Comments 334

Re: Some Fans Aren't Happy About Sonic X Shadow Generations' Changes To The Original

BoilerBroJoe

@FRBA94 I'm not saying I support the changes, just that I don't care. Clearly, people can disagree with you about what was "fine". Cowboys and "Indians" was considered "fine" for kids in the 1950s; later on it was seen as kinda messed up. Apparently Sega thinks punching a male character in the face is "fine" for kids; people 20 years from now may see that differently too. There are some instances where I'd likely agree with you on this kind of thing and some instances I would not, or at least be indifferent, like in this case.

If you don't like how a company treats its IP, one solution would be to advocate for a much shorter length of copyright ownership. I'm sure there are plenty of left-leaning and third party candidates in your district who would be happy to tackle that issue. Donate, organize, and vote!

Re: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake New Story Segments Will Focus On Your Father

BoilerBroJoe

I'm only really noticing this now, but does anyone else think that this doesn't actually look like the HD-2D style we've seen before? In Octopath Traveler and Live A Live, all of the assets looked like pixel art, specifically the environments. Here the environments look like pretty conventional 3D assets, maybe with a bit of an anime aesthetic. It's only the character and enemy sprites that look like pixel art. Don't get me wrong, I still think it looks very pretty, and the sprites on the 3D background do retain a certain style. But I will be slightly disappointed if future HD-2D titles move in this direction and away from that pixel/pop-out book aesthetic that was so uniquely beautiful.

Re: 'Yooka-Replaylee' Brings Back Playtonic's Love Letter To Banjo In Remastered Form

BoilerBroJoe

I'm... confused. Do people not know what an orchestra is? Like, for example, that it's not a setting on your keyboard?

I seem to recall Playtonic pulling this mischief when they first promised an orchestral score as a stretch goal in the Kickstarter. Whatever, I'm happy to see this, but unless there's music coming that we've yet to hear, please just call a synthesizer a synthesizer.

Re: Rumour: 'Switch 2' Said To Be Fully Backward Compatible With A Larger, 1080p Screen

BoilerBroJoe

With the amount of games I've purchased for the Switch, backwards compatibility on a new system can literally make the difference between buying it as soon as it releases, versus buying it years down the line. Nintendo actually has a good record for backwards compatibility when it's not shifting from cartridges to discs (or back). So I'm really hoping this is a no-brainer for Nintendo.

Re: Onimusha Looks Stunning In Netflix's First Anime Trailer

BoilerBroJoe

"If you recognise the main character, Miyamoto Musashi, don't be surprised. He's actually modeled after Toshiro Mifune, a legendary Japanese actor who starred in classics such as Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and Throne of Blood"

Notably, Toshiro also played Musashi Miyamoto in the 1954-1956 Samurai trilogy (in glorious Eastman Color!)

Re: Talking Point: The Games We Got Rid Of - What Were We Thinking?

BoilerBroJoe

My regret isn't something I sold or gave away but something I didn't buy. I was mere millimeters away from clicking "buy" on an ebay listing of Super Mario RPG's original CD soundtrack in 2006. But having just graduated college, I couldn't justify $100 for something I already "had" via ye olde Napster.

That CD would have been brand new. Today, it's selling pre-owned for $850.

Sigh.

Re: Mini Review: Pulling No Punches - A Surprising, Satirical Beat 'Em Up That Lives Up To Its Name

BoilerBroJoe

Clearly (though unsurprisingly) this is dovetailing far beyond the scope of a comments section. If I gave the impression I'm opposed to this game existing or what it's doing, that's not the case. I'm just saying I understand how some others might be, and how they might see it as more than just a stance against bigotry or a thoughtful commentary on science-denial. If I haven't articulated that well enough up to now, I probably won't be able to.

@Phostachio I'm very sorry about your father-in-law. It's a reminder that this is heart-breakingly serious stuff and that it hasn't gone away. And I hope my comments don't come off as disrespectful of that fact.

Re: Mini Review: Pulling No Punches - A Surprising, Satirical Beat 'Em Up That Lives Up To Its Name

BoilerBroJoe

@Phostachio "bigotry and taking a stance against bigotry are not equal"

I agree, and I tried to make that clear in my comment. But too often any kind of nuance or concession to an opposing viewpoint is accused of "both-sidesing". This game is taking a stand against more than bigotry. Bigotry is in there, yes, but it's also lumping a whole lot of other identities that it codes as conservative. And is there really no argument to be made that a game where you beat up Christian congregants might be read as bigoted?

