GasBandit
Staff member
I'm no console expert, but didn't it have something to do with the ps2 coming out? This was an N64 title trying to go toe to toe with the next generation. even I was in the throes of Dreamcast worship at that time.
Majora's Mask sold 3.36 million copies. For any other series, that would be a monster hit... and considering how much Nintendo spent making it (it reuses art, engine, music, and other stuff from OoT), they still made a fortune off of it. However, sales were effected by the fact that it came out close to the end of the console's life and that it REQUIRED the Expansion pack.
But even then, that's not the real issue here. The issue is that Japan (and most Japanese game companies) are focused on Japan. Miyamoto considered Twilight Princess a failure because it had really modest sales in Japan (something like a million combined for all versions)... despite that fact that it sold 8.5 million copies in total. You tell any game company in the West that and they're just going to be happy they just made half a billion dollars.
From what I've seen and experienced, I might chalk it up to just how different Majora's Mask was from Ocarina of Time. OoT was a classic Zelda adventure, traversing the land as you battle the forces of Ganondorf, whereas Majora's Mask is a creepy tale of trying to prevent the moon from destroying the world, all the while dealing with quests for people who are living their last days.
The expansion pack was a big issue back then, for those that remember. If you happened to have bought Donkey Kong 64 previously (like me!), you were fine, it came free with that game. Other people, not so much. I knew of people in school who loved Ocarina, but could not even rent Majora's Mask, and so never played, let alone had their parents by it. I suppose getting a gold cartridge wasn't such a huge achievement, now that I think about it.
If you had a Dreamcast, the next-gen thing makes sense, but if you got a PS2 when it came out, that thing had nothing going for it for several months, not until Twisted Metal Black came out I think 9 months after the console's release.
I don't know if I have the timeline right, but wasn't it the the two-punch combo of Grand Theft Auto III and Metal Gear Solid 2 that put it over the top and made it a system worth buying?
Seems like both of the new consoles are really missing that one or two exclusive games that makes them an absolutely necessary buy.
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Twisted Metal Black and Gran Turismo 3 came out within a month of each other. Before that you had stuff like Zone of the Enders, Dark Cloud, and Onimushia... and after TMB you had stuff like Resident Evil: Code Veronica X and Silent Hill 2. So yeah... I'd say it was about the time that Twisted Metal Black came out. However, Winter 2001 was probably the moment it became THE system: Devil May Cry, GTA3, and Tony Hawk 3 all in the same month, with Metal Gear Solid 2 as the killer app in November and Final Fantasy 10 in December.
Holy shit, no wonder it was the must-have system at Christmas time that year. I remember for me, it was the triple threat of GTA III, MGS2, and FF10 that got me to finally buy the system. Though I remember I bought it before they came out, so I was happily introduced to things like Zone of the Enders, Onimusha, and Dark Cloud. All great, under-appreciated games. I also remember really liking Shadow of Destiny back in the day, too.
Shadow of Destiny isn't a terrible game but I could never go back to it. It's completely dated now, despite getting a PC and PSP re-release.
fade
Staff member
I agree on Croc especially. I really like Arkham Asylum, but Croc was stupid looking. I know they've sort of modified him into more of a metahuman now, but he was just a big dude with a "real" skin condition and filed teeth to begin with.
Man, I love the new version of XP Share in the newer Pokemon. Helps to cut back on grinding, though some lesser-used mons still fall a bit behind. I've found myself falling back into old Pokemon habits, especially looking ahead to see what mons I can tame and where so I can plan out the team I want.
I forgot about Zone of the Enders. That was a double-edged sword for me. On the one hand, I was pissed that I beat it after four hours (which was a new thing for me in that console gen), but on the other hand, my siblings and I wasted so many hours on the fighting game multi-player that got tacked on.
My mom happened to surprise me the year PS2 came out by getting it for me for Christmas, which was cool, except there were no games, so I remember keenly waiting for Twisted Metal Black and I could finally start having fun with the system instead of just re-playing PS1 games.
We used to regularly after we got rid of the dead casual scum weight.
Sadly I had a Dell for gaming, and a couple months before L4D2 came out, it quit on me without warning or explanation. Even took it in to be looked at, they couldn't figure out what was wrong, but they could tell me it'd cost them $500 to fix it (???) Considering I was the only one working at the time and needed a computer, ended up snagging a $300 POS. I'm currently on my second POS, but I guess the 2012 model can run L4D2, but by then everyone had moved on. Still, I remember the 2008/2009 L4D days fondly. Evolve is kind of scratching that itch, but not entirely, and to be honest, I liked L4D1 a little better than its sequel. The sequel is a better game, but the first one had a creepier pace that suited me more than the action-packed stuff in 2.
GasBandit
Staff member
I'm still playing 2 a whole lot. You might get hit me up sometime if you're looking to play.
Eh, I suck now. A lot.
Jay's right.
Jay's right.
I used to play with Shego pretty often, back in the day. She thought it was funny as hell that I'd snipe any late comers to the escape vehicle on principle.
