Daniel36

Why are you doing this to me? I do not have a project right now. It would be a dream to work with her.

Note: I don't actually make videogames, so I never had a project and never will. But still. Wouldn't it be awesome if I did?

@kuros456 For me it is the art, and the fact that it sounds kind of like Azure Dreams, which is a huge favourite of mine and a game that didn't get very high scores from reviewers.

@qianniu Oh how right you are.

My son made fun of me for liking Neverending Story, citing it looks crap. He finds it strange I still play some of my fave old games.

Then turns around to play Deltarune for the millionth time. Played all the FNAF games. My other kids were wildly into Roblox. Indie is huge. They don't care for Modern Warfare 3626272.

AAA feels like a has-been industry. Indie games are far more interesting.

@KingMike So somebody else set up us the bomb as well? Well, deploy every capital weapon, then!

Which isn't achsually a thing, just in Battletech and other sci fi settings, is what my search props up...

Pfffft AI could have done this in 10 minutes.

I am kidding.

@Guru_Larry That Gigantic Robotnik cart showing up on the map all enormous cracks me up. This looks fun, but I would prefer a more 3D variant for this.

@Norintha Well, if Bond can have Onatopp...

@brakeman90 Don't be such a tube.

Anyhoo, aside from the controversy, I will never understand "collections" that have glaring omissions. Either add every game, or don't bother.

@OliverTwins I will echo @Thad that it is appreciated you stepping in the proverbial lion's den. For what it's worth, Dizzy is the one game I wish I had the opportunity to play way back when. It's the number one game I never got to play that I wish I had. I spent literal hours re-reading the review for the NES game in Total Magazine, thinking how great it looked.

But back to this, you have to understand, that using ai-generated assets immmediately garners an immense level of distrust for the rest of the product. Not only that, pay someone to create some art that has a soul. A game that you have a passion for deserves that. This just doesn't have that, and people feel that.

AI art is like the fidget spinner. It was a huuuuge fad for ten seconds and then everyone got sick of it.

@81632bit Well, of course you are wrong about how awful this looks, because look at it! It looks amazing!! This has to be one of the best looking board games I have ever seen, and I cannot WAIT to get my hands on it.

It's not like they haven't given it any thought aside from using GenAI to create the art. I mean, look at the name of the company. It's called Active Brain Games. They are obvioulsy using their brains actively to create this game.

I am kidding of course, this has all the halmarks of being an unplayable mess.

I won't lie, I love bouncing ideas off of ChatGPT and see what it can hallucinate for me, and I sometimes I can pick out parts of ideas that are generally cool, but it's always retrofitted to fit my needs for a particular project, but yeah... I am not trying to SELL it to people...

I wonder what happens if I prompt it to create a picture that shows contents for a hypothetical Wizard of Oz game. I won't, as it is a waste of computing resources, but I wonder how closely it will match this.

@Stockpot If the plot twist that has been mentioned is the plot twist that I am thinking of, then yes, it is... it is... it is... You know what, I will leave it at that. Wouldn't want to spoil it.

When I bought Lufia (which turned out to be Lufia II), which came in a MASSIVE box with guide and some other fun stuff many many moons ago, I was sorely disappointed when I started up the game and it was in Dutch.

Now, I am Dutch, but English was simply a much cooler language to my fledgling ears and eyes, so it was horrid having to play it in my ugly native tongue.

Then I started playing it.

There is something awesome about fighting with a "Koekepan", which I will guess is called a Skillet in the English version. All in all, the translation was actually really good, and definitely punched in some of the gut wrenching moments with great accuracy.

Then, years later, I bought Beyond Good & Evil and went through the same stages of grief when I was only allowed to choose Dutch or French. Now that game was even better. I don't think I have ever heard better voice acting afterwards... maybe in Final Fantasy Tactics remake, but I switch of voice acting on JRPGs anyways. Was there voice acting in FF12? I Can't remember, but I do remember the script being great. So maybe that game.

But I digress.

I might get this for the nostalgic factor. But I am looking forward to Terranigma a bit more.

Never heard of it before. This news blurb made me think "Oh, that's pretty cool", then I read the comments on how it is a subscription model, not even that cheap and heeeey, it has built in mics and cameras. Whatever could go wrong?

Launching in Germany after the US, you say? Well, well...

@Vorador FF Tactics did it well, in my opinion. Albeit with the updated script (which is a mandatory upgrade, if you ask me), you can play the original game or the updated version.

Would've been better without the musical box, as it would have been cheaper and I would love to have the art book.

Might still go for the other one, since the history book is sweet too!

Edit: which, along with the reversible, non-uglyredborder cover (thank the stars), is included in the standard edition. So that will be the one.

