@DsheroX It runs quite well on Switch and Switch 2. The only things you miss out on with Switch are mods and some of the super-sized factories some people build would not run on Switch. If you build a big factory you eventually run into performance issues and stuttering, but you can finish the game well before that happens. And obviously Switch 2 will run significantly better. Factorio is RAM-hungry, so the transition to Switch 2’s vastly better RAM will be a huge performance upgrade for Factorio.
If you’re curious, there’s a free demo of the game on the Switch eShop you can download. It’s an exhaustive demo that teaches you the basics of the game. It’ll take hours just to complete the demo and it will give you a good feel for the game.
@gcunit There is a free demo for Factorio on the Switch eShop you can download to try out the game. It’s a pretty exhaustive demo that teaches you the basics of the game. You should definitely try it out and see how you feel. The demo itself will take hours to play through.
Personally, I think Factorio is well worth the money if you enjoy this kind of game. In terms of both the time you can put into it and amount of content in the game, I think they could charge even more and it would still be worth it—sort of similar to Hollow Knight that way where so many people say they’d pay $40-50 given how good the game is. It’s not the typical small simple little indie game. There is a substantial amount to chew on here.
@rvcolem1 I would argue yes, Hollow Knight is that hard. The most excruciating boss in the game (outside of Grimtroup, God Home, Dreams) is a mandatory boss, The Watcher Knight. And plenty of other bosses are fairly tricky. The difficulty also comes from platforming sections, some of which can be very precise. And then there’s challenge in just navigating, something most games actively avoid. I have observed a ton of people who bounce off the game decided not to use map pins at all. If you don’t pay close attention to where things are, you will get lost very easily and lose any real sense of direction.
The game can also just feel ‘mean’ at many times. You can fall into traps that prevent you from going where you wanted. You can suddenly lose all your money. There are enemies that have completely unpredictable moves until you’ve seen them do it at least one time, usually after taking a hit. Some bosses have long and difficult run-backs.
It’s very easy to see how that would be overwhelmingly challenging for many players. Personally, every single one of these things are reasons I LOVE the game more than any other metroidvania by a very wide margin, but it’s easy to understand why these things are not universally appealing, even if it makes the game significantly more engaging for people with the aptitude for it.
I have to agree with critiques of the display. It is not an impressive display at all. It gets the job done, but it has terrible contrast, cannot get bright enough to actually be HDR, and has such bad motion blur that 120fps is only faintly distinguishable from 60fps. Even 60fps is a touch too blurry too. Basically, it’s to the point Nintendo is basically lying when they claim ‘120fps’ and ‘HDR’ because neither is actually perceptible in the end.
However, I am still happy with the display’s color reproduction and pixel density (Switch 1 always looked a bit too blurry to me), and the size and contrast are still a very good improvement over the Switch 1 LCD.
Also, while the current Switch 2 might not actually be true HDR and 120fps, there are still benefits to having that standard in the Switch 2 now. At least in the future when we get a revised Switch 2 or later model that can eventually utilize HDR and 120fps properly, all Switch 2 games will look amazing day one with zero additional updates needed. It’s better Nintendo at least set the HDR 120fps standard for Switch 2 games at launch, rather than wait until later and try to convince developers to update their games.
So as Nintendo was likely looking for a very cheap display for Switch 2, this is actually a decent compromise in some ways.
If you’re going to quote Kit and Krysta, you should quote their full argument, not just the part that’s good for your headline. There are so many comments here frustrated with the quoted argument, pointing out that we don’t know everything and Nintendo EPD could have multiple games being developed in tandem… When that’s exactly what Kit and Krysta said on their podcast.
The way you quote them here is extremely misleading, suggesting that they were making some kind of definitive prognostication, when on the actual podcast they were speculating about four different possible scenarios and this article only quotes one of those scenarios.
And now, rather than being critical of the article, people are blaming Kit and Krysta for thoughts they don’t even have. This is really unacceptable journalism.
I get that I must be in the minority, but I actually don’t think this game makes sense as a pack in. A good pack-in is not some cheap borderline throwaway niche experience that will bore most people. Frankly, this game looks like it would be a terrible first impression for a significant amount of people. This game is very niche and a bit nerdy, literally tasking you with memorizing random facts about the system so that you can take a quiz, and then earn the privilege to play extremely basic mini-games.
Personally I think it looks cool and will buy it at this price. I just don’t see this as analogous to Wii Sports or Astrobot AT ALL.
I wish Nintendo had an app for the eShop. It’s by far the thing I use the most on the PS app. And really, I think these things should just be one app in the first place. It doesn’t make sense for these things to be so separate, except maybe Nintendo Music.
One very big x factor in all this is the possibility Nintendo allows for preorders directly from themselves.
It is easy to allocate further units to retailers if need be at a later date, even before launch, but there is a possibility they are reserving more units for themselves to make buying direct the best experience. They could also tie purchases to 1-per Nintendo Account, to ensure more fair distribution, something they have no power to force on retailers.
All speculation, of course. We will learn a lot next week, but at the moment we just don’t know what availability actually looks like yet.
It is not a dealbreaker for me, but I will definitely notice it and wish it was OLED.
