Zealous fans from Pokemon - of all franchises - calling parts of Palworld's design lazy and corner-cutting is laughably tone-deaf; it's like the rest of us are all in on a joke that they don't get.
Honestly not enjoying it much at all having just spent the last couple hours picking at F-Zero 99. The format is just predictably messy; not varied enough to hold my attention, and the outcomes are almost always decided by the time you leave the entry point into the track itself. Makes the 'chaos' of the crowd feel predictable and nonswaying, like tedious freeway traffic.
I'll just sit here and keep sourly spitting venom over the closure of Mario 35
I know this is a nuclear-hot take, but I've honestly found WayForward's discography and releases dreadfully samey and boring for probably the last 4-5 years. Happy for those looking forward to this localization! Easy pass for me though - I got my fill of the game from that one Halloween Jontron video years ago.
Edit: I might be miscounting my years I'm referring to; Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Mighty Switch Force were the last games from WF I was really satisfied with.
I think the problem a lot of folks have with BotW is that they always felt a Zelda game was almost exclusively defined by its dungeons and the variety of locales they sit in; but over the years it feels like a new section of the audience just like the Link/Zelda/Ganon designs, storylines and overworlds more.
Neither's right or wrong, it's just been two ways I've noticed Zelda fans gravitate to their favourite games in the series.
For those who feel dungeons and their design are the singular-most important part of a Zelda game, one could only be disappointed by BotW's approach, even if they did end up liking the game overall.
Kind of a limpwristed list - try saying that five times fast!
Why is the #1 spot shared by two controllers that are great and ergonomic in very different ways? Kind of deflates all the fun of the list when you can't take a stance on what many consider to be the two frontrunner Nintendo controllers.
The placement of the NES dogbone I guess is also fair when the author says nobody on the team's used it, but how does it claim #10 when #2 is the SNES controller?
I know many have a soft-spot for the Wii due to experiences and age and stuff, but really - we're putting the wiimote and nunchuk at #3? C'mon guys. In your heart of hearts, all rose tinting aside? C'moooon...
edit: Not even a nunchuk included, just a lone wii remote for #3??
@mecklejay Even as someone who's never played these games before, I thought the interpretation of this being a war map in the meeting room to plot out strategies was a pretty obvious design choice. I guess we were mistaken...?
NL could've taken some care to not spoil the point in the headline, but I get the hustle of farming clicks in the same way the English Pokemon's Twitter account was.
Why did the official Twitter spoil it too though? Are they self-aware and know a majority of the longtime fans watch fansubs? My bet is more corporate; I think the spoiler is getting out there early to illustrate their intention to replace Ash as the protag. Sorta like how all the Marvel actors like Chris Evans and RDJ announced ahead of time that Endgame was the last movie in their contract and they weren't planning to renew.
The definition of a 7 or 7.5 game, but in the context of Sonic games among themselves, this is arguably the best product Sonic Team has put out since generations, and for some who miss the Adventure-era specifically, probably even surpasses it.
This game takes a lot of shifts and risks with the gameplay, the variety, the story... it really does feel like the team was trying to reach back in time, look back at the old Dreamcast/Gamecube works and see if they can use this game as a practice run before attempting a proper continuation. On top of that, it certainly delivers on a lot of jank anyone should come to expect from Sonic, but in the conceptual sense I think the formula for "how to make Sonic open-world" was basically nailed here.
Sonic Team's #1 enemy has always been themselves and their insistence on not sticking to one Sonic formula for their 3D entries, so every game for the longest time has felt like a sloppy "first-time" entry. I hope this is the start of them trying to iterate and polish things up!
While some of these critiques are totally fair and justified, I really think among Sonic fans, this review may go down in history similarly to IGN's Unleashed review. I just can't take this too seriously when there's two paragraphs about Frontier's looking muddy while NL bend over backwards to sugarcoat the graininess of Sword/Shield, Legends Arceus, DOOM, Wolfenstein...
