Japan’s RPG box art often has this simple white background with characters design… I think it originated with Final Fantasy games. So this kind of design might have a classic nostalgic feel to them. Though I can’t say it works in such a wacky game like Mario & Luigi.
With the depth of the Switch library now I think of the Library as one of the core assets of the Switch now. There's just so many games, from old to new across so many generations... all tied to a digital store. This library of games is as important as app stores on iOS or Android.
Nintendo's console's have been iffy with backwards compatibility. Though pretty good from the Gamecube up until the Switch. Nintendo's handhelds have always had backwards compatibility. Gameboy color obviously was BC. But Advance, DS and 3DS all kept support for the previous. Nintendo understands its importance...especially in a handheld. It's one thing to put another box under the TV to play new games, but carrying around two handhelds with separate libraries.
With my Switch library, no backwards compatibility is a deal breaker... and considering a good chunk of games I play are 2D indie, puzzle or retro games... it'd be very easy to look at whatever they make in the future and sa the Switch is good enough.
I love BotW and TotK, but I think there’s still room for traditional Zelda. We got Metroid Dread out of seemingly nowhere.
The physics gameplay/puzzles are wonderful, I think a traditional Zelda with more Freeform puzzle dungeons would be pretty neat.
How many people did it take/cost to make Link Between Worlds? Nintendo could throw a small team at a traditional Zelda for a fraction of what the open world games take to make. Or even a 2nd or 3rd party, Capcom did a pretty good job with the Oracle games… not saying it has to be them but just an example.
I was off put by the Ascend at first, it's just weird seeing link pull himself out of rock. But like it a lot now, solved a couple puzzels where it wasn't clear at first you needed to use it.
Think of it like a vertical hookshot and it's a great addition to Zelda.
As a game I always thought the original is one of the most refined. It's a great single player Mario Kart with, each character has a rival with specific powers instead of the crazy item fest of a multiplayer game.
It shows its age when playing with a friend though...
I was worried that the Switch was rushed because of the failure of the Wii U. I thought the UI and all the systems were going to be a hastily thrown together mess. The Wii U tried to do so many things with the Miiverse, backwards compatibility, TV remote and all the other bits. I think the Wii U had some huge day 1 updates and bricked systems in the early days too... didn't give me a ton of confidence in the Switch starting out. I wasn't confident in Nintendo's ability to create something that wasn't a bloated mess.
But I think this turned into an advantage, the switch UI wasn't flashy... but it was relatively clean and streamlined to play games. I thought the Switch could have been a neat tablet too, it does have a touch screen and all, but Nintendo seemed to intentionally downplay these aspects... there isn't even a ton of streaming services on it to this day. Which all reinforced this system as a means of playing games, all kinds of games, but just games.
What I think people didn't account for is Nintendo finally getting a handle on making excellent games for the HD gaming era. Mario Kart 8 is a standout on Wii U and Nintendo Land/Pikmin 3 were good, but it it took the whole of the Wii U life for Nintendo to show the world what it can do with Breath of the Wild. There seemed like a renewed focus on quality core gaming experiences at Nintendo; they finally broke free of the Wii hangover.
I don't remember any articles predicting Nintendo's return to form of Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. That combined with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, couple of "impossible ports," and a platform primed for the new wave of indie titles... it seemed like Nintendo had just the right balance of "other" gaming categories outside of the AAA space to support the Switch.
Comments 6
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Duel - Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Japan’s RPG box art often has this simple white background with characters design… I think it originated with Final Fantasy games. So this kind of design might have a classic nostalgic feel to them. Though I can’t say it works in such a wacky game like Mario & Luigi.
Re: Shuntaro Furukawa: Switch Successor Will Utilise The 'Nintendo Account' System
With the depth of the Switch library now I think of the Library as one of the core assets of the Switch now. There's just so many games, from old to new across so many generations... all tied to a digital store. This library of games is as important as app stores on iOS or Android.
Nintendo's console's have been iffy with backwards compatibility. Though pretty good from the Gamecube up until the Switch. Nintendo's handhelds have always had backwards compatibility. Gameboy color obviously was BC. But Advance, DS and 3DS all kept support for the previous. Nintendo understands its importance...especially in a handheld. It's one thing to put another box under the TV to play new games, but carrying around two handhelds with separate libraries.
With my Switch library, no backwards compatibility is a deal breaker... and considering a good chunk of games I play are 2D indie, puzzle or retro games... it'd be very easy to look at whatever they make in the future and sa the Switch is good enough.
Re: Expect More Open-World Zelda Games Going Forwards, Suggests Eiji Aonuma
I love BotW and TotK, but I think there’s still room for traditional Zelda. We got Metroid Dread out of seemingly nowhere.
The physics gameplay/puzzles are wonderful, I think a traditional Zelda with more Freeform puzzle dungeons would be pretty neat.
How many people did it take/cost to make Link Between Worlds? Nintendo could throw a small team at a traditional Zelda for a fraction of what the open world games take to make. Or even a 2nd or 3rd party, Capcom did a pretty good job with the Oracle games… not saying it has to be them but just an example.
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's New Ascend Ability Started Life As A Dev Cheat Code
I was off put by the Ascend at first, it's just weird seeing link pull himself out of rock. But like it a lot now, solved a couple puzzels where it wasn't clear at first you needed to use it.
Think of it like a vertical hookshot and it's a great addition to Zelda.
Re: Best Mario Kart Games Of All Time
As a game I always thought the original is one of the most refined. It's a great single player Mario Kart with, each character has a rival with specific powers instead of the crazy item fest of a multiplayer game.
It shows its age when playing with a friend though...
Re: Best Of 2021: Remember When People Thought Switch Would Fail?
I was worried that the Switch was rushed because of the failure of the Wii U. I thought the UI and all the systems were going to be a hastily thrown together mess. The Wii U tried to do so many things with the Miiverse, backwards compatibility, TV remote and all the other bits. I think the Wii U had some huge day 1 updates and bricked systems in the early days too... didn't give me a ton of confidence in the Switch starting out. I wasn't confident in Nintendo's ability to create something that wasn't a bloated mess.
But I think this turned into an advantage, the switch UI wasn't flashy... but it was relatively clean and streamlined to play games. I thought the Switch could have been a neat tablet too, it does have a touch screen and all, but Nintendo seemed to intentionally downplay these aspects... there isn't even a ton of streaming services on it to this day. Which all reinforced this system as a means of playing games, all kinds of games, but just games.
What I think people didn't account for is Nintendo finally getting a handle on making excellent games for the HD gaming era. Mario Kart 8 is a standout on Wii U and Nintendo Land/Pikmin 3 were good, but it it took the whole of the Wii U life for Nintendo to show the world what it can do with Breath of the Wild. There seemed like a renewed focus on quality core gaming experiences at Nintendo; they finally broke free of the Wii hangover.
I don't remember any articles predicting Nintendo's return to form of Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. That combined with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, couple of "impossible ports," and a platform primed for the new wave of indie titles... it seemed like Nintendo had just the right balance of "other" gaming categories outside of the AAA space to support the Switch.