Feature: The Big ARMS Direct Summary and the Key Question - Did It Win You Over?

Fighting games aren't usually my type of game, and that Direct didn't convince me that Arms will be any different. I'd probably like it more if I tried it out, but I won't get a Switch until after the Testpunches have finished, so that's not going to happen.

Arm in doubt

It won me over the minute I laid eyes on it during the January reveal.I'm a big fan of motion controls when done right but sadly those games have been few and far between.This game though,if Eurogamer,Edge,Gamexplain and of course Nintendolife are to be believed will take motion control to the next level and show it does have a place in modern gaming.I cannot wait!

I still need to feel how the motion controls work. Nintendo took on a big task trying make motion controls work for a genre that requires frame perfect timing in a lot of situations.

No, the game just doesn't appeal to me. It looks nice but also very boring. I hope it does well and good luck to anyone who likes it but I don't think it'll be very successful either.

Even though the Splatoon 2 trailer is the thing i liked the most (maybe because it was focused on story), i'm really hyped about ARMS. Had it pre-ordered before the Direct and now i'm even more secure of it!! Can't wait to throw punches from June 16th!!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I'm with you there. I'm dying for a casual fighter (Fighters are notoriously difficult to get into, especially with an established meta) but for some reason this really just doesn't appeal to me. I think it would be amazing if Nintendo tried there hand at a traditional 2D fighter using characters from the Nintendo universe (Like smash, but a traditional fighter). I just have no real interest in any of these characters, and the gameplay looks solid, but nothing amazing. I'll give the demo a shot at least.

@Proust It's a Nintendo only website. There was also just a big Nintendo direct. Did you expect they wouldn't cover it?

They did well by doing that Direct, they have definitely convinced me.

@Proust Really? Nintendo doesn't give them any money. This site is called Nintendo Life and it's their job to promote what games they can. Arms just happens to be the next big game coming out and we just had a direct on it. What else are they suppose to do?

I'm usually not big on fighting games but this looks rad and I'm considering getting it, only one question: can I play with normal joycons, right? I'm no mood to flap my arms around alone in my room like during the Wii era, especially since the game main mode is the ranked online play.

Nah, not for me. I turned the direct off after about 8 minutes in. Just no interest.

@Yorumi I have a gut feeling your on the money. It looks fancy , but the test is going to be the deciding factor for me.

If it has strong pro/joy controller support it'll go some distance to convincing me its a worthy purchase with some longevity. But thats just me , even if i dont personally like it i hope it still does decent sales numbers and people enjoy it.

It IS a good punch. I mean, pun.

@ThomasBW84 i feel everyone is ARMed with enough knowledge to make an informed decision.

@OorWullie - I've assumed, since our Real Deal conversation, that you've been excited for this one. Glad you're on board. I've also been excited about it since January, now I just need a Switch. I look forward to your thoughts after you've had a chance to spend some time with it. Hope you enjoy, have fun.

@Bruh I don't think Arms is a game that requires frame-perfect timing. It's much more tactical around punch/throw/block than perfect timing to hit your opponent in the right window.

I like K-1 series games during PS2 era so this is Interesting choice for me.
The more I watch the trailer, the more I have interest to buy it.
Hopefully ARMS inspires 3rd party developers to create Boxing or even Kickboxing games with Motion controls and traditional buttons both Realistic like K-1 series PS2 or Cartoonish like Animal Boxing NDS.
Before I finished my comment, what do you think if there is a Kickboxing games..... in the SKY ? I mean the fight are both on land and in the sky. And who is the fighter then ? A Bird ? Or An Avian Fighter ?

I think I'm sold. As long as it has good local multiplayer. Not a big online guy.

@hepgius The game really isn't about flapping your arms about. The motion controls consist of one action (a quick punch) and left and right tilt. Easily played sitting down.

This website is so negative.

It has it charm and will likely try the demo as I did for splatoon. Still of the demo anything like splatoon global test fire then I likely buy it

I was initially really keen on this, but as a mainly single player, I'm becoming a bit uncertain.

Twintelle is bae

(Am I doing this right?)

@chardir I don't want to move my arms period. I get that the mode is fun and I can see myself busting out the Switch with some friends and play it together like that, but if they're going to have a serious competitive scene they need real controlling inputs. Period. I've read that the game is definitely compatible with the pro controller, but I haven't read anything about the joy-con yet. It seems logic that if the game is compatible with the pro you could play also with the joycons, but the lack of mention makes me scared that joycon force you to use motion controllers. Which I get, it's fun. But it's also imprecise and tiring.

i was interested in it since the reveal. looking forward to playing it once i get my switch soon. lol

Looking pretty good even if it's lacking a bit in the content department.

@Aaron09 Those poll results are about as positive as any gaming site's base is going to get about ARMS. It would be lopsided the other way around if this were a non-Nintendo focused site.

@Aaron09 It says something that neogaf is a lot more positive about the game than here.
Freakin' neogaf is being more positive.

@Proust - What an internet-y comment. Thanks for the laugh.

Arms and Splatoon 2 both look like exactly the types of games I want to play on my Switch. All of the new modes and characters (and the promise of more for free!) in Arms totally have me excited.

And the single player Grand Prix looks fine. I hope each CPU opponent has some personality, and doesn't just fight like a bot.

@Proust Nowhere near as much as for Pokemon Go. Not even close. Since they got paid nothing for it...

I was already sold, but this Direct pushed my anticipation to new levels. I'm so happy to see Nintendo try something new again so soon after Splatoon.

The gameplay and aesthetics have won me over, but I'm still kind of disappointed in the single player being just a grand prix arcade mode, and the fact that this is truly 3 online-focused games back to back as the big Nintendo games for at least a 4+ month span. Though the inclusion of a single-player specific trailer for Splatoon means maybe Splatoon 2 can be passed off as a valid single player game that has online rather than being the online game we know it to be.

