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@Samalik Sorry, but you're taking my words out of context and reading way too much into it. Again, it looks like I'm touching a nerve here, because my few lines of comments trigger a wall of text in your response. That's not a good basis for a reasonable conversation. Have a good day.

@Samalik Apparently, my comment touched a nerve.

Fact is: no-one is asking for fan creations. Some IPs engage more with their fanbase than others, while, for Nintendo, it's purely business. They don't need fan creations, because their games do fine all on their own.

Aside from that, I don't think Nintendo minds a teenager practicing their art skills and posting their works on social media, but that's not what this article is about.

@mlj11 A few years ago, there was a 2D Metroid Prime fan game. That got taken down for, in retrospect, good reason, as Metroid Dread was still in development. That fan game actually looked quite good, IIRC, so a casual observer could have easily confused the two.

@JohnnyMind Not familiar with Undertale, but motivated creators will find their way regardless. Yes, modding can be an on-ramp to game dev.

I don't see any value whatsoever in derivative fan art. Why don't these creators try to make something of their own, instead of riding coattails? That may sound harsh, but we live in an age of disinformation. What can happen, in the extreme case, is that people start mistaking a fan creation for the official thing. So, yeah, I can understand their protectiveness.

Whenever a canon/timeline question like this comes up, I'm reminded of Return of the Jedi. For the first 2 films, the writers clearly didn't think of Luke and Leia as siblings. So if Star Wars made things up as it went along, why can't Zelda? Not suggesting that Link and Zelda are actually brother and sister, but you never know where they'll take it next.

Not surprised Nintendo is staying away from hype. Doing their own thing is in their DNA. No need to jump on this particular bandwagon.

@Johnno137426 I get what you mean, but that level of visual quality doesn't come for free. Most indie racers have a low-poly look to keep production low-budget.

Yeah, this is 90s, alright! The music at the end is definitely channeling Snap! The Power.

Keeping an eye out for this one.

@Kingy RE7 was made on a relatively small budget, mainly to see if there was still an audience for Resident Evil. After it became successful enough, they were stuck with a storyline that was uninteresting to begin with. RE8 is basically 4 different games/levels stitched together. You can feel they were not invested in the story and characters. RE9 is an opportunity for a fresh start, so there's reason to be optimistic.

I'm expecting cross-gen releases for the first few years, so I'm planning to stay on the OLED a bit longer. But, of course, killer Switch 2-exclusive content - say, an open-world Mario, or an expanded version of TOTK - will have me change my mind in a second.

The weather is too good to stay inside, but some more TTYD here and there.

Also, Wavetale, for research purposes. Developing my own jet ski racing game, so always interested in how games handle water/waves. As for the game itself, I can see why it scored a 6/10 here on NL. It's not bad, but held back by some serious flaws, with the absence of an invert camera option being the biggest one.

Have a great weekend everyone!

@Truegamer79 Sorry about your father. A few years ago, a family member of a similar age survived a case of sepsis, but only just in time. Had the medics arrived an hour later, the outcome would have been different.

As an Apple user, I hope Capcom's investment in the platform, even if it is Apple-sponsored, means we'll have RE9 on launch there as well.

If you buy physical, you can get new games for substantially less than the RRP. Right now, TTYD has been ~17% off everywhere since launch. The RRP is just to make the actual price look like a good deal. For TTYD, it absolutely is, because it's also an excellent game.

For digital, this doesn't hold, but this is part of the marketing strategy. Nintendo knows the value of having a retail presence, so they're steering sales towards physical.

Yet people are still ranting about corporate greed, just for the sake of it. I'd be more worried about the prices of essential goods and services, than the price of a video game, tbh. Games are just a hobby, and hobbies are funded by disposable income. Just save your time and money for the games that you think are worth it.

Not getting it. Some reviews mention frequent interruptions from the professor, so that makes it a skip for me. If a game doesn't flow, I'm out.

I play games less during the summer, but will definitely pick this up in the autumn. Early 00's classic that I missed back in the day.

@OnlyManWhoCan The old-schoolness might actually be a plus. The 00s were the golden age of gaming. It's no wonder many titles from that era get remastered.

I remember this one, good to have more games from French studios remastered. Beyond Good and Evil being another example. Maybe a Syberia remaster is in the pipeline?

