Any mention of Xbox Series sales percentages are rough, Xbox really has moved their userbase away from buying games, onto largely Game Pass subs. Great for Microsoft I guess (at least in the short term), but hard for third parties to justify XB Series dev costs, especially now that seemingly those Game Pass funding deals are drying up.
Sad to see how GAME has been run into the ground by Mike Ashley. Not to say the brand hasn't been struggling for years, but there is struggling and there is the largely toy aisle in the back of Sports Direct death spiral.
You only have to read of the struggles of GAME staff having to explain to Fraser group suppliers, that when they sell a special edition preorder of a game with a steelbook, that means for every game you also need a steelbook. Or the store that got 5 copies of the latest COD for launch day...
See the Eurogamer article from Nov '24 titled:
Inside the fall of GAME: "no games, no accessories - instead we received 136 Zendaya action figures"
For people like me, the answer is simple. Had they included the option to buy games outright, I would have bought titles like 'Pokemon Snap' N64 & 'Ocarina of Time' and a handful of NES & SNES games. But with their subscription only option, I have spent £0 and will not subscribe.
The subscription model clearly works for many, and that's great, but it seems a missed opportunity (and revenue stream), to not have a buy option. Sony have their overly complicated PS+ subscription tiers, but you can avoid all that and buy games like 'Ridge Racer 2' PSP outright on the store.
I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I've attached the joycon straps, mostly because I leave the joycons on the Switch. If I'm playing Switch, it's either in portable mode or docked with a 8bitdo Pro 2 (I have the official Pro controller, but prefer the 8bitdo).
On the Wii though, I always used the wrist straps, even if I wasn't playing a game that arguably required it.
It's a great game on PC, but like 'Terraria', I think it plays better on keyboard & mouse. I did try playing the game with controller, but would always return to KB&M when fighting enemies or using the inventory.
Hopefully there will be a demo (maybe timed) on Switch for people to try the game. I really enjoyed my time with it on PC and it has a really great soundtrack. All my time with the game was singleplayer, although apparently it's good in multiplayer too.
I played the 'Voyagers Expedition' on Switch and definitely noticed an improvement in visuals due to the "bespoke implementation of AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 technology" & "Dynamic Resolution Scaling has been added for Nintendo Switch", in version 4.4.
Generally the game just seems to use higher quality LOD files more consistently, giving a much nicer presentation. As an example, on previous versions when building bases on certain worlds, the metal flooring would often refuse to load beyond a fairly ugly LOD file (the stone floor looked a lot better, so I'd use that instead). Now it seems to load the higher quality assets each time, I built multiple bases across the various Expedition worlds.
____
However Freighters are still causing crashes for me on Switch (v4.4.4 and previous few patches). I'm not sure what's causing it, but if you buy or are given a Freighter, it runs fine during that initial visit, you can run around add rooms etc. But if you leave and come back later, or simply summon it to another system the game will crash. So I've just been avoiding using Freighters entirely, as I'm worried that due to how the saves work, you could easily get stuck in a crash loop.
The next time there's a freighter pirate battle, I'll buy a new freighter and strip it back to a basic base. Then leave, warp to another system and then add one room at a time, until it starts crashing.
I'd say a solid 8/10, but I have some issues with it.
Personally over 44hrs in and I think wrapping up the final area (I'm at least trying to 100% areas, not sure about challenge medals). While the bulk of the game is fairly straightforward, and some might say easy (I don't think Pikmin combat has ever been particularly difficult though), there are difficulty spikes typically in the form of the timed 'Dandori' caves. While there is "Get help" option, essentially "skip this", there are a few that are fairly harsh and perhaps could have a lower Bronze/pass threshold. There are unskippable (I think) main mission battles that are also fairly harsh. Also the late game content with Olimar seems fairly punishing time wise.
I think though my main issue is with the sheer amount of characters and the hub world. You load into the hub before the start of each day, which feels pretty overboard. It should be an option on the area selection screen and/or only load when necessary for story. The load times are fairly lengthy, which can make the above hub world daily visit fairly tedious. Also given the sheer number of injured characters, the way to cure them becomes repetitive given the number involved.