Obligatory "already hated Sonic" review, Sonic fans can just throw it in the pile; if anything, I think this review is a great illustration that this isn't converting anyone into a Sonic fan, which is a pretty worthy perspective to share I think. That score though, pfffft...!
@Ryu_Niiyama heyo, fully agreed, and by extension giving any professional a "pass" is unfair - it's an opportunity to reflect and improve and I would like to think a professional culture should be encouraging of that.
@Ryu_Niiyama Exactly - this person is employed AT the unnamed contractor agency. Their employer handed them a contract with Nintendo. It's like how most office buildings don't hire janitors and facilities staff directly, they hire contracted workers from a janitorial firm.
This exact topic is where NintendoLife needs to improve imo. They're misrepresenting these accounts repeatedly - purposefully or not, I have no idea - every single time they revisit it.
@NintenLifeHypocrisy All you have to do is read the ongoing articles about NoA's contractor allegations to see the deep UK-flavoured bubble the "hotter" topics and beats are filtered through.
I think "our guys" on the internet do a much better job of preserving gaming as we know it: YouTubers like Hard4Games, the Gaming Historian and others, as well as community efforts like ROM repositories (love them or hate them, they do that job for us), game enthusiast companies selling aftermarket ROM dump tools, and wikis like The Cutting Room Floor that chronicle and organize deep looks into verified aspects of beta/prototype assets found.
We don't need acronym organizations and suits looming over what we the community have always done a fantastic job of doing. You're letting the fox into the henhouse by doing so, as far as I'm concerned.
With the only two genuine pieces of concern I have being the fate of Sonic 3's soundtrack and just the weird little fiasco with the pre-order chart, this is looking like a cool collection! This seems less like an anthology and almost like these games were given a chance to be re-imagined in ways to match up with the "new 2D" identity Mania has established. Looking forward to it!
Yeah I respect Ollie for defending his position - especially for the sake of a review informing a buying decision, I think this is probably the responsible conclusion to come to. As a wink and a nod to the classic horror fans though, I can see this review definitely reading as a bit r/whoosh-y.
I played the game on PC already - if you can still stomach 90's era PC and PS1 horror to this day, this is 100% faithful and authentic to it - scuffs and all!
Comments 26
Re: Inti Creates' New Project Is A Pixel Art Adventure Inspired By Zelda And '90s Anime
If what I'm being sold is a Zelda-like and basically a long-lost Magic Knight Rayearth game, then this is an easy day-one for me.
Re: Pokémon Fans Set Their Sights On Palworld's Monster Designs
Zealous fans from Pokemon - of all franchises - calling parts of Palworld's design lazy and corner-cutting is laughably tone-deaf; it's like the rest of us are all in on a joke that they don't get.
Re: F-ZERO 99 Turns The Classic Racer Into A 99-Player Battle Royale, On NSO Today
Honestly not enjoying it much at all having just spent the last couple hours picking at F-Zero 99. The format is just predictably messy; not varied enough to hold my attention, and the outcomes are almost always decided by the time you leave the entry point into the track itself. Makes the 'chaos' of the crowd feel predictable and nonswaying, like tedious freeway traffic.
I'll just sit here and keep sourly spitting venom over the closure of Mario 35
Re: Super Famicom Horror Classic Clock Tower Is Officially Coming To The West
I know this is a nuclear-hot take, but I've honestly found WayForward's discography and releases dreadfully samey and boring for probably the last 4-5 years. Happy for those looking forward to this localization! Easy pass for me though - I got my fill of the game from that one Halloween Jontron video years ago.
Edit: I might be miscounting my years I'm referring to; Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Mighty Switch Force were the last games from WF I was really satisfied with.
Re: Talking Point: What Is A 'Traditional' Zelda Game, Anyway?
I think the problem a lot of folks have with BotW is that they always felt a Zelda game was almost exclusively defined by its dungeons and the variety of locales they sit in; but over the years it feels like a new section of the audience just like the Link/Zelda/Ganon designs, storylines and overworlds more.
