RainbowStarFlower

It looks really fun. Very much looking forward to trying this one. Playable Daisy too!

@NintendoByNature How is High on Life because I've heard very mixed things about it but I'm still quite curious to try it.

@TheBigBlue They aren't bad games but honestly, Nintendo are not doing these games a service launching them in this sub early-access state.

There's no real reason why people should wait for Daisy to appear in a Mario sports game when they're selling Smash Bros. with 70+ characters right out of the gate.

Perhaps if these games were sold at a lower price point, but the price and slim options available don't scream good value when Nintendo themselves release massive games for the same price.

There could have been a lot more single-player, offline material.

I'm not too fond of the FOMO structure revolving around customization options that encourages you to play the game online during spans of time in order to unlock items.

That said, the game is fun on its own. I really like volleyball.

Microids going all in on the nostalgia.

@Aawill91 It's less about just Activision exclusively, though Activision Blizzard is a far bigger conglomerate than you're presenting when you factor in what else they get.

It's more where the line is drawn. Activision is still one of the biggest gaming companies this side of Ubisoft and EA. Let this go through and what else are Microsoft allowed to purchase?

PlayStation and Xbox have healthy competition now but if Microsoft can continue to flaunt their wealth, they'll have all these major AAA games on Gamepass day 1.

@Wheatly Worth looking at the Xbox One version of the game for an idea. It runs at comparably 'low' settings, doesn't keep a stable framerate in single-player or multi-player, sometimes dropping to 30fps in some campaign levels.

I feel like a Switch version would be looking at 30fps for the most part. Can't say I disagree with CMA here when they say the Switch version won't be comparable to PlayStation or Xbox iterations of the same game.

@Gelantious It's the IW 9.0 engine.

It's Infinity Ward's proprietary game engine.

@Johnno137426 To be fair, although CoD Wii had a very cool community of players, those games were particularly lighter in terms of content.

Cut game modes, cut kill streaks, features like killcams just omitted entirely.

https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Differences_of_Call_of_Duty_games_on_the_Wii

With how complex MW2 is now, I think the CMA's statement is probably fair as it concerns current hardware.

They're not wrong, to be fair. Without serious cuts, I couldn't see Modern Warfare II running on the current Switch model.

Even the last gen PS4 and Xbox One consoles have to drop larger game modes like Ground War down to 30fps

On the current platform, something akin to CoD Mobile might be more suited than a dramatically downgraded MW2.

@TheJGG Of the games in the series, it is played the most competitively. In fact, it remains one of the longest standing competitive games in Nintendo's history.

I suppose a better solution might be learn from the high skill ceiling and mad tech of Melee when producing a new Smash Bros, rather than remastering the older game.

@nomither6 It's a public forum.

The point is, Sony are doing fine. They're buying up studios, releasing big games. It may not be to your taste, but that's not really going to be solved with Microsoft amassing a big chunk of the industry.

Both Microsoft and Sony have some very promising talent under their belt (Already Sony put out Season this year while Microsoft release Hi-Fi Rush). They've got big games on the horizon like Starfield and Spider-Man 2. They can have competition like that without buying up every major player in the industry.

@BenAV One thing I will say, this isn't like a Sim City situation where a Cities Skyline can swoop in and take the crown.

Pokémon is still massive and enjoyed by a lot of people. Is the quality slipping? That's certainly up for debate. It would be nice to have more competition in the monster collecting subgenre, though.

@IndoorEnthusiast Microsoft have a decent relationship with Nintendo. Do I think you're right? Yeah, probably. I do think it was a tactic to show their inclusivity in striking back at Sony's refute.

You certainly don't see them rushing to get Outer Worlds 2 or Redfall onto anything other than Microsoft services and systems, though. So I'd hold my breath on how far that inclusivity goes.

@JayJ I'm not even going to entertain any of that garbage. Frankly, you know nothing about my taste or interest in gaming. How you think Sony has a monopoly on gaming is beyond me: https://companiesmarketcap.com/video-games/largest-video-game-companies-by-market-cap/

Microsoft is one of the largest tech companies in the world. They can throw 69 billion dollars to the wall. They've already purchased Minecraft and Zenimax for a whopping amount of cash each. If they continue this trend, they'll whip up whoever they can. EA, Sega, God only knows. At some point, a line needs to be drawn on these acquisitions.

I want Call of Duty to appear on as many systems as it can. I think Activision should do that regardless of whether Microsoft is involved.