The game's rewind feature may annoy some, especially those that think it's "too easy" but it's optional. Also given the above mentioned 'Dandori' caves, being able to quickly restart can help, especially on the tougher ones.
I think nearing the end of 'Pikmin 4', my favourite of the series is probably still 'Pikmin 2' as I think it got the balance right, then 3 which was short but sweet and the original game. The original 'Pikmin' holds up well gameplay wise, but I've never been a fan of timed missions in games and so the 30 parts in 30 days aspect has always put, what I'd consider an unnecessary pressure on trying to make the most of each day.
@Patendo Would people be willing to buy them individually at a higher cost, that a cart per game would require? That I'm not so sure of.
People were scoffing at paying £40 for both Pikmin 1&2, would they really be prepared to pay £60 to £90 if the Arkham games were sold individually (with an estimate of £20-£30 per game)? For 'Pikmin' at least, the cost of old GC & Wii discs actually makes that £40 affordable by comparison (good luck finding 'Pikmin 2' GC or Wii for £40), whereas the Arkham games are on multiple platforms, regularly heavily discounted in sales.
I'd like to say I'm surprised, but given the cost of the larger cartridges (would the top 64GB cart even be enough, without having to reduce audio quality etc?) it was probably inevitable. Unless they sold the games individually.
But if the games are simply a download option in the menu, not a single use code, that would be a step up from the PS4 trilogy. With the PS4 trilogy you get Asylum & City on disc, but Knight and it's DLC is included as a single use code.
I have slight red green colour blindness, but generally it isn't too much of an issue. However I do occasionally run into games where reds in particular are a little harder to see.
For example the mini-map in 'Red Dead Redemption 2' uses a red line for the GPS, which I found hard to see clearly. Or in 'No Man's Sky', it uses red text during trades at terminals (if something is minus X percent value), my eyes have trouble focusing on the text.
I could probably use colour blind options more, but often the menu descriptions are vague, or the examples are poor. Kind of like trying to decipher a poorly worded/explained PC game settings menu. Or the "this lens, or this one" at the opticians.
The closest I came to buying a game on Switch in 2022 was 'Pokemon Arceus', but instead just waited for 'Elden Ring' on PS4. My Switch is played 95% of the time docked, so the portable aspect is largely lost on me. If I'm playing a game on the same TV, it makes more sense to pick up multiplatform games on PS4 (or PC, also connected to TV), so realistically I'm only looking at Switch exclusives.
Personally, while there were a decent amount of games released, there was nothing that really interested me enough on Switch this year (not into JRPGs, Kirby, online multi so Splatoon etc). I'm looking forward to 'Pikmin 4' in 2023, but that feels like a deja-vu statement. That game may never see the light, given the series' dragged out history.
Also while the new 'Zelda' will probably be good, if the weapons are made of glass like BotW, then I'm not looking forward to the tedium of replacing weapons & shields every five minutes as they break mid fight. I've seen that aspect of the game presented as "exciting and forcing you to use other weapons", well I'd agree with the second part... It just ended up me using the the same old rubbish weapons 90% of the time, saving the "good" weapons for a boss, only to have it break mid battle. "Innovation"... There was a lot I liked about BotW, but the glass weapons & repetitive cooking animation weren't among them.
I think I technically played 'Ocarina of Time' first, as I got an N64 used with a bunch of games before my Gamecube. But 'Wind Waker' was the 1st Zelda game I properly played & finished.
I don't think I actually completed OoT on N64, I think my first time all the way through was via the GC disc, included with 'Wind Waker'. The last time I played OoT was the 3DS port/remaster, I'd love to see that version ported to the Switch, and/or a 'Wind Waker' port.
It's funny how controversial the art style was for 'Wind Waker' at the time. I don't think I was particularly bothered by it at the time, at least any possible reservations were quickly forgotten as I explored that 1st island. But now looking back, its visual design has arguably aged better than any other Zelda. Although I say that with my bias, 'Wind Waker' is my favourite Zelda game, probably closely followed by OoT.
