Ubisoft likely won't let any studio outside of France, besides Montreal, to lead a Rayman game.
All the respect to Davide, the development teams in Milan, and developing that relationship with Nintendo. Providing a unique experience, introducing more audiences to turn based strategy games in a fun, accessible way
I wouldn’t necessarily generalize that most people are confused about the definition of the roles.
Where the confusion likely comes into play is when in practice, there are conflicts in decision making. When you have conflicts, you have confusion. Confusion leads to errors, delays, over spending etc.
For some additional context, it’s quite common for directors to report to producers. E.g, Art Director, Audio Director, Programming Director. In smaller studios, maybe the lines are blurry. There are of course different scenarios or structures, where there is a “Game Director” or some other larger director role that both directors and producers report into.
All in all, Sakurai is doing a really good job IMO breaking down complex topics of game development into digestible content that can be understood by anyone, especially those not in the industry.
It also depends on the size of the project. The way I've rationalized it:
High level:
Producer = Manages the business side
Director = Manages the creative side
Background:
Producers usually stem from project management (coordinators, project managers etc.).
Directors usually stem from creative/ development (level designer, team leads, associate directors etc.)
Details:
Producers will be more involved with getting that product (game) out the door. Speaking up / down with project sponsors (those funding the project) and project managers (those working directly with the team leads, managing resources, timelines, etc.).
Directors will be more involved with the details of the project scope and quality (audio, gameplay, art, level design, programming etc.)
100% accurate that it’s been up there, even in the former “NPDs” for NA, MK8 Deluxe had an insane streak being in the top 20.
Alas, the sales numbers are nearly double the next best selling games like Animal Crossing, BotW, and Smash. The only reason I can foresee for that disparity is the fact M8K Deluxe has been bundled with Switch since early days. Somewhere between 2017-2019.
They even pack it in with the OLED. I’m sure the game deserves the praise but context is important. Why else is this game doubling every thing else and sticking up in the top 20?
Gameboy Color was the successor to the Gameboy. It featured better specs, a better screen, and had exclusive games. Kirby Tilt’ n Tumble is fricken’ fantastic and you ain’t playing that on OG Gameboy.
Someone re-crunch the numbers because it doesn’t add up.
I can understand if you skip the Pocket. That’s just a smaller, more efficient Gameboy like a DS Lite or GBA SP or Switch Lite. Gameboy Color was in fact, a successor.
I played all the others and I own all between and including N64, except Super Circuit (GBA), up to MK7.
Mario Kart DS remains my favourite. Online multiplayer and N64 like graphics on the go was fantastic for its time.
Not many people to play locally against these days and I’m tired of the rubber banding AI.
Heard nothing but good things about MK8 / MK8 Deluxe. Kudos to the 60M+ people enjoying it but I suspect most of those numbers come from the Switch bundle.
While it's not perfect, AI can help with simple exercises today to help speed up the workflow, which may result in faster deliverables or higher quality assets.
To achieve this, designers could use AI tools to iterate faster on concepts or developing reference images to create assets.
Example: I'm a 3D modeler on the next Zelda game. The concept has been communicated as a biopunk fantasy, with many worlds underwater. A.K.A. Medieval Bioshock.
I'm tasked to create a pendant light fixture. I may look at art deco light fixtures online and go from there, iterating on different concepts. Or alternatively, ask AI to generate images of biopunk art deco light fixtures and use that base to tweak and develop a basic asset.
Doesn't mean AI replaced anyone's job. Doesn't mean AI makes the game. All it does is help reduce time iterating on assets.
This is a trend more retailers should head in, generally speaking.
Digital sales already make up more than 50% of sales and games are becoming more accessible with subscription services.
Having large retail footprints won’t be sustainable and these large retailers are finally catching up.
This will give more opportunities to smaller businesses to remain competitive. I can easily see in the next 10 years, as physical becomes niche, you'll see more small shops carve out that niche selling retro and other games, with access to new via pre-order.
The model of starting at a wall of empty game cases will die off. It has too. It just doesn’t make sense. And I know others arent happy with the experience today anyway. EBGames / Gamestop here in Canada is just that plus a bunch of useless merch. Which is probably keeping these stores alive (high margins, low cost items).
It has online multiplayer, updated controls, 60fps, and depending on the system, renders at 1080p (native). On Series consoles, it outputs at 4K. Not sure what the render resolution is for the Series consoles but it's super crisp. I still play it, locally against bots, to this day.
