Comments 1,793

Re: 'Aero GPX' Is One Man's Vision Of 'F-Zero' Reborn, And It Could Come To Switch

RadioHedgeFund

@AgentLA As I understand it that figure is wrong because Nintendo reported all 1st party games that sold over a million to the CESA White Paper and GX was never listed. We are probably looking at 100k Japan, 350k in the USA and 250k in Europe as that was the Players Choice limit.

Pikmin sold 1.6m units and got a Wii rerelease. Mario Strikers sold 1.5m units and got a Wii sequel. F-Zero got buried.

https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/F-Zero
https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Nintendo_GameCube

Re: Zelda: BotW, Super Mario 64 And Pokémon GO Shortlisted For The Golden Joystick 'Ultimate Game Of All Time' Award

RadioHedgeFund

The obvious winner is Tetris.

It is the videogame equivalent of chess, as playable now as it was 30 years ago.

The best gaming hardware of all time is obviously the Dreamcast. It packed in so much innovation at the time, much of which we take for granted now. It was Sega firing on all cylinders and we got classics like JSR, Skies of Arcadia, Shenmue and Phantasy Star Online. The great launch titles of the GameCube and Xbox like Panzer Dragoon Orta, Super Monkey Ball, Outrun 2, JSRF and the like were obviously all Dreamcast games that got shifted during development given they ran on NAOMI architecture in the Arcades.

Second place has to be the Xbox 360. That basically set the template for every console since in terms of online service, DLC, downloadable games etc.

I genuinely wouldn't list any Nintendo hardware in the top 3.

Re: 'Aero GPX' Is One Man's Vision Of 'F-Zero' Reborn, And It Could Come To Switch

RadioHedgeFund

@YANDMAN This is obviously down to personal preference. I was never a fan of F-Zero.

It was my love of the art style and world building Psygnosis did with WipEout, particularly the clean 3rd installment that kick-started my interest in (and led to a career in) Design. It helped that the games were incredible too.

I got my DS at launch but as soon as I saw WipEout Pure running on the PSP I sank £210 on it and my DS gathered dust.

F-Zero GX was awesome from a technical standpoint and the cylindrical tracks were amazing. But after the first campaign the difficulty became too hard. I can gold every track on every WipEout on Phantom Class but GX was just too difficult to be fun. I persevered with it for over a year too and only saw the backend of it thanks to an NGC Magazine cheats disk!

AX is one of the greatest arcade cabinets ever devised though. I played the one with the swinging cockpit chair in the Trocadero whilst I was at Uni and it was fantastic.

Re: 'Aero GPX' Is One Man's Vision Of 'F-Zero' Reborn, And It Could Come To Switch

RadioHedgeFund

@Lordplops Lets be fair though: F-Zero has zero appeal outside of a small fanbase. It doesn't have the cool cache that WipEout generates and GX was far too hard for the majority of gamers which put them right off.

WipEout Omega Collection reached number one in the UK sales charts in 2017 on the back of 100k weekly sales. By comparison F-Zero GX didn't even break into the top 100 selling games by years' end. The bottom selling title, Beyblade (on the PS1!) managed 86k in sales in 2003 on the back of a December 2002 release.

In other words Sony has no idea what to do with a brand that still has a large fanbase whereas Nintendo have shelved F-Zero because nobody ever cared about it in the first place.

Re: Soapbox: Can We Please Retire The Phrase 'Lazy Devs' Already?

RadioHedgeFund

I will put up with a lot of things from games and even enjoy a few janky titles for what they are. Some people (mainly Pokemon fans by the comments on here) just never seem to be happy.

But.

But. But. But.

One thing I cannot stand isn’t devs who don’t take the time to put customisable controls into their games. I know this is not something that takes much effort but it goes a long way. Even games like BOTW don’t have this feature.

When Playground Games can put actual visual sign language into the latest Forza THERE IS NO EXCUSE

Re: Review: Super Mario 64 - The Best Launch Game Ever Made

RadioHedgeFund

@GrailUK When it was released being the appropriate term. Reviewing yesterdays' games must inevitably compare them to the games of today. The N64 original is at best a 7/10 game, having been bested by its own 5 sequels as much as anything else.

Ocarina of time however is still a 10/10 game even in 2021 and a masterclass in game design.

Re: Review: Super Mario 64 - The Best Launch Game Ever Made

RadioHedgeFund

I disagree. I believe that Halo is the greatest launch game ever made. Both have a cracking single player but Halo has multiplayer, encouraging the word of mouth sale of controllers and consoles to friends.

Mario 64 DS is actually a much better game, what with the extra characters giving it a much needed Metroidvania-type depth. The mini games made genius use of the touchscreen and it had a fun multiplayer.

The first proper N64 killer app was Lylat Wars.

