Well Mr. Naka, Sega leaving the hardware business has made most of its fans perpetually just sad. At least Sonic fans regularly get their fix on various platforms, but for those of us who loved most of Sega's other amazing IPs like Shining Force, Shinobi, Phantasy Star, Dragon Force, Skies of Arcadia, and countless others including a huge catalog of some of the most iconic Arcade coin-ops ever made, we haven't gotten much of anything, period. Two decades of Sonic, Yakuza, a bunch of Genesis compilations, and a smattering of other IPs (by far the best of which has been Valkyria Chronicles, IMHO)...and a mountain of others left completely untouched.
No videogame company has done less with more over the past two decades than Sega. And as long as Sonic remains its myopic focus (as evidenced by the sheer proportion of announcements and media coverage year in and year out), it will continue to be a has-been developer.
Xenoblade Chronicles X was my personal introduction to the franchise (sadly, also the only iteration so far never brought to the Switch), and I played well over 200 hours. It felt like a (much) bigger, more epic, and better take on Phantasy Star Online, which I also loved back in the day. I own both XC 1 and 2, but I'll be honest: neither has held my attention for more than a few hours. There's just a disconnect there between the over-the-top accents and the fact that so many environments...even the hubs...seem way too oversized, spread out, and convoluted simply for the sake of being big. Battle mechanics are often clunky, and I don't like babysitting AI-controlled party members who tend to get themselves killed (one reason I've always preferred turn-based RPGs overall). Oh, and I absolutely HATE all the endlessly repetitive shouts and phrases every time you are in battle. Great-looking games with huge worlds to explore, but they're held back by some very basic design, mechanics, and audio choices. I think that as a series Xenoblade is overrated.
This one lost me as soon as I realized it was another "Warriors" spin-off as opposed to a proper Fire Emblem game. I realize the Warriors titles have their fans, but I'm just not one of them.
@Bolt_Strike I readily agree with regards to new tracks and original content, but it is what it is; I'll happily take 48 retro courses...most of which A) I haven't played on in years or decades and B) which will likely have been visually overhauled or embellished in some way (example: Luigi Raceway) over the same situation we've had for four years now: a game already ported from the Wii U that Nintendo hadn't supported with a drop of new content whatsoever.
If indeed the Switch is only "halfway through" its life cycle as Nintendo claims, then the possibility certainly still exists that we'll see a new and original Mario Kart release before it rides off into the sunset. If and when that happens you can bet my pre-order will be up immediately. But for now, let's just do our best to enjoy and appreciate the new lease on life that MK8's been given.
To be honest I expected this to be a MK9 announcement; yes, MK8 Deluxe is Switch's bestselling game and still regularly leads the weekly sales figures, but it hadn't had a shred of new content since being ported from the Wii U four years ago. I've followed the industry closely since the Atari 2600 days and quite frankly games going that long without new DLC or expansions and then suddenly getting such support is pretty much unheard of. As others have stated here, the game had grown stale long ago and a lot of us haven't touched it in quite awhile.
That said, I am completely happy to have been wrong in this case. The bottom line is that we're finally getting what many/most of us have wanted ever since MK8 Deluxe debuted on Switch: more new content to play. It doesn't matter much to me whether it's a brand new MK9 or 48 additional tracks for MK8; the end result is the same.
Whether this means we won't see an entry of the Mario Kart franchise native to/originating on Switch (which would mark the first time that's happened on a Nintendo platform since the N64) is anyone's guess. But this announcement was hands down my favorite of the Direct, and I already have the Pass pre-ordered.
@NintendoEternity I never advocated for piracy here or anywhere else. I legally purchase my games and movies, and over the decades have probably invested far more money and time into this hobby than you ever will. You would do well not to make baseless presumptions or accusations simply because someone voices a differing viewpoint. If you blindly cheer for Big Corporate and their practices without so much as an iota of critical thinking, then you are what Square Enix's President recently described as "those who play to contribute". P.T. Barnum had another term for such folks: suckers.
@AugustusOxy Where on Earth do you get $10 from? The SO base price is $19.99 US, with the "Expansion" it's $49.99 per year. Now you're entitled to invest in whatever you feel is a just and reasonable price, but IMHO asking more than double for a smattering of unevenly emulated N64 games as well as Genesis games you can OWN via any number of superior compilations on any platform at less than a single year's expansion subscription price...now THAT'S insane.
I get that subscriptions are all the rage right now, and if they work for you then have at 'em. But from a corporate perspective, as with pretty much every trend the industry has pushed for the past half-decade in particular, subscription models are about one thing: eliminating consumer rights of ownership and control after the original point of sale. Full stop. And even though it may not appeal to you personally, the ability to purchase games, including legacy titles, is still very important to a lot of us.
Word of advice: don't count on Nintendo or the rest of the industry to act in your best interests or those of the hobby if they see an angle where they can profit more from (one tiny example: NFTs). These guys are NOT your friends.
Nintendo should serve time for the asking price of the SO "Expansion Pack". If they put half the effort into making their legacy games available (for actual, permanent purchases tied to their accounts) that they do in litigation against pirates and emulator sites, this would be much less of an issue.
Hmm, if only these companies were equally as interested in preserving GAMES. You know, the things the hobby is actually about but which quietly seem to be pushed ever further to the periphery by these CEOs and shareholders. All the rhetoric and spin-doctoring in the world can't hide their priorities, nor the fact they see their consumers simply as gullible morons to exploit.
It's gonna bite the industry HARD before all is said and done. Mark it down.
Don't say it too loud, but Wii U had actual must-have exclusive first-party games after a year; where are all those big launch titles for the PS5? Are we counting the second year after a console release as part of the launch window now?
I say this as a longtime hobbyist who owns a Switch, an XBox Series X, and a PS5, so there's no fanboy bias where my statement is coming from: there's a reason I couldn't care less about hardware sales figures. Show me GAMES I want to play. So far, quite frankly, Sony is going to have to play some serious catch-up on that front this console generation (Horizon Forbidden West is a start, but one game just ain't gonna cut it on its own, guys) .
There are aesthetic choices and there are straight-up poor visuals. IMHO this fits firmly into the latter category, especially given the resources at the disposal of the developer here as well as the capabilities of current hardware. I have enjoyed many games from previous generations whose graphics were subpar but offset by strengths in other areas, particularly gameplay. But we're not playing games on those old systems anymore; there are certain expectations of modern games, especially those of first-party affiliation.
It's one thing to ask whether/how much visuals matter in your games; it's another to give developers and publishers a pass when they don't put forth their best effort in that area just because you enjoy the other aspects of the game. A disturbing trend as of late has seen developers getting away with rushed, incomplete releases (key example: 343 and Halo Infinite) and still being rewarded with glowing reviews and heaps of sales. I'm not saying not to appreciate the good that's in there; just remember that it's also okay to lay out criticisms and ask for changes when it's appropriate as well. We pay a lot of money for these games, and if we don't speak up we're only going to see this great hobby continue to see diminishing returns for the end user.
It seems that if you love anything associated with Sega that isn't either Sonic or Yakuza, you likely haven't seen a new installment of it in years or decades and/or what little is left just keeps vanishing. Easily the most frustrating company in the industry to me as a hobbyist; so much history and so many beloved IPs just left to rot. Maybe "playing it safe" will keep the Sega brand alive for awhile longer, but for all intents and purposes the Sega that many of us fell in love with back in their heyday is dead already.
"To the next level", blah blah. And of course, it's all about Sonic. ALWAYS. Meanwhile those of us who remember the prolific Sega from the 1990s and early 2000s would settle simply for a return of Sega themselves to a fraction of what they used to be as a publisher. Every genre under the sun, some of the greatest RPGs and SRPGs ever made, and an Arcade catalog that was second to none. Where are those in-house projects for your OTHER IPs that you said were coming, guys? We'll be lucky to even have them handed off to some no-name third-party developer so that this has-been company can focus solely on their has-been mascot.
