Operation Backlog Completion 2025

Hopes for Wednesday’s Pokémon Presents

 Video games  3 Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,
Aug 162021
 

This Wednesday, August 18, there will be a Pokémon Presents presentation at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET.

The presentation is confirmed to feature the Diamond/Pearl remakes as well as Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Like I mentioned back when they were first announced, I’m part of the minority that doesn’t mind the graphics of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but I would prefer to see the Pokémon Platinum storyline be included.

Maybe this presentation will give a better idea of whether the remakes are strictly focused on Diamond/Pearl content, or if they will follow Platinum’s plot.

(Since the games are due out this November, we should get a good look at them.)

As for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the main thing I want to learn is if it’s truly an open world game or not. It appears to have turn-based combat, but the nature of the world and exploration is still ambiguous enough that I hope they clear it up.

But while those are the Pokémon games being featured, do we have a chance at seeing anything else? Unlike a lot of people, I don’t think there’s any chance of them announcing the next generation of Pokémon games, but I do hope they’ll finally reveal the Detective Pikachu game that was announced for a Switch a couple years ago.

(I still need to play the first one, but I might hold off if the Switch Detective Pikachu game turns out to be another expanded port… although I hope it’s a full sequel instead.)

What are you hoping for from this Wednesday’s Pokémon Presents?

A New Castlevania Game? (On Apple Arcade)

 Video games  No Responses »
Aug 132021
 

We were just talking about Apple Arcade because of Fantasian, and now it’s come up again already.

This time, the newest Apple Arcade exclusive is a Castlevania game. Not a port, but a new one… sort of.

Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls was first announced back in 2018 for iOS, then actually came out in 2019, but only in Canada. It had typical mobile game microtransactions and was shut down a year later in 2020.

But now it’s 2021 and Grimoire of Souls is coming back, still mobile but now exclusive to Apple Arcade. This is noteworthy because Apple Arcade games do not have microtransactions. Its official store page describes it as “a full-fledged side-scrolling action game” with 60 levels, although it also mentions daily and weekly missions.

That makes me think it’s still a mobile game at heart, instead of a regular game that happens to be on a mobile platform, but the lack of microtransactions is a definite plus.

Grimoire of Souls being revived like this sort of reminds me of the situation with World of Demons, which was initially planned as a mobile game with microtransactions but then rebuilt for Apple Arcade.

Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls isn’t out yet, but should be coming soon.

My history with the Castlevania series is still sadly small, so I’m not jumping for a chance to play this like I am with Fantasian. Still, it’s nice to see Konami is at least doing something with their franchises. Between this and GetsaFumaDen, maybe there’s hope after all.

The Second Half of Fantasian Releases August 13

 Video games  3 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Aug 112021
 

The first half of Fantasian, the new turn-based JRPG from Mistwalker, came out on Apple Arcade earlier this year, and now the second half is almost here.

Fantasian will be updated with part 2 this Friday, August 13.

While the first part of Fantasian was described as being more story-driven, the second half is described as being quest-driven.

As far as I know, this will be the conclusion of the game. It was always discussed as a two-part release.

Part 2 will have 40-60 hours of content, new areas and music, and new gameplay features, including the ability to swap party members in and out of combat. Two trailers for the second part were revealed alongside the news, a story trailer and a gameplay features trailer.

I keep hoping Fantasian will be ported to another system, but if not, I’ll need to wait on this intriguing JRPG until I have a device that can run Apple Arcade.

Did you play the first half of Fantasian? Are you looking forward to the second? And do you think there’s any chance of a port? Let me know!

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