There's something appealing about French games, that's what I'm trying to say.

@PikminMarioKirby Sizes are about the same, as the article mentions.

It is actually respectful towards the dev not to reveal more than necessary before release. For example, the studio might be trying to land a new contract with parties other than Nintendo. Indirectly revealing a business partner's current workload might negatively impact negotiations. (e.g. "you're busy with Nintendo? no, we'll pass.")

The only ones needing this information are "influencers" hunting for scoops to draw traffic to their channel/website.

@OldGamer999 Agreed. In terms of gameplay, there's plenty of scope for improvement with a more powerful CPU. Physics especially. For example, TOTK would have been even more impressive if the water would have proper waves, instead of it acting as a flat plane.

@JohnnyMind Metroid Prime is not an FPS. The shooting that it does have is nothing like Quake or Doom. It's a Metroid through and through, just from a first-person view. If you love games with lots of exploration, you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try. But, as you said, you were already planning to do so anyway.

@OldGamer999 There are a few games that are supposed to have good 5.1 implementations on Switch. From what I've read in reviews, TOTK and Luigi's Mansion 3 are supposed to sound great.

It only goes to show that sound design is an underappreciated art.

In general, I do agree with your sentiment. While gameplay comes first, the eyes and ears also want to be satisfied. For me, the last time that happened in a Nintendo game was with Wave Race Blue Storm. Playing it for the first time, on an in-store demo unit back in '02, is an experience I'll never forget. GameCube was the last generation in which they tried to compete on specs and it's no coincidence that many of its major games are now considered classics.

@OldGamer999 Being a portable device, devs are going to target the lowest common denominator for Switch, meaning stereo output. Most people don't have 5.1 / 7.1 setups in their home. I used to have this years ago, but, moving into a new home, decided on a 2.1 sound bar this time. Less of a hassle. Perhaps virtualized 3D audio on headphones will be a thing next Switch generation and devs will be more motivated to provide spatial audio.

While I agree that better graphics/sound enhance immersion, the gameplay is what counts most. Nintendo dropped out of the "HD" arms race with the Wii, and that was almost 2 decades ago.

@HalBailman Yeah, "2025" gives them a sizeable margin, but at least it's good to know they're taking their time.

I think a release window this wide indicates it will be a cross-gen title, but not necessarily a launch title. I.e. Switch 2 will be out well before MP4 is released, and we'll be in a New 3DS-like situation, with new games being compatible with both generations.

@The-Chosen-one Yep, and after that, they duke it out on the Brinstar Smash Bros stage.

A trailer is just a trailer. Gameplay has to be experienced.

I wasn't particularly hyped for TOTK, based on the gameplay reveals from early last year. They were unable to convey what would make it stand apart from BOTW. But when I actually started playing the game and Ultrahanded something together for the first time, it just clicked.

I hope to experience a similar revelation in MP4. And even if it's only more of the same, then there's a good chance the long development time will show in the gameplay quality.

@SBandy1 I wouldn't be surprised if these issues persist. The framerate issues in LA are due to the game loading in new sections in the background. The alternative would be to have loading screen interruptions. The Switch memory bandwidth is too limited to both render frames and load in new assets at the same time, at least for this style of game. But who knows? Maybe they changed the gameplay to not require background loading as much.

@Anti-Matter Did you play LA? I don't have a particular preference for the "cute" art style, but, playing the game, you could see it was extremely well executed.

Looks wonderful and great continuity with Link's Awakening. I was hoping for a Collector's edition, but it looks like we won't be getting one this time.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are playable sections with Link, seeing that he's on the cover. Parallel dimension puzzles? Sign me up.

So looking forward to this.

9 out of 10. Yes, there's plenty of pep left in the Switch. Nothing indicates that this is its swan song Direct.

Actually, we might be entering a "New 3DS"-like phase next year, with new games playable on both generations by default. This makes business sense as well. They'd be leaving money on the table if they didn't continue releasing games for the existing, 140M+ install base. The Zelda Lite edition just reinforces this notion.

Despite my initial lukewarm reaction to the graphics during the Direct, I must say the art direction shows great continuity with the previous entries. These screenshots still don't make it look substantially better than MP1 remastered, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe they didn't want to reveal too much at this stage.

