Nice! It's a fun little app, could be optimized a bit to be speedier when answering questions and seeking out the answers you want.
I mainly just collect daily login bonuses these days, and use the Mii outfits to make comics or send neat personalized texts (via miitomo pics). Which is pretty great since it's free (and they've been pretty generous in recent updates with miitomo drop tickets, which is a fun minigame)
Hmm...if sidekick Mii's = having more than 1 Mii as your main (to face the public), I may get some use out of the female costume items I've been picking up! I'm looking forward to seeing if that's how it works
Rant and rave time. Love the WiiU system and concept, devs just didn't utilize it well most of the time. Which is really too bad, I wish we saw more async play like the Luigi's mansion and Mario Catch mini games.
And while Nintendo isn't competing in the graphical horsepower race, I think it doesn't help Nintendo's image when they skimp on hardware, primarily thinking of the basics, 8 GB hard drive space for the standard console is ludicrous. 32GB is a bit ludicrous as well. It's nice that it could be expanded with an external hard drive, and yes Nintendo was experimenting more with digital sales, but the average consumer won't bother and then they lose all the potential curiosity buys they could've gotten (and when the OS takes up close to that 8GB, you know something is wrong). The point is don't skimp on basic and core components (like HDD and RAM). It makes the company look cheap and gives consumers legit complaints, as the basics are needed to be able to play games smoothly. Kind of like Nintendo's claim to not sell the Switch system at a loss. 1) Don't tell the consumers that. 2) you look cheap cause other companies are willing to do it 3) please don't cut corners to gain a tiny bit of profit when it can largely affect your consumer's willingness to buy your product and be satisfied with the purchase.
I'm a nintendo fan, always have been, plan to continue in it. I'm probably being too harsh. The hard drive memory thing is a bit inexcusable though, and if they skimp with the Switch or if they sell too high, it could prevent it from selling to the masses. I do hope they do well. If you need to sell at a loss to get it out in the wild and into the hands of non-gamers or non-core/non-nintendo gamers, I recommend they do it. You can only have runaway successes like Pokemon Go if your audience/install base is as large. If the adoption rate is too low, it limits the potential for profit and hence 3rd party support, etc etc.
I don't take much faith in the speculation and rumors, but if the Switch had 32GB but it was SSD, that could work since it's portable and it's special high speed memory with real benefit. Else, I'm perfectly content with standard microSD card slot (since that's cheap and easy and doesn't involve 2 USB ports like an external HDD), but the rumored capacity of 128GB is a bit low. 256GB min support would probably be best (since 3rd parties can sometimes have very large games, though ideally those would be more compressed).
Regardless of whether people plan to use the portability or not, I think a win for everyone (either way) is that more games 'should' be able to be developed for the system, assuming they pull their development efforts together, since they can focus on a single console/platform as opposed to home + portable.
While there is some extra cost involved (screen + graphical power) as opposed to being a dedicated home console, I for one am thrilled and hopeful that'll I'll have the opportunity to enjoy the latest games all on the big screen that used to be ~exclusively handheld (i.e. pokemon, fire emblem, phoenix wright, picross 3d, etc). That's the hope anyway. I do intend primarily to use the Switch as a home console, but being able to easily share my games or game time with others who may have interest (via the TV screen or local ready multiplayer), is great. I like the focus on local play and in being able to be more inclusive if desired.
Guess we'll see if it turns out well per public opinion and adoption. I'm pretty sold on it though, and as long as they continue to churn out quality games I'll be sure to enjoy it.
I'd be interested in a sequel. I think people mention this, but don't really give much feedback in what could be improved, specifically. Obviously, what they can use most is... pants! ;p
On the more serious side, what I think would really help is:
-being able to save equipment loadouts
-ability to either sell or more ideally, filter, the weapons / clothing items you want from that which you don't want. Once you get a lot of gear it is hard to sort through, and some gear/weapons I bought but I don't intend to use (i.e. I can't handle the scoped version of chargers)
-More maps and a faster rotation to keep things fresh
I enjoy the game and concept and style a lot, but it can get tiring (playing the same map / modes).
Per modes:
-The startup is nearly always the same, maybe having a mode where half or a third of the map is already painted in your team's color
-mode where weapons are limited. If everyone was forced to use chargers (the standard charger or squiffer) or rollers (standard or dynamo, maybe even carbon), there'd be different tactics involved.
-mode where limited to standard sub weapon bombs or mouse bombs (with them of course depleting much less ink, maybe 10 splat bombs or 3-4 mouse bombs before refill (with 3-4 splat bombs required to splat, usually). Disable special and normal weapons.
-can double those modes by having one person per team be special, either longer range for the bomb throwing, or perhaps 1 charger (when everyone else are rollers), or only 1 person able to use a special weapon.
-hmmm...what else could there be...I know some youtubers did a hide and seek version (1v1). Could instead make a team mode where the 1 special person is the target, 2-3x the HP and 1/2 the health recover speed, inability to squid form and squid jump. The moment they get splatted the game is over. Smaller map to avoid running too far away. Every so often the target can use a few ink strikes consecutively.
Typically not a fan of endless runners, but I see some good ideas thrown out already from the vid. The pacing looks good (not too frantic, can be good for making harder courses or more precision jumps) and the block that stops mario (so the player can time when to approach the challenge in front of them) is a good idea. Looks also like it may not be randomly generated, which means the levels can be aided by more complex level design.
Also nice that they aren't doing microtransactions. At the right price, I can see this appealing to a lot of people.
