Comments 432

Re: Over 50% Of Nintendo Switch Online Subscribers Have Purchased The Annual Plan

AirElephant

@Medic_alert
No, I wasn't trying to infer you were being cheated. I was just wondering how much value the subscription is giving you versus what a standalone, online-connected game would.

My point is that Nintendo is giving users very little value for their money. Their online service is cheap, yes, but it's not really delivering anything innovative or terribly useful. People buy it because, "Why not?"

I think Nintendo could and should do a lot better. We've trusted them to innovate repeatedly when it comes to consoles, but when it comes to online they're unfocused and at least ten years behind the times.

And for those of us that do love classic titles, it's getting really old after decades of Nintendo milking the NES library until it's a shriveled old teat. There is an incredibly enormous back-catalog of titles from systems more recent than the SNES that many of us would dearly love to revisit and in which Nintendo seems to have absolutely no interest.

Re: Over 50% Of Nintendo Switch Online Subscribers Have Purchased The Annual Plan

AirElephant

@Medic_alert
I'm curious. I love Dr. Mario, too, but has that time spent on the game been versus online opponents or primarily playing solo matches? In other words, would it have been cheaper to pay $4 for Dr. Mario alone and forego the online plan, or have you gotten enough other value out of it that Dr. Mario is merely a perk and not the core benefit you've enjoyed so far?

Re: Over 50% Of Nintendo Switch Online Subscribers Have Purchased The Annual Plan

AirElephant

Though a family plan would make sense for myself and my two sons, who live in their own homes now, none of us has even brought up the subject. We don't play enough and there's really no compelling reason at this point to subscribe.

As others have said, Nintendo seems committed to making only the most ancient NES titles the core of their software offerings, which just doesn't appeal to me anymore. If they started putting GameCube and AGB titles out there, my kids would probably be interested in revisiting the games of their childhood at the very least.

It's just that Nintendo's efforts in online gaming just, well, honestly suck. Hard.

Re: Video: Here's A Look At The Latest NES Releases Now Playable On Switch

AirElephant

@Spectra
Years. I've counted at least 46 Nintendo first-party games on the NES. Even if they released three NOJ titles per month it would take nearly 16 months just to release those but since they're mixing in 3rd parties as well, who knows?

It's ridiculous. The NES Classic took care of my NES itch. I'd much MUCH rather have them release DMG, CGB, AGB, and especially N64 and GameCube titles. I'm not sure we'll ever see them, though.

Re: Reggie Says Nintendo Competes For Consumer Time, Not Concerned About Direct Competition

AirElephant

@StephanDLW
Does it really? Do you carry a Switch around, or a DS, just so you can watch a video or is it just what you MIGHT use if you're bored with the game you're playing? I still have a phone that I can watch YT on. If he's competing against that, he can't win. But he's not.

Putting Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime on Switch will have zero impact on game sales. People will switch back and forth at their whim, but they'll still buy the games they want for their system. It's a ridiculous argument.

Re: Reggie Says Nintendo Competes For Consumer Time, Not Concerned About Direct Competition

AirElephant

Having Netflix on a system doesn't make me play games less. I'd play the games the same amount. Sometimes you're in the mood for a movie, other times for a game. One is not a substitute for the other.

Reggie, as always, is spinning as only a marketing shill can. God, I miss the days of faceless NOA Presidents like Arakawa and Kimishima. At least they didn't flap their gums just to try to sound clever.

Re: Feature: What Do You Want From A New Nintendo Switch?

AirElephant

I've heard a lot of complaints on other sites about the Joycons. I wouldn't mind seeing Nintendo take a second look at them and maybe making some tweaks to their dimensions and button layouts. Other than that, I have no complaints about the existing unit so I doubt the minor changes I expect from the "upgrade" will be all that enticing.

Re: UK Charts Reveal That Just 1% Of FIFA 19 Sales Were On Switch, Physical Launch Sales Tumble

AirElephant

I don't know why this continues to be an issue. EA and Nintendo system owners split more than a decade ago. EA always pursues the most powerful platform and Nintendo has NEVER been a sports platform. (The SEGA Genesis utterly dominated sports titles thirty years ago and Sony simply took their place.)