It's on my "To Get" list but that asking price is too steep, honestly. Shmups just aren't a genre known for length, and one of my personal ways of setting the value for a game is hours played per dollar spent. I'll wait until it goes on sale...preferably at a 50% or higher discount.
Sonic, always Sonic. Meanwhile those of us who remember the sheer variety Sega was once renowned for and loved the amazing RPGs and SRPGs like (old school offline) Phantasy Star, Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Force, and Panzer Dragoon Saga haven't seen a sequel or remaster to these in decades. Sega can't even be bothered to release a nice compilation of their iconic Arcade machines from the 80s and 90s and unceremoniously shut down the excellent ages line on the Switch. If they at least tried listening and gave us more of the franchises some of us REALLY want, then just maybe I wouldn't have such a degree of ambivalence toward Sonic or their own has-been company.
XBox is still the only platform where you can legally and permanently PURCHASE Banjo-Kazooie (via the Rare Replay collection). That entire collection...which includes ALL THREE Banjo-Kazooie titles, by the way...is roughly half the price of one year's subscription to Switch Online's "Expansion Pass". Nintendo wants you to pay $50 a year just to access a game you'll never own.
Already had this on the N64 and own it and all its sequels via the Rare Replay Collection on XBox Series X. Microsoft does what Nintendon't (namely offer their legacy games for permanent sale tied to cross-generational user accounts).
And the asking price for that "Expansion Pack" is still an insult IMHO; I'll never bother with it.
This move was all about buying while the stock (and likely the asking price) was nice and low given Activision/Blizzard's recent internal troubles. The upside is certainly there from a business angle.
@msvt On the SNES at least your character was shooting in the direction you were facing/walking. I don't know if this iteration will be different, though.
A gem that most folks didn't play on the SNES (I was fortunate enough to get both Pocky & Rocky as well as its sequel, Pocky & Rocky 2). Old school HARD, but the aesthetics and music are brilliant. Very glad to see this one finally get a firm release date; consider it purchased!
I think it's very likely that this is indeed the "new twist". The DLC characters, karts, and courses for MK8 were hugely popular and well-received; Nintendo knows full well there's an immense opportunity here. Even the rumored "Mario Kart: Crossroads" title would be fitting if the franchise expanded to include more Nintendo (and maybe even third-party, per Smash) IPs.
While I lean toward a 2022 release, it also wouldn't surprise me at all if Nintendo announced the long-rumored successor to the Switch this year and the game ends up being yet another "hybrid launch" with a version for both consoles. They did it with Twilight Princess (GameCube/Wii) and even BotW (Wii U/Switch), so there's a historical precedent, for certain.
@Roz1281 I won't deny that's a possibility, but Sega already did the whole land/sea/air "kart" concept in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed. I'm not sure Nintendo would choose to venture so closely into copy/paste territory for one of its premier IPs. However, it would be another way that the supposed "Crossroads" title would fit in a descriptive sense. We'll see, I guess.
I saw this rumor pop up elsewhere online, and it mentioned that the actual title is supposedly "Mario Kart: Crossroads".
While of course I take ANY rumors I read online with a huge grain of salt, if there's any truth to this then the title could perhaps be a clue to the "twist" spoken of. My personal guess is that the "Crossroads" will expand on the DLC concept introduced in MK8, with characters and courses from other Nintendo (and who knows, perhaps even third-party) franchises. Such a moniker would be appropriate if in fact the MK series uses this point to jump off into Smash-style inclusion of other IPs.
The biggest and most existential problem facing videogames as a hobby is the fact that all too often the desires of gamers and stockholders are at diametric odds. It's been a growing issue with regard to developers playing it "safe" and regurgitating the same tired "AAA" IPs every single year, with 90 percent of games at shows like E3 looking, sounding, and playing alike (FPSes, zombies, post-apocalypse, ultra-violence, etc.) for years already. Likewise online was always a Trojan horse for (especially larger) publishers to create ways to further monetize, control, and gate players' experiences after the original point-of-sale. Now it's pushing its way into business models that are in no way, shape, or form about benefiting gamers or the hobby anymore, but pushing the envelope to see how much they can be exploited and convinced to pay more for less at the point-of-sale (now we're getting glorified betas and unfinished games...hello 343 and Halo Infinite...with increasing regularity). NFTs are just the latest "fad" that these corporations are swooning over that (even by their own admission, per the letter by Square Enix's President) those of us who love the hobby and play games to have fun have ZERO interest in.
A word of warning to the videogame industry: no corporation or industry is ever too big and powerful to end up destroying itself if it alienates its consumer base enough. Stray too far from the mission statements and passion that drove your company initially and drew the fan bases that grew it to where it is now, and you will see those consumers...and the creators whose passion and creativity no longer line up with your priorities...leave you behind just as you're apparently willing to do to us.
Needs more Mario Kart 9. Yes, folks, eight years (2014) is MORE THAN a sufficient gap, MK8's sales figures (which, let's be honest, are helped by there not being any alternative) notwithstanding. IT'S TIME, NINTENDO.
So he openly admits that the majority of gamers "have reservations" regarding (i.e. strongly oppose) the stuff he's proposing, but then claims the people who " play to contribute" (i.e. say "Shut up and take my money" no matter how incomplete, how glitch and bug-ridden a game might be, no matter how greedy and control/gating after the point-of-sale the business models become) are "worth exploring" (i.e. going to be their priority going forward). NFTs are just one more facet among the many that the mega-publishers are seeking to profit from after the sale; it's NEVER about value for the consumer anymore. Even by corporate-speak standards this amounts to pissing on the consumers who've made his company filthy rich and calling it rain. It shows the sheer level of hubris the industry has come to have when they're telling us to our face they know what we want, but they will dictate what we get because they believe we'll keep paying for it anyway.
Letting greed and control after the original point-of-sale guide your business models as opposed to genuine passion and creating the best game experiences for players (along with actual value) is precisely what will alienate your consumer base. Releasing unfinished/incomplete games (343/Halo Infinite) because you've found alternative means of monetizing them may make you extra $$$ off of some people, but others (like myself) WILL call you out for it and some will even begin to walk away. Right now the industry's business models and lazy, sloppy practices (like releasing glorified betas instead of waiting until they are READY) are pushing steadily toward ruining the hobby itself, and it's because they think that gamers will all just roll over and continue forking out money because we "don't have a choice/don't really care either way". But they forget that there are plenty of other entertainment options out there, and that some of us can and will actually draw the line at some point and say, "NO MORE".
Individually we may not make any difference to these mega-corporations, but we still can each make our own individual choices and vote with our wallets. And if enough consumers do so (as opposed to voicing futile rants in social media or just rolling over and continue giving them money) and draw a line that begins impacting the one thing they care about (their bottom line), we can effect change and, at least to a degree, take this great hobby back.
I'm all in on the first four games on that list; I would have been far more interested in Firaxis' Marvel title had they utilized its entire roster as opposed to just some "dark" motif.
I do have a personal wish list of three (technically four) specific games/IPs I would love to see added to the Switch lineup:
1) Shining Force III Remaster: 190 hours' worth of one of Sega's Top Three best-ever RPG/SRPGs, with three interlocking Scenarios, three full armies, and absolutely EPIC battles toward the end of the final Scenario.
2) Daisenryaku: This series, little known in the West outside of Iron Storm (Saturn), Daisenryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics Exceed (XBox, PS2), and Daisenryaku Perfect 4.0 (PC/Steam) covers either WWII or Modern-era. It's known for its encyclopedic rosters of real-life units corresponding to dozens of nations, each with realistic algorithms that determine battle outcomes (it transcends Advance Wars' rock/paper/scissors mechanics because Tank does NOT equal Tank here; a group of M1A2 Abrams will wipe the floor with T-72s, for instance). Its true hidden gem is the incredible multiplayer, with up to 4 players on console and up to 8 on the PC, in any combination of human and AI and/or teams. I've personally played countless hundreds of hours of this series with friends locally; do yourself a favor and DON'T sleep on this if a Switch iteration ever gets localized.
3) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn: This was the story arc that introduced me to the series, and still stands as my personal favorite. Combining the two into a single, two-part storyline would make for great fan service by Nintendo.
@Richardwebb That's why both Link and Master Chief work so well as protagonists. In Link's case, his words are open to your own interpretation and imagination, and with Chief, it could be ANYONE underneath that helmet. In a sense, mute/faceless characters are far easier for the player to make an extension of themselves, and in turn identify with.
As fantastic a game as it is, BotW really missed a lot of crucial elements that have always been associated with The Legend of Zelda.
1) As the article stated, the lack of proper dungeons (especially in an overworld that vast) was a HUGE missed opportunity. The shrines were all bite-sized puzzles, often clever and/or challenging in their own ways, but even 100-plus of them could never replace the sheer atmosphere, theming, and satisfaction of overcoming one of the water temples that have always been a series staple, just for one example.
Heck, did anyone else notice how few actual caves were even present in BotW? It was a glaring topographic omission and would have offered innumerable additional opportunities for exploration/loot/combat.
2) The enemy variety took a massive hit. The Bokoblin bases were fun to clear out and they could offer up some decent coordination to challenge you, but otherwise that huge world feels strangely empty. Where are Like-Likes, Stalfos, Darknuts, Tektites, and so many other classic Zelda foes in BotW? Are they all extinct? Ditto the Bosses of what used to be the respective dungeons; I missed the variety and epicness of those.
3) I recall somewhere reading that the developers decided that iconic items like the Hookshot would "break" the game, but I really missed them because they're so ubiquitous in Zelda titles.
4) Breakable weapons may have sounded good on paper, but they're NOT. When even the legendary weapons you got from the Champions can/will break and be lost forever, they ended up hanging at Link's house, essentially useless because I didn't want to just lose them. BotW was the first Zelda game where coming across a treasure chest really felt inconsequential; the anticipation and genuine reward just weren't there anymore.
5) As previous posters have stated, I did miss the iconic music, such as the Overworld Theme associated with Zelda since the NES. Right out of the gate the developers explained that their reasoning was in the title itself: "Breath of the Wild", and that it necessitated muted scores in favor of the sounds of nature and the environments. The result was great as far as nailing what they were going for. But it just didn't sound much like Zelda.
The biggest question surrounding BotW 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) is whether it might reintroduce some/all of these elements. That nifty trick in the trailer where Link emerges like water through a crack onto a floating island may indicate the return of special items, at least.
BotW will always be a legendary game. But it's still far from perfect, and in many ways, it honestly doesn't feel like Zelda.
Maybe 2022 is when Nintendo will finally get around to releasing Mario Kart 9 for the Switch. Maybe MK8 still sells like hotcakes (and maybe that's because, you know, Switch Owners don't have any alternative) and this mobile game may have made them lots of $$$, but I frankly couldn't care less. I have MK8 for Switch but had essentially already done all there was to do with it and its DLC back on the Wii U. 2014, PEOPLE; THAT GAME IS EIGHT YEARS OLD NOW. TIME FOR A PROPER NEW INSTALLMENT. And as for mobile games, I ignore them regardless of franchise or publisher because A) my preferred platform of choice is still CONSOLES and B) because mobile games will always be associated with cash grab, avarice-fueled business model-driven shells of what REAL games are supposed to be.
MK Live has become, in a way, like Nintendo's equivalent of Sonic. Sure, it has its fans and makes money for its publisher, but for many of us it represents what's IN THE WAY of our getting what we REALLY WANT.
@Poodlestargenerica No offense taken. Everyone has different tastes and opinions, and folks can love the same game for different reasons. As you said, it's what "clicks" for you personally.
Chrono Trigger is definitely a fantastic RPG, but there are plenty of other contenders for the "Best Ever" crown, and it's subject to each individual gamer's personal opinion and experience. I have a list of candidates of my own, in no particular order:
A) Final Fantasy III (VI) SNES
B) Final Fantasy II (IV) SNES
C) LUNAR: Silver Star Story Sega CD, PSX
D) LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Sega CD, PSX
E) Skies of Arcadia Dreamcast, GameCube
F) Panzer Dragoon Saga Saturn
G) Final Fantasy VII PSX
H) Phantasy Star 1-IV Master System, Genesis
I) Magic Knight RayEarth Saturn
J) Dragon Quest XI PS4
K) Tales of Arise PS4, PS5, XBox One, XBox Series X
L) Final Fantasy IX PSX
M) Super Mario RPG SNES
N) The Trails Series (Trails in the Sky, Trails from Zero/Azure, Trails of Cold Steel) PC/Steam, PSP, PS3, PS4, Switch
O) Lufia and the Fortress of Doom SNES
P) Lufia 2 SNES
Q) Suikoden PSX
R) Suikoden II PSX
S) Suikoden III PS2
SPECIAL MENTIONS: SRPGs
A) Shining Force I -III Genesis, Sega CD, Saturn
B) Vandal Hearts PSX
C) Dragon Force Saturn
D) Valkyria Chronicles PS3, PS4, XBox One, Switch
E) Valkyria Chronicles 4 PS4, XBox One, Switch
F) Final Fantasy Tactics PSX, PSP
I'm sure there are plenty of titles/franchises I missed here, but these immediately came to mind for the amazing memories I have from them. Please feel free to add your own below.
Mobile games may make money hand over fist, but for me personally, the instant I hear the word associated with any project I immediately lose interest. I don't care who the publisher is or what the IP may be.
I will NEVER waste money on that so-called "Expansion pack". Not only is the asking price ridiculous at more than the base subscription itself, but the emulation is substandard and, predictably, it's apparently getting the same spotty games support Nintendo had shown for the NES and SNES catalogs. It ranks right up there with mobile games as far as stuff I have ZERO interest in ever supporting, primarily because they are both prime examples of modern corporate greed and absurd business models. Make games available for actual purchase or don't bother. PERIOD.
Sega can make all the Sonic and Yakuza games they can churn out, but I personally couldn't care less. Until they start releasing remasters or new installments of classic IPs like Shining Force (SF III would be an instant buy for me), Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Force, and more of their iconic Arcade coin-ops, they're a has-been developer trotting out the same tired stuff. And all the titles they foisted off onto third parties and Kickstarters over the past 2-3 years don't count, by the way (although I guess if that was the only way to get the IPs I actually care about, it would be better than nothing,
which is what we have now).
Look, anyone who'd followed Switch Online since its inception and saw that asking price for the "expansion pack" should have known good and well to stay far, FAR away. NES and SNES games had come at a trickle for over a year, and the cloud saves that were the real selling point of the whole thing had seen some spotty effort (fans had to campaign for Animal Crossing: New Horizons to get cloud saves). Then they asked for MORE THAN DOUBLE the base subscription price for a couple dozen 30 year-old, poorly emulated titles (half of them for the Genesis, whose library is easily and permanently purchasable on every current platform available), and a lot of people replied by saying, "Take my money NOW!"
Well, Nintendo's got your money now; they never made any promises regarding regular, specific updates or improvements and they have absolutely no incentive to do so. When consumers finally learn the lesson to start voting with their wallets and saying "NO" to corporate greed instead of enabling and rolling over and accepting it, THEN things will begin to change for the better. If you made the mistake of trusting Nintendo to fulfill promises they never made, let alone intended to keep, for an "upgrade" that history clearly showed was going to be treated the same way as the base subscription, then let the sting of this lesson burn in well so you never repeat it.
It could be BotW2, but thanks to all the COVID delays that set development back on major releases across the entire industry (think how XBOX Series X is just now seeing its first wave of true blockbuster exclusives hit after a full year and the PS5 is still waiting on its first with Horizon Forbidden West), it could be any number of other projects as well. Even some Indie projects like the Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC have been in the works about that long.
Maybe if Nintendo hadn't allowed anyone and everyone to put thousands of garbage games that aren't worthy of an app store or Steam listing on the eShop, there would be a semblance of navigability. The eShop makes the Wii's infamous mountain of shovelware look like an anthill. Both this and their lack of interest in refining the eShop's menus mirrors their approach to online functionality this generation, including the absurd price spike for the recent SO "expansion".