Lack of single player options (revealed so far), online focus, keep me in the "I'm not sure about this" camp, along with not really being a fighter fan, just a fighter casual, occasionally. I don't plan to play it online at all really (Splatoon 2 will be the online time suck) so I'm hoping theres enough there to sustain it as a single player game for me.

Confirmation that button controls including the support of the Procon is a HUGE deal for me, not because I don't intend to use the motion controls when I can (or will ever use the procon) but because the ability to play this handheld was an important checkbox for me, and motion just won't work there!

@hepgius If I were to guess (I don't know for sure), if you dock the joycon in the grip (or handheld mode) it uses button controls, and if you don't dock them in the grip and hold them side by side it activates motion controls. Not sure if you'd be able to turn that off, but it makes sense since if you're holding the joycon that way in a game that plays best with motion controls, there's little reason not to use them, and if you want to play with traditional controls you have your grip. (Maybe you can still tune it in settings but at a minimum, I think that's how it will work.)

@Proust How much did Sony pay you to write that comment?

#Paranoia #IWishMoneyWereThatEasy

@CrazedCavalier Yes, so positive about it that they posted about this before the Direct hit:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum//showthread.php?t=1375749

Comments have a very high positive ratio too. Also the "Twintelle is mai waifu" first comment, lol...

@PlywoodStick Not sure if you were being ironic, so I skimmed the first page. Pretty positive for that site, and definitely more positive than this comments section.

@CrazedCavalier Nope, no irony. You'd be hard pressed to find any negative comments there. (Except for Switch Force being spoilers and probably going to lose their press credentials.)

Biff is still creepy, but I was sold on the game several months ago. I'm just ridiculously excited now.

@crimsontadpoles That's my situation too. The one good thing about it is that I haven't played Breath of the Wild yet, which means I have a whole, massive world to explore, which many people have already scoured. That's how I comfort myself with it anyway. Plus I can do a bit of backlog busting (i.e having another great adventure in Xenoblade Chronicles, in preparation for Xenoblade 2)

day 1 now that it will include free updates for characters, weapons and stages.

Yes! The game looks legit fun and I have been reading around the web and people over at IGN, Reddit Switch, Youtube Nintendo/GameXplain/SwitchForce, Switch Facebook group are generally super excited for it so I think the direct did its job.

It doesn't look that great to me, but I'll try the testpunch and see what I think.

@Proust Such an ignorant comment. Nintendo Life presents Nintendo news and you bet they will do all they can to cover events like Nintendo Directs.

I've already got the game pre-ordered with an Amazon Prime discount! But it looks like I may need a second copy since the Direct said you could link up systems with their own copies of the game for 8-player madness! My partner will definitely need one for himself. I also have the Neon Yellow Joy-Con pack pre-ordered!

@chardir it may not be as strongly emphasized as something like Smash Bros, but The punches obviously have different from data dependent on characters and arms. I'm worried about input errors and lag from the motion controls that leave you in a state that you can be hit in.

@bimmy-lee Cheers man.I've not actually got one myself yet.The amount of time I had to wait for stock to arrive in Thailand was too long to wait to play Zelda so I caved in and bought it for Wii U.Now I know I can buy one here no problem,I'll just wait and get it together with ARMS next month.Got a feeling it might topple the Real Deal and Fight Night Round 2 as my new favourite boxing game

I was already looking forward to it before the Direct but I am still astonished by all the creative modes we'll get in the game, the variety in stages and, of course, the Global Testpunch. With a demo and DLC concept like this, Nintendo's clearly taking the successful Splatoon route. I like that and hope it pays up for them as much as, if not even more, than with Splatoon.

The '1 2 Switch' of fighters?

@Lumine I was proper looking forward to arms and still am but the splatoon 2 trailer at the end looked really cool. Think I'm more excited for splatoon 2 now

@SLIGEACH_EIRE I agree that I think it will struggle in a few regions. But I do think this will be a sizeable hit in Japan.

@roadrunner343
I'd kill for a Nintendo vs. Capcom type game.

@gatorboi
Ouch!

It didn't win me over and now Im Getting Fire Emblem and expansion pack for 3DS. I wanted to get it but time is a factor. Sometimes I wish I was 12 again. Chalk this one up to cannibalization. It does just look like a simple fighting game.

My wife LOVES Splatoon, but I live in North America. I'd love to get her that Switch case and Pro Controller for her birthday (coincidentally in July), but what's the best way to do that?

@gatorboi352
Wrong Answer !
ARMS = New Fighting games from Nintendo with RPG + Masquerade + Dhalsim style.

Oh man, from the majority of the (unfortunately once again) clueless and uninformed comments, it is clear that those that were already negative, were more than likely never open to being swayed, only (ab)using the Direct to help them "confirm" their "rightful" suspicions about this "ugly, empty, boring, shallow and cheap excuse of a game" that will probably still just be a "waggle fest"...

It was something that I could see happening from miles away, these whiners are so friggin' predictable, it's almost funny, except for the fact that the only thing that it actually is, is just really, really sad and close-minded...

How about going into the test fire with an ACTUAL open mind for a change? If that's even possible for some of you...
Probably not, considering some comments already saying things to the extent of "well, I guess I'll try that demo, but it'll probably still not win me over because I'm not impressed at all".

With a mindset like that, you can be damn sure that winning you over is indeed not going to happen, so why even bother trying out the demo if you already know it probably isn't going to convince you? (shakes head)

If your "it looks simple/shallow" opinions are primarily based upon how it looks, well than that says enough, now doesn't it?
Various people that have actually played it, know better than that and can tell you that it's actually anything BUT simple and shallow, and that there's more to it that can only be experienced first hand.

