Jimsbo

Unfortunately, all signs point to setup where your account can only exist on one system at a time. That's how it worked on Wii U, that's how it works between Switches. It's "System TRANSFER", not "System SHARE", so I'd be pleasantly surprised if it were anything less restrictive than that.

The only question is, will any other game cards work like Mario Maker 3DS did, where the PHYSICAL copy could only operate on one system at a time. Got another 3DS you want to play it on? Fine. Just pop it in, WIPE IT CLEAN and you're good to go. Oh, you wanted to play it on both systems? You'll have to buy another copy for that.

I'm not even sure about this, but I don't think Switch game cards hold the save info on them. Aren't they saved to the system memory instead? So even if a game can be swapped between two units, it will probably have two different save states between the two systems.

Not to jump right into negative speculation, but here's how it SHOULD work for owners of the current Switch:

A Switch user account should allow for one Switch lite to link to the same account, and be able to access and load any digital games purchased on that account.

How it probably WILL work:

A Switch lite will have no connection to any previous account and require it's own account and any digital game purchased for a regular Switch will have to be purchased separately for the Lite.

I hope they do this right, it will create a lot more incentive for people to buy one as a compliment to their regular Switch if they allow them to "work together" like this.

That should be helpful for those that stick with physical copies and want to have both systems (I personally don't tote my Switch around much, but I could see getting one of these to fill that role).

I just hope there aren't many cases of games that don't allow for being used in more than one system. Namely - Mario Maker. The 3DS version was restricted to just one system, so you couldn't pop it into a second 3DS. I haven't heard the Switch Mario Maker having this issue, but I only have one Switch so I can't try it out.

I still think a Lite version is fine, and as I said I might grab one at some point to have a system I'll feel more comfortable carrying around. I guess all the games I only got digitally wouldn't be available, though.

I'd be very surprised if this maintained the level of accuracy MDHR achieved with the style. I've seen many attempts over the years to imitate classic cartoon era animation, and they've never gotten it right until Cuphead. It's been proven quite hard to do even a short sequence that really gets it right, let alone keeping it up for a series.

That's one of the key things that impressed me about the game - that they actually understood and emulated the whole look of the 30s without any modern influences creeping into it.

I'm also not sure if the characters and setting can sustain good stories, but I would at least give them a chance on that aspect.

I put up two of mine, just to see if it picks up traffic.

Is it just me or has anyone ever seen their own levels offered up in Course World? I have NEVER seen any of mine and I’ve wondered if the game is designed that way - to recognize your system and skip showing you your own levels. Either that or I’m in really low rotation. With the amount of levels on there, I guess it’s a one-in-several-million chance to begin with.

Anyone else notice THIS? I just popped on the Wii U version to look up some of my older levels, and I got a slew of new notifications. Starting on July 3rd, there are higher levels of traffic than I’ve ever seen before. 76 people played this level. 63 people played that one. Also picked up more stars in a couple days than in the last couple years. How has the release of a new incompatible version so affected the traffic on the old one? It would make more sense if it were possible to access them on the SMM2, with a wave of players looking for levels while waiting for new ones to be made. Is the 3DS version affecting this somehow?

Whatever the reason, I’m glad my old ones are keeping people entertained.

Well, that does seem potentially constricting if there’s no room to grow, but I also kind of like the idea that we’re all at the same level at the moment. As someone who never got beyond the limit of 20, this actually feels a bit roomy right now. But there’s a lot more variety now in the toolset, so if that inspires a wealth of level ideas you could still max out too soon.

Even if I did hit the ceiling, I don’t think I’d see it quite like the post above me here from “Razer”, that it’s less than a couple weeks worth of game for your money. Seriously? The game has no value beyond churning out levels to post? I guess the developers must feel goofy spending all that time on the story mode, and never mind playing other people’s levels, or online multiplayer, or making levels for local multiplayer.

Still, I had a limit of 20 for 4 years, and I still have two unused slots now, and I never felt like the time had come to stick it in a closet and let the dust pile up on it. Having that limit forced me to be more selective about what I chose to post, and a lot of people could use that limitation.