And for the record, I'll be buying plenty of Microsoft and Sony published games this year. I think it is good when there is healthy competition among the top competitors. That does not involve cannibalising some of the biggest businesses in the industry. Microsoft are more than welcome to my money because 1. Windows is great and I'm using it now and 2. They are publishing great games on Windows.

@JayJ Sony absolutely does not have a monopoly on the industry.

"They have control over regulators and can make them block competitors deals if they start to threaten their industry lead: fact. " That's not a fact. That's a conspiracy.

"They are aggressively buying up smaller studios: fact." That is inconsequential when they're not buying up some of the biggest IPs in the industry. (Minecraft, Elder Scrolls, attempting to buy Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft, DOTA, Overwatch etc.). Activision and King are two massive market holders in the industry, alongside EA and Ubisoft. Microsoft owning them - it's the equivalent of Disney buying up the likes of Fox.

Sony's most recent acquisitions include Firewatch Studios and Haven Studios. Neither of which have yet to release a game. It's hardly the same as acquiring Activision, that spans multiple studios and multiple massive IPs.

"When one company can dominate an entire industry, it's the people who lose." Yes. That is why Microsoft being allowed to acquire a conglomerate as massive as Activision is a bad thing.

Neither Sony or Microsoft are "Good guys". They're businesses in the business of making money.

@RubyCarbuncle It's always funny when ads like that actually come through. 9/10 times the ads are totally passable but then there's that rare instance where they actually introduce something interesting.

Early reviews seem to suggest this game is brilliant. I might give it a try!

@Jireland92 PC = Microsoft, really.

So long as you're playing on Windows, that's all Microsoft really cares about.

@nomither6 Don't be fooled into thinking Microsoft's monopoly will somehow light a fuse in Sony that makes them develop a console you like, dude.

Sony don't have the money to flaunt and buy 60 billion dollar companies. If you're not satisfied with Sony's IPs, don't point fingers and say "Why can't Sony buy Elder Scrolls?"

@Aawill91 It's not about what Activision do for the players. It's about the independence of single entities rather than massive media conglomerates having monopolized the entire AAA industry.

Zenimax was a huge get for Microsoft. Activision would have been massive, too. We already have future Obsidian, Bethesda and Arkane games all exclusive to Xbox and PC. These aren't some small studios and IPs Microsoft are buying up. They're buying up IPs that have huge value, which is one of the reasons why this deal isn't going through. Monopolies aren't good.

@nomither6 I'm not sure I would say Microsoft being blocked in attempting to further monopolize the major budget market is a sad day...

Probably best we have more singular entities, not less...

That's a relief. Microsoft will obviously appeal but it has been a fun story to follow. These massive takeovers are crazy and I don't think they're in the best interest of the players.

@MidnightDragonDX I sure wouldn't, and I can't see the majority of Call of Duty fans doing so either.

However, there was a tight-knit community of Nintendo Call of Duty players on Wii and Wii U. They might want to relive that experience again. Especially if they bring back motion aiming. (For the record, the PS5 version of the game does support gyro controls).

Well, it looks like the deal has reached a possible conclusion: https://www.eurogamer.net/uk-blocks-microsoft-activision-blizzard-deal

Microsoft intend to appeal but we will see. Call of Duty was too lucrative after all. Wonder whether Activision will still move forward with plans to bring the series to Nintendo consoles again.

@michellelynn0976 I guess well is just relative in the end. I don't think it runs well enough considering how it looks. At least, that's speaking for the 1.2 update. I haven't tried 1.3 yet but the reports I'm seeing say it's much the same.

@Adol-Bannings Might No. 9 has a pretty cool concept, I think. The risk-reward mechanic of playing fast and aggressive by dashing into stunned enemies. It gets me to keep moving.

I will say though that the quality of the finished game doesn't stack up to the budget. It's not a good looking game for the most part, despite having all the budget there to polish it up a while longer.

It's definitely undercooked and a bit wonky in parts. Head scratching when you reach one of the later stages only accessible after you beat each of the bosses and get a tutorial for a mechanic you only use once in that one section pop up.

@Wilforce I'm not sure he was ever a developer. He is a graphic designer, I believe. Of course, his primary role for a long time now has been a producer.

As you said, he mainly overlooks and advises on the development process of video games; basically ensuring that the development is going smoothly.

The attempt to create a more Westernized market for Capcom and the mess of Mighty No. 9 that followed in later years has given his name a bad rap. Although, he has produced some good titles such as Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 and 3.

