IDK if this tip is well known, but if you dig up the Manila Clams (from those holes with water spouting out on the beach), you can use them to "craft" bait.
It's especially useful as you can manually spawn (haha) fish in specific areas they only show up in, rather than running back and forth waiting.
It's how I managed to catch a Stringfish, despite any fish rarely ever showing up in my top-most waters.
While I'm kiiiinda burned out on the meme-y side of things (I do like that two communities can come together like this), I cant help but respect and appreciate the work put in to content like this~
Add to the fact that I'm just getting back into RFA, I went into the rhythm minigame completely forgetting this was a fitness game, first and foremost...
On top of the promotional material, it makes sense that among all the hooplah regarding NH, those who don't want (or can't afford) a Switch at the moment might look towards something that's, ultimately, a Lite version of Animal Crossing.
Personally, the release of NH was the final [much anticipated] push for me to delete PC off my phone. Though I'm not above re-downloading it if there's any more cross-game promotions.
@Rika_Yoshitake As one of them common folk talking with at least two journalists back at E3 2017, the uptick in "normies" getting in on it was definitely one of the complaints I've heard. That, and the lack of booth babes. :V
The funny thing is that the press and industry folks still get special treatment. I was lucky enough to get an "Industry" pass for E3 2019, which bought me a few extra hours before everyone else got in. And this isn't even considering private invites to presentations, and extended play sessions compared to the standard ones.
All that said... I'm not sure how often I'd personally go back as just a fan. The kid in me finally had his gamer dreams come true (twice!), but the adult in me cringes at how expensive it can get just to spend more of your time standing in lines than actually playing.
@andywitmyer If you're honestly blaming "the media" over this, you clearly haven't been paying attention to how far it's spread over these past two months. That same media has driven home the point that folks shouldn't panic and how to stay safe.
As for the "economic devastation"... Near the end of January, electronic companies - including Nintendo- have stated that this virus was gonna delay production of many products. This was well before the virus extended far beyond China. The economy taking a dive shouldn't be a surprise, as it's been a month in the making, at the very least.
Additionally, the WHO has claimed that the annual Flu has a mortality rate of about 1%, whereas the Coronavirus is currently hitting about 3+%. It might mellow out in due time, BUT the lack of a vaccine leaves an air of uncertainty.
tl;dr - Yeah, no need to panic, but don't let arbitrary disdain make you ignorant to reality.
@AnnoyingFrenzy For major, international events with so much business and money on the line, I'd imagine even 3 months of uncertainty is too short notice.
I think E3 is one of those events that announces the next year's dates only a couple weeks after the current one ends. Just to give some idea of how far ahead they plan.
@inenai I dont think this is a testament to TPC's "poor marketing choices". Mascots and MCs are rarely the top pick of character polls if the supporting cast is interesting and diverse enough.
That said, two of the eight Eevee-lutions made it on the Top 10, beating out 800+ other Pokemon. If we rolled with your point, TPC made a good bet making Eevee a second mascot.
@SupahM3tr0yd The cuteness is only part of it, but it's clear that AC means a lot to her. Just as folks lose their freakin' minds when a new character is revealed for Smash, or when any game in a favorite franchise is announced. There's little reason to believe she's playing it up.
Also, there's a high chance this was a candid moment clipped from a bigger video. Folks recording their trek through expo/con spaces isnt out of the ordinary.
@sanderev True, I guess it's just the lack of consistency that's most bothersome.
No one in one region should be required to see what the other region is saying to get the full story on the same game. It detracts from potential hype.
@sanderev That info about a feature to transfer users and save data to another console isnt mentioned on the NA site. It also only seemed to come out on the UK site after the Direct.
I'd like to remain optimistic (the UK branch wouldnt be saying this if there wasnt some credbility), but it'd be appreciated for Nintendo as a whole to give unilateral confirmation on this.
What gets me about this is that... If your save data is clearly gonna be backed up and ready to recover at any time of loss, why only make it a one-time deal in a service you're actively paying for?
At the very least, give us a cool-down after any transfer. Or heck, since it's technically not part of the NSO cloud server, just charge folks per recovery/transfer.
I really hope they're just low balling things out the gate and will loosen their grips down the road; whether that's making it officially part of cloud saving, or actually allow you to locally transfer. Because this makes no sense...
The kicker is that the grass-roots scenes have made it this far despite Nintendo's lack of major support.
Yeah, it would be nice to get that sweet pot bonus and donated equipment that all the other games are getting. But opening the doors towards that can be a monkey's paw. Especially if you try to coerce a company that may not have the same philosophies/passion that those running the scenes do.
Maybe it could be everything beyond your wildest dreams... Or it could be a corporate takeover of everything you worked so hard to build up. I support anyone who has the guts to advocate for what they believe in, but be careful what you wish for.
At this point, I wonder why they're not doing daily photos or something like that?
Unless they have something planned for the final stretch, starting March 1st or March 13th, they could literally post photos of rocks and bugs, and people (including myself) will fawn over them.
