@liveswired I always found it really dull. This has been an ongoing feature for me for years with Nintendo multiplayer games. The only Mario Kart I have enjoyed in 2-player is Battle Mode on the SNES (which is AWESOME) and co-op on Double Dash. Just racing each other isn't that great. Smash is another game that gets more fun the more players you add. Co-op however remains a good shout. Perfect Dark however was a lot more fun on 2-player because you could add in teams of bots and order them to attack!
Some of my favourite 2-player vs. games have small levels designed to alleviate the lack of extra bodies. Medal of Honor on the PS1, Winback and even Red Steel on the Wii all had tight level design.
Special mention to Red Faction on the PS2 as well. That had destructable environments and this one level set in a valley with 2 fortresses at either end chock full of rocket launcher ammo. Thus you would spend the game firing rockets at each others' bases until there was nowhere to hide. Brilliant!
As a counter-point I'd like so suggest that the multiplayer, specifically when played with 2 players is a lot of fun. You can get into some really tense firefights and the smaller levels lend itself well to duals.
Pulling off a good 2-player vs mode in a shooter is suprisingly difficult. GoldenEye was rubbish in 2-player and the levels in Halo CE were far too big.
Expand the roster all you like but this is still the best one. Plenty of secrets, lovely trophy museum and a meaty single player mode.
Ultimate wasn't so ultimate because it didn't have any museum mode (which could easily have been written and patched in over the last 3 years) nor a solid single player adventure mode.
This is a particularly unfair poll. Ok maybe Triforce Heroes isn't the greatest game ever but every other Zelda is a stone cold classic. I voted for 1 and 2 because I don't get on with them but upon release these titles were groundbreaking! Zelda 2 was different but even in the 1980's Nintendo weren't willing to rest on their laurels.
There are no 'bad' Zelda games, only ones that are not quite as good as the rest and that's saying a lot when the best Zelda games are pretty much the greatest videogames ever created!
Surely as an artist creativity is more important than raw power? You don't see painters not creating a masterpiece because they don't have the best brushes.
@rockodoodle The thing is if it was anyone other than Nintendo there would be hell to pay and yet we give them a free pass, partially out of sentiment and partially out of how bloody good their games continue to be. It annoys me no end I can't take any enjoyment out of the Switch because for me to use it I need to be tethered to the TV with a chinese knock-off Pro controller I bought on Amazon which is amazing.
@rockodoodle There are a mountain of issues I have with the Switch. Joycon drift should have been Nintendo's RROD but it never seemed to have gotten that far. Their online service and game sharing remains a joke. I still have an ongoing Animal Crossing save corruption issue that they haven't patched and 6 months of back-and-forth emails with NOE didn't get me a refund. (Its not my console because this is the only game affected)
Its a pain because I still really like their games. Thus I dug my Wii out, bought it an HDMI dongle and went back to a happier time.
@NEStalgia I have 3 Xboxen and as long as my gamertag is on them all then others can play my downloads no problem. Having to be connected to the internet isn't an inconvenience on a home console.
Nintendo's ***** requirement for a portable to require it is one of the dafest things theyve ever done.
@NEStalgia If my account is on 2-3 different Xbox or PlayStation consoles around my house anyone else logged in can play the games I have purchased without limits with their own saves, profiles etc.
With the Switch it gets tougher. Say I buy a Lite model for myself and leave the main one for the family. If I make the Lite console my 'Primary' console none of my purchases (even free games like Fortnite!) will work on the family console. If I set the family console as my Primary my Switch Lite has to be connected to the internet to play any of my purchases.
A portable console that needs a constant internet connection isn't very portable. I took mine back to the shop on this very basis.
I really want to love the Nintendo Switch and yet no amount of really good (really good) software can cover up the shonky job they did with the Joycons, the save deletion bug in Animal Crossing that still hasn't been patched and the utterly useless game sharing policy that means any additional consoles you buy need to be connected to the internet to play your eshop purchases which is the dumbest design decision ever for a PORTABLE CONSOLE.
So this gen I wash my hands and go back to Microsoft who have a straightforward game sharing feature, the ability to play all my Xbox games on my phone with a controller and a proper online network.