Maybe this is a good moment to take a look at @AlexOlney's video again and actually listen to what the man has to say about the game and its mechanics, something that simply can't be conveyed by only watching gameplay footage:

But the more info got released, the more I was willing to actually give this a fair chance and from the feedback I've gotten from several people both in my own circle of acquaintances and here on this site (you're up again, @Mii_duck. Sorry to drag you back in, but the comments section needs some sense knocked into it) it has become VERY clear to me that you simply CANNOT judge this game correctly, UNLESS you've actually played it. (and played it without prejudice, and used the motion controls as dictated by the game, obviously)

The intricacies of the motion controls and the mechanics behind the various strategies are very subtle and deep at the same time, so this isn't that boring, simple game that all you armchair experts are taking it for.

The Direct has shown so much new stuff, and personally, I was pleasantly surprised by the mini games, that will surely give this game more longevity and replayability, such as that volleyball game, which very much reminded me of Sega's excellent Beach Spikers game on the GameCube, which also had a "bomb ball" mini game.

And to me, that basketball mini game simply looked hilarious, throwing your opponent through the hoop. It's a nice touch.

It has a decent roster of characters to start with, although they could have also made it 14 or even 16, but still: what's on offer now is already quite varied, also with the literally tons of possible weapons combos.

If you're not into fighters or comic-style looking games, then fair enough, you'll get no argument from me. Everybody has their favorite game types and types of games they'll never play, so no problem there.

But this game shows promise, so if you're in the middle, on the fence or at the very least honestly open to having your mind changed and are able to not go into it with a predisposed opinion, then give ARMS the fair chance it deserves, and you might just find this new IP to be a pretty enjoyable new experience to add to your list of Nintendo Switch games...

@Ryu_Niiyama
Biff in Japanese voices sounds like Teenager announcer. Pretty different with USA version that use More mature voice like 30's years old man.

this game is for sissys

@ThanosReXXX
I think some people still "Afraid" with Unusual approach. Like when general things designed into different things, example Codename Kids Next Door gadgets and weapons.
When Normal people see a (let's say) couch, they will think it something for sit or sleep on. But in Codename Kids Next Door, couch can be a Weapon or Futuristic gear that suddenly can be manipulated.

Some people might think that combination of Boxing with Dhalsim style + Weapons from ARMS = Weird / Unusual because most of them used to play something Normal, not expecting such a thing like that.

Actually I Like ARMS ideas. Exactly like I want from long time ago when I was looking for Interesting Boxing games. Well, actually I have an interesting idea about Boxing games. What if Kickboxing meets Anthro Avians + Dragon Ball fighting style ? Kickboxing both on the land and in the sky.

Oh, I still haven't draw yet my concept about Avian boxers but it will looks interesting.

@ThanosReXXX I agree with some of your comments, but your way off base on others. It's perfectly fine for people who aren't expecting to love this game to try out the testfire. I'm one of those people. I was on the fence before, and I'm on the fence now - but I definitely want the chance to try it out for myself.

I do agree that there are people trashing the game without any real reasoning. I for one just don't think this is my style of the game - art design or gameplay wise - but I'd love to be proven wrong.

As for motion controls, I do think that's a fair concern. It's not like Nintendo has had the best track record, so I fully understand some concern over that - though I think that concern is greatly mitigated by the inclusion of standard controls scheme.

Short version is, it seems you are basically trying to convince people that their initial negative opinions of the game aren't valid since they haven't played the game, while also trying to convince them to have positive opinions of the same game, despite still having not played it. I think both can be equally harmful when taken to the extreme.

@ogo79
Sissys ?
Really ?
I am a 32 years old Young Man...

@ThanosReXXX I was glad to see your comment.

For me, I got interested early for it's charm, but have been concerned about the motion controls and whether motion against traditional controls would be a fair fight. Everything sounds good though, and will definitely try it.

I guess the biggest thing I like is that it seems the depth is more in weapon/character choice and less so in learning frames. I'm bad at traditional fighters and feel like could be good at this!

@Anti-Matter Interesting tidbit about the voice of Biff in Japan!

@roadrunner343 First off, thanks for the intelligent response, I will probably receive some lesser ones along the way, but I guess that comes with the territory...

Personally, I don't think it's perfectly fine for people who aren't expecting to love this game to try out the testfire.

Well, at least in the sense that I just don't like negativity just for the sake of it, or predisposed opinions.

And I did mention people on the fence, and simply suggested for them to be open-minded, which is never a bad thing, and open-mindedness into the extreme is probably still good, although honestly speaking, I don't even have any idea about how that would look...

And the fact that you definitely want to try out the game, actually shows that you're open-minded as well, so that's great.

As far as the motion controls are concerned, I'd say watch that video I posted and like me, actually listen or talk to people that have actually played it. That is where my "predisposed" opinion comes from. I am open to listening to people that have more knowledge on the subject than I do, instead of already bashing the game based on the basic knowledge of it being a motion controlled, kiddy looking fighting game, that "seems" to be shallow.

So, I'm not trying to convince people of this game, but of the fact that they should never be prejudiced if they don't have enough knowledge, and that's not just about this game, but basically about everything in life.

It's like saying some type of food is disgusting even though you've never smelled or tasted it, it's just dumb and uninformed. Mind you, the opinion is dumb, not the people expressing it. Let's get that one out of the way before people are giving me flak for that as well...

@BlueKnight07 Thanks. I'm pretty sure it can be treated or played as a waggle fest, but from what I've heard from people who played it, and from Alex as well, is that if you invest some time into actually performing the moves as you should, it can become fairly deep and strategic.

So I'm very curious to try it out for myself as well, and I'll simply go into it not expecting too much, but certainly also not too little. I did like what I saw in that Direct, after all...

@Lumine Same here! Splatoon 2 is my MOST HYPEST GAME for this summer! CANT WAIT!!!!

