CaptChaos

Nintendo’s lax approach to this marketing of this game really does make me feel like it’s going to be a bit of a stinker, and they’re fully aware of it.

By no means terrible, but given the absurd production length after the initial scrap. Maybe it never really came together on this one.

I do think any gameplay to do with the motorcycle looks absolutely awful, and once again this trailer reinforces my thoughts on that with that god awful snap animation of Samus just instantly flying into a wheelie. There doesn’t seem to be any proper sense of weight or precariousness on that motorcycle.

It looks like it’s used to just blast along slightly inclined open spaces with the odd tacky enemy set piece.

@jco83 hello, I’m not sure I quite understand your reply, but there a literal link there, for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of this game, for £49.99 from Smyths. That’s a remarkable price point, makes it one of the cheapest Switch 2 physical games available. Yet the Mario Galaxy bundle is £60.00. I can’t help but feel these lower prices are telling us something. Surely there’s limitations and rules to how low a price point can be from genuine retailers, so as not to undermine its value.

During the most recent Direct, I was quite surprised how Nintendo just drifted over the latest trailer. Slotted casually amongst other games, without any sort of special introduction or post game to camera chat.

I thought the bike shots were part of some new tacky Metroid Racer title, it was at this point I’ve started to believe that Nintendo are aware that this game is not going to be a 10/10 smash. It will be considered OK, perhaps somewhat of a disappointment. I feel that they’re trying to downplay the weight of 7-8 years of expectation and hype.

This price point now confirms it for me, £49.99 for the Switch 2 Edition? They’re charging £60 for the two game Mario Galaxy bundle! A few years ago, Nintendo argued TOTK’s high price point as a reflection of its years of development, if you applied this to Metroid Prime 4, it should cost about £100.

I think the low price point will help shift plenty of units, and avoid an angry backlashing. I think it’s a very smart move, but does show that Nintendo themselves are prepared for a bit of a stinker.

I’ll believe this when I see it, I will gasp if there’s some actual restrictions in place, i bet they won’t change a thing.

They’d need to set a 1 per customer limit on the first run and be damned by the tiny percentage claiming they needed to ‘buy one for each child’ and so on.

Here’s the issue, when people are after a highly sort item, it turns non scalpers into opportunists. It took me almost two years to get hold of a Switch N64 controller. Why? Because Nintendo allowed a purchase of 4 per customer/nintendo account through their official store.

I never gave in to the eBay scalpers and I never will, but one account had sold 76 of them at double the price. Bonkers!

Just think, if you’re allowed to buy two, you’re presented with the opportunity to basically obtain your Switch 2 for free when reselling the spare. Or even more desirable, and far more likely, sell it for far more than it’s worth.

As others have mentioned, the way to truly combat this is to make enough available that those who have that sort of ‘scalper price’ cash on-the-hip have no need to line their pockets.

Nintendo Life intentionally taking that quote out of context and spinning it for a juicy headline and leaning it to applying to the real world we live in. As in some sort of such disruptive change it alters the very experience of videogames itself. Jeeeeeze NL.

Let's keep it grounded can we?

‘4 per customer’ is the true issue here, turning non scalpers into scalpers. Everyone becomes an opportunist.

These are literally going for more than double the price, there’s hundreds on eBay.

I’ve been constantly hoping Nintendo will bring a huge amount of stock, thus leaving a bunch of scalpers out of pocket like they did with the SNES mini, going for less than their worth. However, this has been going on for about 17 months now.

One day, one day I will get one and I shall not be filling the pocket of a scalper.

I quite like that idea of the Master Sword being incompatible with Link's cursed hand, as the sword somewhat has a conscience.

Will be cool to have it from the very beginning of the game (Which seems likely as he's not washing ashore at the beginning of this one). As they like to set us at beginner level, you'll have to slowly win the sword around, and beef it up once more similar to Skyward and other Zelda games.

A real surprise would be that there are numerous final physical forms of the sword, as a result of how we play, such as how decision making effects endings but not sure if Zelda is quite there yet, different endings similar to the Witcher as it follows a very scripted story.

That's enough rambling from me.

@Friendly to be fair the Master Sword was fragile and 'broke' in Breath of the Wild. Just opting for running out of energy instead of physically breaking.

@KayFiOS I’d argue there’s an enormous benefit to releasing on a single platform, pretty much every brand/company/ streaming service main goal is to obtain the rights to or invent something brilliant, unique that no one else offers, that’s how they obtain members, that’s how they rise above their competitors.

That’s why there was an absurd record breaking bidding war for the Lord of the Rings series and so on.

@BrianJL cheers for the reply, yeah good point regarding it existing in its own unique world in which it can just pull from all sources of inspiration unrelated to time periods. Keeps the doors open for ‘anything goes’.

