Gauchorino

@MarcelRguez That sounds a bit like a cop-out: shutting down all criticism from other perspectives in order to avoid a legitimate discussion about what people view as a problem. No one is obligated to buy anything from Nintendo or any other online service provider, either. This is why Nintendo and the like shouldn't be callous towards the desires of its customers and their opinions, else they begin to lose them.

Interesting, considering that statistics tell us that the economy began recovering by September and has improved since then. www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/36956418

Thus, the downturn was more than likely caused by investors' misguided preconceptions about what leaving the Union would lead to, rather than anything concrete. The same cyclical phenomenon happened in America immediately after Trump was elected. It would be nice to see the specifics as to what figures Apple is consulting regarding this decision, therefore.

Another groundbreaking discovery by Kotaku.

Very glad, then, that I've held off on buying a version of it after the "Special Edition" sold out and was never restocked!

Will get this as long as Capcom is serious about the "Final" part of the title. Enough revisions of the same game, already!

Hori to the rescue, as usual! The tone of the article seems rather satirical, but this product looks genuinely helpful. This is great for all kinds of travelling environments, beyond simply the air. This looks like it allows you to comfortably and for long periods showcase your Switch in an area with no dock. Forward-thinking!

@8itmap_k1d Whoops! Missed the "Wii U" part...

If it's for load times shortening, okay. If this is for setting the stage for DRM, no.

EDIT: Nevermind. Missed the "Wii U" part.

@Honelith If they were to do another "Ambassador program", let's hope they give those early adopters something physically exclusive or some sort of monetary compensation, rather than games from a system that isn't available on 3DS VC (ie, GBA on 3DS), ensuring that we'll never see games from that system for sale on the eShop (as they wouldn't be spiting their Ambassadors' exclusive gifts).

And they couldn't include a virtually-free digital title? I originally envisioned Splatoon 2 as the bundled (digital) title, but 1-2-Switch would be perfect for this, considering the free advertising generated from its active, social gameplay and due to the fact that it probably won't sell well because of its highly generic name, especially up against Breath of the Wild, Skyrim, and Super Bomberman R. Reggie is using the same logic that the Nintendo heads were using before Wii was released, to justify not packing in Wii Sports.

Besides, I still think $299 is $100 too much if they really want to get this into everyone's hands amidst the stiff competition from mobile, PC, and PS4.

@DanteSolablood Touché. I didn't realise there was disparity between the sets of footage. The trailer did captivate and surprise me (to wit, seeing Bomberman was made alive again), but it probably was unwise to judge the graphics of the whole only on a short, well-edited clip.

Fantastic news! Now, those who prefer a digital library won't have to suffer the most common inconvenience associated with one. Let's hope Nintendo continues the forward-thinking.

@DanteSolablood Don't know how you came to that conclusion. The boss might have been low-poly (I'll have another look at that trailer, later), but the Bomberman bros., at least, had the silkiest-looking textures.

Still not understanding the disdain for Bomberman's Story Mode. Every single one of them I've played since B64 has been incredibly enjoyable (especially Hero's and Tournament's), I dare say, far more enjoyable than the multiplayer. Why is this seemingly an uncommon opinion?

That sounds like PR mumbo jumbo for "You will be able to rebuy them all again at a discount when we selectively release each individual title." I've spent so long trying to defend you, Reggie, even in your most indefensible times (eg, "Give us Mother 3!"), but you just sound so ingenuine, here.

Basically, the best thing about the new program is more advanced parental controls? This sounds absolutely terrible.

Yes, I understand that it could be "vastly better" than Wii U's or 3DS' online experience, since we now are forced to pay for it. I seriously doubt that it will be, however. Outside of the occasional "free game" (most likely an NES or SNES game which we've all played a billion times), the alleged benefits sound to run dry rather quickly. Smart phone integration is one thing (though, I'm sure they could've done it for free, especially since it will be cheaper for them this era after dropping Miiverse), but I seldom find the "improved stability" arguments for paid online services convincing nor necessary to the already satisfactory experience, being also very divisive to the system's community. I understand that other new features may be added later because of the paid model, but really...I very much doubt these will be enticing nor incentivisingly proportional to the subscription fee's particular cost, either.

