Talking Point: The Popularity of Nintendo Selects, Updates and DLC Expansions Can Change How We Buy Games

Not about the article itself but something you said in it:
"Will Hitman's episodic approach pay off?"
Short and obvious answer: NO.
Longer and less obvious answer: It won't because it was a game that was initially a whole game, but cut up after the fact. In order for an episodic game to work, it has to be designed from the ground up to be episodic.

Episodic games are a bit of a problem. I have purchased a few episodic games that are more story-driven then anything else. But I also purchased Sonic 4, Ep 1. It felt wrong to be playing an action game and then suddenly hit a brick wall. "Episode over, wait for Ep 2." Story-driven episodic games (ex. Telltale's Game of Thrones, Wolf Among Us, and Dontnod's Life is Strange) better suit the format because the end of the episodes often leave you on cliffhangers that make you anxious for the next ep. It feels like an interactive TV show or book series because you're so engrossed in the characters as opposed to all the crazy things you did to reach the ending.

I never played Final Fantasy 7, and I'm curious to give it a shot, but because it's being released in episodes, I'm waiting until everything has been released first before I dive in. But when Telltale or Dontnod releases their next episodic series (especially Dontnod), you can bet I'm buying first day.

I still don't see how Paper Jam is playing things too safe and the likes of 3D World and Tropical Freeze aren't.

To me its always about the value I get for my money! If I get three full games for 80 EUR (FE:Fates) then thats fine, I would probably pay more! If I have to pay full price for a game like smash tennis which has very little content, well... I wont buy it.

The Nintendo Selects line was introduced on the Wii, and is even now continuing there. Nintendo Selects has in part been a response to the continuing demand for Wii games. There are still millions of Wii owners out there, looking for games, and besides new titles like Just Dance 2016, they may well be interested in classic titles at budget prices like Donkey Kong Country Returns.

However, especially on the Wii U, even a lineup like Nintendo Selects can't do much. The Wii U install base is very limited, and the selection of games available for the budget lineup is also very limited. Nintendo will quickly run out of Wii U titles to feature, as well as Wii U owners who would buy these games even at budget prices. Trying to cram Wind Waker HD down customers' throats just won't work after all the bundles and discounts that the game already had.

$80 and a ton of content justifies itself. Especially if a $40 game is plenty in stand alone. I'm glad Nintendo introduced Nintendo Selects and I think they did well with Wii U games but the Wii games are long overdue. That'll really push software sales as long as people know about it. I'm personally holding out on all Nintendo purchases until My Nintendo is active.

@Bolt_Strike DKC and Super Mario 3D World had the gameplay that people know and love, but also just enough to make it fresh. People don't mind as much when they're playing safe because they're known for playing safe. However, Paper Jam got rid of the quirky characters and story that Mario and Luigi fans love. All other M and L games had cool locales, characters, etc. that Oaper Jam lacked. This is how "they played it safe", but it was met with a more mixed reaction that took away what people want. Same with Paper Mario Sticker Star and Color Splash, they aren't what fans of those series wasn't, and are playing it safe with the characters and story even if Color Splash looks decent.

I wish Nintendo would expand their Selects range further. There are games like LEGO City Undercover, that have become rare and/or expensive (it's a Select in Europe, but not NA), and there are games like Captain Toad and Mario Tennis, both of which are often considered overpriced by critics because of the small amount of content. A re-release and a price cut would be great for these types of games.

Nintendo Selects are always a good thing. Take Super Mario 3D World for example; it is a retail game that can be tricky to find or rather expensive. Selects puts that game back on retail release and at a cheaper price. Of course 'Selects' have been going for years, even before Wii, just by a different name. And Xbox and PlayStation do their own 'Select' ranges, so its nothing new. But it does mean games that you have missed - you have an second opportunity to try them out & you know they are decent.

To me, paying $80 for 3 games is so worth it and especially (as i've heard) FE:Fates has soo much content. Just got to hope its priced at the conversion rate in the UK

I am still waiting for a price cut on SML3D and NSMB2, 45-50dollars after so much time. Seriously? MH4U, supposed to be a major title for the console too, costed me only 35€ the release day..

@Mahe I first met a Select line when I bought my original Game Boy in 1998. There were several Game Boy games packed in a red box with a reduced size cover illustration. After that, there has been the "Player's choice" collection (or was it another name?) in the last year of the Nintendo64. I never had a GameCube but I am pretty sure this offer existed on it too. Then the Wii had its "Nintendo Select" titles (in its later life) exactly like its predecessors.

Dunno, I miss the Player's Choice branding, but the Nintendo Selects doesn't sound that bad though.

@LegendOfPokemon That's... still kinda hypocritical. It doesn't matter if the games always play it safe, a safe game is still a safe game. If anything, that makes things worse because it means the series is constantly underperforming.

@technotreegrass Wait... FF7 Remake is being done in episodes??

@Rei I remember there being a "Player's Choice" line on N64

Fire Emblem works because you get a lot of content for the money and it doesn't feel like a cheap cash grab.

I do wish Nintendo games got cheaper as the years went by though. I get they feel their product is worth it, but it is out of step with the rest of the industry.