I'm not exactly jumping for joy over the price, buuuuut I have been looking forward to having my old Pokemon on a more modern console/system since Home's announcement.
Part of me wants to laugh, as it seemed to be in good fun...
But another part of me cringes at the fact that that's technically an invasion of privacy. Unless that was his own Switch, I doubt he'd do the same with his own on stream.
Maybe it'd help if Sega dug deep and looked back at what made them stand out to begin with. As cool as it would be for them to revivie/port old IPs, I just miss the type of ambition that screamed "SEGA" during the gens before the PS360 era.
I mean, they helped bring Bayonetta to the world, and Yakuza keeps the Shenmu spirit alive (while also being good), but it just feels like they left a part of themselves behind in lieu of looking more serious and/or chasing memes.
As much as I wish they'd try at single-paid mobile games again, the one saving grace to this is that Nintendo doesn't seem intent on low-prioritizing their conventional, "hardcore" games like they did during the late Wii/early Wii U days.
Like, in spite of all this, we still got a mainline FE game, a new AC game is less than two months away, BotW 2 is still coming, and who knows what this holiday's big game will be?
Sentimental value and child-age broke-ness aside, the only times I ever really consider selling games/consoles these days are, 1) When they go for well over their original values, 2) You're looking to downsize and absolutely know you aren't going to touch or even look at them again, or 3) You're so hard pressed for money that the few extra bucks will save your butt.
For most of us who work, the price you might get for a moderately valuable game can be about the cost of a few hours/days on the job. That, in my eyes, is too negligible to go in on, when having a physical collection looks (and feels) valuable in itself.
I have a sneaking suspicion that these cool pre-order bonuses are precisely because enough folks are considering going digital with this game. Gotta get those retail sales anyway you can.
That said, I'm surprised there's no announced Special Edition bundles yet. Not even a LE Switch Lite?
Interesting. So the "Balancing" part of GF's reasoning actually does seem to hold water.
Meaning that the only folks left are those who miss their personal favorites in the mainlines, and the completionists. Which I can respect, yet, I still don't understand why the upcoming Pokemon Home isn't enough for the completionists, at least.
If you're you're gonna transfer Pokemon that aren't even catchable in some mainlines, why not let Home be your IRL Poke PC between all the compatible games?
@ThanosReXXX Satire doesn't inherently mean people are going to get offended.
It's usually when the satire is ignorant, lazy, or is used as a front just to punch down, when people get offended and/or trash the work. But when it's well executed, folks appreciate it.
@Preposterous But... the game is good and "complete". This mod, with all its ingenuity, only got a single Pokemon in that had a pre-existing model and animation that was still broken in some parts.
It would be an interesting experiment to see if there's a dedicated enough modding community to "do the whole run," if it's apparently so easy.
@YozenFroghurt I dont know what makes you think I dont understand the issues or controversies with them...
I've seen videos regarding the problems with microtransactions. I already know about how loot boxes are akin to gambling. I applaud Belgium for getting the ball rolling on clamping down on them.
If I had it my way, no game would have them. But given the nature of, especially F2P games, I think it's important to push for a balance + protections for people with addictive personalities, rather than burn it all down.
Honestly, if it was this Vs. Loot boxes, I'd consider this the lesser of two evils (it's not too different from MMO subscriptions anyway). And especially considering the game is free-to-play to begin with, I cant fully fault the practice.
As long as this doesnt seep into retail/console games, I'm not too bothered by it.
@Jugdral The thing is that it's far easier to criticize than it is to enioy something. It only gets easier with a mob.
I've been a huge supporter of the right to criticize, and I can even see where people are coming from on some fronts, and even agree! But as someone who's been looking forward to Sw/Sh, the backlash has been far more exhausting than the actual disappointment. Add to that, I've been around long enough to see when fans get a bit too passionate.
I mentioned elsewhere that this feels familiar to how folks treated Metroid Prime Federation Force: A game that caught the ire of Metroid fans; not because it was actually a legit, terrible game (it was actually decent, if not good), but solely because it showed up during a mainline Metroid drought. It (and Next-Level Games) got a worse shake than it deservered for the wrong reasons.
Yes, this is a different circumstance, but folks werent tearing this game apart this badly until they said "No NationalDex" (whether or not it's justified at this point is debatable). The kicker is that GF may not even be "lying" about their reasoning, but many are determined to prove that they are in hopes that shouting loud enough will get the NationalDex back. Because that's what all this is really about.
It'll be interesting to see what happens in Gen 9 in response to all this...
@ShikabaneHime13 It sucks that folks have to be periodically reminded that there are actual people working on these things.
And it almost always has to be someone having their lives threatened (or worse) before fans start to wonder if things are going too far or have a change of heart.
Generally speaking, fans of any series need to accept the fact that sometimes, as disappointing as some business/creative decisions might be, they dont always have the moral high ground; that expectations or demands can be unreasonable. That valid criticism doesnt give one free reign to be an out-and-out jerk.