It's a good thing that Nintendo at least still makes (mostly) great videogames, because their approach toward their customers and their once-touted "Nintendo Seal of Quality" with regard to expectations from third parties all got flushed down the toilet when the new guard came in. They've become far less likeable as a company than they were in the days of Iwata and Reggie.
Whatever it is, I hope it includes full backwards compatibility for all digital purchases made on the Switch (physical compatibility is probably asking too much here). I also hope Nintendo implements a PROPER legacy BC program along the lines of what Microsoft has done, and NO, I DON'T mean anything tied to subscriptions, but permanent, straightforward purchases tied to our user accounts.
History says it won't happen because Nintendo loves to force consumers to double-dip (and more) whenever they can, and now that their test run with that absurdly priced expansion pack for Switch Online actually got some people to bite, who knows what sort of extortion they'll come up with for its successor (and I do mean successor; I fully expect them to abandon SO and leave those who put money into it high and dry in fairly short order once that happens).
This ain't your daddy's Nintendo anymore, folks. The days of wild and unbridled positive expectations are long gone. Those of us who've been around since the NES days can tell you the new guard at their corporate headquarters isn't as fan-friendly as the folks who made them a household name. Their actions and priorities as of late should tell you that they don't feel it's necessary anymore.
1) I love the fact they finally gave us some additional rides and attractions to go with that teacups ride. I liked having to squeeze all of it into the sparse remaining free space on my island less so.
Considering all the new items and content (and some of it is LARGE), ACNH really could have used that rumored ability to enlarge players' home islands. I realize this is why some folks are considering starting over from scratch (my humble advice: DON'T, because some of that stuff, such as Blue Roses or completing museum exhibits, takes an insane amount of time and effort to acquire or unlock, and all that has to be done all over again when you reboot your island), but I can assure you there's more stuff now to place on your island than there is sufficient space to do so, at the very least while still looking good and allowing for comfortable movement around your island. Looking at my own right now I can say with confidence it could absolutely use being at least one-third larger. That's both a testament to the sheer amount of stuff in the game to collect as well as a ceiling that those of us who are "completists" will inevitably hit hard and painfully.
2) The Happy Home Paradise DLC is so far fun, but the jury is out as to its long-term replayability. I've completed a few jobs, and much like Harv's Island (back when probably no one ever had a reason to visit it outside of those wedding season collectibles and character posters), placing items around a yard or a house interior gets repetitive in a hurry. I'll wait and see how unlocking the buildings on Paradise Planning's home island shakes out before rendering a final verdict, though. With any luck it could be the closest thing we'll get to actually having a second island to build on and flesh out.
Or you can simply purchase the ACNH DLC outright for half the price of said expansion pack and actually get to keep it and access to it "forever" instead of for a single year along with a bunch of poorly emulated N64 games and Genesis games you'd also already have permanently on any given platform. Articles like this can try all day to spin this fiasco by Nintendo, but the bottom line reminds me of a rather crude but applicable saying: "You can't polish a t--d".
I've already spent LOTS of hours preparing my island (and completing my museum's fish and bug exhibits; the fossil one was done long ago and I still have a ways to go with art) as well as storing up Bells and Nook Miles. I admit that I'm disappointed that there will be no more content offered down the line for ACNH, but I plan to make the most out of this expansion and enjoy what's there.
I do believe that Nintendo grossly underestimated the demand not just for Animal Crossing (let alone in a year where people were locked down and needed exactly this kind of time-sink game to entertain themselves), but both the demand and expectations for continual additional content for it (whether everyone does it and whether Nintendo likes the practice or not, a LOT of folks time-travel in order to quickly fill out their towns in these games, myself included). Whether the lessons learned from ACNH might influence how they handle any future games in the series is hard to say (they're Nintendo; their actions often frankly don't make sense on multiple levels), but the success of ACNH pretty much makes said games a given.
Maybe next time Nintendo plans to more than double the price of an already lackluster online service they'll actually put some modicum of effort into the quality their consumers get for "upgrading". Then again, why would they when so many of those consumers shout, "Take my money" before it even goes online? And guess what? Now that they have your money, there are no take-backs over buyer's remorse.
"There's a sucker born every minute." — P.T. Barnum
What, did the folks who somehow thought the "expansion" was a good deal also think it would come with any sort of measurable improvements over the shoddy features and support that aren't just a hallmark of SO, but Nintendo's entire history with online functionality? Say it ain't so!
But hey, I hear the next Expansion tier will offer all of that 2020s functionality, and it can be yours for the low, low price of $129.99 per year. Nintendo may even throw in a dozen or so GameCube and TurboGrafx games to boot. They were going to ask $149.99 but Redd convinced them to give their loyal consumers a cousin's discount.
And yes, although this is totally a joke, we all know there are plenty of people who would immediately say, "Shut up and take my money".
All the minigames from the series to choose from and they used one with this sort of history. Obviously not all the minigames in Mario Party are created equal, and some have been mechanically impractical. I guess it figures that some of the lesser ones would find their way into this game, which begs the question as to whether, for the first time in the series' history, there may be DLC with additional boards and/or minigames. And if Nintendo does that, perhaps they could add a filter by which players could select which minigames they don't like and exclude them from their games.
@TKundNobody In North America the "upgrade" price for SO goes from the $19.99 annual base price to $49.99 annually for the "expansion", i.e. more than double. Being in the EU with its own pricing structure, your mileage may vary. In my humble opinion, the "value" of said "upgrade" doesn't, though.
Comments 1,281
Re: Sonic's Run On "Non-Sega Hardware" Made Yuji Naka Both Sad And Happy
Well Mr. Naka, Sega leaving the hardware business has made most of its fans perpetually just sad. At least Sonic fans regularly get their fix on various platforms, but for those of us who loved most of Sega's other amazing IPs like Shining Force, Shinobi, Phantasy Star, Dragon Force, Skies of Arcadia, and countless others including a huge catalog of some of the most iconic Arcade coin-ops ever made, we haven't gotten much of anything, period. Two decades of Sonic, Yakuza, a bunch of Genesis compilations, and a smattering of other IPs (by far the best of which has been Valkyria Chronicles, IMHO)...and a mountain of others left completely untouched.
No videogame company has done less with more over the past two decades than Sega. And as long as Sonic remains its myopic focus (as evidenced by the sheer proportion of announcements and media coverage year in and year out), it will continue to be a has-been developer.
Re: Poll: Do You Have An Issue With Xenoblade Chronicles' Accents?
Xenoblade Chronicles X was my personal introduction to the franchise (sadly, also the only iteration so far never brought to the Switch), and I played well over 200 hours. It felt like a (much) bigger, more epic, and better take on Phantasy Star Online, which I also loved back in the day. I own both XC 1 and 2, but I'll be honest: neither has held my attention for more than a few hours. There's just a disconnect there between the over-the-top accents and the fact that so many environments...even the hubs...seem way too oversized, spread out, and convoluted simply for the sake of being big. Battle mechanics are often clunky, and I don't like babysitting AI-controlled party members who tend to get themselves killed (one reason I've always preferred turn-based RPGs overall). Oh, and I absolutely HATE all the endlessly repetitive shouts and phrases every time you are in battle. Great-looking games with huge worlds to explore, but they're held back by some very basic design, mechanics, and audio choices. I think that as a series Xenoblade is overrated.
Re: Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Hits Switch This June
This one lost me as soon as I realized it was another "Warriors" spin-off as opposed to a proper Fire Emblem game. I realize the Warriors titles have their fans, but I'm just not one of them.
Re: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Is Finally Getting DLC
@Bolt_Strike I readily agree with regards to new tracks and original content, but it is what it is; I'll happily take 48 retro courses...most of which A) I haven't played on in years or decades and B) which will likely have been visually overhauled or embellished in some way (example: Luigi Raceway) over the same situation we've had for four years now: a game already ported from the Wii U that Nintendo hadn't supported with a drop of new content whatsoever.
