It could be very exciting news, but I'll keep my expectations tempered. To date Hamster's releases, while prolific, have stuck mainly to simpler Arcade coin-ops from the 80s through early 90s. As easy as it is to think, "Whoa, we might finally get Saturn and Dreamcast games!!!", it's actually more likely that these titles will come from the likes of Atari, Intellivision, Colecovision, Amiga, Commodore 64, etc.. Still some absolute gems in there for those of us who remember them from back in the day, but maybe not what many younger gamers would find attractive.
Who knows, maybe Nintendo themselves will even jump on the bandwagon and add E.T. The Extraterrestrial from the Atari 2600 to Switch online...for a modest $10 upgrade, of course (while this is a joke, you know there are people who would actually throw their money at it given recent events).
Zelda: Skyward Sword has blue butterflies that appear near hidden glyphs and statues, although it's pretty far into the game before you can access them. Perhaps there's some mechanic at play in Metroid Dread that's a nod to that game.
When Nintendo gets around to letting me A) buy their first-party legacy games permanently where B) purchases are tied to my user account instead of a single system (as was the case with the VC), then I'll have an interest. I'm simply not sinking $50 a year into a shoddy online service they're trying to prop up with a trickle of retro games.
Case in point: there was all this concern yesterday about whether users' access to the new ACNH DLC would be lost if their subscription to SO lapsed (the answer is "some" of it will). The simple solution is just to buy the DLC outright; whether you do so or not doesn't take one red cent off that SO Expansion asking price; if you think for a second there is genuine "value" in ANYTHING you don't permanently own or control the rights to when you fork over this kind of dough, I have a bridge to sell you, real cheap. The fact that so many people just roll over and comply with modern online business practices as they keep getting worse and worse is why corporations like Nintendo feel free to treat them like dirt.
Learn to cowboy up, vote with your wallets, and say "NO" every once in awhile. It'll do you good in the long run.
I've already begun rearranging my island and clearing out some old stuff to make proper room for the new. The new DLC seems to be a workaround to let players interact with and house additional islanders not from their home island, which is welcome as well; I'll probably look into some "targeted" clients via Amiibo.
"We're going to build this big $50 wall our consumers will have to climb over to be able to enjoy N64 games, and we're going to get THEM to pay for it!"
And people have the brass and/or naivete to lampoon a similar statement by a certain former US President. Big Corporate has been doing the very same thing to you for YEARS via business practices that people just roll over and keep supporting instead of voting "NO" with their wallets.
More than doubling the asking price to add N64 games and titles from a system that has extensive compilations readily available for permanent purchase on every platform around (including Switch)...for LESS THAN the increase alone...constitutes breathtaking arrogance and greed on Nintendo's part.
They can get back to me when they're ready to SELL those N64 games which I can tie to my user account instead of an individual system as was their practice before they ditched the Virtual Console. The ugly truth here is that what many folks perceive as backwardness or ineptitude on Nintendo's part is actually carefully and deliberately planned and calculated. They have ZERO respect for their consumers, and boy, does this stunt show that off in full Technocolor.
I'm not going to contribute to that greed by supporting this "expansion"; it's a slap in the face to Nintendo's consumers.
1) Kapp'n!
2) Gardening and cooking!
3) Brewster!
4) Finally an actual reason to go to Harv's Island.
5) Other than the extra storage, where are most of us going to put all of these new items??? Bigger home islands was the only thing missing from these announcements.
6) The Home Designer DLC actually looks worth the price.
7) Switch Online $49.99??? DOUBLE the asking price to add N64 and Sega Genesis games. Seriously Nintendo, a great Direct doesn't let you get by with that level of avarice.
Whatever the price ends up being, Switch Online simply isn't a good deal for what it offers. And when you consider that Nintendo could make Virtual Console-style permanent purchases available for individual legacy games, they could make more than they get for the price of an annual SO subscription for three or four NES and SNES titles (going by original VC prices), and...so long as those purchases were permanent and tied to user accounts instead of individual systems like before...consumers would be getting better, more tangible value for their money.
Nintendo would be doing their consumers a far better service by focusing on things like bringing their online functionality up to par and finally ditching the archaic friend codes and other stuff.
It's frankly difficult to justify the $19.99 annual subscription as it currently stands; cloud saves support has been uneven at times (even with major first-party titles) and new NES and SNES games come at a trickle. Asking for more for N64 games, let alone Genesis titles readily available for permanent purchases on pretty much every platform including Switch, takes some real brass on Nintendo's part.
Funny how this article comes out the day after I begin playing Metroid: Fusion. Great, atmospheric game, but certainly a case in point for what this guy is saying. Even though I'm an experienced gamer (I've owned pretty much every major console since the Atari 2600 and thousands of games of all genres, and beaten the likes of Super Mario World and Mario 64 with 100 percent completion), I admit that Metroid Dread's controls are pushing the limits of accessibility even for many non-disabled players.
This isn't merely an issue of difficulty, either (and Metroid Dread can be quite a difficult game in many places to begin with). Not only is every single button on the Switch Pro controller utilized (with the ironic exception of the A button, which would seem to be the most natural "main" button for myself and probably many other players in games of this type; I must say I am surprised Nintendo didn't at least include the option for users to customize the controls/button layout to their liking), but there are often situations (using the Omega Beam against EMMIs, for example) where you must press/hold up to THREE buttons simultaneously while also aiming with the left stick. You even need to press the right stick to use the Phantom Cloak because there aren't enough regular buttons to do the job.
I get it; modern games are more complex, and modern controllers have become much more complex to accommodate them. I also realize there is simply no reasonable way to simplify such complex and sometimes convoluted controls to the point where physically disabled gamers can navigate them. FPSes have been this way for years, and while they're extremely popular that complexity combined with skill gaps in multiplayer that are likely insurmountable for new or occasional users (those who don't eat, drink, and breathe those types of games and can one-shot you while moving horizontally through the air) creates a barrier for many players (the recent Halo Infinite preview was a sobering reminder of that fact for me). But we're reaching a point where even some mainline, AAA IPs like Metroid are now reaching a similar UI complexity. They may be necessary to achieve the developers' vision, but when it comes at the cost of many players no longer being able to see that vision play out, is it worth it?
As I've gotten older I've seen my own abilities as a gamer change; like it or not I know my reflexes have slowed a bit. I also suffer from severe clinical anxiety, so playing a title like Metroid Dread, while the exploration and discovery are enjoyable, can be borderline unbearable when having to repeat stuff over and over to succeed. As a result I've found myself gravitating increasingly to genres like turn-based Strategy and JRPG/SRPGs over the years. I still have a desire to experience the likes of Halo, Metroid, and other more intense games, but I generally take them in shorter sessions.
It stinks that some folks aren't able to do that much, that their physical situations won't allow them to enjoy a great hobby that millions of us take for granted. But speaking from personal experience, it's also important to understand that circumstances, health and ability change for every one of us (and that can happen as we age or suddenly), and there will inevitably come a day when you'll realize you've done a given activity for the very last time.
The more complex UIs become, the closer that day gets for every one of us with regard to videogames. Sometimes, less is more.
It's been fun so far, and as tense as I expected going by the reviews. I do have some gripes, however.
1) The biggest is that navigating on small platforms can feel like controlling a piece of ice on a water-covered surface; it's finnicky and results in way too many unnecessary falls (some of which you can't jump back up from directly).
2) I am also thinking that just maybe Metroid Dread has hit that threshold where so many buttons and complex mechanics are involved that it starts becoming a barrier to many players. Many crucial move sets in Metroid Dread involve the simultaneous use of multiple buttons, especially where using the Omega Beam against EMMIs is concerned...and there's the added complexity of brief windows and aiming to consider there as well. Remember that the original Metroid utilized a two-button NES controller and Super Metroid the SNES one with four face buttons and two shoulder buttons. By comparison modern controllers are labyrinthine, and Metroid Dread uses almost every single one...
3) except for the A button, for whatever reason, which for me personally feels like the most natural button for jumping or primary actions such as shooting. And wouldn't you know that there's not a configurator in sight for users to modify the controls and button layouts to our liking.
I'm not disagreeing that there's a great game here; it's just that seeing flaws and potential design pitfalls literally minutes into it reminds me of all the gushing reviews of BotW, which itself is a fantastic game but which also has many shortcomings that those reviews either overlooked or glossed over (examples: limited enemy types, no true dungeons, no "traditional" Zelda items like the Hookshot, etc.). Like BotW, I figure that hindsight a year or so down the road will prove a bit more scrutinizing than review scores based mostly upon initial impressions.
It's been fun so far, and as tense as I expected going by the reviews. I do have some gripes, however.
1) The biggest is that navigating on small platforms can feel like controlling a piece of ice on a water-covered surface; it's finnicky and results in way too many unnecessary falls (some of which you can't jump back up from directly).