Again, pushing envelopes is fine and important but let's at least acknowledge when an envelope is being pushed.

Re: Mini Review: Pulling No Punches - A Surprising, Satirical Beat 'Em Up That Lives Up To Its Name

BoilerBroJoe

I do agree that games are art and should absolutely be satirical and ideological when they choose to be. But I do think those of us on the left should acknowledge that if this game had been infused with politics from the “other” side, most of us would be calling it beyond the pale. Imagine a game about “beating the hell” out of mask-wearers, activists or caricatures of any religion that’s not Christianity? You may feel that power and privilege make some forms of mockery acceptable and others dangerous, a position I hold myself, but you can’t presume that your definitions of those things are established, unquestionable fact. At some point, the excuse for left-wing critiques being different from right-wing ones moves from well-argued to suspiciously convenient.

We also need to acknowledge, I think, that for complex reasons the majority of people designing games likely identify as liberal more so than conservative and that “politics in games” is going to lean disproportionately to one side for that reason. Again, nothing wrong with that in my view, but the frustration from conservatives is coming from something real.

All that is to say this game’s hard politics look justifiable to me, but we may want to pause before claiming that justification is self-evident.

Re: Review: Sports Story - A Long-Awaited Sequel That's Sadly Not Up To Par

BoilerBroJoe

@Picola-Wicola “The word soccer is an abbreviation of association (from assoc.) and first appeared in English private schools and universities in the 1880s (sometimes using the variant spelling "socker").”

I agree that it’s silly for us Americans to try to claim the word football to the exclusion of other sports, but there’s nothing wrong, or even distinctly American, about the word soccer. It’s just a slang term for the sport that dates back to its inception and that became the standard in American English in the same way other words diverged across the pond. And the American “football” was originally just rugby, coming from the word “rugby football” as opposed to “association football”. So if we really wanted to set some kind of grammatical standard across the board, it would make more sense to call the three sports “soccer”, “rugby” and maybe “gridiron”, all under the common family of “football”.

Oh yeah, that sucks about Sports Story.

Re: Nintendo Considering "Various Initiatives" And "Further Enhancements" For The Switch Online Service

BoilerBroJoe

Some have already said it, but the option to purchase and keep retro games (and preferably to have it recognized long term, across devices, like Steam does). Knowing I could play those games without a subscription would actually make me more likely to stay subscribed, since I would know I’m gaining more and more value the longer I stay. No one ever asked us to return all of our Nintendo Powers after our subscriptions ended, did they?

Re: Bayonetta's OG Voice Actor Asks Fans To "Boycott" Third Game After PlatinumGames Wage Fallout

BoilerBroJoe

She’s SAG according to her Twitter profile. Sounds like the union really needs to do better for their lowest paid actors. I can understand $4000 being standard or even high for an equivalent amount of work on a first time basis, but they need to figure out a way to ensure first right of refusal and at least a five figure number for returning leads in a production that earns half a billion dollars. I fully support her.

Re: Poll: So, What’s Your Verdict On The Mario Movie Trailer?

BoilerBroJoe

I'm no fan of Chris Pratt playing Mario (for me it's just a matter of over-saturation of the guy), but that said, hot take alert:

Charles Martinet < Chris Pratt < Captain Lou Albano

I'm not sure why most people didn't seem to hear it, but it's obvious Chris Pratt is doing a Brooklyn accent, which is at least a step back in the right direction after 25 years of "insane Venetian gondolier". We'll see how he actually sounds for a sustained 100 minutes but for now I have no real issue with it.

But I think the truth of the matter is that, when all is said and done, people will remember the gloriously bonkers Super Mario Bros. (1993) long after Super Mario Bros. (2023) is gone and forgotten. Eccentricity, however hard to swallow at the time, will always outlive contemporary broad appeal.

Re: Talking Point: What's The Worst Game That You Still Love For Some Reason?

BoilerBroJoe

For many years I would have said “Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon” because it got very lukewarm reviews when it was released (a 7.1 from Nintendo Power if I remember correctly, and that was just a glorified advertising firm for games appearing on Nintendo systems) and because I adored that game in ways that kind of formed who I am today. But because it has such a healthy cult following even now I’m still not sure that it qualifies. So if I had to think of a game that seems to be considered pretty bad but that I kinda love and keep going back to again and again, it would probably be Jaws for the NES.