@HeroOfTime32 sadly it is, I'll wait until the full thing is out before I get it.

@TrueWiiMaster I'd be curious to know what criteria Nintendo uses to decide to make a game a select title. Sony used to just use 1 million sold then it would be included in the "Greatest Hits" line, I think.

One thing the author touches on that boggles my mind is, why are Nintendo allowing products such as Mario Ultra Smash and Chibi Robo Zip Lash past Quality control in the first place? Only to then go on and devote minimal spending to marketing these products?
The idea that they see these things and say "Yup, looking good, big seal of approval stamp" when they are so lacking in comparison to other first party products amazes me.

@Mr_Zurkon it does feel a bit like a cash grab by splitting a game into 3 different ones when 1 Wii U disc would've done it for $59.99

@Xaessya Perhaps, that assuming that's Revelations isn't separate, though. Even if Birthright and Conquest were included on one disc for $59.99 in your scenario, it would still be $80 US if you factor in the DLC. As an aside, I'm glad it isn't on Wii U. I like being able to tackle bits of it here and there while on the go or waiting between classes.

@Bolt_Strike why are you being a dank meme on two of the greatest games of ever. SUPER MARIO ALL STARS RERELEASED BOIIII I MET KANYE WEST IM NEVER GOING TO FAIL. WE ON THE ULTRALIGHT BEAM

The Selects line is great for getting the gems into as many hands as possible. I will pick up a couple that I missed out first time round, but would have left alone without the price cut.

It's hard to know the full reasons behind some of the sub-par titles recently. The "new directions" thing mentioned at E3 last year seems like a mistake in hindsight; too many games went in the wrong direction, taking a step backward in terms of the quality of renowned IPs. The reception of Color Splash seems to indicate that trend isn't over. Still really like to know the full figures for AC:aF - playtime is the only measurement that truly gives an indication of quality since many likely bought the game mainly or solely for the amiibo.

As an aside, with all the localisation going on, I'm surprised Color Splash isn't Colour Splash in the EU, but whatever.

No, Chibi Robo didn't struggle, it fell down and hit it's face right out of the gate. Nobody bought it and those who did hated it and sold it off right away.

@Dankykong Sorry to say, that I actually enjoyed it. It wasn't that bad, but it just wasn't like the first one on the Gamecube. I didn't think the Gamecube game was all that great, thought it was another disappointment, but I guess it didn't do too bad to get more in the series made. I kind of wonder what happened to Starfy or Startropics and if they'll ever give them another chance.

The nintendo selects aren't that bad, but it seems that it takes forever for their games to finally hit a good price point. It's amazing when you still see Wii games by nintendo, still priced at the $50 range, and they've been out for close to 10 years. Other companies end up lowering the costs in less than a year (even if they are huge hits), but nintendo wants all the money they can out of it. If every Wii U owner has Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros, what's the point of keeping them at a high cost still...eventually, they're not going to sell anymore until a new Wii U owner comes along, and with all of the talk about nintendo's next console, Wii U sales are going to almost make a full stop...which is a shame, but I hope they continue to give some support to Wii U.

@Dankykong Sorry to say, that I actually enjoyed it. It wasn't that bad, but it just wasn't like the first one on the Gamecube. I didn't think the Gamecube game was all that great, thought it was another disappointment, but I guess it didn't do too bad to get more in the series made. I kind of wonder what happened to Starfy or Startropics and if they'll ever give them another chance.

The nintendo selects aren't that bad, but it seems that it takes forever for their games to finally hit a good price point. It's amazing when you still see Wii games by nintendo, still priced at the $50 range, and they've been out for close to 10 years. Other companies end up lowering the costs in less than a year (even if they are huge hits), but nintendo wants all the money they can out of it. If every Wii U owner has Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros, what's the point of keeping them at a high cost still...eventually, they're not going to sell anymore until a new Wii U owner comes along, and with all of the talk about nintendo's next console, Wii U sales are going to almost make a full stop...which is a shame, but I hope they continue to give some support to Wii U.

@Bolt_Strike
Paper Jam did absolutely nothing different. And had 2 prior games already released from those series on 3DS alone. Not to mention multiple DS entries the generation prior.

DKC Tropical Freeze had ONE game prior in the last 15 years, and not only that, added rocket barrel stages (brand new type of gameplay), added 3 separate partners as opposed to just Diddy Kong (and each partner offered a new gameplay mechanic that could radically change how you play a stage), it ditched the blowing mechanic and added in its place the pulling mechanic, it added in 3D segments on minecart rails and barrel blast paths...

I could go on, if you need me to.

***EDIT***
But most importantly, DKC Tropical Freeze turned out to be what is, imo, the greatest 2D platformer ever made (and I think my opinion holds a little weight here seeing as I adore platformers and like a fine wine taster, I know how to separate the wheat from the chaff, and can discern even small differences which can make a platformer fantastic or a slugfest). I have played just about every 2D platformer worth mentioning, and none of them can stand up to Tropical Freeze.

When you have a game that perfect, it doesn't need to do anything new. The perfection alone is enough to carry it. Whatever new things do get added, they're just icing on the cake.