I’ve been at it since Friday morning. Liking the Pro Controller more than I expected. I kind not having to keep picking up and putting down a stylus each time I play test. And navigating around is pretty well thought out. Keep with it if it throws you at first, because you get used to the new methods.

Quick question, and it applies to SMM1 as well. Can anyone confirm if it’s designed that you never see your own levels in the Course World lists? I’ve never once seen one of mine pop up. I’m either really low rated or the game is designed not to show a user their own levels.

And I’ve already seen inappropriate content. Someone’s preview image was blocks making up a, well, let’s just say a symbol a lot of people aren’t too crazy about. I’d imagine it will get taken down soon enough. Why bother with that kind of thing? You know they’ll delete it and they may even have a way of banning you over it.

And I’m still not fully sold on the comments appearing all over the screen. It gets a little distracting and it also opens up the chances of more bad behavior, since you can still scribble pictures of butts or other such maturity to dress up someone’s work. I like the community feeling of it, but it gets to be like running through Times Square with all the billboards.

Still, fine upgrade. Looking forward to whatever may get added in down the line, but the new elements already bring a lot of new flexibility to it.

@Nathan
I think the main reason so many SMW enemies are missing is because they'd have to put them in SMB and SMB3. Not that they didn't do that with some, but they may have chosen not to overload those games with enemies that didn't appear in them, and save some time having to create 8 bit versions of all their sprite sets.

That's why I don't mind that SM3DW is an independent style. It freed them up to just represent that game without having to match everything to the other styles.

We can start speculating on what the most popular request is going to be, now that slopes are off that list.

Pokeys?
Fuzzies?
Rip Van Fish?

There are still plenty of enemies and gizmos that would work well and bring something new to the options.

On the other hand, is there anything people would hope they DON'T add because they might lead to annoying troll levels? I'm not so sure Waddlewings or bats would be a welcome addition.

Anyone else read the short interview with the game's producer on the Switch news channel? He's pretty much already confirming plans to add more content once they see what the customer base is asking for. He doesn't consider it to be in it's "final form" yet. So, there's a factor to consider for anyone who hasn't committed yet to either physical or digital. The physical cartridges are practically guaranteed to not be the full, final game, so keep in mind if you're determined to get it that way that the full game will eventually be tied to your system memory/Switch account anyway, and not fully on the cart.

@Jojabean44

Not a bad idea, but if you play all the games Mario Maker has styles for just before going into it, you'll see just how much from each hasn't been brought over. For the things you can't duplicate, you can see why, since they obviously require more specialized programming. Castle levels in particular often feature very large moving wall patterns and custom gizmos that wouldn't fit the drag and drop nature of SMM.

If the limit of course size is the same as SMM1, then you can't even replicate the second level in Super Mario World, it's too long to fit. Never mind the first level, it's full of diagonal semi-solid platforms and the main enemy hasn't been seen since SMW.

However, Mario Maker does tons of things none of the "proper" games did, so it's really a different beast with the same basic framework.

But being familiar with all the titles represented is a good idea.

Looking forward to the pre-installed game unlocking after sitting there over a month now.

Maybe it's because uploading levels isn't fully "live" yet, but you'd think with the amount of reviewers and YouTubers given early access that someone would have mentioned how the uploading works this time.

Specifically, are we going to be restricted by the same system of star votes to raise the amount we can upload? I was never able to go above 20 levels in SMM1 because I didn't receive enough stars. I've played plenty of weak levels, enough to know mine weren't bad, but I never picked up enough traction to get many votes.

I get why they don't want to give everyone unlimited uploads, and even 50-100 might lead to chaos, but never having more than 20 always felt so constricted. It's seems odd that nobody has even raised this issue out of all the videos and articles that have been racking up prior to release.

@Joeynator3000

The 12 month subscription isn't free, it's just half price. And if you order from the eShop, be sure you're on the right page. It's treated as two different items, and if you end up in the game-only version it will not offer or remind you about the online deal. And customer service won't be able to correct it for you if you get the wrong one.