2) I am also thinking that just maybe Metroid Dread has hit that threshold where so many buttons and complex mechanics are involved that it starts becoming a barrier to many players. Many crucial move sets in Metroid Dread involve the simultaneous use of multiple buttons, especially where using the Omega Beam against EMMIs is concerned...and there's the added complexity of brief windows and aiming to consider there as well. Remember that the original Metroid utilized a two-button NES controller and Super Metroid the SNES one with four face buttons and two shoulder buttons. By comparison modern controllers are labyrinthine, and Metroid Dread uses almost every single one...
3) except for the A button, for whatever reason, which for me personally feels like the most natural button for jumping or primary actions such as shooting. And wouldn't you know that there's not a configurator in sight for users to modify the controls and button layouts to our liking.
I'm not disagreeing that there's a great game here; it's just that seeing flaws and potential design pitfalls literally minutes into it reminds me of all the gushing reviews of BotW, which itself is a fantastic game but which also has many shortcomings that those reviews either overlooked or glossed over (examples: limited enemy types, no true dungeons, no "traditional" Zelda items like the Hookshot, etc.). Like BotW, I figure that hindsight a year or so down the road will prove a bit more scrutinizing than review scores based mostly upon initial impressions.
20 minutes is half the length of a typical full-featured Direct, so hopefully whatever Nintendo is going to show will be far more substantial than just Brewster and the Roost. Maybe we'll finally get gardening and other new activities, but those would likely require some changes including larger islands since many of us used up all our real estate long ago.
So the best thing to come out of today's announcement is that it's the LAST Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC announcement. No more Directs (seldom as we get them) with a quarter of their time taken up by the latest one.
So the obvious question is what's going to fill the void. Hopefully Mario Kart 9 is coming next year, because don't look now, but the Switch is getting longer in the tooth by this point, especially now that Sony and especially Microsoft are starting to get their acts together with the PS5/XBox Series X/S. Mario Party will be a nice multiplayer game for this winter, but unless Nintendo has DLC planned for it (and they've never done so for a MP title so far), they're going to need something BIG for that multiplayer slot in the near future.
I can understand the selection, and there was never any way SSBU would ever be able to include every fighter everyone wanted to see. But honestly I think the final slot would've been better served by Master Chief from Halo, for two main reasons: 1) where Sora is essentially yet another sword fighter, Master Chief utilizes the complete selection of attack types (he also melees and uses the Energy Sword and Gravity Hammer, though he favors ranged), and 2) it would've been the perfect time for a cross-promotion with Halo Infinite. In short, lots of extra $$$ for both Nintendo and Microsoft this Christmas season probaby just went by the boards.
As others have mentioned, it's also not surprising that it turned out to be a character from the Japanese side of the industry, and yet another from SquareEnix. It probably was easier for Sakurai to coordinate with fellow Japanese publishers, and maybe even more importantly, from their perspective Japan is their home market, after all.
But it is what it is, Not a terrible choice by any means, just not the best IMHO. If only there was just one. more. slot....
While open world has its potential, Metroid has always aimed at a sort of claustrophobic, tight-quarters, isolated experience. I'm not saying that couldn't be somehow accomplished in an open-world environment, but it would definitely be a challenge to maintain the "feel" of being a Metroid game as opposed to "BotW in space"...and honestly more so than is likely worth the effort trying to achieve for the developers (who already have historically had lengthy development times, delays, and setbacks as it is dating all the way back to the original Metroid Prime). Some formulas are simply best left untampered with.
This amounts to zero (or very little) risk for Konami and potentially a lot of time and effort by independent devs that could all end up being for nothing (i.e. risk).
One could argue this is better than nothing and we'll likely get the revival of a "Konami" IP out of it, but is it really true said IP's is simply stamped onto whatever effort wins their contest? Seems that outsourcing non-"core" IPs has become the new norm for multiple Japanese publishers, most notably Sega (Shenmue 3 was a Kickstarter, Panzer Dragoon HD and others recently were outsourced to third parties). Again, maybe it's better than nothing...but as someone who remembers how prolific these once industry-leading giants were back in the day when some were making consoles and others' games (like TMNT: Turtles in Time, Axelay, Castlevania IV, Contra III: The Alien Wars, etc.) were considered some of the very best on their platform, it's kind of heartbreaking to see how far they've fallen.
No other segment of the videogame industry right now could use genuine risk-taking more than the Japanese side of it. At the very least, I'd love for these once-great companies to rediscover the spark that made them household names back then.
Too much rap/hip hop influence there; it feels out of place on several levels, at least to me. With a name like Metroid Dread, and given the theme of being alone on a hostile alien planet where any number of things are stalking you, the music should evoke feelings of tension, claustrophobia, and terror. That's what I felt while playing through Super Metroid; it's still one of the most atmospheric 2D games I've ever played.
Maybe what's there will help sell copies, I dunno; as a previous poster said, they're a different market. But IMHO the music in this ad feels like it should be associated with an entirely different game.
Given how this Mario Party already draws from the series' earlier boards, it would be great to see DLC with extra boards and minigames. 100 may sound like a lot of minigames, but you will find yourself recycling them at least occasionally even going through the five existing boards the first time around. Of course the caveat is that some minigames were frankly better than others, so sticking with the better, more accessible ones would be the way to go.
I won't be holding my breath for DLC content, however; to date that's never happened for a Mario Party game that I can recall, which is kind of baffling considering how well you'd think this series lends itself to the concept.
@PressTurn I did check, and I admit that I was wrong regarding the cloud saves for BotW specifically. However, the reason I said so was because A) when NSO was about to launch a lot of folks were up in arms because the Switch didn't even allow save backups (the BACKUPS ISSUE was where my memory was off) on SD cards or any other means; a subscription to NSO was required in order to prevent your saves from being lost forever because saves, just as online purchases used to be, are tied to a specific system as opposed to a user account (because Nintendo; 'nuff said). Also, up until the launch it WASN'T clear that BotW would be supported, as the example from GameRant.com dated May 9, 2028 states below:
"Players may also be frustrated with the lack of information regarding which games will be available on Cloud Backup and which ones will not. Fans won't want to pay for the service only to learn later that it won't allow them to back up their 100% Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild save to the cloud. Thankfully, as the Nintendo Switch Online Cloud service doesn't launch until September, there is still time for Nintendo to clarify all of this information. But at the moment, it's understandable if some prospective Switch Online subscribers are feeling disappointed."
That said, my point regarding spotty first-party support by Nintendo for cloud saves remains relevant. The aforementioned fan campaign did take place for ACNH, and to this day there's still no support for Splatoon 2.
@RiasGremory Making assumptions without any proof? Everything I said is well-documented and readily available for anyone who wishes to do a simple Google search (it also helps when you can simply remember said events or facts as they happened). FACT: BotW and ACNH both weren't going to support cloud saves until fan outrage forced Nintendo to reconsider. FACT: Hamster has released at least one new Arcade title every week since the Switch launched. FACT: XBox's BC program lets you buy legacy games outright without the need for subscriptions to either LIVE or GamePass, for those so inclined; Switch Online does not.
Trolling is when someone attacks a person or entity solely for its own sake, without any regard for submitting provable facts to back up their statements. Most often it's also driven by malice or hate. I don't hate Nintendo; I've supported them and their products to the tune of thousands of dollars since the NES. But I'm not a fanboy, and I will absolutely dish out criticism of corporate decisions where I believe it's justified; the same applies to Microsoft, Sony, or any other company.
These corporations have gotten filthy rich from our support over the years, and anyone with an ounce of objectivity who takes the time to scrutinize their business models and priorities knows full well that, on average, the end consumer is paying more for less than ever before, and they want you to subscribe to "services" instead of buying games (just look at what EULAs have done to consumer rights) because once you own anything they can't gate/control it any longer.
It's Business 101; Corporations are in business to MAKE MONEY, and EVERYTHING they do revolves around that. If you think asking more money for a service with a subpar track record to tack on a couple more 25-30 year old consoles is about more value, then that's what I'm saying is gullible. In any case, let's just say we disagree on the subject.
@techdude I'm aware of the Ms. Pac-Man rights situation, but AtGames could profit as well from licensing its use out to Hamster. So I won't give up hope on it out of the gate.
Although licensing rights have definitely become a serious thorn in the side of the hobby. On that point I readily agree.
Glad to see Hamster picking up the slack for the lackluster existing Namco Museum Arcade Pac on the Switch. Maybe that means we'll finally get Pole Position and even Ms. Pac-Man. Yes, the $8 asking price per game is steep, but I guess it's better than nothing.