I"m surprised the vita numbers are as high as they are, not sure if that's the norm or if it's primarily the market in Japan keeping it running (sounds like it may be that)
I played the original mainly, but some of Super Mario 64 DS, and it seemed more like a remaster (-ish) over just a remake with the addition of the new characters and some challenge levels, if I remember right. Glad to be able to have it on the big screen, though I'm a bit hesitant to pay $10 when I already paid that for the original. Maybe when a sale comes up
@Drache_Kaiser To some degree, but I still think the price is too inflated for the casual market. Import items do tend to be more expensive, but there are larger figures one can import from Japan (6" +) for cheaper or equivalent prices than the Nendoroid line of toys, and I consider the detail on those to be pretty good. So one can ship cheap items from overseas, mainly it just tends to take 3-5 weeks to arrive.
Z attacks seem kind of like Mega Evolutions, where it seems like an interesting idea on paper but I don't know how well it does per adding to the strategy of the game. I admit I'm not a huge pokemon fan though beyond the first couple of games, but that's my 2 cents.
The ice sandshrew/sandslash and vulpix/ninetales are pretty sweet though, conceptually and visually per the gameplay footage.
I know some of Smile Nendoroid, but the video is a good way to summarize their past 10 years of work. Very well done and must've taken awhile to categorize and create the vid [and is that Miku I hear singing in the bg music?? ]
As a figure collector, the figures are cute, but to really appeal to newcomers I think they'll have to come down in price. They tend to be about $40+ and the figures are maybe 2/3 size of amiibo. Amiibo really hit a good spot by offering very well detailed and affordable figures of much beloved Nintendo IP. I think the majority market is closer to the toys to life $10-17 price range.
I luckily managed to get 1 Miku with alt dress of Smile Nendoroid on the cheap at a used store, and I have maybe 20~35 amiibo + other toys to life, so that's my ideal price range anyway per collectible figure purchasing
Interesting idea, it does seem like it's geared more towards younger players, slower paced, though it's a nice change from overly fast twitch reaction runnners where crashing feels cheap at times. Does seem to focus on a more relaxing pace.
From a technical game standpoint: The dynamic difficulty sounds interesting, though a question that comes with that is, how long does it minimally take (in time or rounds played) to get to a sustained suitable difficulty level (for an advanced player)? It seems a bit slow to do so, I think a player looking for more complexity and action may unfortunately get bored before the dynamic difficulty swayed their opinion. But from a game development standpoint, it's something to ponder. The art and relaxing style has an appeal of it's own. The price is better than I thought, $5, so it seems like a good value per pricing
Per gameplay, it's good that they keep the traditional battle system (timed button presses, assumably for extra attack and defense).
In that sense, RPG elements or no, the progression is that of traditional action games: the experience gained is from the player. Seeing familiar enemies and patterns over time should make them easier to defeat, even if your stats remain about the same. It then becomes more affected by skill/memory and one's ability to execute it technically, over being able to grind one's way through something, which I don't personally mind and wish there were more 'classic' games like this. Mind you, I don't think the difficulty will be set that high in a game like this which may throw out a lot of challenge (as opposed to games that revel in it).
Anyway, for RPG purists, it does seem like HP can grow, hammer can increase in strength, and presumably item selection/power gets stronger, so those all aid the player and provide progression, so there are RPG elements and it's not strictly an action game.
Per the story and it being 'Paper Mario-esque', I haven't kept up with the latest nor played Sticker Star, so I can't comment on that. Main point is, don't ignore the game solely for a change in gameplay and more strict RPG elements
Personally, I like the creativity and color shown in the game so far. The painting concept may just be gimmicky, as I don't anticipate the challenge level being overly high (per battles or puzzle elements), so that's unfortunate as I prefer the more challenging games, but it seems like it'd be a fun experience. My sister has been big on Paper Mario, so I anticipate her husband will get her this game (and I'll reap the benefits on the side ;p). Being on WiiU, it'd be nice to see everything in HD and it seems like it's a fun game for others to just watch (benefit of console game vs handheld). We'll see. Oh, and it probably won't happen, but Nintendo should certainly consider allowing some Squid kids to cameo in this game, the fit is perfect as is.
Played the demo, and gameplay-wise I felt like the gameplay per battling was pretty solid, battles being kept interesting even though they seem pretty frequent (the SP points seem to drain pretty quickly, and initial impressions were that the hacker character was not very useful compared to the others due to long setup times, though I guess double hackers could be interesting (one to hack, one to exploit immediately. Hmm....).
Though in further reflection, it does seem pretty grindy as the battles are quite frequent, and the level design did seem pretty bland and linear. The scenery looks nice, but it did feel repetitive and look like there were a lot of primarily halls to walk through and just an occasional branching path.
The graphics and character designs look fantastic imo, Sega tends to get futuristic wear looking really great (note Hatsune Miku and Phantasy Star Online). The music sounded fantastic as well and whoever did the menus still a stellar job (may seem insignificant, but seriously the menus contain a lot of info in a very clean and intuitive way. Worth mentioning for sure).
I found the dialogue to be a bit bland at times and other times a bit too liberal for my tastes (i.e. the rabbit, and his crude manner of speaking), but hoping that won't permeate throughout the game and hence dampen my enjoyment of the story and dialogue. It does affect my desire to recommend this to my younger gaming friends though, so that's a bummer. The level of challenge, gameplay, general story, art style and the like look great though and does look like a very solid effort, though it does seem pretty grindy now that I think of it, and games that are too much 'go from point A to point B' per level design linearity can get boring (going off the first dungeon example, anyway). Hmm. I think I'll still buy this for my own enjoyment sometime, but I'm changing my expectations a bit for the grind
To be honest I'm surprised the 'collect levels into a world' wasn't available from the start, so implementing it would be a good idea.
