Comments 633

Re: Switch 2 Reportedly Sold 2.4 Million Units In First Three Months On The Market (US)

PharoneTheGnome

@Clammy I completely agree.

The thing is that the system itself is a really big upgrade over the existing Switch. In and of itself, the system is a win for Nintendo.

The game offerings so far though... meh at best.
1. Mario Kart World is good, but is it really that much better than the last Mario Kart? I 100% do not believe it is that much better.

2. Donkey Kong Bananza is a horrible money grab of a game. It doesn't match the style of game that made the Donkey Kong series a staple in its genre in any way. It's literally a lazy money grab of a game where they didn't have to put any thought or time in to creating the world. You just smash buttons as fast as you can and destroy everything in the world. It's insanely lazy world design. And, they charged $70 for it. But, wait, there's more! They turned around and put out a PAID FOR DLC for it JUST TWO MONTHS after the game came out. Let's not lie here. That's content that should have been in the main game that you paid $70 for, but Nintendo held it out in order to charge you extra for it.

What the Switch 2 system HAS done is make it possible for other 3rd party game developers to take their games to the Switch eco system that either were not able to run on the original Switch OR ran like crap on it.

The Switch 2 has made it so that games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy could run on the system and look great doing it. And, there's rumor that Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to be coming to Switch 2 now as well.

The Switch 2 has made 3rd party games more viable for Nintendo, so that is a win for gamers, Nintendo, and third party developers.

Re: Review: Little Nightmares III (Switch 2) - A Missed Opportunity For Couch Co-op That Plays It A Little Too Safe

PharoneTheGnome

@Yomerodes A perfect example of this is Donkey Kong Bananza.

Reviewers proclaimed it better than the invention of sliced bread. It was amazing... OMG... everybody go buy it RIGH NOW!!!

I looked at it and said, that's not a Donkey Kong game. It has nothing to do with the highly structured side scrolling speed run style of game play that Donkey Kong games have been about for ever.

Everybody said I was crazy because its just soooooo good.

Fast forward to yesterday. I downloaded the demo for Donkey Kong Bananza and gave it a shot. I was right. It has nothing to do with the Donkey Kong games that have made the series popular. It's just an open-world smash-everything face-roll-the-controller-and-win game. In a word, it was horrible compared to previous Donkey Kong games.

If I had reviewed it, my review would have been a 5 out of 10 based on the fact that it is a Donkey Kong game by name and character only and does NOT in anyway shape or form reflect what made the series a staple in the genre.

But, I'm sure most reviewers were just in love with the fact that it "broke new ground" and "took risks to try new things". Well good for them. It's not a Donkey Kong game though. End of story. $70 trash title with a for-cost DLC only 2 months after the over priced game was released. It's a pure money grab by Nintendo, and bad reviewers that get paid by NOT upsetting Nintendo are the reason that these BAD games get high ratings.

Re: Review: Little Nightmares III (Switch 2) - A Missed Opportunity For Couch Co-op That Plays It A Little Too Safe

PharoneTheGnome

"Plays it safe by reiterating on a well-worn formula rather than taking bold creative risks"

It's these kinds of comments in ratings that always make me scratch my head and say, "is that a bad thing?"

For reviewers, it apparently is because it always is part of their reasons for not giving a higher rating to a game.

My question to this is simple...

Was the original forumula bad or good? If the reviewer says, it was good, then... Why is it bad now just because it is a new game? If it was good for the previous game, why should it be bad now?

Is more of the same a bad thing when "the same" is one of the features that made the previous game good? I say no.

I see this mentality of "nothing new" in so many reviews (not just here, but everywhere), and as a gamer, it bothers me. More of the same is NOT a bad thing. Sometimes we, as gamers, just want more of the same because we loved it and want to play more of it.

Re: Meet The Sages (And Zelda's Maid) In Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment

PharoneTheGnome

I don't know what it is, but the graphical styling of all the Zelda games, since the original Switch came out, just do not appeal to me. Like I know Breath of the Wild was supposedly this amazing game and I tried it, but I just could not get in to it and I think it was purely the graphical styling. I just don't like it. So, when I see it continued in other games related to Zelda, my first instinct is meh.