I didn’t expect it and was hoping it would be Switch 2.
My jaw dropped. They pulled it off. A full blown sequel, with all Retro Studio trademarks of Prime. No less running 60fps on what we presume is Switch hardware. Only 10hrs later after watching the direct did I discover the antagonist shown is from Metroid Prime Hunters.
Meanwhile, everyone is talking graphics and FPS (my self included)…
What
About
That
MUSIC!!!
The vocals when Samus showed, to the piano phendrana drifts style mix, and the Metroid Metal guitar solo with Sylux. Oh sweet baby Metroid will this game sound amazing.
Honestly, Im down for a board game on my Switch. My concern is that it will be garbage. I’ve heard only negative things about Catan on Switch (different developer) but I have heard good things about Monopoly.
I loaded up the store page and got confused real quick because… and maybe I am just stupid, but I don’t understand the difference between Monopoly (already on Switch) and Monopoly, dropping this fall.
Store page on Ubisoft’s website is incredibly unclear.
Thanks for all the info. Edit: I wasn’t aware I needed an active Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription. That explains everything, I don’t have one!
I broke my own promise and I bought it at full retail. Honestly, I love it more than I thought. I'm 4 hours in but I've beaten it before, I believe twice, on Gamecube. TL;DR 9/10
Thoughts:
I don't think 60fps is needed, but the conversation is hard to avoid.
The RPG mechanics are very accessible but the extra button presses for style points can be tough to max out appeal / style in every battle. That's Nintendo 101. Easy to pick up; difficult to master.
The characters are fantastic. Really, it's shocking how good this game is / was and how much of a misdirection they've taken the series with all of their more recent entries. It's not just the humor, it's how its conveyed these characters and how this world feels believable. Every character fits the lore and the world.
Pacing is good, albeit a bit slower / easier than I would like at the beginning.
The game is absolutely beautiful. It's not just higher res, it's all the new paper, card board, foam core type assets that really makes it sing.
Overall, it feels like the definitive RPG from Nintendo, still, 20 years on. And that's very impressive. It's just hard to give it a perfect score where there is a compromise. Even if it's justified.
I disagree. I think it's a relevant discussion point because no two games are the same and definitions evolve over time. All studios approach it slightly differently and brand them differently.
There might be some common principles that are true for a remake vs. remaster but sometimes a game walks a fine line between. Sometimes it's even labelled as a "Reimagining" even if objectively, at it's core, it's a remake. Like FF7 Remake. Wikipedia groups them all together on one page with notes for each individual title because it can get quite granular.
Yea and I don't think it's that black and white either. I like to imagine it on a scale or spectrum. If we want to compare it against a political spectrum:
Far left = Different Game
Far Right = Original Game
So to map it out...
Different Game <-> Reboot <-> Remake <-> Remaster <-> Port <-> Original Game
Sometimes a game lands in between those definitions. To ground those definitions, I usually think of these games
Reboot = Doom (2016)
Remake = Dead Space (2023), RE2 (2019)
Remaster = Metroid Prime: Remastered, RE4 HD (2014).
Definitely Paper Mario TTYD is a remake but I can see it on the scale in between remaster and remake given the lack of content changes vs. other remakes. One might argue a remaster would of been a better fit, to not compromise on the frame rate. Like Metroid Prime.
Remaster = original source code, engine etc. running on modern hardware. Content may be updated but not required. E.g., 4K textures.* Low variability. Remake = Same core content but remade in a new engine, new code. May include new or modified content but not at requirement* Mid variability. Reboot = Same universe, no constraints on tech (could be old or new tech); will* include new content and/or different content. Large variability.
All good At least the user a few posts above is sharing the PDF for download. Take that to your nearest print center for a high quality print and you're sorted. Granted, I do think it's a bit weird it says Nintendo Gamecube on top, especially the "Only For" tab.
I think they could of been a bit more creative but I also understand if they wanted to bring back the old cover, it's 100% original.
I still have my original GC copy and while I love the game, I was never a fan of the brown palette. I think I like the new cover art more... ducks away
I know the industry (# of players) has grown tremendously since PS2, DS were released but I think it’s fascinating that Switch have sustained these sales without a permanent price drop.
Curious what their fall lineup is going to be considering the successor is unlikely to release this calendar year.
Will we finally see Metroid Prime 4? What about a 3D Mario? Maybe one last fan requested remake? Surprise large
3rd party title? So many questions and none of them Switch 2 related
Looking great! Not particularly worried about 30fps but simply my backlog is too large to consider a remake right now of a game I’ve played many times and still own on Gamecube.