@Arnold-Kage Not necessarily. I get the desire to have some kind of standard in regards to what should and shouldnt receive backlash, but it's never that easy with creative works. That, as with previously mentioned ethics/and morals, are subjective.
Also, it's silly to be the one to set a standard after you, yourself, admitted you're not bothered in this case. That's literally a conflict of interest.
@Arnold-Kage As folks have said, it's not just the art style, but a combination of everything. For many creatives and consumers, it just doesnt sit well if two creations are too similar to one another.
This is definitely more of an ethical/moral debate than a legal one (not even a criticism on its quality). No one's really "wrong" for not being bothered by it, but it shouldnt be too hard to understand while also disagreeing.
@Seanmyster6 Censorship from a place of government/authoritative power doesnt really require a sliding scale with irrelevant hits. They'll usually shoot for whatever's a direct threat to their reign (or whatever will help them maintain power).
If there's no checks and balances or civil rights, they'll just go for it straight away. If there are, they'll usually chip away at it with actual political correctness and/or casting doubt on the system.
I think the path from apathy over the censorship of anime boobs to real-life acts of violence is a long and winding one. Ironically though, the recent uprising of a certain fringe political group has been partially attributed to many of the types who might get upset over censorship like this.
Anime boobs and skimpy outfits always feels like a weird hill to fight on in regards to censorship.
Because, I get it. It's inherently not a good feeling knowing content of any medium has been altered due to puritanical standards. At the same time, it feels a bit dishonest to argue purely on priciple over something that's essentially low stakes in this case.
It sends a stronger message to own what you're trying to defend on a more substantial, personal level. You wanna see titilating content, wear it on your sleeve (note: this doesnt mean you're immune to criticism).
@Kochambra I'm not saying that the devs of Enchanted Portals can't do what they're doing . I've been trying to make clear that my points are from an execution and optics perspective; how reception could've been less harsh if they approached this game and its announcement from a different angle.
They can do what they want. If it garners an audience, good for them. But critics and reasonable criticism are fair play too.
As someone who's a creative myself, I know what it's like putting in a lot of effort and hoping reception is positive. Again, the team does appear to have talent. It's just a shame that all that hard work will primarily be associated with being a "lesser Cuphead" when it could've been so much more, and/or ultimately its own thing.
I actually hold this opinion towards a fair amount of things that don't space themselves far enough away from what they're inspired by.
@Kochambra When I called it "essentially plagiarism", it's the fact that so little is done to make it their own. When it comes to artistic projects, it's the combination of everything that makes a project what it is.
Of course Cuphead didn't invent the art style, music style, or even play style. But the combination of everything is what made Cuphead "Cuphead". At best, you can try and argue that it's a re-skinned Contra clone... but there hasn't been a new, quality 2D Contra in years. Blazing Chrome is far more unapologetic in that regard, but that is very much filling a gap. You can try to argue the Epic Mickey comparison, but that only makes the point that Studio MDHR built upon it, not just took it as-is.
Now look at where Enchanted Portals took its inspiration from. Based off their PR response to the backlash, it's 100% Cuphead and nowhere else. That's their prerogative, but that doesn't mean people have to accept or reward that.
THEN, when you consider that they're seeking crowdfunding with the intention to sell the game, it casts a bit of doubt that this is mostly coming from a place of respect or admiration. It wouldn't be hit nearly as hard if it was released for free, or even on platforms where you couldn't get Cuphead (like PS4 or Mobile).
Ultimately, what improves the public reception/acceptability of a project is doing something better, doing it differently, or filling a void that no one else will. Business-wise, this is whatever. Artistically, it's dubious.
@Zimon No one's arguing this from a legal perspective, only an ethical one. Military shooter clones are still gross, but not nearly as bad because (ignoring that CoD and BF are made by AAA studios,) the market is already oversaturated by that genre and style. It practically begs for derivatives. Case in point: Splatoon and even Morphie's Law.
But creations that have a specific, undeniable brand make the copycats stand out all the more, which makes them feel far more cheap.
Above all else, money makes the difference. It's a rough tear, because hard work should be compensated, but what's essentially plagarism shouldn't be rewarded. If they released it for free and opened for donations, it'd feel far less gross than trying to sell the game outright.
@PBandSmelly To be fair, @Evil-C kiiiiinda started it. @Aquamine-Amarine was just responding to the dig (though this is sooo not the hill to die on).
IMO, there's nothing wrong with a little political talk, as long as it's a substantial, educated, and/or well-intended discussion. And, you know... not going to bat for a habitual, narcissistic liar with an ego so fragile he took a black sharpie to an official hurricane weather map after he was informed just to appear to be right, completely ignoring the fact that intentionally falsifying weather maps is illegal, and a waste of man power for those who would have to prep for something that wasnt gonna hit...
