Japan's Next Trial For Nintendo Switch Online Has Been Revealed

Man I wanna get my hands on this game.

Why did my brain wander to James Bond?

Yesh! Been waiting on this to drop in price!!

I really want this game to be localized ):

If Nintendo doesn’t want to localize it, why don’t they contract Marvelous to do so? Seems like a waste.

Is it just me, or do Europe and Japan get all the NSO trials while America gets diddly squat?

A very excellent game, so it gives hope that it’ll at least get more attention Japan-wise.

@Not_Soos : If you have an active NSO subscription, all you need is a user account on your Switch linked to the region whose game trial you wish to sample (and the games will need to be booted on your normal user account with the NSO sub, not the foreign account). You can also use these accounts to access the eShop and download demos that may not be available in your region.

I’m from Australia and have a Japanese account mainly for downloading demos and ascertaining whether Japanese/Asian exclusive physical releases have English support (such as Bayonetta 1, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, Phoenix Wright Trilogy, and the like).

I'll try it but I know that it will be impossible to play it.
Please anyone help me to learn Japanese 😭

@Silly_G Yeah, I had a Japanese account for a brief period of time way back in the day, but I must've deactivated it or something. I didn't like my notifications being filled with Japanese ones I couldn't read. I'm not sure if I remember how to get back into it or not. I think I needed a unique e-mail for each one, which was kind of annoying. There's a lot more region-exclusive content now than there was then, though, so maybe I'll set them up again at some point so I can get stuff like Brain Age and even the Japanese version of NES Online. I know the Minus World glitch in Super Mario Bros. is much weirder in that version and I've always wanted to try it out, lol.

@Not_Soos : Yeah, the notification issue is a bit annoying, and I don’t think it’s possible to filter them out.

I’d recommended the physical edition of Brain Training before, and it’s worth bearing in mind that it includes a stylus in the case, and I’d argue that it’s essential to the experience. The same stylus has come in really handy with other games such as Super Mario Maker 2, Game Builder Garage, Big Brain Academy, among others.

@Silly_G Ah, I didn't realize it was you I had spoken to about that! I actually already own a stylus for my Switch. I purchased it from the Colors! Live website, as I use that application to draw a lot. It isn't wireless though, so the cord that plugs into the audio jack is kind of annoying. I'd like one without a cord, but I think the one that comes with Brain Age and Mario Maker 2 has a very thick end that doesn't come to a point, right? Which wouldn't be very ideal for drawing.

This is the one I have: https://store.colorslive.com/

Disclaimer: If you or anyone else were to buy one, make your purchase using PayPal. My bank thought purchasing from a niche Swedish retailer was pretty sus, so to make a long story short, my debit card got terminated because they thought I was committing fraud against myself, and I had to get issued a new one.

The demo has been waiting on my Switch since release. I think it's finally time for me to check this game out.

I've been studying Japanese for little over 2 years and recently passed the hurdle where I can just enjoy media in Japanese without it feeling like work. I don't understand everything but I understand enough to get by and don't feel like I need to stop to translate the rest.

@Silly_G It actually let's you download the trial game from an account without an NSO sub? Obviously you need to an NSO sub to play it but I assumed you'd need one to download it too. I have multiple accounts set to different regions.

@OorWullie : When the first few game trials took place, they automatically (and very annoyingly) downloaded to my console by default, even though I’ve never held a (paid) NSO account.

I was able to sample the Neko Tomo trial recently, but I had activated the free trial via my Japanese account, so maybe Nintendo fixed it so that the games no longer download by default for non-subscribers.

@Not_Soos : The Colors Live stylus uses some weird technical wizardry involving sound (?) to determine the pressure placed upon the touchscreen (and hence why it needs to be connected to the audio jack), but I’m not sure whether it can be used as a stylus without it (or with any other software) as the Switch’s touchscreen is more akin to that used by a modern phone/tablet, as opposed to the DS/3DS/Wii U, that didn’t need a purpose-made stylus for their art titles.

Nintendo’s own Switch styluses are great for compatible Switch games, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it for art games, no.

@Silly_G

I've tested it with Mario Maker, and it definitely works with other software--and quite well! And while the cord technically doesn't have to be plugged in, it's still always there dangling, which is annoying. Is has grooves in it where you're supposed to be able to wrap the cord around, and maybe I'm just an idiot, but I can't for the life of me get it to stay in there, lol. Even if I were to get it to fold around, though, I imagine it would make for an uncomfortable texture as you grip the pen. I wish it were detachable or something.

I don't even care about pressure sensitivity, but one nice thing about the Sonarpen is that it's supposed to prevent the Switch from detecting your hand if it accidentally hits the screen. It doesn't always work, unfortunately, but it's nice to have. My experience with the palm resistance is kinda like autocorrect on your phone--sometimes it will save you when you're in a pitch, but other times it just doesn't come through for me. Maybe I need to re-adjust the sensitivity settings or something. I also don't like the clear, circular piece of plastic on the tip. I'm not sure what this is for, unless it's to prevent the tip from scratching the screen. I wish they had found a better way to circumvent that, though it isn't as distracting as I thought it would be.

You also have to order replacement tips once they wear down, which is...really strange to me? I guess some of my DS styluses are a little misshapen after years of making friction against the surface of a screen, but still. It's not like lead that's gonna just run out. I've actually noticed that sometimes when I've used it for long sessions, I'm left with a little bit of black residue on my fingers. It worries me that it will get on the screen and stain it or something.

I've tried to find a good third-party stylus I can use for drawing, but I haven't had much luck. I wish Nintendo could release an official one that more closely resembled the retractable 3DS stylus or thay big, fat one that came with the DSi XL, but with a tip that could be read by the screen--if such a thing is possible.