@JLPick Yep you're one of the few. Also Startropics and Starfy are so random and don't make sense why you're bringing those two up, they didn't exactly give up on Starfy, they've not had another game in the series since the worldwide release of the last game, and that was on the DS and since then we've had a hardware change to the 3DS, and there are plenty of games that don't get a new iteration every hardware update. StarTropics was released everywhere originally and still is released everywhere between the Wii & WiiU virtual console. Zoda's Revenge wasn't always hit with the best reviews anyway. It's not as if those games are inaccessible. The 4 Japanese Starfy games are very similar and if you look at basically any games series in Japan, they often release multiple similar games in consecutive years where they only ever give the west one version.

I enjoyed the hell out of Wind Waker on the GameCube, but wasn't going to pay full price for the remaster. Super-tempted by the bargain rerelease nowadays though...

@CatMarioTime I'll just let those last two sentences speak for themselves.

@JaxonH Having a perfect game is meaningless if it's not fun though, a video game doesn't really do its job if it's not entertaining. And when the game gets too safe and predictable, it doesn't really entertain anymore. None of what you mentioned really shakes things up, they're either minor gimmicks or aren't really utilized enough to make an impact. Pretty much all of Nintendo's platformers this gen have the same problem, they're just recycling the basic formula and not really introducing those major, game-changing mechanics that help them stand out. The only exception is looking to be Kirby Planet Robobot, in which the Robobot mechs seem to be a major part of the puzzles (and even then, it's too early to conclude that).

As someone who tends to buy games physically, I have mixed feelings when it comes to Nintendo Selects. When a game becomes a 'Selects' title, they put the horrible border around it, which makes me not want it. Bit weird, as aside from that, it still has the original boxart, but it puts me off, because I like admiring the boxart. What it does do however, is that it convinces me to buy the game digitally, since the price is the same regardless of buying a physical or digital copy, and why would I spend £40-£50 for a game with the original cover, when I could spend £20 to have it digitally.

I would say this would be Nintendo's way to convert me to digital, but the majority of titles that become 'Selects', I typically own by that point, so it wouldn't be very effective

@Bolt_Strike cat Mario and donkey Kong are the best, check out that 3d world metacritic score all hail based metacritic, shout out to that 9.4 user average Cory in the house DS rating.

@MasterS7000 how about you don't pay such attention to a paper image. Supermarioallstars2016

@JaxonH Wow, you really like Tropical Freeze. Guess you've convinced me to pick up the Nintendo Selects version

It's kind of funny, Nintendo gamers on here, talking about how Hitman is going to fail misrrably due to the episodic nature.
Even the writer talks about how it could be a huge problem.
Consider this:
Game sells 1 million season passes @ 60$. That's 60$ million.
Episode 1 sells 5 million copies @ 10$. That's 50$ million.
If the season pass only sold 50k @ 60$, that's 3$ million.
Obviously, selling a few copies of a high priced season pass / retail title is a faster way to make money, but you are going to make just as much through impulse purchases.
Because it's easier to justify.
I can buy a 20$ card and get 3 episodes of a story without having to commit to a 30-50$ game.
Is it smart to buy the 'full experience'?
Sure, but only if the game meets your expectations.
Now Fire Emblem is still a niche game. The sales don't change that. The subject matter and gameplay mean that Fire Emblem will always be a niche game. Spending 80$ for a full 3 campaigns is a great deal for someone who enjoys FE, for someone who doesn't? 40$ will seem like too much for one portion.
And that's the point of episodic content.
There will always, ALWAYS, be people willing to buy the whole set.
That's why Pokemon is the best selling VC title on the 3DS. That's why JRPGs have massive collector's editions. That's why game makers have ever made statues of their characters. Not because they're interesting to everyone or appeal to everyone, but because collectors exist.
But for a larger audience, it stands to reason that a miniscule price point (the one offered by episodic titles) will inflate sales and drive profit margins.
I'd argue that an RPG could be sold cheaply (say 35$) and each individual gamer could pick their characters of choice.
Zen Pinball 2 has done as much and it provides only what each gamer is willing to pay for.

This is kind of off-topic, but wouldn't it be awesome if Wii games released as Nintendo Selects were put on the Wii U eShop? It would work wonderfully too, because they would all be $20, just like the physical copies.

BTW, I am incredibly glad for the price drops of the 4 Wii U Nintendo Selects. I might get Tropical Freeze digitally

@C-Olimar what's not to love? One of the BEST soundtracks and it's basically one of the best 2D platformers ever made and incredible improvment over Returns, with bigger stages and best underwater stages ever made.

Hitman won't pay off. Not only it's mpt a franchise with staying power anyomore and is only followed by die hard fans (6 years between Blood Money and Absolution was death sentence, and sales of Aboslution were not outstanding, because people already had nostalgia glasses imagining thing about Blood Money that were never there, like big sandbox stages), confusing release (at first it was supposed to be full game, and then episodic - they went back and forth with that at least twice) and the only content is that stupid live component, because they sorta killed replay value with ability of save spam.
Also, sheep are hyped now, but when you think about it, you're paying 60 bucks for 6 missions, and if that first ep is supposed to be any indication, you'll pay 60 bucks for 6 hours of gameplay, because 1st episode is around 1 hour long, 2 at best. You could use CoD line of defense, problem is there you have MP, here once you're done, you're done. Unless you want to make pointless havoc.