This is undoubtedly an easy way for Nintendo to force more money out of players simply because they can, now seemingly being no better than the ultra-corporate models of Microsoft and Sony. Based solely on this (so far), I do not feel confident in their new direction. Hopefully, in time, they will at least make a permanently-free "limited" option (akin to NWFC and Nintendo Network, hopefully) to compete alongside the paid service.

In the way it has been announced so far, however, I can't believe Nintendo is so out of touch that they genuinely think smartphone and social media integration will convince players to fork over a monthly subscription fee. If the actual reason they are doing this is to entice big publishers "everyone loves" like EA and Blizzard, instead, I think Nintendo will soon cease to exist as a first-party company. They are spiting far too many users for the sake of just a few new ones.

Unlikely, but in the small chance Nintendo decides to run an Android OS on the system, it automatically becomes an insta-buy, no matter the price. It would be competing with both the mobile/tablet and console markets, and would dominate them both!

Also, later releasing a second-screen peripheral for additional dev. options and digital Wii U/3DS games and making the system at least CAPABLE of stereoscopic 3D would be amazing.

In hindsight, it probably was not have been the best decision for them to cast Square away so thoroughly. However, just as it has always been Square's right to work for and produce for any licensee that licenses them, it always has been Nintendo and every other licensee's right to give and remit permissions for their platform as they please. For any who is offended by Nintendo's actions here, consider that no one is inherently entitled to do business with any company. I fully respect Yamauchi's decision to stand by his convictions and refuse to do business with them who chose to use traitorous actions against him, damaging their relationship and Nintendo-Square brand association (which potentially could (and evidentally did) cost Nintendo countless dollars). Nothing had to be said and the relationship did not have to end, but Nintendo was not necessarily wrong to have at those moments judged Square as infidelitous, vapourous, sycophantic, manipulative, and conniving in their apparent associative behaviour. It's business (and it's the traditional Japanese way, which has more often than not led Japan to be more successful and prosperous than those who do not abide by similar standards and practices).

Was there any reason given why the music of the Western versions is not on par with the Japanese version? I've asked this before, and I've yet to receive an answer concerning it. Does it have to do with text-space limitations?

(Such a shame about the complete lack of stereoscopic 3D (I wonder if that's due to actual space limitations or if they've just intentionally downgraded development to the 2DS, as with PKMN Sun and Moon). Normally, this would make me abstain from buying, altogether, as that seems to indicate laziness by the developers...but so much other fantastic work has been done otherwise that I guess I must support this despite the very unfortunate missing utterly unique visual effects.)

They should release a horizontal-style version (modeled after the original GBA) sometime in the future, as the vertical "tower" style isn't the most comfortable for adult hands. And yeah, they need to add shoulder buttons without removing the X and Y buttons (and make them customisable, so, for instance, you could map the A and B buttons to X and Y, respectively, if you so chose (so that many GBA SNES ports could be played in the original SNES layout)).

Very cool, though they need to resize those new box arts.

@JohnBlackstar The Wii U version was indeed offered as a reward after the the Stretch Goal for it was met. I'm beginning to regret supporting the project at all, though, seeing the somewhat shoddy progress for it, such as in the above video.

I can see this being pretty good, actually, if they touch up the graphics, more vigourously stabilise the engine, and hire a native English speaker to correct the textual mistakes.

@Shiryu Many people have criticised Heracles for that in the past, so I was referring only to the frequency of that particular criticism. I see that you were using that in a neutral, descriptive tone, yourself, so, nothing personal against you. On the contrary, I greatly appreciate your zeal for writing about underground projects like these, and I look forward to reading more from you about them.