@Bunkerneath I think confirmation bias mixed up the usual Joy-Con drift with what ultimately might've just been defects at best, or a potentially different issue at worst.
Folks were freaking out about Drift, well before we knew what the internals of the Lites would be. So of course it'd only take, like, two example videos and one non-exactly-thorough breakdown to "prove" the concerns justified.
And that's not to say Drift will never be an issue in the Lites, but this latest breakdown might show that people jumped the gun on this Joy-Controversy.
As someone who went to E3 in 2017 as a "fan", and then was incredibly lucky to go under an industry pass this year (thanks to Nintendo, no less!), this move from the ESA doesnt fill me with a ton of confidence.
Making it a little less corporate was a great bone to throw to fans who always dreamed about walking those halls. And it's undeniably great for marketing that "normal folks" get to share their experiences via social media. But the few industry/press folks I had a chat with lament how much more of a pain it can be to do their jobs with the uptick of casuals walking around. And I partially agree.
It's definitely a balancing act, and you have to evolve to stay relevant... But I dont think E3 needs to go all in on the "fan" aspect. We already have that with 3 PAXes, et all.
@Dev893 It seems like a natural progression for the Salmonids to play a bigger role in the inevitable Splatoon 3. Especially after constantly having their eggs stolen- I mean... gathered for Grizzco.
Conversely, I'd love to see the rabbits from the shown prototype find their way into the series. It'd be an interesting twist in a world ran by sea creatures.
Comments 943
Re: Guide: Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Bugs And Fish Leaving Animal Crossing After March - Catch These Critters Before April 1st
IDK if this tip is well known, but if you dig up the Manila Clams (from those holes with water spouting out on the beach), you can use them to "craft" bait.
It's especially useful as you can manually spawn (haha) fish in specific areas they only show up in, rather than running back and forth waiting.
It's how I managed to catch a Stringfish, despite any fish rarely ever showing up in my top-most waters.
Re: Random: Watch Isabelle And The Doom Slayer Rip And Tear In This Incredible Fan-Made Animation
While I'm kiiiinda burned out on the meme-y side of things (I do like that two communities can come together like this), I cant help but respect and appreciate the work put in to content like this~
Re: Here Are The Full Patch Notes For Ring Fit Adventure Version 1.2.0
Add to the fact that I'm just getting back into RFA, I went into the rhythm minigame completely forgetting this was a fitness game, first and foremost...
Suffice to say, my body was NOT ready...
Re: Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Experiences A Massive Increase In Downloads And Revenue
On top of the promotional material, it makes sense that among all the hooplah regarding NH, those who don't want (or can't afford) a Switch at the moment might look towards something that's, ultimately, a Lite version of Animal Crossing.
Personally, the release of NH was the final [much anticipated] push for me to delete PC off my phone. Though I'm not above re-downloading it if there's any more cross-game promotions.
Re: Talking Point: Has Coronavirus Finally Put E3 Out Of Its Misery?
@Rika_Yoshitake As one of them common folk talking with at least two journalists back at E3 2017, the uptick in "normies" getting in on it was definitely one of the complaints I've heard. That, and the lack of booth babes. :V
The funny thing is that the press and industry folks still get special treatment. I was lucky enough to get an "Industry" pass for E3 2019, which bought me a few extra hours before everyone else got in. And this isn't even considering private invites to presentations, and extended play sessions compared to the standard ones.
All that said... I'm not sure how often I'd personally go back as just a fan. The kid in me finally had his gamer dreams come true (twice!), but the adult in me cringes at how expensive it can get just to spend more of your time standing in lines than actually playing.
Re: It Sounds Like E3 2020 Is Going To Be Cancelled
@andywitmyer If you're honestly blaming "the media" over this, you clearly haven't been paying attention to how far it's spread over these past two months. That same media has driven home the point that folks shouldn't panic and how to stay safe.
As for the "economic devastation"... Near the end of January, electronic companies - including Nintendo- have stated that this virus was gonna delay production of many products. This was well before the virus extended far beyond China. The economy taking a dive shouldn't be a surprise, as it's been a month in the making, at the very least.
Additionally, the WHO has claimed that the annual Flu has a mortality rate of about 1%, whereas the Coronavirus is currently hitting about 3+%. It might mellow out in due time, BUT the lack of a vaccine leaves an air of uncertainty.
tl;dr - Yeah, no need to panic, but don't let arbitrary disdain make you ignorant to reality.
Re: It Sounds Like E3 2020 Is Going To Be Cancelled
@AnnoyingFrenzy For major, international events with so much business and money on the line, I'd imagine even 3 months of uncertainty is too short notice.
I think E3 is one of those events that announces the next year's dates only a couple weeks after the current one ends. Just to give some idea of how far ahead they plan.
Re: 10-Character Island Names For Animal Crossing: New Horizons Now Confirmed
I've been running with Anitown since the GCN days. But NH technically isnt a town this time around...
So, I guess, welcome to the new age of Anisland: "It's an island!"