That said, not all LCDs are equal these days. A modern quality LCD has much much better picture quality than 10 years ago. If the LCD Nintendo goes with is more of that better ilk of LCDs, it will be quite tolerable, especially considering the Switch 2 screen is likely a much improved 1080p. Games look so blurry and pixelated on the current Switch, including the OLED model.
Another thing I wish more would consider though is potential support for HDR. Switch 2 has a pretty decent chance of supporting it in docked mode, but this is one area where a handheld HDR screen could look dramatically more impressive than Switch 1 in many more instances, and make the screen much more competitive with the OLED model’s contrast, while handily beating it in brightness.
But I worry Nintendo might go with a very low quality panel… If Switch 2 has a LCD that is similar quality to Switch 1’s LCD, it will be a massive disappointment large enough for me to question the purchase.
@Sonicka While I do agree, and a lot stood out to me as well pointing to this being very in-line for a Switch game; I also think it is a testament to what good lighting can do and how subjective technical decisions can really impress beyond what the numbers would normally suggest.
@Not_Soos That’s a cool observation. Who knows. If we’re lucky maybe we’ll get a next-gen Metroid Prime this year as well (🤞). Would be really cool if a bunch of legit great games have female leads/protagonists this year.
@Paraka Not trying to be mean or anything, but you are being ridiculously conspiratorial.
Viral hits happen. It’s not that strange.
I mean think about it. There are now millions of adult Pokémon fans who are disappointed or uninterested in the direction of recent Pokémon games. Someone does a Pokémon ripoff and gives them guns and makes them all edgy, stuff games market for kids would never do in a million years. Instant appeal for millions of jaded aging fans.
Some streamer’s reactions to the trailer a couple years ago got millions of views. It’s an old and popular trick: take popular cute thing, make it dark and violent. And in this case, by all accounts they actually got the gameplay somewhat right if not pretty good.
This is not really that surprising. The only part that surprises me is the game is actually not trash. The devs actually put a lot of effort into it, so I think that’s the touch that’s cementing it’s viral popularity at the moment.
I keep seeing people expect a Zelda Direct, but I think there’s a very real possibility that there won’t be one. There’s a good chance we get one more trailer and then reviews from the press, and that’s it before release.
@N00BiSH I’m not too worried because of how it seems to work in other shots in the trailer.
Some of the shots actually were more down-facing. And in shots where we see the cursor, the cursor seems to move with the player’s movement, similar to the GameCube games. There are some shots too where the camera is moving as though being controlled independent of the player’s aim or movement.
What it looks like to me right now is this: we will control aiming and movement together with the left stick, and we will freely control the camera with the right stick. I think that’s probably a good way to do things, but I guess we still have to wait and see to be sure.
Yeah, it’s a Chris Pratt problem. Completely ruins it for me. He just sounds so low-effort, like a ‘typical white guy’ sort of voice. Pretty disappointing.
I must admit, I t’s a little sad how naïve some of you are on here. This is clearly a very carefully worded statement by Nintendo designed only to avoid culpability in any way. Note how Nintendo does not say they would support unions, but more importantly, they don’t explain what the “confidential information” actually is.
This is pretty textbook anti-union speak. It’s very often “company policy” to keep secret information necessary for workers to unionize. It’s entirely possible the contractor was fired for disclosing his wages or how Nintendo negotiates pay internally. And because Nintendo has decided such things are “confidential information,” they fire him under the pretext it has nothing to do with union activity, even though the rules are designed to destroy union efforts.
It’s not like everything Nintendo keeps secret is video game leak related. A lot of it is just competitively motivated, and yes, to maintain power over their workers, but especially contractors who across the industry have much worse working conditions.
@Angelic_Lapras_King Yes. That was always so annoying. Looked terrible if you didn’t manual change the settings on your TV. Glad that’s gone on the Switch.
@PoeTheLizard That’s so very true. Majora’s Mask uses fog constantly to strong obvious effect. Would have been so terrible without it.
I don’t get the hate for this one. As someone who has found almost every Sonic game mediocre at best, this actually looks like it’s trying something conceptually bold for once, which will require a lot of work to pull off well. I think as a concept it’s very promising.
Of course, the proof is in how it will actually play. But Sonic’s speed could work VERY well in a huge open environment. It makes a lot of sense to me.
@PikaPhantom I agree. They’ve reached a point where they simply don’t have enough teams. They don’t seem to have enough staff to keep up with all their franchises, including several large ones. It’s pretty much just Mario and Zelda that get uninterrupted fully staffed support through development. Nearly every other project has to trade off staff. But but they also have a lot of senior staff more than capable of heading new teams.
I hope this also means they can afford to experiment a little more and maybe we get new franchises a little more often. The creativity is certainly there for it, but it seems they just don’t have time to do wholly new things as often.
@mariopartyfan68 Possibly, but they’ve likely already started production projects for Switch 2 at this point. And it will likely take several years for them to fill out an expansion of this size. It would not surprise me if they can’t fill the new offices until the successor to the Switch is already out. And then it will be more years till we see what the new offices produce. This is a long-term investment in the company.
@Dm9982 Very true. It’s actually the very first game I thought of when I saw the headline. Any game like Diablo II specifically designed around pich-blackness as a core part of it’s aesthetic looks amazing. Many retro games have that going as well.
