DTFaux

Pretty sure it's just temporary. If they were intent on killing it off, they'd probably have a formal announcement.

They made progress beyond their original offerings of stationary, so hopefully they keep stepping it up.

I've always been a sucker for tech and games that encourage you to get up and go. But I do feel it's a bit of a gamble using a relatively niche IP like Pikmin, though.

Not to say it may not finally find a wider audience, but this feels like an idea that would work amazingly if integrated with a mainline Pikmin (or other Nintendo) release. Kinda like how 3DS Play Coins worked system-wide.

@MegaVel91 Without getting too descriptive, they made her a relatively family friendly "femme fatale archetype" in both demeanor and design.

It especially sticks out compared to, at least, the other female Sonic characters.

@Ryu_Niiyama If the internet has taught us anything, it's that the mind/heart finds a way when it comes to fictional characters.

And this isnt even getting into how official creators lean into it (Rouge the Bat).

I plan to get the expansion sub, but I it funny that Nintendo has been pretty quiet about when it drops outside of the day itself.

I think they accounted for backlash, but overestimated just how much good will they had on this front. Like, of course they're still gonna make bank, but they cant pull this again too soon.

Just once I'd love to see a big IP, non-Smash platform fighter reach their full potential. Too many get hampered by limited funding, short dev times, or middling devs.

That said, I'm kinda getting sick of crossovers that have little substance or thematic consistency/restraint beyond the IP holder flexing their catalogue. Like, at least Nick All-Star Brawl keeps it to Nicktoon characters, rather than it being a Viacom/Paramount showcase.

@Anti-Matter It's also a question of how much relevancy Peppa Pig has these days compared to newer pre-school/family IPs.

Bluey seems to be the new hotness, and I suspect it would perform well if the rights holders struck while the iron's hot.

The holiday season is relatively packed with Mario Party, Big Brain Academy, the Pokemon D/P remakes on their way, along with AC:NH getting its second wind, and Age of Calamity getting its second wave of DLC. Then we got Arceus in January.

Not to downplay the hurt of a delay for devs or fans, but this is probably one of the easier delays to make for Nintendo. It should hopefully give what's ultimately a modest franchise more of a chance to shine outside the holiday onslaught.

@Tharsman It honestly couldn't be any worse than Byleth at the time (full respect to FE fans). Like, with Kazuya, it's decently deserved because Tekken is a prominent series, and with Bandai-Namco co-developing, it would be a completely fair pick getting one more character outside of Pacman.

That said, hearing this news about Sora kinda being a bonus makes me think that mayyyyybe Sephiroth was intended to be the final fighter, but they didn't want two SE characters back-to-back? Both characters' trailers have some strong "Last Pick" energy to them in their own ways.

@Lordplops Man, when has "Deal with it" ever actually convinced people to drop their complaints? Like, yeah, some stress is normal among some jobs, but it's not sustainable, depending on the amount and industry.

It's especially funny in the gaming industry, because there's a through line between sub-par work environments, game quality/output inevitably suffering, and gamers predictably complaining about the product they get. Oh, but dont you dare tell them to "get over it."

@nessisonett I mean, the cloud version is ultimately a digital exclusive with an extra step, less stability, and less ownership.

I'm sure many would've taken the storage hit over having to stream a game.

@BloodNinja We'll see how distracting my icon's blinking is when I shift it into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!!

But for real, I'll probably consider it down the road.

While stocks are something to keep an eye on in the long run, I'm glad they dont dictate the video game discourse as much as they did through some of the 2010s.

I guess it helps that people finally realize investors dont properly represent the climate of the video game industry.

I was talking with a friend that we all assume Disney was super picky over what could show up in Smash, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that Sakurai/Nintendo/SE also wanted to keep any KH reference strictly to non-Disney characters to maintain Smash's "game characters only" integrity.

Which I greatly appreciate the restraint. Crossovers feel a lot more meaningful when they can commit to some kind of criteria/theme.

@1ofUs The biggest concern is that a smooth cloud gaming experience is dependent on having an internet connection good enough to stream both gameplay and your inputs with the least amount of latency as possible. A bad connection = a bad cloud gaming experience.

The other issue is that, there's even LESS ownership of cloud games than you'd even get with digital games. Should the cloud servers be shut down for any reason, there goes the games you paid for.

The upside to cloud gaming is accessibility, where all you need is a device capable of streaming games, as opposed to a powerful enough console. It honestly makes sense for KH2.8 and KH3, but there's little excuse why entries that could run on PS2, PSP, and 3DS couldn't get a physical or even digital release on Switch.

I've literally held off playing my copies on PS4, because I thought the physical Switch version was only a matter of time... But this is gonna be a nah for me.

Someone get Limited Run Games on the line for a physical production license, because I would be more than willing to pay a Switch Tax to have physical versions of 1.5+2.5.

Even though he was one of my top picks, it feels so surreal that he's in!

This is like Banjo all over again where it just didnt feel like they could overcome the legal hurdles, but here they are!

It sounds like we really shouldn't expect anything mainstream, then.