Re: Google's Pokémon Of The Year Vote Winner Is Announced, And It's Pretty Surprising
@inenai I dont think this is a testament to TPC's "poor marketing choices". Mascots and MCs are rarely the top pick of character polls if the supporting cast is interesting and diverse enough.
That said, two of the eight Eevee-lutions made it on the Top 10, beating out 800+ other Pokemon. If we rolled with your point, TPC made a good bet making Eevee a second mascot.
Re: Random: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Booth At PAX East Reduces Discord Community Manager To Tears
@SupahM3tr0yd The cuteness is only part of it, but it's clear that AC means a lot to her. Just as folks lose their freakin' minds when a new character is revealed for Smash, or when any game in a favorite franchise is announced. There's little reason to believe she's playing it up.
Also, there's a high chance this was a candid moment clipped from a bigger video. Folks recording their trek through expo/con spaces isnt out of the ordinary.
Re: Recovering Your Animal Crossing: New Horizons Save Data From Nintendo Is A One-Time-Only Deal
@sanderev True, I guess it's just the lack of consistency that's most bothersome.
No one in one region should be required to see what the other region is saying to get the full story on the same game. It detracts from potential hype.
Re: Recovering Your Animal Crossing: New Horizons Save Data From Nintendo Is A One-Time-Only Deal
@sanderev That info about a feature to transfer users and save data to another console isnt mentioned on the NA site. It also only seemed to come out on the UK site after the Direct.
I'd like to remain optimistic (the UK branch wouldnt be saying this if there wasnt some credbility), but it'd be appreciated for Nintendo as a whole to give unilateral confirmation on this.
Re: Recovering Your Animal Crossing: New Horizons Save Data From Nintendo Is A One-Time-Only Deal
What gets me about this is that... If your save data is clearly gonna be backed up and ready to recover at any time of loss, why only make it a one-time deal in a service you're actively paying for?
At the very least, give us a cool-down after any transfer. Or heck, since it's technically not part of the NSO cloud server, just charge folks per recovery/transfer.
I really hope they're just low balling things out the gate and will loosen their grips down the road; whether that's making it officially part of cloud saving, or actually allow you to locally transfer. Because this makes no sense...
Re: Leading Smash Bros. Player Calls Out Nintendo For "Not Putting Resources Into The Scene"
The kicker is that the grass-roots scenes have made it this far despite Nintendo's lack of major support.
Yeah, it would be nice to get that sweet pot bonus and donated equipment that all the other games are getting. But opening the doors towards that can be a monkey's paw. Especially if you try to coerce a company that may not have the same philosophies/passion that those running the scenes do.
Maybe it could be everything beyond your wildest dreams... Or it could be a corporate takeover of everything you worked so hard to build up. I support anyone who has the guts to advocate for what they believe in, but be careful what you wish for.
Re: Round Up: The Sonic Movie Reviews Are In, And They Don't Make For Pretty Reading
Just came back from seeing it. If you leave your cynicsm at the door, you're gonna have a nice time.
That's not to say there arent some contrivances or egregious artistic choices made, but I walked out liking it far, FAR more than I anticipated.
IMO, this one goes up there with other live-action adaptations like Detective Pikachu, but still a ways off from Scott Pilgrim.
Re: Nintendo Shares A Single New Animal Crossing: New Horizons Screenshot
At this point, I wonder why they're not doing daily photos or something like that?
Unless they have something planned for the final stretch, starting March 1st or March 13th, they could literally post photos of rocks and bugs, and people (including myself) will fawn over them.
Re: Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training For Nintendo Switch Adds A New Memory Exercise
Unless I've been living under a rock, I'm honestly surprised there's STILL been no word on this game coming stateside...
I really wanna import, but I worry that the second I do, NoA just shadow drops it out of nowhere.
Re: The New Cloud Service Pokémon Home Is Now Live
I'm not exactly jumping for joy over the price, buuuuut I have been looking forward to having my old Pokemon on a more modern console/system since Home's announcement.
Re: Random: Smash Bros. Tournament Offers Up A Cheeky Surprise Few Were Expecting
Part of me wants to laugh, as it seemed to be in good fun...
But another part of me cringes at the fact that that's technically an invasion of privacy. Unless that was his own Switch, I doubt he'd do the same with his own on stream.
Re: Sega Laments Poor Performance Of Its Console Releases In Latest Financial Report
Maybe it'd help if Sega dug deep and looked back at what made them stand out to begin with. As cool as it would be for them to revivie/port old IPs, I just miss the type of ambition that screamed "SEGA" during the gens before the PS360 era.
I mean, they helped bring Bayonetta to the world, and Yakuza keeps the Shenmu spirit alive (while also being good), but it just feels like they left a part of themselves behind in lieu of looking more serious and/or chasing memes.
Re: Mobile Hit Fire Emblem Heroes Introduces A New Subscription-Based Service
As much as I wish they'd try at single-paid mobile games again, the one saving grace to this is that Nintendo doesn't seem intent on low-prioritizing their conventional, "hardcore" games like they did during the late Wii/early Wii U days.
