Comments 46

Re: Even At £100, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit Doesn't Come With A Game Card

AaronMclaren

Doesn’t matter there’s no game card - you’re paying for the software, materials, tech, R&D, brand, Nintendo’s profit, VAT etc... and it seems as though it’s digital-only so they can likely sell the RC cars separately alongside this starter kit at a better price point? It was only revealed yesterday, so there’s likely to be more info released about it over the next 5 weeks or so.

Looking at the price anyway, it’s already <£90 on ShopTo and big hitters like Amazon haven’t waded into the price war yet. It might drop to £85ish if it kicks off. Not too shabby.

Re: Poll: Nintendo's Ring Fit Adventure Is Out Today, Are You Getting It?

AaronMclaren

Not for me, but my parents have seen the ads and have asked for it for Christmas as a bit of family fun, and they’ll probably get invested in it. They loved Wii Fit and it had some lasting positive changes on their health, so why not. Looks like RFA has a lot more depth and intensity to it which I think they’ll appreciate.

Re: Spyro: Reignited Trilogy Is Finally Officially, But Switch Is Left Out In The Cold

AaronMclaren

Would it be a port if it was coming to the Switch, anyway? Is the PS4 version a port of the Xbox One version... or vice versa? An odd way to try frame it...

Seems a bit silly to not even announce it’ll be coming to Switch at all though. As someone else said, could Nintendo have asked to hold on to this announcement so it can pad out a Direct/E3? Let’s not put it past them.

Probs won’t bother getting the PS4 version for now though, unless it’s clear Switch is a no-go.

Re: UK Pricing For Nintendo Labo Is Confirmed

AaronMclaren

Luckily it’s RRP in the UK, so retailers arent obliged to be steadfast on pricing and can sell it for whatever they want. More than happy to pay £60 for the variety kit though, but if it dropped any lower I’m certainly not going to complain!

Re: Hands On: The Future Of Gaming Is Cardboard, Thanks To Nintendo Labo

AaronMclaren

@KTT Oh I likely will, alongside this. That’s the joy of having competing companies driving innovation and working hard to give my family a good life. Gives you the choice expose yourself (and kids) to plenty of experiences.

Whilst your other comments are true, most I feel can be easily avoided through care and attention, and with the designs being free to access separately, to replace or DIY from scratch, alongside buying the software separately, it automatically opens it up to those unable to afford the complete set, just needing replacements or wanting to DIY for the fun of it.

Regarding your rather sweeping (and rather ill-informed) ADHD comment, your distaste there lies with parents and their parenting techniques, not the product itself. My family and friends have turned out alright, and those that are having kids now seem to be doing a pretty good job of balancing how technology is involved in their kid’s lives. Quite frankly, if you can’t teach your child to respect something, have patience and not sit in front of various black mirrors all day and not appreciate the rest of what’s on offer in life, you’re doing something wrong. ‘ADHD’ is not a given, nor should it be made light of or used as an excuse.

Re: Hands On: The Future Of Gaming Is Cardboard, Thanks To Nintendo Labo

AaronMclaren

@KTT I think you’re looking at it in the wrong way. $70/~£60 gives you 5 construction toys, ranging from 15 minutes to 2 hours build time, as well as software containing the instructions, how it works and games to play with each Toy-Con, with what seems like varying levels and challenges. That cost also covers the incredible R&D that’s gone into these products and a profit for Nintendo plus retailers. Sounds like a great deal to me.
It’s also environmentally friendly (more than plastic, on face value) and clearly is meant to engage kids with engineering and coding concepts, so is not for very young children, so I don’t see why cardboard is a problem. When I was younger I absolutely adored construction toys (thanks to my dad) and my parents encouraged me to be creative and learn while playing, as did my school through construction club, Lego club etc. Building it is meant to be half the fun, so it’s common sense to avoid if that style of play doesn’t fit your children.
Personally, I’m thrilled to see toys that show children that technology, creativity and hands-on learning can go hand-in-hand. I’m a firm believer that It’s a parent’s job to expose kids to plenty of unique and enraging stimuli as well as have fun together... and that’s exactly what Labo looks set to do!

Re: Sony Thinks You'll Buy A PlayStation 4 Alongside Your Nintendo Switch

AaronMclaren

He's definitely not wrong. PlayStation and Nintendo deliver what I want as a gamer.
I had a brief fling with Xbox during the 360 days, but the PS4 brought me back (jumped in at the Pro last year) and with the retirement of my 3DS for the Switch, I've got everything I need.
I never expect a Nintendo console to give me everything a Sony console can, and vice versa!