@MegaMari0 XD XD

Thank goodness for the demo. If I enjoy it, I'll have a very serious decision to make! I think this title coming a mere month before Splatoon 2 might work against it, however. I already have Splatoon 2 paid for and preordered, so me buying another major multiplayer-focused title just one month earlier isn't especially likely.

@ThanosReXXX - Slow clapping that steadily increases into full applause for #63.

I'm leaning towards this more than SFII now, but that's more about the other game really.

I'm not more hyped after the Direct, but I've now invested so much time reading all about it - it would be rude not to pick it up

@ThanosReXXX No problem, thanks to you as well for the intelligent response. It's nice to have a civil discussion, even when disagreeing... doesn't happen very often on the Internet =)

On the topic of open mindedness - I agree, I don't think you can be too open minded. When I referred to the extremes, I meant those that bash a game at all costs, despite never having played it, and those that defend a game at all costs, also without playing it.

However, it's impossible to not have any pre-conceived notions. There were those that have praised past motion controls as well, despite the majority of people hating it. So that's where my initial concern stems from. Again, not a huge deal to me, because this will support traditional controls, but knowing that it's been poorly implemented in the past, I understand why some people are concerned. On the other hand, I think motion was implemented great in Splatoon, so it can be done.

On your final topic (The food comparison) - I don't think it's fully appropriate to write off all preconceived notions/concerns. I think they are valid, and should be voiced. For example, I hate mayo. Despite never having eaten some dishes, if they are Mayo based, I can be pretty sure I won't like it. It's fine to use past experiences and what we know about a product, despite never having eaten/played it, to form an initial opinion/impression of the game. Now, if I make it my sole purpose in life to convince people that Macaroni Salad sucks, based solely on my disdain for mayo without ever having tried macaroni salad (I have, and it sucks by the way =D), then clearly I'm in the wrong. I think it's the same thing here. It's fine for people to be concerned, and to form an initial impression based off of the information we were given or know from past experiences. I don't think it's fine for those same people with negative first impressions/opinions of the game to bash a game without reason.

TLDR version: I agree, people need to be open minded, even if their initial impressions are negative. It's fine to voice negative opinions, but negativity just for negativity's sake (And positivity, too) is harmful.

@Anti-Matter I actually posed a question, not an answer.

Arms looks like the total multiplayer fighter with a breath of modes and I'm quickly sold on it. Yeah, is like more single player stuff, but the multiplayer is probably the game's bread and butter

Extremely excited. Cannot wait...

Me too Vee. I am gonna git gud at this game.

Nintendo did a very good job with this direct. I think in comparison to the Splatoon 1 direct, this did a FAR better job of introducing the game's modes and content. I do however feel like both games are a bit underbaked at launch (Arms less so than splatoon. It mainly comes down to the number of characters for me. I think that 10 is too small especially for a $60 fighting game. I mean smash bros had 12 back in 1999 and that was 18 years ago, but I digress.). I am very happy that the coming updates will all be free and will be adding additional characters, arms, and stages. Definitely won me over Nintendo. GG

Also bonus points for including a black fighter. I know it may not be all that important to some, but it makes me happy beyond belief as a black gamer myself to see a black playable character in the game. Now if only Fire Emblem would allow you to be black....

It's not my cup of tea but I'm sure millions will love it!

@bimmy-lee I can only take a deep bow and tip my hat in gratitude to that compliment, even though my comment was #64 instead of #63...

But the gratitude is sincere nonetheless...

@ThanosReXXX - Ah, I suspect Gatorboi still trolls me even though he's the only member I've ignored. You're #63 on my comment section, a comment section that has one less clueless post than your comment section.

@roadrunner343 Yeah, the internet can all too often be a true cesspool of, shall we say, strange and lesser beings that seem to thrive on being rude, or insulting and even completely destroying others, unfortunately sometimes even with a disastrous real-life outcome.

I'm not going to say it's definitely an age thing, but I do tend to lean to that, because more often than not, it's younger people treating each other in such harsh manners without an option for, like you said, civil discussion even in the face of disagreements.

The world has become a place of faster, more direct and in your face communication, which both has its good and bad points, the latter primarily evident in events taking place outside of our professional lives.

As for the food comparison: I have to make a slight adjustment to your example there. In your case, it would be you saying you don't like the Macaroni salad even if you have never tasted mayonnaise.

And THEN it would truly be as ridiculous as serving off a game that you've never played before.

I can understand cautiousness, or being reserved, but not outright negativity or off-handedness solely based upon what they compare this game to, which in most cases is Wii Boxing or Punch Out, which are two completely incorrect comparisons to begin with...

The motion control thing/concern is the EXACT reason why I (re)posted Alex's video, because to anyone willing to listen, that should at the very least partially alleviate any worries, and other people like @Mii_duck that have ACTUALLY played the game, also had some things to say about the controls that should give people a better idea of what to expect.

So, serving it off because of previous games that had motion controls implemented in a bad way is anything but valid. One bad apple doesn't mean that they're all bad, and even one entire crate of apples doesn't...

@bimmy-lee Ah, okay. I hadn't thought of that ignore button being used by some of us. I'm of the opinion that if people bother me, then THEY should go away, I'm not going to virtually "flee" from their comments.

It's a cool concept but I want to see how it is in execution before I make a commitment. I also want to make sure that if this is competitive that the characters are well balanced.

I still shiver when I think of another certain female in a Nintendo fighter that can slow down time...

I was sold as soon as I heard it was the Mario Kart team working on it.

Already paid off so day-1.