Like, in spite of all this, we still got a mainline FE game, a new AC game is less than two months away, BotW 2 is still coming, and who knows what this holiday's big game will be?
Re: Start Your Island Life With This Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch
I'm glad I'm not a betting man. I honestly thought it'd be the Lite that'd get a LE version.
I guess it still could, but it's not looking so likely atm.
Re: Talking Point: How Much Is Your Video Game Collection Really Worth To You?
Sentimental value and child-age broke-ness aside, the only times I ever really consider selling games/consoles these days are, 1) When they go for well over their original values, 2) You're looking to downsize and absolutely know you aren't going to touch or even look at them again, or 3) You're so hard pressed for money that the few extra bucks will save your butt.
For most of us who work, the price you might get for a moderately valuable game can be about the cost of a few hours/days on the job. That, in my eyes, is too negligible to go in on, when having a physical collection looks (and feels) valuable in itself.
Re: Looks Like The US Might Get The Best Animal Crossing: New Horizons Pre-Order Bonus
I have a sneaking suspicion that these cool pre-order bonuses are precisely because enough folks are considering going digital with this game. Gotta get those retail sales anyway you can.
That said, I'm surprised there's no announced Special Edition bundles yet. Not even a LE Switch Lite?
Re: Hang On, Competitive Pokémon Fans Are Liking Sword And Shield's National Dex Cut
Interesting. So the "Balancing" part of GF's reasoning actually does seem to hold water.
Meaning that the only folks left are those who miss their personal favorites in the mainlines, and the completionists. Which I can respect, yet, I still don't understand why the upcoming Pokemon Home isn't enough for the completionists, at least.
If you're you're gonna transfer Pokemon that aren't even catchable in some mainlines, why not let Home be your IRL Poke PC between all the compatible games?
Re: Review: SuperEpic: The Entertainment War - A Metroidvania Built On Satirical Humour And Minigames
@ThanosReXXX Ah, fair enough.
Re: Review: SuperEpic: The Entertainment War - A Metroidvania Built On Satirical Humour And Minigames
@ThanosReXXX I honestly didnt. Which may make my point about execution, but I'll concede that it might've just been me who missed the joke.
Re: Review: SuperEpic: The Entertainment War - A Metroidvania Built On Satirical Humour And Minigames
@ThanosReXXX Satire doesn't inherently mean people are going to get offended.
It's usually when the satire is ignorant, lazy, or is used as a front just to punch down, when people get offended and/or trash the work. But when it's well executed, folks appreciate it.
Re: Axed Pokémon Are Being Added To Sword And Shield By Industrious Modders
@Preposterous But... the game is good and "complete". This mod, with all its ingenuity, only got a single Pokemon in that had a pre-existing model and animation that was still broken in some parts.
It would be an interesting experiment to see if there's a dedicated enough modding community to "do the whole run," if it's apparently so easy.
Re: A New Paid Membership Service Is Being Added To Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
@YozenFroghurt I dont know what makes you think I dont understand the issues or controversies with them...
I've seen videos regarding the problems with microtransactions. I already know about how loot boxes are akin to gambling. I applaud Belgium for getting the ball rolling on clamping down on them.
If I had it my way, no game would have them. But given the nature of, especially F2P games, I think it's important to push for a balance + protections for people with addictive personalities, rather than burn it all down.
Re: A New Paid Membership Service Is Being Added To Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Honestly, if it was this Vs. Loot boxes, I'd consider this the lesser of two evils (it's not too different from MMO subscriptions anyway). And especially considering the game is free-to-play to begin with, I cant fully fault the practice.
As long as this doesnt seep into retail/console games, I'm not too bothered by it.
Re: Pokémon Fans Get 'Game Freak Lied' Trending As Sword And Shield Drama Intensifies Yet Again
@Jugdral The thing is that it's far easier to criticize than it is to enioy something. It only gets easier with a mob.
I've been a huge supporter of the right to criticize, and I can even see where people are coming from on some fronts, and even agree! But as someone who's been looking forward to Sw/Sh, the backlash has been far more exhausting than the actual disappointment. Add to that, I've been around long enough to see when fans get a bit too passionate.
I mentioned elsewhere that this feels familiar to how folks treated Metroid Prime Federation Force: A game that caught the ire of Metroid fans; not because it was actually a legit, terrible game (it was actually decent, if not good), but solely because it showed up during a mainline Metroid drought. It (and Next-Level Games) got a worse shake than it deservered for the wrong reasons.
Yes, this is a different circumstance, but folks werent tearing this game apart this badly until they said "No NationalDex" (whether or not it's justified at this point is debatable). The kicker is that GF may not even be "lying" about their reasoning, but many are determined to prove that they are in hopes that shouting loud enough will get the NationalDex back. Because that's what all this is really about.