Neither's right or wrong, it's just been two ways I've noticed Zelda fans gravitate to their favourite games in the series.
For those who feel dungeons and their design are the singular-most important part of a Zelda game, one could only be disappointed by BotW's approach, even if they did end up liking the game overall.
Re: Talking Point: Which Is Your Favourite Nintendo Controller? Every Nintendo Pad Ranked
Kind of a limpwristed list - try saying that five times fast!
Why is the #1 spot shared by two controllers that are great and ergonomic in very different ways? Kind of deflates all the fun of the list when you can't take a stance on what many consider to be the two frontrunner Nintendo controllers.
The placement of the NES dogbone I guess is also fair when the author says nobody on the team's used it, but how does it claim #10 when #2 is the SNES controller?
I know many have a soft-spot for the Wii due to experiences and age and stuff, but really - we're putting the wiimote and nunchuk at #3? C'mon guys. In your heart of hearts, all rose tinting aside? C'moooon...
edit: Not even a nunchuk included, just a lone wii remote for #3??
Re: Review: Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp - A Pair Of Strategy Gems Delightfully Reimagined
@mecklejay Even as someone who's never played these games before, I thought the interpretation of this being a war map in the meeting room to plot out strategies was a pretty obvious design choice. I guess we were mistaken...?
Re: Random: Sega And Uncanny Brands Team Up To Reveal A Sonic Waffle Maker
I still have the Sonic toaster that was crowdfunded and sold! Actually makes decent toast for what it's worth.
I wish this was being sold at retail, I'd love to make a pair out of Sonic-themed breakfast.
Re: Random: Peach's Mario Movie VA Anya Taylor-Joy Says She's A Gamer Now
"Hardcore adult arcade individual" tells me everything I need to know about this interview, frickin' lol.
Re: Site News: Got A Moment? Would You Kindly Fill Out Our Reader Survey?
Javascript, advertising questions AND disabling adblock?
Nice try!
Re: Random: After 25 Years, Ash Ketchum Is Now The Very Best, Like No One Ever Was
NL could've taken some care to not spoil the point in the headline, but I get the hustle of farming clicks in the same way the English Pokemon's Twitter account was.
Why did the official Twitter spoil it too though? Are they self-aware and know a majority of the longtime fans watch fansubs? My bet is more corporate; I think the spoiler is getting out there early to illustrate their intention to replace Ash as the protag. Sorta like how all the Marvel actors like Chris Evans and RDJ announced ahead of time that Endgame was the last movie in their contract and they weren't planning to renew.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Sonic Frontiers?
The definition of a 7 or 7.5 game, but in the context of Sonic games among themselves, this is arguably the best product Sonic Team has put out since generations, and for some who miss the Adventure-era specifically, probably even surpasses it.
This game takes a lot of shifts and risks with the gameplay, the variety, the story... it really does feel like the team was trying to reach back in time, look back at the old Dreamcast/Gamecube works and see if they can use this game as a practice run before attempting a proper continuation. On top of that, it certainly delivers on a lot of jank anyone should come to expect from Sonic, but in the conceptual sense I think the formula for "how to make Sonic open-world" was basically nailed here.
Sonic Team's #1 enemy has always been themselves and their insistence on not sticking to one Sonic formula for their 3D entries, so every game for the longest time has felt like a sloppy "first-time" entry. I hope this is the start of them trying to iterate and polish things up!
Re: Review: Sonic Frontiers - A Bold But Ultimately Failed Attempt At Something New
While some of these critiques are totally fair and justified, I really think among Sonic fans, this review may go down in history similarly to IGN's Unleashed review. I just can't take this too seriously when there's two paragraphs about Frontier's looking muddy while NL bend over backwards to sugarcoat the graininess of Sword/Shield, Legends Arceus, DOOM, Wolfenstein...