Re: Random: Kit And Krysta Claim They Were Nearly Fired Over Nuzlocke Pokémon Run

BoilerBroJoe

I'm almost positive what happened is that whichever manager they were speaking to had no idea what a "Nuzlocke" was and hearing the word "lock" assumed it has something to do with glitching the game in order to cheat. Honestly that still shouldn't be something they ought to oppose, but it's at least believable that they would view that as akin to hacking. And in typical managerial fashion, it's likely any attempt to explain or clarify was quickly shut down (especially when losing ones job is being mentioned or implied). Of course it's possible that Kit and Krysta aren't accurately representing the exchange, but I certainly find it entirely plausible.

Re: Sunsoft To Bring Back Ufouria: The Saga On Switch Next Year

BoilerBroJoe

I'm watching the digital event now, and it's fantastic. Strangely enough, I know the exact episode he's referencing (or at least one of them) when he says that "people coming from overseas in search of used cassettes are sometimes interviewed TV programs". It was an episode of the show "Why Did You Come To Japan?" and they followed around two friends who had arrived in Tokyo to track down a copy of Gimmick. It was a fun episode.

Re: New Report Alleges Sexual Harassment And Discrimination At Nintendo Of America

BoilerBroJoe

@Tyranexx yeah I would think it might be considered condescending (or even a little aggressive) if you were to, say, run ahead of someone to grab and hold open the door for them. Especially if you’re only treating women that way. I respect that some people still like to perform a few gender roles, but I imagine a good rule of thumb for strangers is to treat them the same way you’d treat anybody, equally.

I hope you make it to NYC! I like to say NYC is just like any Main Street, USA. It’s just a whole bunch of them next to one another!

Re: New Report Alleges Sexual Harassment And Discrimination At Nintendo Of America

BoilerBroJoe

Sounds like a labor union is in order, both at Nintendo and Aston Carter. Employees shouldn't need to wish or even publicly complain for better treatment by their employers, they should be able to demand it collectively. A union may not be receptive to every worker's needs, but at least it's an organization in which you can vote for or remove representatives. A company is just a cronyist regime.

Re: Nintendo President Says Switch Production Is "Uncertain" Next Year

BoilerBroJoe

I think this idea that the Switch Pro is “dead” and that the Switch 2 will instead arrive in 2024 or 2025 is actually much less realistic. (For the record, let’s define a Switch Pro as hardware that primarily plays backwards compatible games, with maybe a dozen exceptions if any, and a Switch 2 as hardware that has a steady stream of games that only work on that system). A Switch 2, while maybe backwards compatible, would really be the thing that divides a user base, not a more powerful Switch. It’s precisely the fact that Switch is selling so well that I think a Switch Pro in the next year or two is way more likely and a Switch 2 won’t happen until 2027 at the earliest.

Am I crazy or did they not basically say this in the first few months of the Switch release? That they saw this as being an iterative console with at least a ten year lifecycle? People’s obsession with the Switch Pro didn’t just come from nowhere. I think it was actually intended to come earlier and COVID/chip shortages delayed it. And I think that it may very well continue to get delayed, but I still have no qualms about the idea that it’s coming.

Re: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Is Apparently Much More Than A Remaster, But Not A "Complete Remake"

BoilerBroJoe

I have a feeling this is going to become a gold dress blue dress situation, but to me this is clearly a remake. When you remaster a film or an album, you go back to the original master recordings and re-scan, re-mix, etc. It's not a perfect correlation, but I've always considered a game remaster to be something that involves going back to original assets and reworking them. I'll grant that you may use new textures, tweak physics or even record new music and effects, but there really needs to be some elements from the original there besides the story and gameplay. Once they say they are designing the 3D models "from scratch" that becomes a remake to me.

Re: Random: GQ Calls Video Game Patches "Laziness", And People Are Not Impressed

BoilerBroJoe

Mismanagement = lazy administrators.
Rushed deadlines = lazy time management.
Understaffing = lazy hiring practices
Layoffs = lazy cost-cutting
Mistreatment of part-time and contract workers = lazy people skills.
etc.

I can understand someone preferring the word "greedy" to lazy in these instances. I may, myself. But I have no real objection to using the word lazy to describe capitalists. Lazy has only become a shaming word because we apply it almost exclusively to the producers of value when they don't produce that value exactly to our liking. On the other hand, I feel it's entirely appropriate when we use it to describe a culture of management and ownership that's become defined by inertia in every meaningful respect.