Thanks to Hamster's efforts the Switch has far and away more Arcade coin-ops represented than any console in history. Even so, there are still some gaping holes remaining to be filled. After multiple generations of having offered collections of their Arcade titles like Joust, Marble Madness, Root Beer Tapper, and Defender, Midway has surprisingly been absent this far. Ditto Sega (Zaxxon, Congo Bongo, Pengo, and their host of later iconic machines ranging from Afterburner and Super Hang-On to Model 2 titles like Daytona USA). Another iconic game from back in the day is Q-Bert by Gottlieb. It would be awesome if Hamster and/or another capable publisher like M2 brought at least some of these to Switch.
@RiasGremory Two words: READING COMPREHENSION. I mentioned their services were more expensive in my post. One more word: VALUE. Switch Online is a bad joke even at $19.99 a year; the cloud saves that were the original centerpiece were originally not even going to be implemented for some of Nintendo's own AAA titles, like BotW and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And are you REALLY satisfied with the selection and pacing of the additions to the Switch online game catalogs? Heck, Hamster adds a new Arcade game EVERY SINGLE WEEK; a company the size of Nintendo that isn't doing at least as much with its own legacy titles is doing so out of deliberate choice, not due to lack of ability. And they don't even give you the option to purchase them anymore; XBox does that much, and with HUNDREDS more games.
Don't be that gullible. Nintendo's asking you to pay "only $X more" for games/systems that should already be part of the base subscription because, as PT Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute."
Nintendo is insulting their consumers' intelligence by raising the price of an online service that frankly needed more to justify the CURRENT price (of course they call it an "expansion", "tier", or whatever, but there's no amount of spin that can cover how tone deaf it is). Sony and Microsoft must be laughing out loud after seeing that announcement; their respective services may be more expensive, but feature-wise there's no comparison; fans don't have to campaign to get cloud saves support for first-party titles (BotW and ACNH), and they have the option to actually buy and keep legacy games which are tied to their user accounts so they can be carried forward to the next console generation. Nintendo's act of killing the Virtual Console and replacing it with this bad joke of an online service (while staying true to their longtime method of hawking hardware peripherals) isn't just bad form when examined through an objective lens; it's just plain pure, unabashed greed, control, and arrogance.
None of the big three new reveals (Kirby, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta) are my personal cup of tea. The silver lining in it, I guess, is that with those IPs out of the way MAYBE Nintendo will finally get to bringing us concrete news on the true heavy hitters like BotW 2, Metroid Prime 4, and Mario Kart 9 in the not-ridiculously-distant future. But by now I've grown accustomed to the games I really want being relegated to some nebulous, far-off release date...if they're ever announced to begin with (and that's not just with Nintendo Directs, but across all industry shows).
The Brewster reveal for ACNH was nice, albeit way too late, and I honestly don't expect Nintendo to do more for the game after that.
What I wouldn't give to have that Shining Force mobile announcement trade places with the Shin Megami Tensei one for the Switch. Sega really has ZERO clue how badly some of their older, truly classic JRPG and SRPG properties are wanted by fans.
Beyond Triangle Strategy the third-party pickings were slim.
Chocobo Racing looked like a PS3 game. Seriously, I made better-looking tracks on ModNation Racers. I honestly can't even remember most of the rest, which should tell you my interest level in any of them.
As I said on another thread, when I first saw Shigeru Miyamoto walk up I was immediately excited by the possibility of a new Mario or Zelda (35th Anniversary?) reveal. But no, he was there to plug a movie. And it's the first time I ever recall wanting him to finish up his spiel and get off the screen.
So we are being asked to pay more to play a trickle of games for two extra systems on Switch Online (a service that Nintendo has supported sporadically and phoned-in at every turn. Remember those fan campaigns to even get BotW and ACNH's saves to be able to be placed on the cloud, which was one of the service's primary selling points to begin with???), one of them already WELL-represented on pretty much every modern platform in existence. And we can buy $50 controllers whose functionality is tied solely to said service, which will no doubt have its plug pulled once Nintendo moves on from the Switch to their next console, realistically 2-4 years away. Hey, those N64 controllers will make superb paperweights.
So yeah, overall I'd have to call the Direct a big swing-and-a-miss, at least for myself personally, I realize there are others who got more things they wanted out of it and are happy, and I don't begrudge them that, but it stinks to watch the show's minutes finish ticking away and realize that, yet again, nothing on my Wish List managed to have its name called.
I have to say that A) when I saw Shigeru Miyamoto walk up I got very excited, thinking maybe there was a major Mario or Zelda game announcement coming, and that B) when I realized he was there to plug a movie it was the first time I'd ever wanted him to walk away.
I'm glad we're getting Brewster and hope there's significantly more content besides it in the update, but I won't get my hopes up too high. It has the HEAVY feeling of a sort of apology from Nintendo for vastly underestimating the demand for continual, original content by fans. They got caught with their pants down, pure and simple, and now, 18 months after ACNH's release and almost half of that without a single dose of original DLC, it really does feel too little, too late in some ways. And this DLC will very likely be the last for the game; even if they offered more, it would require a rewriting of entire swaths of its code, from increasing the size of the island (most of us have long since used up every scrap of available real estate) to implementing new characters, events, activities, and items. I don't see them doing that; they've moved on and made the mistake of thinking fans would be as quick to do so, but at least they're giving us Brewster as an olive branch.
If there's any positive to take from this, it's that Nintendo will (hopefully) learn from what went wrong here (while most things went right, a lot DID go wrong with their long-term road map for ACNH) and apply those lessons in their approach to the next iteration of the franchise.
@sanderev We each have our own tastes and IPs we would prioritize given the choice. This Direct just whiffed for me personally aside from the ACNH DLC and Triangle Strategy announcements. And like it or not, the Switch's life cycle is creeping well into its latter half. If certain IPs are going to be visited this gen (or avoid Nintendo's habit of holding some of their biggest ones for hybrid cross-gen launches), they'd have to be announced soon, especially given the sort of lead times we've seen with BotW 2 and Metroid Prime 4.
@mystman12 Thanks for the insight. Unfortunately the issue with their future usefulness with Nintendo hardware or software is still absolutely a huge problem. The thing that really chafes about it is that they knew exactly what they were doing in getting rid of the VC and limiting the functionality of these controllers to a service they've scarcely supported and which will no doubt have its plug pulled shortly after they move on to their next console, maybe within 2 to 3 years.
If they got BK then Perfect Dark is also a logical addition down the road. And if, against all odds, they ever managed to resurrect GoldenEye 007, it might even make Switch Online worth the subscription.
The best thing about ending the Direct with Splatoon 3 and Bayonetta is that their fans can finally stop asking for them, and that just MAYBE Nintendo can start focusing on giving the rest of us what we really want next year, namely BotW 2, Metroid Prime 4, and Mario Kart 9, among others. And let's be realistic; those will likely be the Switch's collective swan song for all intents and purposes. While some of the games we already know about look great (Triangle Strategy) and I can't wait to see Brewster in ACNH, for me personally there wasn't a single new, original title that piqued my interest (sorry, just never could get into Kirby). I'd say the Direct was a disappointment but then I learned long ago to temper my expectations where Nintendo is concerned.
While the N64 controllers in particular look great, here's my concern with this: the Switch is already at least halfway through its expected life cycle, these controllers supposedly ONLY work with Switch Online games, and when the servers go down, these $50 controllers will be relegated to being paperweights. And that's without mentioning the fact that Nintendo is raising the asking price of a service they've already had a proven track record for sporadic and lackluster support for.
This is case in point for why I despise subscription models. Bring back the Virtual Console or at least offer the option to purchase these games permanently AND tie them to our accounts which could be carried forward to the next console...along with the associated controllers. But of course that's another aspect of Nintendo's business practices to date that make such hopes slim at best.
@TheWingedAvenger I would fourth it, of course...but the true icing on the cake would be a surprise addition of GoldenEye 007. C'mon, how hard can it be to iron out the licensing issues for the granddaddy of console FPSes?
Expect Advance Wars to be a surprise...maybe even runaway...hit this winter. Not because of the campaigns (which are very good having played the originals), but because of the MULTIPLAYER, and if this thing comes with a Map Editor, watch out. I played an under-the-radar...and poorly reviewed because nobody actually tried its INSANE multiplayer...game called Daisenryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics Exceed for the PS2, and we played HUNDREDS of hours, maybe more. It was as addictive as chocolate-chip crack, metaphorically speaking. In fact, some of us STILL come back to it.
While Daisenryaku's real life nations and hundreds (between 400 and 1500+ depending on which iteration you're playing) of real air, land, and naval units which interact with realistic algorithms admittedly run rings around Advance Wars' rock/paper/scissors approach to mechanics where units of the same type are always equal (a squad of M2 Abrams will wipe the floor with old T-72s, and units like Patriots, SP-300s, and AEGIS-equipped ships like the Ticonderoga-class can help keep the skies clear for your own air and ground units to move safely), even having an entry-level tactical offering like Advance Wars could easily create that same "itch" for countless players for more of the same, and with more depth and variety.