Switch Up have released their performance review. Seems to be much the same as before.

https://youtu.be/OTeJIeuXfzU

Nintendo are very tight when it comes to derivatives or copies of their work. While other developers are happy to allow, or even totally embrace this form of art, Nintendo do not.

From what I have seen, the Breath of the Wild modding community looks really cool. The playable Zelda mod in particular is awesome. People who love a game and invest their time in producing their own spin-off ideas from it are great.

Lot of great developers and great games came from the art of game mods.

DOTA 2, Portal, DayZ, Counter-Strike, Chivalry, The Forgotten City, Team Fortress, and The Stanley Parable to name a few.

Anyone saying modding or modders aren't real gamers has no clue what they're talking about.

@RobynAlecksys

I don't like how people are making assumptions about what people have/ have not played or their history in gaming.

In my personal opinion, a game that looks this bad launching in 2022 should at the very least have a reasonable performance. The fact that it both looks bad and performs poorly, on top of being one of the biggest video game franchises going, is bad form all together. I might expect this from an independent studio launching on multiple SKUs. Not a long established dev team that only had one SKU to consider.

You can call that spoiled or entitled but frankly, they're being outclassed by their peers. It's not just that the game's framerate is subpar, the whole game looks poor on top of that.

Thanks for the run down, Alana.

I'm going to pick up Advance Wars and Coffee Talk 2.

Very cool. I am on the final chapter of the game now and taking my time on side-quests but it looks like I'll be finished just in time for the new campaign.

@RubyCarbuncle It's not just the performance for me, either. The game is really unappealing to look at. I had a good time playing it despite that but it was impossible to get immersed in the world despite all the efforts gone into making it a more organic and seamless world.

@NIN10DOXD I loved the sparse and tranquil soundtrack of Breath of the Wild. I thought it suited the game perfectly. It also calls to attention the great sound design of the game.

I wish more open world games had these complimentary scores that paired well with the acoustic ambience.

@michellelynn0976 Depends on what you mean by 'good'.

I think it runs quite poorly. If it at least had detailed environments and interesting geometry like Xenoblade Chronicles, I may understand and concede.

But it both looks and runs poorly. I dunno. Just doesn't reach the bar of quality I'd expect.

Many interesting games there I'd like to try. Rift of the Necrodancer looks awesome.

@ChromaticDracula It's frustrating because the bones of a fun experience are there but the aesthetics and graphics are very poor and kill the immersion.

I was playing multiplayer with my niece (it's her first Pokemon game) and that was such a delightful experience. Exactly the sort of place I'd like the series to continue heading in. Being able to watch her battle from my trainer's perspective is very cool.

... But the game looks terrible. It really is a low quality production.

Still holding out hope for a performance patch if it's possible at this point.

Also, there's a random bug where opponent trainers will spin on the spot before issuing a command to their Pokemon. It has been there since launch and it wasn't addressed in the 1.2 release. Hopefully they've patched it now. It's inconsequential but it looks goofy.

@antisumo Me too! And as JohnnyMind mentioned, also interested in Rune Factory 3.

@antisumo So true. It has very much been a while since I could say a Harvest Moon game has potential. Just not the same as it was back in the day.

@antisumo I will say, and my fingers are crossed very tightly, but the new Harvest Moon screenshots look kind of impressive? I mean, it certainly looks a lot better than the last decade of Harvest Moon games.

@ComfyAko Personally, SV has the deeper writing. Shane's story in particular hits really hard. Never seen Harvest Moon tackle such impactful topics.

That said, both are great at what they set out to do. Though, I think with the caves and combat, SV probably has more in common with Rune Factory.

@JohnnyMind I haven't played that game either but I've heard from fans that it is one of the best entries in the Rune Factory series.

I'd love if Capcom brought over Megaman Legends. I never got to try them myself but they look positively charming.

@JohnnyMind I am in the same boat. Even in this genre alone, there are a number of interesting titles still to come this year. I'm not sure this one is catching my eye as much as, for example, the 'Wonderful Life' remake.

It's really hard to compete in this space with so many games releasing in this genre. Is it just me or does the movement look kind of slippery?

Very cool! Thanks for sharing the word, Alana. I'd like to pick this collection up.

@Donutman That's it. I'm sure there are always folks out there looking for games like this. Been a while since Hyper Light Drifter came out, and Hyper Light Breaker is in a different perspective.

I love that there are speed runner options being added. It's always fascinating to see speed runners plays these licenced games. Shrek comes to mind. 😅