Comments 3,569

Re: Mario Kart World's Rewind Feature Is Being Used To Set Crazy Time Trial Lap Records

Ogbert

@Michael0916 only if they wanted to not mess up record lap times. But others have said they dont actually record that in this one anyway which might be because of this, in which case probably not.

Sure it would be easy though to add a check when crossing the line to see if you're in rewind mode and if so, not count the lap. But maybe that brings up more issues elsewhere, these things are rarely as simple as they seem.

Re: As Switch 2 Breaks Records Worldwide, Sony Reminds Us That PS5 Still Exists

Ogbert

@Friendly It’s taken a while but Xbox are also outputting some interesting stuff too. South of Midnight is a little rough around some edges, but it’s trying new things and I’m really enjoying it for that. That’s the sort of game I used to go to PlayStation for, the Puppeteers, Loco Rocos and Concrete Genies. They weren’t about raking in that Fortnite/Marvel Rivals money they were fun creative experiences that enriched the catalog and offered something unique. Sony has thrown all that out chasing GaaS, literally closing the studios whilst putting 400million into one failed GaaS alone! Who knows how much they’ve wasted overall and how many great, interesting games we could have gotten for that money? The new Prince of Persia was reportedly 50million so we could have had at least 8 of them instead of Concord for a week. And that’s also 8 chances to spawn a big new successful brand like Uncharted or Little igPlanet on the PS3 did.

And then it tries to act like it’s because we want it? We all know who really wants it.

Re: As Switch 2 Breaks Records Worldwide, Sony Reminds Us That PS5 Still Exists

Ogbert

Yeah, yeah Sony that’s a lot of corporate speak to impress money folk. Whatever.

Look I have a PS5 and I really enjoyed it back when it launched. Since then though the first party games have mostly dried up and all I’m getting is sprinklings of Astro Bot levels here and there because you blew everything on GaaS games out of pure greed.

I can’t believe I’m saying it, but Dualsense aside, I’m actually more impressed by Xbox than PlayStation for the first time ever. Nintendo is still top, but Xbox are doing a lot of things right and PlayStation are forgetting who their console is even for: gamers, not investors.

Re: Mario Kart World's Rewind Feature Is Being Used To Set Crazy Time Trial Lap Records

Ogbert

Interesting exploit!

That streamer is so annoying though saying “I can’t believe the game came out this broken, it’s sooo broken”. It’s not broken at all there was a really fiddly exploit that wasn’t found, or was but was left in, that’s very different. Speed runners find this stuff in games all the time, they’re not broken games.

I’m sure it’ll be patched out now though.

Re: Poll: So, What's Your Favourite Course In Mario Kart World?

Ogbert

@burchdude65 I have since discovered the VS mode thanks But it would be nice to also have some more options to play them online and such, or use them to build a custom grand prix maybe. Feels like every race I do online is driving from one track to a different one and barely engaging in them when I get there.

Time trials are a different thing and dont really scratch the same itch for me, but good to know all the same thanks

Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Mario Kart World

Ogbert

I think I'd just like to see a few additions and this would be a solid 9/10 for me, maybe even 10/10.

  • I need to be able to join an online game my friends are playing. Just jump in if there's a space or the option to wait until there is one. Not the 4 person friend room setup thing. Or if it's there already, I need to be able to find it easier.
  • Online play needs a few options, like being able to exclude the connecting tracks. A few pre-set modes would be fine.
  • Let me construct my own Grand Prix and challenge my friends!
  • In the open world, I'd love to drive into a track area and be able to start a race. I don't expect it to be instantaneous, but maybe pull up to a counter or onto a pad for a couple seconds and the race begins.
  • The costumes need more balance. It's criminal DK only has one!! Not even his new Dungarees mining look? And all the characters with none deserve at least one. It's disappointing they don't have any.
  • The Costumes NEED to be a sub-menu in the UI. Let me navigate to Mario and tap the left and right bumpers or select him and then open a sub-menu with his costumes.
  • A way to track P-Switches and Peach coins per area would be great. It's weird I can only see ? Panels.
  • A Splatoon 3 style online profile where I can use those lovely stickers I keep unlocking.