So I would up having to pay the whole 19.99. I'll certainly be paying closer attention if there's ever another offer like that.

Not much risk of over saturating on a large number of titles. Sega has been sitting on a ton of stuff that hasn't seen any kind of reissue. Nintendo may lean heaviest on NES reissues, but Sega seems to have an even smaller pool of games and also refuses to touch on later systems. How about giving a few 32X games a chance to find an audience with people that didn't want to jump on a late breaking add-on. Good luck ever playing Tempo again unless you have a working old system.

Scrolling through these comments, I only saw one other mention of Bug! and Clockwork Night. How about Knuckles Chaotix? They leave a lot of their titles to history while putting out Sonic 1 & 2 or Space Harrier for the 8th time.

I've heard the stylus they're offering (some) people is a pretty low-end one. Not surprising they're not giving out a top quality item. I just looked into alternatives and found plenty of "not available in stores", and Amazon has one that's not available until next week. I still wish they had gone with the type of touch screen the Wii U had. I prefer a stylus that comes to fine point, not one that feels like you're using a pencil eraser.

So, lots of great choices there. I guess it's docked with the controller or fingertips for me for awhile. I don't have the filthiest fingers, but I don't really like poking at the screen with them anyway. It's still too smudgy for me. I'm going to do my best to get acclimated to using the pro-controller anyway, because I prefer looking at the TV screen to begin with.

The best you can expect from something like this is giving Nintendo the idea to try their own take on it. Where else do you see random creators just start cracking out their own versions or existing properties and the company or studio that actually owns it just says “oh, ok, I guess you’ve joined our team, then. Well, welcome aboard!”

It’s not really a case or “Nintendo being Nintendo”, it’s a case of Nintendo being a company like any other that owns a property popular enough to inspire someone to add their spin on it rather than spin off from it to do their own thing. Sure, use a popular property and you’ll get more attention to your idea. But that attention will eventually include the attention of the properties’ owners.

@ShadJV

Judging by the videos being posted this week, where they seem to be saying there aren't really any more secrets that haven't been talked about, the only things in the category of fun/weird extras are the sound effects (and why do they always call them "sound effects" when they're really "A/V effects"? Nearly all of them include a visual touch.).

I suspect we'll be seeing fewer SMB levels now, since removing the costumes just leaves you with the crudest looking graphics and nothing else unique. I won't really miss the extended fall offscreen skits, though. Nice idea but most of the time it happens while you're annoyed at goofing up and in less of a mood to be razzed about it. So those wore thin after a while.

So it does seem like they've removed a lot of the light subversion humor, but they may have felt a little repetitive the second time around.

Looks like it came from the Luncheon Kingdom...

@Yorumi

That's what they've said.

And one other thing about the physical cart - If you're hoping to be able to pop it into more than one Switch, make sure they didn't pull the same stunt they did with the 3DS version. In case you didn't know that cart would only work on one 3DS system. I have two, and was hoping to use it in both, but that move made it impossible.

It's already lurking in my Switch. The icon has moved down a few spaces, but it's there taunting me until the 28th.

They tripped me up by having two separate listings for it on the eshop. I was going for the online bundle but wound up with just the game alone. After finding out there was no way to add it on afterwards, I had to pay the full price for online. So look and make sure you're getting the option you want if you're going digital.

I wouldn't try to talk anyone out of getting the physical version if they prefer that, since I was always the same way. Just remember that if they add in any DLC the carts become incomplete versions from that point on. And since the first game got multiple additions I'd be surprised if this one didn't get any. For me it's also a game I'll always want at the ready anyway, so it's digital for me.

And a big thank you to the land of the free, home of the brave, and domain of the tightwad for skipping the stylus. Always love it when the North American division just blatantly blows off promotions the other regions get.

