Comments 793

Re: Talking Point: Five Key Areas Nintendo Must Get Right at E3 2017

MarioPhD

@VoodooTrumpet I forgot about all the buzz in the past about Dark Souls coming to the platform. I'd be beyond stoked for any of those titles, let alone a full-on trilogy! My PC was never beefy enough to handle the (from what I heard) sloppy PC ports, and I've only ever gotten Nintendo consoles, so that'd be lovely!

Re: Poll: Are You Excited About Nintendo at E3 2017?

MarioPhD

I'm not sure. I'm keeping my expectations low. I think we should all have learned something from the Pokemon Direct that has proven true for several E3s in a row for Nintendo: don't expect any massive reveals, and at a bare minimum, you won't be disappointed. I bought all that stupid Stars hype heading into the Direct, and boy do I feel silly now.

My plan and advice: Don't believe the leaks and hype, expect to learn nothing more than new details about previously released games, and enjoy the surprises we get for what they are..... assuming they're actually good surprises, anyway! Last thing we need is more Federation Force-esque reveals to make everyone bitter.

Re: Microïds Confirms Six Games for the Nintendo Switch

MarioPhD

Nothing wrong with more games on the platform! At the right price I can be persuaded into wanting to get in on a lot of these! I'm intrigued enough by the Siberia games, and I'm glad they're not just bringing the third one, since I have no clue what they're about, and starting with 3 seems like a bad plan!

Re: Poll: What Did You Think of the Pokémon Direct and Its Big Reveals?

MarioPhD

Unless they want Pokken to be forgotten twice, I think for many the worst part about this reveal is you can expect that it'll be a ways until we see anything Smash related on Switch. So, anyone expecting a Smash Deluxe on Switch anytime soon may be disappointed come E3. I'd rather they made a new Smash anyway, but I'm seeing this as a sign that there's no way Smash 4 Switch will appear in any meaningful capacity this year. It's not impossible, but boy would it be stupid to show Pokken this year, have a live event, try to promote it, all while knowing it'll immediately be crushed by a Smash announcement at the very same E3. Nintendo makes odd choices sometimes, but that would be impressively stupid.... which may mean it's more likely than I think. Haha.

Re: Press Release Suggests E3 Nintendo Spotlight Will be About 30 Minutes

MarioPhD

I think 2017 is already pretty stacked from a game lineup perspective. Sure, they could use that 30 minutes to do nothing but announce new games coming next year to maintain hype while using the show from the floor to provide details about what we already know..... but I suspect not.

Expect new trailers and/or release dates for Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2, probably the Zelda DLC (maybe release the first major update pack will hit during/right after the show?), Fire Emblem Warriors, Splatoon 2, and maybe a new tease or two at most.

They have major titles slated for release in June (ARMS), July (Splatoon 2), September (Pokken Tournament DX), and August, October, November, and maybe December TBA for a major release to hit every month to close out the year, which I assume is their goal. So the biggest thrill of E3 will likely be seeing where things fall (for better or worse.... I'd say worse).

My guess (assuming all hold true with no delays)?

August: Fire Emblem Warriors
October: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
November: Mario Odyssey
December: Zelda DLC 2

I sure do hope they give us some things to be excited about in 2018, but I'm not going to bother getting my hopes up.

Re: Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Confirmed for 17th November Release on 3DS

MarioPhD

@Yorumi It doesn't affect the gameplay, but it does break the immersion, and by extension my investment, pretty regularly.

Regarding the image for Ultra Moon and Ultra Sun on Switch, I find it interesting that nobody circulating it provides a link to the page it's supposed to be on. If it ever was really on an official page of theirs, I have to assume it's an error.

Re: Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Confirmed for 17th November Release on 3DS

MarioPhD

@Yorumi As a New 3DS owner I'm still really annoyed that it seems like they made pretty limited optimizations for the upgraded hardware. There are definitely a handful of moments where the framerate is slightly better, but I also definitely still saw a lot of slowdown, which was a massive bummer. I understood not updating X & Y for the New 3DS, and I could understand the ORAS re-releases being in the same boat, but for an entirely new generation? Come on, guys. People keep saying they're pushing the 3DS to its limits these, and I can imagine that it is for the base model, but the lack of optimization for the New 3DS has always bothered me quite a bit. Seeing them release yet another game for the 3DS only rekindles that pet peeve of mine.

Re: Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Confirmed for 17th November Release on 3DS

MarioPhD

I mean, I know a bonafide cynic could say it's true of everything in the world of Nintendo, but boy was this Direct pretty much nothing but "Hey, remember that thing we released before? Well, here it is again, but slightly different! That'll be full price again, please!" I know it was just an 8-minute video pre-E3, but man, I was hoping for SOMETHING new. I would have been happy with just something like Detective Pikachu getting localized, some Pokemon Go updates..... Or even announcing another (probably mediocre-at-best) mobile game in the works. Anything new, really. Instead, slightly better versions of things we already have; a pretty big disappointment for me, overall.