@ThanosReXXX The problem with your change to the food analogy, is even though we haven't played the game before, we do have past experiences with games that have similarities. Granted, this is quite different from most fighters, but we can still form an opinion based on our past experiences with motion, fighting games, etc... So I don't have a problem with people who are relatively confident they won't like this game. I'm fine with that, as long as it's not toxic. After all, not every game is intended for every consumer. That's the attitude I currently have anyway - I don't think this game is for me, but I hope my mind is changed during the demo.

As for the video you re-posted - it is promising. I'm glad to hear people are liking the controls. It's definitely something I will need to feel for myself though.

@BensonUii - Who would have guessed a small, harmless button would be capable of creating alternate realities?

@ThanosReXXX - A fair point. I gave it some thought before I did it. After all, I'm here to read and share opinions. Then I realized that, to me, NL is a big potluck dinner where we all bring different dishes to the table; except that guy never brings anything to the table and only takes things from the table. My NintendoLife life is better without him.

@roadrunner343 Ah... thought I pre-empted that problem with the bad apples analogy...

The thing is, the brain is a funny thing: already being negatively (or positively) disposed to something, has been proven to be a catalyst for forming biased opinions on new experiences with similar things or environments, so disposition is always in the way of being able to form a decent, open-minded verdict of something.

This is a new apple, so I'll have to re-taste it, even though I've had some rotten ones before. But that is STILL not going to deter me from trying, and trying is the least you can do before serving it off.

But completely agreed with the final conclusion. I can't wait to try it out for myself, since the people in my circle have made me as enthusiastic for this as much as I'm trying to make people over here keep an open mind about it...

@bimmy-lee Fair enough. And don't get me wrong: it wasn't my intention to change your mind on the topic, it was just my point of view. Why should I hide other people's comments is how I feel about it. Simply reading past them will do the trick just fine. I don't really need a button to ignore people.

@ThanosReXXX - For some reason, I had a hard time ignoring him on my own. Its created a fun mini game in the threads for me. Whenever I see him mentioned, I try to guess what generic, baseless comment he's posted. It's sort of like a game of ad libs. I never check to see if I'm right, but I'm right.

@crimsontadpoles You are on here and YOU AINT GOT A SWITCH. What is the point!!!!

It looks fun. So I'll probably buy it.

I'm not sure how one can believe the game is shallow in regards to its gameplay. Unless maybe they hold a higher standard and are comparing it to some form of fairly complex game that I'm not aware of. The game has interactive 3D enivronments with characters of different sizes with different abilities. Along with a multitude of different glove options that each vary in general capabilities. I'd appreciate it if someone could explain it to me, because up to this point whenever I state this to someone they never really respond. The only time I can see it really being nothing but spam, so far, has been in the usage of the specials.

Btw, does anyone know if characters interact differently with different gloves. Say for example if Ribbon Girl would be weighed down by Megaton and hit slower when compared to Master Mummy.

@trip241 I'm still interested in Nintendo and the Switch even though they've not done enough to convince me to be an early adopter.

@ThanosReXXX - my 'banging my head against a wall' quota is currently being filled with trying to understand the battle system in Xenoblade Chronicles 3D so I'm loathe to dive in here again!

However... I think people are doing this game a disservice by asking about button controls or dismissing it as a fighter/not enough like a fighting game (delete as applicable).

My impressions from playing it was that it's a new approach, it's designed as a motion control game, to play with motion controls and using the motion controls is a big part of the appeal.

I'm trying to say - it's a fun game that is supposed to be fun to play with motion controls. I believe motion control was quite popular on a certain console called the Wii?

If it's not what people want it to be then tough. But play it - it needs to be tried - then form your opinion.

Once in a while I like a really good steak (blue please, just show it the flame) but that doesn't mean I can't crave and enjoy a Mcdonalds once in a while too.

Stop thinking. Just play.

@Yorumi what is your opinion of Punch-Out?

@Mii_duck Thank you for once again humoring me. I'll take care not to make a habit of it, but in this case, it appears that we are still in dire need of some experience experts to share factual information on how it ACTUALLY is to play the game.

@BensonUii "Just like in eurogamer comments section where mostly downvoted comments is hidden with the option to show them."

Imagine how different the comment sections would look around here with that in place...

Game looks amazing and is easily the most creative game I have seen since the original Splatoon.

The addition of free content post launch should alleviate the one big issue that I have with this game (only having 10/11 characters at launch).

I can't really get excited about motion-control-centric games, but as a new Nintendo IP I'll certainly give it a chance.

I think Nintendo have let themselves down a bit by not demonstrating the controls more.

Now, I've said before that I found the left Joycon slightly unresponsive during one game, but that could be down to my reactions. So let's talk the actual controls.

To be clear I played it months ago and my memory isn't what it was (I don't actually remember what it was, but I think it was better) so some of this may be inaccurate.

Here we go then. Joycon in each hand. Tilt them parallel left or right to move left or right.

Punch to punch, rotate your fist on a vertical axis to put a bit of action into it.

Time it right... You can even punch and stop an incoming punch.

With different fists you can kinda do a set-up attack then launch your big-boy.

Make a cross with your fists to block.

Um... Maybe press a button to jump.

Most satisfying when you get it right - thrust both fists out at the right time to grab your opponent, pull them across the arena and unleash pixelated fury.

Now, you may think you'll feel a right idiot doing that... but it's fun! Like... Guitar Hero is just flapping a paddle and pressing buttons in time... but it was brilliant fun, addictive, the need to do better.

Like... bowling or wake boarding on the Wii is stupid... but gawd it was a giggle.

That's ARMS. Just a game. Just a bit o' fun. Remember doing things just cos they are fun?

Great Direct, excited for both ARMS and Splatoon 2!

Not sure if I want it yet. Doesn't seem bad, but I'm not big on online play so the draw is limited to me. I really am the most interested in the V-Ball game, to be frank. Indirect fighting ftw.

I totally want this game and think it will be great.

But I don't £50 want this game. Really hoping the price comes down at or soon after launch?