I don't know if it is that shade celling or the color palette or what it is, but it just turns me off immediately every time I see it.

Re: Review: Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush (Switch 2) - DLC That's Ripe With Fun, But Could've Been More

PharoneTheGnome

@Willo567 Yes I do believe that every DLC made should be free. The same way that every add on to Super Smash Brothers was free. The same way that every addition to Stardew Valley has been free.

You've been conditioned to expect to pay for small updates and additions, but that is not how the gaming industry was just a decade ago. The level of greed in the industry is getting absolutely horrible.

Re: Review: Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush (Switch 2) - DLC That's Ripe With Fun, But Could've Been More

PharoneTheGnome

Here's an idea... why not have this DLC be part of the game that they literally RELEASED THIS YEAR instead of making it a paid addon?

DKB is stupidly expensive as it is. Adding a paid DLC to it the same year it comes out is a slap in the face to the customers.

Nintendo is getting eerily close to EA levels of nickel and diming at this point.

At this rate, I imagine in the near future you will be expected to pay $70 for a base Nintendo game that has all of 3 levels, and then you will have to pay for "DLC" to get each level past that. Oh and don't forget, if you want to have all of the boss battles at the end of each paid DLC level you purchase, you will need a SEASON PASS subscription to access them.

Seriously. What happened to Nintendo? What happened to the company that made games that were packed full of features all from the get go? One purchase got you everything.

Re: Opinion: Metroid Prime 4 Reminds Me Of Gears 5, And It's Making Me Nervous

PharoneTheGnome

@WiltonRoots That's one of the reasons I don't usually like desert biomes in games, but I have seen some really good uses of deserts in some games over the years.

For instance, the Super Mario series of games tends to use desert biomes extremely well.

Another example is the last expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, Legacy of Morgoth, is almost entirely in a desert biome, Standing Stone Games did a fantastic job making it a living breathing environment with plenty to see and do. It wasn't just an empty desert to travel through.

It all depends on what the development company does with it that matters.

Re: Opinion: Metroid Prime 4 Reminds Me Of Gears 5, And It's Making Me Nervous

PharoneTheGnome

You have hit upon the exact reason why I prefer:

  • Super Mario Bros Wonder over Super Mario Oddyssey
  • Pokemon Sword & Shield over Pokemon Arceus
  • Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze over Donkey Kong Bananza

While each of the later games are great games in their own right, they are not keep the same core values of what made their predecessors a great series of games. They are instead a great NEW kind of game that leans on the same intellectual property.

Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer

PharoneTheGnome

@jsty3105 Ok that makes sense, and I apologize for assuming you was trolling.

I think the thing here is that Nintendo (and the industry as a whole because they are using this game key cards) have decided upon an implementation for the unique identification of the cartridge itself due to the fact that they have the Game Key Cards now.

They wouldn't be using that technology if they believed it was easily pirated. Nintendo of all companies would be the last to use something that they think could lead to them making less money in any way shape or form lol.

So, therefore, what ever solution they have landed upon for uniquely identifying each Game Key Card should be used in all of their cartridges and just get rid of the idea of "game key card" all together. Just make every cartridge a game key card WITH the full game ALSO on the cartridge.

Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer

PharoneTheGnome

@jsty3105 I'm genuinely curious how you can not understand what I am saying here. You are mixing two separate things together and honestly I'm starting to think you are not being genuine in your responses. In case I am wrong and you genuinely don't get it, here is the explanation.

Every console (that is the Nintendo Switch 2 itself... the thing you hold when you play the game when not in the craddle) has a unique code in it that identifies it. You are correct there. That's not what I am talking about though, so not sure why you brought that up.

Now... on to the CARTRIDGE that we are talking about. A cartridge is the little black rectangle thing you put in to the Nintendo Switch 2 CONSOLE. Cartridge does not equal Console.

Today, right this very second, every Game Key Card CARTRIDGE has a unique identifier on a chip inside the CARTRIDGE. That is how they identify and tell the difference between each and every physical Game Key Card CARTRIDGE ever made.