Have a good day.

@Savage_Joe ‘Ello, ah I know I completely missed the iPhone. I was just taking the website with a pinch of salt too for PR. I’m a tad disappointed it’s not set back then to be honest.

I was blinded by desire haha.

@Buizel hello, oh damn I completely missed the Smartphone! D’oh.

@abe_hikura hello, oh I completely missed the smartphone! Apologies.

Looks like the film is set in the late 80’s and 90’s which is delightful, going by the boxy car they pull up behind and the aesthetic to their ad.

Also the kitchen decor and so on! I was wondering that, as the Mushroom Kingdom is somewhat completely unaffected by time.

I recently watched Turning Red by Pixar and had no idea it was set in the very early 2000’s but made for a lot of great gags and nostalgia so hoping for much of the same here before they swiftly transport to the mushroom kingdom.

That 64 app is hugely marred by Nintendo’s complete lack of giving a ***** about the 64 controller restock. They literally create problems, rerelease goldeneye yet it’s impossibly to obtain one of those controllers currently in the UK.

Due to Goldeneye they have surged in price on eBay too - now going for around £150.

Please for goodness sakes Nintendo, put some energy into sorting out that issue.

I can’t help but feel they’ve not stuck the landing aesthetically on this? It almost feels like a tacky flash title, despite the countless hours gone into those hand drawn ‘sprites’.

Perhaps it’s the low frame rate animation paired with high frame rate positional movement? It’s a ghastly mix.

A similar example that nails this approach would be Rayman Legends - that’s a shining example of a highly polished graphical side scroller that gets it so right.

The more I see of this game, the less interested I become. It does look remarkably similar to the previous instalment.

I’ve zero interest in traversing/exploring that Hyrule again after the 150 hours I spent there previously and there’s no magic moment for me yet in that trailer that made me go ‘now that’s incredible’.

I’m sure and I do hope to be proven completely wrong, no matter what I of course am gonna buy this day one and I have hope it’ll feel completely fresh.

Hopefully I’ll be there, after the dust has settled and the game is complete, wondering how I ever doubted it.

@Lizuka I was like ‘where is it, c’monnn where is it…. What? WHAT? No Super Mario Land?’.

How strange that’s not on the list but perhaps that’s one to hold off for now to peak interest once again next year or something.

This game becomes a narrative mess in the third act, no one seems to understand it which makes you feel completely flat by the time you cross the finish line.

It’s mostly a very enjoyable game and beautiful to look at but you’re left with a sour taste, I do recall some of the dialogue being beyond lengthy and a real drag as a sequence of 38 pop up boxes relating to absolutely nothing and filled with nonsense would occur regularly.

@Serpenterror they're not 'horrible' exactly it just tries to replicate skating as much as possible, each stick is a pretty much a foot which allows for you to flip a simple trick like a kickflip in numerous ways, such as flat, tweaked, or 'rocket'.

This applies to every trick. If you skate it's the absolute best, as this doesn't claim to be anything other than a 'skate simulator' so it aims for realism over everything.

It's got a pretty steep learning curve but they have updated their in-game tutorial and after a few hours playing you'll wonder why you ever struggled in the first place.

@Zisssou are you in the UK? I've been trying to get one of those damn controllers for over a year.

Accessories for an item most of us simply can’t get hold of. In the recent many months drought of no restock, eBay prices have gone up even higher.

They’re going for almost 4 times their worth. I came across an account that said ‘43 sold’. FORTY THREE! Quick calculation revealed that Nintendo has lined that persons pocket with over £2000.

Huge issue is allowing 4 per person, turning even the non greedy into opportunists. I feel like Nintendo surely do not allocate stock checks under a single particular job role within their company. ‘These have been out of stock for 4 months? Have they? Who’s in charge of this? No one. Great’.

For me it is those instances when you insist you want to100% a game. I'm glad Sunshine was in this list, that game is truly awful, I despised everything about it, but annoyingly had to 100% it.

I've never tasted monotony so strongly, those blue coins and busted mechanics. I will never ever play that game again.

Other levels of frustration not matched were all part of the fun. I poured like a 180 hours in Enter the Gungeon. Which I hold up as one of the greatest games ever made. After doing everything there is to do I foolishly attempted double challenge mode.

Must have taken 70 - 100 attempts and you can have all the skill in the world but if you don't get those essential weapons which continuously change a random at random on double challenge mode you're stuffed. So it's literally a combo of perform your best run and hope beyond hope you get an unobstructive weapon.

I was sweating and shaking after I did it. There has been no thrill matched in any other game for me than Gungeon.

