rjkclarke's Carnival of Diamonds and Rust

[Shrooba]

Awesome to see you're back! Funny that the game resembles Pokemon, as there actually was a competitor to the series on the 3DS itself of all things! 😂 It was called Yo-kai Watch. Same premise, although instead of monsters, you essentially have these supernatural ghosts that you can recruit on your journey. I believe the first couple games actually sold really well, and I think there was a show as well. I've got a very foggy memory on it though! My 3DS came bundled with the first game but I didn't play it all too much honestly! 😅 But with that, it was intriguing to know that there's another Pokemon-inspired game on the PlayStation itself! I suppose the inspiration of Pokemon has no bounds, eh?

EDIT: SORRY I didn't realize this post would cut off to the next page! To everybody reading this, THERE'S A NEW REVIEW ON PAGE 51!

Edited October 6, 2023 by Shrooba

[rjkclarke]

3 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said:

It's great to see you back here!

 

Thanks dude.... It's good to be back, I have a lot of catching up to do all over this subforum, but I will actually get around to it this time instead of just letting it fall by the wayside, not just this thread, but yours Doc's, Smev's everyone really. I'd better get my reading glasses that I don't possess yet, on

 

 

3 hours ago, Platinum_Vice said:

 

This is interesting and it sounds like a refreshing way to update the Pokemon formula. I had Gens 1-3 but then exited stage left when the games didn't develop down a path that I wanted them to (being able to complex a pokedex outside of Japan, developing a decent 3D RPG, ageing/maturing with the playerbase, or innovating to overcome flaws with the gameplay). It's good to see that Nexomon at least addresses the latter.

 

I'm looking forward to your reviews as they come in, especially that 381-390 group, which looks stacked!!

 

 

It did update the Pokemon formula somewhat, although it definitely doesn't step too far out of that comfort zone. I sort of know what you mean about Pokemon, I dropped off after Gen 3 as well, but I was playing some of the Pokemon games on the periphery like Coliseum, and that could have been a decent 3D RPG, but it just wasn't really. 

 

I do have a switch now, or at the very least access to one, so I probably ought to play some of the other entries in the series here and there.

 

If you ever feel the itch for a Pokemon-like then Nexomon might be the way to go - I have it on good authority, from a certain Pokemon expert I happen to know quite well who's played the second Nexomon, that it does gain even more of its own identity with that one.

 

That is looking like a stacked 381-390 group you're right, those are going to end up with some bleeding fingers for sure, I think

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Shrooba said:

Awesome to see you're back! Funny that the game resembles Pokemon, as there actually was a competitor to the series on the 3DS itself of all things! 😂 It was called Yo-kai Watch. Same premise, although instead of monsters, you essentially have these supernatural ghosts that you can recruit on your journey. I believe the first couple games actually sold really well, and I think there was a show as well. I've got a very foggy memory on it though! My 3DS came bundled with the first game but I didn't play it all too much honestly! 😅 But with that, it was intriguing to know that there's another Pokemon-inspired game on the PlayStation itself! I suppose the inspiration of Pokemon has no bounds, eh?

EDIT: SORRY I didn't realize this post would cut off to the next page! To everybody reading this, THERE'S A NEW REVIEW ON PAGE 51!

 

Thanks dude! Like I said to Vice, it's great to be back - I'm gonna be heading into your thread soon actually once I've done Jedi: Fallen Order, I'm hopping into Miles Morales, and I'll finally be able to read your undoubtedly awesome review of it that I swerved at the time because of spoilers, and bookmarked, saying I'd be back to read it....

 

So I feel like this Luke Skywalker image is going to be appropriate for me, after that one, when I go wandering in to read your review.

 

 

I had no idea Yo-Kai Watch was a thing. I'm curious about that, so I might go and look that up now.... I mean the whole Pokemon formula thing has made it's sneaky way into a few titles I guess. It's pretty prevalent in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World for example, so I guess it's just one of those winning formula's that companies just know that people enjoy! 

 

Thanks for stopping by fellas!

[The_Kopite]

Finally, Mr Clarke has come back........to the Checklist! 

 

 

"If, like me, you get an occasional itch to play a Pokemon game. Yet don’t have a Nintendo console with which to do so, then this absolutely is a game worth your time, it did for me, and I’m definitely going to be playing the sequel in future."

 

That is me in a nutshell and that itch is now! (That sounds worse than it is supposed to be lol) The release of Pokemon 151 has brought out those nostalgic memories of collecting the original 1999 base set of Pokemon cards and playing Pokemon Blue on the Game Boy and using the link cable with my mates to trade. Good times!

 

Definitely will be playing this soon. Just got to wrap up Sea of Stars, then play Horizon: Forbidden West and finally Crisis Core FF7: Reunion and my hunt for a Nexomon rip off version of Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Eevee or Pikachu will be on! Haha!

 

Good to see you back on here! Don't leave it so long next time!

[pelagia14]

21 hours ago, rjkclarke said:

Platinum #368

Nexomon (PS4)

 

I've only played the sequel, Nexomon: Extinction. I also went in knowing it was a Pokemon clone (and appreciative that it didn't try to disguise or ignore that fact), but I had not been aware of the game's penchant for fourth-wall-breaking humor, which initially threw me a bit! 😂 I ended up enjoying the goofy narrative a lot though, and appreciated that it had a solid story that wasn't just "gotta catch 'em all" or "beat the game's analog of the Elite 4".

 

The only small frustration for me is that a handful of Nexomon spawns are extremely limited, as in not just "they spawn in this patch of grass", but "they spawn in these 8 tiles of this patch of grass". There is a really good Steam guide for that, thankfully. Finally, the end-game super legendary Nexomon felt impossible to get to spawn, I had to take a long break from the RNG grind. You've motivated me to hop back into the game soon and hopefully nab them, though!

 

@Platinum_Vice I definitely agree with rjkclarke that the Nexomon series does a great job of refreshing the Pokemon combat mechanics. Worth checking out if you want to scratch that Pokemon itch and don't mind a bit of tongue-in-cheek!