Oh come on, Damien, "Somebody set us up the confirmation" was right there.

@axelhander I aim to please.

I don't entirely agree with you either, but I can see where you are coming from. I can also see the opposite side. And it's not like I am Ed Sheeraning here, I can simply see the arguments on both sides and have my own, slightly more moderate stance on the subject. I don't think I need to add my two cents on that, though.

We don't have to convince one another either.

@LordBritish First of all, thank you for the countless hours of joy you gave me in my younger years. Ultima 7 is one of my all-time favourite games and gave me so, so, SO much joy. That, and an RP server for Ultima Online. Best MMORPG ever.

The only complaint I have in U7 was I couldn't create a roof to put over the stolen wood logs I used to build walls for my "house" with, to store all the stolen chests. Could you add that to an update?

I feel like I wish to weigh in with what I feel is maybe a slightly more nuanced stance, but feel free to disregard me...

@Axelhander is right in that the carbon footprint of a few prompts done by users to bounce off ideas (something I sometimes do) is far, FAR smaller than watching a YouTube clip or Netflix show. And yes, AI uses ideas and thoughts stolen without permission to come up with derivative ideas, but they can still spark the imagination to help a user come up with something original, and in the end all art is derivative. In that sense, you could argue that everything is stolen, in a sense...

But two opposite things can be true at the same time.

@Damo - I also completely understand your point of view, and that of those that share your sentiments. AI is used in damaging ways. It is being used by rich, uncaring execs to further fill their pockets while denying creatives their dues. Data centers are practically destroying the planet more than it already was, but unfortunately that is not unique to data centers.

It is used by people for their enjoyment, sometimes work, I know I have used it to come up with some ideas for my job, which is not making me any more money than if I hadn't used it, and at the same time it is used badly.

I will admit, I am not extremely knowledgeable in what data centers are mostly used for. I feel that @axelhander has pointed out its other misuses as well, and that AI is simply one use of it. I am sure due diligence was conducted.

This comment section has become a bit of a battlefield, which is a shame. It'd be nice if we listened a tad bit more to one another. But also, and my apologies @Damo, but this website has a bit too much of hatred towards AI. I understand it, and you are entitled to your opinion, but sometimes it would be nice to just read news without too much opinion baked in. All it does is spark more of these heated arguments.

I enjoy this site, but I do not enjoy the divisiveness in some of the comment sections.

@RadioHedgeFund I preferred the N64 version for being slower and more floaty, which may be less realistic, but it played better for me. Same with F-Zero, I never liked the GC version.

@FrowardCoast440 The art in the news banner gave me James Pond vibes, so...

Funny how I instantly recognized the Amiga version as being the Amiga version. Somethibg about those games was always decidedly Amiga-ish.

Sounded like a fun company to work at...

Having been on a bit of a civ1 browser binge lately, but disliking the war portion, this might just scratch that itch.io.

I will see myself out.

The banner had me confused with the Witcher, somehow...

Never played these, but nice to see everything in one package.

Somehow exactly as we remember them, but also... somehow... better than ever.

@gmar Maybe within a very niche sphere of people it is known. I never heard of this game before, so I would go in blank.

And even with games I did play, I forget plenty of things that a reply can leave me surprised. Case in point, I was very surprised in a game I am playing the remaster of, because I forgot plenty of the story.

Youu are tempting me. I have to admit I am a sucker for bad 8-bit and 16-bit games. I was playing a horrid Mega Drive shmup just yesterday because I thought it was going to be the "Somebody set us up the bomb" game. Spent way too long with the game too... it was pretty bad.

@Sketcz I should, shouldn't I?

Yet, with work, and my other hobbies vying for time, I already feel guilty whenever I fire up the unproductive console, and the few times I do, I'd rather spend on playing something new.

Final Fantasy Tactics : The Ivalice Chronicles is new, right? It's not like it's the same game as the PSX one, right?

Right?

I played the crap out of Ikki. I've talked about this before, but I love talking about it; I had one of those illegal 31-in-1 carts that was gifted to me, and the games on there, especially the Japanese ones, just felt like I was playing some hidden treasure nobody ever played before, and that made them feel special. Like some secret, possibly forbidden thing.

But despite playing it a lot, I don't think I actually ever got past level 1, haha. So maybe I didn't really play the crap out of it... But I did enjoy it!

Shame, it looks really cool (The SNES footage) and would've abnsolutely been a smash hit with these graphics. How they got from this sort of fantasy thing to a bear and a bird... Well... It wasn't my thing, but glad for those who loved it.

Maybe... you know... stop making Live Service Games?

@Ruka I have to agree with you. We get it, AI is ruining the entire world. Most of us here agree with that. It sucks. But let's not ruin it this website by creating news of every time someone even mentions the acronym. It detracts from the actual retro news.