If it had been released a couple months before or after Metroid Prime, might have been a different story.
I know Sea of Stars is coming out in May (physical) so that may very well be my first NS game purchase of 2024. Super excited to play it since trying the demo on PC back in August of 2023.
Maybe once I catch up, Paper Mario will be 40-50USD and then I will dip my toes back in.
Regardless on my own personal situation, the good news here is that more people will get to play this game. I loved Paper Mario on N64 and when I was a teenager, I was extremely hyped for TTYD release. I have my original copy, my Nintendo Power magazines. All of it.
So to those who will play this for the first time, enjoy! I hope Nintendo brings back the original Paper Mario in some form of fashion to Switch. Whether it’s Nintendo Online Expansion Pass or as a remake. Both one and TTYD are excellent games!
I think the market will speak for it self. If the game is worth the cost, people will pay for it. I don't believe $70 will go away, rather, I hope pricing will be more dynamic based on the quality, scope of the game and we should see more games (hopefully) of mid size.
Some of the large AAA studios will not take as much risk anymore and pour years of development into one or two titles with over bloated budgets, $200m+ budgets. However, others will continue to push for the $70+ (including special editions, early access, season passes etc.) This has been an emerging trend for a while.
Oh mah lord. I was questioning whether I buy this game. I love Paper Mario (if that's not evident by my King of the Hill x Paper Mario collaboration icon) but I don't have a lot of appetite to spend $80 CAD on a game I've beaten many times.
However, that pre-order bonus appears to be quite nice. Curious if it comes to Canada...
I now vividly recall bringing my 360 to a friend’s house. I don’t recall the game I was playing. It could have been Call of Duty 3 or Gears of War. Either way, I picked up the console while the game was playing, and this was before Xbox enabled games to be installed on the harddrive (disk doesn’t spin) and I rotated the console from horizontal to vertical. The moment, no, the sound, is forever engraved into my brain. Sounded like changing a gear without disengaging the clutch. A large buzz but grinding sound.
Suddenly, the game stopped working. Opened the disk tray, removed the disk, and flipped it over to gaze upon a opaque white ring on the back of the disk.
Luckily, a local shop in my town (shoutout to Microplay) was able to remove the scratch for about $10 - $15.
I found out later online that this issue was a design flaw with the system, and was repeatable. I don’t believe I scratched another disk again but yikes, that was depressing.
I also went through SEVEN Xbox 360’s due to RROD so… I had already begun to develop a thick skin to these types of issues…
Ahh, good ol’ 360. Some of the best games but yikes was that console a nightmare
Yes it’s a separate platform than Steam. What I was identifying is that the dev is highlighting 5m players but the media is reporting 5m sales.
They’re different figures. Every Steam player is a sale since they don’t have a subscription service (yet…) but Xbox players could be from purchases or gamepass (GP).
I think it’s important to stress this when the media are identifying this game is out selling massive AAA games like God of War, Spiderman, The Last of Us etc.
We really don’t know that. It’s still an achievement, don’t get me wrong but the numbers are… a bit fluffed with GP.
@gcunit I think Princess Peach is honestly a great ambassador for females within the Nintendo Brand. People love costumes, the new Peach game has gameplay mechanics tied to costumes. It's a sure thing in my view. I could easily see a Retro peach with roller blades / inline skating costume that ties into the Barbie movie.
Maybe, I am unsure but their profitability is also tied to fiscal years. Im not sure if the development teams will receive a bonus if the profit target needs to be hit by a certain date (e.g., March 31 / end of FY).
Ultimately, as another user mentioned, cash flow is important. Even if it's less than ideal, a constant revenue is better than no revenue. Ubisoft has... 20,000 employee and all the operating costs that go along with supporting all those employees. So a small loss in the grand scheme might not be bad if other games and revenue streams offset it.
Edit: I did a quick calc, if they net approx. $30 on average, per game sold after any sales and third party fees (manufacturing, royalties etc.) that's approx. 90M revenue on 3M copies. We know most large AAA games cost around 200M USD to make, excluding marketing as far as we know. I don't expect this game to have that budget but who knows. I suspect it's closer to the break even point.
I tried it [demo] on Xbox but I've pre-ordered the physical version for Switch
Overall, the demo itself was good. I thought the gameplay was great. Good controls, fun moves, and surprisingly difficult! I tried it on Heroic and was surprised by how many times I died. Super excited to play the full game.