If indeed the Switch is only "halfway through" its life cycle as Nintendo claims, then the possibility certainly still exists that we'll see a new and original Mario Kart release before it rides off into the sunset. If and when that happens you can bet my pre-order will be up immediately. But for now, let's just do our best to enjoy and appreciate the new lease on life that MK8's been given.
Re: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Is Finally Getting DLC
To be honest I expected this to be a MK9 announcement; yes, MK8 Deluxe is Switch's bestselling game and still regularly leads the weekly sales figures, but it hadn't had a shred of new content since being ported from the Wii U four years ago. I've followed the industry closely since the Atari 2600 days and quite frankly games going that long without new DLC or expansions and then suddenly getting such support is pretty much unheard of. As others have stated here, the game had grown stale long ago and a lot of us haven't touched it in quite awhile.
That said, I am completely happy to have been wrong in this case. The bottom line is that we're finally getting what many/most of us have wanted ever since MK8 Deluxe debuted on Switch: more new content to play. It doesn't matter much to me whether it's a brand new MK9 or 48 additional tracks for MK8; the end result is the same.
Whether this means we won't see an entry of the Mario Kart franchise native to/originating on Switch (which would mark the first time that's happened on a Nintendo platform since the N64) is anyone's guess. But this announcement was hands down my favorite of the Direct, and I already have the Pass pre-ordered.
Re: US Government Wants Nintendo Hacker Gary Bowser Locked Up For Five Years
@NintendoEternity I never advocated for piracy here or anywhere else. I legally purchase my games and movies, and over the decades have probably invested far more money and time into this hobby than you ever will. You would do well not to make baseless presumptions or accusations simply because someone voices a differing viewpoint. If you blindly cheer for Big Corporate and their practices without so much as an iota of critical thinking, then you are what Square Enix's President recently described as "those who play to contribute". P.T. Barnum had another term for such folks: suckers.
Re: US Government Wants Nintendo Hacker Gary Bowser Locked Up For Five Years
@AugustusOxy Where on Earth do you get $10 from? The SO base price is $19.99 US, with the "Expansion" it's $49.99 per year. Now you're entitled to invest in whatever you feel is a just and reasonable price, but IMHO asking more than double for a smattering of unevenly emulated N64 games as well as Genesis games you can OWN via any number of superior compilations on any platform at less than a single year's expansion subscription price...now THAT'S insane.
I get that subscriptions are all the rage right now, and if they work for you then have at 'em. But from a corporate perspective, as with pretty much every trend the industry has pushed for the past half-decade in particular, subscription models are about one thing: eliminating consumer rights of ownership and control after the original point of sale. Full stop. And even though it may not appeal to you personally, the ability to purchase games, including legacy titles, is still very important to a lot of us.
Word of advice: don't count on Nintendo or the rest of the industry to act in your best interests or those of the hobby if they see an angle where they can profit more from (one tiny example: NFTs). These guys are NOT your friends.
Re: US Government Wants Nintendo Hacker Gary Bowser Locked Up For Five Years
Nintendo should serve time for the asking price of the SO "Expansion Pack". If they put half the effort into making their legacy games available (for actual, permanent purchases tied to their accounts) that they do in litigation against pirates and emulator sites, this would be much less of an issue.
Re: Konami Is Committed To NFTs In Order To Preserve Beloved Content As "Commemorative Art"
Hmm, if only these companies were equally as interested in preserving GAMES. You know, the things the hobby is actually about but which quietly seem to be pushed ever further to the periphery by these CEOs and shareholders. All the rhetoric and spin-doctoring in the world can't hide their priorities, nor the fact they see their consumers simply as gullible morons to exploit.
It's gonna bite the industry HARD before all is said and done. Mark it down.
Re: Don't Say It Too Loud, But PS5 Has Outsold Wii U In A Year
Don't say it too loud, but Wii U had actual must-have exclusive first-party games after a year; where are all those big launch titles for the PS5? Are we counting the second year after a console release as part of the launch window now?
I say this as a longtime hobbyist who owns a Switch, an XBox Series X, and a PS5, so there's no fanboy bias where my statement is coming from: there's a reason I couldn't care less about hardware sales figures. Show me GAMES I want to play. So far, quite frankly, Sony is going to have to play some serious catch-up on that front this console generation (Horizon Forbidden West is a start, but one game just ain't gonna cut it on its own, guys) .
Re: Soapbox: Pokémon Legends: Arceus Raises The Question - How Much Do Janky Graphics Matter?
There are aesthetic choices and there are straight-up poor visuals. IMHO this fits firmly into the latter category, especially given the resources at the disposal of the developer here as well as the capabilities of current hardware. I have enjoyed many games from previous generations whose graphics were subpar but offset by strengths in other areas, particularly gameplay. But we're not playing games on those old systems anymore; there are certain expectations of modern games, especially those of first-party affiliation.
It's one thing to ask whether/how much visuals matter in your games; it's another to give developers and publishers a pass when they don't put forth their best effort in that area just because you enjoy the other aspects of the game. A disturbing trend as of late has seen developers getting away with rushed, incomplete releases (key example: 343 and Halo Infinite) and still being rewarded with glowing reviews and heaps of sales. I'm not saying not to appreciate the good that's in there; just remember that it's also okay to lay out criticisms and ask for changes when it's appropriate as well. We pay a lot of money for these games, and if we don't speak up we're only going to see this great hobby continue to see diminishing returns for the end user.
Re: Sega Is Exiting The Japanese Amusement Arcade Business After Half A Century
It seems that if you love anything associated with Sega that isn't either Sonic or Yakuza, you likely haven't seen a new installment of it in years or decades and/or what little is left just keeps vanishing. Easily the most frustrating company in the industry to me as a hobbyist; so much history and so many beloved IPs just left to rot. Maybe "playing it safe" will keep the Sega brand alive for awhile longer, but for all intents and purposes the Sega that many of us fell in love with back in their heyday is dead already.
Re: SEGA Wants Sonic Frontiers To Take The Franchise To 'The Next Level'
"To the next level", blah blah. And of course, it's all about Sonic. ALWAYS. Meanwhile those of us who remember the prolific Sega from the 1990s and early 2000s would settle simply for a return of Sega themselves to a fraction of what they used to be as a publisher. Every genre under the sun, some of the greatest RPGs and SRPGs ever made, and an Arcade catalog that was second to none. Where are those in-house projects for your OTHER IPs that you said were coming, guys? We'll be lucky to even have them handed off to some no-name third-party developer so that this has-been company can focus solely on their has-been mascot.
Re: PlatinumGames' Sol Cresta Blasts Onto Nintendo Switch This February
It's on my "To Get" list but that asking price is too steep, honestly. Shmups just aren't a genre known for length, and one of my personal ways of setting the value for a game is hours played per dollar spent. I'll wait until it goes on sale...preferably at a 50% or higher discount.
Re: SEGA Goes Big On Nostalgia For "Project Sonic '22"
Sonic, always Sonic. Meanwhile those of us who remember the sheer variety Sega was once renowned for and loved the amazing RPGs and SRPGs like (old school offline) Phantasy Star, Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Force, and Panzer Dragoon Saga haven't seen a sequel or remaster to these in decades. Sega can't even be bothered to release a nice compilation of their iconic Arcade machines from the 80s and 90s and unceremoniously shut down the excellent ages line on the Switch. If they at least tried listening and gave us more of the franchises some of us REALLY want, then just maybe I wouldn't have such a degree of ambivalence toward Sonic or their own has-been company.
Re: Xbox Studio Rare "Immensely Pleased" About Banjo-Kazooie's Arrival On Switch
XBox is still the only platform where you can legally and permanently PURCHASE Banjo-Kazooie (via the Rare Replay collection). That entire collection...which includes ALL THREE Banjo-Kazooie titles, by the way...is roughly half the price of one year's subscription to Switch Online's "Expansion Pass". Nintendo wants you to pay $50 a year just to access a game you'll never own.