@Miyamotosan I agree Metroid Samus Reterns is worth visiting for some and definitely has some good qualities. But I gotta say I found it a bit boring for a Metroidvania and kinda hope Metroid Dread offers a bit more of a comprehensive experience.
Correction: “there's co-op for two players splitscreen or up to 4 players online“
This part is not quite right. The game DOES support 4-player splitscreen co-op. It is NOT limited to 2-player splitscreen in co-op. I just tested it and there’s video online of people doing it.
So you can play with up to 4 players online, OR up to 4 players locally via splitscreen as well. (But you cannot do both splitscreeen multiplayer and online multiplayer at the same time—only one or the other at a time.)
@Zaphod42 The Switch versions of Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero actually are being ported by Panic Button. It also looks like Subnautica on Switch will take some of the improvements from the Subnautica: Below Zero engine as well.
Course, it could still end up running horribly. Switch has bad memory constraints. We’ll see before long I guess.
You should update the article to say that Sumo Digital did eventually (a full year after the ugly icon) change the Snake Pass icon to a better art made specifically for Switch. The way the article is phased leaves the reader with the impression they never fixed it (as opposed or compared to Psyonix now with Rocket League’s icon).
I actually really like the design generally. I like the look and there are a number of cool things there. I actually don't think 'grip' is that necessary for a controller. You get better fidelity of control if you grip with your fingertips anyway.
However, I simply won't buy a console without physical buttons or very good button simulation. If the NX just has virtual touchscreen buttons, there is nothing at all Nintendo can do to convince me to buy it. Honestly, with virtual buttons, I could learn to let go of some buttons and even the D-pad. But I need at least two buttons to buy this thing, or I'm out and Nintendo can try again or forget about me.
I agree with the analysts in this case. Many people seem to think mostly in the short term or imagine Nintendo in a bubble where they somehow aren’t competing with their competitors. Nintendo competes with any company pushing an entertainment concept—period. Nintendo might particularize their target market and try to find space with less competition, but even then, those spaces are ultimately more shaped by their competitors than by Nintendo themselves.
Unless the NX is something very different or strange, Nintendo would only disadvantage themselves to release a new console right in the middle of the current generation of consoles. They would have to start from scratch when the other consoles have a significant start, and then combat the inevitable leap-frog by other platforms in just two or three years.
The only way they launch in 2016 and avoid that scenario is by making the NX very distinct and unlike anything else so they don't have to compete on computational power, or by making the NX highly modular or less hardware dependent as a platform. But, as the analysts here point out, even in either of those cases, Nintendo still has to compete with a lot of competition this year. They have to make a case to people as to why they should buy their stuff instead of Sony’s or someone else’s. There is a lot of attention grabbing software and hardware already announced by competitors. They are going to suck some of the air in the industry, and I’m not sure Nintendo can cut through all of that to obtain the attention they need to establish enthusiasm and demand for a new platform. If it’s as new and exciting as the Wii was, they might have a chance, but I don’t think a Wii-kind of concept is easily repeatable.
It seems to me they should stick it out and focus on selling as much desirable software as possible until 2017, if we're talking about replacing the Wii U. Software still sells well on the platform, which usually makes them more money anyway. If a mobile unit is indeed a part of the NX, Nintendo has a lot more freedom to do what they want as they still command the market for dedicated gaming portables.
And just because Nintendo hasn’t announced any software, doesn’t mean they aren’t working on any, or that their unannounced software cannot be for the Wii U. I see what people are thinking. The Wii U has failed to establish a large install base, and if Nintendo had so many Wii U games for the year, they would have announced more of them. That isn’t necessarily true.
With all that said, we can’t make accurate assumptions without more information. My guess is Nintendo will release hardware this year, and the NX probably won’t look like a PlayStation 4 or an Xbox One (—a very good thing in my opinion).
The author's attempt to apply diametric distinction between censorship and localization is very weak. Ultimately, anyone interested in truth or justice has some level of obligation to understand other people and cultures, and localization inherently undermines and devalues such efforts. That's not to say that every sensibility of a given culture is legitimate or correct, but we need to ask ourselves why we aren’t even interested in applying ourselves to something we aren’t familiar or comfortable with. And that question is relevant to all parties involved—the creators, the markets, the localizers, the players, etc.
@JaxonH Well, there actually is some reason to be concerned, especially with the Zelda series. Every game since Majora's Mask has alienated a large number of fans. The only arguable exception being Twilight Princess; though a small number of people like myself have been critical since playing it through for the first time, and that game has not lived as well in retrospect for many. Personally, I have disliked Skyward Sword, Spirit Tracks, and Phantom Hour Glass. And I was mildly disappointed by Twilight Princess. I haven't liked a Zelda game as much as A Link Between Worlds since the Wind Waker. That's a pretty long time. Because Nintendo changes so much in each Zelda game, they can no longer satisfy all their fans because so many want different things from a Zelda game now.