@NodesforNoids 60 mln... so? If you think everything goes to SE, think again.

@Dave24
The numbers were given AS AN EXAMPLE.
The example was made to prove that, with a smaller price point, SE could turn a profit on just one episode. The bigger gamble sits on convincing gamers to spend 60-70$ on one game. Particularly when that game series inspired two of the worst movies ever made.

Replay value and length of gameplay doesn't sell games either, so get off your high horse.
I could play through DKC Tropical Freeze in 6 hours, so stay off the high horse.
Benign idiocy.

@NodesforNoids before throwing idiocy, you should look at yourself. You say numbers as example, and then say this
"with a smaller price point, SE could turn a profit on just one episode".
Also, if you want to rush through ep 1 of Hitman, then you have amazing 2 minutes of game.

It WON'T. Not on a Nintendo system. They have the worst business practices as possible when it comes to pricing and deals, so don't expect to see that very often. They prefer selling you the game for full price and when everyone already have it, 5 years later, they put on a sale. Main titles never see the light of a price drop with very rare exceptions (1 week before christmas and things like that).

@Bolt_Strike
Making a game completely different just for the sake of being different is worse than not being different at all. I'd rather have a solid, fun game that was identical to the last 10 entries, then a game that does 50% new and gambles that winning formula away in doing so.

DKC didn't have to do much new because there wasn't but 1 game in the last 15 years, and that game was itself 4 years old or so. Anyone who can play 20 hours of a game in the span of nearly 2 decades, and be sick of the gameplay 4 years later, is probably going to hate most games anyways.

And as the gentleman who responded to you above said, take a look at the scores. Destructoid even gave it a perfect 10 out of 10. If the vast majority of people felt the way you did then I might be inclined to consider it as reality but the fact of the matter is, you are in a very, very small minority.

If 9 out of 10 people who play the game say it's amazing and near-perfect, I think that holds considerably more weight than 1 person out of 10 saying it didn't do enough new and was bland. Clearly most people feel otherwise

@C-Olimar
Dude, Tropical Freeze is a masterpiece. I've been playing video games since the late 80s, and I've played more platformers than most gamers have played games.

In fact it's one of my favorite genres- and I can tell you now there is not a game out there that can touch Tropical Freeze. The game is no slouch in difficulty- you'll have to develop skills as you progress and you'll have to adapt fast if you want to survive. But that's part of the incredible allure of this game. It actually provides you a challenge to overcome.

If you're the type of gamer that isn't really good with precision mechanics and fast reflexes then you may want to steer clear. But if you've got at least a moderate skillset, this is going to be one of the most incredible platformers you've ever played. It's so unbelievably addictive, in fact the time trial mode sunk it's teeth into me deeper than the main game- and I've never had any interest in competitive time trial runs beforehand.

It's just one of those games where if you die it's absolutely, 100% your fault. It's difficulty will make you curse the game and blame the controller and everything else you can imagine, but in the end it boils down to whether or not you're good enough. And that rubs a lot of people the wrong way because they're simply not good enough.

***EDIT***
And for the record it's totally doable, especially if we're talking just beating the campaign as opposed to competing for top 10 time trial runs. But it's all a matter of relevance. To some people it's incredibly hard because they're not that good at precision platformers. But if you're decent it's not overly hard- its a challenge, but a totally doable challenge. You may lose a few lives but it's not THAT intense for someone who's decent at platformers.

@SonataAndante
Oh I love NSMBU, never understood all the hate it gets. It was just so much better than all the other entries, in every way. 3D World I thought was great- not Tropical Freeze/Rayman great, but still great. It was just a different type of experience.

As for the handheld entry 3D Land, it was OK and it came at a time when 3DS didn't have a lot of games- so I enjoyed it for what it was when it released. But it's absolutely generic compared to World. Of course you have to take into account it is a handheld entry so obviously you can't expect the same level of experience you would see on a full home console game. But ya, World made 3D Land look like a concept demo...

I hate to be a politician on this subject, but it easy to understand where some are coming from on both sides. Nintendo I think has experimented with pricing, and they continue to do so. They just so happen to get FE Fates right. They missed on Tennis.

In hindsight, I think the only reason we even got Tennis is because Star Fox wash pushed out. Remember though, many people thought Splatoon was over priced at first, but through the DLC, it has become a tremendous value.

In the end, we all have to realize they will hit and miss on this. This problem is not solely Nintendo's either. The digital age has a lot of companies experimenting.

@JaxonH There's really no period of time that can justify not improving gameplay. Because if it's been a relatively short amount of time, then there's really no reason to go for another game so soon unless it's a unique concept, otherwise the newer game cannibalizes the older one. And if it's been a long period of time, then you have to question why the newer hardware hasn't done anything to improve the formula. The fact that we've had two games in a relatively short period of time (4 years is NOT that long in gaming), and both of them are not only not leaps and bounds ahead of the Classic trilogy but in fact playing catch up with them (so when are we going to get Animal Buddies not named Rambi or the ability to play as Kongs solo in single player? Are they saving that for the NX sequel to further prolong the stagnation in the gameplay?) and that TF failed to do anything noteworthy over Returns as a next gen platformer says everything about how underwhelming TF is even as a mere concept.