Nintendo associates that Game Key Card CARTRIDGE's unique identifier to your Nintendo Account and then it downloads the game to your Nintendo Switch 2 CONSOLE.

With that all in mind, I am saying that they should put that same unique identifier technology in to ALL Nintendo Switch 2 CARTRIDGES regardless whether they are Game Key Cards or not.

Treat every CARTRIDGE as a Game Key Card. The only difference would be that the game itself should ALSO be included on the CARTRIDGE ... AND ... You should not have to insert the CARTRIDGE again to your Nintendo Switch 2 to play the game UNLESS that unique identifier for that CARTRIDGE gets associated with another Nintendo Switch 2 CONSOLE. Then you have to put the CARTRIDGE in to your Nintendo Switch 2 in order to prove you own that specific unique CARTRIDGE and at that time, that game would be unassociated from what ever other Nintendo Switch 2 account it is currently associated with.

I hope that explains it.

Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer

PharoneTheGnome

@jsty3105 No. You completely misunderstood what I meant.

Every game key card that is ever made has a code built in to it. That's what it uses to identify it as unique to that cart. This is existing technology that Nintendo uses today. It's the basis on how game key carts work. There is no entering of codes manually. It's in the cartridge itself.

What I am saying is put that same technology in every cartridge no matter whether it is a key card cart or regular cartridge. There is no reason not to put a unique identifier in every single cartridge ever made.

Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer

PharoneTheGnome

In fact, the ONLY REASON I do not purchase game key cards is because of TWO things:

1. I do NOT want to have to put a cartridge in to my system every time I want to play THAT game
2. The full game is NOT on the cartridge so that I can install and play it decades later after Nintendo has discontinued support for that system or game.

That's it. If it wasn't for those two things, I would support and buy game key cards every time I buy a new game.

Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer

PharoneTheGnome

Here's an idea.... hear me out here.

clears throat

Put a unique code in EVERY physical game going forward, so that way once you put the cartridge in to your Switch2, it associates that cartridge to your account.

Then EITHER install the game FROM the cartridge OR download the game from Nintendo.

From that point forward, the cartridge is NEVER needed to be put in to the machine ever again UNLESS you sale the cartridge to someone else. Then the NEW owner has to put the cartridge in to their system to install which will associate that cartridge to THEIR Switch2.

If your install ever says that it is installed on a different system, simply put the original cartridge back in to your system, and it will associate the cartridge back to you and un-associate it with the person who tried to steal it from you.

IT'S ... THAT ... SIMPLE.

They already have the technology to do this because they created the GAME KEY CARDS. All they have to do is add the full game to the game key cards, and update the Nintendo Switch2 OS to treat game key cards like I have described above.

There is NO REASON in 2025 that we should have to put a cartridge in to our system AFTER we have installed it. There is NO REASON at all. They have the tech to put a unique game key on each and every single physical cartridge ever made until the end of time.

Re: Nintendo's Patent On 'Sub Characters' Could Have Some Dire Ramifications

PharoneTheGnome

In fact, now that I think of it, Drizzt from Forgotten Realms books had an item he held that he used to summon his pet that fought for him. Maybe the writer that first came up with the character Drizzt should sue Pokemon because they took the idea of using a held item to summon a pet to fight for you that was written about in books way, way, way, way before Pokemon was ever a thing.

Re: Nintendo's Patent On 'Sub Characters' Could Have Some Dire Ramifications

PharoneTheGnome

The whole Persona series is based on summoning a sub-character to fight for you. I guess they are ok because they don't use a ball to summon the character.

But, still, this is a really stupid patentable mechanic because summoning a sub-character to fight for you has been a staple of RPGs for many decades.

Pen and paper Dungeons and Dragons had summoning of pets to fight for you before game consoles was even a gleam in any designers eyes, little alone the thought of what would be known as Pokemon some day.

At some point, TSR needs to sue Nintendo for using stats in any game because they had it in the original DnD in the 70s before game machines were even a thing. Maybe that would get these lawyer mongers to sit down and shut up already.

Re: Rumour: Sony Is Gunning For The Switch 2 With A Handheld, Dockable PS6

PharoneTheGnome

Considering that Sony already has a MUCH MORE powerful home console (PS5) than the Switch 2 AND already has a handheld system that connects to the PS5, it's not hard to see the next evolution of the two being put together.