Oh yeah, and Daisenryaku games come with fully-fledged Map Editors (the PC iterations even allow you to tweak the rules down to the last detail, up to 8 players in any combination of teams, human vs. AI, or every player for themselves). Two words: Endless replayability.
Of course we'll see; folks have to be willing to give something new and different from the IPs/genres they're used to buying a chance first, and that's always the biggest hurdle. I hope they do, though; not only do I think they'll love it, but variety is healthy for the entire hobby.
1) The best thing about a final Smash Ultimate DLC reveal is that we finally won't have to see a quarter of future Directs taken up by those segments.
2) I'd love more genuine ACNH content, even a full-on, paid expansion that increases the size of your island, allows more villagers, and introduces more beloved characters like Brewster and Kapp'n. I'm tempering my expectations though, as with everything else on this list.
3) Still holding out SLIGHT hope for a Zelda 35th Anniversary compilation and/or a Super Mario Galaxy 2 remaster announcement.
4) While I'm generally sick of Wii U ports, I honestly would make an exception for the game I played more than any other on the system: Xenoblade Chronicles X.
5) Some of my personal Wish List for announcements we likely won't see: A) Any JRPG IP by Sega B) A TimeSplitters reveal by THQ Nordic C) Mario Kart 9
Console: A system dedicated to playing videogames that utilizes your television as its display.
Portable: A handheld gaming device that can be taken on the go.
Mobile: 99.9999% trash to be avoided at all costs. Also unregulated or restricted by traditional point-of-purchase business models that have so far...mostly...kept the first two categories from dissolving into pay-to-win or other self-destructive approaches (although the likes of EA, Activision, and the console manufacturers themselves have constantly been pushing against them since online functionality went mainstream).
@Tandy255 Double Dash is perhaps the ugly duckling of the Mario Kart series. Great game, sure, but critically flawed by design. Picking out two drivers and swapping them throughout the race was a novel concept at the time, but let's be honest: whichever player got Koopa Paratroopa and his Red Shells had a downright unfair advantage in multiplayer. And because specific items being tied to each character was the whole selling point of Double Dash, I highly doubt Nintendo will ever go with that mechanic again; it's simply far too limiting.
For what it's worth, I wouldn't mind for them to seriously tweak the rubber-banding and the ratio of items that players get, especially those in 1st place. Making those ratios and items selectable within the menu (specifically multiplayer) would go a long way toward improving one of the series' few weak points.
1) It's put up or shut up time as far as Nintendo's earlier pledge to bring more "significant" DLC to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
2) Their last fall/late summer Direct was when they announced all the Mario 35th Anniversary stuff. If a true Zelda 35th Anniversary campaign is going to happen at all, it will be announced here.
3) There will likely be the obligatory (and supposedly final) DLC character for Smash Bros. Ultimate that takes up several minutes of the Direct while we watch them tick away in agony. Most previous DLC characters have leaned toward either first-party or from Japanese developers, but given the timing (and opportunity for cross-marketing), perhaps a collaboration with Microsoft to bring Halo's Master Chief will finally be realized with Infinite's launch coming up?
4) Switch STILL needs a true tentpole game for this Christmas season (Metroid Dread notwithstanding). While I'm not holding my breath, a Mario Kart 9 announcement would absolutely qualify as a megaton, systems-moving one, and it would also fill a definite need for A) a new Switch multiplayer title to B) take up the mantle following Smash Bros. Ultimate's mothballing.
5) We'll MAYBE get another snippet of information and/or footage of BotW 2. As for its actual title, I suspect that won't happen until next year, possibly E3 (I wouldn't be at all surprised to see its release window slide further back).
6) The next Mario Golf DLC announcement is fairly likely.
7) The odds of a Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, or other Sega JRPG announcement or a compilation of Saturn/Dreamcast/Arcade titles is, as always, highly wished for by fans and practically guaranteed not to happen. But hey, they'll probably regale us by taking time out of the Direct for the new Monkey Ball game we've already seen.
8) Metroid Prime 4? Maybe next year. Ditto for everyone hoping for a new Star Fox, Wave Race, F-Zero, etc..
9) A N64 Switch Online reveal (along with a subscription price increase announcement) seems foregone at this point. Shame those games are being wasted on a service that's an afterthought to Nintendo themselves when fans would readily buy them.
Hope springs eternal, but by now we should all know the drill. Keep those expectations tempered.
Anyone who says that mobile games haven't contributed to a steep decline in original console game development is kidding themselves. Look at the sheer number of Wii U ports and long gaps between first-party releases on the Switch that coincides directly with their delving into the mobile arena. You betcha it could've used a Mario Kart 9, among other things, some time ago already, just as it could've used a true "AAA" tentpole release for this Christmas season (as good as it may end up being, Metroid Dread just doesn't have that vibe of a "system mover" for me). And Sega, Square, and other publishers are taking long-requested IPs (Shining Force is a HUGE example) and original projects to mobiles as well. Go ahead, try and find anyone who was pleased to hear that either SF or the upcoming new JRPG by Sega was announced for mobiles as opposed to consoles, including the Switch. It was a slap in the face (the latest of MANY).
Mobile games may be good for the industry (i.e. make lots of $$$), but they're absolutely bad for console gamers and the hobby we've loved and supported for decades, and that's without even mentioning the pay-to-win/progress and other abominable business models associated with them. If you love your consoles and want major publishers placing proper focus on supporting them you will NOT support mobile games. Of course, that's your call, but for me personally, I stay clear of them out of principle.
I get that Persona is popular, but personally I would be far more stoked by a sequel to or even a remaster of 3D Dot Game Heroes. Way too many companies are circling the wagons around 1-3 popular IPs instead of taking original risks or revisiting deserving ones from their past, and it's quietly strangling the innovation and variety the major players of the industry used to be known for.
I could honestly live with the high difficulty if the UI itself wasn't pitching in constantly to get you killed. Having to COMPLETELY STOP in order to select and use secondary/healing items in situations where repeated split-second reactions are required and the spaces you're fighting in are often restrictive and/or choked with junk that Baldo tends to get hung up on is frankly infuriating and unfair. The Spider Boss in Secova Prison was where I called it quits after wasting probably 10 hours exploring and gathering items I hoped might be easier to use than the stupid, makes-you-walk-at-a-snail's-pace Flame. None of them worked. I stopped playing two weeks ago and haven't looked back. Bug fixes can't address Baldo's worst problems because they're design-based. In the end, the rewards, such as they are, aren't worth the effort and frustration, at least for me personally.
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Re: Arcade Archives Publisher Hamster Has Filed A Trademark For 'Console Archives'
It could be very exciting news, but I'll keep my expectations tempered. To date Hamster's releases, while prolific, have stuck mainly to simpler Arcade coin-ops from the 80s through early 90s. As easy as it is to think, "Whoa, we might finally get Saturn and Dreamcast games!!!", it's actually more likely that these titles will come from the likes of Atari, Intellivision, Colecovision, Amiga, Commodore 64, etc.. Still some absolute gems in there for those of us who remember them from back in the day, but maybe not what many younger gamers would find attractive.
Who knows, maybe Nintendo themselves will even jump on the bandwagon and add E.T. The Extraterrestrial from the Atari 2600 to Switch online...for a modest $10 upgrade, of course (while this is a joke, you know there are people who would actually throw their money at it given recent events).
At any rate, que sera, sera.
Re: Poll: Which Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Games Should You Play First Via Nintendo Switch Online?
Removed
Re: Metroid Dread: Blue Butterflies - What Are The Blue Butterflies For?
Zelda: Skyward Sword has blue butterflies that appear near hidden glyphs and statues, although it's pretty far into the game before you can access them. Perhaps there's some mechanic at play in Metroid Dread that's a nod to that game.
Re: Nintendo Leaker Suggests Pricing Of Switch Online's Expansion Pack Could Be Tied To "Licensing Costs"
When Nintendo gets around to letting me A) buy their first-party legacy games permanently where B) purchases are tied to my user account instead of a single system (as was the case with the VC), then I'll have an interest. I'm simply not sinking $50 a year into a shoddy online service they're trying to prop up with a trickle of retro games.
Case in point: there was all this concern yesterday about whether users' access to the new ACNH DLC would be lost if their subscription to SO lapsed (the answer is "some" of it will). The simple solution is just to buy the DLC outright; whether you do so or not doesn't take one red cent off that SO Expansion asking price; if you think for a second there is genuine "value" in ANYTHING you don't permanently own or control the rights to when you fork over this kind of dough, I have a bridge to sell you, real cheap. The fact that so many people just roll over and comply with modern online business practices as they keep getting worse and worse is why corporations like Nintendo feel free to treat them like dirt.
Learn to cowboy up, vote with your wallets, and say "NO" every once in awhile. It'll do you good in the long run.
Re: Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Everything Coming In The Final Free Update
I've already begun rearranging my island and clearing out some old stuff to make proper room for the new. The new DLC seems to be a workaround to let players interact with and house additional islanders not from their home island, which is welcome as well; I'll probably look into some "targeted" clients via Amiibo.