Re: Feature: What Is The Zelda 'Formula'? We Break Down The Secret Recipe

RadioHedgeFund

Within this framework I do not think Nintendo have ever lost their edge. I have never played a Zelda game I did not enjoy.

This said there have been many occasions over the years where I feel developers have closed in and surpassed Nintendo. Unsuprisingly it starts with Sega:

  • Soleil (Mega Drive): A wonderful game that rips off LTTP in all the best ways but then introduces some unique game mechanics of its own to set it apart. The player rescues animals during the story, 2 of which can be equipped at one time. These then have a range of abilities from letting you run or attack faster to crossing bodies of water on a plesiosaur. The story also takes an interesting turn when the hero gets turned into a monster and you see the plot from their perspective. A hidden gem.
  • Story of Thor (Mega Drive) More people will have played this thanks to its rereleases on various Sega collections over the years. Much chunkier graphics than Zelda give it a unique look as does its more in depth combat system with breakable weapons and fighting game combos. The main hook is a series of elementals that can be summoned from their natural source (eg water fairy can only be summoned using a body of water) that aid you in combat and help solve puzzles.
  • Alundra (PS1) The pinnacle of 2D action/adventure games, Alundra follows the titular character as he helps the inhabitants of a sleepy village by entering their dreams and fighting demons within. The overworld is no slouch, crammed full of secrets and enemies. Altogether there are 24 dungeons counting the dreamworlds and they can be really hard to complete. The game's story takes some dark turns and makes you invest in this small village of characters.
  • Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PS1) SR takes the Ocarina of Time template and turns it into a gothic horror set in an apocalyptic wasteland where the titular Kain has ruled for an age and corrupted the very soil. You play as Raziel, his former lieutenant who was cast away for heresy. The story plays out well and the dialog is almost Shakespearean in delivery. Gameplay revolved around Raziel conquering dungeons and consuming the souls of his brethren to gain their powers. The overworld than binds it all together is notable for its lack of loading screens, a heck of an achievement on the PS1. Raziel can shift between reality and a spectral version of it which warps in real time as you do so which helps solve puzzles.
  • Okami (PS2) Okami was released fairly close to Twilight Princess and both share wolven protagonists. However Okami's fantastic shumi-i japanese ink art style and almost episodic storyline set it apart. It riffs from Zelda with some large dungeons but it is the vast overworld that puts it to shame. Split into large areas and cities, it is crammed full of secrets. The ability to draw things directly onto the game world is an inspired way of copying Zelda's item system. Just when you think the game is ending it also introduces a huge further chunk of overworld to explore too, almost like SOTN.

Re: Random: Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max Has A Larger Battery Capacity Than The Nintendo Switch

RadioHedgeFund

@nocdaes I’ve largely acclimated to touchscreen controls. I can happily move around in 3D on a title like Oceanhorn 2 without needing the feedback of an analog stick to get my bearings. Turns out the position of the character on screen does as good a job.

Having a ton of buttons doesn’t help, especially when the screen can recognise swipes of different directions. Why not replace the need for face buttons with different swipe directions: left for X, Right for B, up for Y and down for A? You wouldn’t need to look at the screen and could just use muscle memory.

Re: Random: Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max Has A Larger Battery Capacity Than The Nintendo Switch

RadioHedgeFund

Not only this but the I13PM is as capable a gaming machine as the Switch. Gamers are in denial of they ignore the quality of a swathe of mobile titles, from the Apple Arcade exclusives to Stadia and xCloud streaming. I can play old RPGs like Lufia, FF1-9 and Golvellius as well as decent games in series like Halo and Mario.

And it’s in my pocket all day allowing access to these games at the drop of a hat.

Re: Feature: How Accessible Are Zelda, Pokémon And Animal Crossing For Blind Gamers?

RadioHedgeFund

It’s a shame there aren’t more games specifically for blind gamers. The medium is 99.9% visual and being unable to actually see what is happening is a huge uncrossable barrier for many titles.

Now we have next gen consoles with 3D audio and devices that can produce room-scale VR I wonder if there is space for audio-only titles that occupy a 3D space emulating the way a blind person would navigate the real world.

Re: Rumour: Insider Says N64 Is Coming To Switch Online, Believes It Will Introduce A "Higher-Priced" Subscription Tier

RadioHedgeFund

@DaniPooo I would argue the GameCube was more revolutionary for Nintendo.

They got battered during the N64 era for making grandiose promises that turned out to be crap. It’s also worth remembering that the N64 controller was dumb. Sony’s DualShock became the industry standard for controller layouts.

But let’s look at the cube: Wireless controllers, handheld linkup, elimination of disk load times, faster memory cards, a more humble dev friendly Nintendo, better 3rd party relationships: these are all things Nintendo carried over to the Wii.

That dumb 3-pronged controller design is nowhere to be seen.