It'll be interesting to see what happens in Gen 9 in response to all this...
Re: Review: New Super Lucky's Tale - The Perfect Tonic For Jaded Modern Gamers
It's nothing super groundbreaking, but it has been a nice, almost relaxing playthrough so far.
It's great to have another 3D platformer that doesnt only own what it's doing, but has the right amount of polish, both visually and mechanically.
(Bonus points for having a fox protagonist as well)
Re: Pokémon Sword And Shield's Japanese Launch Event Has Been Canned
@ShikabaneHime13 It sucks that folks have to be periodically reminded that there are actual people working on these things.
And it almost always has to be someone having their lives threatened (or worse) before fans start to wonder if things are going too far or have a change of heart.
Generally speaking, fans of any series need to accept the fact that sometimes, as disappointing as some business/creative decisions might be, they dont always have the moral high ground; that expectations or demands can be unreasonable. That valid criticism doesnt give one free reign to be an out-and-out jerk.
Re: Hardware Review: Go-tcha Evolve - The Pokémon GO Plus Killer
@Zequio I guess in the same way RPGs these days have an "Auto-battle" mode of some sort.
When a core mechanic gets too tedious, but you still want to enjoy other aspects, this can be seen as a QoL improvement.
But if anything like the Go Plus and Pokeball Plus, catches arent guaranteed, so you risk losing out by leaving it to a "bot" 100% of the time.
Re: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Is Now The Best-Selling Fighting Game In History
@AlexSora89 To be fair, Smash and Pokemon have widely different design philosophies that have changed over time.
Add to that, even wasnt Smash isnt immune to cut characters and content, and controversial choices (Trophies, Adventure Mode, Tripping, etc.)
Addendum: Heck, Sakurai has said not to expect a scope as big as Ultimate ever again.
All that said, Smash Ultimate deserves ALL the praise~
Re: Kickstarter For Cuphead-Style Enchanted Portals Is Delayed Following Publisher Interest
@Arnold-Kage Not necessarily. I get the desire to have some kind of standard in regards to what should and shouldnt receive backlash, but it's never that easy with creative works. That, as with previously mentioned ethics/and morals, are subjective.
Also, it's silly to be the one to set a standard after you, yourself, admitted you're not bothered in this case. That's literally a conflict of interest.
Re: Kickstarter For Cuphead-Style Enchanted Portals Is Delayed Following Publisher Interest
@Arnold-Kage As folks have said, it's not just the art style, but a combination of everything. For many creatives and consumers, it just doesnt sit well if two creations are too similar to one another.
This is definitely more of an ethical/moral debate than a legal one (not even a criticism on its quality). No one's really "wrong" for not being bothered by it, but it shouldnt be too hard to understand while also disagreeing.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore Will Be Censored On Switch
@Seanmyster6 Censorship from a place of government/authoritative power doesnt really require a sliding scale with irrelevant hits. They'll usually shoot for whatever's a direct threat to their reign (or whatever will help them maintain power).
If there's no checks and balances or civil rights, they'll just go for it straight away. If there are, they'll usually chip away at it with actual political correctness and/or casting doubt on the system.
I think the path from apathy over the censorship of anime boobs to real-life acts of violence is a long and winding one. Ironically though, the recent uprising of a certain fringe political group has been partially attributed to many of the types who might get upset over censorship like this.
Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore Will Be Censored On Switch
Anime boobs and skimpy outfits always feels like a weird hill to fight on in regards to censorship.
Because, I get it. It's inherently not a good feeling knowing content of any medium has been altered due to puritanical standards. At the same time, it feels a bit dishonest to argue purely on priciple over something that's essentially low stakes in this case.
It sends a stronger message to own what you're trying to defend on a more substantial, personal level. You wanna see titilating content, wear it on your sleeve (note: this doesnt mean you're immune to criticism).
Re: Magical 2D Platformer Enchanted Portals Accused Of Being A Cuphead Clone
@Kochambra I'm not saying that the devs of Enchanted Portals can't do what they're doing . I've been trying to make clear that my points are from an execution and optics perspective; how reception could've been less harsh if they approached this game and its announcement from a different angle.
They can do what they want. If it garners an audience, good for them. But critics and reasonable criticism are fair play too.
As someone who's a creative myself, I know what it's like putting in a lot of effort and hoping reception is positive. Again, the team does appear to have talent. It's just a shame that all that hard work will primarily be associated with being a "lesser Cuphead" when it could've been so much more, and/or ultimately its own thing.
I actually hold this opinion towards a fair amount of things that don't space themselves far enough away from what they're inspired by.
Re: Magical 2D Platformer Enchanted Portals Accused Of Being A Cuphead Clone
@Kochambra When I called it "essentially plagiarism", it's the fact that so little is done to make it their own. When it comes to artistic projects, it's the combination of everything that makes a project what it is.