I have to say though, I know 'Breath of the Wild' is often listed now as people's favourite, I'm curious to see how that settles in over the years as people replay it. Personally the weapons & shields constantly breaking got tedious, as did the repetitive cooking mechanic. The game did a lot right, but those aspects made it a bit of a slog for me unfortunately.
I love the 'Pikmin' series, but at this point I feel like Nintendo have squandered the brand with its sporadic releases. It started on Gamecube with the original game in 2001/02 basically in the consoles "launch window" across the various regions, then we got 'Pikmin 2' in 2004.
But after that there has been a lot of promises, over many years, with very few games to show. It started during the Wii, repeated promises of 'Pikmin 3' coming to Wii (it only got ports of 1&2) but #3 eventually skipped the system & turned up on WiiU in 2013, ie. 9 years after the 2nd game...
Then the 'Pikmin 4' question, where is it? After the WiiU launch of #3, we were back to the familiar pattern of "its being worked on", but here we are again 9 years after 'Pikmin 3' and we are still completely in the dark over a possible 4th game. We had 'Hey! Pikmin' in 2017 on the 3DS, which was decent bit very different gameplay-wise, but even that was released a 1/2 decade ago. And hey why not re-release 'Pikmin 3' on Switch, but don't bundle 1&2 together, that would make too much sense Nintendo.
With the recent 2021 release of the augmented reality phone game 'Pikmin Bloom', maybe that could increase interest. But unfortunately at this point, I doubt it.
Comments 13
Re: UK Charts: There's No Stopping Mario Kart World And Switch 2
Any mention of Xbox Series sales percentages are rough, Xbox really has moved their userbase away from buying games, onto largely Game Pass subs.
Great for Microsoft I guess (at least in the short term), but hard for third parties to justify XB Series dev costs, especially now that seemingly those Game Pass funding deals are drying up.
Re: UK Switch 2 Fans, Don't Bother Going To GAME Stores For Your Pre-Order
Sad to see how GAME has been run into the ground by Mike Ashley. Not to say the brand hasn't been struggling for years, but there is struggling and there is the largely toy aisle in the back of Sports Direct death spiral.
You only have to read of the struggles of GAME staff having to explain to Fraser group suppliers, that when they sell a special edition preorder of a game with a steelbook, that means for every game you also need a steelbook. Or the store that got 5 copies of the latest COD for launch day...
See the Eurogamer article from Nov '24 titled:
Inside the fall of GAME: "no games, no accessories - instead we received 136 Zendaya action figures"
Re: Rumour: Switch Virtual Console Was Apparently Nintendo's "Original Plan"
For people like me, the answer is simple. Had they included the option to buy games outright, I would have bought titles like 'Pokemon Snap' N64 & 'Ocarina of Time' and a handful of NES & SNES games. But with their subscription only option, I have spent £0 and will not subscribe.
The subscription model clearly works for many, and that's great, but it seems a missed opportunity (and revenue stream), to not have a buy option. Sony have their overly complicated PS+ subscription tiers, but you can avoid all that and buy games like 'Ridge Racer 2' PSP outright on the store.
Re: Poll: Does Anyone Actually Use The Switch Joy-Con Straps?
I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I've attached the joycon straps, mostly because I leave the joycons on the Switch.
If I'm playing Switch, it's either in portable mode or docked with a 8bitdo Pro 2 (I have the official Pro controller, but prefer the 8bitdo).
On the Wii though, I always used the wrist straps, even if I wasn't playing a game that arguably required it.
Re: Award-Winning Cosy Mining Adventure 'Core Keeper' Digs Onto Switch Next Year
It's a great game on PC, but like 'Terraria', I think it plays better on keyboard & mouse. I did try playing the game with controller, but would always return to KB&M when fighting enemies or using the inventory.
Hopefully there will be a demo (maybe timed) on Switch for people to try the game. I really enjoyed my time with it on PC and it has a really great soundtrack.
All my time with the game was singleplayer, although apparently it's good in multiplayer too.