I'll have to look into Fighter's History's history in greater depth, as I barely remember the mention of that incident.

like most Data East games which copied other genres (in this case, Dragon Quest)

It's very difficult to find any turn-based (non-Roguelike) RPG that hasn't drawn heavy influence from Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy, especially in the '80s and '90s, so that passive-aggressive meme against Data East is a bit unfair and somewhat stale. Much of their IP feels distinct enough, as is, anyway. BurgerTime, Karnov, and Metal Max have no significantly equivalent competing games or series, content-wise, for example.

Very excited about Xak! A quality Ys-style game is always worth looking into, so the notification about this obscurely-located translation for it is much appreciated!

Sounds like Yokoi secretly worked in Taiwan for a time to realise his true vision: the Gamate.

After reading several comments here from the non-journalistic users who actually played the game's single-player, I feel some regret for not giving this game a try nor a chance while its full experience was still on offer.

@NImH No problem, here, brother. Maybe I misunderstood.

@NImH Clever, but you misunderstood the syntax of the last clause.

@Damo 1. Sure thing.

2. No post in that link gave a definitive answer as to whether or not the OP's issue was an emulation problem. Every response simply speculated that it wasn't.

Nintendo seems to have been using the same NES emulator since the Wii VC days for all of their digital NES game distribution. Theirs causes games to appear darker and more drab than they do on original hardware and unofficial emulators, regardless of screen settings. This causes SMB1's sky to appear light violet and Mario's skin to appear pale yellow and his moustache green, for example. This issue has been attested by many people for years, such as by users in this thread: https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/virtual_console/are_usa_nes_virtual_console_games_darker_than_their_nes_counterparts

Also, compare SMB1's visuals as displayed from the Famicom Mini ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GQ02nXQQiM&t=1m20s ) to how they're properly displayed ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qirrV8w5SQ ).

@PlywoodStick Sure, which makes the attempt at irony even more irritating. Remember the good ole' days when we first generation owners of the system referred to it simply as "the original DS?" For the sake of human decency, we should probably be discouraging such unofficial, "subtle" attempts at humor from reaching the mainstream.

Or do what you like, I guess. I just still can't believe "Phat" is seriously used by anyone to refer to the model, at least as part of a proper name rather than just being descriptive of an opinion of it.

The original "Phat" model was rather hideous in retrospect...

1. thatsjustlikeyouropinionman.jpg

2. Whichever GameFAQs user popularised the term "phat" to contrast with "Lite" should have his Internet privileges revoked. It's incredibly cringy and not clever. Also, "fat" isn't the opposite of "light". #imtriggered

"impeccable emulation"

Mario's sky is purple...

Also, @Damo, you're mistaken. Downtown Nekketsu Koshinkyoku is not Crash n' the Boys: Street Challenge. It's a game in the Kunio series that never made it out of Japan.

At this point, they can't just release extra, free content for those already onboard. No incentive for them to do so. The sequel is obviously coming eventually, though.

However, maybe we'll see more content/better pricing/less restrictions for both versions by the time of the Android release or soon after.

Even only having played through the first world, I want more. The gameplay is delightfully and surprisingly fun (maybe being more fun than I've had with a Mario platformer in years) and the aethestics surrounding it are super slick. But unless they resolve that mandatory data aspect, I'll never know any more about it.

Also, optimising the Android release for the OS would be imperative, instead of just releasing it with framerate issues and various bugs. That exclusive Apple partnership better not be a permanent or lasting one. Otherwise, we might not see parity of quality between platforms, and even worse, we might not see many Nintendo games on both OSs.

@DanteSolablood That makes sense. I still wonder how they'll do the Wii U VC on it, though. I doubt they'll use ridiculous methods similar to what they did with DS VC on Wii U.

@JLPick Perhaps there will be an accessory for it down the line that can be inserted into the cradle while the Switch is removed from it to display additional on-screen images on the TV besides what is displayed on the Switch's own screen. After all, how else will they be able to (reasonably) resell all their Wii U gems?

@Solid_Stannis We have no need of critical analyses, here. Take that sort to Minds.com or something.