It'd be best if it were able to be grouped together officially in the game somehow and not just on an external website, such that you could download them all together, or have a friend play a world and have it automate playthrough and loading of the levels one by one (that is, have that all set and managed in-game, rather than having to be there with the friend and manually directing them "oh, it's stage 5 through 11 on my super mario maker saved levels, once you clear one, you have to go to the next, manually load it, manually press play test" as that would also exclude save points from working [since to manually play your own saved levels you are really only playing in test mode])
The last 2 Phx Wright games (Dual Destinies and Phx vs Layton) were fantastic so I'm looking forward to this next one (in spite of a heavy preference for physical over digital).
I understand the reasoning for going digital only, but there's definitely better value (for the consumer) if they release a physical cart (at least at release time/prices). Now that I've played it, I wish Dual Destinies had been physical so that I could have that over digital, it's a work of art.
@GameOtaku A limited print run would be nice, but any printing is expensive (typically, the more you print at once, the cheaper the price per unit). So, only printing a small amount would probably still incur the initial cost of manufacturing, such that it might not be worthwhile for them when all's said and done, unfortunately.
Looks like a blend of Rune Factory, Animal Crossing, with slight Zelda puzzle elements. I'm a bit picky per gameplay so I'd prob wait for some more videos, but the desert/Egyptian theme and character design looks good so far
@PK_Boss11 Lol, so this game could be the storyline option of Link shirking hero duty and becoming a hobo/ mountain man that lives off the land? Sounds like an interesting game theory ;p
Though if that were the case, it'd be interesting if the story progression is to see the world turning from a peaceful nature filled land to ruins as darkness encroaches...
It would be pretty cool to have Zelda as the main character of a game. It could be a good inbetween game from Majora's Mask to...I believe it was Twilight Princess (the Hero doesn't appear, so Zelda has to battle and lead Hyrulian armies).
It could be called the Legend of Link: The Dark Ages
Hopefully there's some checks and balances on the free for all battle royale, wouldn't the most dangerous pokemon get triple teamed on? Or, is the strat to be the last pokemon standing to pick something weak and defenseless (looking) and then sneak a win at the end? Better start training that lv100 Magikarp ;p
Tried the demo, wasn't really impressed. imo, the issues are it doesn't have the same charm as pokemon, and the battle gameplay is too tedious/repetitive, playing a mini-game (essentially) to do a special move is a bad design choice imo. Reminiscent of really long attack cut scenes that aren't skippable, worse because user has to interact with it so they can't passively just wait or multi-task. I particularly though find I am not a fan of grinding type work in games.
I'd say $5 is closer to the price I would pay for said game. Initial screenshots does look like a fair amount of effort went into the game. Kinda saving my credit for the upcoming Phoenix Wright game, but, we'll see
Meh, the current glasses/helmet VR is just gimmick and hype imo. Skip it, Nintendo! (I can't see the this kind of VR implementation not killing one's eyesight [by having a backlit screen so close to your eyes]).
My solution is: keep amiibo. Having affordable, good looking, Nintendo collectibles are awesome. [Historically, such figures were too expensive and the buyer also had to be much more cautious of bootlegs.]
For those that just want the game content from amiibo, either introduce a separate DLC system/shop to purchase the unlockables without amiibo, or an even easier way of doing this: make affordable card amiibo for strictly digital content access/unlocking. Both sides are happy.
I agree it would probably be better with more friends, and ideally all your good and close friends would join it.
That hasn't been the case for me, and I doubt most of my close friends would use it and regularly.
That said, I still like to dress my character up, answer questions, and miifoto, for the occasional bit of fun and points.
At this point, I'm willing to try random friends to make it more fun (and potentially get some bonuses for having more Miitomo friends) to see if it becomes more interesting.
That said: Anyone want to add me on Miitomo? No strings attached (we can both unfriend each other at anytime), I don't inappropriately joke. Just a kosher, long time, creative, Nintendo fan. If you're similar, and you'll agree not to send me inappropriate jokes or photos or miifotos, or otherwise mess with my mii character offline or online per photos/fotos and the like, let's add each other. Can let me know here and can add me on my twitter account (also DeltaPeng - https://twitter.com/DeltaPeng ), and I'll add you on my Twitter, we'll friend up on Miitomo, then can unfriend on Twitter if desired (my account is basically used for Miitomo friending). Or can try that new email add method. Reply and let me know if so.
Hrm, nice trailer. The more anime style characters look better, particularly for a handheld (being able to see the characters and expressions more clearly, in addition to the bright colors).
I'm interested to see where this goes, if they make it less grindy and more story based compared to the original that'd suit my preferences and sway my decision per buying
Yeah...this game was just ok imo. I bought new to support the Star Fox series (and thought the addition of Star Fox Guard was helpful per value), but SF64 and SF Assault are much better. This game's pretty short per content, even with some of the extras and branching paths. The controls are interesting and generally a good idea (shooting in a different direction than you fly in), but the difficulty doesn't seem to be a balanced difficulty (most was too easy, but the difficulty spikes / changes were pretty drastic and felt more cheap than fair. Perhaps if I mastered the controls I'd feel differently, but I did adjust to them enough to see / complete all branching paths. The decision to make the main screen more cinematic at times [the weird view where the camera is not behind the cockpit] was a bit mind-boggling to me). Lacks some of the classic Star Fox charm (less good cheesy one liners, seems to rehash too much SF64, but not as well done).
Did have fun with 2P co-op though, seemed to work better as opposed to one person trying to control everything. We got through the main story branch within a day though. I feel like the 'true' or classic Star Fox experience is remains limited to Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Assault games.