Definitely day 1 for me. All of the different online / party modes sold me.

@ThanosReXXX
I am by no means an expert but I did play ARMS at the Switch promo tour and it was a blast. I am not a huge fan of motion controls but it felt very smooth and was incredibly fun. That was the game we kept going back to play even with just the 5 characters and I believe only one stage. That event was back in February so I would asssume the game plays even better now so I can't wait to pick this up day 1.

@Lumine same. it's the reason why i bought the switch

I'm actually going to try the global testpunch.

@gcunit - yes, £50 is a bit of a showstopper.

I know as a consumer I have a different spreadsheet to a publisher who has to spread varing development costs over several games, but Breath of the Wild gives hours of game play per pound spent.

Not sure ARMS will.

Looking at my 3DS -

650 hours on animal crossing

110 on DQ7

12 on Castlevania (which I love, by the way, looking forward to playing through again).

Yet all were roughly the same price.

The £/hour of game play is interesting.

Im so excited for this game and I am very happy to see that over 75% of people have voted the same. People say this game needs to be a traditional fighting game, but those have been done over thousands of times. This, on the other hand, is trying to do what Splatoon did for Shooter games.Its trying to bring a new style into an already set in concrete genre. Super Smash Brothers did it first with its platformer fighting game, next is this with using motion controls to its advantage with one hell of a fighting game that gets deeper the more that's revealed. Especially with element boosts which you can equip a different element for each arm. So can't wait for this game.

I certainly wouldn't buy a switch for this game, even though it's touted as the next big Ninty game.
For me it's just a gimmick fighter and shallow playability at that, but I guess it will have its followers, good luck to it anyhow

@Mii_duck You know what those games have in common? Non are fighting games. Compare this to a game like Smash Brothers or Street Fighter and you should have about the same hours put into it.

And so where do they figure on the £/hour value scale?

About 3 hours on Street Fighter 3DS by the way. Awful, clunky flick-book graphical thing.

DoA kept my attention for many multiple hours of that, 16 from memory (so £2 per hour-ish) because I enjoyed the game play.

So to get the same monetary value out of ARMS... well, you can do the sums I'm sure.

This disregards subjective enjoyment, though, of course.

I'm so excited for this game, right behind the new Mario game and Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Biff looks like a character straight out of Blue's Clues. And I'm okay with that.

ARMS does not look like a good game at all. The action for fighting is slow and likely to be dull and boring after a week for one, another is that most of the modes lack depth and replay value (like Hoops) and all in all the game seems to be quite shallow. I'm going to play the Testpunch, but won't really consider this game unless it can be played at a faster rate for fighting. A nice idea but doesn't look like it'll get a proper competitive scene, but it'll attract some sort of crowd, just don't know exactly what it'll be.

I'd very much like to know how much the people crying "lack of depth" know about things like positioning, yomi, frametraps or 50/50s. You know, just so we know where we all stand here.

The worst habit of the fighting game community when confronted with a new game is to equate input complexity with depth while disregarding things like mind-games completely. The same thing happened to Pokkén (and Smash before it), and just speaking plainly, it's nothing but elitism. Can't judge a game with such large pool of attribute combinations without extensive lab work.

@BensonUii Ah that makes sense...an optional click to show if you feel so inclined.

Well put @MarcelRguez

I've only played it briefly so my personal judgement is still pending, but to dismiss it for being "slow" or whatever... maybe it's designed to be slow? That's part of the strategy and game play? React and counter... Or the pain of waiting for the hit to come.

@Mii_duck Thank you. This whole conversation is a big pet peeve of mine. If your average poster could judge with exactitude the complexity of a new fighting game that seems quite different from everything I can think of, he'd be out there winning BlazBlue tournaments.

I mean, take @TheLonePolar's comment above as an example. Sorry about singling you out, but how the hell can you say that it can't be a good game because it's too slow when some of the more methodical fighting games are rather slow paced. Tekken is a good example of that.

In fact, the faster a fighting game is, the more lenient they have to be with the frame links of normals or air combos. Everything execution-related, really. There's commitment to every move in ARMS, so it's going to be a completely different fighting game than Melee, MvsC or Guilty Gear, to name a few. That post is just kind of ridiculous all around, and this whole thread makes my head spin.

@MarcelRguez - again, beautifully put.

ARMS is a new kind of thing, a new twist. Like the best games it will take time to learn - the 'slowness' isn't a fault, it's a integral part of the strategy.

I can assure you, seeing a fist flying in on a springy arm from distance makes you think expletive and "what have I got to counter?" or "can I counter because I've rushed and launched a punch of my own?"

Different skill set to other games. Neither the 'best' compared to the other, but fun to learn.

@Mii_duck Exactly! Fighting games are incredible tools for player expression through gameplay, I really don't understand the obsession of forcing every new game to conform to the standards established by Capcom more than two decades ago by now. If anything, you'd think people would welcome the diversification of the genre with open arms (pun very much intended), but tradition is one hell of a drug.

@MarcelRguez - It seems like the depth of strategy involved is the ONE thing we can glean from what we've seen so far. It looks like the kind of game where mindless waggling will get you crushed. Ironically, it seems akin to real boxing where strategy, movement, defense, forethought, parrying and countering are a must.

@bimmy-lee - from sad experience with playing ARMS I can assure you that mindless waggling/punching because you have more ambition than talent will indeed result in you getting crushed.

@OorWullie - What a game it will be if it can topple those greats. Hope it's everything we want it to be.

@Mii_duck - I can hear it now, "It's a waggle fest and it's not even fun because it's too hard and I always lose." The speed of the game looks perfectly balanced with the amount of strategy involved.