Re: Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Release Date And Pricing Revealed
Short answer: NO, Nintendo.
Re: Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Release Date And Pricing Revealed
"We're going to build this big $50 wall our consumers will have to climb over to be able to enjoy N64 games, and we're going to get THEM to pay for it!"
And people have the brass and/or naivete to lampoon a similar statement by a certain former US President. Big Corporate has been doing the very same thing to you for YEARS via business practices that people just roll over and keep supporting instead of voting "NO" with their wallets.
Re: Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Release Date And Pricing Revealed
More than doubling the asking price to add N64 games and titles from a system that has extensive compilations readily available for permanent purchase on every platform around (including Switch)...for LESS THAN the increase alone...constitutes breathtaking arrogance and greed on Nintendo's part.
They can get back to me when they're ready to SELL those N64 games which I can tie to my user account instead of an individual system as was their practice before they ditched the Virtual Console. The ugly truth here is that what many folks perceive as backwardness or ineptitude on Nintendo's part is actually carefully and deliberately planned and calculated. They have ZERO respect for their consumers, and boy, does this stunt show that off in full Technocolor.
I'm not going to contribute to that greed by supporting this "expansion"; it's a slap in the face to Nintendo's consumers.
Re: Brewster And The Roost Update Detailed In Animal Crossing Direct
Observations from the Direct:
1) Kapp'n!
2) Gardening and cooking!
3) Brewster!
4) Finally an actual reason to go to Harv's Island.
5) Other than the extra storage, where are most of us going to put all of these new items??? Bigger home islands was the only thing missing from these announcements.
6) The Home Designer DLC actually looks worth the price.
7) Switch Online $49.99??? DOUBLE the asking price to add N64 and Sega Genesis games. Seriously Nintendo, a great Direct doesn't let you get by with that level of avarice.
Re: Kapp'n Makes A Return In Animal Crossing: New Horizons Next Month
FINALLY! Been waiting for this guy and his sea shanties!
Re: Poll: What's A Fair Price For The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack?
Whatever the price ends up being, Switch Online simply isn't a good deal for what it offers. And when you consider that Nintendo could make Virtual Console-style permanent purchases available for individual legacy games, they could make more than they get for the price of an annual SO subscription for three or four NES and SNES titles (going by original VC prices), and...so long as those purchases were permanent and tied to user accounts instead of individual systems like before...consumers would be getting better, more tangible value for their money.
Nintendo would be doing their consumers a far better service by focusing on things like bringing their online functionality up to par and finally ditching the archaic friend codes and other stuff.
Re: Poll: What's A Fair Price For The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack?
It's frankly difficult to justify the $19.99 annual subscription as it currently stands; cloud saves support has been uneven at times (even with major first-party titles) and new NES and SNES games come at a trickle. Asking for more for N64 games, let alone Genesis titles readily available for permanent purchases on pretty much every platform including Switch, takes some real brass on Nintendo's part.
Re: Feature: Steven Spohn On Strides In Accessibility For Gaming, And Nintendo's Room For Improvement
Funny how this article comes out the day after I begin playing Metroid: Fusion. Great, atmospheric game, but certainly a case in point for what this guy is saying. Even though I'm an experienced gamer (I've owned pretty much every major console since the Atari 2600 and thousands of games of all genres, and beaten the likes of Super Mario World and Mario 64 with 100 percent completion), I admit that Metroid Dread's controls are pushing the limits of accessibility even for many non-disabled players.
This isn't merely an issue of difficulty, either (and Metroid Dread can be quite a difficult game in many places to begin with). Not only is every single button on the Switch Pro controller utilized (with the ironic exception of the A button, which would seem to be the most natural "main" button for myself and probably many other players in games of this type; I must say I am surprised Nintendo didn't at least include the option for users to customize the controls/button layout to their liking), but there are often situations (using the Omega Beam against EMMIs, for example) where you must press/hold up to THREE buttons simultaneously while also aiming with the left stick. You even need to press the right stick to use the Phantom Cloak because there aren't enough regular buttons to do the job.
I get it; modern games are more complex, and modern controllers have become much more complex to accommodate them. I also realize there is simply no reasonable way to simplify such complex and sometimes convoluted controls to the point where physically disabled gamers can navigate them. FPSes have been this way for years, and while they're extremely popular that complexity combined with skill gaps in multiplayer that are likely insurmountable for new or occasional users (those who don't eat, drink, and breathe those types of games and can one-shot you while moving horizontally through the air) creates a barrier for many players (the recent Halo Infinite preview was a sobering reminder of that fact for me). But we're reaching a point where even some mainline, AAA IPs like Metroid are now reaching a similar UI complexity. They may be necessary to achieve the developers' vision, but when it comes at the cost of many players no longer being able to see that vision play out, is it worth it?
As I've gotten older I've seen my own abilities as a gamer change; like it or not I know my reflexes have slowed a bit. I also suffer from severe clinical anxiety, so playing a title like Metroid Dread, while the exploration and discovery are enjoyable, can be borderline unbearable when having to repeat stuff over and over to succeed. As a result I've found myself gravitating increasingly to genres like turn-based Strategy and JRPG/SRPGs over the years. I still have a desire to experience the likes of Halo, Metroid, and other more intense games, but I generally take them in shorter sessions.
It stinks that some folks aren't able to do that much, that their physical situations won't allow them to enjoy a great hobby that millions of us take for granted. But speaking from personal experience, it's also important to understand that circumstances, health and ability change for every one of us (and that can happen as we age or suddenly), and there will inevitably come a day when you'll realize you've done a given activity for the very last time.
The more complex UIs become, the closer that day gets for every one of us with regard to videogames. Sometimes, less is more.
Re: Poll: Metroid Dread Is Out Today On Switch, Are You Getting It?
It's been fun so far, and as tense as I expected going by the reviews. I do have some gripes, however.
1) The biggest is that navigating on small platforms can feel like controlling a piece of ice on a water-covered surface; it's finnicky and results in way too many unnecessary falls (some of which you can't jump back up from directly).
2) I am also thinking that just maybe Metroid Dread has hit that threshold where so many buttons and complex mechanics are involved that it starts becoming a barrier to many players. Many crucial move sets in Metroid Dread involve the simultaneous use of multiple buttons, especially where using the Omega Beam against EMMIs is concerned...and there's the added complexity of brief windows and aiming to consider there as well. Remember that the original Metroid utilized a two-button NES controller and Super Metroid the SNES one with four face buttons and two shoulder buttons. By comparison modern controllers are labyrinthine, and Metroid Dread uses almost every single one...
3) except for the A button, for whatever reason, which for me personally feels like the most natural button for jumping or primary actions such as shooting. And wouldn't you know that there's not a configurator in sight for users to modify the controls and button layouts to our liking.
I'm not disagreeing that there's a great game here; it's just that seeing flaws and potential design pitfalls literally minutes into it reminds me of all the gushing reviews of BotW, which itself is a fantastic game but which also has many shortcomings that those reviews either overlooked or glossed over (examples: limited enemy types, no true dungeons, no "traditional" Zelda items like the Hookshot, etc.). Like BotW, I figure that hindsight a year or so down the road will prove a bit more scrutinizing than review scores based mostly upon initial impressions.
Re: Metroid Dread: Tips And Tricks For Getting Started
It's been fun so far, and as tense as I expected going by the reviews. I do have some gripes, however.
1) The biggest is that navigating on small platforms can feel like controlling a piece of ice on a water-covered surface; it's finnicky and results in way too many unnecessary falls (some of which you can't jump back up from directly).
2) I am also thinking that just maybe Metroid Dread has hit that threshold where so many buttons and complex mechanics are involved that it starts becoming a barrier to many players. Many crucial move sets in Metroid Dread involve the simultaneous use of multiple buttons, especially where using the Omega Beam against EMMIs is concerned...and there's the added complexity of brief windows and aiming to consider there as well. Remember that the original Metroid utilized a two-button NES controller and Super Metroid the SNES one with four face buttons and two shoulder buttons. By comparison modern controllers are labyrinthine, and Metroid Dread uses almost every single one...
3) except for the A button, for whatever reason, which for me personally feels like the most natural button for jumping or primary actions such as shooting. And wouldn't you know that there's not a configurator in sight for users to modify the controls and button layouts to our liking.
I'm not disagreeing that there's a great game here; it's just that seeing flaws and potential design pitfalls literally minutes into it reminds me of all the gushing reviews of BotW, which itself is a fantastic game but which also has many shortcomings that those reviews either overlooked or glossed over (examples: limited enemy types, no true dungeons, no "traditional" Zelda items like the Hookshot, etc.). Like BotW, I figure that hindsight a year or so down the road will prove a bit more scrutinizing than review scores based mostly upon initial impressions.