@rjejr agree that this latest series of skylanders has been lackluster (vehicles, eh, maybe kids like them cause they like cars). Not sure I like many of the 'superhero' variant/designs either idk. I note the figures are also slightly larger, but idt I like that as much, doesn't seem like it fits with the other figures as well offhand (though I've only bought 1 vehicle so far)
@RupeeClock Sad times! This game looked interesting (I thought this new game was going to be / was the same as The Great Ace Attorney). I liked the idea of The Great Ace Attorney. Now I'll have to check and see what this one's about (and whether I think it's worth a Day 1 purchase, being digital only...)
@Yoshi Really? I played the first Investigations game and I wasn't overly impressed (compared to the classics)
@Yalaa I love Dual Destinies, I enjoyed that the story was streamlined (less investigation), seemed like better pacing. The graphics and story on Dual Destinies was also great.
@Nintenjoe64 on the other hand, most new Sony/MS systems aren't really innovative so...leaks aren't as big a deal. The PS4K leak was probably not good for sales (as it will give reservations to anyone thinking of buying a PS4 from now until that releases), but is not the innovation like Wii, WiiU gamepad, DS, etc. If those innovations get leaked early, could steal Nintendo's thunder or (if it's a really great idea) it could have competitors try to copy-cat Nintendo and steal the initial sales (i.e. PS3 motion)
I think scores are helpful, but should only be taken semi-seriously (by the industry and gamers as it is fairly subjective). Unless you find someone you completely agree with in terms of scores and tastes, not giving a game a try (that you think you would enjoy) just because it didn't reach a certain score is a bit silly.
Even if we reverted to the older scale of scoring, where a 5-6 is an average game, I feel like the market is so flooded with games in general (a majority or large portion of which is shovel ware or which or is potentially not preferable to play compared to other options) such that most people would not give it a try unless the score were 7+ or 8+, be it due to time o budget constraints. That being the case, reverting to the old scale I argue may just make people less likely to give a decent game a try. There is some peer pressure to play 'good' games, and trying to play a game that is only a 5/10 'feels' like you're missing out (half the total possible score). I think people also may relate it to the school grading system (where 70 is average and anything below is essentially a fail).
I personally get the best info from video reviews and watching gameplay, the score is a nice quick initial check
@spizzamarozzi I typically agree with you, but at the same time, Nintendo did release Nintendo Selects on some of their more popular games lately (can't argue with $20 Super Mario 3D World)! So yes, but also Nintendo has taken some good steps in the discount direction, lately
Interesting idea, but I really think 8 player smash is too chaotic (team mode is better as there are less targets, but still not a lot of space to move around in, and hard to keep track of your character).
3v3 could be workable, and different enough to be interesting. Team attack on, if competitive, to reduce spam
Comments 638
Re: Huge Miitomo Update Promises Direct Messages, Room Customisation And Sidekick Miis
Nice! It's a fun little app, could be optimized a bit to be speedier when answering questions and seeking out the answers you want.
I mainly just collect daily login bonuses these days, and use the Mii outfits to make comics or send neat personalized texts (via miitomo pics). Which is pretty great since it's free (and they've been pretty generous in recent updates with miitomo drop tickets, which is a fun minigame)
Hmm...if sidekick Mii's = having more than 1 Mii as your main (to face the public), I may get some use out of the female costume items I've been picking up! I'm looking forward to seeing if that's how it works
Re: Nintendo Isn't The Only Company Impacted By The Failure Of The Wii U
Rant and rave time. Love the WiiU system and concept, devs just didn't utilize it well most of the time. Which is really too bad, I wish we saw more async play like the Luigi's mansion and Mario Catch mini games.
And while Nintendo isn't competing in the graphical horsepower race, I think it doesn't help Nintendo's image when they skimp on hardware, primarily thinking of the basics, 8 GB hard drive space for the standard console is ludicrous. 32GB is a bit ludicrous as well. It's nice that it could be expanded with an external hard drive, and yes Nintendo was experimenting more with digital sales, but the average consumer won't bother and then they lose all the potential curiosity buys they could've gotten (and when the OS takes up close to that 8GB, you know something is wrong). The point is don't skimp on basic and core components (like HDD and RAM). It makes the company look cheap and gives consumers legit complaints, as the basics are needed to be able to play games smoothly. Kind of like Nintendo's claim to not sell the Switch system at a loss. 1) Don't tell the consumers that. 2) you look cheap cause other companies are willing to do it 3) please don't cut corners to gain a tiny bit of profit when it can largely affect your consumer's willingness to buy your product and be satisfied with the purchase.
I'm a nintendo fan, always have been, plan to continue in it. I'm probably being too harsh. The hard drive memory thing is a bit inexcusable though, and if they skimp with the Switch or if they sell too high, it could prevent it from selling to the masses. I do hope they do well. If you need to sell at a loss to get it out in the wild and into the hands of non-gamers or non-core/non-nintendo gamers, I recommend they do it. You can only have runaway successes like Pokemon Go if your audience/install base is as large. If the adoption rate is too low, it limits the potential for profit and hence 3rd party support, etc etc.
I don't take much faith in the speculation and rumors, but if the Switch had 32GB but it was SSD, that could work since it's portable and it's special high speed memory with real benefit. Else, I'm perfectly content with standard microSD card slot (since that's cheap and easy and doesn't involve 2 USB ports like an external HDD), but the rumored capacity of 128GB is a bit low. 256GB min support would probably be best (since 3rd parties can sometimes have very large games, though ideally those would be more compressed).