@bbliksteen8 I do think your interpretation is the most likely one. I don't mean to disprove it. What works in your interpretation's favor is he doesn't use the terms world and area to mean the same thing, meaning the area in the new game that is the size of the world in Twilight Princess is not necessarily the size of the new game's whole world. However, he does not say there are other areas. That is an assumption (though likely) on our part. It's still possible he could only mean something like 'while previous games had to have multiple areas to be large, this game can be that large with one area.'
@bbliksteen8 You're mostly right, but your quote isn't exactly right. This is Bill Trinen's exact translation of Myamoto's words:
"So with Zelda games, what we've always done is we've always tried to make them a game where you enter this big world of Hyrule and there's a lot for you to explore and discover. But because of the hardware limitations, what we always had to do was segment off each area and piece those segments together in a way that made them feel like a big world.
But now with the hardware capabilities of Wii U, what we did was we first started by saying, 'well lets see what we can do if we take an entire world the size of the world from Twilight Princess, and just try to make that as one area on the game.'"
This wording is important because 1) it is a translation, and 2) it allows the possibility that he means the entire game is one non-segmented area the size of the world in Twilight Princess.
Wow. Pretty horrible on multiple fronts. Not that I was expecting better. Link is obviously going to have to speak in the translation to new mediums like this, but this isn't the answer to that problem.
I think a significant problem is the GamePad is far too large and bulky. They should have given FAR greater priority to keeping the GamePad a size comparable to a standard controller. It would be OK if it was a little bigger, but it's just rediculous in its current state. None of my friends ever want to use it because they think it's too big and uncomfortable.
However, I think far more needs to be done to improve the Wii U's prospects.
Any intelligent person can see that consoles are in trouble, and it's not even because of the over-hyped mobile space. Console games have (thanks more to Microsoft and Sony than anyone else) become a high stakes business. The barrier of entry has only risen each generation. They (and the media) have set some unreasonable expectations in the minds of many consumers of what "next gen" is supposed to be all about. The cost and capacity to produce more advanced hardware gets better over time; but the cost to utilize that technology, unfortunately, has not, and sales have not increased fast enough to displace those costs for the entirety of the industry. This means developers can't afford to take many creative risks, even though they are ultimately necessary in the long run (you just can't sell the same thing forever). Unless they find a way to lower either the costs of development or the expectations of the consumer, they will eventually collapse their own business.
Nintendo seems to be one of the very few big video game companies that understands all of this. Their strategy with the DS, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U is clearly based on what would ultimately be a far more sustainable business strategy. They use new unique control inputs and game mechanics as selling points. Those things can be obtained far more cheaply. The problem they face is that they still have to fight against these other costly "next gen" expectations.
The industry also has another long term problem. There is eventually an end to this graphical and technological progression. When we have photorealistic graphics and ultra computers sitting cheaply in our houses decades from now, how can they possibly move up from that. The only thing they can do is focus on creative differentiation instead of simple upgrades to familiar experiences. And (long) before they even reach that point, the law of diminishing returns will kick in an foil their current strategy before it's even reached it's endgame.
@Haywired The map on the secondary screen is particularly useful in a game like Pikmin. I'm really looking forward to it.
And that's something I've been wondering as well, about the Nintendo Land exposure. Plus, all the Miiverse comments will undoubtedly serve as some pretty good advertising (the secret reason Nintendo likes the Wara Wara Plaza). Pikmin has a shot at becoming much bigger than previous entries. I hope so, but we will see.
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Re: Factorio - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Announced, Free Upgrade For Existing Owners
@DsheroX It runs quite well on Switch and Switch 2. The only things you miss out on with Switch are mods and some of the super-sized factories some people build would not run on Switch. If you build a big factory you eventually run into performance issues and stuttering, but you can finish the game well before that happens. And obviously Switch 2 will run significantly better. Factorio is RAM-hungry, so the transition to Switch 2’s vastly better RAM will be a huge performance upgrade for Factorio.
If you’re curious, there’s a free demo of the game on the Switch eShop you can download. It’s an exhaustive demo that teaches you the basics of the game. It’ll take hours just to complete the demo and it will give you a good feel for the game.
Re: Factorio - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Announced, Free Upgrade For Existing Owners
@gcunit There is a free demo for Factorio on the Switch eShop you can download to try out the game. It’s a pretty exhaustive demo that teaches you the basics of the game. You should definitely try it out and see how you feel. The demo itself will take hours to play through.
Personally, I think Factorio is well worth the money if you enjoy this kind of game. In terms of both the time you can put into it and amount of content in the game, I think they could charge even more and it would still be worth it—sort of similar to Hollow Knight that way where so many people say they’d pay $40-50 given how good the game is. It’s not the typical small simple little indie game. There is a substantial amount to chew on here.
Re: Round Up: The Final Previews Are In For Hollow Knight: Silksong
@rvcolem1 I would argue yes, Hollow Knight is that hard. The most excruciating boss in the game (outside of Grimtroup, God Home, Dreams) is a mandatory boss, The Watcher Knight. And plenty of other bosses are fairly tricky. The difficulty also comes from platforming sections, some of which can be very precise. And then there’s challenge in just navigating, something most games actively avoid. I have observed a ton of people who bounce off the game decided not to use map pins at all. If you don’t pay close attention to where things are, you will get lost very easily and lose any real sense of direction.