As a demo, it's not one I would keep installed and continue to play. I'm not sure if everyone will understand but back in days past, demos used to be pretty fun, unique experiences. Either ones from magazines (disks etc.) like my Metroid Prime 2 demo from Nintendo Power or Project 8 (Tony Hawk) on Xbox 360. I used to always replay those demos. Super fun to jump in and have a very small package / treat. In that regard, this demo isn't that good. Too much dialog at the beginning you can't skip fast enough and there wasn't a satisfying conclusion or loop.
That's just signaling status quo. Why would Ubisoft put more effort in quality if it yields the same result as quantity?
People complain left, right, and center that their games are bloated. If they listen to our feedback and there is no change, there really is no reason to change course.
Expect 10x more AC Vahalla's because that game sold gangbusters. Just like EA doesn't care if they reskin FIFA/FC or Madden every year. Why change when it sells?
Your money has leverage and if you don't care, that is fine but don't complain when the games continue to be grind fests. I personally hope for a better Ubisoft with more unique experiences because I love some of their brands.
Reasonable - 256GB but that is assuming game file sizes are only 2x the size of their current format.
It's too early to judge because we don't have any context on game sizes. Pragmatically, 512 GB would be great for a base model and 1tb for a premium model considering storage costs these days (relatively cheap).
Comments 533
Re: Mario + Rabbids Director Davide Soliani Leaves Ubisoft After 25 Years
@Not_Soos
Ubisoft likely won't let any studio outside of France, besides Montreal, to lead a Rayman game.
All the respect to Davide, the development teams in Milan, and developing that relationship with Nintendo. Providing a unique experience, introducing more audiences to turn based strategy games in a fun, accessible way
Re: Random: Nintendo's New 'Button Collection' Toys Can Be Used For Real Controller Repairs
@Kidfunkadelic83
How many thumbs do you plan on destroying?! XD
Re: Random: Directors And Producers - What's The Difference? Sakurai Explains
@Ogbert
I wouldn’t necessarily generalize that most people are confused about the definition of the roles.
Where the confusion likely comes into play is when in practice, there are conflicts in decision making. When you have conflicts, you have confusion. Confusion leads to errors, delays, over spending etc.
For some additional context, it’s quite common for directors to report to producers. E.g, Art Director, Audio Director, Programming Director. In smaller studios, maybe the lines are blurry. There are of course different scenarios or structures, where there is a “Game Director” or some other larger director role that both directors and producers report into.
All in all, Sakurai is doing a really good job IMO breaking down complex topics of game development into digestible content that can be understood by anyone, especially those not in the industry.
Re: Random: Directors And Producers - What's The Difference? Sakurai Explains
It also depends on the size of the project. The way I've rationalized it:
High level:
Background:
Details:
*Edited formatting
Re: Random: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Overtakes NES Lifetime Sales
@Ralizah
100% accurate that it’s been up there, even in the former “NPDs” for NA, MK8 Deluxe had an insane streak being in the top 20.
Alas, the sales numbers are nearly double the next best selling games like Animal Crossing, BotW, and Smash. The only reason I can foresee for that disparity is the fact M8K Deluxe has been bundled with Switch since early days. Somewhere between 2017-2019.
They even pack it in with the OLED. I’m sure the game deserves the praise but context is important. Why else is this game doubling every thing else and sticking up in the top 20?
Re: Switch Is Now Nintendo's Longest-Serving Flagship Home Console
Gameboy to Gameboy Advance?
Gameboy Color was the successor to the Gameboy. It featured better specs, a better screen, and had exclusive games. Kirby Tilt’ n Tumble is fricken’ fantastic and you ain’t playing that on OG Gameboy.
Someone re-crunch the numbers because it doesn’t add up.
I can understand if you skip the Pocket. That’s just a smaller, more efficient Gameboy like a DS Lite or GBA SP or Switch Lite. Gameboy Color was in fact, a successor.
Re: Random: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Overtakes NES Lifetime Sales
Surprisingly, never played.
I played all the others and I own all between and including N64, except Super Circuit (GBA), up to MK7.
Mario Kart DS remains my favourite. Online multiplayer and N64 like graphics on the go was fantastic for its time.
Not many people to play locally against these days and I’m tired of the rubber banding AI.
Heard nothing but good things about MK8 / MK8 Deluxe. Kudos to the 60M+ people enjoying it but I suspect most of those numbers come from the Switch bundle.
