Here we go everyone! It's time for Netto's Game Room's second Mailbag!
Last time we were asked about Secret Level, New Sega Console, Death of the MMO Genre, Favorite Final Fantasy Game, and a few other topics, but this week is a little different! Our write ins questioned us on the PlayStation 5 Pro, what Pokemon game we would recommend, and even had us asking ourselves what console was our least favorite of them all! (That was a little tough.) It was a wide variety of unique questions, and we had a lot of fun answering them.
Anyway, without further adieu, here's what we here at Netto's Game Room had to say in response to your questions! Also, thanks again for writing in! If we didn't get to your question this month, don't worry, it has been added to the list of possible future topics.
Which game do you always go back to No matter how many times you’ve played it?
- Munchies via Discord
Ben: The game I return to no matter what? I guess that would have to be Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I was really big into the game back when it first came out, and it was one of the games that helped me get through lockdown. So many fond memories of playing it each day during lunch as I worked from home, and traveling to different islands just to hang out with different people. It was great! Then later that year I met my future wife so I stopped playing it… Only to introduce her to the series as well a year later.
Now days me and her play it every single day together. We’ve done nearly everything, but we have so much fun just enjoying our island, and doing our daily activities. We decorate it for every holiday too, so that’s always cool to see. I guess we’ve technically “run out of things to do,” but that doesn’t stop us from continuing to enjoy it.
Jonsku: That game for me has to be Terraria, I have replayed that game way too many times over the years since its alpha days and have always fallen in love with it again. Not to mention it has one of the most well known modding scenes that would put triple A studios to shame (try Calamity, highly recommended).
Cat: This is a tough one since I have multiple, but I think I'd have to say Minecraft. It's easy to pick up and put down on a whim and it's got such a vast library of mods and keeps old versions available so that every time playing it can be a brand new experience or a nostalgic one.
Jeremy: World of Warcraft. Like a junkie to the spoon, I find myself crawling back to Azeroth every few years. The game hit me at just the right age (I was 13 when Burning Crusade came out) and I’ve literally never been able to fully rid myself of the game now as a thirty year old man. I was bragging recently about how I’m finally done with WoW and I could never see myself coming back, and literally today I was feeling like I wanted to return for the new expansion. I’m a broken man. Send help.
Thoughts on your current state of the Kirby series?
- mucmash via write in
Ben: I’ve enjoyed the recent games. The 3DS Kirby games are a lot of fun, and Forgotten Land is the game little kid me dream of. Overall I think the series is doing pretty great as it stands; especially considering most of the games are now easily accessible on the Switch.
Jonsku: I would say it is going fairly well, we get a new main line game every couple of years and they are starting to experiment with 3d movement in Kirby games, hope to see more of that!
Cat: I can't say I've got any complaints. I didn't love how small Star Allies was on release, but that's long since been rectified with updates, and Forgotten Land was a fantastically fresh take that still felt at home in the series. I'm looking forward to seeing what we'll get next.
Who do you think would win? Super Sonic or Shadow?
- Unknown via write in
Jonsku: Super Sonic
Ben: I disagree! My vote goes to Shadow! What is rarely shown off is the fact that Shadow has limiters that completely hold him back. One of the few times he released them was actually in Sonic 06, where he destroyed thousands of enemies in a matter of seconds just by releasing them. In theory, base Shadow may rival Super Sonic, and he himself can go Super as well. While it’s true Sonic can pull off Chaos Control, Shadow has additional Chaos powers at his disposal, and has better control over the powers in general.
One could argue that Sonic’s new Super Sonic form could be stronger, but we also don’t know what a Super Shadow with his limiters released could be capable of.
Why do you think PlayStation hasn’t remastered Bloodborne?
- Jacob via write in
Ben: There can be a lot of reasons that Bloodborne has yet to be remastered. PlayStation obviously still remembers that the series exists, as evident in Astro Bot and the many other Bloodborne crossovers, but remastering a game isn’t always a simple task.
While Bloodborne was designed with the PlayStation 4 in mind, which runs on PC architecture, the game was designed with the PS4’s specs in mind. In a game where timing is everything, changing from 30 FPS to 60 FPS can alter the balance, and it is entirely possible that adjustments will need to be made to account for this. Other issues the developers may run into include the legality of re-releasing the game on a new platform. While Sony themselves own the IP, it is still a Fromsoft game, and both parties would need to be in agreement. It’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t agree, but it is still a hurdle that must be overcome.
The final main reason I feel holds them back, is the fact that other projects have been taking up their time. They have recently finished Elden Ring however, so that could open them up to more? Although there’s always the chance that Armored Core VI DLC will keep them busy as well.
Jonsku: There are many ways to look at it but in my personal opinion I believe it is a combination of many factors between the studio and Sony as a whole. I can’t really understand why they haven’t done it but there is probably a more deeper issue behind the scenes stopping From software to be allowed to make it.
What's your all time favorite videogame?
- Buniel (Erick) via write in
Jonsku: Very tough question, already answered Terraria as a game I replay very often so one would think that is my favorite. However, If I had to say my all time favorite that inspires and influences me as an artist and I still find fun to this day as a gamer it has to be Trials of Mana. Both the original Super Nintendo version and the remake, it has a classic story, 3 different paths with 3 different final bosses. Killer soundtrack, for an action rpg it is a fairly short game since it wants you to replay it and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Honestly a game I do come back to fairly often too.
Ben: I really can’t pick a single game, but my usual go to for this type of question is MegaMan X (1). MegaMan has had a huge impact on my life in general, and the original MMX is what introduced me to the series. It’s a game I love everything about, and have played from start to finish possibly hundreds of times. A game I’d come home from school and beat every single day just because I loved it so much, and one I continue to play. Heck, the reason I wanted a PSP is because of Maverick Hunter X (the remake of MMX1), and the reason I wanted a PlayStation 2 was to play X7 and X8. So yeah, I can easily say it’s one of my all time favorites.