@koffing hello, I haven’t watched the anime for many years, but you peaked my interest regarding dropping hand drawn animation. So will the new season be 3D animated, and just given a texture treatment to closely match the hand drawn style, such as the likes of Dragon Prince?

I only played the original and me and my friends loved it! I'd rate Diddy Kong Racing as my top 64 wacky racer, followed by Mario Kart and then Snowboard Kids. Certain levels had this brilliant addition in which to begin your next lap you'd have to line up with this small gate entry. When neck and neck or all in a tight pack, the last minute barging so your friends would smash into the fence and fall down creating quite a severe delay got damn personal! Wonderful little game mechanic, very fond memories of this game. Hoping it comes to the 64 app.

I don't me to be harsh but I found this game painfully dull and very unfinished. I felt it still cut so many corners, blackout transitions on building entries, cut to black on character lead cut scenes. I also guess I'm not a fan of the idea of Pokemon being so disposable.

Catch 16 heavy Pikachus
Catch 12 small Pikachus
Catch 150 male Pikachus
Catch 21 slightly bigger tailed Pikachus.

After about 12 hours of play I felt like some maniac poacher and stopped playing.

@Olrun It's in the post above by the way, the release date is the 10th of February 2023.

I hope I'm wrong, but my concern is the combat looks so very similar in every situation. In previous footage when confronted by groups of enemies, every enemy was getting battered by the same identical twirling animation, they'd be hoisted in the air and hit with the same exact spell strikes. It was like watching a loop, I'm hoping you could take out an ankle for example, hit specific weaknesses rather than hoist in the air, big spell, go flying, repeat. I sound quite picky but you really expect a multitude of reactions, physics and animations these days, heck I'd even take some ragdolling to change it up.

@Judal27 that's my concern too, having spent like 120 hours within that Hyrule, I genuinely do not want to repeat it again. I keep wondering how they make it interesting. Of course Link is now flying around this new floating Hyrule, but I can't help but think whenever your feet hit terra firma, you'll feel as if you're playing the exact same game again, dragging ya arse all over that enormous land. Thrilling first time round, laborious slog to have to do it again.

Not sure how 6 months away can be described as 'almost here' but anyway, completed the main game and all the Divine Beasts (suffered through the similarity of those 'dungeons'), then hunted down every shrine and called it a day.

Got the DLC, The Champions Ballad was especially awful. Felt so rushed and had such little thought, terribly disappointing. Enlarged pre - existing characters, phoned in uses of pre -existing terrains, such a lack of an actual experience.

Don't even have the option to afflict myself, can't get one of those F**king controllers for over a year now...

When you're young it's very easy to get spooked out by something not so obviously intentionally dreadful, however, it's tied to that delightful imagination as a child in which you believe games do not have boundaries and they feel so much larger and you feel perhaps the in game consequences are so much heavier. I adored (and still do) Link to the Past so much, yet I was so attached to the pure untainted Hyrule, the overworld. I used to dread the consequence of taking my three pendants to the Master Sword, I'd spend hours and hours roaming Kakariko just for the music. It's such an incredible in-game moment, yet you awaken the Dark World in which I dreaded so much. As a kid I recall just completing the first three dungeons again and again as I found the Dark World too stressful. I've since completed and played through Link to the Past many times now, (I'm now 33) it's an obvious one but it's my favourite game of all time, reminds me of so many childhood memories, and it's wrapped up in friendships and halcyon periods. I go back to it every 3 or 4 years and play it through again and can get such a clear snapshot of certain periods of my life. It's still hard to silence that instinctive 'pass the controller' fear. I digressed there a tad.

@nocdaes ah thanks for the advice and the reply! Appreciate it, I'll keep trying!

@nocdaes what kind of alert do you mean? The 'Notify me' when in stock option does nothing, you do not get notified. They're also not available for several hours (UK), usually 20 minutes and they're gone.

I know numerous people who can't get one of these things.

They've only restocked them, I think three times in the UK? so that's a 60 minute window within the entire past year.

@JayJ ah OK, I did have a feeling they must have some system set up, it's painful! All I hope is that they suddenly become available in such high numbers that the scalpers make losses on eBay... haha

Not going to happen, I genuinely enjoy playing the classics so much with a friend online, but we both are unable to get these controllers so there are numerous games we can't play.

Genuinely some games are just so dependent on that controller, it's just awful trying to make 'em play well via a Joy-Con.

Today marks exactly one year since the release of the N64 controllers, that's one entire year of constantly trying to obtain one of those damn things without lining the pockets of some selfish scalpers on eBay.

I've mentioned this before, the issue is Nintendo allowing FOUR per person, this is turning non scalpers into opportunists. Literally anyone who gets there at the right time buys 4 knowing they're guaranteed a hefty profit.