I am really enjoying it though. It's definitely different to wht you might expect from MK and that's no bad thing really. Also it looks stunning and runs super smoothly!

Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Mario Kart World

Ogbert

@Anachronism Not having enough laps of the new courses was an issue for me too, but you can actually do it is you go into 'VS' mode and select the tracks. It's not a perfect solution, you're still limited but it'll let you get to grips with the tracks better.

Re: Poll: So, What's Your Favourite Course In Mario Kart World?

Ogbert

Honestly I find it hard to pick because of the driving between course muddles then so much. Like Wario Galleon is awesome but it starts in an ice-cream themed land and that's like a third of the track, then some generic road and then one lap of the really cool galleon. Or Mario Circuit takes me almost through Moo Moo Meadows to get there and it takes away from the track itself I think.

I really want a mode where I can just do the circuit at the end for a few laps, most seem designed to be able to do laps on them anyway. I kind of thought there would be a mode like that outside the grand prix and knockout tournament. But there isn't sadly.

For that reason I voted Acorn Heights, I like the theme and the course and I get to spend 3 whole laps in it. I want to love Boo Cinema and Wario's Galleon but they're both watered down by over half the track being not that theme.

Rainbow Road is suitably epic this time around and DK Spaceport felt like it gave me enough time on the track to enjoy it so they got my next two votes.

Re: Xbox Officially Enters The Handheld Space, But Nintendo Won't Be Worried

Ogbert

@sixrings Again,I'm not saying they should say they should talk about all their bad stuff in the past. I just don't like the revisionist way they presented themselves. It's a tactic a lot of politicians have used recently (all sides) and it's not good, it's not healthy and it's designed to create divides and allegiances. Console wars are dead and we're better for it, just healthy competition and innovation going forward.

You don't have to rewrite the past, you just don't have to mention it. Especially if you're just trying to sell a games console. Just show us why it's cool.

Re: Xbox Officially Enters The Handheld Space, But Nintendo Won't Be Worried

Ogbert

@sixrings yeah I'm not denying any of that. I'm saying the thing I didn't like was the twisting of history. Xbox has done a lot of good and pioneering stuff and as I said, they actually deserve more credit for some of it. And equally Sony and Nintendo are guilty of bad consumer practices and could learn a thing from certain areas of Xbox. I said all this quite clearly, this isn't a fanboy "boo-hiss Xbox, woo-yay Nintendo" post.

What I don't like is they are painting themselves as being this company that has always fought for all of us, in spite of the other two. And that's not true and it's manipulative and insidious to try and rewrite history like that. Fact is, there were a lot of bad things they spearheaded, some are gone now like the Xbox currency and some have been widely adopted like paid online. But that others now do it is moot, they started it, they pushed it. They are not our friends fighting for gamer rights they are a huge company that just happened to, overtime, find a way to be profitable and more consumer friendly in areas that the competition.

Big yourself up and sell your product of course, but don't lie about your past just don't mention it. That would be like Nintendo saying "we have always strived for the best graphics for you guys" to advertise Switch 2's power and screen, it'd be a gross lie and unecessary at that.

Re: Xbox Officially Enters The Handheld Space, But Nintendo Won't Be Worried

Ogbert

It's cool, I'm glad it's there for those who want it. Gotta say the way Xbox sold it in their presentation left a little bit of a sour taste.

Using "Silksong day one" felt a little manipulative. I mean yeah it's true but it'll be on other platforms too. But more it was the whole "at Xbox we do everything for you and your consumer rights and always have" vibe. Partially because it felt like an unnecessary dig at the competition, who do all have issues in those areas I wont pretend otherwise. But mostly... it's not true. Xbox were the first console to put online multiplayer behind a paywall, and whilst they shill Gamepass like the best thing since sliced bread they still charge a second subscription for online on top of it.