This Direct did, however, serve as a nice reminder in this time of gaming hype that I need to set my sights very low for Nintendo next week. Things have been so good for them recently, and I've been accustomed to reading positive Nintendo news instead of perpetual negativity, that I forgot just how little Nintendo has done for several years now to impress at E3. I need to go in expecting nothing but announcements of "Deluxe" versions of Wii U titles and discussions of already-announced games like Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Xenoblade 2, to avoid being disappointed again.

Re: FIFA 18 Gets Reveal Trailer That Suggests Missing Features for Nintendo Switch

MarioPhD

Also, I feel obligated to say that I loathe when EA pulls these sorts of moves, as I'm confident they're going to learn the wrong lesson either way by releasing this version of the game. If only they put in the full effort, and let the market decide if they actually want this game so they're not making decisions based on a weak and/or poorly funded effort.

I suspect this hamstrung FIFA leads to one of two different scenarios:

1.) If it's a sales failure, they'll refuse to release another title on the Switch, citing poor sales of their empirically-inferior-yet-same-priced version of FIFA.

2.) If it's a sales success, they'll see that they can release a hamstrung version of FIFA on the Switch and it'll still exceed expectations, so why invest more than absolutely necessary going forward? Hello, annual Legacy Editions!

I sure would love to be proven wrong. EA has not seen a cent out of me for a good 4+ years (Madden 13 at the Wii U launch was the last money they got from me). A fully-featured version of Madden and/or FIFA could have easily gotten my money this year, but it looks like neither will happen. Oh well.

Re: FIFA 18 Gets Reveal Trailer That Suggests Missing Features for Nintendo Switch

MarioPhD

That's disappointing. Not in any way surprising, but disappointing. I'm glad it won't have some weird lesser-than name to it, but do wish it wouldn't have a lesser-than feature set. If it hadn't been for the oddly specific details in the fine print I'd think Nintendo wanted to force them to mention the special edition coming to Switch at E3 to get a bigger spotlight on it, but alas.

I sure do hope it's at least technologically-competent, has all the same modes beyond the omissions noted here, or includes at least SOME Nintendo-specific content. I mean, I know it probably won't check any of those three fairly meager boxes, but when it doesn't I hope EA isn't shocked when it's a sales disappointment given it appears to be an objectively worse version of the game.

Re: Poll: Did the ARMS Global Testpunch Land a Knockout Blow?

MarioPhD

I played a good bit of the demo weekends, and I liked it, but I didn't love it. I may grab this one later, after the reviews and a clear indication of what the new content release schedule looks like, and how substantial it is. Their big mistake, in my eyes, is putting this out a month before Splatoon 2. I just can't justify another retail priced, multiplayer-focused game a shade over a month before Splatoon, which I have pre-ordered. I think dropping Splatoon in August or September would have increased the odds of a purchase for me, but alas. I don't have room in my life for that many multiplayer games. I do hope others do, however, since it'd be a shame for this title to fail. I want Nintendo to keep taking risks and making new IPs.

Re: Preview: Trading Blows With ARMS on Nintendo Switch

MarioPhD

"Fighting games in general have issues with longevity, and while we’re enjoying what we’re playing, only time will tell if we’ll be singing the same tune in a week’s time."

I assume this was some sort of typo; is there a real threat that in one week from now you'll no longer be enjoying the game? Before it even releases? It seems like saying "in a month's time" or "in a year's time" would make a lot more sense, no?

Re: Sonic Mania Release Date and Pricing Confirmed With Awesome Trailer

MarioPhD

@Menchi187 Yeah, I'm about 90% sure I'll be cancelling mine. I feared that the game itself would be $30-40 so I would essentially just be paying about $15-20 more for all the added stuff. I got mine reserved via Walmart for only like $58 when the pricing wasn't official yet, but I don't think the extras are even worth the mere $38 more I'd be paying (to me, anyway), let alone anyone going for the full $70 it costs now. If the game only came on a cart in the special edition, it'd be one thing, but nope. Glad the game is priced right, but man, the value proposition for the special edition just plummeted.

Re: NBA Playgrounds Developer Promises a 'Huge Announcement' on 1st June

MarioPhD

@1wiierdguy I feel like offering the option (without charge to the developer) for Amiibo support would be the ultimate way to do that. Then, Nintendo gets paid for it via Amiibo sales, Indies get to offer unique content on Nintendo platforms that will draw more players in (heck, if be more interested in this title if I could add in Nintendo characters and play as/against them!), and Amiibo owners get to use them more. I see it as wins across the board, honestly.