Re: Banjo-Kazooie Joins Switch Online's Expansion Pack This Week
Already had this on the N64 and own it and all its sequels via the Rare Replay Collection on XBox Series X. Microsoft does what Nintendon't (namely offer their legacy games for permanent sale tied to cross-generational user accounts).
And the asking price for that "Expansion Pack" is still an insult IMHO; I'll never bother with it.
Re: Microsoft Buys Activision Blizzard, Now Owns Call Of Duty And Crash Bandicoot
This move was all about buying while the stock (and likely the asking price) was nice and low given Activision/Blizzard's recent internal troubles. The upside is certainly there from a business angle.
Re: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Finally Gets A Release Date On Nintendo Switch
@msvt On the SNES at least your character was shooting in the direction you were facing/walking. I don't know if this iteration will be different, though.
Re: Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Finally Gets A Release Date On Nintendo Switch
A gem that most folks didn't play on the SNES (I was fortunate enough to get both Pocky & Rocky as well as its sequel, Pocky & Rocky 2). Old school HARD, but the aesthetics and music are brilliant. Very glad to see this one finally get a firm release date; consider it purchased!
Re: Platinum's "Must-Watch" Sol Cresta Release Date Broadcast Postponed Due To Technical Issues
Perhaps the update trailer has been delayed until April 1. This really isn't a good look for the developer.
Re: Random: Nintendo Kart Is Trending On Social Media, Following Claims Of Mario Kart 9 Being "In Active Development"
I think it's very likely that this is indeed the "new twist". The DLC characters, karts, and courses for MK8 were hugely popular and well-received; Nintendo knows full well there's an immense opportunity here. Even the rumored "Mario Kart: Crossroads" title would be fitting if the franchise expanded to include more Nintendo (and maybe even third-party, per Smash) IPs.
Re: Poll: So, Do You Think Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 Will Actually Release In 2022?
Que sera, sera.
While I lean toward a 2022 release, it also wouldn't surprise me at all if Nintendo announced the long-rumored successor to the Switch this year and the game ends up being yet another "hybrid launch" with a version for both consoles. They did it with Twilight Princess (GameCube/Wii) and even BotW (Wii U/Switch), so there's a historical precedent, for certain.
Re: Mario Kart 9 Is "In Active Development" And Comes With A "New Twist", Analyst Claims
@Roz1281 I won't deny that's a possibility, but Sega already did the whole land/sea/air "kart" concept in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed. I'm not sure Nintendo would choose to venture so closely into copy/paste territory for one of its premier IPs. However, it would be another way that the supposed "Crossroads" title would fit in a descriptive sense. We'll see, I guess.
Re: Mario Kart 9 Is "In Active Development" And Comes With A "New Twist", Analyst Claims
I saw this rumor pop up elsewhere online, and it mentioned that the actual title is supposedly "Mario Kart: Crossroads".
While of course I take ANY rumors I read online with a huge grain of salt, if there's any truth to this then the title could perhaps be a clue to the "twist" spoken of. My personal guess is that the "Crossroads" will expand on the DLC concept introduced in MK8, with characters and courses from other Nintendo (and who knows, perhaps even third-party) franchises. Such a moniker would be appropriate if in fact the MK series uses this point to jump off into Smash-style inclusion of other IPs.
In any case, que sera, sera.
Re: GameStop Is Betting The Farm On NFTs, And Investors Are All For It
The biggest and most existential problem facing videogames as a hobby is the fact that all too often the desires of gamers and stockholders are at diametric odds. It's been a growing issue with regard to developers playing it "safe" and regurgitating the same tired "AAA" IPs every single year, with 90 percent of games at shows like E3 looking, sounding, and playing alike (FPSes, zombies, post-apocalypse, ultra-violence, etc.) for years already. Likewise online was always a Trojan horse for (especially larger) publishers to create ways to further monetize, control, and gate players' experiences after the original point-of-sale. Now it's pushing its way into business models that are in no way, shape, or form about benefiting gamers or the hobby anymore, but pushing the envelope to see how much they can be exploited and convinced to pay more for less at the point-of-sale (now we're getting glorified betas and unfinished games...hello 343 and Halo Infinite...with increasing regularity). NFTs are just the latest "fad" that these corporations are swooning over that (even by their own admission, per the letter by Square Enix's President) those of us who love the hobby and play games to have fun have ZERO interest in.
A word of warning to the videogame industry: no corporation or industry is ever too big and powerful to end up destroying itself if it alienates its consumer base enough. Stray too far from the mission statements and passion that drove your company initially and drew the fan bases that grew it to where it is now, and you will see those consumers...and the creators whose passion and creativity no longer line up with your priorities...leave you behind just as you're apparently willing to do to us.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's Lining Up A Huge Year Of Gaming In 2022
Needs more Mario Kart 9. Yes, folks, eight years (2014) is MORE THAN a sufficient gap, MK8's sales figures (which, let's be honest, are helped by there not being any alternative) notwithstanding. IT'S TIME, NINTENDO.
Re: Square Enix President Knows You Hate NFTs Because You "Play To Have Fun"
So he openly admits that the majority of gamers "have reservations" regarding (i.e. strongly oppose) the stuff he's proposing, but then claims the people who " play to contribute" (i.e. say "Shut up and take my money" no matter how incomplete, how glitch and bug-ridden a game might be, no matter how greedy and control/gating after the point-of-sale the business models become) are "worth exploring" (i.e. going to be their priority going forward). NFTs are just one more facet among the many that the mega-publishers are seeking to profit from after the sale; it's NEVER about value for the consumer anymore. Even by corporate-speak standards this amounts to pissing on the consumers who've made his company filthy rich and calling it rain. It shows the sheer level of hubris the industry has come to have when they're telling us to our face they know what we want, but they will dictate what we get because they believe we'll keep paying for it anyway.
Letting greed and control after the original point-of-sale guide your business models as opposed to genuine passion and creating the best game experiences for players (along with actual value) is precisely what will alienate your consumer base. Releasing unfinished/incomplete games (343/Halo Infinite) because you've found alternative means of monetizing them may make you extra $$$ off of some people, but others (like myself) WILL call you out for it and some will even begin to walk away. Right now the industry's business models and lazy, sloppy practices (like releasing glorified betas instead of waiting until they are READY) are pushing steadily toward ruining the hobby itself, and it's because they think that gamers will all just roll over and continue forking out money because we "don't have a choice/don't really care either way". But they forget that there are plenty of other entertainment options out there, and that some of us can and will actually draw the line at some point and say, "NO MORE".
Individually we may not make any difference to these mega-corporations, but we still can each make our own individual choices and vote with our wallets. And if enough consumers do so (as opposed to voicing futile rants in social media or just rolling over and continue giving them money) and draw a line that begins impacting the one thing they care about (their bottom line), we can effect change and, at least to a degree, take this great hobby back.
Re: Soapbox: 2022 Is Looking Glorious For Tactics Games On Switch
I'm all in on the first four games on that list; I would have been far more interested in Firaxis' Marvel title had they utilized its entire roster as opposed to just some "dark" motif.
I do have a personal wish list of three (technically four) specific games/IPs I would love to see added to the Switch lineup:
1) Shining Force III Remaster: 190 hours' worth of one of Sega's Top Three best-ever RPG/SRPGs, with three interlocking Scenarios, three full armies, and absolutely EPIC battles toward the end of the final Scenario.
2) Daisenryaku: This series, little known in the West outside of Iron Storm (Saturn), Daisenryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics Exceed (XBox, PS2), and Daisenryaku Perfect 4.0 (PC/Steam) covers either WWII or Modern-era. It's known for its encyclopedic rosters of real-life units corresponding to dozens of nations, each with realistic algorithms that determine battle outcomes (it transcends Advance Wars' rock/paper/scissors mechanics because Tank does NOT equal Tank here; a group of M1A2 Abrams will wipe the floor with T-72s, for instance). Its true hidden gem is the incredible multiplayer, with up to 4 players on console and up to 8 on the PC, in any combination of human and AI and/or teams. I've personally played countless hundreds of hours of this series with friends locally; do yourself a favor and DON'T sleep on this if a Switch iteration ever gets localized.
3) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn: This was the story arc that introduced me to the series, and still stands as my personal favorite. Combining the two into a single, two-part storyline would make for great fan service by Nintendo.
Re: Best Of 2021: What Is The Zelda 'Formula'? We Break Down The Secret Recipe
@Richardwebb That's why both Link and Master Chief work so well as protagonists. In Link's case, his words are open to your own interpretation and imagination, and with Chief, it could be ANYONE underneath that helmet. In a sense, mute/faceless characters are far easier for the player to make an extension of themselves, and in turn identify with.
Re: Best Of 2021: What Is The Zelda 'Formula'? We Break Down The Secret Recipe
As fantastic a game as it is, BotW really missed a lot of crucial elements that have always been associated with The Legend of Zelda.
1) As the article stated, the lack of proper dungeons (especially in an overworld that vast) was a HUGE missed opportunity. The shrines were all bite-sized puzzles, often clever and/or challenging in their own ways, but even 100-plus of them could never replace the sheer atmosphere, theming, and satisfaction of overcoming one of the water temples that have always been a series staple, just for one example.
Heck, did anyone else notice how few actual caves were even present in BotW? It was a glaring topographic omission and would have offered innumerable additional opportunities for exploration/loot/combat.
2) The enemy variety took a massive hit. The Bokoblin bases were fun to clear out and they could offer up some decent coordination to challenge you, but otherwise that huge world feels strangely empty. Where are Like-Likes, Stalfos, Darknuts, Tektites, and so many other classic Zelda foes in BotW? Are they all extinct? Ditto the Bosses of what used to be the respective dungeons; I missed the variety and epicness of those.
3) I recall somewhere reading that the developers decided that iconic items like the Hookshot would "break" the game, but I really missed them because they're so ubiquitous in Zelda titles.
4) Breakable weapons may have sounded good on paper, but they're NOT. When even the legendary weapons you got from the Champions can/will break and be lost forever, they ended up hanging at Link's house, essentially useless because I didn't want to just lose them. BotW was the first Zelda game where coming across a treasure chest really felt inconsequential; the anticipation and genuine reward just weren't there anymore.
5) As previous posters have stated, I did miss the iconic music, such as the Overworld Theme associated with Zelda since the NES. Right out of the gate the developers explained that their reasoning was in the title itself: "Breath of the Wild", and that it necessitated muted scores in favor of the sounds of nature and the environments. The result was great as far as nailing what they were going for. But it just didn't sound much like Zelda.
The biggest question surrounding BotW 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) is whether it might reintroduce some/all of these elements. That nifty trick in the trailer where Link emerges like water through a crack onto a floating island may indicate the return of special items, at least.
BotW will always be a legendary game. But it's still far from perfect, and in many ways, it honestly doesn't feel like Zelda.
Re: Nintendo Is Adding Another 3DS Course To Mario Kart Tour
Maybe 2022 is when Nintendo will finally get around to releasing Mario Kart 9 for the Switch. Maybe MK8 still sells like hotcakes (and maybe that's because, you know, Switch Owners don't have any alternative) and this mobile game may have made them lots of $$$, but I frankly couldn't care less. I have MK8 for Switch but had essentially already done all there was to do with it and its DLC back on the Wii U. 2014, PEOPLE; THAT GAME IS EIGHT YEARS OLD NOW. TIME FOR A PROPER NEW INSTALLMENT. And as for mobile games, I ignore them regardless of franchise or publisher because A) my preferred platform of choice is still CONSOLES and B) because mobile games will always be associated with cash grab, avarice-fueled business model-driven shells of what REAL games are supposed to be.
MK Live has become, in a way, like Nintendo's equivalent of Sonic. Sure, it has its fans and makes money for its publisher, but for many of us it represents what's IN THE WAY of our getting what we REALLY WANT.
Re: Video: The Best RPG Ever Made Still Isn't On Switch
@Poodlestargenerica No offense taken. Everyone has different tastes and opinions, and folks can love the same game for different reasons. As you said, it's what "clicks" for you personally.
Re: Video: The Best RPG Ever Made Still Isn't On Switch
Chrono Trigger is definitely a fantastic RPG, but there are plenty of other contenders for the "Best Ever" crown, and it's subject to each individual gamer's personal opinion and experience. I have a list of candidates of my own, in no particular order:
A) Final Fantasy III (VI) SNES
B) Final Fantasy II (IV) SNES
C) LUNAR: Silver Star Story Sega CD, PSX
D) LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Sega CD, PSX
E) Skies of Arcadia Dreamcast, GameCube
F) Panzer Dragoon Saga Saturn
G) Final Fantasy VII PSX
H) Phantasy Star 1-IV Master System, Genesis
I) Magic Knight RayEarth Saturn
J) Dragon Quest XI PS4
K) Tales of Arise PS4, PS5, XBox One, XBox Series X
L) Final Fantasy IX PSX
M) Super Mario RPG SNES
N) The Trails Series (Trails in the Sky, Trails from Zero/Azure, Trails of Cold Steel) PC/Steam, PSP, PS3, PS4, Switch
O) Lufia and the Fortress of Doom SNES
P) Lufia 2 SNES
Q) Suikoden PSX
R) Suikoden II PSX
S) Suikoden III PS2
SPECIAL MENTIONS: SRPGs
A) Shining Force I -III Genesis, Sega CD, Saturn
B) Vandal Hearts PSX
C) Dragon Force Saturn
D) Valkyria Chronicles PS3, PS4, XBox One, Switch
E) Valkyria Chronicles 4 PS4, XBox One, Switch
F) Final Fantasy Tactics PSX, PSP
I'm sure there are plenty of titles/franchises I missed here, but these immediately came to mind for the amazing memories I have from them. Please feel free to add your own below.
Re: Sonic's Co-Creator Yuji Naka Made A New Game, And You Can Play It Right Now
Mobile games may make money hand over fist, but for me personally, the instant I hear the word associated with any project I immediately lose interest. I don't care who the publisher is or what the IP may be.
Re: Cruis'n Creator Would "Love To See" The N64 Trilogy Added To Switch Online's Expansion Pack
I will NEVER waste money on that so-called "Expansion pack". Not only is the asking price ridiculous at more than the base subscription itself, but the emulation is substandard and, predictably, it's apparently getting the same spotty games support Nintendo had shown for the NES and SNES catalogs. It ranks right up there with mobile games as far as stuff I have ZERO interest in ever supporting, primarily because they are both prime examples of modern corporate greed and absurd business models. Make games available for actual purchase or don't bother. PERIOD.
Re: Commodore 64 Games Are Being Teased For Nintendo Switch
Anything Switch Online-related, forget it. Otherwise, I'm all ears.
Re: Sonic The Hedgehog's New Game Confirmed To Feature At The Game Awards
Sega can make all the Sonic and Yakuza games they can churn out, but I personally couldn't care less. Until they start releasing remasters or new installments of classic IPs like Shining Force (SF III would be an instant buy for me), Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Force, and more of their iconic Arcade coin-ops, they're a has-been developer trotting out the same tired stuff. And all the titles they foisted off onto third parties and Kickstarters over the past 2-3 years don't count, by the way (although I guess if that was the only way to get the IPs I actually care about, it would be better than nothing,
which is what we have now).
Re: Talking Point: Should The Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack Library Expand Faster?
Look, anyone who'd followed Switch Online since its inception and saw that asking price for the "expansion pack" should have known good and well to stay far, FAR away. NES and SNES games had come at a trickle for over a year, and the cloud saves that were the real selling point of the whole thing had seen some spotty effort (fans had to campaign for Animal Crossing: New Horizons to get cloud saves). Then they asked for MORE THAN DOUBLE the base subscription price for a couple dozen 30 year-old, poorly emulated titles (half of them for the Genesis, whose library is easily and permanently purchasable on every current platform available), and a lot of people replied by saying, "Take my money NOW!"