Re: The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct Will Air On 15th October
20 minutes is half the length of a typical full-featured Direct, so hopefully whatever Nintendo is going to show will be far more substantial than just Brewster and the Roost. Maybe we'll finally get gardening and other new activities, but those would likely require some changes including larger islands since many of us used up all our real estate long ago.
I any case, we'll know in 9 days.
Re: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Final Fighter Is... Kingdom Hearts' Sora!
So the best thing to come out of today's announcement is that it's the LAST Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC announcement. No more Directs (seldom as we get them) with a quarter of their time taken up by the latest one.
So the obvious question is what's going to fill the void. Hopefully Mario Kart 9 is coming next year, because don't look now, but the Switch is getting longer in the tooth by this point, especially now that Sony and especially Microsoft are starting to get their acts together with the PS5/XBox Series X/S. Mario Party will be a nice multiplayer game for this winter, but unless Nintendo has DLC planned for it (and they've never done so for a MP title so far), they're going to need something BIG for that multiplayer slot in the near future.
Re: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Final Fighter Is... Kingdom Hearts' Sora!
I can understand the selection, and there was never any way SSBU would ever be able to include every fighter everyone wanted to see. But honestly I think the final slot would've been better served by Master Chief from Halo, for two main reasons: 1) where Sora is essentially yet another sword fighter, Master Chief utilizes the complete selection of attack types (he also melees and uses the Energy Sword and Gravity Hammer, though he favors ranged), and 2) it would've been the perfect time for a cross-promotion with Halo Infinite. In short, lots of extra $$$ for both Nintendo and Microsoft this Christmas season probaby just went by the boards.
As others have mentioned, it's also not surprising that it turned out to be a character from the Japanese side of the industry, and yet another from SquareEnix. It probably was easier for Sakurai to coordinate with fellow Japanese publishers, and maybe even more importantly, from their perspective Japan is their home market, after all.
But it is what it is, Not a terrible choice by any means, just not the best IMHO. If only there was just one. more. slot....
Re: Retro Studios Scrapped An "Open-World" Idea For Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
While open world has its potential, Metroid has always aimed at a sort of claustrophobic, tight-quarters, isolated experience. I'm not saying that couldn't be somehow accomplished in an open-world environment, but it would definitely be a challenge to maintain the "feel" of being a Metroid game as opposed to "BotW in space"...and honestly more so than is likely worth the effort trying to achieve for the developers (who already have historically had lengthy development times, delays, and setbacks as it is dating all the way back to the original Metroid Prime). Some formulas are simply best left untampered with.
Re: Konami Competition Tasks Indie Devs With Reviving Its Classic IP
This amounts to zero (or very little) risk for Konami and potentially a lot of time and effort by independent devs that could all end up being for nothing (i.e. risk).
One could argue this is better than nothing and we'll likely get the revival of a "Konami" IP out of it, but is it really true said IP's is simply stamped onto whatever effort wins their contest? Seems that outsourcing non-"core" IPs has become the new norm for multiple Japanese publishers, most notably Sega (Shenmue 3 was a Kickstarter, Panzer Dragoon HD and others recently were outsourced to third parties). Again, maybe it's better than nothing...but as someone who remembers how prolific these once industry-leading giants were back in the day when some were making consoles and others' games (like TMNT: Turtles in Time, Axelay, Castlevania IV, Contra III: The Alien Wars, etc.) were considered some of the very best on their platform, it's kind of heartbreaking to see how far they've fallen.
No other segment of the videogame industry right now could use genuine risk-taking more than the Japanese side of it. At the very least, I'd love for these once-great companies to rediscover the spark that made them household names back then.
Re: Random: The Song In This Metroid Dread Japanese Commercial Is A Certified Banger
Too much rap/hip hop influence there; it feels out of place on several levels, at least to me. With a name like Metroid Dread, and given the theme of being alone on a hostile alien planet where any number of things are stalking you, the music should evoke feelings of tension, claustrophobia, and terror. That's what I felt while playing through Super Metroid; it's still one of the most atmospheric 2D games I've ever played.
Maybe what's there will help sell copies, I dunno; as a previous poster said, they're a different market. But IMHO the music in this ad feels like it should be associated with an entirely different game.
Re: Mario Party Superstars Includes 100 Minigames - Here's The Full List
Given how this Mario Party already draws from the series' earlier boards, it would be great to see DLC with extra boards and minigames. 100 may sound like a lot of minigames, but you will find yourself recycling them at least occasionally even going through the five existing boards the first time around. Of course the caveat is that some minigames were frankly better than others, so sticking with the better, more accessible ones would be the way to go.
I won't be holding my breath for DLC content, however; to date that's never happened for a Mario Party game that I can recall, which is kind of baffling considering how well you'd think this series lends itself to the concept.
Re: Don't Worry, Nintendo Isn't Abandoning Switch Online's SNES And NES Libraries
@PressTurn I did check, and I admit that I was wrong regarding the cloud saves for BotW specifically. However, the reason I said so was because A) when NSO was about to launch a lot of folks were up in arms because the Switch didn't even allow save backups (the BACKUPS ISSUE was where my memory was off) on SD cards or any other means; a subscription to NSO was required in order to prevent your saves from being lost forever because saves, just as online purchases used to be, are tied to a specific system as opposed to a user account (because Nintendo; 'nuff said). Also, up until the launch it WASN'T clear that BotW would be supported, as the example from GameRant.com dated May 9, 2028 states below:
"Players may also be frustrated with the lack of information regarding which games will be available on Cloud Backup and which ones will not. Fans won't want to pay for the service only to learn later that it won't allow them to back up their 100% Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild save to the cloud. Thankfully, as the Nintendo Switch Online Cloud service doesn't launch until September, there is still time for Nintendo to clarify all of this information. But at the moment, it's understandable if some prospective Switch Online subscribers are feeling disappointed."
That said, my point regarding spotty first-party support by Nintendo for cloud saves remains relevant. The aforementioned fan campaign did take place for ACNH, and to this day there's still no support for Splatoon 2.
https://www.resetera.com/threads/nintendo-has-become-the-only-major-console-manufacturer-to-provide-no-free-method-of-back-up-saves.41045/
Re: Don't Worry, Nintendo Isn't Abandoning Switch Online's SNES And NES Libraries
@RiasGremory Making assumptions without any proof? Everything I said is well-documented and readily available for anyone who wishes to do a simple Google search (it also helps when you can simply remember said events or facts as they happened). FACT: BotW and ACNH both weren't going to support cloud saves until fan outrage forced Nintendo to reconsider. FACT: Hamster has released at least one new Arcade title every week since the Switch launched. FACT: XBox's BC program lets you buy legacy games outright without the need for subscriptions to either LIVE or GamePass, for those so inclined; Switch Online does not.
Trolling is when someone attacks a person or entity solely for its own sake, without any regard for submitting provable facts to back up their statements. Most often it's also driven by malice or hate. I don't hate Nintendo; I've supported them and their products to the tune of thousands of dollars since the NES. But I'm not a fanboy, and I will absolutely dish out criticism of corporate decisions where I believe it's justified; the same applies to Microsoft, Sony, or any other company.
These corporations have gotten filthy rich from our support over the years, and anyone with an ounce of objectivity who takes the time to scrutinize their business models and priorities knows full well that, on average, the end consumer is paying more for less than ever before, and they want you to subscribe to "services" instead of buying games (just look at what EULAs have done to consumer rights) because once you own anything they can't gate/control it any longer.
It's Business 101; Corporations are in business to MAKE MONEY, and EVERYTHING they do revolves around that. If you think asking more money for a service with a subpar track record to tack on a couple more 25-30 year old consoles is about more value, then that's what I'm saying is gullible. In any case, let's just say we disagree on the subject.
Re: Two Namco Classics Join Hamster's Arcade Archives This Week
@techdude I'm aware of the Ms. Pac-Man rights situation, but AtGames could profit as well from licensing its use out to Hamster. So I won't give up hope on it out of the gate.
Although licensing rights have definitely become a serious thorn in the side of the hobby. On that point I readily agree.
Re: Two Namco Classics Join Hamster's Arcade Archives This Week
Glad to see Hamster picking up the slack for the lackluster existing Namco Museum Arcade Pac on the Switch. Maybe that means we'll finally get Pole Position and even Ms. Pac-Man. Yes, the $8 asking price per game is steep, but I guess it's better than nothing.
Thanks to Hamster's efforts the Switch has far and away more Arcade coin-ops represented than any console in history.
Even so, there are still some gaping holes remaining to be filled. After multiple generations of having offered collections of their Arcade titles like Joust, Marble Madness, Root Beer Tapper, and Defender, Midway has surprisingly been absent this far. Ditto Sega (Zaxxon, Congo Bongo, Pengo, and their host of later iconic machines ranging from Afterburner and Super Hang-On to Model 2 titles like Daytona USA). Another iconic game from back in the day is Q-Bert by Gottlieb. It would be awesome if Hamster and/or another capable publisher like M2 brought at least some of these to Switch.