@bimmy-lee Yeah, that's exactly what I meant to say with methodical. Inputs are simple (although I'm sure plenty of so-called hardcore players will have a problem with throwing straight punches even if the game turns out to be completely responsive, ironically enough), but that's just one aspect of the game.

I think the meta is going to live or die by how balanced all combinations of character + (two) arms are. Hopefully there's no dominant strategy when it comes to those combinations. Custom moves sank in Smash pretty quickly because they were so unbalanced and different from character to character, so it'd be a shame to see something similar happen here. I don't think it will happen, since you can mix-match literally everything, but you never know.

@WiltonRoots There would be five people in here.

@MarcelRguez Brava! To everything you've said so far. And honestly I don't get the hate around here. SRK is giving it fair coverage and the tone is fairly neutral/cautiously optimistic which is really good for SRK.

@MarcelRguez - I was a little nervous when we learned that arms can be customized that it might take away from the uniqueness of the individual fighters and/or create a dominant combination. It seems clear now though that the fighter's ummm... bodies offer strategy all to their own, and the variety of ways that people will play should keep it interesting. Time will tell.

@Ryu_Niiyama Thanks! I was expecting to get a bit of heat for that rant. Might be because I'm a bit too late for the party

And yeah, I've seen the article summing up what's new in terms of characters. I wasn't expecting it, to be honest, but it's undoubtedly a good sign.

@MarcelRguez Some great comments there, and so right on the money. And the word elitism is EXACTLY what it reeks of in some of these cases.

In other cases, it's just seems to be an overdose of prejudice and/or predisposed negativity...

It would be really great to see people coming back from the test fires with a more positive frame of mind towards this game.

@bimmy-lee If you've watched Alex's video, then you'll hear him say quite clearly that waggling will only get you so far, so in the later rounds, real strategy is definitely key to winning matches.

People will have to actually learn the exact moves to be able to progress instead of just waving the JoyCon at the screen like a madman...

@hepgius
Well actually to prove you wrong, multiple hands on (I have read 3 of them) mention that the motion controls are superior to the traditional pro controller set up (mostly less precise and more difficult to 'grab' opponents). Ofcourse this is still a personal thing, but in Splatoon the motion controls were def the supperior option and without you would most likely lose in a serious competition.

@ThanosReXXX Thanks, mate. Yours as well, and lengthy as always. Don't know if you've been around those circles, but in my experience the most elitist players are often those more thinly involved with the competitive scene as a whole. In this case, you add that up to this phobia to motion controls, which exacerbates the issue.

Overall, I'm not too worried about people's opinion of the game. Hands-on impressions seem pretty positive so far, at least from what I've read and heard. I'd be surprised if the demo doesn't make a good amount of people reconsider their stance.

Then again, as intuitive as throwing punches around might sound, we are all going to be so hilariously bad at this on the first day.

@chiptoon It has a main single player mode, the Grand Prix which should be pretty good.

@ThanosReXXX For some it's elitism and for others they just genuinely aren't sure. On reveal I thought it looked rubbish, but when Nintendo Minute were playing it I was hooked. And jabbed.
This is one that people will need to play to understand.

@MadAdam81 True enough. And that is also EXACTLY the point that me and a few others on here are trying to convey...

@MarcelRguez It's a shame but it does seem to be a trend round these parts to condemn a game without actually playing it...curious to see if that changes after the testpunch sessions.

@ThanosReXXX - Yes, I don't seem to remember that from my initial viewing, but I caught it today when you re-posted the video. I must have been distracted during my first viewing because I also didn't remember it being so funny in spots. I can't wait to practice and get as precise as I can with my pugilism, but I'm also pumped to eventually watch my young daughter flail around like she's being swarmed by bees. I'm totally going to let her win. I had planned to hold off on a Switch until fall, but I think I'll be playing this game yet this summer (pending hardware availability in the US).

I've got my fingers crossed for Street Fighter IV making its way onto the Switch.

I've been convinced since January and after watching the Direct now I'm totally sure it's going to be a lot of fun.
I've always liked fighting games and ARMS is a new twist to the genre that really appeals to me.
I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of fun with it!
The only downside is that I'll have to buy another set of Joycons to play with my kids (but I was planning of getting a new pair anyway, so...)

@Proust was gonna say "it's called nintendo life", but like five other people already said that. shrug

It didn't win me over, but that's because I dislike fighting games. It does seem great though, and the reaction to the direct has been pretty positive all around. It seems Arms could become the next Splatoon!

It's good to see that some developers can still come up with something original.

Can anyone tell me what is the retail price of ARMS?

I've become increasingly more excited for ARMS. Twintelle looks really cool. Definitely getting at some point. It is the Switch's first big exclusive, after all.

@Yasaal
It cost US$60. Link on the bottom.
http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/arms-switch

@Mii_duck
Animal Crossing New Leaf is $20 now.
Price is not equal with gameplay hours.
It depends who is playing and their gaming habit.
Even the Cheapest one can be 100+ hours gameplay than Less than 10+ hours gameplay of Expensive one.

@Spoony_Tech honestly... you don't know that

Looked absolutely fantastic - honest. But the game just isn't for me. Its undoubtedly a lovely little game but my personal preferences tell me I wouldn't enjoy it.

Didn't vote on the "are you planning to participate in the upcoming Global Testpunch?" question because there was no "I would love to, but all the online times are during my working hours/sleep time" option v.v

Gonna buy the game on day 1 anyway though as it looks really awesome so I guess I'll need to be patient until then...

I don't have a Switch, but this game went from looking like a gimmicky Wii boxing clone to looking like an awesome new IP. The modes, characters, and customization have won me over.