Re: Rumour: Insider Says N64 Is Coming To Switch Online, Believes It Will Introduce A "Higher-Priced" Subscription Tier

RadioHedgeFund

@HolyGeez03 The NES wasn’t the first console to market but it’s place in history is assured due to saving the industry. It wasn’t that revolutionary of an idea and the Master System was a better machine (I’ll fight that hill!)

The 16-bit generation was an iteration of 8-bit.

The PS1 was probably the most revolutionary console of all time.

The Dreamcast was the dawning of the modern era. It gave us proper online gaming, console MMO, motion controls, Arcade perfect home conversions, HD graphics, The VMU, cel shading and user generated content. It was also Sega firing all creative cylinders and there hasn’t been a console before or since that had such experimental software.

Microsoft took the baton from Sega and whilst the original Xbox wasn’t that much of a leap really from the Dreamcast in terms of features, the Xbox 360 was. That standardised everything about modern gaming.

Re: Rumour: Insider Says N64 Is Coming To Switch Online, Believes It Will Introduce A "Higher-Priced" Subscription Tier

RadioHedgeFund

@samuelvictor The top games haven’t aged badly at all. I still play Perfect Dark on my Xbox and it’s a tight FPS.

But there is a lot of aged software in the library that just doesn’t play as well in the modern day compared to GBA and SNES releases. 2D games obviously age better than their 3D counterparts.

But then I find that the PS1 hasn’t aged much either. FFVII-IX, MGS, Castlevania, Alundra, Soul Reaver, WipEout 1-3, Rollcage 2 etc all play as well as they ever did.

Re: Random: Nintendo Fan Collects Every Game Boy Game In Just Two Years

RadioHedgeFund

@Meteoroid Your first point is why copyright law needs to change from 100 years to 20 years unless the holder continues to publish new material within that franchise. Then it wouldn’t matter who the rights holders are to forgotten games. We could continue to preserve older titles and Nintendo can co to use to fleece customers for rereleases of older games.

Re: Random: Nintendo Fan Collects Every Game Boy Game In Just Two Years

RadioHedgeFund

@Meteoroid Nintendo likely earned money on the original hard copy of the ROM as well. All a repeated copy of data does is deny inflated profits for collectors.

My point is that the gaming preservation market is ridiculous. Companies should either make all their non-licenced ROMs available for current platforms at a low sub cost (which I would pay) or change their licencing to freeware after 20 years.

Its all very well having clever consoles like the Polymega when a lot of the games you want to play are only available at over-inflated collectors prices rendering the device largely moot.

Every collected 1st party GB, NES, SNES, GBA and N64 ROM comes it at maybe 2gb combined. Either provide a cheap legal way to play them on Switch or legally let us exchange ROMs of them.

All many of us want to do is play the games, not horde them from the world.

Re: Nintendo's Bringing Mario Kart Junior Esports Tournaments To UK Primary Schools

RadioHedgeFund

@Bunkerneath Its for STEM and PSHE. You can teach kids a lot about society and how to deal with negative emotions when playing 4-player Mario Kart. Race tracks are also a good way to introduce the concepts of level design into Design and Technology and ICT lessons. You can then elaborate on this and talk about urban design and the challenges city designers face in taking transportation into account.

As a Design and Technology teacher I use videogames as a starting point for lots of concepts. I even taught a lesson on custody battles in PSHE using Street Fighter 2.

Re: Now, This Is What Next-Gen Pokémon Should Look Like

RadioHedgeFund

All we've ever wanted for the last 25 years is the anime, but in game form. A game more like Witcher 3 in size, with seperate large areas in between the cities, wild Pokemon behaving like animals rather than just randomly sharing some long grass and maybe some Shadow of the Colossus-type climbing and action to capture the legendary pokemon. It can keep the classic turn based battling: This is what Ash does! Just vary the exploration.

Id like to see what Namco's Tales team could do with it.

Re: Soapbox: Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Was The Basis For My Taste In Music

RadioHedgeFund

It’s amazing the effect gaming can have on your musical tastes.

My interests were a mix of pop and indie until O heard the soundtrack to Wip3out in 1999 and it blew my mind. I heavily got into progressive trance and house because of that game and discovered tons of artists and DJs I still follow within that scene.

I think it was the release of SSX3 that got me back into rock and indie. Love me some Yellowcard and Placebo.

The most recent (?) is Forza Horizon. The OST to the original 2012 release is on constant repeat in my car. They created the perfect driving playlist within that game.

Re: You "Won't Believe" Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania's Next Character, Says Geoff Keighley

RadioHedgeFund

It has to be a classic Sega character. Billy Hatcher is a good bet but I’d also guess Alex Kidd, Vyse or Aika from Skies of Arcadia or Alis from Phantasy Star.

That said Sega do have a history of putting some proper left field secret characters in their games like the Horse in Daytona or even the Daytona car in Fighters Megamix. Heck, the final secret character in Sonic Racing 2 was a Dreamcast controller!