When it comes to sports, people play on one system. Period. I'm guessing it's because you and your friends need to agree on a single system because the online communities aren't typically compatible. So you pick a system and stick with it.

Switch will never be a sports platform. Never. Give it up. If they get a few good ports, great. But it's the definitive system for platformers, retro titles, indies, and Nintendo exclusives. For the money I paid for the system, that's all I want. I haven't bought an EA game in thirty years, and I don't intend to for the foreseeable future.

Re: Nintendo Direct Airing Tomorrow To Showcase Upcoming Switch And 3DS Titles

AirElephant

I honestly just wish the 3DS would die so that they could release a successor. The screen is decidedly low-res, the CPU is ancient, and the form factor is terrible for hands my size. (The old AGB was PERFECT.)

I'd just be happy with a Switch Mini that was half the size of the current model, with fixed controls designed for single player, and that was more portable than the existing console. What more does anyone need?

I've tried many times over the years to like it by purchasing the XL and even the 2DS but I just can't stand the screen and poor hand fit. C'mon, Nintendo, stop dragging your feet and release new portable hardware.

Re: Tencent Confirms Free-To-Play Titles Won't Be Impacted By Nintendo Switch Online

AirElephant

@Shade_Koopa
I don't think they'll even be "split." There will be a massively fragmented community. Every game that doesn't use Nintendo's online framework will have its own splinter community. I don't think folks playing Fortnite will be able to talk with people playing the Tencent games, and neither will talk to the folks in the Nintendo Online games.

My fear is that this will then go the route that games like Fortnite are going on Android. If Nintendo charges the companies to use their online framework, especially popular games will simply avoid using it and do what Tencent is doing. In the case of Fortnite on Android, you have to sideload the game because the creators don't want to pay Google 30% for store curation. You'd see all the popular games--and likely Origin and EA games--go this route and the fragmentation would get even worse.

I don't think it's going to be a good system for anything but Nintendo-made games.

Re: Tencent Confirms Free-To-Play Titles Won't Be Impacted By Nintendo Switch Online

AirElephant

I just don't think Nintendo has a clue what they're doing online, and they never have. If you look at what Blizzard did with Battle.net, they created an online client that spans their entire host of franchises. It's functions as both a matchmaking system and chat wrapper as well as a launcher for their games.

Nintendo Online SHOULD work the same way. You should be able to play Mario Tennis while your friend is playing Zelda, nudge them and say "Hey, let's go play Dr. Mario for a bit!" and have them join you. I can guarantee that no such thing will happen, possibly ever.

I still cannot believe how utterly archaic and clueless Nintendo seems to be about online gaming. They're timid old men that refuse to embrace what it can offer them, instead thinking they'll be inundated by pedophiles and sued by the parents of young children.

Ugh.

Re: Ghostlight Becomes Certified Switch Dev, Ready To Bring Fantastic Games To System

AirElephant

@Spoony_Tech
I'm curious, why does it matter if NL is a day or two late reporting a story about a game that won't be released for months if not more? Is it really such a pressing issue that you simply MUST know in real time? NL is a pleasant aggregator with the occasional YouTube feature and a pretty upbeat community. They're usually pretty good with the big stuff, which this most definitely isn't, so I don't bust their b*lls.

If you want to stare at tweets all day so that you can come here and sniff at NL's tardiness, knock yourself out. Seems like a waste of energy to me.

Re: Mario, Metroid And Star Fox Feature In The Latest European My Nintendo Rewards

AirElephant

Haven't used a single coin yet and I don't see it happening in the future. I really wonder why Nintendo even bothers with a program that I'm fairly sure most customers view as a cruel joke.

Had a birthday recently and got an email from Nintendo offering me a 30% discount on one eShop title. I was curious to find out more, clicked on the email and discovered that it only applied to about eight old 3DS and Wii-U titles. I don't even own a Wii-U and have about two games and a 2DS. Needless to say, the offer went unredeemed.

Nintendo could end the program tomorrow and I doubt that more than a dozen users would even notice.

Re: Rumour: Leak Signals Blizzard's Diablo 3 Will Unleash Hell On Switch This Year

AirElephant

I've never played it and I'll consider buying it if it's as good as everyone says. Maybe. I found D2 to be very repetitive so I stayed away from 3. Hopefully, this will be a Grade A port with all the whistles and bells and a solid frame rate. I don't think it bodes anything for future Blizzard games on Switch, but if it leads to some classic Warcraft HD compilations, I'll be there!