There is a key difference between the look Cuphead went for, and succeeded so well at, and animation produced in Japan. There is much less variance in the drawing style. A consistent look across nearly all “cartoon art” is used, while US animation changes with different studios and eras. The cartoons of the 30s, like Cuphead emulates, had a different approach than the 40s even from Warner Bros alone. And you can see the difference between Warner and Disney and Fleischer and Terrytoons. Then in the TV era, Hanna Barbera evolved from Huckleberry Hound to Scooby Doo.

From Japan, the basic character designs seen in 60s shows like Gigantor and Speed Racer look a lot like what is produced today. That’s why when you say “Anime” you usually think of this look. It’s just the way it’s done there, where creators don’t concern themselves as much with bringing their design sense to it as they do the story and characters. They’ve actually done a good job of maintaining consistency, which you can’t say for Warner Bros, who haven’t been able to match 1940s Bugs Bunny since the 50s. Even when they’re trying to, Roger Rabbit looked like 1980s animation paying homage, but not like the 40s the story was set in.

Studio MDHR pulled off the best imitation of the 30s style I’ve ever seen. The game wouldn’t have worked as well if they hadn’t made it really feel like that era when all the studios went for this cheerful storybook style.

Was anyone assuming the VR mode would be 3D? It certainly looks like it isn't. Comparing the two images in the screenshots shows they are pretty much identical. I would think creating a 3D view would be a lot more than a free update could provide. Still nice, though.

Nice. I wonder if the pre-order system works any better there, too. I just checked with Nintendo support here in the US if they could help me convert my game-only pre-purchase into the online bundle, since the option didn't seem to be there on the 15th but is there as a separate item now.

So it'll be $10 more for me, I guess. And no stylus.

I see this list of 10 things doesn't include the question of SMM1/SMM2 compatibility issues. It seems possible that if 2 has every element available in 1, you could still download/play those levels in 2. But that will be a strictly one-way street, since 1 wouldn't know what to do with slopes or on/off switches etc.

It seems likely that 2 will have its own online hub, but it would be nice if all the levels already posted could carry over. If not, at least we'll be weeding out a lot of the early wonky levels and starting fresh. And how long before they pull the plug on the servers on SMM1, or just lock them in as an archive?

Dang. I was hoping someone else had the same issue trying to get the bundle and found out exactly if/how to upgrade just getting the pre-loaded game only. The online service wasn't enticing enough for me for other titles, but I'm going to want it for this (still hoping they'll be less trigger-happy with the delete level button this time, though).

I guess I'll look into this weekend. Maybe if you select the whole bundle it will just know if you already paid for the game?

If they wanted to really go retro they could have a Donkey Kong game style.

@BacklogBlues

It might take up 0 space at first, but if it follows the first game and adds any additional tools or elements it'll take up a little bit then. Not to mention saving any levels you make or download.

Hmm, I wonder if you can add the bundle pricing onto the regular game purchase after the fact. I intended to do the bundle, but I didn't see any option for it, so I just did the $59.99 that was available.

And now the icon has joined my lineup, so along with Cuphead there's a lot of yellow going on there.

Looks like they’ve found a good way to make the coins matter. I wonder if they might have done the same with 1ups. 100 Mario challenge made them a little useful, but mostly there’s not much incentive to put them in levels as rewards. No mention of creating even old school 4 level “worlds”, which would also make them more valuable if you could run out before finishing.

Not as much reason for putting out Donkey Kong Jr at this point. I guess if it's free to subscribers that's about it. Otherwise you get a more authentic version with the Arcade Archives one. At least it translates a little better to a horizontal screen than DK does.

I guess we'll never get any version of Popeye, though. This was once an important title for Nintendo, so I'd have to guess they lost the rights to the characters since they haven't released a version since the original NES cart.

Oh well, I guess it’s in line with Sega’s own efforts to turn Sonic into a dude-bro teenager. And it’s nice that CG animation has reached the point where it might as well be someone in a fur suit.

Meanwhile, Disney continues their mission to to redo all their classic animated films as live action. Can’t wait to see live action Mickey Mouse creep us all out with his toned calves and knobby knees.