Re: The Latest No Man's Sky Patch Includes Some Switch Improvements
I played the 'Voyagers Expedition' on Switch and definitely noticed an improvement in visuals due to the "bespoke implementation of AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 technology" &
"Dynamic Resolution Scaling has been added for Nintendo Switch", in version 4.4.
Generally the game just seems to use higher quality LOD files more consistently, giving a much nicer presentation. As an example, on previous versions when building bases on certain worlds, the metal flooring would often refuse to load beyond a fairly ugly LOD file (the stone floor looked a lot better, so I'd use that instead). Now it seems to load the higher quality assets each time, I built multiple bases across the various Expedition worlds.
____
However Freighters are still causing crashes for me on Switch (v4.4.4 and previous few patches). I'm not sure what's causing it, but if you buy or are given a Freighter, it runs fine during that initial visit, you can run around add rooms etc. But if you leave and come back later, or simply summon it to another system the game will crash.
So I've just been avoiding using Freighters entirely, as I'm worried that due to how the saves work, you could easily get stuck in a crash loop.
The next time there's a freighter pirate battle, I'll buy a new freighter and strip it back to a basic base. Then leave, warp to another system and then add one room at a time, until it starts crashing.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Pikmin 4?
I'd say a solid 8/10, but I have some issues with it.
Personally over 44hrs in and I think wrapping up the final area (I'm at least trying to 100% areas, not sure about challenge medals). While the bulk of the game is fairly straightforward, and some might say easy (I don't think Pikmin combat has ever been particularly difficult though), there are difficulty spikes typically in the form of the timed 'Dandori' caves. While there is "Get help" option, essentially "skip this", there are a few that are fairly harsh and perhaps could have a lower Bronze/pass threshold. There are unskippable (I think) main mission battles that are also fairly harsh. Also the late game content with Olimar seems fairly punishing time wise.
I think though my main issue is with the sheer amount of characters and the hub world. You load into the hub before the start of each day, which feels pretty overboard. It should be an option on the area selection screen and/or only load when necessary for story.
The load times are fairly lengthy, which can make the above hub world daily visit fairly tedious. Also given the sheer number of injured characters, the way to cure them becomes repetitive given the number involved.
The game's rewind feature may annoy some, especially those that think it's "too easy" but it's optional. Also given the above mentioned 'Dandori' caves, being able to quickly restart can help, especially on the tougher ones.
I think nearing the end of 'Pikmin 4', my favourite of the series is probably still 'Pikmin 2' as I think it got the balance right, then 3 which was short but sweet and the original game. The original 'Pikmin' holds up well gameplay wise, but I've never been a fan of timed missions in games and so the 30 parts in 30 days aspect has always put, what I'd consider an unnecessary pressure on trying to make the most of each day.
Re: Batman Arkham Trilogy For Switch Only Includes One Title On The Game Cartridge
@Patendo Would people be willing to buy them individually at a higher cost, that a cart per game would require? That I'm not so sure of.
People were scoffing at paying £40 for both Pikmin 1&2, would they really be prepared to pay £60 to £90 if the Arkham games were sold individually (with an estimate of £20-£30 per game)?
For 'Pikmin' at least, the cost of old GC & Wii discs actually makes that £40 affordable by comparison (good luck finding 'Pikmin 2' GC or Wii for £40), whereas the Arkham games are on multiple platforms, regularly heavily discounted in sales.
Re: Batman Arkham Trilogy For Switch Only Includes One Title On The Game Cartridge
I'd like to say I'm surprised, but given the cost of the larger cartridges (would the top 64GB cart even be enough, without having to reduce audio quality etc?) it was probably inevitable. Unless they sold the games individually.
But if the games are simply a download option in the menu, not a single use code, that would be a step up from the PS4 trilogy. With the PS4 trilogy you get Asylum & City on disc, but Knight and it's DLC is included as a single use code.
Re: Soapbox: As A Colour Blind Gamer, I Can Now Finally Beat Metroid Prime
I have slight red green colour blindness, but generally it isn't too much of an issue. However I do occasionally run into games where reds in particular are a little harder to see.
For example the mini-map in 'Red Dead Redemption 2' uses a red line for the GPS, which I found hard to see clearly.