Jeremy: I would have to say World of Warcraft. I’m a huge fan of fantasy settings and WoW did such a brilliant job at immersing players into its richly detailed world, especially if you had played the RTS Warcraft titles that came before it. I love the whole idea of starting with rags and a club for a weapon and as you slowly increase in power and capability, you visually see your increased strength and power reflected by your armor and weapons. WoW captured this feeling beautifully and I’ll often find myself yearning for that classic World of Warcraft power climb, fighting my way across Azeroth and becoming a strong, capable adventurer. I should say, modern WoW does not hit the same way for me. The level crunching has completely broken the immersion for me, as you now start the game fighting what used to be end game enemies. It just doesn’t work for me.
If you had a PlayStation 5 and can switch it for a PlayStation 5 Pro, do you think it is worth it?
- Anon via write in
Ben: I feel like there are two ways to answer this question. If you could simply trade in your PlayStation 5 for a PlayStation 5 Pro, then there’s honestly no reason not to. Why wouldn’t you take an upgrade for free? On the other hand, if you are asking if it is worth spending the money on… That is a bit trickier.
Cat: Like Ben said, just a straight trade would be a free upgrade so most definitely. But if you're asking if I'd consider it worth spending the money to upgrade from a 5 to a 5 Pro, I personally don't think so. I've never been the type to get “Pro” versions of consoles, since most of the time I can play the same games on the original.
Ben: And to further add to what Cat said: with the Pro what you are gaining is the ability to play select games in 4K with 60 fps, instead of 4K at 30 fps. Other games have other graphical improvements, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has more detailed grass, but overall it is not a big upgrade.
Ultimately, if you don’t mind spending the money, then that’s a decision that is completely up to you. Just remember that the PlayStation 6 will have all of the same features plus more.
What is your least favorite console/handheld of all time?
- Kenny via write in
Cat: This one is really tough. Can't say I've really disliked any of my consoles, so if I had to choose one, I guess I'd say the PS5. It's the one I got the least out of, since I'd moved to PC by the time I had one and it doesn't have many exclusives.
Jonsku: Mobile Phones, I was never a big fan of touch screen controls for everything, in particular action games. There are some games that are better designed for touch controls however, since mobile phones are the biggest market you will see all kinds of genres on it regardless if that genre fits the playstyle or not. It has also affected gaming as a whole the most negatively.
Ben: There isn’t a single console that I didn’t like, but if we had to say the one I used the least… Xbox One. I wanted it for exclusives like Halo Master Chief Collection, Forza, Dead Rising 3, Recore, etc, but it ultimately became a Rockband 4 machine for me. I honestly love my Xbox One though, and typing this makes me want to go turn it on and play Rare Replay or something, but there’s no denying that it’s the console I got the least use out of. It doesn’t help that 90% of it’s games stopped being exclusives, or can be played on PC now days.
Jeremy: For me, either the Wii or the PlayStation 5, for entirely different reasons. The Wii had games. Incredible games. Super Mario Galaxy was absolutely mind-boggling and is still very high on my list of favorite Mario titles ever. I just hated playing the Wii, beyond Wii Sports. The nunchuk and Wiimote were so gimmicky and lame.
Regarding the PlayStation 5, it just comes down to Sony’s poor handling of any sort of traditional console support. I understand that the PlayStation 5 literally has games - thousands of them. But, strong first party support that is unique and specific to this console? Barely anything. Most of the new first-party games are also on PlayStation 4, and they eventually come to Steam. The console itself plays wonderfully. I loved playing Astro’s Playroom and Hogwarts Legacy on my PS5, but eventually just felt bored by the console. If they ever get PlayStation 3 backwards compatibility working, I could see getting another PS5, because then you could conceivably have one console to play three generations of PlayStation titles on, which would certainly be convenient.
If you had to recommend any Pokemon game what would you recommend and why?
- NightmareBlade via Discord
Cat: Mystery Dungeon, Explorers of Sky. I'm a huge fan of the stories of the Mystery Dungeon games, and how it takes inspiration from rogue-likes without actually being one. Sky was definitely the peak of the series, so that's my pick.
Jonsku: Pokemon Black and White 1, has the best story for a Pokemon game, a good and fun balance when it comes to difficulty (not too easy or too hard) and one of the best rivals since generation 1 and 2. Honestly it is a fairly underrated game in the main franchise.
Ben: Pokemon Emerald! Generation 3 is my all time favorite out of all of them. As a kid it blew me away with the improved sprites, and simple features like finally being able to sit on chairs (helped with the role playing elements of the game). As for the game itself, being able to run was REALLY nice, the gen 3 Pokémon were really cool, and I enjoyed the world and story. The game also had a very extensive post game that kept me and friends playing for years.
Jeremy: I’m a Generation 2 supremacist, and think that Silver Version and Soul Silver Version are the best Pokemon games ever. But, to recommend a game from the series, I’d choose either Fire Red or Leaf Green from the Game Boy Advance, or Let’s Go Eevee or Let’s Go Pikachu for the Switch. I think the simplicity and iconic nature of Kanto and Generation 1 makes it the ideal starting point for a newcomer to the franchise. Under the condition that you immediately then play a real man’s game after you finish, and move on to Generation 2. Johto will blow your mind. I’ll be there waiting. We’ll duel to the death atop Mt. Silver.
And that does it for this month's Mailbag! Thanks again to everyone who wrote in. We look forward to hearing from you all next time!
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