This is the main thing that bothers me about all the gaming hardware that uses built in rechargeable batteries. Not that any system is really intended to still be getting used 6 or 7 years later, and there are plenty of other parts that can wear out or fail, but the batteries are a real ticking clock, and the fact that every one of them are installed with no intention for the user to refresh them can feel a little like buying a fruit fly for a house pet.

I may have briefly looked at the AA-powered controller that came with the Xbox One like they went cheap, but I quickly came to appreciate that it at least won’t require a costly repair just to keep it going.

Sure seems like the online subscription is needed if they have a bundle that includes one. The question is, if we're paying for it now, will they leave our uploaded levels alone this time? I had at least half a dozen just dropped off the list for no good reason in the Wii U version, some less than a week after uploading. I know some of my levels would have been enjoyed eventually if they had given them a chance to be found in that haystack listing system.

I'm also not really interested in any new version of the Miiverse comments, though. Giving people the ability to clutter up my levels with comment boxes just so they could break out their best caveman-speak and proclaim "level bad" didn't really make my day. Oh yeah, Alley Oop? Well, "grammar bad", too. Thanks for sharing.

Still, happy to finally have an actual date. That "June" thing had me fearing a delay was on the way.

The only announcement I wish they'd get around to making at the moment is Mario Maker 2 as something a little less vague than "June 2019". Don't they almost always give the exact date at least a month ahead?

So, yeah... WHEN?

I like the sound of this more than the idea of bringing out a more powerful version so soon. I wasn't too happy with the concept of another "new 3DS" situation, where games might start to come out that wouldn't work on the older systems. But a compact "lite" model would be a good fit for the "play anywhere" portability. To be honest, I've never taken mine outside the house yet. But that's because I don't really go anywhere where I can stop and play it.

A simple one-piece Switch would be an even better portable, without detachable parts that could lead to more dust and grit getting into the works. It could make a good companion for the current model, but the one thing I'd like to see change is the limitation of having the games in only one system. Some kind of software mirroring would be useful, so if you have both under the same user you can have the same games on both units.

There are patch notes from the developers stating that the Xbox version has been similarly re-coded. And they say it will - "drastically shrink the game’s footprint on your Xbox hard drive". I haven't checked that, but I did notice while doing a quick check of the new content that there was a similar "stutter" at the start of one run. I've only seen it happen with the run & gun levels, though.

You can see what they say about it here:
news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/03/20/cuphead-free-content-update/

Now that's a nice extra that comes with the Switch version (and the update for the others)- Some of the unused boss assets have been added into the battles. They've been added in ways that don't change the way they played before, but they create some alternate paths if you trigger them the right way.

If you don't shoot at the onion boss, he doesn't start crying, and leaves happy. Then the radish that had turned up in the game's unused files pops up and adds a whole new level of challenge to the carrot boss. All the elements from Sally Stageplay that had also weren't used before have been put in, creating an alternate path that changes the whole narrative of the "play". I don't recall seeing any of the assets added to Djimmi the Great before, but they look like they make his final phase even trickier. And the area with dropping balls and tilting platforms with some kind of robot head rolling back and forth gets used too, which I'm happy to see because I'd wondered if that was going to be one of the new DLC bosses. So it takes that one out of the running and means the new bosses will be fresh creations.

I’m wondering how this will do in Japan now, if available there. It must have been limited as an Xbox only title in that region with the smaller user base. It seems like a style they’d like there, and challenging games tend to appeal as well.

I agree people should keep their "adult" content out of any public spaces like this, but you can't always say "grow up", because in many cases it's being done by the same age group we're trying to shield from it. To think that kids are all innocents we have to keep things clean for is to forget they already know about this stuff and find it endlessly funny even if they're too young to understand it all.

I won't mind at all if Mario Maker 2 skips the pop up doodles and comments. You give people the ability to do that and you get more crude sketches of butts and negative comments than you do worthwhile things.

Also, as far as the notorious difficulty goes, I finished the game and got enough “A” grades to earn the two-color filter, so it’s a difficulty that can be overcome pretty easily if you want to see it through.