As for the critical reception, critics tend to be heavily biased and hand out high scores like candy to nostalgia pandering Nintendo games, so that says nothing.

I have a long reply to post, so I'll be brief about my own thoughts about the article proper.
If Splatoon was well received and Codename Steam wasn't, it was mostly due to Splatoon's solid gameplay and original ideas coupled with Nintendo's own need of a multiplayer shooter, in contrast to Codename Steam's rather dull premise coupled with the fans' own need of a new Advance Wars game. Simple as that.
It might be "obvious that people like cheap stuff", but the extent of this obviousness is debatable considering Nintendo's deals pale in comparison to sales seen in rival consoles' own digital shops. There's a reason why I've often cited Xbox One as an example - Microsoft officially allows users to share their account with one friend, with the latter getting the former's game for free, which also works the other way around as the two accounts are essentially merged; the fact I'll be on the receiving end of this treatment as soon as I get an Xbox One is the very reason I'll be getting one at all. Now imagine THAT happening on a Nintendo console! Here's hoping NX will AT LEAST feature cross-buy for Virtual Console games.
As for DLC, I'll eat up anything with the right premises. I was pleasantly surprised when Mario Kart 8's season pass turned out to be sold for a mere 14 euros, but I also gladly bought all Smash 4 DLC that came out so far because I've been a supporter of the idea of Smash Bros DLC ever since Brawl (I seriously expected and wanted DLC for that game) and because I know how harder it was to develop characters for Smash than including some vehicle and character models in MK8.
Nintendo Selects are Nintendo's way to realize that, indeed, if you sell a game for less money you end up selling more copies - who'd have thought of that? Aside from Valve, Sony and Microsoft, that is? I've been waiting for the right occasion to get my hands on Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze and Wind Waker HD, and I'm glad they're about to become more affordable.
And games such as Zip Lash and Ultra Smash just need to be sold for the right amount of money. We're living in an era where there are games such as GTA 5 and Tom Clancy's The Division, both featuring large worlds to explore and painstaking amounts of detail all around. When developers aren't as willing to go that far, prices must resonate with that in order for fans to buy smaller games because of what said games offer instead of "because they're fans".
"Will Hitman's episodic approach pay off"? It could. While @MrMario02 pointed out it wasn't conceived as an episodic game, I think Hitman's nature as a "weapons don't carry over between missions" game makes for a smooth transition to an episodic format. Which is also why Square's OTHER big episodic project, the Final Fantasy VII remake, might get in trouble (unless there are some "lock-on technology"-based, Sonic 4-esque shenanigans going on).

@JaxonH
Of course Paper Jam did nothing different. It didn't need to. Dream Team created an entire gimmick around a character for the game to stand out; Paper Jam, on the other hand, was an internal crossover (as in, a crossover between two related franchises; but a crossover nonetheless), and therefore the plot had top priority over gameplay. There's a reason if Dream Team was set in a new island setting, while Paper Jam picked good ol' Mushroom Kingdom. Seth MacFarlane, as much as I can't stand his brand of black humor at times, said it best: "it's all about character interaction". That's usually what's best about crossovers, and it shows a lot in The Simpsons Guy.

It's not about Peter and Homer beating each other up at the end of the episode (although the art style switch you can see above was pure gold), it's about Meg and Lisa talking, Santa's Little Helper looking weird to Brian, and so on. Remember Bayonetta's trailer for Smash Bros.? (Rhethorical question... who doesn't?) Half the charm of it was Bayonetta; the other half came from Palutena, Pit and Dark Pit commenting during the gameplay clips. Introducing characters, or even bringing back minor spinoff characters, in Paper Jam would ultimately steal the focus from the best-known Mario stars meeting their alternate counterparts. Bowser is beating his other self up over who's the real deal, who would care about another antagonist such as Cackletta, the Shroobs, Fawful or Antasma? That's right, Paper Jam wouldn't even need fan-favorite Fawful. It's the only game where the Alphadream version of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Intelligent Systems-created incarnations of the Mario cast coexist at the same time, so that's all that was needed.
Why wouldn't gameplay tweaks work in a crossover?

