Operation Backlog Completion 2026

The Spyro Reignited Trilogy Delayed to November

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Aug 172018
 

After the controversy about the required downloads, we got some more bad (or possibly good) news about the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

Instead of releasing on September 21 as planned, it has been delayed until November 13.

The official word from Toys for Bob just says it “needs more love and care.”

Delays to polish up a game that isn’t quite ready yet happen often enough, but this raises questions about whether or not it will affect the download situation.

Once it became clear that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy wouldn’t have download codes, just a mandatory update to make the game playable, the prevailing theory was that Ripto’s Rage and Year of the Dragon wouldn’t be finished in time for the game to go gold ahead of September 21. The idea was that they would get the disks ready without the final content, and then finish up the rest in time for the required day-one download.

Therefore, if they’ve delayed the Trilogy because the games aren’t ready yet, isn’t it possible that this delay will allow them to put all three games on the disk?

Of course, we don’t actually know why they made the decision to require downloads. Activision told IGN that a download will still be required, but maybe it will at least be smaller?

(Or, even better, maybe it will now be a normal day-one patch to fix some issues, but the games will all be playable without it.)

Do you think the delay is related at all to the download controversy? Do you think it will affect it? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Egglia: Legend of the Redcap Moving Offline

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with:
Aug 152018
 

A year ago, I reviewed a game for MonsterVine called Egglia: Legend of the Redcap.

A few things made it catch my attention more than the typical mobile game. It was a turn-based RPG, it had a strong team behind it (including Yoko Shimomura composing the music), and it was a premium game (one payment instead of being free-to-play with microtransactions).

I enjoyed some aspects of it, but I never stuck with it since despite being a premium game, it used a lot of free-to-play mobile game mechanics, mainly timers and a required Internet connection. The required Internet connection is the one that really kept me from playing it as much as I wanted.

Still, when I saw it was being discontinued, I felt disappointed that I’d never be able to play it again… until I read the full announcement and saw that it’s being replaced by an offline version.

Egglia: Legend of the Redcap has been officially shut down, but Egglia: Legend of the Redcap Offline has launched. Players will have until September 28 to transfer their content to the new app. (Unfortunately, it sounds like there are no plans to translate the later story expansions that were released in Japan.)

The offline version removes the online features. I haven’t tried it yet, but I assume the timers will stay. Nevertheless, with the ability to play offline, I might just see it through to the end this time.

Games like this make me wonder why mobile developers feel such a need to include these tedious gameplay mechanics. Most mobile RPGs I’ve seen have variations on the same systems in place. My favorite mobile games have been the ones that felt like regular games that just happened to be on mobile devices, games that didn’t follow the same model. If we saw more mobile games like that, I wouldn’t be as worried about things like the Wild Arms mobile game.

Will We Get a Third Luigi’s Mansion?

 Video games  8 Responses »  Tagged with:
Aug 132018
 

When Nintendo revealed Simon Belmont for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the video included Luigi ineffectually trying to fight monsters with the Poltergust, the vacuum he uses in Luigi’s Mansion.

However, the vacuum’s design appears different from both the Poltergust 3000 (used in Luigi’s Mansion) and the Poltergust 5000 (used in Dark Moon).

This has led some fans to speculate that the redesigned Poltergust in the Smash Bros. trailer might be a sign that a third Luigi’s Mansion game is in development.

Of course, we have the original Luigi’s Mansion being brought to the 3DS later this year. That itself could be intended to revive interest in the series before a new game comes out.

Whether they’re teasing it or not, I’d love to see a third Luigi’s Mansion game…

…if it follows the structure of the first game, not the second.

I’ve written before about how I consider the original Luigi’s Mansion to be vastly superior to Dark Moon, not only because Dark Moon focused so much more on comedy, but mainly because Dark Moon divided the game into a series of missions.

Luigi’s Mansion had a linear progression, yes, but as more of the mansion opened up, I felt I really got to know it. It was a more immersive experience, and I loved it. Dark Moon abandoned that for a mission-based system.

So if there is a Luigi’s Mansion 3, I hope it returns to the more exploration-driven style of the first game. Maybe reactions to the upcoming 3DS version will help. If we get another Dark Moon, I might just skip it.

How do you feel about the Luigi’s Mansion series and the potential for a third game? Do you think the redesigned Poltergust is a tease, or is the new design strictly for Smash?

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