Or in 'No Man's Sky', it uses red text during trades at terminals (if something is minus X percent value), my eyes have trouble focusing on the text.
I could probably use colour blind options more, but often the menu descriptions are vague, or the examples are poor. Kind of like trying to decipher a poorly worded/explained PC game settings menu. Or the "this lens, or this one" at the opticians.
Re: Soapbox: If You Thought Last Year Was "Sad" For Switch, 2023 Might Be Hard To Handle
The closest I came to buying a game on Switch in 2022 was 'Pokemon Arceus', but instead just waited for 'Elden Ring' on PS4.
My Switch is played 95% of the time docked, so the portable aspect is largely lost on me. If I'm playing a game on the same TV, it makes more sense to pick up multiplatform games on PS4 (or PC, also connected to TV), so realistically I'm only looking at Switch exclusives.
Personally, while there were a decent amount of games released, there was nothing that really interested me enough on Switch this year (not into JRPGs, Kirby, online multi so Splatoon etc).
I'm looking forward to 'Pikmin 4' in 2023, but that feels like a deja-vu statement. That game may never see the light, given the series' dragged out history.
Also while the new 'Zelda' will probably be good, if the weapons are made of glass like BotW, then I'm not looking forward to the tedium of replacing weapons & shields every five minutes as they break mid fight. I've seen that aspect of the game presented as "exciting and forcing you to use other weapons", well I'd agree with the second part... It just ended up me using the the same old rubbish weapons 90% of the time, saving the "good" weapons for a boss, only to have it break mid battle. "Innovation"... There was a lot I liked about BotW, but the glass weapons & repetitive cooking animation weren't among them.
Re: Talking Point: What Was Your First Legend Of Zelda Game?
I think I technically played 'Ocarina of Time' first, as I got an N64 used with a bunch of games before my Gamecube. But 'Wind Waker' was the 1st Zelda game I properly played & finished.
I don't think I actually completed OoT on N64, I think my first time all the way through was via the GC disc, included with 'Wind Waker'. The last time I played OoT was the 3DS port/remaster, I'd love to see that version ported to the Switch, and/or a 'Wind Waker' port.
It's funny how controversial the art style was for 'Wind Waker' at the time. I don't think I was particularly bothered by it at the time, at least any possible reservations were quickly forgotten as I explored that 1st island. But now looking back, its visual design has arguably aged better than any other Zelda. Although I say that with my bias, 'Wind Waker' is my favourite Zelda game, probably closely followed by OoT.
I have to say though, I know 'Breath of the Wild' is often listed now as people's favourite, I'm curious to see how that settles in over the years as people replay it. Personally the weapons & shields constantly breaking got tedious, as did the repetitive cooking mechanic. The game did a lot right, but those aspects made it a bit of a slog for me unfortunately.
Re: Random: It's Been Five Years Since We've Heard Anything About Pikmin 4
I love the 'Pikmin' series, but at this point I feel like Nintendo have squandered the brand with its sporadic releases. It started on Gamecube with the original game in 2001/02 basically in the consoles "launch window" across the various regions, then we got 'Pikmin 2' in 2004.
But after that there has been a lot of promises, over many years, with very few games to show. It started during the Wii, repeated promises of 'Pikmin 3' coming to Wii (it only got ports of 1&2) but #3 eventually skipped the system & turned up on WiiU in 2013, ie. 9 years after the 2nd game...
Then the 'Pikmin 4' question, where is it? After the WiiU launch of #3, we were back to the familiar pattern of "its being worked on", but here we are again 9 years after 'Pikmin 3' and we are still completely in the dark over a possible 4th game.
We had 'Hey! Pikmin' in 2017 on the 3DS, which was decent bit very different gameplay-wise, but even that was released a 1/2 decade ago. And hey why not re-release 'Pikmin 3' on Switch, but don't bundle 1&2 together, that would make too much sense Nintendo.
With the recent 2021 release of the augmented reality phone game 'Pikmin Bloom', maybe that could increase interest. But unfortunately at this point, I doubt it.