The game can also just feel ‘mean’ at many times. You can fall into traps that prevent you from going where you wanted. You can suddenly lose all your money. There are enemies that have completely unpredictable moves until you’ve seen them do it at least one time, usually after taking a hit. Some bosses have long and difficult run-backs.
It’s very easy to see how that would be overwhelmingly challenging for many players. Personally, every single one of these things are reasons I LOVE the game more than any other metroidvania by a very wide margin, but it’s easy to understand why these things are not universally appealing, even if it makes the game significantly more engaging for people with the aptitude for it.
Re: "One Of The Slowest Modern LCDs I've Ever Seen" - Digital Foundry's John Linneman On Switch 2's Display
I have to agree with critiques of the display. It is not an impressive display at all. It gets the job done, but it has terrible contrast, cannot get bright enough to actually be HDR, and has such bad motion blur that 120fps is only faintly distinguishable from 60fps. Even 60fps is a touch too blurry too. Basically, it’s to the point Nintendo is basically lying when they claim ‘120fps’ and ‘HDR’ because neither is actually perceptible in the end.
However, I am still happy with the display’s color reproduction and pixel density (Switch 1 always looked a bit too blurry to me), and the size and contrast are still a very good improvement over the Switch 1 LCD.
Also, while the current Switch 2 might not actually be true HDR and 120fps, there are still benefits to having that standard in the Switch 2 now. At least in the future when we get a revised Switch 2 or later model that can eventually utilize HDR and 120fps properly, all Switch 2 games will look amazing day one with zero additional updates needed. It’s better Nintendo at least set the HDR 120fps standard for Switch 2 games at launch, rather than wait until later and try to convince developers to update their games.
So as Nintendo was likely looking for a very cheap display for Switch 2, this is actually a decent compromise in some ways.
Re: Former Nintendo Execs Fear We Might Be Waiting A While For A 3D Mario On Switch 2, Thanks To Donkey Kong
If you’re going to quote Kit and Krysta, you should quote their full argument, not just the part that’s good for your headline. There are so many comments here frustrated with the quoted argument, pointing out that we don’t know everything and Nintendo EPD could have multiple games being developed in tandem… When that’s exactly what Kit and Krysta said on their podcast.
The way you quote them here is extremely misleading, suggesting that they were making some kind of definitive prognostication, when on the actual podcast they were speculating about four different possible scenarios and this article only quotes one of those scenarios.
And now, rather than being critical of the article, people are blaming Kit and Krysta for thoughts they don’t even have. This is really unacceptable journalism.
Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Price Has Been Confirmed
I get that I must be in the minority, but I actually don’t think this game makes sense as a pack in. A good pack-in is not some cheap borderline throwaway niche experience that will bore most people. Frankly, this game looks like it would be a terrible first impression for a significant amount of people. This game is very niche and a bit nerdy, literally tasking you with memorizing random facts about the system so that you can take a quiz, and then earn the privilege to play extremely basic mini-games.
Personally I think it looks cool and will buy it at this price. I just don’t see this as analogous to Wii Sports or Astrobot AT ALL.
Re: 'My Nintendo' App Icon Spotted, But Will It Come To The West?
I wish Nintendo had an app for the eShop. It’s by far the thing I use the most on the PS app. And really, I think these things should just be one app in the first place. It doesn’t make sense for these things to be so separate, except maybe Nintendo Music.
Re: Switch 2 Pre-Orders Expected To Sell Out "Day One" Due To Limited Unit Allocation
One very big x factor in all this is the possibility Nintendo allows for preorders directly from themselves.
It is easy to allocate further units to retailers if need be at a later date, even before launch, but there is a possibility they are reserving more units for themselves to make buying direct the best experience. They could also tie purchases to 1-per Nintendo Account, to ensure more fair distribution, something they have no power to force on retailers.
All speculation, of course. We will learn a lot next week, but at the moment we just don’t know what availability actually looks like yet.
Re: Talking Point: Why An LCD Screen Isn't The End Of The World For Switch 2
It is not a dealbreaker for me, but I will definitely notice it and wish it was OLED.
That said, not all LCDs are equal these days. A modern quality LCD has much much better picture quality than 10 years ago. If the LCD Nintendo goes with is more of that better ilk of LCDs, it will be quite tolerable, especially considering the Switch 2 screen is likely a much improved 1080p. Games look so blurry and pixelated on the current Switch, including the OLED model.
Another thing I wish more would consider though is potential support for HDR. Switch 2 has a pretty decent chance of supporting it in docked mode, but this is one area where a handheld HDR screen could look dramatically more impressive than Switch 1 in many more instances, and make the screen much more competitive with the OLED model’s contrast, while handily beating it in brightness.
But I worry Nintendo might go with a very low quality panel… If Switch 2 has a LCD that is similar quality to Switch 1’s LCD, it will be a massive disappointment large enough for me to question the purchase.
Re: Gallery: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Is Looking Absolutely Stunning On Switch
@Sonicka While I do agree, and a lot stood out to me as well pointing to this being very in-line for a Switch game; I also think it is a testament to what good lighting can do and how subjective technical decisions can really impress beyond what the numbers would normally suggest.