They have the right attitude, stating they are using this project as a learning experience for future originals. I like that.

Oh please no, I finally managed to get myself to play one of the many games I bought and never played, please don't distract me.

Some excellent additions.

@metaphysician Thanks for that. Still, few translators would probably mind if their work was used for an official release.

@Andee Guess I will have to buy the first one first, then...

Do you need to play the first one to enjoy the story of revenge in this second outing?

Never watched the movie. Also never played any of the games, though the reviews in magazines fascinated me. But that is the worst trailer I have sever neen in my lentire wife... call the bondulance.

@MontyCircus Exactly. And since Homer is a fictional character anyways, who doesn't even strike me as someone who could write something clever like an odyssey... (I am joking, of course)

But I am hereby daring you to translate Harry Potter into Pirahã. I am sure they would love to read about the exploits of a student wizard.

I am not a shmup fan, and I am pretty sure I would get motion sickness playing this barrage of movement, but I have to admit, it looks really awesome!

@metaphysician I am no copyright lawyer, but translating a copyrighted work, doesn't that make the translation basically fall into the hands of the original copyright holder? Since... you know... you made a copy of the works, albeit in a different language.

I don't think you can own a translation, so the original dev would be free to just take it. That said, it's at least friendly to let them know and put acknowledgment in the game.

Also, I didn't say "Just download the translation" - obviously get in touch with them. But honestly, I don't think it's that big a can of worms. A: They don't own the translation, and B: They would probably be thrilled with an official acknowledgment in-game.

But I am sure there is someone here with more knowledge on the subject to interject.

@mcinmosh It is definitely not a clone, but it definitely copies a lot of things, such as how the interiors look and even the main character sprite feels a littke traced over.

You can't deny that it took Zelda II as inspiration and yes, improved upon it in many ways, but still used Zelda II as its base.

And while I didn't quite make it to the end, I played this game to death and love it. Kid me couldn't quite beat the final challenges.

I agree with you that it is better than Zelda II, and I am one if the guys who happens to love Zelda II as well.

But for newcomers, one can be forgiven to assume it clones Zelda II.

This looks like my jam, but I am going to wager a guess and say this will NOT have a translation added.

Honestly, you'd think developers and publishers would be more than thrilled to add a fan translation. I am sure AG doesn't even need anything more than an official acknowledgement in the game's title screen. So why not? Wasted potential. I would've bought this.

@axelhander It is, in many ways, a copy of the formula. The creators did a bit more than just be inspired by it. Look up a gameplay vid of the original. It shares a LOT of elements. But it's an amazing game!

@Sketcz High five!

Yes, the game was (is) gorgeous!! It was so incredibly captivating. It also really felt like youbwere traveling the countryside, and each part was so distinctive. Amazing game.

I suppose I also simply have a soft spot for sidescrolling RPGs, since this news also instantly brings me back to my love for Faxanadu, Wizards and Warriors III, and Castlevania II, all games I unfortunately never got very far in.

If I ever decide to make a game, it'll be like this.

Oh wow. Usually when people remake something with updated pixel art, it loses its charm. This looks refreshed, updated, but still has the original's charm. This could have easily been a sequel for the SNES, in terms of look and feel.

This is one of my all-time favourite NES games. One of those games where I just bought it based on the cover, and have NOT regretted it. But I was also a huge fan of Zelda II, so it is no surprise that I loved this. Never did finish it, though. So this would be a perfect opportunity to replay it.

Also, never knew it was made by a couple, nor that it was a Japanese product. It had pretty much all the hallmarks of a Western product.

Anyhoo, going on a nostalgia trip and looking at some gameplay, it is extremely obvious that they were copying Zelda II, right down to the weapon, which in Zelda II looked like a club, and in Battle of Olympus actually was one. The building interiors are almost identical. Not that I am complaining, I could play ten Zelda II knock offs and love them all equally.

This warms my jaded soul.

I only know the modern iteration that came to the Netherlands, and I hated it. Glad it's gone. I also don't think this concept will make the jump to NL.

On a related note, we found an amazing retro store when we were on holiday in the Dutch province of Gelderland. For anyone ever heading to that general area, Joydo in Brummen, the most unremarkable annd quiet town hides a really cool retro store with very, VERY affordable prices and quite a few gems.

Played this way back when. Left a very big impression on me.

Pretty obviously a placeholder image. Obviously should have never been allowed to be publicly accessible. But I find the fact that they allow you to preorder this nonsense to be more grating.

Awww shucks and here I was thinking they finally made something for the GBA adapter so I could more easily get Crystal Chronicles up and running for four players.