What's the point of having a touchscreen if you can't use it while the system is docked? Unless the Switch doubles as a tablet featuring a popular OS, a touchscreen for it seems rather unnecessary, at this point.

Looks lovely. But for which holiday is this card intended?

Game looks very good, but the "always online" requirement kills it for me. I understand they're trying to emphasise the online social features and prevent piracy with it by that, but those are rather terrible reasons to exclude ever-playability and makes it feel even more like you're buying the licence to play a Flash game (yes, I realise it's far higher quality than that) rather than actually owning a copy of the game. I hope Nintendo doesn't make this mistake with the Animal Crossing or Fire Emblem mobile games.

@Moms-Meowth @CharlieSmile By telling people that they should not buy a product they have issues with instead of tolerating their attempts at giving constructive criticism about it, you're asking for that product to sell poorly.

The issue is not whether or not games are still being released for Wii U. The issue is that promises and contracts are being broken on a widespread basis, and many people are willingly defending that. Again, if you promise to make a Wii U game for someone, you don't have to make it for EVERYONE. Just make enough copies for the people who have already paid you for one. It's REALLY not this difficult.

@kobashi100 Because people backed the game for a system they owned, not for a system they didn't own. Regardless of that, if a company promises to make a product, accepts money on the condition that they make that specific product, and then fails to make that product, then they are completely in the wrong.

More Wii U crowdfunding bait and switch. I thought Playtonic, even more so than IGA and co., was above this. There were no reported "technical issues" for the Wii U ver. until now. Not everyone is a diehard Nintendo fan who can or will want to "upgrade" to Switch, which is why this is a weasily reason for canceling this.

Kickstarter is absolutely dead, now. The companies who accepted funding based on false promises to excited and anxious backers should be ashamed of themselves for their faithlessness and really shouldn't be forgiven for it. It's a wretched precedent, yet sadly so common, lately. If these startups won't make what they originally promised, how can we be sure that they won't use the same rationale for their "new system"?

@Megas Jesus wasn't Siddhartha. His was a story of fulfilled redemption (and overcoming death, not simply hardship), as prophesied. He didn't come to merely teach by example as Buddha did. Besides, you can't be enlightened to something if that something isn't true. The way you used the word "enlightened" sounds rather disingenuous, therefore.

But to judge intent with so little information is also fallacious and pretentious. The spirit of Christmas is indeed that "it is more blessed to give than receive" (Acts 20:35), just as God (John 1:1) willingly came in the flesh (John 1:14) to willingly lay down His life for our wrongdoings and to rescue us from the dire fate that we have willingly procured upon ourselves (John 10:18). This act of the employees looks far more like genuine care and sentimentality than of desire for fame, considering the video creator's very small audience.

The immediate jump to accusation, along with your highly subjective interpretation of the purpose behind Christmas, (and possible intoxication?) seems to indicate cynicism and some joylessess behind your comment rather than wisdom. Thus, I do hope that the true Christmas spirit comes upon you this season, likewise.

I checked some comments to the videos on YT, and the (few) negative reactions to them are utter nonsense (ie, upset due to "lack of consent"...; despite this, the video creator commented that the kid wanted the video to be uploaded "for all to see"). I can understand if people got angry if the employees wrote off the expense courtesy of Best Buy or something, but they didn't. They spent their own money out of benevolence. This is truly the spirit of Christmas, and very rare to see outside of anyone, today, and far much less out of the non-religious (it seems like Rahiem is Christian by his comments on YT, though). Heartwarming.

Both. The gap between portables and home consoles has been almost nonexistent as of late, anyway, so I doubt there will be too much change in game direction or concepts just for this system.

The hype for Switch is very contagious, so I'm starting to jump back on the train, but I still fear Nintendo could be making a huge mistake by foregoing risky new concepts in favor of accessibility and only accessibility.

@TruenoGT Ys III and IV immediately come to mind.

I still can't imagine playing this without being able make small adjustments in steering, as Ant mentioned. The Wii VC version of this doesn't suffer from this problem, as far as I know.