Re: Round Up: The Previews Are In For Penny's Big Breakaway
@Not_Soos That’s a cool observation. Who knows. If we’re lucky maybe we’ll get a next-gen Metroid Prime this year as well (🤞). Would be really cool if a bunch of legit great games have female leads/protagonists this year.
Re: Pokémon's Former Chief Legal Officer "Surprised" Palworld Got This Far
@Paraka Not trying to be mean or anything, but you are being ridiculously conspiratorial.
Viral hits happen. It’s not that strange.
I mean think about it. There are now millions of adult Pokémon fans who are disappointed or uninterested in the direction of recent Pokémon games. Someone does a Pokémon ripoff and gives them guns and makes them all edgy, stuff games market for kids would never do in a million years. Instant appeal for millions of jaded aging fans.
Some streamer’s reactions to the trailer a couple years ago got millions of views. It’s an old and popular trick: take popular cute thing, make it dark and violent. And in this case, by all accounts they actually got the gameplay somewhat right if not pretty good.
This is not really that surprising. The only part that surprises me is the game is actually not trash. The devs actually put a lot of effort into it, so I think that’s the touch that’s cementing it’s viral popularity at the moment.
Re: Nintendo's Anticipated Switch Release Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Will Skip PAX East
I keep seeing people expect a Zelda Direct, but I think there’s a very real possibility that there won’t be one. There’s a good chance we get one more trailer and then reviews from the press, and that’s it before release.
Re: Gallery: Here's Another Look At Pikmin 4, Out On Nintendo Switch This July
@N00BiSH I’m not too worried because of how it seems to work in other shots in the trailer.
Some of the shots actually were more down-facing. And in shots where we see the cursor, the cursor seems to move with the player’s movement, similar to the GameCube games. There are some shots too where the camera is moving as though being controlled independent of the player’s aim or movement.
What it looks like to me right now is this: we will control aiming and movement together with the left stick, and we will freely control the camera with the right stick. I think that’s probably a good way to do things, but I guess we still have to wait and see to be sure.
Re: Video: Here's What Mario's Movie Voice Sounds Like In Other Languages
Yeah, it’s a Chris Pratt problem. Completely ruins it for me. He just sounds so low-effort, like a ‘typical white guy’ sort of voice. Pretty disappointing.
Re: Nintendo Responds To Workers' Rights Complaint
I must admit, I t’s a little sad how naïve some of you are on here. This is clearly a very carefully worded statement by Nintendo designed only to avoid culpability in any way. Note how Nintendo does not say they would support unions, but more importantly, they don’t explain what the “confidential information” actually is.
This is pretty textbook anti-union speak. It’s very often “company policy” to keep secret information necessary for workers to unionize. It’s entirely possible the contractor was fired for disclosing his wages or how Nintendo negotiates pay internally. And because Nintendo has decided such things are “confidential information,” they fire him under the pretext it has nothing to do with union activity, even though the rules are designed to destroy union efforts.
It’s not like everything Nintendo keeps secret is video game leak related. A lot of it is just competitively motivated, and yes, to maintain power over their workers, but especially contractors who across the industry have much worse working conditions.
Re: Nintendo Appears To Have Improved Switch Online's N64 Emulation
@Angelic_Lapras_King Yes. That was always so annoying. Looked terrible if you didn’t manual change the settings on your TV. Glad that’s gone on the Switch.
@PoeTheLizard That’s so very true. Majora’s Mask uses fog constantly to strong obvious effect. Would have been so terrible without it.
Re: That Mysterious Voice In The Sonic Frontiers Trailer? Turns Out It's A Familiar Friend
I don’t get the hate for this one. As someone who has found almost every Sonic game mediocre at best, this actually looks like it’s trying something conceptually bold for once, which will require a lot of work to pull off well. I think as a concept it’s very promising.
Of course, the proof is in how it will actually play. But Sonic’s speed could work VERY well in a huge open environment. It makes a lot of sense to me.
Re: Nintendo Is Investing In Office Space In Japan To House More Game Development
@PikaPhantom I agree. They’ve reached a point where they simply don’t have enough teams. They don’t seem to have enough staff to keep up with all their franchises, including several large ones. It’s pretty much just Mario and Zelda that get uninterrupted fully staffed support through development. Nearly every other project has to trade off staff. But but they also have a lot of senior staff more than capable of heading new teams.
I hope this also means they can afford to experiment a little more and maybe we get new franchises a little more often. The creativity is certainly there for it, but it seems they just don’t have time to do wholly new things as often.
Re: Nintendo Is Investing In Office Space In Japan To House More Game Development
@mariopartyfan68 Possibly, but they’ve likely already started production projects for Switch 2 at this point. And it will likely take several years for them to fill out an expansion of this size. It would not surprise me if they can’t fill the new offices until the successor to the Switch is already out. And then it will be more years till we see what the new offices produce. This is a long-term investment in the company.
Re: 25 Games That Are Better On Switch OLED
@Dm9982 Very true. It’s actually the very first game I thought of when I saw the headline. Any game like Diablo II specifically designed around pich-blackness as a core part of it’s aesthetic looks amazing. Many retro games have that going as well.