Well, Nintendo's got your money now; they never made any promises regarding regular, specific updates or improvements and they have absolutely no incentive to do so. When consumers finally learn the lesson to start voting with their wallets and saying "NO" to corporate greed instead of enabling and rolling over and accepting it, THEN things will begin to change for the better. If you made the mistake of trusting Nintendo to fulfill promises they never made, let alone intended to keep, for an "upgrade" that history clearly showed was going to be treated the same way as the base subscription, then let the sting of this lesson burn in well so you never repeat it.
Re: The Game Awards Has A "World Premiere" It's Been Working On With A Dev For 2.5 Years, And One Guess Is Zelda
It could be BotW2, but thanks to all the COVID delays that set development back on major releases across the entire industry (think how XBOX Series X is just now seeing its first wave of true blockbuster exclusives hit after a full year and the PS5 is still waiting on its first with Horizon Forbidden West), it could be any number of other projects as well. Even some Indie projects like the Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC have been in the works about that long.
Re: Feature: "The eShop Is Just Way Too Slow" - Deku Deals Creator On Nintendo's Switch Storefront
Maybe if Nintendo hadn't allowed anyone and everyone to put thousands of garbage games that aren't worthy of an app store or Steam listing on the eShop, there would be a semblance of navigability. The eShop makes the Wii's infamous mountain of shovelware look like an anthill. Both this and their lack of interest in refining the eShop's menus mirrors their approach to online functionality this generation, including the absurd price spike for the recent SO "expansion".
It's a good thing that Nintendo at least still makes (mostly) great videogames, because their approach toward their customers and their once-touted "Nintendo Seal of Quality" with regard to expectations from third parties all got flushed down the toilet when the new guard came in. They've become far less likeable as a company than they were in the days of Iwata and Reggie.
Re: Talking Point: Will Nintendo Abandon The Switch Concept For Its Next Console?
Whatever it is, I hope it includes full backwards compatibility for all digital purchases made on the Switch (physical compatibility is probably asking too much here). I also hope Nintendo implements a PROPER legacy BC program along the lines of what Microsoft has done, and NO, I DON'T mean anything tied to subscriptions, but permanent, straightforward purchases tied to our user accounts.
History says it won't happen because Nintendo loves to force consumers to double-dip (and more) whenever they can, and now that their test run with that absurdly priced expansion pack for Switch Online actually got some people to bite, who knows what sort of extortion they'll come up with for its successor (and I do mean successor; I fully expect them to abandon SO and leave those who put money into it high and dry in fairly short order once that happens).
This ain't your daddy's Nintendo anymore, folks. The days of wild and unbridled positive expectations are long gone. Those of us who've been around since the NES days can tell you the new guard at their corporate headquarters isn't as fan-friendly as the folks who made them a household name. Their actions and priorities as of late should tell you that they don't feel it's necessary anymore.
Re: Poll: Are You Enjoying Animal Crossing: New Horizons Version 2.0?
Some early thoughts:
1) I love the fact they finally gave us some additional rides and attractions to go with that teacups ride. I liked having to squeeze all of it into the sparse remaining free space on my island less so.
Considering all the new items and content (and some of it is LARGE), ACNH really could have used that rumored ability to enlarge players' home islands. I realize this is why some folks are considering starting over from scratch (my humble advice: DON'T, because some of that stuff, such as Blue Roses or completing museum exhibits, takes an insane amount of time and effort to acquire or unlock, and all that has to be done all over again when you reboot your island), but I can assure you there's more stuff now to place on your island than there is sufficient space to do so, at the very least while still looking good and allowing for comfortable movement around your island. Looking at my own right now I can say with confidence it could absolutely use being at least one-third larger. That's both a testament to the sheer amount of stuff in the game to collect as well as a ceiling that those of us who are "completists" will inevitably hit hard and painfully.
2) The Happy Home Paradise DLC is so far fun, but the jury is out as to its long-term replayability. I've completed a few jobs, and much like Harv's Island (back when probably no one ever had a reason to visit it outside of those wedding season collectibles and character posters), placing items around a yard or a house interior gets repetitive in a hurry. I'll wait and see how unlocking the buildings on Paradise Planning's home island shakes out before rendering a final verdict, though. With any luck it could be the closest thing we'll get to actually having a second island to build on and flesh out.
Re: Nintendo Switch Now Has Over 6700 Third-Party Games
Here's the rub, though: probably 6600+ of them are hot, steaming garbage. The eShop makes even the Wii's mountain of shovelware pale in comparison.
Re: Soapbox: The Switch Online Expansion Pack Is Great Value – If You Love Animal Crossing
Or you can simply purchase the ACNH DLC outright for half the price of said expansion pack and actually get to keep it and access to it "forever" instead of for a single year along with a bunch of poorly emulated N64 games and Genesis games you'd also already have permanently on any given platform. Articles like this can try all day to spin this fiasco by Nintendo, but the bottom line reminds me of a rather crude but applicable saying: "You can't polish a t--d".
Re: Animal Crossing's Happy Home Paradise Update Will Be The Game's "First And Only Paid DLC"
I've already spent LOTS of hours preparing my island (and completing my museum's fish and bug exhibits; the fossil one was done long ago and I still have a ways to go with art) as well as storing up Bells and Nook Miles. I admit that I'm disappointed that there will be no more content offered down the line for ACNH, but I plan to make the most out of this expansion and enjoy what's there.
I do believe that Nintendo grossly underestimated the demand not just for Animal Crossing (let alone in a year where people were locked down and needed exactly this kind of time-sink game to entertain themselves), but both the demand and expectations for continual additional content for it (whether everyone does it and whether Nintendo likes the practice or not, a LOT of folks time-travel in order to quickly fill out their towns in these games, myself included). Whether the lessons learned from ACNH might influence how they handle any future games in the series is hard to say (they're Nintendo; their actions often frankly don't make sense on multiple levels), but the success of ACNH pretty much makes said games a given.
Re: Soapbox: Nintendo's N64 Emulation Is Serviceable, But Treasured Memories Deserve Better
Maybe next time Nintendo plans to more than double the price of an already lackluster online service they'll actually put some modicum of effort into the quality their consumers get for "upgrading". Then again, why would they when so many of those consumers shout, "Take my money" before it even goes online? And guess what? Now that they have your money, there are no take-backs over buyer's remorse.
"There's a sucker born every minute." — P.T. Barnum
Re: Nintendo Switch Online's N64 Games Need Some Work
What, did the folks who somehow thought the "expansion" was a good deal also think it would come with any sort of measurable improvements over the shoddy features and support that aren't just a hallmark of SO, but Nintendo's entire history with online functionality? Say it ain't so!
But hey, I hear the next Expansion tier will offer all of that 2020s functionality, and it can be yours for the low, low price of $129.99 per year. Nintendo may even throw in a dozen or so GameCube and TurboGrafx games to boot. They were going to ask $149.99 but Redd convinced them to give their loyal consumers a cousin's discount.
And yes, although this is totally a joke, we all know there are plenty of people who would immediately say, "Shut up and take my money".
Re: Uh-Oh, One Of Mario Party Superstars' Mini-Games Sounds Like A Joy-Con Drift Nightmare
All the minigames from the series to choose from and they used one with this sort of history. Obviously not all the minigames in Mario Party are created equal, and some have been mechanically impractical. I guess it figures that some of the lesser ones would find their way into this game, which begs the question as to whether, for the first time in the series' history, there may be DLC with additional boards and/or minigames. And if Nintendo does that, perhaps they could add a filter by which players could select which minigames they don't like and exclude them from their games.
Re: Poll: Which Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Games Should You Play First Via Nintendo Switch Online?
@TKundNobody In North America the "upgrade" price for SO goes from the $19.99 annual base price to $49.99 annually for the "expansion", i.e. more than double. Being in the EU with its own pricing structure, your mileage may vary. In my humble opinion, the "value" of said "upgrade" doesn't, though.