They also started by making players buy Xbox credit to buy things in their store and the rates were all deliberately awkward numbers. Like you could only buy say 500 at a time but everything cost either 450 or 600. It was very anti-consumer, designed so you could never spend the full amount of credits you'd bought.

There was all the ads they used to splash all over the Xbox home screen too. That was not consumer friendly and very much capital driven.

And then lets not forget the way they tried to monopolise the industry. We all saw the leaked emails about forcing everyone to bend to them. Thankfully they realised multi-plat means more money, but still the intent was there.

Obviously I'm not expecting them to say they did all that stuff, that would be silly. And honestly...they are better now and they really have championed accessibility and preservation which they actually deserve more credit for. There are things I do think Nintendo and Sony could learn from them. But it felt a little trying to re-write history making them look like the glorious underdog fighting for us the entire time, and that felt just a tad insidious to me.

Re: Review In Progress: Mario Kart World (Switch 2) - The Perfect Introduction To A New Console Generation?

Ogbert

I've only done offline grand prix and open world exploration so far but these are my thoughts:

Pros:

  • It looks amazing and the world feels alive! Truly a next gen Mario Kart in that sense.
  • Still in love with DK's new design.
  • Returning courses have been worked in well, both feeling nostalgic and fresh at the same time.
  • All the new characters are wonderful. I didn't know I wanted Para Biddybud in the roster, but it turns out I did!
  • Some really stunning new courses! I found myself doing a a few "wow"s under my breath a few times.
  • Love the challenges hidden around the open world, feels like a return of DS's challenges.
  • Tweaks to controls are great.

Cons:

  • Disappointing to see all the weird new characters dont have at least 1 alternate skin. Feels a real wasted opportunity and makes them feel more throw-away.
  • Some connecting tracks don't feel as exciting and memorable?

Excited to try multiplayer with friends tonight and some of the other modes.

Re: Feature: "It Was Always About Surviving Together" - Why Konami Chose This Forgotten IP For Switch 2's Launch

Ogbert

I don’t know the original but this definitely gave Overcooked vibes but with a more generic art style. I feel like I can see the artists wanting to push things here and being made to tone it back and keep it safe, which is a shame. A bolder, more unique style would have made it stand out.

I do appreciate the making it more accessible, but it seems odd to take an apparently punishing RPG series and make it a “you can’t fail, co-op chaos game”. I mean, it’s called ‘survival’ which implies if you fail you die, you didn’t survive. Sounds like here survival is just the default state and it’s more about trying to thrive than survive.

It’s a cool premise for a game it just feels like it could have been it’s own, new thing rather than taking an old, obscure IP and making it something that sounds counter to it’s original?

Re: A New 3D Metroidvania Has Been Confirmed For Switch 2

Ogbert

@HalBailman I remember having a discussion a while ago about what to call the genre without any reference to existing games that people might not have even played.

‘Exploration game’ was the best I could think of, as the core of the game is about exploring and unlocking new areas. But that does have a fuzzy line with adventure games, and Nintendo actually referred to Metroid Prime not as a first-person-shooter but a first-person-adventure, as the focus of the game isn’t really the shooting. I would argue it’s also not the “adventure” but then we do explore the world to uncover the plot which is undeniably an adventure….it’s a messy distinction.

It also gets more difficult when you think of ‘walking sims’ which are truly just exploring a path or area and often little else. But it would be odd to lump them and metroidvanias together because they don’t have as much gameplay. So then it’s like…a ‘backtrack game’? That sounds awful! But it is a core feature. An ‘unlock game’ because you unlock new areas? That’s not super distinct either.

I guess we could split ‘adventure’ into ‘action adventure’ and ‘exploration adventure’ as those are two types of adventure games with different cores….but is that trying to tell me action-adventure game BotW doesn’t encourage exploration and exploration-adventure Metroid doesn’t have action? Because that wouldn’t be true at all!