Re: Don't Worry, Nintendo Isn't Abandoning Switch Online's SNES And NES Libraries
@RiasGremory Two words: READING COMPREHENSION. I mentioned their services were more expensive in my post. One more word: VALUE. Switch Online is a bad joke even at $19.99 a year; the cloud saves that were the original centerpiece were originally not even going to be implemented for some of Nintendo's own AAA titles, like BotW and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And are you REALLY satisfied with the selection and pacing of the additions to the Switch online game catalogs? Heck, Hamster adds a new Arcade game EVERY SINGLE WEEK; a company the size of Nintendo that isn't doing at least as much with its own legacy titles is doing so out of deliberate choice, not due to lack of ability. And they don't even give you the option to purchase them anymore; XBox does that much, and with HUNDREDS more games.
Don't be that gullible. Nintendo's asking you to pay "only $X more" for games/systems that should already be part of the base subscription because, as PT Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute."
Re: Don't Worry, Nintendo Isn't Abandoning Switch Online's SNES And NES Libraries
Nintendo is insulting their consumers' intelligence by raising the price of an online service that frankly needed more to justify the CURRENT price (of course they call it an "expansion", "tier", or whatever, but there's no amount of spin that can cover how tone deaf it is). Sony and Microsoft must be laughing out loud after seeing that announcement; their respective services may be more expensive, but feature-wise there's no comparison; fans don't have to campaign to get cloud saves support for first-party titles (BotW and ACNH), and they have the option to actually buy and keep legacy games which are tied to their user accounts so they can be carried forward to the next console generation. Nintendo's act of killing the Virtual Console and replacing it with this bad joke of an online service (while staying true to their longtime method of hawking hardware peripherals) isn't just bad form when examined through an objective lens; it's just plain pure, unabashed greed, control, and arrogance.
Re: Don't Worry, Nintendo Isn't Abandoning Switch Online's SNES And NES Libraries
At the rate new additions have been coming, I doubt many folks would be able to tell the difference if Nintendo HAS abandoned them.
Re: Poll: What Did You Think Of Yesterday's Nintendo Direct?
None of the big three new reveals (Kirby, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta) are my personal cup of tea. The silver lining in it, I guess, is that with those IPs out of the way MAYBE Nintendo will finally get to bringing us concrete news on the true heavy hitters like BotW 2, Metroid Prime 4, and Mario Kart 9 in the not-ridiculously-distant future. But by now I've grown accustomed to the games I really want being relegated to some nebulous, far-off release date...if they're ever announced to begin with (and that's not just with Nintendo Directs, but across all industry shows).
The Brewster reveal for ACNH was nice, albeit way too late, and I honestly don't expect Nintendo to do more for the game after that.
What I wouldn't give to have that Shining Force mobile announcement trade places with the Shin Megami Tensei one for the Switch. Sega really has ZERO clue how badly some of their older, truly classic JRPG and SRPG properties are wanted by fans.
Beyond Triangle Strategy the third-party pickings were slim.
Chocobo Racing looked like a PS3 game. Seriously, I made better-looking tracks on ModNation Racers. I honestly can't even remember most of the rest, which should tell you my interest level in any of them.
As I said on another thread, when I first saw Shigeru Miyamoto walk up I was immediately excited by the possibility of a new Mario or Zelda (35th Anniversary?) reveal. But no, he was there to plug a movie. And it's the first time I ever recall wanting him to finish up his spiel and get off the screen.
So we are being asked to pay more to play a trickle of games for two extra systems on Switch Online (a service that Nintendo has supported sporadically and phoned-in at every turn. Remember those fan campaigns to even get BotW and ACNH's saves to be able to be placed on the cloud, which was one of the service's primary selling points to begin with???), one of them already WELL-represented on pretty much every modern platform in existence. And we can buy $50 controllers whose functionality is tied solely to said service, which will no doubt have its plug pulled once Nintendo moves on from the Switch to their next console, realistically 2-4 years away. Hey, those N64 controllers will make superb paperweights.
So yeah, overall I'd have to call the Direct a big swing-and-a-miss, at least for myself personally, I realize there are others who got more things they wanted out of it and are happy, and I don't begrudge them that, but it stinks to watch the show's minutes finish ticking away and realize that, yet again, nothing on my Wish List managed to have its name called.
Re: The Super Mario Movie's Release Date And Cast Are Revealed
I have to say that A) when I saw Shigeru Miyamoto walk up I got very excited, thinking maybe there was a major Mario or Zelda game announcement coming, and that B) when I realized he was there to plug a movie it was the first time I'd ever wanted him to walk away.
Re: There's An Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update Coming Soon, And Brewster's Back
I'm glad we're getting Brewster and hope there's significantly more content besides it in the update, but I won't get my hopes up too high. It has the HEAVY feeling of a sort of apology from Nintendo for vastly underestimating the demand for continual, original content by fans. They got caught with their pants down, pure and simple, and now, 18 months after ACNH's release and almost half of that without a single dose of original DLC, it really does feel too little, too late in some ways. And this DLC will very likely be the last for the game; even if they offered more, it would require a rewriting of entire swaths of its code, from increasing the size of the island (most of us have long since used up every scrap of available real estate) to implementing new characters, events, activities, and items. I don't see them doing that; they've moved on and made the mistake of thinking fans would be as quick to do so, but at least they're giving us Brewster as an olive branch.
If there's any positive to take from this, it's that Nintendo will (hopefully) learn from what went wrong here (while most things went right, a lot DID go wrong with their long-term road map for ACNH) and apply those lessons in their approach to the next iteration of the franchise.
Re: Nintendo Officially Reveals Kirby And The Forgotten Land
@sanderev We each have our own tastes and IPs we would prioritize given the choice. This Direct just whiffed for me personally aside from the ACNH DLC and Triangle Strategy announcements. And like it or not, the Switch's life cycle is creeping well into its latter half. If certain IPs are going to be visited this gen (or avoid Nintendo's habit of holding some of their biggest ones for hybrid cross-gen launches), they'd have to be announced soon, especially given the sort of lead times we've seen with BotW 2 and Metroid Prime 4.
Re: Switch Exclusive Chocobo GP Sure Wants To Be Mario Kart, Doesn't It?
We all want things. And like those of us who were hoping for Mario Kart 9 to be announced during this Direct, we are left disappointed by reality.
Re: Nintendo Is Releasing N64 And Sega Genesis Wireless Controllers
@mystman12 Thanks for the insight. Unfortunately the issue with their future usefulness with Nintendo hardware or software is still absolutely a huge problem. The thing that really chafes about it is that they knew exactly what they were doing in getting rid of the VC and limiting the functionality of these controllers to a service they've scarcely supported and which will no doubt have its plug pulled shortly after they move on to their next console, maybe within 2 to 3 years.
Re: Banjo-Kazooie Is 'Coming Home' To A Nintendo Console Via Switch Online
If they got BK then Perfect Dark is also a logical addition down the road. And if, against all odds, they ever managed to resurrect GoldenEye 007, it might even make Switch Online worth the subscription.
Re: Nintendo Reveals Three More Classic Boards For Mario Party Superstars
I hope Nintendo supports this game with additional boards and minigames over time. I won't be holding my breath on that, though.
Re: Nintendo Officially Reveals Kirby And The Forgotten Land
Nothing against Kirby, but I'd much, MUCH rather have had a Mario Kart 9 announcement.
Re: Splatoon 3 Gets A New Trailer, Story Footage And Has A Crab Mech
The best thing about ending the Direct with Splatoon 3 and Bayonetta is that their fans can finally stop asking for them, and that just MAYBE Nintendo can start focusing on giving the rest of us what we really want next year, namely BotW 2, Metroid Prime 4, and Mario Kart 9, among others. And let's be realistic; those will likely be the Switch's collective swan song for all intents and purposes. While some of the games we already know about look great (Triangle Strategy) and I can't wait to see Brewster in ACNH, for me personally there wasn't a single new, original title that piqued my interest (sorry, just never could get into Kirby). I'd say the Direct was a disappointment but then I learned long ago to temper my expectations where Nintendo is concerned.
Re: Nintendo Is Releasing N64 And Sega Genesis Wireless Controllers
While the N64 controllers in particular look great, here's my concern with this: the Switch is already at least halfway through its expected life cycle, these controllers supposedly ONLY work with Switch Online games, and when the servers go down, these $50 controllers will be relegated to being paperweights. And that's without mentioning the fact that Nintendo is raising the asking price of a service they've already had a proven track record for sporadic and lackluster support for.
This is case in point for why I despise subscription models. Bring back the Virtual Console or at least offer the option to purchase these games permanently AND tie them to our accounts which could be carried forward to the next console...along with the associated controllers. But of course that's another aspect of Nintendo's business practices to date that make such hopes slim at best.