Re: Poll: What's Your Switch Game Of The Year Of 2024 So Far?
Balatro
Simple concept, excellent execution, low cost, highly addictive. Perfect game for the Switch.
Re: Nintendo President Says Longer Game Development Cycles Are "Unavoidable"
@Joeynator3000
While it's not perfect, AI can help with simple exercises today to help speed up the workflow, which may result in faster deliverables or higher quality assets.
To achieve this, designers could use AI tools to iterate faster on concepts or developing reference images to create assets.
Example: I'm a 3D modeler on the next Zelda game. The concept has been communicated as a biopunk fantasy, with many worlds underwater. A.K.A. Medieval Bioshock.
I'm tasked to create a pendant light fixture. I may look at art deco light fixtures online and go from there, iterating on different concepts. Or alternatively, ask AI to generate images of biopunk art deco light fixtures and use that base to tweak and develop a basic asset.
Doesn't mean AI replaced anyone's job. Doesn't mean AI makes the game. All it does is help reduce time iterating on assets.
Re: Poll: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD Is Out This Week, Will You Be Getting It?
I like the series but will skip. If it was 1 & 2 I would have considered it to round up my collection on Switch.
Re: Retailer GAME Reportedly Ending In-Store Sales Of Physical Games And Hardware
This is a trend more retailers should head in, generally speaking.
Digital sales already make up more than 50% of sales and games are becoming more accessible with subscription services.
Having large retail footprints won’t be sustainable and these large retailers are finally catching up.
This will give more opportunities to smaller businesses to remain competitive. I can easily see in the next 10 years, as physical becomes niche, you'll see more small shops carve out that niche selling retro and other games, with access to new via pre-order.
The model of starting at a wall of empty game cases will die off. It has too. It just doesn’t make sense. And I know others arent happy with the experience today anyway. EBGames / Gamestop here in Canada is just that plus a bunch of useless merch. Which is probably keeping these stores alive (high margins, low cost items).
Re: Review: Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64) - Perhaps Not Perfect, But Still A Remarkable Achievement
Glad it's on NSO but if you have an Xbox 360, Xbox One, or Series Console, play that (XBLA) version instead. https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/perfect-dark/C0SWGV4560W1
It has online multiplayer, updated controls, 60fps, and depending on the system, renders at 1080p (native). On Series consoles, it outputs at 4K. Not sure what the render resolution is for the Series consoles but it's super crisp. I still play it, locally against bots, to this day.
Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Confirmed For Switch, Launching 2025
I didn’t expect it and was hoping it would be Switch 2.
My jaw dropped. They pulled it off. A full blown sequel, with all Retro Studio trademarks of Prime. No less running 60fps on what we presume is Switch hardware. Only 10hrs later after watching the direct did I discover the antagonist shown is from Metroid Prime Hunters.
Meanwhile, everyone is talking graphics and FPS (my self included)…
What
About
That
MUSIC!!!
The vocals when Samus showed, to the piano phendrana drifts style mix, and the Metroid Metal guitar solo with Sylux. Oh sweet baby Metroid will this game sound amazing.
Well done, Nintendo. Well. Freaking. Done.
Re: Ubisoft Is Releasing A New Monopoly Game On Switch This September
Honestly, Im down for a board game on my Switch. My concern is that it will be garbage. I’ve heard only negative things about Catan on Switch (different developer) but I have heard good things about Monopoly.
I loaded up the store page and got confused real quick because… and maybe I am just stupid, but I don’t understand the difference between Monopoly (already on Switch) and Monopoly, dropping this fall.
Store page on Ubisoft’s website is incredibly unclear.
Re: Metal Slug Tactics Blasts Onto Switch This Fall
@Axecon
I think they just want to be flexible because we don’t know the fall release schedule. A week can make a huge difference.
Re: Metal Slug Tactics Blasts Onto Switch This Fall
Been waiting almost 3 years for an update! Glad it’s still alive and looking forward to it
Re: Switch Online's Missions & Rewards Adds Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door Icons
@Tourtus
Thanks for all the info. Edit: I wasn’t aware I needed an active Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription. That explains everything, I don’t have one!
Re: Switch Online's Missions & Rewards Adds Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door Icons
Dumb question: How do I spend my points on these things? I've never claimed special icons before on Switch. Thanks in advance!
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door?
@Lofoten
Would it really? XD
One thing isn’t liking a game but objectively, it does a lot of things well. Anything lower than a 6 screams troll.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door?