Re: The Switch Mini Isn't Real Yet, But These Mock-Ups Sure Are Convincing

AaronMclaren

I think this mock-up of the mini is supposed to be a refresh of the existing Switch for another audience... seems some people aren't seeing it that way.

The current Switch is their 'home' console, as Nintendo like to call it. It's a bit more premium in feel, caters to the core audience with the TV-out, has the Joy-Con, dock etc... it's the full package for a solid gamer or someone with disposable income. It's the one I'd buy, and I did happily pay £279.99 for all that.

The Switch mini, is 'handheld' only. It's cheaper in quality, plasticky, can't TV-out, no detachable Joy-Con, no dock. It's basically child-proof. Say it's £179 at most, £150 at best.

When it comes to buying for my kids, which one would I buy? The premium version, or 2 of the cheaper ones for give or take the same price? Kids don't need to play on the TV, they don't need to worry about any of the other features, except playing with their friends which I'm sure can be done locally.
. I just want them to play games on a device I don't need to worry about breaking. That, and those that don't care about playing on the TV, are the audience.

Re: Poll: Is the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Boosting Your Nintendo Switch Hype?

AaronMclaren

@Alshain01 well, don't assume everyone with a Wii U feels that way.

My Wii U has been packed away since last September, as my lifestyle/career made it difficult to play as much as I used to and there was no point having it out to collect dust.

I could've bought Zelda for it, but instead I got a Switch to play it on. Now, I can play it (and have done for the last 3 weeks) on my commute to/from work, which may only be an 1hr20 a day, but it's an 1hr20 I never would've had before.

Splatoon 2 doesn't really fit into that, so I probably won't get it (and I never took interest in the first), but don't just assume there's no value in the Switch right now - there's plenty!

Re: Poll: One Week On - How Do You Feel About the Nintendo Switch?

AaronMclaren

Loving my Switch. I play almost exclusively as a portable, on my commute, and it's perfect. Have had a few people on the train ask me about it and my colleagues at work love it.

Zelda is fantastic, and after a week, I don't think I've even scratched the surface. 1 2 Switch has been better than expected; friends and work colleagues are getting the most use and it's genuinely fun and gets people laughing.

Happy with the system, no problems with mine, and happy with the launch line up. Zelda will have my focus for a long time, and I can dip into games as they come one at a time!

Re: Delivery Issues Spoil Nintendo Switch Launch Day for Unlucky UK Buyers

AaronMclaren

I don't think we should be as harsh on these retailers as some are (except Nintendo UK Store, as I think Nintendo's at fault) as from my understanding, it's delays from the supplier that's caused problems.

My Switch + goodies arrived yesterday afternoon (which was incredibly late for Amazon Logistics in my area) but I had a problem with a the tracking info, so I was in touch via live chat to find out what was going on.

I was told by a representative that all of the items in my order arrived late from the supplier (Switch, Zelda, 1,2 Switch + Zelda amiibo) so they were processed and dispatched later than estimated but prioritised for launch day delivery when possible. This meant that other items had to be, quote, "pushed down the priority ladder" and delayed for after launch as getting the console and games to people was most important.

I had the Hori screen protector and case delayed because of this, which I ended up cancelling. Sounds to me overall like something went wrong with supply issues, and retailers had to take the hit for it with consumers.

Re: Video: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's New Trailer Is All About The Battle Mode

AaronMclaren

Nintendo isn't forcing anyone to buy this. I have a Wii U, I have MK8 + DLC. I'm not buying it. I'd rather keep that £45 for something else.

I have 2 friends, 1 work colleague and a family member who have preordered Switch. None of them have a Wii U. They're all buying this. Nintendo have also included additions so there's some value to Wii U owners who may be interested.

To compare. My brother had a PS3. He played The Last of Us. I never did. My brother bought a PS4. Sony 'remastered' The Last of Us. He didn't buy it. I now have a PS4 Pro. I bought The Last of Us. Why? I never played it.

See where this is going?

Re: Poll: A Week On, How Do You Feel About the Nintendo Switch?

AaronMclaren

I preordered the Friday morning it went live in the UK as a fail safe. Thought their presentation was so-so, didn't feel it catered beyond Japan but they rather oddly promoted it as worldwide, so was unsure. Attended the UK hands-on on Saturday and completely blew away my reservations. It's very clear what the Switch offers, but it needs to be held and experienced to really drive home how great it is and what it sets out to do.

The UK price point is great (following the hands-on), accessories are slightly too much (I'm well aware of the tech included) but I honestly doubt from my hands-on and what I heard there that'd I need any immediately, if at all, and I imagine this applies to others (eg the Joy Con charging grip).