This is why. As much as I hate to admit it, Crash Bandicoot Purple, the one game I've been waiting for ever since I found out my beloved platformer series from my childhood (Crash Bandicoot and Spyro) were kinda cousins, didn't work as much as I had hoped when I was fifteen. And that's the reason - the Crash Bandicoot GBA tetralogy was bringing gameplay, bosses and settings from the PS1 Crash games to Nintendo's handheld, and after XS did that with Crash 2 (the first one's settings and bosses were kinda skipped), N-Tranced did the same with Crash 3 and Crash Nitro Kart was by all means a portable Crash Team Racing years before the PSP made that actually possible, with Crash Bandicoot Purple (or Crash Bandicoot Fusion here in Europe) Vicarious Visions most likely thought they could kill two birds with one stone: on one hand, it was the turn of Crash Bash's minigame-based formula to be "handheld-ized"; on the other hand, this was also a good time to mash said formula with the crossover. And that's what I had a hard time liking in the first place: I'd have rather preferred a full-blown adventure. And by plot-based means, it was! Cutscenes hinted at a clever way to pit Spyro and Crash against each other, only for that to (what a surprise) backfire on their enemies' faces. However, what the game lacked was Crash hopping around in the Dragon Realms, fighting Rhynocs and whatnot, etc. The actual platforming was left to the adventure mode's map and some bonus stages. Everything else was essentially minigames disguised as levels, and not in a cool, Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped kind of way. Who wanted a portable Crash Bash, and who wanted a crossover between Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, could still enjoy Crash Bandicoot Purple, but in either case, the game pulled off a bit of both without ever fully accomplishing either. At least it's not as bad as companion game Spyro Orange, which mashed up Spyro with a minigame-based formula; as Naughty Dog's Crash was handled by Vicarious Visions in the franchise's GBA iteration, Digital Eclipse was the studio behind the Nintendo adventures of Insomniac Games' purple-scaled child, Spyro... and the fact Spyro Orange, already in trouble for mixing up two elements that don't mix in the first place, was Vicarious Visions' starting point with Spyro in general (coupled with the fact VV was already busy with Crash Purple) resulted in a game that didn't feel like a Spyro game at all.

[image by Abysswolf, check out his DeviantArt sprite art, it's amazing]
Now mega crossovers are another beast entirely. In a larger-scale crossover, anything goes, and when everyone gets a little bit of spotlight, you can't go deeper with a character than a few nods here and there. Super Smash Bros, other than adapting each character's home series' gameplay into his or her fighting style (courtesy of the Smash series being a platformer/fighter hybrid), amazingly manages to cram into one game an encyclopedia of all the games featured (with exceptions such as Cloud's limited trophy count, and so on), and generally gives players a sample of what each universe featured has to offer; but with other such crossovers we're not so lucky. Playing as Mario in Mushroomy Kingdom in either Brawl or Smash 4 3DS gives a player a sample of what Mario sidescrollers are like, and playing as Megaman in Wily Castle in Smash 4 is a good sample of the MM franchise; on the other hand, playing as Zero in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 isn't exactly a proper introduction to the Megaman franchise.

Back to Paper Jam, aside from a few gameplay elements borrowed from Paper Mario, it needed nothing more than just that: Mario & Luigi meeting Paper Mario. And unlike Crash Bandicoot Purple, the Mario crossover RPG title did manage to kill two birds with one stone: it took a chance to actually flesh out the Koopalings' personality, so mad props to that. (Besides, it's more of a Paper Mario game than Sticker Star will ever be, cough cough.)
My long comment is done. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about so many aspects of crossovers, as I love crossovers of all kinds (aside from the unfunny deconstructively parodic ones, such as every Robot Chicken skit ever - barring Nintendo's 2014 E3 ones, that is).

My problem with the DLC/episodic culture is what it means for the attitude of the current dev culture, i.e. use of DLC to justify an initial gaming experience that is generally subpar or the use of episodic content to amortise development cost and in the process essentially telegraphing that the dev is either entirely interested in leeching money steadily or has no confidence at all in the their product.

As a primarily retrogamer, what troubles me about this change in dev culture is how much it reduces the longevity of modern titles and devalues the notion of self-contained and complete entries. Unless a modern games does exceptionally well, in which case one sees the release of a GOTY or 'definitive' edition, then going back to play a great many of the modern Wii U titles with all content intact will be an exercise in frustration if not an outright impossibility. A prime example for me is Hyrule Warriors, which is probably my favourite game of this generation for Nintendo and one of the few games that has done DLC correctly (in that the game as initially released on disc is extremely playable with no sacrifice in content or story resolution). That said, the significant revisions that have occurred to base game (from a mechanics perspective), and the DLC which has added great value and diversity to the gameplay, likely will not be accessible some years down the road. As someone that considers replay potential to be a major part of a title's value, that's an enormous issue.

@Xaessya Actually, the full game can even be stucked in a cartridge for the western version.

Are you actually getting three different games or just different modes? It just seems to me that they are getting more money out of games and nobody seems bothered by that. Most games these days feel episodic anyways. First you play the broken version then they drip feed you patches until the game finally works properly.

One of the great things about Resident Evil was unlocking the other modes to play once you finished the game and there was no Dlc, no other game to buy to play these modes. Why do we accept this stuff?

@Bolt_Strike Exactly. I don't really see the point in this article. The problem with Nintendo is as simple as the quality of their releases: lots and lots of mediocre games for 3DS and Wii U. This is worsened by the lack of any relevant third party title. The few games for 3DS and Wii U that are good have been selling well since release, the last example being Fire Emblem Fates. Nintendo is just getting what they deserve.

@CatMarioTime I'm sorry, forgive me for having a minor nitpik, which in no way has stopped me from buying the game.

@Bolt_Strike
2 games in 4 years? Sure, but also 2 games in nearly 20 years. Depends on perspective. Speaking of which, we live in a society where games like Warriors gets 3 releases per year (that's what, 12 games in 4 years?) and a whole truckload of franchises get an annual update. We're talking one game per generation here- there's no way you can spin that to seem like it's too often.