I broke my own promise and I bought it at full retail. Honestly, I love it more than I thought. I'm 4 hours in but I've beaten it before, I believe twice, on Gamecube. TL;DR 9/10
Thoughts:
Overall, it feels like the definitive RPG from Nintendo, still, 20 years on. And that's very impressive. It's just hard to give it a perfect score where there is a compromise. Even if it's justified.
Re: Talking Point: 'Remake' Vs. 'Remaster' - What's Your Definition?
@Lizuka
I disagree. I think it's a relevant discussion point because no two games are the same and definitions evolve over time. All studios approach it slightly differently and brand them differently.
There might be some common principles that are true for a remake vs. remaster but sometimes a game walks a fine line between. Sometimes it's even labelled as a "Reimagining" even if objectively, at it's core, it's a remake. Like FF7 Remake. Wikipedia groups them all together on one page with notes for each individual title because it can get quite granular.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_remakes_and_remastered_ports
Re: Talking Point: 'Remake' Vs. 'Remaster' - What's Your Definition?
@Azuris
Yea and I don't think it's that black and white either. I like to imagine it on a scale or spectrum. If we want to compare it against a political spectrum:
Far left = Different Game
Far Right = Original Game
So to map it out...
Different Game <-> Reboot <-> Remake <-> Remaster <-> Port <-> Original Game
Sometimes a game lands in between those definitions. To ground those definitions, I usually think of these games
Reboot = Doom (2016)
Remake = Dead Space (2023), RE2 (2019)
Remaster = Metroid Prime: Remastered, RE4 HD (2014).
Definitely Paper Mario TTYD is a remake but I can see it on the scale in between remaster and remake given the lack of content changes vs. other remakes. One might argue a remaster would of been a better fit, to not compromise on the frame rate. Like Metroid Prime.
Re: Nintendo Celebrates Paper Mario: TTYD Release With "Retro" GameCube Cover
@CaleBoi25
No nips; No problem
Re: Talking Point: 'Remake' Vs. 'Remaster' - What's Your Definition?
In my head...
Remaster = original source code, engine etc. running on modern hardware. Content may be updated but not required. E.g., 4K textures.* Low variability.
Remake = Same core content but remade in a new engine, new code. May include new or modified content but not at requirement* Mid variability.
Reboot = Same universe, no constraints on tech (could be old or new tech); will* include new content and/or different content. Large variability.
*Clarifications
Re: Nintendo Celebrates Paper Mario: TTYD Release With "Retro" GameCube Cover
@lyle_catcliffe
All good At least the user a few posts above is sharing the PDF for download. Take that to your nearest print center for a high quality print and you're sorted. Granted, I do think it's a bit weird it says Nintendo Gamecube on top, especially the "Only For" tab.
I think they could of been a bit more creative but I also understand if they wanted to bring back the old cover, it's 100% original.
I still have my original GC copy and while I love the game, I was never a fan of the brown palette. I think I like the new cover art more... ducks away
Re: Nintendo Celebrates Paper Mario: TTYD Release With "Retro" GameCube Cover
@lyle_catcliffe
Some retailers are offering it as an additional sleeve. This is separate from printing it yourself.
Re: Review: Animal Well (Switch) - An Exceptional Metroidvania That Stands Out From The Pack
Oddly polarizing how many fantastic games are coming out whilst the industry is throwing its talent into the proverbial meat grinder. Wild.
Re: Nintendo Switch Surpasses 140 Million Sales As Company Acknowledges Successor
I know the industry (# of players) has grown tremendously since PS2, DS were released but I think it’s fascinating that Switch have sustained these sales without a permanent price drop.
Re: Nintendo Switch "Successor" Announcement Is Coming "This Fiscal Year"
Curious what their fall lineup is going to be considering the successor is unlikely to release this calendar year.
Will we finally see Metroid Prime 4? What about a 3D Mario? Maybe one last fan requested remake? Surprise large
3rd party title? So many questions and none of them Switch 2 related
Re: Hands On: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Unfolds Gloriously On Switch
Looking great! Not particularly worried about 30fps but simply my backlog is too large to consider a remake right now of a game I’ve played many times and still own on Gamecube.
If it had been released a couple months before or after Metroid Prime, might have been a different story.
I know Sea of Stars is coming out in May (physical) so that may very well be my first
NS game purchase of 2024. Super excited to play it since trying the demo on PC back in August of 2023.
Maybe once I catch up, Paper Mario will be 40-50USD and then I will dip my toes back in.