Re: Video: Sonic Utopia - The Ambitious Fan Demo That Might Be Better Than Some Official 3D Sonic Games
The use of space and sense of speed works pretty well here, good work I say
Re: Talking Point: Imagining a Future Nintendo Switch Budget Spin-Off - A Non-Switching Microconsole
Regardless of whether people plan to use the portability or not, I think a win for everyone (either way) is that more games 'should' be able to be developed for the system, assuming they pull their development efforts together, since they can focus on a single console/platform as opposed to home + portable.
While there is some extra cost involved (screen + graphical power) as opposed to being a dedicated home console, I for one am thrilled and hopeful that'll I'll have the opportunity to enjoy the latest games all on the big screen that used to be ~exclusively handheld (i.e. pokemon, fire emblem, phoenix wright, picross 3d, etc). That's the hope anyway. I do intend primarily to use the Switch as a home console, but being able to easily share my games or game time with others who may have interest (via the TV screen or local ready multiplayer), is great. I like the focus on local play and in being able to be more inclusive if desired.
Guess we'll see if it turns out well per public opinion and adoption. I'm pretty sold on it though, and as long as they continue to churn out quality games I'll be sure to enjoy it.
Re: Splatoon Producer Reflects on the Game's Popularity
I'd be interested in a sequel. I think people mention this, but don't really give much feedback in what could be improved, specifically. Obviously, what they can use most is... pants! ;p
On the more serious side, what I think would really help is:
-being able to save equipment loadouts
-ability to either sell or more ideally, filter, the weapons / clothing items you want from that which you don't want. Once you get a lot of gear it is hard to sort through, and some gear/weapons I bought but I don't intend to use (i.e. I can't handle the scoped version of chargers)
-More maps and a faster rotation to keep things fresh
I enjoy the game and concept and style a lot, but it can get tiring (playing the same map / modes).
Per modes:
-The startup is nearly always the same, maybe having a mode where half or a third of the map is already painted in your team's color
-mode where weapons are limited. If everyone was forced to use chargers (the standard charger or squiffer) or rollers (standard or dynamo, maybe even carbon), there'd be different tactics involved.
-mode where limited to standard sub weapon bombs or mouse bombs (with them of course depleting much less ink, maybe 10 splat bombs or 3-4 mouse bombs before refill (with 3-4 splat bombs required to splat, usually). Disable special and normal weapons.
-can double those modes by having one person per team be special, either longer range for the bomb throwing, or perhaps 1 charger (when everyone else are rollers), or only 1 person able to use a special weapon.
-hmmm...what else could there be...I know some youtubers did a hide and seek version (1v1). Could instead make a team mode where the 1 special person is the target, 2-3x the HP and 1/2 the health recover speed, inability to squid form and squid jump. The moment they get splatted the game is over. Smaller map to avoid running too far away. Every so often the target can use a few ink strikes consecutively.
Re: Nintendo Selects Release Brings 999% Boost to Super Mario 3D World Sales in the UK
I'm all up for discounts, I hope Nintendo keeps them coming May push more games I'm mildly interested in into my to-buy list
Re: Nintendo Appears at Apple Conference to Announce Super Mario Run
Typically not a fan of endless runners, but I see some good ideas thrown out already from the vid. The pacing looks good (not too frantic, can be good for making harder courses or more precision jumps) and the block that stops mario (so the player can time when to approach the challenge in front of them) is a good idea. Looks also like it may not be randomly generated, which means the levels can be aided by more complex level design.
Also nice that they aren't doing microtransactions. At the right price, I can see this appealing to a lot of people.
Re: New 3DS LL Stays on Top in Japan as Wii U Leads Home Consoles Courtesy of PS4 Drop
I"m surprised the vita numbers are as high as they are, not sure if that's the norm or if it's primarily the market in Japan keeping it running (sounds like it may be that)
Re: ESL Go4Splatoon Tournament Winners Will Get A Nintendo NX Console
Dagnabbit...now I wish I was in Europe. And not working. And had a team so I could compete. Dagnabbit...
Re: ACT IT OUT! is Bringing Charades and Shenanigans to the Wii U eShop
Looks interesting! Good idea to also use the gamepad not just for charades, but what looks like pictionary.
Re: Super Mario 64 DS Heading to the North American Wii U Virtual Console This Week
I played the original mainly, but some of Super Mario 64 DS, and it seemed more like a remaster (-ish) over just a remake with the addition of the new characters and some challenge levels, if I remember right. Glad to be able to have it on the big screen, though I'm a bit hesitant to pay $10 when I already paid that for the original. Maybe when a sale comes up
Re: Bask in Nendoroid Goodness in This Celebratory Good Smile Company Video
@Drache_Kaiser To some degree, but I still think the price is too inflated for the casual market. Import items do tend to be more expensive, but there are larger figures one can import from Japan (6" +) for cheaper or equivalent prices than the Nendoroid line of toys, and I consider the detail on those to be pretty good. So one can ship cheap items from overseas, mainly it just tends to take 3-5 weeks to arrive.
Re: New Pokémon, Areas, Trials and 'Z-Moves' Are Revealed for Pokémon Sun and Moon
That cheerleader bird. I don't know what to say.
Z attacks seem kind of like Mega Evolutions, where it seems like an interesting idea on paper but I don't know how well it does per adding to the strategy of the game. I admit I'm not a huge pokemon fan though beyond the first couple of games, but that's my 2 cents.
The ice sandshrew/sandslash and vulpix/ninetales are pretty sweet though, conceptually and visually per the gameplay footage.
Re: Review: The Battle Cats POP! (3DS eShop)
That energy bar does seem weird to still be in the game since the micro transactions were removed
Re: Super Mario Apparel is Set to Appear in Miitomo Next Week
Sweet! These shirts look great! Looks like I'll be using all my saved up Miitomo coins on Miitomo Drop!