Re: Metroid Dread: Here's A Closer Look At The Deadly Areas You'll Explore On Planet ZDR
@Miyamotosan I agree Metroid Samus Reterns is worth visiting for some and definitely has some good qualities. But I gotta say I found it a bit boring for a Metroidvania and kinda hope Metroid Dread offers a bit more of a comprehensive experience.
Re: XEL, A "Vibrant Sci-Fi Zelda-Like", Will Launch On Switch In 2022
Why are so many ‘Zelda-likes’ so lifeless and generic—aesthetically and otherwise. It’s kind of weird.
Re: The Quake Remaster Is Out Now On Nintendo Switch
Correction:
“there's co-op for two players splitscreen or up to 4 players online“
This part is not quite right. The game DOES support 4-player splitscreen co-op. It is NOT limited to 2-player splitscreen in co-op. I just tested it and there’s video online of people doing it.
So you can play with up to 4 players online, OR up to 4 players locally via splitscreen as well. (But you cannot do both splitscreeen multiplayer and online multiplayer at the same time—only one or the other at a time.)
Re: Subnautica: Below Zero Dives Onto Switch This May, Alongside The Original Game
@Zaphod42 The Switch versions of Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero actually are being ported by Panic Button. It also looks like Subnautica on Switch will take some of the improvements from the Subnautica: Below Zero engine as well.
Course, it could still end up running horribly. Switch has bad memory constraints. We’ll see before long I guess.
Re: Random: Rocket League On Switch Gets A New HOME Menu Icon
You should update the article to say that Sumo Digital did eventually (a full year after the ugly icon) change the Snake Pass icon to a better art made specifically for Switch. The way the article is phased leaves the reader with the impression they never fixed it (as opposed or compared to Psyonix now with Rocket League’s icon).
Re: Rumour: New Nintendo NX Controller Images Surface and Set the Web Alight
I actually really like the design generally. I like the look and there are a number of cool things there. I actually don't think 'grip' is that necessary for a controller. You get better fidelity of control if you grip with your fingertips anyway.
However, I simply won't buy a console without physical buttons or very good button simulation. If the NX just has virtual touchscreen buttons, there is nothing at all Nintendo can do to convince me to buy it. Honestly, with virtual buttons, I could learn to let go of some buttons and even the D-pad. But I need at least two buttons to buy this thing, or I'm out and Nintendo can try again or forget about me.
Re: Analyst Firm DFC Believes a 2016 Nintendo NX Launch "Would Be a Mistake"
I agree with the analysts in this case. Many people seem to think mostly in the short term or imagine Nintendo in a bubble where they somehow aren’t competing with their competitors. Nintendo competes with any company pushing an entertainment concept—period. Nintendo might particularize their target market and try to find space with less competition, but even then, those spaces are ultimately more shaped by their competitors than by Nintendo themselves.
Unless the NX is something very different or strange, Nintendo would only disadvantage themselves to release a new console right in the middle of the current generation of consoles. They would have to start from scratch when the other consoles have a significant start, and then combat the inevitable leap-frog by other platforms in just two or three years.
The only way they launch in 2016 and avoid that scenario is by making the NX very distinct and unlike anything else so they don't have to compete on computational power, or by making the NX highly modular or less hardware dependent as a platform. But, as the analysts here point out, even in either of those cases, Nintendo still has to compete with a lot of competition this year. They have to make a case to people as to why they should buy their stuff instead of Sony’s or someone else’s. There is a lot of attention grabbing software and hardware already announced by competitors. They are going to suck some of the air in the industry, and I’m not sure Nintendo can cut through all of that to obtain the attention they need to establish enthusiasm and demand for a new platform. If it’s as new and exciting as the Wii was, they might have a chance, but I don’t think a Wii-kind of concept is easily repeatable.
It seems to me they should stick it out and focus on selling as much desirable software as possible until 2017, if we're talking about replacing the Wii U. Software still sells well on the platform, which usually makes them more money anyway. If a mobile unit is indeed a part of the NX, Nintendo has a lot more freedom to do what they want as they still command the market for dedicated gaming portables.
And just because Nintendo hasn’t announced any software, doesn’t mean they aren’t working on any, or that their unannounced software cannot be for the Wii U. I see what people are thinking. The Wii U has failed to establish a large install base, and if Nintendo had so many Wii U games for the year, they would have announced more of them. That isn’t necessarily true.
With all that said, we can’t make accurate assumptions without more information. My guess is Nintendo will release hardware this year, and the NX probably won’t look like a PlayStation 4 or an Xbox One (—a very good thing in my opinion).
Re: Editorial: Game Localisation Isn't Just About Preserving The 'Pure' Original
The author's attempt to apply diametric distinction between censorship and localization is very weak. Ultimately, anyone interested in truth or justice has some level of obligation to understand other people and cultures, and localization inherently undermines and devalues such efforts. That's not to say that every sensibility of a given culture is legitimate or correct, but we need to ask ourselves why we aren’t even interested in applying ourselves to something we aren’t familiar or comfortable with. And that question is relevant to all parties involved—the creators, the markets, the localizers, the players, etc.