Obligatory "already hated Sonic" review, Sonic fans can just throw it in the pile; if anything, I think this review is a great illustration that this isn't converting anyone into a Sonic fan, which is a pretty worthy perspective to share I think. That score though, pfffft...!
Re: Fired Nintendo Worker Comes Forward With An Account Of Their Dismissal
@Ryu_Niiyama heyo, fully agreed, and by extension giving any professional a "pass" is unfair - it's an opportunity to reflect and improve and I would like to think a professional culture should be encouraging of that.
Re: Fired Nintendo Worker Comes Forward With An Account Of Their Dismissal
@Ryu_Niiyama Exactly - this person is employed AT the unnamed contractor agency. Their employer handed them a contract with Nintendo. It's like how most office buildings don't hire janitors and facilities staff directly, they hire contracted workers from a janitorial firm.
This exact topic is where NintendoLife needs to improve imo. They're misrepresenting these accounts repeatedly - purposefully or not, I have no idea - every single time they revisit it.
Re: Fired Nintendo Worker Comes Forward With An Account Of Their Dismissal
I'm so glad NintendoLife took the time today to remind everyone how super pro-unionization they are!
Re: Best Sonic Games Of All Time
New hot take: Adventure games are only considered bad because YouTubers like Projared and Arin Hanson told the children of 2013-2016 to hate them.
The Dreamcast originals should be the focus here; both Adventure games' GameCube ports (And subsequent re-releases) are pretty horrid.
Re: Hogwarts Legacy Shares New Location Footage In 20-Minute ASMR Video
@NintenLifeHypocrisy All you have to do is read the ongoing articles about NoA's contractor allegations to see the deep UK-flavoured bubble the "hotter" topics and beats are filtered through.
Re: Pokémon Unite's In-Game Subscription Service Is Now Live
Aeos Gems daily is a pretty big deal in this offering, and I can definitely see power users getting their money's worth out of a model like this!
Re: NoA President Responds To Alleged Working Conditions At Nintendo, Finds Reports "Troubling"
@Ryu_Niiyama Mob rule is all the rage these days!
Re: Reggie "Hated" Donkey Konga And Was Worried It Would Hurt The DK Brand
@Sinbad75 Channel analytics speak for themselves lol
Re: Talking Point: WATA And The Grey Areas Of Game Preservation - Is There Any Better Way?
@Funneefox While not following, I don't blame you at the same time LOL.
Re: Talking Point: WATA And The Grey Areas Of Game Preservation - Is There Any Better Way?
I think "our guys" on the internet do a much better job of preserving gaming as we know it: YouTubers like Hard4Games, the Gaming Historian and others, as well as community efforts like ROM repositories (love them or hate them, they do that job for us), game enthusiast companies selling aftermarket ROM dump tools, and wikis like The Cutting Room Floor that chronicle and organize deep looks into verified aspects of beta/prototype assets found.
We don't need acronym organizations and suits looming over what we the community have always done a fantastic job of doing. You're letting the fox into the henhouse by doing so, as far as I'm concerned.
Re: Gallery: Brand New Screenshots Of Sonic Origins, Out On Switch This June
With the only two genuine pieces of concern I have being the fate of Sonic 3's soundtrack and just the weird little fiasco with the pre-order chart, this is looking like a cool collection! This seems less like an anthology and almost like these games were given a chance to be re-imagined in ways to match up with the "new 2D" identity Mania has established. Looking forward to it!
Re: Nintendo Of America Criticised Over Treatment Of Part-Time And Contract Workers
Removed
Re: Mini Review: Tormented Souls - A Survival Horror Homage For Genre Nuts Only
Yeah I respect Ollie for defending his position - especially for the sake of a review informing a buying decision, I think this is probably the responsible conclusion to come to. As a wink and a nod to the classic horror fans though, I can see this review definitely reading as a bit r/whoosh-y.
I played the game on PC already - if you can still stomach 90's era PC and PS1 horror to this day, this is 100% faithful and authentic to it - scuffs and all!