Regardless on my own personal situation, the good news here is that more people will get to play this game. I loved Paper Mario on N64 and when I was a teenager, I was extremely hyped for TTYD release. I have my original copy, my Nintendo Power magazines. All of it.
So to those who will play this for the first time, enjoy! I hope Nintendo brings back the original Paper Mario in some form of fashion to Switch. Whether it’s Nintendo Online Expansion Pass or as a remake. Both one and TTYD are excellent games!
Re: Random: Latest Fan-Made 'Banjo-Threeie' Trailer Very Nearly Had Us Going
Gruntilda:
Banjo's games you thought had ended, well you've been fooled I've just pretended!
Re: Saber Interactive CEO Doesn't Think $70 Video Games Are Sustainable
I think the market will speak for it self. If the game is worth the cost, people will pay for it. I don't believe $70 will go away, rather, I hope pricing will be more dynamic based on the quality, scope of the game and we should see more games (hopefully) of mid size.
Some of the large AAA studios will not take as much risk anymore and pour years of development into one or two titles with over bloated budgets, $200m+ budgets. However, others will continue to push for the $70+ (including special editions, early access, season passes etc.) This has been an emerging trend for a while.
Re: My Nintendo Store Reveals Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door Pre-Order Bundle (EU)
Oh mah lord. I was questioning whether I buy this game. I love Paper Mario (if that's not evident by my King of the Hill x Paper Mario collaboration icon) but I don't have a lot of appetite to spend $80 CAD on a game I've beaten many times.
However, that pre-order bonus appears to be quite nice. Curious if it comes to Canada...
Re: Soapbox: Tricks Of The Trade-In - Chronicles Of An Ex-GAME Employee
@Rosona
The 360 had a slim base and high center of gravity. Regardless if someone intended to rotate it or not, it was not very stable.
Later revisions don’t scratch the disk if tilted.
Re: Super Mario Maker 2 Updated To Version 3.0.3, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
These patch notes are oh-so-wholesome, it brings a subtle tear to my eye.
Re: Soapbox: Tricks Of The Trade-In - Chronicles Of An Ex-GAME Employee
Wow!
Completely forgot about that 360 issue.
I now vividly recall bringing my 360 to a friend’s house. I don’t recall the game I was playing. It could have been Call of Duty 3 or Gears of War. Either way, I picked up the console while the game was playing, and this was before Xbox enabled games to be installed on the harddrive (disk doesn’t spin) and I rotated the console from horizontal to vertical. The moment, no, the sound, is forever engraved into my brain. Sounded like changing a gear without disengaging the clutch. A large buzz but grinding sound.
Suddenly, the game stopped working. Opened the disk tray, removed the disk, and flipped it over to gaze upon a opaque white ring on the back of the disk.
Luckily, a local shop in my town (shoutout to Microplay) was able to remove the scratch for about $10 - $15.
I found out later online that this issue was a design flaw with the system, and was repeatable. I don’t believe I scratched another disk again but yikes, that was depressing.
I also went through SEVEN Xbox 360’s due to RROD so… I had already begun to develop a thick skin to these types of issues…
Ahh, good ol’ 360. Some of the best games but yikes was that console a nightmare
Re: 'Switch 2' Launching This Year With 8-Inch LCD Screen, According To New Analyst Rumour
Just sell a base model and a pro model at launch. Problem solved.
Super Nintendo Switch = 400 USD with LCD and X storage capacity
Super Nintendo Switch Pro = 500 USD with OLED and Y storage capacity.
Re: Pokémon's Former Chief Legal Officer "Surprised" Palworld Got This Far
@Kirgo
Yes it’s a separate platform than Steam. What I was identifying is that the dev is highlighting 5m players but the media is reporting 5m sales.
They’re different figures. Every Steam player is a sale since they don’t have a subscription service (yet…) but Xbox players could be from purchases or gamepass (GP).
I think it’s important to stress this when the media are identifying this game is out selling massive AAA games like God of War, Spiderman, The Last of Us etc.
We really don’t know that. It’s still an achievement, don’t get me wrong but the numbers are… a bit fluffed with GP.
Re: Metroid Prime 4 Development Updates Seemingly Discovered
I really hope they don’t make MP4 cross-gen. We really don’t need to hold them to an announcement from 6 years ago.
Let it go and let this game breathe on new hardware, please. We’ve waited this long and I have no problem it being exclusive to the Switch successor.