Re: Video: Shigeru Miyamoto Outlines Online Sharing and Rankings for Mario Maker Creations
@JaxonH Well, there actually is some reason to be concerned, especially with the Zelda series. Every game since Majora's Mask has alienated a large number of fans. The only arguable exception being Twilight Princess; though a small number of people like myself have been critical since playing it through for the first time, and that game has not lived as well in retrospect for many. Personally, I have disliked Skyward Sword, Spirit Tracks, and Phantom Hour Glass. And I was mildly disappointed by Twilight Princess. I haven't liked a Zelda game as much as A Link Between Worlds since the Wind Waker. That's a pretty long time. Because Nintendo changes so much in each Zelda game, they can no longer satisfy all their fans because so many want different things from a Zelda game now.
Re: Video: Shigeru Miyamoto Outlines Online Sharing and Rankings for Mario Maker Creations
@bbliksteen8 I do think your interpretation is the most likely one. I don't mean to disprove it. What works in your interpretation's favor is he doesn't use the terms world and area to mean the same thing, meaning the area in the new game that is the size of the world in Twilight Princess is not necessarily the size of the new game's whole world. However, he does not say there are other areas. That is an assumption (though likely) on our part. It's still possible he could only mean something like 'while previous games had to have multiple areas to be large, this game can be that large with one area.'
Re: Video: Shigeru Miyamoto Outlines Online Sharing and Rankings for Mario Maker Creations
@bbliksteen8
You're mostly right, but your quote isn't exactly right. This is Bill Trinen's exact translation of Myamoto's words:
"So with Zelda games, what we've always done is we've always tried to make them a game where you enter this big world of Hyrule and there's a lot for you to explore and discover. But because of the hardware limitations, what we always had to do was segment off each area and piece those segments together in a way that made them feel like a big world.
But now with the hardware capabilities of Wii U, what we did was we first started by saying, 'well lets see what we can do if we take an entire world the size of the world from Twilight Princess, and just try to make that as one area on the game.'"
This wording is important because 1) it is a translation, and 2) it allows the possibility that he means the entire game is one non-segmented area the size of the world in Twilight Princess.
Re: Video: Episode One Of Zeldamotion's Link To The Past Animated Series Makes Its Debut
Wow. Pretty horrible on multiple fronts. Not that I was expecting better. Link is obviously going to have to speak in the translation to new mediums like this, but this isn't the answer to that problem.
Re: Tecmo Koei Hopeful That Hyrule Warriors Will Tap Into Zelda Fanbase and Hit One Million Sales
Personally, I'm not excited about this at all. It actually looks pretty bad. Very poor presentation.
Re: Talking Point: Is There A Future For The Wii U Without The GamePad?
I think a significant problem is the GamePad is far too large and bulky. They should have given FAR greater priority to keeping the GamePad a size comparable to a standard controller. It would be OK if it was a little bigger, but it's just rediculous in its current state. None of my friends ever want to use it because they think it's too big and uncomfortable.
However, I think far more needs to be done to improve the Wii U's prospects.
Re: Nintendo Outlines Details of Third Wave of Pikmin 3 DLC
I was hoping we'd get at least two or three new enemy types. I personally would prefer new enemies to new environments.
Re: Former Rockstar Producer Considers the Challenges Facing Home Consoles
Any intelligent person can see that consoles are in trouble, and it's not even because of the over-hyped mobile space. Console games have (thanks more to Microsoft and Sony than anyone else) become a high stakes business. The barrier of entry has only risen each generation. They (and the media) have set some unreasonable expectations in the minds of many consumers of what "next gen" is supposed to be all about. The cost and capacity to produce more advanced hardware gets better over time; but the cost to utilize that technology, unfortunately, has not, and sales have not increased fast enough to displace those costs for the entirety of the industry. This means developers can't afford to take many creative risks, even though they are ultimately necessary in the long run (you just can't sell the same thing forever). Unless they find a way to lower either the costs of development or the expectations of the consumer, they will eventually collapse their own business.
Nintendo seems to be one of the very few big video game companies that understands all of this. Their strategy with the DS, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U is clearly based on what would ultimately be a far more sustainable business strategy. They use new unique control inputs and game mechanics as selling points. Those things can be obtained far more cheaply. The problem they face is that they still have to fight against these other costly "next gen" expectations.
The industry also has another long term problem. There is eventually an end to this graphical and technological progression. When we have photorealistic graphics and ultra computers sitting cheaply in our houses decades from now, how can they possibly move up from that. The only thing they can do is focus on creative differentiation instead of simple upgrades to familiar experiences. And (long) before they even reach that point, the law of diminishing returns will kick in an foil their current strategy before it's even reached it's endgame.
Re: Lose Your Inhibitions With Spin The Bottle
I think this game will be a lot of fun. Too many people are just afraid of physical contact. I guess it's our culture.
touching≠sex
Re: Pikmin 3 Aims to "Simply Go Deeper" Than Previous Experiences
@Haywired The map on the secondary screen is particularly useful in a game like Pikmin. I'm really looking forward to it.
And that's something I've been wondering as well, about the Nintendo Land exposure. Plus, all the Miiverse comments will undoubtedly serve as some pretty good advertising (the secret reason Nintendo likes the Wara Wara Plaza). Pikmin has a shot at becoming much bigger than previous entries. I hope so, but we will see.