Of course Cuphead didn't invent the art style, music style, or even play style. But the combination of everything is what made Cuphead "Cuphead". At best, you can try and argue that it's a re-skinned Contra clone... but there hasn't been a new, quality 2D Contra in years. Blazing Chrome is far more unapologetic in that regard, but that is very much filling a gap. You can try to argue the Epic Mickey comparison, but that only makes the point that Studio MDHR built upon it, not just took it as-is.
Now look at where Enchanted Portals took its inspiration from. Based off their PR response to the backlash, it's 100% Cuphead and nowhere else. That's their prerogative, but that doesn't mean people have to accept or reward that.
THEN, when you consider that they're seeking crowdfunding with the intention to sell the game, it casts a bit of doubt that this is mostly coming from a place of respect or admiration. It wouldn't be hit nearly as hard if it was released for free, or even on platforms where you couldn't get Cuphead (like PS4 or Mobile).
Ultimately, what improves the public reception/acceptability of a project is doing something better, doing it differently, or filling a void that no one else will. Business-wise, this is whatever. Artistically, it's dubious.
Re: Magical 2D Platformer Enchanted Portals Accused Of Being A Cuphead Clone
@Zimon No one's arguing this from a legal perspective, only an ethical one. Military shooter clones are still gross, but not nearly as bad because (ignoring that CoD and BF are made by AAA studios,) the market is already oversaturated by that genre and style. It practically begs for derivatives. Case in point: Splatoon and even Morphie's Law.
But creations that have a specific, undeniable brand make the copycats stand out all the more, which makes them feel far more cheap.
Above all else, money makes the difference. It's a rough tear, because hard work should be compensated, but what's essentially plagarism shouldn't be rewarded. If they released it for free and opened for donations, it'd feel far less gross than trying to sell the game outright.
Re: Nintendo's 'Live 2019' Gaming Expo Could Be Cancelled Due To Typhoon Safety Concerns
@PBandSmelly To be fair, @Evil-C kiiiiinda started it. @Aquamine-Amarine was just responding to the dig (though this is sooo not the hill to die on).
IMO, there's nothing wrong with a little political talk, as long as it's a substantial, educated, and/or well-intended discussion. And, you know... not going to bat for a habitual, narcissistic liar with an ego so fragile he took a black sharpie to an official hurricane weather map after he was informed just to appear to be right, completely ignoring the fact that intentionally falsifying weather maps is illegal, and a waste of man power for those who would have to prep for something that wasnt gonna hit...
All that said, hope Japan stays safe!
Re: New Theory Suggests Nintendo Has Tried To Prevent Switch Lite Stick Drift After All
@Bunkerneath I think confirmation bias mixed up the usual Joy-Con drift with what ultimately might've just been defects at best, or a potentially different issue at worst.
Folks were freaking out about Drift, well before we knew what the internals of the Lites would be. So of course it'd only take, like, two example videos and one non-exactly-thorough breakdown to "prove" the concerns justified.
And that's not to say Drift will never be an issue in the Lites, but this latest breakdown might show that people jumped the gun on this Joy-Controversy.
Re: E3 Reportedly Set To Be Rebranded As A "Fan, Media And Influencer Festival" Next Year
As someone who went to E3 in 2017 as a "fan", and then was incredibly lucky to go under an industry pass this year (thanks to Nintendo, no less!), this move from the ESA doesnt fill me with a ton of confidence.
Making it a little less corporate was a great bone to throw to fans who always dreamed about walking those halls. And it's undeniably great for marketing that "normal folks" get to share their experiences via social media. But the few industry/press folks I had a chat with lament how much more of a pain it can be to do their jobs with the uptick of casuals walking around. And I partially agree.
It's definitely a balancing act, and you have to evolve to stay relevant... But I dont think E3 needs to go all in on the "fan" aspect. We already have that with 3 PAXes, et all.
Re: Pre-Order This Jumbo-Size Mareep Poké Plush For A Small Fortune
What market/demographic is this aimed at to justify charging $500 for?
How big is the cross section of the Venn diagram that covers Mareep fans, fans of large scale plushies, and fans who have that kind of money to burn?
I'm only 2 out of 3 of those...
Re: Pearl And Team Chaos Win The Final Splatoon 2 Splatfest
@SheldonRandoms Not sure if an intentional joke, but Dexter would absolutely be #TeamOrder if he took part.
Re: Pearl And Team Chaos Win The Final Splatoon 2 Splatfest
@Dev893 It seems like a natural progression for the Salmonids to play a bigger role in the inevitable Splatoon 3. Especially after constantly having their eggs stolen- I mean... gathered for Grizzco.
Conversely, I'd love to see the rabbits from the shown prototype find their way into the series. It'd be an interesting twist in a world ran by sea creatures.
Re: Sega Reveals Development Of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Is 70% Complete
@BitLounger While I wouldn't sneeze at a 1+2 remake, I'm actually looking forward to Banana Blitz HD.
The original version was pretty good, but mainly held back by the forced tilt controls. Which should hopefully be fixed this time around.