GAMER LOUNGE 20XX (NO CASUALS!!)

[Kitsu]

the difference here being
both have a long history of spinoffs while also having pretty regular main line entries

I was going to say this but then I did research and apparently there have been 4 main line games in the Chibi Robo series (with 3 of them having seen US releases).
And one of them came out just last year.
Of course, as a person who doesn't really know much about the series, I can't vouch for the quality of its latest entry, just that the quoted reasoning is not really entirely valid at this point lol


That said, whenever an already somewhat niche series jumps the shark, there's always the possibility that it might not return to its older form for a very long time, e.g. Wario Land -> Wario Ware
This isn't necessarily bad, but it does leave that series' fans behind potentially without something else to fill its place.


And at least the grapple capability is kinda interesting, despite the game's status as another 2.5d platformer.

[Gwen]

So because it's not a permanent turn I can't be hugely disappointed that Chibi Robo, a series I love so much, is being made into a by the numbers platformer? Doesn't look like it vibes like Chibi Robo at all whatsoever. Looks uninspired and really boring.

Should I be upset when Kirby is clay and rolls like a ball on my lines?

Should I be upset when Mario dons a Doctor's outfit and starts throwing pills at viruses?

Characters are allowed to branch out and do different things.

I never said characters aren't allowed to expand or that series aren't allowed to try out new things with a character, but how is this expanding Chibi Robo in any way? It looks more like it's limiting it and watering it down than anything else. Mah boi has gone from 3d to 2d, from a game about exploration, bringing joy, and protecting loved ones to a 2.5d platformer which aside from the grapple which really isn't all that new or interesting doesn't really bring much to the table in my eyes. It looks like a mario platformer with Chibi Robo slapped on it with some grapple mechanics.

That and the graphical style of the game is oh so extremely bland compared to what it's known for, which is quirky and cute.

[MrYoshbert]

That said, whenever an already somewhat niche series jumps the shark, there's always the possibility that it might not return to its older form for a very long time, e.g. Wario Land -> Wario Ware

This isn't necessarily bad, but it does leave that series' fans behind potentially without something else to fill its place.

It's less "series jumps the shark and replaces its older form" and more "character gets another series with its own separate style and identity".  

For example, the last Wario Land game (Shake It) and WarioWare: Smooth Moves) were released nearly two years within each other on the same console (the Wii).  Both of them co-exist in Nintendo's eyes and the newer series was never meant to "replace" the older series.  It's like how both Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi are still going strong (even with both series ending up on the same system at one point) despite them both filing under the "RPGs starring Mario characters" tag.

That being said, if they announce a new Wii U Chibi-Robo that returns to the format of the original Gamecube game in the distant future, freaking out over this game will have been pretty silly in hindsight.

[Gwen]

Not really, it'd have been cool to have a Chibi Robo game with a format similar to the gamecube one on the 3ds. For the 3ds being a strong handheld console power wise, this new game looks pretty outdated.

[Koopaul]

Didn't Kirby have Kirby's Pinball Land right after Kirby's Adventure? And then Kirby's Avalanche and Kirby's Dream Course before Kirby's Dreamland 2?

[Gwen]

I like how you're basically assuming I hate any change or spinoff when I never said that whatsoever. The game looks like a generic as fuck 2d platformer with ugly graphics. That's what I hate about it.

[Koopaul]

Well your top complaint seemed to be that it went from being a 3D exploration game to a sidescroller. The whole "it looks ugly" seemed secondary.

[Gwen]

It looks like a generic as heck sidescroller. Far less imaginative and thrilling as previous Chibi Robo games which were all about exploring really neat, distinct environments.

[TomGuycott]

I finally figured out what the Chibi Robo game was really reminding me of in style: it's a poor-man's Kirby Triple Deluxe. The environments become blander expanses of blocks and you are relegated to one form of power (as far as we know, but I doubt power swapping is going to play a big part in this game).

If the game went more into the line of him exploring larger, more natural environments, that could at least look interesting, but as it stands the large world is simply background elements rather than the play field.

[Kosheh]

it's a poor-man's Kirby Triple Deluxe

The poorest man, who shells out so many dollars for a special edition that's packaged with an amiibo.

I think the verbage you're looking for is "budget title with limited-edition pack-in to sweeten the deal"

Personally I think it's genius because the bundled Chibi-Robo IIRC is probably required for certain parts of the game (because, you know, they're gonna make lousy choices in level design due to the accessibility of the amiibo to tap-in for buffs), hence why the amiibo needs to be bundled with it. By itself, the game is incredibly mediocre and the figurine pretty much has to be traded in with it because the game's gonna be worth peanuts at Gamestop though the figure will make the trade-in value somewhat decent.

tl;dr Nintendo killing resale value due to demand for Chibi-Robo figurine

...that, and I feel like Chibi-Robo has since become a vessel for more avant-garde Nintendo spinoff titles that are just too cute for Donkey Kong to do. None of his games resemble one another.
By itself, Zip Line won't stand, but if it comes with the cutest little niche robot statue, collectors who aren't even going to play Chibi Robo are going to buy it, artificially inflating its sales. It worked for Mario Party 10, so of course it'll work for Chibi-Robo: Zip Line.

It's kinda cruel but it pu$he$ $ale$ and we're Nintendo $o it'$ okay we're cool plea$e buy our toy$

[Kitsu]

For example, the last Wario Land game (Shake It) and WarioWare: Smooth Moves) were released nearly two years within each other on the same console (the Wii).  Both of them co-exist in Nintendo's eyes and the newer series was never meant to "replace" the older series.  It's like how both Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi are still going strong (even with both series ending up on the same system at one point) despite them both filing under the "RPGs starring Mario characters" tag.

Since that point, there have been 3 new Wario Ware games and no Wario Land games. It may be a very short-sighted way of viewing time gaps of ~7 years between entries as meaning the series is dead, but it still happens.

In a similar way, when X-Com was first announced as getting a reboot as an FPS (instead of its tactics roots), old fans got pretty upset, afraid that they were going to be left with nothing new for them. Of course, later, many were overjoyed when the TBS X-Com (Enemy Unknown) was announced; but then purist fans got upset that the new game was actually still a pretty far departure from the original in its actual execution, to the point that they jumped ship to Xenonauts.

Basically, whenever something like this occurs, people can overreact and think what they liked will no longer exist. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're wrong. Sometimes they're half right and half wrong. But either way, from a marketing/PR standpoint, it can be a thorn. Whether it's a worthwhile thorn or not depends on the final results though.

[TomGuycott]

I'm just hoping the "Exclusive Edition" with the Chibi Robo Amiibo isn't better off called the "Elusive Edition".

I also don't know if it is supposed to be elusive or illusive because I'm a heathen without a thesaurus. I:

Anyway, one mechanic I noticed briefly was the fact that his power seems to constantly drain. That I think has the potential to make the game have a more interesting gameplay, but it maxes at 999 by the look of it and moves at a snail's pace. For that reason I don't know if it will even be a significant danger.

Also, the game needs bosses. Good ones. This could make or break it for me.

[Kriven]

Elusive or illusive

Elusive is the right one. Illusive would have to do with mirages and apparitions.

Chibi Robo honestly looks fun to me... I'm getting a Drill Dozer feel from it.

[psychospacecow]

I am part of the .2% of people on PC who has gotten all achievements in Dragon Ball Xenoverse.

[TomGuycott]

So I just found out that there's unused sprites of Agahnim in A Link to the Past, and NOBODY anywhere seems to have ever posted them before. I figure this would have been found a long time ago, the sprites are huge.