The Sonarpen gets the job done, and it's great in some ways, but I still think there could be a much better Switch stylus.

@Not_Soos : Thanks for the very detailed explanation. I wasn’t expecting it either. Really appreciated. I was on the fence about Colors Live. I’ve tried the demo a week or so ago, and I found the interface a little convoluted, and I didn’t think that I would find much use for it. I’ll hold out for a new Art Academy from Nintendo instead as they tend to have better instincts about what works best for their hardware. Plus, I really enjoyed Pokémon Art Academy, and I (surprisingly) produced some pretty decent pictures with it; my best work probably being zombie Chikorita.

I’d love to get into animation, but I wouldn’t know where to start. 19 years ago (God Almighty, where did the time go?!!!), I made an animated pilot of about 6 minutes that was drawn entirely in MS Paint and then assembled it in a game creation suite called Klik ‘n’ Play (there was a more feature-packed version by the same developers called The Games Factory which I later procured), and the launcher would simply play out the “animation”. It was a literary abomination coupled with abysmal direction and acting (I was 13 when I made it), but I wouldn’t say no to animating again if the tools made it easy enough that it wouldn’t take an eternity to produce, say, a half-dozen episodes of animated content a year by myself (and with the help of other voice actors and possibly other artists for incidental contributions).

Back to Colors though; ultimately, the residue you’ve mentioned has been the sticking point for me, and I think I’ll sit it out, but I’m nevertheless impressed by what the developers have achieved.

This game looks super cool, I hope we can get a translation some day. Please Nintendo don't shut us out.

@Silly_G That's never happened to me I don't think. That would annoy me too. Perhaps it was a regional thing.

@Not_Soos just go to the Nintendo Japan website & click the forgot password section (you should be able to see part if it in English if u use chrome), if u remember the email u used. Then, use the email & password on ur console to sign back in to the console.

@Silly_G

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I've been subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud for a while now, which includes Animate. (I was in college, so I got a student discount--I don't think they know I graduated, lol.) The interface used to be really difficult to work with, so I gave up on it. I came back some time later though, and it seems a lot more straightforward and accessible for newcomers now. Granted--I found Colors! 3D incredibly simple to use, and that's quite a bit easier than Animate. It's worth noting I had Colors! on 3DS already though, so I've been familiar with how it works for some time now. It's really not bad when you come to grips with it, though admittedly, I do keep forgetting where to find the tool for saving a copy, lol. Adobe Animate has lots of tutorials available, though.

Honestly, the biggest hurdle for me with Adobe now is that my laptop keeps crashing on me when I try to run it, and there can be a significant amount of lag/freezing. I don't have like a high-end gaming PC or anything, and the person I talked to said I needed to upgrade my RAM. I'm not the most tech-savvy guy, so I only have the vaguest idea of what kind of RAM I need. That said, if you think your computer can handle it, I'd recommend giving Animate a go. There are free alternatives out there (albeit with less features), and I'd imagine you can also try a free trial. I think you should go for it! One animated project every couple months doesn't sound too unrealistic. I actually do a lot of different voice impressions, so perhaps I could help you out with the voice acting part.

I've loved cartoons my whole life, but the thing that really got me into animation was Flipnote Studio. I really wish Nintendo would just make a new version of that for Switch and give us a full range of colors to choose from, lol. The Switch is such a convenient little device, and I prefer doing everything on it if possible. It's much more comfortable to draw from, as the tablet I use to animate on my computer doesn't have a screen or anything, so I can't look down at my hands. Flipnote Studio was also super, SUPER straightforward. I was animating with it when I was like 10.

@Silly_G

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If you want to do animated YouTube shorts or something, I think that'd be awesome. But if you have a concept you think is strong enough, consider throwing your hat in the ring and use the link I shared in the other thread to make a pitch for Fred Seibert. There's no right or wrong way to start; I'm pretty much just winging it, lol. There's plenty of resources available about making a pitch. So far, I've come up with the title, a theme song, and the design of the main character. I'm working on some other designs, and then my plan is to develop a show bible that details the overall premise, setting, and specifics about each character's personality.

I also want to make a rough outline of the first season where I come up with around 20 premises that could make for an interesting episode. Lastly, I'll write the script, record myself doing the voice-over work, use some public domain music since I don't know how to compose myself, and Animate a pilot that is roughly 5 minutes or so. Since this is a one-man project, I don't know if I'll bother to make a storyboard or animatic like the professionals do. If I have a clear enough vision already, that just seems like a waste of time since I'm not trying to communicate NY ideas to someone else who is gonna do the labor for me.

Anyways, hope this helps! Best of luck if you decide to undergo this venture, and let me know if I can be of further assistance! 😀 I'm only 22 by the way, so when you say you used to Animate 19 years ago, that's like the majority of my life, haha. It's never too late to start though, and if you have a Twitter, you can follow all kinds of animators, voice actors, character designers, showrunners, composers, etc. from some of your favorite cartoons. Most of them post very frequently and will take the time to respond to comments from fans. It's a great way to network, and that's how I made myself known to Fred before inquiring about a pitch.

Plenty of them have been very candid about how they didn't get into the industry until they were in their 40's. Hearing their stories can be really good for your morale if you find yourself feeling like you've already missed the boat. A lot of them also share information about how they got started and how to improve your work. Plus, if your show was to get greenlit, this will give you connections so you know who to call to join your staff.

Fred has spoken in interviews before about the importance of shadowing successful people in the industry you want to go into and establishing a relationship of trust with them before you even present your ideas. So, I took his own advice and used it on him! These people