If I had to pin point, Mike Jones (Startropics) would be my retro pick, while Mallo (Pushmo) or the Sakura Samurai would be the contemporary picks. Wild card would be Anthony Higgs (Metroid: Other M).

Either way, I'm both gonna miss this ride, and cant wait to get off.

After so many years of Square-Enix using esoteric titles for their games, this somewhat recent trend of comically simple names is giving me a bit of whiplash.

The earlier parts of that trailer were a bit hard to follow, but the game overall is looking to be super competent at the very least.

Like, the art direction and character designs gives me some strong "daytime cartoon" vibes, which is definitely not a bad thing.

@VoidofLight @ObeseChihuahua2 Thanks for the answers, guys!

I find it super interesting that this chapter is also releasing for free. Chapter 1 was sizeable enough in both narrative and gameplay to charge a couple bucks, and I cant see Ch. 2 being any different.

Is it just gonna be a free endeavor, and then they'll charge for the full package/physical release when the entire game is done?

@CharlieGirl In most cases, I'd agree. But with the trend of the Switch swiping so many Wii U ports up to this point, I dont think Star Fox Zero is entirely outside the realm of possibility.

At the risk of being snobby, I feel like the sheer amount of crossovers these days is beginning to kill the magic of them.

Like, they've almost always been marketing ploys, but they were still special for how rare and/or legit surprising they felt. Now, it's like anyone can show up anywhere for no real reason... and where's the fun in that?

Honestly, this is a good way to appease the crowd that's been asking for it.

It's juuuuust enough effort to give them validation, without having to devote too much time to what's really more of a joke with a [respectable] cult following.

As one of the 5 people who enjoyed CatDog during its run, I appreciate their inclusion.

And from a fighting game perspective, it feels like there's a lot of potential for mix-ups, as you might have to be careful which side you're approaching.

@Tupin Good intentions dont really mean he cant take slight issue with having his name/face attributed to something he didnt say.

Especially when you consider Poe's Law, people may not know that the joke was, in fact, a joke. And there's definitely precedent where folks have shared quotes from famous figures, where it turns out that famous person never said the thing.

@Zebetite Sure, it's a lot to expect on the devs' part, but this then turns the debate into a matter of "artistic intent" and whether or not one agrees with that.

Really, the only hill I'm choosing to die on is that I'd rather folks own the action without feeling the need to justify themselves by saying others who care are in the wrong, or trying to devalue the ends to justify the means even though they clearly see value in the ends themselves.

"I want this, and I dont care if you look down on me for how I get it," may be 'politically incorrect', but it's way more honest, IMO.

@Zebetite While you're not wrong about Shinies simply being pallette swaps and having no effect on the competitive scene, they still have a perceived value among the trading and collecting camp.

If that wasnt the case, there wouldnt be a mod that tries to remove the grind to obtain one. Conversely, obtaining what's just a "pallette swap" would've just been an in-game option, had the devs wanted it to be so easy.

At the end of the day, sure, do what you want... but own the fact that one's cutting corners, rather than hitting at the folks who disagree with the method.

MK games have always been evergreen titles for Nintendo, but man, MK8D is a whole other beast.

We can be upset about how the success of this (plus Tour, assumedly) is delaying the release of an MK9, but Nintendo made the right business call giving MK8 a second life on Switch.

I'm definitely in the camp that believes cel-shading is part of WW's identity.

That said, this seems like one of the better "___ in Unreal Engine" examples. Feels like the artist did more footwork than just dropping a character in a generic, high-fidelity environment, and calling it a day.

And after so many people thought they were being slick joking that these were gonna drift.

@AtlanteanMan An important thing about satirical comedy is that the direction of which way you're "punching" makes the difference between what's criticism delivered through comedy Vs. what's just being a bigot/jerk under the guise of "comedy" (AKA: It's just a joke, bro!")

Generally, the point of offensive humor is to challenge conventions and the status quo, and/or speak truth to power (politicians, prominent religions, majority demographic in a population, etc.). This isn't to say offensive humor for the heck of it doesn't have a time or a place, but even in that scope, it's with the understanding that it's not socially acceptable in real life. If you're mainly making offensive jokes solely to "trigger" folks, it's extremely likely you're the one "punching down."

Add to that, times just change as people change, and especially as more folks have a voice. You're in your right to feel a certain way about change, but so are others. Not everyone misses every aspect of "the good ol' days" depending on their walk in life or understanding of history.

P.S. - My biggest pet peeve over the term "Political Correctness" is that it's misattributed as people being overly nice, when the whole point of "PC" is to maintain bigoted/unpopular opinions without catching heat for it (such as The War on Drugs).

It's unfortunate that this movie can be a fun ride, but it 100% requires you to not think about the technicalities at all. Like, even besides the video game junk and squandering a sincere sequel in favor of cramming as much marketing and meta jokes into the film as possible... where the heck was Warner Bros' IT department in any this?

So much of the movie takes place in WB's "Serververse", but it seems like so much of the events there went down without any of their in-movie staff even noticing.

I cant see Space Jam 2 aging all that better than the first, which was already rough around the edges in hindsight.