Re: Super Monkey Ball Was A Budget Project Transformed Into A Quality Game

AirElephant

@Piscean64
I really think that SEGA is missing out on a really hot seller. The first one did really well on the GameCube. The Switch market is even bigger; based on where sales were in March I'd bet that it's already shifted more systems than the GameCube did in its lifetime. I freaking LOVED Monkey Target and imagine the multi-player possibilities and online leader boards. Mmmm...

Re: Over 1,000 Developers Want To Bring Games To Switch Using GameMaker Studio 2 Engine

AirElephant

I really hope that Nintendo is looking at greatly improving the e-shop to make it easier to find titles. Right now, unless you know EXACTLY what you like, it's rough to find similar titles.

Suggestions:
A list of games similar to titles you've already purchased.
A collaboration with MetaCritic to filter based on professional ratings.
The ability to block certain developers from appearing in your lists
A section curated by celebrity or pro gamers to surface " hidden gems"

Nintendo needs to work really hard to make this work or it'll be Steam all over again.

Re: Nintendo Has Sold 19.67 Million Switch Consoles To Date

AirElephant

@StormtheFrontier
No, I don't think the Switch will shift 17M units with its currently announced games. IMO most of the players that will be playing SSB already have a Switch. However, what I cannot predict is whether or not Nintendo will go the pack-in route. If they want to juice sales on the platform, they could easily announce a bundle with a digital pack-in game for the holiday season. Nintendo has many tools in its belt that it can use to get the numbers it wants, aside from new games.

And no, I don't think any "major" games will be announced before the next E3. I've always thought that Reggie, who came from a background in advertising, loves hyperbole much more than facts. Even if he claims there are some unannounced titles in the wings, I doubt that any of them will shift systems.

Re: Nintendo Has Sold 19.67 Million Switch Consoles To Date

AirElephant

@StormtheFrontier
It took PS4 five years to reach 73M units shipped. The only year it actually beat Nintendo's first year numbers was last year. And PS4's the current category leader. If Nintendo produces AAA "must have" software, I don't see why it can't reach PS4's sales in four instead of five years. This is a fairly dry year, but we're still looking at Metroid 4, the first non-Game Boy mainstream Pokemon title, probably another Zelda, and who knows what else in the next few years? I'm not that worried.

Re: Co-Op Action RPG Warlocks 2: God Slayers Enchants Nintendo Switch This October

AirElephant

@Rhaoulos

Before I clicked on the YT link I had hoped that the artwork represented the game play. I could see a 3D melee game with those graphics. But then I watched the video and it was yet ANOTHER pixel art game. When most are going for $10-$15 I'm mystified that they'd try to tack on another $5 for a game I doubt will be different than the other 100 clones on the Apple store right now.

Unless the reviews are stellar across the board, I can't see any point in giving this the time of day.

Re: Parent Trap: I Really Miss The Nintendo Wii

AirElephant

The Wii waggle and Wii-U focus on gimmicks were why I stopped playing consoles and why I sold my Wii-U. That I can play with standard controls on the Switch is why I started playing again. I'm glad those systems are dead and that their best titles are being re-released. Good riddance!

Re: Nindies Respond To Nintendo Releasing High Volume Of Games On Switch eShop

AirElephant

I think Nintendo could use some of the expertise that companies like Netflix and Amazon have when it comes to the use of suggested purchases. There should be a category in the store such as "Suggested for You" that includes titles that are similar to games you have already purchased or that are similar to games you've browsed (especially titles you've browsed multiple times without purchasing.)

I was looking over the store last night and quite frankly the number of titles available already is so great that there's no chance I'll bother to browse them all.

Re: Critically Acclaimed The Witness Probably Won't Make It To Switch Despite Recent Mobile Ports

AirElephant

I think it'll happen. It's money within easy reach and it seems as though, provided it got enough media attention, it would be a solid seller. Whether they do it themselves or outsource a port, I can't see why any company would let a valuable IP skip a platform almost guaranteed to make money.

Hell, it was already released for Shield which is the exact processor running inside the Switch. A little programming for the specific Switch inputs seems like hardly any effort at all.