You seem to look at games intellectually- "if it doesn't do X amount new I can't enjoy it" or "if it doesn't improve Y amount in Z time period it's automatically no good". That's like dating a woman because she checks every box on the list, ignoring she makes you completely miserable while the average "samey" girl would have made you happy.

Games get sequels because people like it and want more. It doesn't "have" to improve anything. Especially when you nail mechanics so perfectly like in DKC Returns. Like they say- if it ain't broke don't fix it.

And as for animal buddies- what do you want? You want them to do something different and new or do you want a copy/paste of a 2 decade old trilogy? On one hand you complain it doesn't do enough new, then turn around and say it took too much of a departure from the classic trilogy. How does that work?

Seems to me you just had a preconceived notion of what you wanted and aren't willing to accept anything but that.

I really don't see how Nintendo Selects would magically do or inspire anything different from the Greatest Hits titles that have graced essentially every other successful platform since the NES. This is a bizarre over-analysis of something that is commonplace in the industry as if it's something remarkable and different just because Nintendo does it.

This article seems to highlight that there is very little to talk about concerning Nintendo these days, so this was forced.

@Quorthon
Yep, our resident Nintendo critic said it best - other consoles have seen sales since the dawn of time. Greatest Hits on Microsoft consoles, Platinum rereleases on Sony consoles, the list goes on. You might even see huge sandbox games, such as the HD remaster of GTA San Andreas, sold for a mere five bucks during a sale on either console; on the other hand, what does Nintendo have to offer? Player's Choice, which paved the way for Nintendo Selects, is a relatively young kind of offer in Nintendo history; the Player's Choice range for GBA games, in particular, never reached European shores.

[a cookie for everyone catching the reference]
Nintendo tends to hype up their discounts like they're a once-in-a-lifetime bargain, when more often than not they're actually not that much of a deal. Sure, I took the bait when Super Mario 3D World was sold for 40 euros instead of sixty; I couldn't help it, it's a masterpiece - nobody's questioning the quality of the games themselves here. But when you see even bigger (not necessarily better, but undoubtedly bigger) games being sold for less than half that price on other consoles, the supposed novelty of it (or lack thereof) is bound to wear off eventually. And besides, I'm aware of what I just said - I didn't wait for a cheaper discount because Super Mario 3D World is a superb game; and this is exactly the problem, we Nintendo fans eat up just about anything (leading to the lose-lose scenario in both the upcoming Paper Mario Color Splash and the even more divisive Metroid Prime Federation Force: we don't buy it, Nintendo sees it as an excuse to kill off the franchise; we buy it, Nintendo sees we'd buy anything). But there are gamers out there who would rather wait for games to be discounted - as in, actually discounted - before opening their wallets. The economical crisis has been tough on the whole planet, and there are digital delivery systems such as Steam or Xbox Live which offer discounts tailor-made for gamers who can't afford expensive stuff. Nintendo most likely has already taken the first obligatory step, realizing this; the final step will be actually accepting this new reality.

@JaxonH "You seem to look at games intellectually- "if it doesn't do X amount new I can't enjoy it" or "if it doesn't improve Y amount in Z time period it's automatically no good". That's like dating a woman because she checks every box on the list, ignoring she makes you completely miserable while the average "samey" girl would have made you happy."

Are you implying that I only care about uniqueness? Because I don't, I take other factors like fun and quality into account as well. For the most part though, I'm not even going to bother with a game if it's not going to do something to catch my attention.

"Games get sequels because people like it and want more. It doesn't "have" to improve anything. Especially when you nail mechanics so perfectly like in DKC Returns. Like they say- if it ain't broke don't fix it."

That mentality doesn't work for entertainment, if you don't make any changes eventually it'll break itself by becoming stale. Games need to change on a fairly regular basis to continue to serve their purpose. You can rave about mechanics all you want but people will stop caring about those mechanics if they've been done to death.

"And as for animal buddies- what do you want? You want them to do something different and new or do you want a copy/paste of a 2 decade old trilogy? On one hand you complain it doesn't do enough new, then turn around and say it took too much of a departure from the classic trilogy. How does that work?"

What I was saying was that Returns and TF were a regression in gameplay because they lack in those areas where considering the amount of time that's passed, they should be night and day better than the Classics.

@Bolt_Strike
But that's not sound logic. To say that the game is a "regression" and "lacking" because it chose to go a different direction where level design wasn't forced to bend the knee to the mechanics of animal buddies, is basically saying it must have animal buddies to be fun- that there's no other possible way the game can be enjoyed as much without them in it. And that's simply not the case.

You're right, eventually things will become stale and eventually things will need to do something new, but when you've only had 2 games in a 20 year time span that's not exactly enough to make people feel that way. Hell even games which release annually have been nothing but popular worldwide for 7, 8, 9 consecutive years in a row. And those games are absolutely identical in every way with the exception of scenery. It would be one thing if they were releasing 2 to 3 DKC games per platform per generation, and there were like 4 to 5 of them released in the last five years. Maybe then I would look at it and say OK, yeah, it didn't really do a whole lot different.