Launch games are good, it's unreasonable to expect Nintendo to throw out major hitters in Year 1 and have nothing for subsequent years, I think they're playing it smart and dotting their releases till Christmas to give third parties a chance to shine (regardless of whether you like the offerings, third parties are just as cautious on a Nintendo console as we are going into the Switch).

Nintendo just need to be careful with how they present information going forward, maintaining clarity and being aware of their fans who did invest in the Wii U and how they handle services we've heard very little about, if at all.

Re: Even If It’s Not Perfect, It’s Better Than Nothing, Says Mighty No. 9 Creator Keiji Inafune

AaronMclaren

What a terrible attitude to have towards the fans that put up their own cash so he had a job for a while and could bring his ideas to life. If it's not perfect, make it as close to perfection as you can - don't just throw it out and say "Here you go, it's the best you'll get so be grateful, yeah? Thanks for your money".

He's completely destroyed any positive reputation he had and I'm so glad I didn't give any money to this project!

Re: E3 2016: Reggie Says VR "Needs to be Mainstream" For Nintendo To Get Involved

AaronMclaren

VR is great in principle and we will eventually get to a point where it reaches consumer expectations, but I'm not convinced we're there yet... and Nintendo are right to wait it out.

The buzz for PSVR is there, and I can see it doing well initially, but it's once people get hands-on experience and how that translates into consistent use, public perception and continued interest that matters. Personally, VR makes me feel ill after about 20/30 minutes of use (I work with it everyday, and have used PSVR too) and that's a major reason why I'm not on board with it. I'm just glad I had the chance to experience it instead of dropping £350 on it come October!

Re: Poll: Are You Excited About Nintendo's Expanded E3 Plans?

AaronMclaren

Well seeing as Nintendo are clearly focussing all their efforts on NX as well as clearly backing away from E3 traditions, I don't see how people can be disappointed with their plans this year.

To echo a user above, games take a fair while to create, so I'd rather they just be transparent with their upcoming releases, focus on NX and not make more half-arsed rubbish to plug the gaps... such as Ultra Smash, Amiibo Festival and personally, Star Fox Zero.

Best thing for them to do is focus on the good of what they've got coming, and deliver with NX later down the line. If they mess up that though, they're certainly going to be in some trouble...

Re: The Legend of Zelda Will Have Its Own Range of Trading Cards

AaronMclaren

@zool Surely individuals aren't wasting money if it's something they wish to purchase and will enjoy having, or will make use of? The judgement of something being irrelevant or unnecessary is often others imposing their own thoughts for no good reason.

I think it's a great addition to Nintendo's products and gives people the chance to purchase something different from the company! I wouldn't invest but doesn't mean others that do are wasting their cash!

Re: Reaction: Nintendo Shakes Up E3 With No NX and a Focus on Legend of Zelda

AaronMclaren

E3 isn't what it used to be. Nintebdo knows this, EA knows this, Activision, Disney... Even Microsoft and Sony know it - are people forgetting the reveal of PS4 & Xbox One? Not at E3.

The event isn't designed for the public, it's for press, and to a certain extent, investors. It's a corporate 'show-and-tell', do people not remember the dull E3s when corporations used to love showing off statistics and sales data? It's slowly moved from that, to be more public facing... and Nintendo and other corps have been toying with other formats and events to release info in a consumer friendly way...

No NX at E3 isn't a big deal. Nintendo need to impress those that pump money into them... and those that buy those products to offer a return to those that give them money. Diverting NX to a separate event is a smart move, and restricting the E3 showcase to a product they've got faith in, offers at least something to the people in attendance... arguably, the presence there is a bit pointless, but it's something. After all, us watching can't play it, so what's the point?

I also don't remember reading E3 being all about Zelda. Isn't it Zelda being playable? They're not the same thing. I imagine we'll see other things to tide us over to 2017. Whether they're decent or not, is opinion.

Re: Nintendo NX Will Be Launched Globally in March 2017

AaronMclaren

I don't think this is such a big deal, E3 is slowly becoming less and less relevant to the gaming audience, and it's not the 'only' route to show-off new games and consoles. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all used either their own or other events to show-off big reveals, with the latter being a lot more prolific with the Directs we all know and look forward to.

I think making E3 about whatever they have left for Wii U & software for 3DS is a smart move, and is better for them to be realistic than show off loads of stuff about NX and for NX, which could end up being delayed...

NX in 2017 is also pretty sweet - yeah it misses Xmas, but it also avoids direct competition with everything else and Nintendo can really drive for NX to take-off, as well give extra time for their own devs and third parties to get on board. I'd rather they release it with decent titles at launch and then a decent flow moving forward, than pulling a Wii U and launching too soon with nothing to sustain interest.