I honestly think that having the console and portable as two separate things that work together is the right approach.

Everybody likes to taught the fact that the Nintendo Switch/Switch2 can play all games completely in handheld mode, but they never talk about the fact that the handheld mode is a lot less powerful than the docked mode.

If Sony shoots for at least that same handheld quality, I don't see any reason they can't accomplish it. It's not like the Switch 2 in handheld mode is anywhere even in the same world as the quality of a PS5. Even in docked mode the Switch 2 isn't in the same ballpark as a PS5. So, why would anyone expect the handheld PS5 (er PS6) to be in the same ballpark as the console version of the PS5/6?

Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Is Selling Like Bananas On Switch 2 (US)

PharoneTheGnome

@AshleyGamer64 @SuperBro64 That's totally understandable. I just prefer the 2d side scrolling Donkey Kong games. I will end up giving this new Donkey Kong a try though.

It is the same reason that I prefer the side-scrolling Metroid games over Metroid Prime.

I like a structured 2d environment to play through. I feel like the designers put more thought and consideration in to every detail when making a 2d side-scrolling game than they do with big open-world style games.

This is also why I prefer Super Mario Bros Wonder over Super Mario Oddysey.

Re: Former PlayStation Head Praises Nintendo For Being "In Touch With Their Fan Base"

PharoneTheGnome

Him saying that Nintendo is more in touch with their customers is just more proof of how OUT of touch CEOs are with their customers.

The Switch 2 is probably going to show that to the greatest degree yet.

The system (yes I own a Switch 2) is a great system that is arguably much less powerful than its competitors in the current genre; Xbox Series X and Playstation 5.

It cost roughly the same, but it is much less powerful while at the same time the games cost more on the Switch 2 than they did on the original Switch... AND... most of the games require a PAID FOR upgrade if you want Switch 2 quality for your already-purchased-and-paid-for Switch 1 games.

The ONLY thing Switch 2 has over the XBox X and PS5 is portability, and when you take the Switch 2 in to portable mode, it gets even LESS powerful than it was when it was docked. Is it a benefit? For first party games, yes. For third party games, not so much if it is a high performance demanding game.

To top it all off, you can purchase a handheld for the PS5 to use that utilizes the power of your PS5, so technically, the PS5 has a more powerful portable mode available if you pay for it.

Nintendo in touch with their customers... not so much.

Re: "It Will Have A Chilling Effect On Game Design" - EU Group Responds To 'Stop Killing Games'

PharoneTheGnome

You buy a game, you own the game. Period. Full stop. End of story.

Anything else they say beyond that is complete garbage. Governments should enact laws that protect consumers and stop allowing companies to dictate what they can do with the products THEY BOUGHT AFTER THEY PAID FOR IT.

If a company wants to take away a game that you paid for or in any way make said PAID FOR game not playable in any way, they should be forced by the law to give the customer a full refund.

Right now, companies are committing theft against their customers, and the longer that governments allow it, the worse it is going to get.

Re: Feature: Every Switch 2 Launch Game, Ranked

PharoneTheGnome

I do find it hilarious though that a game that got absolutely horrible reviews for being a buggy mess when it first came out and was being sold for a discount shortly after is suddenly a top tier game for the Switch 2 now that it is available on the platform. I am speaking of Cyberpunk 2077 of course.

The game was absolutely trashed by reviewers when it came out on originally.

Don't get me wrong. I own Cyberpunk 2077 on the PS5 and think its a good game. Its just funny how drastically the opinion on this game has changed since it came out.

Re: Feature: Every Switch 2 Launch Game, Ranked

PharoneTheGnome

I'll never understand the obsession with Zelda BOTW and Zelda TOTK. They just literally do nothing for me. Sorry. Not my kind of game. I know I can not be alone in that.

I prefer Hogwarts, Yakuza, Bravely Default, and Mario Kart. I would put the new Donkey Kong in that list (and will buy it), but I absolutely 100% prefer the 2D side scrolling Donkey Kong games over this new open world style.