So ultimately it came down too a “well either way you gotta learn what the genre name means, might as well keep Metroidvania”. But you’re right about the portmanteau being off, maybe “Metroinia”?

Re: A New 3D Metroidvania Has Been Confirmed For Switch 2

Ogbert

@MegaVel91 ha! Well they can keep doing it they want. But if there’s one sure fire way to make me think your game is in-original and half-baked it’s to have an in-original and half-baked protagonist!

It’s like if every platformer featured a man with a moustache, hat and overalls.

Re: Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic Is The Latest Studio Hit By Layoffs

Ogbert

@The_Nintend_Pedant redundant and redundancy is the term used in the UK, and it refers to the role rather than the individual. But we're quite lazy with our own language and usually skip the bit about it referring to the role and just say "I've been made redundant" or "EA made 400 people redundant". It's not meant as an insult on the individuals, if anything it's more a damning statement on the employer's uncaring view of it's employees. There is often an implied air quotes on the word.

But either way this is all mismanagement and pure corporate greed. The EA example, their CEO takes home $25million a year. He could have reduced that to $10million, kept every single one of those jobs and still been one of the richest people in the industry.

Re: Opinion: Upgraded For Switch 2, ARMS Deserves A Second Shot At Greatness

Ogbert

The slow roll out of content was detrimental to Arms at launch I think. In principal it’s a great idea to keep it going but the end content should have been the start content. I would love to see an Arms 2 with more fighters and modes but I think if you slept on Arms1 before now would be a good time to jump in as you’ll have all that extra content straight away (well you gotta beat the characters to unlock them but y’know)

Re: Randy Pitchford Defends Borderlands 4 Pricing Comment

Ogbert

So many games saying budgets are ballooning but where is that money going? Wages have stagnated and AI is being used to replace creatives. The games aren’t getting that much bigger and most environments in huge open worlds are largely procedural and the content is mostly additional side quest bloat. If it’s software licences there’s plenty of free software that can be switched too. If it’s developing internal tools that’s a sunken cost and not part of the game dev cost to be passed on. If it’s office space we’ve proved we can largely work from home.

Seems to me if the C-suites and shareholders were not taking 7-8 figure salaries plus bonuses and shares etc, maybe a huge chunk of cost could be gained back there?

Re: Feature: Universal Won't Say Anything About A Zelda Theme Park, But They Don't Have To

Ogbert

@gcunit I haven’t been to that many theme parks, as opposed to general amusement parks, but I was lucky enough to visit a Tokyo Disney whilst in Japan a few years back and the difference could not be more night and day.

I wouldn’t go anyway further than Europe specifically for a theme park visit, but if you are in Japan anyway and enjoy the theme-ness of a theme park I can’t recommend it enough. If I ever get to go back, Disney Sea and Nintendo Land will be on my priority list!

If rides are more your thing then the UK amusement parks get the job done, but for me rides are secondary. I like to feel immersed in the theme of the park and the UK ones just don’t put the effort in there. I’d rather not have it at all than have the half-hearted disappointment.

Re: Feature: Universal Won't Say Anything About A Zelda Theme Park, But They Don't Have To

Ogbert

@AJWolfTill in the UK they'll probably team up with Merlin which will mean you'll see behind the scenes everywhere, the older rides will become faded and dusty and there will be non-themed (and often broken) fairground machines in random gaps which all cost extra.

At least that's what happened to Legoland. Seriously the bricks on the castle ride are so faded and covered in actual cobwebs and dust and the fast track lane is through a ware-house style entrance and up what appears to be a fire escape, not themed at all. There was also just whole rides that had fallen apart on display just taped off and a building site next to the Duplo area last time I went. You could tell they didn't care as long as people still funnelled in.

Nah, I'd rather it go to Europe and be a short plane/ferry ride.