I just got to Act II of Mirror of Fate on the 3DS last week, and it started to hit its stride in the second half of Act I. If you've made it to the theater and the carousel and you're not impressed, then I guess I'm not much of a connoisseur of art direction, because I thought those sets were great, and the exterior…

If you live in certain parts of the Midwest, Euchre is the social card game of choice. The beauty of its simplicity is that it allows for some subtle bits of strategy and meta-game to come forward, and that the meta-game is entirely optional if you simply want to chat, nosh, and sit with friends or family. It's a game…

That's true; during my formative years, I was on an Apple //c and Amiga 500, which meant I had lots of pirated games from friends in school. After that, I was in college and starting to buy my own games and play my friends' consoles.

I suppose my lens is different, and I didn't consider more broad values of "acceptance" vs. "accessibility". I viewed 3D games among my friends and family, none of whom were considered "gamers", and definitely not fighting game people. I was able to introduce them to volumetric fighting games where I wasn't able to…

I must admit I don't have a game that I have played so much I know it in my sleep. I've considered it, but now the opportunity cost on my backlog is too great. I kinda wish I had one game that I was an "expert" on.

Same here.

Try it now! The default is to have it expire after a set time, so I must have missed that setting…

So, not much different that what we do, just distilled to a single article instead of the "same" two every week (WAYPTW & KG).

I think Virtua Fighter was the most accessible for its time, as the base was methodical and deliberate compared to its sprite-based brethren. It really did feel back then what ARMS looks like now - a strategic and thoughtful implementation of specific moves and strategies against an opponent. I had to plan my moves on…

You guys around next week and through the Independence holiday? We are overdue for a gathering…

Singing Brakeman! Don't forget you are next month's Guest Race Director for Mario Kart 8 on the 8th!
You can reply to this message with settings if you want, or just let me know the code for the one you make up, and I'll help promote it! (If you make your own and want to make it 8pm Central US Time, you'll have to make…

Ooh! I did that one without parrying or Daruk's Protection! That was an exercise in patience, stealth, food consumption, and every Ancient Arrow I had, plus bomb arrows, bombs, Mipha's Grace…

I've had my dog die on my birthday, so I know the feeling all too well. You have my sympathy and support.

You are a far better person than I…

You mean, "put Nintendogs down"?

I forgot to mention: Yes, despite not really wanting to finish the game that way, I gladly (proudly?) accept it was the right time, since the circumstances all played out so wonderfully. My wife doesn't stay to watch me play as much as she did at the start, and everything about that session implied it was meant to be.

We'll be fine! There are enough of us here to do what we've always done - defy vitriol and baseness, and invite people to put those bad behaviors away and enjoy games criticism as friends.

I hope I didn't spoil too much for you! I was in the exact same place as you; I was relishing Hyrule, but it was starting to hurt leaving the Memories unfinished when I had the resources to finish them. The rest really was just that inevitable result of exploring the area the way I had the rest of the game…

Darn. No worries! I guess you won't be at the July MK8on8th race, either…

Great story about your Dad! I love that he managed to take down a Guardian in a way I frankly didn't think was possible. I didn't think getting on top of a tower with a Guardian close enough to hit with bombs, but never was so far away as to see you up there and shoot you off, was reasonably manageable.