It was only 3rd party games that shoved the waggle in. You can't bowl well in Wii Sports blindly waggling the remote. Resort too it one step further. Some of those later Table Tennis CPU opponents are nearly unbeatable if you're not on top of things.
Copyright law needs changing so that if a game is unavailable to purchase new from any licenced vendor across the internet or otherwise in such a way that the original creators get their fair cut of profits then players are free to do whatever they want with the ROM, from playing it to pulling it apart.
There are thousands of dead end games out there that publishers don't give a toss about. Let us legally play them.
Software licencing also needs changing so that it applies to any platform. I can legally play backups of physical media but not copies of digital purchases. Again, needs changing.
I feel the overworld changes are a positive. The beauty of the top-down games was you could fill in the blanks with your imagination. You pictured in your head all the Pokemon interacting with each other like proper wildlife and all was good.
When they added spawning creatures to the grass it completely flips the scenario: why are these Pokemon all hanging around in one patch of grass? Why aren't they in the trees or the sky? It ruins that illusion.
GTA is a fun world to muck around in but, Vice City aside it normally had an appallingly immature storyline designed to grab the attention of teenagers rather than adults with its gratuity. Thankfully we are past that generation where mature equalled more blood and boobs.
One could argue that Animal Crossing is, by modern standards a more mature game. You have to pay a mortgage, manage your finances and cultivate relationships with your neighbours. This is what being an adult is all about.
Then riddle me this Nintendo: Out of all my consoles that have well worn analog sticks including my PS1, Dreamcast, GameCube, PSP, Wii, 3DS, Xbox 360 and Switch only the latter has ever suffered stick drift?
Although it won't happen if I saw it for less than £40 I'd bite just to play LA again in its original glory. I can see why LTTP isn't included given the limited control options but had they included the Oracle games (which you can buy on 3DS) then I'd be all over this.
I've tried repeatedly to get into Zelda 1 and 2 and whilst interesting from a historical perspective I just don't find them very playable compared to other games of the era like Golvellius. Nostalgia might play a part here and I was (and still am) a blue blooded Sega kid during the 8 and 16bit eras so I don't look upon it quite as fondly.
Metroid Prime Trilogy might launch next year too. Prime 4 will end up as a launch title for the next console. I wouldn't expect it on Switch.
I am of 2 minds. I want to be excited about new Nintendo releases but I'm still sore about the crappy controllers and the ongoing save corruption debacle with ACNH they still refuse to patch.
@YANDMAN Its the worldbuilding that drew me into WipEout. the original is an ok-ish racing game but the additional things like the quotes in the instruction manual detailing the fictional history of AG technology and racing really drew me into a believable future.
The 3rd game in the series really shifted my musical tastes as well.
@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.
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.
@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.
@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.
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
@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.
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 scariest game on the Switch isn't even a game; it is living with the constant spectre of your Joycons knackering and having to live without them for 2 weeks whilst Nintendo repair them ,,🤣
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.
@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.
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.
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.
@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.
@Nico07 I spent £75 on Majoras Mask at launch and £60 on Perfect Dark, the greatest FPS ever created. I know the N64.
But it’s complete lack of RPGs, decent racing titles and cheaper games made it not as good. Ocarina was the defining piece of software of the 1990’s but I would argue Final Fantasy VII had just as much impact.
Comments 1,818
Re: Monster Hunter Rise Update Version 3.7 Sets Up Holiday Additions
Which holiday?
Re: Mini Review: WinBack: Covert Operations - Omega Force's Overlooked And Influential Cover Shooter
@liveswired I always found it really dull. This has been an ongoing feature for me for years with Nintendo multiplayer games. The only Mario Kart I have enjoyed in 2-player is Battle Mode on the SNES (which is AWESOME) and co-op on Double Dash. Just racing each other isn't that great. Smash is another game that gets more fun the more players you add. Co-op however remains a good shout. Perfect Dark however was a lot more fun on 2-player because you could add in teams of bots and order them to attack!