But when Tropical Freeze released there was only one other game released in the series since I was in grade school. And even that one game had released the previous generation. And they actually did change a lot of the mechanics to make it interesting- the buddies in this game are Cranky and Dixie and Diddy. How could it be that a person can play returns and enjoy that 30 hours of gameplay, and love it to the core, yet somehow four years later the 31st hour of gameplay is suddenly stale. Like the game went from great to stale in one hours worth of gameplay. Is 31 hours with the game enough to make you sick of it? Because I play monster Hunter for 400 hours and didn't get sick of it. Heck I play the one before that for 600 hours and didn't get sick of it- on the contrary I was so addicted to it I was calling into work just to keep playing!

So how is it I can play a game for 600 hours and not get tired of it and others can play a game like DKC returns for 30 hours and not be tired of it but then suddenly when that 31st hour comes with the first world of tropical freeze now all of a sudden the game sucks and it's not enjoyable and it did nothing new. What if it was just part of DKC returns as a second chapter- would you be sick of it then? If so then you're a whole other breed to get sick of games after 30 hours. Even more so when you factor in the four-year break in between the 30th and 31st? And if not, then why would you get sick of it 4 years later after the fact?

And I do think they are night and day better than the classics. Absolutely 100% ... it's not even a contest.

Nintendo Selects are awesome! Because of their cheap price point and top notch quality, they make perfect birthday gifts. I gave OOT 3D to someone who'd never played a Zelda game before (and he's 15, would you believe?), he absolutely loved it and I only spent 30$ on it. It's a win-win!

@JaxonH Bend to the knee? More like expand what they can do with the gameplay. Animal buddies bring entirely new abilities to the gameplay that can do entirely new things and open up new types of levels and gimmicks. And Diddy, Dixie, and Cranky don't really compare to the animal buddies, for one Diddy and Dixie are functional almost entirely the same, the only difference being Dixie has a slightly different trajectory in her jump. And all three of them never really get the chance to demonstrate what they can do because the level design is forced to accommodate everyone because of co-op. So the gameplay is basically limited to the same mechanics for the entirety of the game.

And again, after 20 years you expect the game to be a huge step up in gameplay. Returns and Tropical Freeze were not, they had some minor changes in 2.5D level design and changing how DK and Diddy partnered, but other than that it's entirely the same gameplay. You should expect a lot more out of those games.

Making TF $20 DLC would be fine, but anything more than that and it's a ripoff. It's not distinct enough to warrant a full, separate $60 game and there's nothing in the game that justifies it being a Wii U exclusive.

@Bolt_Strike
Cranky is just like the Snake. Rambi is in the game. Diddy hovers far but Dixie gets lift upwards yet a shorter length. Small differences with huge impacts in how they play out in levels.

We got three games with animal buddies. I like them too but it was time for a different direction. It's not like they forsaked them completely- the star buddy was in the game. But I can tell you right now those underwater mechanics were way more interesting than riding Enguarde the swordfish.

The games absolutely were a huge step up in gameplay- not about revolution it's about evolution. Play the original trilogy and see how fiddly and clumsy the controls were. How loose the mechanics were. Now pop in one of these two modern games and I promise you there is not a game to date that has better or more precise mechanics. The mechanics in Tropical Freeze were so refined and improved upon from the originals that it didn't need anything else to bolster it. Its better than the originals in every way- better music (and that's saying something), better level design, more beatiful and diverse environments, better and more precise mechanics, better boss battles, better pacing, extra mode for time trials. And most importantly, the game is flat out just more fun to play than any of the originals ever were. Mario games don't need animal buddies to be fun, Rayman doesn't need animal buddies to be fun, and neither does this.

$20 are you kidding? There's not a platformer out there as fun or as well balanced or as incredibly addictive, or as beautiful or as well polished. But that's just an incredibly ignorant statement anyways- just because you dislike the game for being too much the same yet too much difference, does not mean it wasn't a full game, and as jampacked and well polished as any other full priced platformer out there. Of course more fun.

If this game is worth $20 then the original trilogy should've been dollar shovelware on the iPhone. Say what you will, I really don't care anymore to be perfectly honest. I know how good this game is and basically everyone else who's played it knows how good it is. Scores reflect how good it is. One person on the Internet saying it sucks and doesn't do anything new and is only worth 20 bucks, well...

It's the Internet- you'll hear just about everything

@HeroOfTime32 Yeah, four (or so) episodes focused on related quests in a certain area that gives you a "complete story" by the end of the episode. I say screw that, I'll wait until everything is released before I buy, or probably just wait for the eventual disc version. FF fans will most likely support it regardless, so I'm sure they'll be able to justify an eventual disc release. Life Is Strange did, and I gladly bought it.

http://www.youthhealthmag.com/articles/41645/20160314/final-fantasy-7-remake-ps4-release-date.htm

@MrMario02 as much as I agree with you, look at splatoon. A lot of that game's content was held for later release which kept people playing.

@bbve Yes, but that was built from the ground up to do so. In order for an episodic game to work, it has to be built that way from the start, not made a whole and cut up into chunks. Otherwise, the game's pacing will seem sloppy and all over the place.