I'm excited!

Re: Tatsumi Kimishima Pinpoints NX and Mobile as Key Areas to Deliver 'Nintendo-Like' Profits

AaronMclaren

I really don't get the feeling it's confirmed NX is launching before March 2017. Actually, what gives that impression?

From my understanding, I see Kimishima's comments to mean they're launching several new businesses in the next fiscal year, but to launch successfully, [a lot of] time has to be spent raising public awareness and pushing these new businesses out there.

That reads to me as if they're launching the promotion and awareness around NX from April 2016 for a later release, later on into 2017. I don't think revealing in June at E3 and launching in Holiday 2016 is exactly enough to build awareness... but I'm not in charge, here. That'd just my opinion!

I think also, people forget, that even though the Wii U and 3DS aren't returning 'Nintendo-like' profits, they're still making money, and they'll likely continue that with the release of titles this year. Plus, we don't really know anything else about what they have in Dev. for both beyond what they've announced...

I personally can't see new hardware/platform released this year, but it's pure speculation from everyone!

Re: Garchomp, Braixen and Mewtwo Will Join the Fight in Pokkén Tournament

AaronMclaren

PF is certainly getting more and more intriguing with every new update we hear about. I was a little sceptical at first, but it really seems to be getting fleshed out for the retail release. Pushing it as part of a Direct (or a special Pokemon Direct) would help to push people off the fence though I think; I'm not completely convinced yet!

Re: The Pokémon Company Sues Fan for Copyright Infringement, Demands $4,000 in Damages

AaronMclaren

It seems to me The Pokémon Co. were in the right on this, and mentioning it to my partner (Lawyer, has done a stint in IP), the penalty isn't harsh at all... Just the 45 day pay up period though is far too excessive and wouldn't likely pass in UK, due to nature of the lawsuit: massive corporation v small business.

Not claiming to know anything about the law myself, but what partner came up with: If the event has been running for ~5 years, he's got away with it for a fair while, and it includes a very rough estimate of his financial gain from their IP (in terms of sales of goods etc.), penalty on the time period he used their IP in promotions, penalty on what he may've used of their IP at the events and 'brand damage' in him creating an environment they had no control over or had authorised, likely here the selling of alcohol which occurred through promotion of their IP.

Partner mentioned this was likely to be highlighted as an example case to act as a deterrent, what with the 45 day pay up period and the fact we're all taking notice of it, but $4,000 is very lenient overall.

Re: New Nintendo 3DS Models Announced

AaronMclaren

@SkywardLink98 Yup, aware of that. On the Japanese website for these new models - seen here, translated near enough http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=127598744&postcount=1 - say exclusives are on the way. Not sure whether it's eShop or not, but as I said, if these become physical releases it'll cause issues. If they don't work with the original models, it fragments the entire install base. That's the problem that might arise here.

eShop exclusives can clearly be marked and even prevented from downloading on systems not compatible, physical media from stores, can't be.

Re: New Nintendo 3DS Models Announced

AaronMclaren

Little concerned by this. Everything added to the 'new' range is fine and doesn't warrant an upgrade from a previous model... except the CPU. That's where the problem lies.

The fact Xenoblade will only work on this system is worrying. The fact NoJ have now confirmed there are a range of exclusives coming which will only work on this system, is even more worrying. They're fragmenting the user base, and if it comes to physical media being exclusives, will have games next to one another on retail shelves for '3DS' with little really to differentiate them. It's a massive blow to users who may be at risk at missing out on new games because they haven't, and don't want to, upgrade.

I don't really get it. Why not just work with what's already there and launch a successor when the time's right? It's just dragging the 3DS brand out even longer but in a way which may do more harm than good.

I for one am perfectly happy with my Aqua 3DS from launch so won't upgrade, but won't be best pleased if I miss out on new games for really no reason. Especially if they go announce a successor within the next few years!!

Re: Hyrule Warriors DLC Floodgates Opened with Alternate Costume Packs

AaronMclaren

Seeing as it said details were coming soon, I'm gonna say that retailer specific preorders are out of the question... surely if that was the case, they'd have just mentioned it but be rather unspecific as to whom said retailers are.
Will be interesting to see how they go about doing it. I'd expect eventually for them to be up for purchase on the eShop but I wonder how they'll distribute them? It'd be nice to see Nintendo try something a little different, say putting codes in with other Nintendo products or handing them out at events, or even as rewards for certain hours of playtime, Miiverse interactivity, leaderboard positions etc. Try a model that gives different ways to obtain the DLC rather than just paying up for it.