Some of my favourite 2-player vs. games have small levels designed to alleviate the lack of extra bodies. Medal of Honor on the PS1, Winback and even Red Steel on the Wii all had tight level design.
Special mention to Red Faction on the PS2 as well. That had destructable environments and this one level set in a valley with 2 fortresses at either end chock full of rocket launcher ammo. Thus you would spend the game firing rockets at each others' bases until there was nowhere to hide. Brilliant!
Re: Mini Review: WinBack: Covert Operations - Omega Force's Overlooked And Influential Cover Shooter
As a counter-point I'd like so suggest that the multiplayer, specifically when played with 2 players is a lot of fun. You can get into some really tense firefights and the smaller levels lend itself well to duals.
Pulling off a good 2-player vs mode in a shooter is suprisingly difficult. GoldenEye was rubbish in 2-player and the levels in Halo CE were far too big.
Re: Anniversary: Super Smash Bros. Melee Launched 20 Years Ago Today In North America
Expand the roster all you like but this is still the best one. Plenty of secrets, lovely trophy museum and a meaty single player mode.
Ultimate wasn't so ultimate because it didn't have any museum mode (which could easily have been written and patched in over the last 3 years) nor a solid single player adventure mode.
Re: Poll: What's The Worst Legend Of Zelda Game?
This is a particularly unfair poll. Ok maybe Triforce Heroes isn't the greatest game ever but every other Zelda is a stone cold classic. I voted for 1 and 2 because I don't get on with them but upon release these titles were groundbreaking! Zelda 2 was different but even in the 1980's Nintendo weren't willing to rest on their laurels.
There are no 'bad' Zelda games, only ones that are not quite as good as the rest and that's saying a lot when the best Zelda games are pretty much the greatest videogames ever created!
Re: Free Alternate Costumes Are Coming "Very Soon" To Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
@JoeSooper what's wrong with looking like a girl?
Re: Former Metroid Prime Engineer Admits He Was "Disappointed" With The Wii's Specs
Surely as an artist creativity is more important than raw power? You don't see painters not creating a masterpiece because they don't have the best brushes.
Re: Talking Point: 5 Reasons That Nintendo Switch Is Still A Hot Product
@rockodoodle The thing is if it was anyone other than Nintendo there would be hell to pay and yet we give them a free pass, partially out of sentiment and partially out of how bloody good their games continue to be. It annoys me no end I can't take any enjoyment out of the Switch because for me to use it I need to be tethered to the TV with a chinese knock-off Pro controller I bought on Amazon which is amazing.
Re: Talking Point: 5 Reasons That Nintendo Switch Is Still A Hot Product
@rockodoodle There are a mountain of issues I have with the Switch. Joycon drift should have been Nintendo's RROD but it never seemed to have gotten that far. Their online service and game sharing remains a joke. I still have an ongoing Animal Crossing save corruption issue that they haven't patched and 6 months of back-and-forth emails with NOE didn't get me a refund. (Its not my console because this is the only game affected)
Its a pain because I still really like their games. Thus I dug my Wii out, bought it an HDMI dongle and went back to a happier time.
Re: Talking Point: 5 Reasons That Nintendo Switch Is Still A Hot Product
@NEStalgia I have 3 Xboxen and as long as my gamertag is on them all then others can play my downloads no problem. Having to be connected to the internet isn't an inconvenience on a home console.
Nintendo's ***** requirement for a portable to require it is one of the dafest things theyve ever done.
Re: Interactive Thriller Twelve Minutes Releases On Switch This December
Played the Xbox version and it's really good!
Re: Looks Like Street Fighter VI Will Be Revealed Next Year, But Will It Come To Switch?
A console with no d-pad and an analog stick that will Shoryuken when you meant to Hadoken?
I wouldnt bet on it.
Re: Talking Point: 5 Reasons That Nintendo Switch Is Still A Hot Product
@NEStalgia If my account is on 2-3 different Xbox or PlayStation consoles around my house anyone else logged in can play the games I have purchased without limits with their own saves, profiles etc.
With the Switch it gets tougher. Say I buy a Lite model for myself and leave the main one for the family. If I make the Lite console my 'Primary' console none of my purchases (even free games like Fortnite!) will work on the family console. If I set the family console as my Primary my Switch Lite has to be connected to the internet to play any of my purchases.