Re: Feature: Nintendo Life eShop Selects - May 2017

MarioPhD

@RedMageLanakyn Tumbleseed is the same price elsewhere and this is the only handheld version, if I'm not mistaken. Plus Minecraft seems to be at top handheld form on Switch as well. I'd call those great reasons to own both. It's easy to dismiss since you don't have a Switch, but getting a home console and fully portable version of essentially all Switch titles makes buying them elsewhere much harder to justify in my eyes, even with the minor pricing and delay shenanigans we're seeing pop up.

Re: Chromophore: The Two Brothers Is Still in the Works

MarioPhD

I'm still very interested. Extra Credits listed them in a Games You May Not Have Tried and/or James Recommends video a long while back and once it was announced for Wii U I held off. Still holding off, still very interested! I like the aesthetics and even if it gets middling reviews I'm still down for a title that plays with mechanics and aesthetics in interesting ways, even if it's not completely successful. Thrilled it's not dead!

Re: Talking Point: ARMS Has Plenty to Prove In Its Nintendo Direct

MarioPhD

@crackafreeze Honestly, I think a solid new IP has a better chance than a new Punch-Out these days. Aside of older players with nostalgia for the NES I don't see the IP having massive draw and getting people especially interested. I wouldn't be stunned if this started life as a new Punch-Out title, but I think this will ultimately be more successful as a new series regardless.

Re: Talking Point: ARMS Has Plenty to Prove In Its Nintendo Direct

MarioPhD

@19Robb92 A solid demo would be instrumental to me considering this game upon release. If they could launch a simple demo post-Direct today I think it'd be a huge hit and a great idea. I doubt it'll happen, but I definitely need either a demo or universal critical acclaim for me to consider this one.

Re: Embrace the Giddy Madness of Disgaea 5 Complete With the Demo and Overview Trailer

MarioPhD

I have it pre-ordered! I only ever played the PSP port of the original and I recall liking it. The demo will be a nice way to see if this really is going to work for me, or if my funds will be better allocated to ARMs or something else. It's just nice to see a demo get released for once! I feel like just about the only other games with demos are Snipperclips and Just Dance.

Re: Sega Is Looking To Revive Some Of Its Past Classics

MarioPhD

Updated versions of Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia on new systems, and an entirely new Jet Grind Radio would be wonderful. A modern port of Skies of Arcadia (or the GameCube game as a Virtual Console title) would make entirely too much sense.... And as such, seems likely it'll never happen.

Re: New Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Rewards Appear on My Nintendo in North America

MarioPhD

I have 412 gold points, and based on what I've seen, nothing to spend them on for the foreseeable future. Mine start expiring in October, and I'll be stunned if there's anything worth spending them on between now and then. Ugh. At this point, my dream scenario would be them letting me redeem some/any/all of my Gold points to cover/discount the forthcoming paid Nintendo online service. I know, it'll never happen, but I'd settle for.... Well.... Just about anything even remotely decent at this point!

Re: Feature: Ten Wii U Games That Would Find a Loving Home on Nintendo Switch

MarioPhD

@Anguspuss I bought the Wii U on day one, loved it, and still do. But I'm not so blind and stupid as to think it wasn't a massive sales failure. Wishing for amazing games to be doomed to obscurity because of.... pride? Or whatever it is that makes people have such stupid thoughts? That's insane. I'd love to see the best of the Wii U brought over to the Switch. If nothing else, I firmly believe that the portability of the system alone justifies many of these ports. Aside of extremely niche and weird PC setups, you're not playing Bayonetta on a handheld anytime soon; but being able to do so on the Switch would be amazing.

Re: Feature: Ten Wii U Games That Would Find a Loving Home on Nintendo Switch

MarioPhD

I'd love to see a full-on DKC collection, as the low prices of Tropical Freeze and Returns these days would make it hard to justify spending full price on either of them or ports of them. Bundle all of them and maybe do a Rare Replay, but of all the DKC games, and I'm all in! I expect Smash 4 Switch and Mario Maker at some point as well. I'd love a Bayonetta collection as well, or at least Bayonetta 2.

And for everyone who was or will be whining about ports (since it happens on every article like this): the Wii U was a massive failure. Consider that Sony ported games from their 70+ million selling PS3 to the PS4 and justified it as making great games available to players who were 360 or Wii only the previous generation. They sold almost 6 million units of The Last of Us, and still got almost an ADDITIONAL 5.5 million on the PS4. Great games deserve the widest possible audience.

Considering the colossal failure of the Wii U, the rationale for Nintendo doing the same is infinitely stronger, and I think for the great games that never got the love they deserved, it makes sense. New games are coming to the Switch, and we know that, but why not enjoy seeing games that we loved on the Wii U get the attention and love they deserve as well? It doesn't have to be an either/or thing. We CAN have both, and from the looks of things, we will.