are very similar and then the series takes a leap onto the PS1, so Breath of Fire III and IV are very similar. Honestly, I would say any of them are good starting points as they don't exactly have a coherent story line throughout, but I do say that Breath of Fire 1 is by far the simplest.

Yeah, the story is interesting to say the least. You can take it from the surface or you can go really deep into it with all of the references and Philosophical/Psychological terms. I think there is one cutscene that is like 30 minutes long, but that is the longest, so they are spread out in the game. But, yeah, classic and great turn based battle system. Nothing too fancy and you don't even have to use the MECH's if you don't want to.

Yeah, I really loved so much of Radiata Stories. The story doesn't take itself too serious. I love the Day/Night cycle in the game. How you can recruit characters like in Suikoden and each character has their own schedule like in Majora's Mask, but that battle system isn't that great. They were just a bit boring and repetitive. If you can get past the battles, then the game has so many other positive qualities.

Yeah, Golden Sun was pretty freaking awesome. I am very interested in picking up the sequel, especially since the first one left off on a cliffhanger. It was just classic, home cooking, warm bed JRPG goodness that I love so much!