A portable console that needs a constant internet connection isn't very portable. I took mine back to the shop on this very basis.
Re: Talking Point: 5 Reasons That Nintendo Switch Is Still A Hot Product
I really want to love the Nintendo Switch and yet no amount of really good (really good) software can cover up the shonky job they did with the Joycons, the save deletion bug in Animal Crossing that still hasn't been patched and the utterly useless game sharing policy that means any additional consoles you buy need to be connected to the internet to play your eshop purchases which is the dumbest design decision ever for a PORTABLE CONSOLE.
So this gen I wash my hands and go back to Microsoft who have a straightforward game sharing feature, the ability to play all my Xbox games on my phone with a controller and a proper online network.
Re: Feature: 14 Wii Games That Deserve Switch Ports
Fun fact: despite magazines like ONM and Edge getting PAL review code Excitebots and Trauma Center 2 never received an official release.
Re: Soapbox: Wii Sports Wasn't Just Waggle, It Was An Important Gateway To Gaming
It was only 3rd party games that shoved the waggle in. You can't bowl well in Wii Sports blindly waggling the remote. Resort too it one step further. Some of those later Table Tennis CPU opponents are nearly unbeatable if you're not on top of things.
Re: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Calls For Industry-Wide Support Of Game Preservation Via Emulation
Copyright law needs changing so that if a game is unavailable to purchase new from any licenced vendor across the internet or otherwise in such a way that the original creators get their fair cut of profits then players are free to do whatever they want with the ROM, from playing it to pulling it apart.
There are thousands of dead end games out there that publishers don't give a toss about. Let us legally play them.
Software licencing also needs changing so that it applies to any platform. I can legally play backups of physical media but not copies of digital purchases. Again, needs changing.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Pokémon Game Ever?
Silver on the Gameboy. End of. 2 whole regions to explore, loads of new mon, day and night cycle etc etc.
Series has been downhill ever since.
Re: Review: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl - A Middling Pair Of Remakes
I feel the overworld changes are a positive. The beauty of the top-down games was you could fill in the blanks with your imagination. You pictured in your head all the Pokemon interacting with each other like proper wildlife and all was good.
When they added spawning creatures to the grass it completely flips the scenario: why are these Pokemon all hanging around in one patch of grass? Why aren't they in the trees or the sky? It ruins that illusion.
Re: Soapbox: Even If GTA Trilogy Were Perfect, I'd Rather Be Shooting Balloons And Burying Gyroids
GTA is a fun world to muck around in but, Vice City aside it normally had an appallingly immature storyline designed to grab the attention of teenagers rather than adults with its gratuity. Thankfully we are past that generation where mature equalled more blood and boobs.
One could argue that Animal Crossing is, by modern standards a more mature game. You have to pay a mortgage, manage your finances and cultivate relationships with your neighbours. This is what being an adult is all about.
Re: Doug Bowser Comments On The Battle Against Joy-Con Drift, Says Nintendo Are Making "Continuous Improvements"
Then riddle me this Nintendo: Out of all my consoles that have well worn analog sticks including my PS1, Dreamcast, GameCube, PSP, Wii, 3DS, Xbox 360 and Switch only the latter has ever suffered stick drift?
Re: Random: Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai Just Bought An Xbox Series X
Perhaps he wants a cutting edge machine who's controllers won't break after 3 months of use?
Re: Hardware Review: Game & Watch: The Legend Of Zelda - A Link To Link's Past
@Eel Thats interesting to know! I might give it a go then based on that....
Re: Hardware Review: Game & Watch: The Legend Of Zelda - A Link To Link's Past
Although it won't happen if I saw it for less than £40 I'd bite just to play LA again in its original glory. I can see why LTTP isn't included given the limited control options but had they included the Oracle games (which you can buy on 3DS) then I'd be all over this.
I've tried repeatedly to get into Zelda 1 and 2 and whilst interesting from a historical perspective I just don't find them very playable compared to other games of the era like Golvellius. Nostalgia might play a part here and I was (and still am) a blue blooded Sega kid during the 8 and 16bit eras so I don't look upon it quite as fondly.