Conundrum--overjoyed with Monster Hunter, loving it, want to play more ... but I also don't want to get too far ahead of my wife, who is still addicted to Hearthstone thanks to me.
Get back on evolve and play against me. I now rank #248 in the world for Goliath. Its fun playing with all high level players. Everyone I match against now is level 25 and up. Makes even playing a hunter for me fun again.
Starting to see where the Pokemon meta can come into play here and there as I progress in the game. Some pokemon just don't seem to grow nearly as well per level as others. Ninjask not only has a horrible dual type (Bug/Flying), but it hits for nothing even in the high-20's, level-wise. Mightyena, even though it's just Dark type, is a speed monster that hits like a truck. Same for Swellow as a Normal/Flying.
I can never join you; you're too popular! But sure.
On a side note, I should really try to finish the Dark Souls playthrough I was on so that whenever I want to play it again, I won't be one Lordsoul from finishing it.[DOUBLEPOST=1425002901,1425002847][/DOUBLEPOST]
It's sad, because sometimes your favorites ... just suck. That said, practically any type-balanced team can get through single player, but not all Pokemon are competitive.
Yeah, and there's some new/revised pokemon that're super hard to pin down a weakness on, and then throwing certain Abilities like Levitate and such makes them really nasty. Koffing has one weakness thanks to Levitate taking Ground away, and I think there's a couple Steel/Fairy types now that have maybe one or two weaknesses.
Are we talking about just playing through the game, or actual competitive battling? Because Ninjask is pretty awesome as an opening baton passer.
Just playing through right now, but I can see what you mean. Ninjask's one great stat is speed, right after it evolved it was already at like 70+, which is nuts for that low of a level.
It's also a POISON type, so it's completely ineffective against popular types like Steel.
I'm still trying to find myself a good Steel/X pokemon, haven't had any luck save for Skarmory but I don't especially need another Flying.
Which version are you playing?
Yeah it was great! And no probs---I shouldnt even be on---what will all the exams I have tomorrow and Saturday. As for the jetpack recovery--mobility is everything. When I'm playing the monster, nothing gets me killed faster than trying to run around and flail uselessly at hunters zipping about. Also, since you can double-tap to jump forward more often, it lets you keep on the monster's heels. Again, a hunter group that doesn't give me a moment's rest is far more likely to kill me than one who stocks up on extra damage or faster reload. It also makes my job easier when hunters don't take it, because I can just make sure I constantly climb up cliffs when I'm running away to make the distance gap even greater. It also gives me breathing room when I'm trapped in a dome and can just climb up while the hunters sit around waiting for their jetpacks to recharge. The only time I might not take it is if I'm playing Parnell and I'll take the health regen upgrade instead to compensate for the Super soldier serum.
Hopefully I kept up the medgun enough that you weren't missing that perk. I swear, this is the only game where I enjoy playing the healer.
Omega Ruby. I think there's a Mawile coming up which is Steel/Fairy, and that'd be a nice combo (plus it has a Mega Evo). Otherwise I might just go farm an Aron for Steel/Rock.
Hmm... Mawile's base stats have always been a bit too low for my tastes. In particular, its base speed is only 50, which means it'll probably have to take a hit before he can hit back. Even with its steel typing, it'll get worn down very quickly. Mawile's base attack is also only 80, which isn't very good.
The Aron line suffers from a similar problem. Its base 50 speed is really quite slow, and even with its huge base 180 defense, it'll still get worn down really easily, especially if it takes hits on its weaker special defense (only base 60).
However, Hoenn isn't exactly overflowing with good steel types, so there isn't a lot of choice available. You can try your luck on Route 110, where Magnemite sometimes show up in swarms. Alternatively, after getting all 8 badges, you can access New Mauville, where you will definitely be able to catch Magnemite. Magneton and Magnezone are also relatively slow, but at least they're faster than Mawile and Aggron. My team's steel type is a shiny Metagross I got off Mystery Gift, but I think that particular giveaway's over now.
Can you access the GTS? If so, maybe consider trading for a good steel type. Lucario, Excadrill, Bisharp, Aegislash, and Scizor are some of my favorites.
Magnemite/Magneton/Magnezone also has a few things going for it. It learns a move that'll make it immune to earth moves (getting rid of it's major weakness) and is capable of learning the really nasty Lock-On/Zap Cannon combo, which can destroy anything weak to electricity and paralyze the rest. Finish out your moves will Flash cannon and you've got a good setup that can ruin the day of most Earthquakers.
Mawile gets a mega evolution that makes it an extremely hard-hitting semi-tank, and its steel/fairy typing gives it some very powerful resists. It can also get swords dance, meaning you can switch it into something that it is strong/immune to, swords dance as they switch out, and then proceed to absolutely destroy shit.
Oh yeah, I forgot Mega Mawile gets Huge Power as its ability. It's still uncomfortably slow, but anything it hits is going to be in a world of hurt.