There's numerous eBay accounts with zero ratings flogging 3 of those things, I'm honestly so sick of not being able to get one of those damn controllers.

I revisit the page 6 times a day, unfortunately the last time I used to check first thing every morning. Thinking that they'd restock the controllers to a timer that would activate at like 6am or something. Then bizarrely the last time they were made available, it was about 5 O'clock in the evening.

I'll also tell you what doesn't help, Nintendo Life creates an article every time they go back in stock, works like a scalper alarm.

I think this looks ace, so glad they’re not following the other movie game formats of live action footage and integrated 3D characters.

Let’s just take a look at Pixar’s success shall we, looks like they’ve given it their treatment. Stunning life like textures and materials wrapped around some delightful character design.

So excited about this.

@OnlyItsMeReid because they’re using real life imitating materials, cloth and concrete are quite different. Just take a gander at any Pixar film in the past 10 years.

@BerendJan ah yeah that surely must have been something me and my friends did, I do recall twiddling with the controller options a lot many years ago, as the game has that nifty little 3D Modelled controller menu.

hmm yeah I do think many have overlooked the control system, it will be a frustrating hurdle for most if there’s no new modern set up. As you mention, to the point of ‘I can’t play it like this’.

Looking forward to diving back into this, especially with some multiplayer hilarity. I can only hope though we can match make with certain game options? Such as ‘Licence to kill’ (I think that’s what it was called) so it’s a couple shots and dead.

I don’t mean to burst the enthusiasm bubble for people looking forward to this game but is everyone aware how this game used the controller? I’ve played this recently on a N64 and I completely forgot that this game used the C buttons to aim!

There was only one joystick, just think of that. I couldn’t believe I was ever any good at the game. So is there going to be a whole new dual joystick button map? If not be prepared of the insane learning curve and stickiness of aiming with buttons.

Either way I’m not knocking the game, it’s a stone cold classic which inspired so many and I had many many happy hours playing this is a nipper.

@TheGoddesseshero yeah totally, what’s worse is this scarcity is actually creating additional casual scalpers. I’ve seen eBay accounts set up solely for selling Switch N64 controllers. They have zero rating and do all they can within the images to prove they’re genuine.

It’s madness, letting people buy 4 or as you mention, possibly into the twenties! People are more than doubling their money, I guarantee anyone who gets there in time, 70-80% I buying 4 with the intent to sell 3.

Should absolutely be capped at 1-2. It’s absolutely essential to have one of these controllers to play some of the N64 games.

I checked the site three times today, throughout the day. I can’t believe I’ve missed these again.

The issue is they allow 4 per customer, the scalpers are having a field day.

I’ve been trying so hard to get one of these for 11 months now! The prices on eBay are absurd. I refuse to line the pockets of those people. Bidding into the hundreds.

This is such a pain in the arse.

This is great and everything, BUT, the Nintendo 64 Switch controllers have been sold out now for 7 months… why is no one talking about this? I can’t wait to play some of my favourite 64 games again but can’t do so without the controller.

It doesn’t matter what they add, because I can’t enjoy any of them due to the LACK OF THE N64 CONTROLLER RESTOCK! Seriously, it’s been almost 6 months since they sold out. That’s the question that needs asking! When are the next batch of N64 controllers arriving… in addition I would love Snowboard Kids and 1080 to be added and like many have mentioned, Goemon too!

@BAN I agree, I feel Dead Cells lacks variety after a while. I hold Enter the Gungeon as the finest in these types of games and genuinely one of the greatest games ever made, no two runs ever feel the same where as in Dead Cells, to me they definitely begin to really repeat and drag - I still managed to put about 50 hours into it though so it’s a good game but I’m suprised how many stuck with it for hundreds of hours with it being pretty repetitive.

“Do that another 175 times or so...” Nah.

@MarioLover92 you don’t have to win anything - these are all given just by participating in one match each month.

The co-op online option NEEDS to go beyond couch play - battle arenas are horrendous of you wish to team up with a friend and challenge other players - you’re not even guaranteed to be on your friends team. Has anyone every had a go at battle arenas? They’re a mess - other players have the option to begin a game while you’re choosing a character even if it’s your room, there’s no control.

They need to give playlists the option to be favourited - if you select your playlist and go into a menu and opt out it plays the default playlist again - very annoying. Surely they’ll eventually have the option to play the music you wish to here upon start up and stay with it.

It’s an incredible game in some areas but battle arenas are appalling.

@EeryPetrol that’s not casual play - he must of not slept. How many hours did he say he did that in?

This is such a harsh criticism - quite insulting really to be knocked for such a minority of players who compete and organizers. I do love Masihiro’s reply about just playing the game, enjoying it. Focusing on the simple joy of just playing games.