Re: Bask in Nendoroid Goodness in This Celebratory Good Smile Company Video
I know some of Smile Nendoroid, but the video is a good way to summarize their past 10 years of work. Very well done and must've taken awhile to categorize and create the vid [and is that Miku I hear singing in the bg music?? ]
As a figure collector, the figures are cute, but to really appeal to newcomers I think they'll have to come down in price. They tend to be about $40+ and the figures are maybe 2/3 size of amiibo. Amiibo really hit a good spot by offering very well detailed and affordable figures of much beloved Nintendo IP. I think the majority market is closer to the toys to life $10-17 price range.
I luckily managed to get 1 Miku with alt dress of Smile Nendoroid on the cheap at a used store, and I have maybe 20~35 amiibo + other toys to life, so that's my ideal price range anyway per collectible figure purchasing
Re: Interview: Jason Behr on Buddy & Me: Dream Edition, Going Independent and His History With Nintendo
Interesting idea, it does seem like it's geared more towards younger players, slower paced, though it's a nice change from overly fast twitch reaction runnners where crashing feels cheap at times. Does seem to focus on a more relaxing pace.
From a technical game standpoint: The dynamic difficulty sounds interesting, though a question that comes with that is, how long does it minimally take (in time or rounds played) to get to a sustained suitable difficulty level (for an advanced player)? It seems a bit slow to do so, I think a player looking for more complexity and action may unfortunately get bored before the dynamic difficulty swayed their opinion. But from a game development standpoint, it's something to ponder. The art and relaxing style has an appeal of it's own. The price is better than I thought, $5, so it seems like a good value per pricing
Re: Hands On: Painting a Clearer Picture of Paper Mario: Color Splash
Per gameplay, it's good that they keep the traditional battle system (timed button presses, assumably for extra attack and defense).
In that sense, RPG elements or no, the progression is that of traditional action games: the experience gained is from the player. Seeing familiar enemies and patterns over time should make them easier to defeat, even if your stats remain about the same. It then becomes more affected by skill/memory and one's ability to execute it technically, over being able to grind one's way through something, which I don't personally mind and wish there were more 'classic' games like this. Mind you, I don't think the difficulty will be set that high in a game like this which may throw out a lot of challenge (as opposed to games that revel in it).
Anyway, for RPG purists, it does seem like HP can grow, hammer can increase in strength, and presumably item selection/power gets stronger, so those all aid the player and provide progression, so there are RPG elements and it's not strictly an action game.
Per the story and it being 'Paper Mario-esque', I haven't kept up with the latest nor played Sticker Star, so I can't comment on that. Main point is, don't ignore the game solely for a change in gameplay and more strict RPG elements
Personally, I like the creativity and color shown in the game so far. The painting concept may just be gimmicky, as I don't anticipate the challenge level being overly high (per battles or puzzle elements), so that's unfortunate as I prefer the more challenging games, but it seems like it'd be a fun experience. My sister has been big on Paper Mario, so I anticipate her husband will get her this game (and I'll reap the benefits on the side ;p). Being on WiiU, it'd be nice to see everything in HD and it seems like it's a fun game for others to just watch (benefit of console game vs handheld). We'll see. Oh, and it probably won't happen, but Nintendo should certainly consider allowing some Squid kids to cameo in this game, the fit is perfect as is.
Re: Talking Point: Nintendo's NES Classic Edition is Just One Way to Revolutionise the Virtual Console
Good idea to make the controller compatible with Wiimotes!
Re: Review: 7th Dragon III Code: VFD (3DS)
Played the demo, and gameplay-wise I felt like the gameplay per battling was pretty solid, battles being kept interesting even though they seem pretty frequent (the SP points seem to drain pretty quickly, and initial impressions were that the hacker character was not very useful compared to the others due to long setup times, though I guess double hackers could be interesting (one to hack, one to exploit immediately. Hmm....).
Though in further reflection, it does seem pretty grindy as the battles are quite frequent, and the level design did seem pretty bland and linear. The scenery looks nice, but it did feel repetitive and look like there were a lot of primarily halls to walk through and just an occasional branching path.
The graphics and character designs look fantastic imo, Sega tends to get futuristic wear looking really great (note Hatsune Miku and Phantasy Star Online). The music sounded fantastic as well and whoever did the menus still a stellar job (may seem insignificant, but seriously the menus contain a lot of info in a very clean and intuitive way. Worth mentioning for sure).
I found the dialogue to be a bit bland at times and other times a bit too liberal for my tastes (i.e. the rabbit, and his crude manner of speaking), but hoping that won't permeate throughout the game and hence dampen my enjoyment of the story and dialogue. It does affect my desire to recommend this to my younger gaming friends though, so that's a bummer. The level of challenge, gameplay, general story, art style and the like look great though and does look like a very solid effort, though it does seem pretty grindy now that I think of it, and games that are too much 'go from point A to point B' per level design linearity can get boring (going off the first dungeon example, anyway). Hmm. I think I'll still buy this for my own enjoyment sometime, but I'm changing my expectations a bit for the grind
Re: Nintendo Outlines Splatoon Update Details Along With Callie and Marie's Super Mario Maker Arrival
More Marie and Callie? Yes please!
Re: 'Makers of Mario' Website Aims to Show Nintendo's Bookmark Functionality The Way Forward
To be honest I'm surprised the 'collect levels into a world' wasn't available from the start, so implementing it would be a good idea.