Re: Nintendo Reminds Us Of Switch's Upcoming Releases, And 2022's Looking Pretty Mighty
Metroid Prime Trilogy might launch next year too. Prime 4 will end up as a launch title for the next console. I wouldn't expect it on Switch.
I am of 2 minds. I want to be excited about new Nintendo releases but I'm still sore about the crappy controllers and the ongoing save corruption debacle with ACNH they still refuse to patch.
Re: 'Aero GPX' Is One Man's Vision Of 'F-Zero' Reborn, And It Could Come To Switch
@YANDMAN Its the worldbuilding that drew me into WipEout. the original is an ok-ish racing game but the additional things like the quotes in the instruction manual detailing the fictional history of AG technology and racing really drew me into a believable future.
The 3rd game in the series really shifted my musical tastes as well.
Re: 'Aero GPX' Is One Man's Vision Of 'F-Zero' Reborn, And It Could Come To Switch
@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
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
@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
@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?
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: PSA: Watch Out! Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl Leaks Are All Over The Internet
Er, I think leaks from a game that came out in 2006 are the least of our worries.
Re: Random: Animal Crossing Players Spot Discord In The Latest Update
Now if they could just make a logo that doesn't look like the nose of a pig....
Re: Review: Super Mario 64 - The Best Launch Game Ever Made
@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: Mario Kart 64 - Frantic, Formative Four-Player Karting Chaos
I would argue the worst of the entire series. Not half as much variety as Diddy Kong Racing. Not as much fun as Rollcage Stage 2 in multiplayer.
Re: Review: Super Mario 64 - The Best Launch Game Ever Made
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: The Scariest Game On Every Nintendo Home Console
The scariest game on the Switch isn't even a game; it is living with the constant spectre of your Joycons knackering and having to live without them for 2 weeks whilst Nintendo repair them ,,🤣
Re: Rockstar Officially Announces Grand Theft Auto Trilogy For Switch
@OorWullie Even if you ignore the story you can just put the cheats in and try to rack up a big police chase!
Re: Talking Point: #ThankYouSakurai For Smash Ultimate, Now He Should Choose His Own Path
3 years, over a hundred characters and still they couldn’t find an intern to type up text for a museum mode.
Re: Sakurai Invites Everyone To Watch Smash's Final Reveal, Whether You Play The Game Or Not
ALEX KIDD!
ALEX KIDD!
Re: Feature: What Is The Zelda 'Formula'? We Break Down The Secret Recipe
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:
Re: Soapbox: Wave Race 64 Is Now 25 Years Old, And It Still Rules
Another N64 classic ran over and destroyed by its superior GameCube sequel.
I got Blue Storm and Rogue Leader with my GC and whilst they were both nails, I persevered with WRBS and got really good at it.
Re: Every Nintendo Switch Online N64 Game Ranked
Winback should be higher. Genuinely one of the all time great 2-player deathmatch games.
Have you ever played MK64 Mano-a-mano? It’s one of the dullest experiences in gaming.
Re: Random: Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max Has A Larger Battery Capacity Than The Nintendo Switch
@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
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?
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: Retro Shooter ExZeus Has Been Polished Up For A September Switch Re-Release
This is great news. I played the original on iOS yonks ago and it was a lot of fun.
Re: Rumour: Insider Says N64 Is Coming To Switch Online, Believes It Will Introduce A "Higher-Priced" Subscription Tier
@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: Sega To Announce "New RPG" At This Year's Tokyo Game Show
SKIES OF ARCADIA 2!
Re: Rumour: Insider Says N64 Is Coming To Switch Online, Believes It Will Introduce A "Higher-Priced" Subscription Tier
@Nico07 I spent £75 on Majoras Mask at launch and £60 on Perfect Dark, the greatest FPS ever created. I know the N64.
But it’s complete lack of RPGs, decent racing titles and cheaper games made it not as good. Ocarina was the defining piece of software of the 1990’s but I would argue Final Fantasy VII had just as much impact.