@ThanosReXXX

I guess it's okay to say "open mind", but I kind of feel that comment is overblown for people who disagree with you. It's really impossible to get rid of our internal biases and be open minded and this isn't really in a genre that typically appeals to a lot of people. People may have been looking for something that they thought might have made them interested and they didn't see it. And that's okay. I mean if you're saying never make a negative comment on something you haven't played or won't play then you add to this site negativity too(Street Fighter/Switch, HDMI MegaDrive). It's also interesting seeing your comment about one upmanship because I've seen you take over threads with some serious one upmanship with members who disagree with you.

I guess I'm just kind of meh on this game. I don't really like the trend Nintendo is setting here by continuing to release partial games. The correct answer isn't really to go into the demo with an open mind. The correct answer is check back in a year and see what the full game is because it's not releasing day 1.

The game comes out on my birthday so it's a day one purchase for me 😃

@bimmy-lee As far as I can remember, Alex's videos are always funny. Then again: I'm biased because I really enjoy British humor...

@ThanosReXXX - I agree, they usually are funny. Sometimes they border on a bit spazzy for my taste, but it would be tough to pump out video content at the rate he does it. Humor is subjective, and incredibly tough to nail. It takes a brilliant mind. He provides us with great content.

I remember being a bit frustrated at his struggles with packaging in his 12 days of Christmas series. I just wanted to ship scissors or a pocket knife to him. Can't blame him too much though, packaging has become ridiculous.

@cleveland124 No, I'm not saying that people should never make a negative comment. In general, what I really, REALLY dislike is negativity for the sake of it.

That's not happening here, but what is happening is people condemning something without having enough information to do so. That information can only be complete with having played the game, as has been explained by various people on here that have already done so.

Sometimes, videos and articles just aren't enough, and personally (and I already mentioned this in a previous comment) I think that the wisest thing to do is to actually listen to those people, since they are the only ones that really know what the game is like and in general, people that know more are the people that we can learn from, and it would be good if more people would go with that.

In the end, though, there will always be prejudiced people that have predisposed opinions, even though all the evidence is against them. And yes, no one can be truly 100% neutral/unbiased, because in this case for example, people interested in fighters will already have a more positive opinion going in, but as long as your initial bias doesn't take over your ability to fairly judge this game based upon ALL the info available (and that includes playing it for yourself), then that should make you able to actually make an informed decision instead of writing it off without ever having really tried it to see if it might somehow pleasantly surprise you.

And I'll take no offense, but I do have to say that I don't like the one upmanship remark: I'm not even remotely like a person that wants to feel superior to others, so I don't recognize myself in that at ALL and as such, I don't "take over threads with some serious one upmanship". If making huge text walls is what translates to that for you, then I will confess to be guilty of making giant TL;DR's but they have no ulterior motive than to allow me to be as elaborate as I can in speaking my mind. They're not meant to bash or disadvantage other people.

Instead, what I'm trying to do is let people see solutions, or open discussions to see if we can either get to a middle ground or if by presenting solid arguments I can give them options to change their minds. Options, mind you, not forcing to change their mind (if that's even possible) or ridiculing them if they don't agree.

Every now and then, like all normal humans, I will have a bad or lesser day, and then I might be a bit more satirical or sarcastic, especially about things that concern me (such as baseless assumptions and opinions), but other than that, I'm quite a relaxed and sociable person.

Having said that, I've found that over the years, people have read all kinds of things in between the lines of my comments, or they're reading them in other ways than I intended them, and although I still have some issues with that, I've had to learn to accept that this is a phenomenon that frequently happens on the internet and different people all have different ways of interpreting text, no matter how hard you try to be as clear as you can.

As for the trend to release "partial" games, everybody is doing it, but only Nintendo is getting flak for it, which in my opinion is really strange and ridiculous, because at least with Nintendo, most DLC is free, whether or not it is on disc/on cartridge and only unlocked in a later stage, another one of those ridiculous objections that people have: it is a practice meant to sustain and entertain a community for a longer period of time, and it works. Splatoon is certainly a testament to that.

As for the correct answer concerning the demo: allow me to replace "open mind" with going into it with a frame of mind that allows you to be pleasantly surprised, or at the very least willing to change your mind, instead of digging your heels into the ground and not moving from your original, negative standpoint no matter what they throw at you. That would already be quite something...

P.S.

I didn't get the "Street Fighter/Switch, HDMI MegaDrive" part, so if you care to elaborate on that one, then that might help.

@bimmy-lee For me personally, the accent also is a factor in liking British comedy. I was a big fan of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers back in the day.

Haven't watched many of those Christmas videos, so I don't recall having seen the one you describe, but it sounds like I didn't miss much. I also don't watch all of them all of the time.

Of late, I have been on here more frequently again, but a while ago, I was only on here every other week or so. It depends on the mood, the energy level and the amount of spare time...

Yes, absolutely. I'm so excited about ARMS to the point where my enthusiasm for the game is so positive that in other situations it would seem like sarcasm. I'm disappointed not everyone is feeling the energy and pure fun emanating from this game but not surprised either. I remember when Splatoon came out, it had mixed reception. It's hard to imagine that now, since it's part of Nintendo's legacy and was a total success. I'm convinced ARMS will be the same. The gameplay and characters are looking fantastic!

I have said multiple times that I would buy a Switch when Mario comes out. However, if ARMS lives up to my expectations, I may reconsider.

Still not getting the hype for the game. Sure it looks alright, but it also looks like it would get boring after a few matches.

OK. literally made a account just so i could comment.. So by that fact you know I like Arms, but I wanna talk about, if the direct won me over.. It did, but I was already sold, unlike most people, I loved Arms from the beginning, i didn't have a doubt until.. the incident.. People we talking about how it's just Wii Boxing 2.0, i didn't believe them but.. I couldn't help but think, is there any strategy at all? This Direct definitely won me over in that sense. Now theres only one more struggle i have... Min Min or Twintelle...

Did it win me over? Nope.

Edit: This chic with the hair for ARMS has a nice booty though.