Darkstalkers X Mortal Kombat would be a more thematically fitting crossover. But considering crossovers these days give more attention to marketability than anything else, it wouldnt be anything less than 'Vs. Street Fighter' or 'Vs. Capcom' here.

@dew12333 My last paragraph was in consideration of historical precedent.

I'll be the first in line to defend people's right to say their piece, and when there's room to have a good faith discussion or debate, I'm all for it.

That said, it's not unreasonable to recognize that bad actors are committed to taking advantage of that good faith. I'm not advocating canceling folks, but you absolutely need to be wary about a person's intent and goals. Add to that, no one owes especially troubling opinions their attention/platform if they dont want anything to do with them.

Nuance is key.

@Lordplops If you dont care what I think, surely you wouldnt have a problem being transparent about your intent, right?

Being someone who's of Jamaican descent (American raised), I cant recall any piece of media I hated due to a lack of black characters... but I can sure tell folks of the times my experience of an already good time was elevated when seeing good faith representation/inclusion.

If video games are about "escapism", then this topic shouldnt be bothering certain folks as much as it does, IMO.

@Lordplops Are you actually trying to use "whataboutism" in this case? That doesnt come off as entirely in good faith...

@dew12333 An important thing to remember is the Paradox of Tolerance.

You think it's fair to hear the opinions of people who dont like people "for whatever reason", but that can only go so far if that opinion is dehumanizing, bigoted, etc.

The general idea is that hate (and ignorance) is never satisfied, so continued tolerance of it eventually leads to that hateful group chipping away at other's room or ability to speak and protest, if given the chance to do so. You have to draw the line somewhere.

I'm 99.5% certain an unfortunate amount of folks are gonna be in for a rude awakening when they learn that a business guy's book about his time in the business will have substantially less memes than they're expecting.

This isn't to say Reggie isn't cool or funny, or that people can't joke around, but it just feels like too many folks treat him as little more than a joke dispensary and receptacle, than a guy who was president of the NA division of one of the biggest gaming companies in the world.

@hammers1man I know it can technically do tabletop with an extra controller, but if traveling, that requires you having an external controller on hand, adding to more bulk to take with you.

"Utilitarian" was the key word for me, personally. Most of the Switch's core design serves a purpose, even if slightly compromised. And even the underutilized (like the IR camera and Home light-up button) dont add unnecessary bulk.

I like the idea of the Deck, but with a wingspan of almost a whole foot (not even counting height and depth) my biggest worry is how it might be just a bit too cumbersome to use as true portable device.

The Switch is already pushing it with its size, but it has the utilitarian advantage of shaving off a couple of inches by shifting from handheld mode to tabletop mode.

Until they can shrink its size a bit, I'd rather put money towards a new gaming laptop.

This music video was solid, and a fun enough song if you like that kind of pop music. But man, this is the 3rd one that's just the singer kinda doing their own thing with a bit of Pokemon interaction.

I'm just itching for more along the lines of that Bump of Chicken animated music video some months back.

It'll be curious to see how it performs in the long run. Not even considering Valve's mixed success with hardware, there's been countless portable competitors who had every reason to believe they'd take a chunk out of the portable market, only to come up short or step away after a short stint.

There's potential here, but how big is the market for this?

At the very least, this could help light a fire under Nintendo's feet. They've been riding a bit toooo comfortably due to the lack of direct competition as of late.

Looks surprisingly competent in both art direction and execution. Hopefully it meets expectations upon release.

And I cant help but think how much more amazing this game could look if they took ArcSys' approach of stylized 3D to imitate 2D animation. All the characters listed so far come from 2D animated shows, so it would check out. But I'm sure ArcSys sinks a lot more cash into the visual side of development than Nickelodeon is willing to put up.

EDIT: Hold up, I didnt realize Ludosity was the same folks who worked on Slap City! Way to bury the lede, NL! >:U

@Meteoroid This was the era of Nintendo's "Blue Ocean" strategy (trying to appeal to casuals). While very much a miscalculation in hindsight, having the game constantly bug you was likely intended to keep casual players from getting lost or forgetting what things were, and expected more hardcore players to just put up with it.

They probably could've made the hand-holding optional back then, but it also seems like it just wasnt a priority for them at the time.

The pressure is definitely gonna be on to deliver a final character that is satisfying enough, even if it's not on everyone's personal wish list. Regardless of who it is though, Sakurai and the rest of the Smash crew definitely deserve a proper break.

And we are in a position where we don't really need another new Smash game for probably the next decade. Nintendo could very well get away with dropping a random content/balance update every few years, and I'd be content.

@YoshiAngemon Tabuu would be an interesting final character, but he was also pretty forgettable in terms of a [final] boss.

The only character I personally hope to expect is a Monster Hunter rep, but it would definitely be more fitting for the last character to be from a Nintendo IP.

I feel like I've been guessing a Tekken rep since Smash 4's DLC. Between Namco co-developing Smash 4/Ult., and Tekken being one of the big classic fighting games, this seemed like an inevitability (though I was more expecting Heihachi).

One more character to go, and it's a wonder if the concensus will feel like Bayo, Byleth, or Banjo in terms of the hype of the reveal.