Re: Nintendo Reveals New Pastel Pink Switch Joy-Con Set
@gcunit I think Princess Peach is honestly a great ambassador for females within the Nintendo Brand. People love costumes, the new Peach game has gameplay mechanics tied to costumes. It's a sure thing in my view. I could easily see a Retro peach with roller blades / inline skating costume that ties into the Barbie movie.
Edit: I'm curious of they will do a halberd outfit actually (Mario Movie tie-in). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fiw5FUvaEAAIstG.png
Re: Pokémon's Former Chief Legal Officer "Surprised" Palworld Got This Far
@Paraka
If you look carefully, they never said 5m copies sold. They're stating 5m players...
That's the sniff. It's blended with Gamepass numbers and I am not sure why sites are reporting player count as acquisitions or copies sold.
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fpalworld-has-sold-over-5-million-copies-in-only-3-days-keep-v0-bzdv7ewmpydc1.jpeg%3Fs%3D7c06478b6e7f07b95eacc14d745c2166bfab2dd6
Re: Nintendo Reveals New Pastel Pink Switch Joy-Con Set
Tie in a Barbie costume for Peach and these joy-cons will print money.
Re: Sea Of Stars Physical Release Sails In This May
I was about to buy it on Steam during the holiday winter sale but I held off.
Glad I did, may go for physical instead and grab digital on Steam at a later point in the future.
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown?
Grabbing it (physical) for Switch tomorrow
Re: Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope Has Reportedly Sold Almost 3 Million Copies
@JetForceGemInEye
Maybe, I am unsure but their profitability is also tied to fiscal years. Im not sure if the development teams will receive a bonus if the profit target needs to be hit by a certain date (e.g., March 31 / end of FY).
Ultimately, as another user mentioned, cash flow is important. Even if it's less than ideal, a constant revenue is better than no revenue. Ubisoft has... 20,000 employee and all the operating costs that go along with supporting all those employees. So a small loss in the grand scheme might not be bad if other games and revenue streams offset it.
Edit: I did a quick calc, if they net approx. $30 on average, per game sold after any sales and third party fees (manufacturing, royalties etc.) that's approx. 90M revenue on 3M copies. We know most large AAA games cost around 200M USD to make, excluding marketing as far as we know. I don't expect this game to have that budget but who knows. I suspect it's closer to the break even point.
Re: Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope Has Reportedly Sold Almost 3 Million Copies
@JetForceGemInEye
Likely not if most units sold came from sales but maybe it broke even
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of The Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Demo?
I tried it [demo] on Xbox but I've pre-ordered the physical version for Switch
Overall, the demo itself was good. I thought the gameplay was great. Good controls, fun moves, and surprisingly difficult! I tried it on Heroic and was surprised by how many times I died. Super excited to play the full game.
As a demo, it's not one I would keep installed and continue to play. I'm not sure if everyone will understand but back in days past, demos used to be pretty fun, unique experiences. Either ones from magazines (disks etc.) like my Metroid Prime 2 demo from Nintendo Power or Project 8 (Tony Hawk) on Xbox 360. I used to always replay those demos. Super fun to jump in and have a very small package / treat. In that regard, this demo isn't that good. Too much dialog at the beginning you can't skip fast enough and there wasn't a satisfying conclusion or loop.
Re: Review: Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown (Switch) - Slick, Stylish, And 2024's First Must-Play
@TheImperfectInsider
That's just signaling status quo. Why would Ubisoft put more effort in quality if it yields the same result as quantity?
People complain left, right, and center that their games are bloated. If they listen to our feedback and there is no change, there really is no reason to change course.
Expect 10x more AC Vahalla's because that game sold gangbusters. Just like EA doesn't care if they reskin FIFA/FC or Madden every year. Why change when it sells?
Your money has leverage and if you don't care, that is fine but don't complain when the games continue to be grind fests. I personally hope for a better Ubisoft with more unique experiences because I love some of their brands.
Re: Poll: How Much Internal Storage Would Be Reasonable For 'Switch 2'?
Reasonable - 256GB but that is assuming game file sizes are only 2x the size of their current format.
It's too early to judge because we don't have any context on game sizes. Pragmatically, 512 GB would be great for a base model and 1tb for a premium model considering storage costs these days (relatively cheap).
Re: Review: Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown (Switch) - Slick, Stylish, And 2024's First Must-Play
@IronMan30
Boo. Support the devs and send the message to Ubisoft. High quality games that are not 100 hour slogs is something we need to strive for.