Come to think it, I can't recall being very impressed by TOTK from the trailers, but, in-game, some of the vistas made my jaw drop. I'm sure MP4 will have similar moments. The jungle environment shot looks especially intriguing.

I always felt there was a big surprise reveal left for this generation and this is an even bigger surprise than I could have imagined!

I absolutely LOVED Link's Awakening. Having an all-new game in the same style and playing as Zelda is just a dream come true. Hopefully, there will be a Collector's edition as well.

This one is new to me, so definitely interested. Curious to find out how it holds up compared to Tropical Freeze.

It's hard to verify, with the sheets taken down, but a random sampling of some of the other music shows that many sheets on musicnotes require payment. Maybe the compositions weren't licensed? If so, then Nintendo has a claim to legal damages.

@Poodlestargenerica To be fair here, they're a third-party studio, working on an existing franchise. Maybe they wanted to change the core gameplay more than they were allowed to. For better or worse, the increased focus on boss fights makes Dread stand out from the other entries in the series.

With the weather over here being what it is (not great), more TTYD. Unless the upcoming Direct brings a big surprise reveal, this will be the game of the summer for me.

Have a great weekend everyone!

At least we know it's in development. Assuming it's going to be on the quality level of the previous Primes, it also goes to show how long it takes to develop a game of that caliber.

I hate online multiplayer, so the lack of it is not a con for me. Playing with friends IRL is much more fun and sociable.

@SakuraHaruka You're right, it was the transfer pak. I'm getting old.

Bought the PAL version close to release back then. They absolutely nailed the balance between fun and simulation. The GBC title was a great game in its own right, you could even exchange characters between the GBC and N64 using the link cable.

The last 3DS Golf title was good as well, but the new Switch title didn't really interest me, due to lack of content at launch. Same thing with Mario Strikers.The gameplay is great, but the content is lacking. Maybe these games are more content rich now, I don't know, but launching them in an incomplete state, with the promise of "free updates", is a big turn-off.

@jedgamesguy Because games cost money and they want to recoup their investment. Sony have been releasing ports of their biggest franchises on a Microsoft platform (i.e. Windows PC) for years already. It's only logical for MS to return the favour.

For Sony and MS, consoles no longer make enough money, since they're sold at a loss and there's little room for price cuts anymore, like there was during previous console generations. PC is where the money is.

Nintendo is the laughing third here.

@AnonyQ Due to the lack of hand-holding, there is a less optimal way of playing this game. This is mentioned as a con in the NL review as well.

In hindsight, my playthrough would have been more enjoyable if I had done the ship upgrades and followed the main questline in tandem. Focusing on ship upgrades too early, will make later quest sections too easy.

Finally! Really looking forward to this. Dredge is the perfect "autumn" game, so this new content releases just in time. I finished the base game a while back, so will start a new playthrough with all the DLC.

Link's Awakening is a great choice. The frame rate issues are overrated, tbh, they occur mostly when loading in new areas. I enjoyed it so much that I traded my physical for the collector's edition, after I had already finished it. Actually, I might give the bonus colour dungeon a go this weekend, because I skipped that part back then.

Anyway, definitely more TTYD. It's my first Paper Mario and I'm becoming a fan.

I'm having a great time with TTYD. They made the right choice in prioritising graphics quality over performance, because the art looks beautiful. Love the humour as well.

While the issues that the dev raises are genuine, the message is diluted by putting the game on sale at the same time.

More TTYD. I get why it's held in such high regard.

Also, Super Mario Odyssey. Bought the art book last weekend and felt inspired to start a new playthrough. It's been more than 6 years since I last played it.

Look around and you can get new titles for substantially less than their RRP, if you buy physical. TTYD is 20% "off" basically everywhere. That is an obvious part of the whole pricing strategy.

Second, remasters are also aimed at new audiences. If a game was worth full price 20 years ago, it's still worth full price now. Pricing it substantially lower would make it come off as cheap and not worth playing. And if you already played the original, it's your choice to double-dip.

I'm not sure if stretching the use of the term "survival horror" to denote a WW1 theme is such a good idea, tbh. In gaming, the term carries a different connotation.