As an example, after the first night trying to beat Cagney Carnation, I started to think I’d never get the hang of it or get past the first island. Before long, I pulled off a “Golly, a perfect score” ending to this same level. And I’m someone who still finds much of SMB 3 frustratingly hard. So, it’s the kind of hard that feels good to overcome, because it can be figured out.

The game I’d like to see Nintendo make in a similar style to Cuphead is a remake of their Popeye arcade game. The same gameplay, but with this level of capturing the Fleischer Popeye look. It’s a shame that they’ve almost completely abandoned this game, but I’ve long thought that they just don’t have the rights to the characters anymore. Not that I wouldn’t jump on a Mario game in this style, too, but being able to play a faithful Popeye cartoon would be a perfect fit. An expanded version with new levels, like Donkey Kong ‘94, too.

@BoFiS
The Xbox version is a fully user specified remapping. Put the controls wherever you want them. I would think the Switch version does the same, especially since you have different controller types to work with.

I don't currently see any comments from someone who has gotten the game running yet. Is it live yet? We're going to run out of April 18th soon enough, and I'd hate to get home just to be told I still can't access it yet. Tried a little after midnight last night and that was too soon, but this sure shouldn't be now.

It looks like a rare case where the physical copy will actually be the complete game. That's something that should be appreciated in this age where so many titles wind up with just a physical "starter" cart/disc, and the rest becomes a download anyway. Considering how many comments are nothing more than saying "I'll wait for the physical", you'll be rewarded for waiting this time.

Keep in mind, though, that it may be a long wait. Check the development history of the game and you'll see it's release saw plenty of delays while they painstakingly finished all the hand drawn animation. Yes, they did say "2019" for the dlc, but they also said "2015" for the original release at one time, before it wound up being the fall of 2017.

I had the same issue with the server last night. I came home at 11:30 after working my two jobs, thinking I could download the 3.0 while waiting to see if Cuphead would unlock after midnight, and got neither. I just shut down my Switch in defeat and now have to wait until 11:30 tonight to try again. Oh well...

Isn't about time they upgraded the release info to an actual date instead of just "June"? Those vague details leave too much room for unpleasant surprises. I seem to remember SMM had a date by two months ahead.

I can see how it might still be considered too complex to offer an actual world map editor, but how about at least a more intelligent system that leads you to more from the same creator of a level you just played? Or even a way for the creator to embed a link of some kind to the next level of a sequence? Instead of the highly randomized "you might like" scroll along the bottom in SMM.

It almost seems like something that might be less affected by the dominant hand issue, but as a guitar player and illustrator, I know I couldn’t pick up a left handed guitar or draw with the left, but I’ve also played plenty of Katamari Damacy, and your thumbs are basically doing the same thing there. And Joy Cons seem to feel like both hands can handle controllers that each have sticks and four buttons.

But for something that has such a familiar and long established layout that always places the same hand controls on things you’d think there might have been at least an attempt at offering a left handed controller option. They can start pumping out special edition colors and designs knowing people will buy additional controllers, but not a flipped one to maybe pull in some more sales from people who otherwise may not even bother with a console because they can’t get a feel for playing most games?

I've always wondered why it's never been a bigger issue that game controllers are so set with one orientation. Is it simply easier for left handed players to just learn to play with the same controllers? Controlling movement with the left hand and actions with the right pretty much feels natural, but is that just because we learned it that way?

I’m curious as to how, if one of the creators is up for it, does he envision the design carrying over. Is he picturing setting aside the authentic hand drawn 30s style and adapting to a 3D polygonal model? Sure, you can do the character in any style (many already have), but the accurate look of the 30s art style is a big part of game. It might just work better as an assist trophy, which would also solve the issue of having an overpowered move set, since the game would control where he’s firing his shots.

@meltendo
It's a good thing you were more patient than I was. I gave in last July because I believed them when they claimed "lifetime exclusive".

it's not a complete waste, though, since I kind of wanted Rare Replay as well, but I wouldn't have bought the console just for that.