Re: Feature: Our Predictions For The September 2021 Nintendo Direct
@westman98 I know; that's been apparent for some time. Licensing is one of the reasons why the hobby can't have (or in many cases, keep) nice things.
Re: Feature: Our Predictions For The September 2021 Nintendo Direct
@TheWingedAvenger I would fourth it, of course...but the true icing on the cake would be a surprise addition of GoldenEye 007. C'mon, how hard can it be to iron out the licensing issues for the granddaddy of console FPSes?
Re: Feature: Our Predictions For The September 2021 Nintendo Direct
Expect Advance Wars to be a surprise...maybe even runaway...hit this winter. Not because of the campaigns (which are very good having played the originals), but because of the MULTIPLAYER, and if this thing comes with a Map Editor, watch out. I played an under-the-radar...and poorly reviewed because nobody actually tried its INSANE multiplayer...game called Daisenryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics Exceed for the PS2, and we played HUNDREDS of hours, maybe more. It was as addictive as chocolate-chip crack, metaphorically speaking. In fact, some of us STILL come back to it.
While Daisenryaku's real life nations and hundreds (between 400 and 1500+ depending on which iteration you're playing) of real air, land, and naval units which interact with realistic algorithms admittedly run rings around Advance Wars' rock/paper/scissors approach to mechanics where units of the same type are always equal (a squad of M2 Abrams will wipe the floor with old T-72s, and units like Patriots, SP-300s, and AEGIS-equipped ships like the Ticonderoga-class can help keep the skies clear for your own air and ground units to move safely), even having an entry-level tactical offering like Advance Wars could easily create that same "itch" for countless players for more of the same, and with more depth and variety.
Oh yeah, and Daisenryaku games come with fully-fledged Map Editors (the PC iterations even allow you to tweak the rules down to the last detail, up to 8 players in any combination of teams, human vs. AI, or every player for themselves). Two words: Endless replayability.
Of course we'll see; folks have to be willing to give something new and different from the IPs/genres they're used to buying a chance first, and that's always the biggest hurdle. I hope they do, though; not only do I think they'll love it, but variety is healthy for the entire hobby.
Re: Feature: Our Predictions For The September 2021 Nintendo Direct
Some thoughts:
1) The best thing about a final Smash Ultimate DLC reveal is that we finally won't have to see a quarter of future Directs taken up by those segments.
2) I'd love more genuine ACNH content, even a full-on, paid expansion that increases the size of your island, allows more villagers, and introduces more beloved characters like Brewster and Kapp'n. I'm tempering my expectations though, as with everything else on this list.
3) Still holding out SLIGHT hope for a Zelda 35th Anniversary compilation and/or a Super Mario Galaxy 2 remaster announcement.
4) While I'm generally sick of Wii U ports, I honestly would make an exception for the game I played more than any other on the system: Xenoblade Chronicles X.
5) Some of my personal Wish List for announcements we likely won't see:
A) Any JRPG IP by Sega
B) A TimeSplitters reveal by THQ Nordic
C) Mario Kart 9
Re: Poll: Do You Call Handhelds Like Game Boy And Nintendo DS 'Consoles'?
My personal definitions:
Console: A system dedicated to playing videogames that utilizes your television as its display.
Portable: A handheld gaming device that can be taken on the go.
Mobile: 99.9999% trash to be avoided at all costs. Also unregulated or restricted by traditional point-of-purchase business models that have so far...mostly...kept the first two categories from dissolving into pay-to-win or other self-destructive approaches (although the likes of EA, Activision, and the console manufacturers themselves have constantly been pushing against them since online functionality went mainstream).
Re: Next Nintendo Direct To Air Tomorrow, 23rd September 2021
@Tandy255 Double Dash is perhaps the ugly duckling of the Mario Kart series. Great game, sure, but critically flawed by design. Picking out two drivers and swapping them throughout the race was a novel concept at the time, but let's be honest: whichever player got Koopa Paratroopa and his Red Shells had a downright unfair advantage in multiplayer. And because specific items being tied to each character was the whole selling point of Double Dash, I highly doubt Nintendo will ever go with that mechanic again; it's simply far too limiting.
For what it's worth, I wouldn't mind for them to seriously tweak the rubber-banding and the ratio of items that players get, especially those in 1st place. Making those ratios and items selectable within the menu (specifically multiplayer) would go a long way toward improving one of the series' few weak points.
Re: Nintendo Direct To Air Tomorrow, 23rd September
Some thoughts/predictions:
1) It's put up or shut up time as far as Nintendo's earlier pledge to bring more "significant" DLC to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
2) Their last fall/late summer Direct was when they announced all the Mario 35th Anniversary stuff. If a true Zelda 35th Anniversary campaign is going to happen at all, it will be announced here.
3) There will likely be the obligatory (and supposedly final) DLC character for Smash Bros. Ultimate that takes up several minutes of the Direct while we watch them tick away in agony. Most previous DLC characters have leaned toward either first-party or from Japanese developers, but given the timing (and opportunity for cross-marketing), perhaps a collaboration with Microsoft to bring Halo's Master Chief will finally be realized with Infinite's launch coming up?
4) Switch STILL needs a true tentpole game for this Christmas season (Metroid Dread notwithstanding). While I'm not holding my breath, a Mario Kart 9 announcement would absolutely qualify as a megaton, systems-moving one, and it would also fill a definite need for A) a new Switch multiplayer title to B) take up the mantle following Smash Bros. Ultimate's mothballing.
5) We'll MAYBE get another snippet of information and/or footage of BotW 2. As for its actual title, I suspect that won't happen until next year, possibly E3 (I wouldn't be at all surprised to see its release window slide further back).
6) The next Mario Golf DLC announcement is fairly likely.
7) The odds of a Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, or other Sega JRPG announcement or a compilation of Saturn/Dreamcast/Arcade titles is, as always, highly wished for by fans and practically guaranteed not to happen. But hey, they'll probably regale us by taking time out of the Direct for the new Monkey Ball game we've already seen.
8) Metroid Prime 4? Maybe next year. Ditto for everyone hoping for a new Star Fox, Wave Race, F-Zero, etc..
9) A N64 Switch Online reveal (along with a subscription price increase announcement) seems foregone at this point. Shame those games are being wasted on a service that's an afterthought to Nintendo themselves when fans would readily buy them.
Hope springs eternal, but by now we should all know the drill. Keep those expectations tempered.
Re: Mario Kart Tour Launches Event To Celebrate Its 2nd Anniversary
Anyone who says that mobile games haven't contributed to a steep decline in original console game development is kidding themselves. Look at the sheer number of Wii U ports and long gaps between first-party releases on the Switch that coincides directly with their delving into the mobile arena. You betcha it could've used a Mario Kart 9, among other things, some time ago already, just as it could've used a true "AAA" tentpole release for this Christmas season (as good as it may end up being, Metroid Dread just doesn't have that vibe of a "system mover" for me). And Sega, Square, and other publishers are taking long-requested IPs (Shining Force is a HUGE example) and original projects to mobiles as well. Go ahead, try and find anyone who was pleased to hear that either SF or the upcoming new JRPG by Sega was announced for mobiles as opposed to consoles, including the Switch. It was a slap in the face (the latest of MANY).
Mobile games may be good for the industry (i.e. make lots of $$$), but they're absolutely bad for console gamers and the hobby we've loved and supported for decades, and that's without even mentioning the pay-to-win/progress and other abominable business models associated with them. If you love your consoles and want major publishers placing proper focus on supporting them you will NOT support mobile games. Of course, that's your call, but for me personally, I stay clear of them out of principle.
Re: Atlus Reveals New Details About Persona's 25th Anniversary Celebrations
I get that Persona is popular, but personally I would be far more stoked by a sequel to or even a remaster of 3D Dot Game Heroes. Way too many companies are circling the wagons around 1-3 popular IPs instead of taking original risks or revisiting deserving ones from their past, and it's quietly strangling the innovation and variety the major players of the industry used to be known for.
Re: Baldo Gets A Second Switch Hotfix, Resolves All "Known" Bugs And Glitches
I could honestly live with the high difficulty if the UI itself wasn't pitching in constantly to get you killed. Having to COMPLETELY STOP in order to select and use secondary/healing items in situations where repeated split-second reactions are required and the spaces you're fighting in are often restrictive and/or choked with junk that Baldo tends to get hung up on is frankly infuriating and unfair. The Spider Boss in Secova Prison was where I called it quits after wasting probably 10 hours exploring and gathering items I hoped might be easier to use than the stupid, makes-you-walk-at-a-snail's-pace Flame. None of them worked. I stopped playing two weeks ago and haven't looked back. Bug fixes can't address Baldo's worst problems because they're design-based. In the end, the rewards, such as they are, aren't worth the effort and frustration, at least for me personally.