It'd be best if it were able to be grouped together officially in the game somehow and not just on an external website, such that you could download them all together, or have a friend play a world and have it automate playthrough and loading of the levels one by one (that is, have that all set and managed in-game, rather than having to be there with the friend and manually directing them "oh, it's stage 5 through 11 on my super mario maker saved levels, once you clear one, you have to go to the next, manually load it, manually press play test" as that would also exclude save points from working [since to manually play your own saved levels you are really only playing in test mode])
Re: Hands On: Dealing Death by a Thousand Cuts with SEVERED
definitely looks interesting, visually and gameplay-wise! Interested to see how this develops
Re: E3 2016: How The Sin of Getting Lost Has Been Pardoned in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
@16bitdave If you get lost forever, then you become a skull kid?
Re: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice Leads Japanese Charts and Boosts New 3DS
The last 2 Phx Wright games (Dual Destinies and Phx vs Layton) were fantastic so I'm looking forward to this next one (in spite of a heavy preference for physical over digital).
I understand the reasoning for going digital only, but there's definitely better value (for the consumer) if they release a physical cart (at least at release time/prices). Now that I've played it, I wish Dual Destinies had been physical so that I could have that over digital, it's a work of art.
@GameOtaku A limited print run would be nice, but any printing is expensive (typically, the more you print at once, the cheaper the price per unit). So, only printing a small amount would probably still incur the initial cost of manufacturing, such that it might not be worthwhile for them when all's said and done, unfortunately.
Re: E3 2016: Nintendo Reveals Ever Oasis for the 3DS
Looks like a blend of Rune Factory, Animal Crossing, with slight Zelda puzzle elements. I'm a bit picky per gameplay so I'd prob wait for some more videos, but the desert/Egyptian theme and character design looks good so far
Re: Reaction: Key Early Lessons We Learned About The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
@PK_Boss11 Lol, so this game could be the storyline option of Link shirking hero duty and becoming a hobo/ mountain man that lives off the land? Sounds like an interesting game theory ;p
Though if that were the case, it'd be interesting if the story progression is to see the world turning from a peaceful nature filled land to ruins as darkness encroaches...
Re: Eiji Aonuma Rules Out The Option to Play as a Female Link in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It would be pretty cool to have Zelda as the main character of a game. It could be a good inbetween game from Majora's Mask to...I believe it was Twilight Princess (the Hero doesn't appear, so Zelda has to battle and lead Hyrulian armies).
It could be called the Legend of Link: The Dark Ages
Re: E3 2016: Fresh Pokémon Sun And Moon Details Include New 'Mon And Battle Format
Hopefully there's some checks and balances on the free for all battle royale, wouldn't the most dangerous pokemon get triple teamed on? Or, is the strat to be the last pokemon standing to pick something weak and defenseless (looking) and then sneak a win at the end? Better start training that lv100 Magikarp ;p
Or, lv99 is probably a better bet
Re: Yooka-Laylee
Wow, looking good
Re: Yo-kai Watch Sold Less Than Half a Million Units in North America
Tried the demo, wasn't really impressed. imo, the issues are it doesn't have the same charm as pokemon, and the battle gameplay is too tedious/repetitive, playing a mini-game (essentially) to do a special move is a bad design choice imo. Reminiscent of really long attack cut scenes that aren't skippable, worse because user has to interact with it so they can't passively just wait or multi-task. I particularly though find I am not a fan of grinding type work in games.
Re: B3 Game Expo For Bees Gets Surprise Price Cut
I'd say $5 is closer to the price I would pay for said game. Initial screenshots does look like a fair amount of effort went into the game. Kinda saving my credit for the upcoming Phoenix Wright game, but, we'll see
Re: Feature: Our Top 20 Highest Rated 3DS eShop Games
Meh, missing 1001 Spikes ;p
Re: Nintendo NX Production Reportedly Pushed Back To 2017 To Incorporate Virtual Reality
Meh, the current glasses/helmet VR is just gimmick and hype imo. Skip it, Nintendo! (I can't see the this kind of VR implementation not killing one's eyesight [by having a backlit screen so close to your eyes]).
Re: UK Toys-To-Life Market Slumps 12 Percent Year-On-Year
My solution is: keep amiibo. Having affordable, good looking, Nintendo collectibles are awesome. [Historically, such figures were too expensive and the buyer also had to be much more cautious of bootlegs.]
For those that just want the game content from amiibo, either introduce a separate DLC system/shop to purchase the unlockables without amiibo, or an even easier way of doing this: make affordable card amiibo for strictly digital content access/unlocking. Both sides are happy.
Re: UK Toys-To-Life Market Slumps 12 Percent Year-On-Year
@Maxz If all else fails, they can start 'plastifying' pokemon ;p
Gotta buy...er...catch them all?
Re: Poll: Are You Still a Miitomo Regular, or Has The Great Mii Q & A Lost Its Charm?
I agree it would probably be better with more friends, and ideally all your good and close friends would join it.
That hasn't been the case for me, and I doubt most of my close friends would use it and regularly.
That said, I still like to dress my character up, answer questions, and miifoto, for the occasional bit of fun and points.
At this point, I'm willing to try random friends to make it more fun (and potentially get some bonuses for having more Miitomo friends) to see if it becomes more interesting.
That said: Anyone want to add me on Miitomo? No strings attached (we can both unfriend each other at anytime), I don't inappropriately joke. Just a kosher, long time, creative, Nintendo fan. If you're similar, and you'll agree not to send me inappropriate jokes or photos or miifotos, or otherwise mess with my mii character offline or online per photos/fotos and the like, let's add each other. Can let me know here and can add me on my twitter account (also DeltaPeng - https://twitter.com/DeltaPeng ), and I'll add you on my Twitter, we'll friend up on Miitomo, then can unfriend on Twitter if desired (my account is basically used for Miitomo friending). Or can try that new email add method. Reply and let me know if so.
Re: Monster Hunter Stories Is Getting Its Own amiibo Figures
Hrm, nice trailer. The more anime style characters look better, particularly for a handheld (being able to see the characters and expressions more clearly, in addition to the bright colors).
I'm interested to see where this goes, if they make it less grindy and more story based compared to the original that'd suit my preferences and sway my decision per buying
Re: Random: Store Shelves Appear To Be Filling With Pre-Owned Copies Of Star Fox Zero
Yeah...this game was just ok imo. I bought new to support the Star Fox series (and thought the addition of Star Fox Guard was helpful per value), but SF64 and SF Assault are much better. This game's pretty short per content, even with some of the extras and branching paths. The controls are interesting and generally a good idea (shooting in a different direction than you fly in), but the difficulty doesn't seem to be a balanced difficulty (most was too easy, but the difficulty spikes / changes were pretty drastic and felt more cheap than fair. Perhaps if I mastered the controls I'd feel differently, but I did adjust to them enough to see / complete all branching paths. The decision to make the main screen more cinematic at times [the weird view where the camera is not behind the cockpit] was a bit mind-boggling to me). Lacks some of the classic Star Fox charm (less good cheesy one liners, seems to rehash too much SF64, but not as well done).
Did have fun with 2P co-op though, seemed to work better as opposed to one person trying to control everything. We got through the main story branch within a day though. I feel like the 'true' or classic Star Fox experience is remains limited to Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Assault games.
Re: B3 Game Expo For Bees is a Wii U Exclusive Shooter With a Quirky Premise
So...this is a real thing? I'm still not certain... <checks WiiU eshop>
Re: Activision's 2015 Figures Show Slight Growth, But Skylanders And Guitar Hero Underperform
@rjejr agree that this latest series of skylanders has been lackluster (vehicles, eh, maybe kids like them cause they like cars). Not sure I like many of the 'superhero' variant/designs either idk. I note the figures are also slightly larger, but idt I like that as much, doesn't seem like it fits with the other figures as well offhand (though I've only bought 1 vehicle so far)
Re: Ace Attorney 6 May Be Called "Spirit of Justice" in the West
@RupeeClock Sad times! This game looked interesting (I thought this new game was going to be / was the same as The Great Ace Attorney). I liked the idea of The Great Ace Attorney. Now I'll have to check and see what this one's about (and whether I think it's worth a Day 1 purchase, being digital only...)
Re: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice to Arrive on the 3DS eShop in September
@Yoshi Really? I played the first Investigations game and I wasn't overly impressed (compared to the classics)
@Yalaa I love Dual Destinies, I enjoyed that the story was streamlined (less investigation), seemed like better pacing. The graphics and story on Dual Destinies was also great.
Re: Random: EA Executive is as Non-Committal to NX as Possible, PR Assistant Approves
@Nintenjoe64 on the other hand, most new Sony/MS systems aren't really innovative so...leaks aren't as big a deal. The PS4K leak was probably not good for sales (as it will give reservations to anyone thinking of buying a PS4 from now until that releases), but is not the innovation like Wii, WiiU gamepad, DS, etc. If those innovations get leaked early, could steal Nintendo's thunder or (if it's a really great idea) it could have competitors try to copy-cat Nintendo and steal the initial sales (i.e. PS3 motion)
Re: Soapbox: Why Websites Don’t Need to Give a Game a Review Score (and Probably Shouldn’t)
I think scores are helpful, but should only be taken semi-seriously (by the industry and gamers as it is fairly subjective). Unless you find someone you completely agree with in terms of scores and tastes, not giving a game a try (that you think you would enjoy) just because it didn't reach a certain score is a bit silly.
Even if we reverted to the older scale of scoring, where a 5-6 is an average game, I feel like the market is so flooded with games in general (a majority or large portion of which is shovel ware or which or is potentially not preferable to play compared to other options) such that most people would not give it a try unless the score were 7+ or 8+, be it due to time o budget constraints. That being the case, reverting to the old scale I argue may just make people less likely to give a decent game a try. There is some peer pressure to play 'good' games, and trying to play a game that is only a 5/10 'feels' like you're missing out (half the total possible score). I think people also may relate it to the school grading system (where 70 is average and anything below is essentially a fail).
I personally get the best info from video reviews and watching gameplay, the score is a nice quick initial check
Re: Interview: Humble Bundle Co-Founder John Graham Reflects on the Successful Friends of Nintendo Promotion
@spizzamarozzi I typically agree with you, but at the same time, Nintendo did release Nintendo Selects on some of their more popular games lately (can't argue with $20 Super Mario 3D World)! So yes, but also Nintendo has taken some good steps in the discount direction, lately
Re: Interview: Humble Bundle Co-Founder John Graham Reflects on the Successful Friends of Nintendo Promotion
Dang! The extra games they added to the bundle are solid (Swords and Soldiers 2, Runbow, Nano Assault Neo), very pleased with the selection on offer!
Re: Feature: Team-Based Super Smash Bros. Format, The Gauntlet, Aims to Transform the Competitive Scene
Interesting idea, but I really think 8 player smash is too chaotic (team mode is better as there are less targets, but still not a lot of space to move around in, and hard to keep track of your character).
3v3 could be workable, and different enough to be interesting. Team attack on, if competitive, to reduce spam
Re: Poll: Nintendo Has Laid Out Its Legend of Zelda E3 Plans - Are They Enough?
"Only Zelda at E3" >
"Squid Sisters amiibo, incoming"
Re: Exclusive: Learn More About the Affordable Space Adventures Soundtrack, Now Available for Free
Sweet. Thanks for the soundtrack (and for taking part in the Humble Bundle)!