Robokku

Robokku

NL contributor since 2017

Comments 199

Re: Teardown Suggests The Switch OLED Dock Is 4K 60fps-Ready And 'Future Proof'

Robokku

@Damo @Heavyarms55 as a Switch 4K sceptic, that’s the only mystery for me in all this – where the Bloomberg report came from. Without wishing to get all conspiracy theorist, Nintendo’s denial of the story is exactly what they’d do if they had another Switch model on the way. (Track record with 3DS XL?) But it wouldn't be the first time Bloomberg have gone out in a limb with anonymous sources that other outlets have failed to verify either. (Cf “The Big Hack” reporting massive compromise of Apple and others a couple of years ago.)

Re: Teardown Suggests The Switch OLED Dock Is 4K 60fps-Ready And 'Future Proof'

Robokku

I’m a big 4K sceptic when it comes to Switch. Nintendo hasn’t been motivated by tech specs or shown any desire to be technically cutting edge since the GameCube. It’s all about user experience – specifically about ways to play. More than any other major games company, they want to make something you hold in your hands: consoles, kooky controllers, papercraft toys, RC karts…

The 4K stat is too ethereal. Most switch users won’t occupy the ven nook of “has big tv / plays docked / actually notices if something’s 4K”.

The only way it makes sense to me is if “Switch 4K model” is a dock upgrade like “Switch OLED Model” but for people who mostly play docked. In which case, they should build the upscaler into the dock. No need to soup up the handheld. Which would be pretty awesome, and I wouldn’t need to regret getting the OLED!

Re: Soapbox: Wave Race 64 Is Now 25 Years Old, And It Still Rules

Robokku

Wave Race, yes; 1080°, yes. Excitebike 64 also deserves a mention, though – another game where you could really feel the track. Add Mario Kart, F-Zero X… Nintendo doesn’t get enough credit for the insane standard of arcade racers on N64. So much potential for NSO revivals with online racing and leaderboards…

Re: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Deserted Island Diary Releases Later This Month

Robokku

@Snatcher Since you asked (like, 4 months ago…), gonna give my take on New Horizons, too.

This was my first proper AC. I had dabbled in friends’ games before but not had my own. I was really surprised how much disappointment there is. The things people miss from previous games – pretend talking to computer animals, having NPCs change their stupid buildings, etc. – are exactly not the things I would want more of. I just want to build.

My island is like the Sagrada Familia – a work of unparalleled genius and beauty but, tragically, perhaps never to be completed.

If I do say so myself.

But, though – BUT. The reason I have had [let’s say “several”] hours of fun in ACNH is 100% down to Nookazon. I traded turnips to get mega-rich (I wrote an article about it on NL last year) and still now can afford absolutely anything I want whenever I want it. The trading process is insanely longwinded, but seeing people’s islands and showing mine while we trade is what keeps it acceptable.

So, on reflection, I think I’m playing a game Nintendo didn’t even design. I have no idea what it would be like to play without just having everything you want at all times. I guess this is how Elon Musk feels.

Re: Mini Review: Hoa - A Gentle Platformer With Stunning Studio Ghibli-Esque Art

Robokku

@60frames-please haha! Yeah this might not be one for you! I’d say in Its defence that it’s a low-action platformer so your reflexes aren’t going to be thrown by the frame rate, and the hand-drawn animation style is obviously entirely suited to fewer frames per second. It’s feels great to play, too.

A couple of stutters early on set alarm bells ringing, but they either stopped happening or I stopped noticing. I don’t think you’ll like it, but I can’t see it being a significant issue for most people.

Re: Mini Review: ISLANDERS Console Edition - Serene, Superb, And More 'Tetris' Than 'SimCity'

Robokku

@nocdaes that’s fair enough! I actually watched some videos of people acing the PC version before I twigged the depth of strategy involved. For me this is a game that builds from tiny increments on many levels. Each move is tactical, building to strategy, each small saved space combines to a good location for a larger piece to come in, and on the surface level of the game you place small buildings one by one to build a sprawling town.

I actually put it down as an 8 until I came to write the negatives at the end. I struggled to think of any. I think I had capped it at an 8 in my head because the core mechanic is so simple and the basic loop so short that it was almost like a mobile game – and I therefore thought it couldn’t get an excellent score. On reflection, I realised that wasn’t fair and I stuck my neck out with a 9 – which I’m happy with.

Totally get your point of view though and others might want to consider it!

Re: Soapbox: Animal Crossing Is A Daily Delight, But These Aren't Really 'Updates', Are They?

Robokku

New Horizons is my first AC so maybe I don’t know what I’m missing, but I love it. However, I’m well aware that I’m “playing it wrong”.

I base my play around two things: island design (still an unfinished project after all this time – it’s like the Sagrada Familia) and Nookazon trading.

I don’t bother with collecting and grinding – my grind is Nookazon browsing and trading commodities so I can buy the stuff I want. Or just to play at making big NMT deals for its own sake.

Basically, I’m playing a game that Nintendo didn’t actually make.

Re: Review: A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism - Switch Tracks With This Complex Business Sim

Robokku

@romanista wow, well I’m glad my brief explanation passed muster with an expert! I didn’t get into what that does for urban development – but then I would definitely have been out of my depth. Re environmental impact: well done finding a criticism for lack of detail in this game!

Also, you’re right that the demo is generous (a few hours at least?) and well worth getting for anyone curious.

Re: Best Of 2020: 6 Things My Three-Year-Old Taught Me About Video Games, Via Animal Crossing

Robokku

@Ogbert
If you consider the content, characters, marketing and social media around the games mentioned, you will see that it is still very normal to “feel that way” about which audiences games seem to be intended for. The narrator of the article considers it a test of self-confidence to challenge mainstream views – implying specifically that he shares your frustration with still-prevalent attitudes.

He is “failing … despicably” for not mounting that challenge: the article couldn’t be further from championing the imagined viewpoint that saddens you.

What’s more, you have chosen to focus entirely on the “man”, rather than the “grown”, where adulthood is the more relevant topic – as made obvious by the title of the article, which alludes to themes of parenting.

Further, on that theme, the opening paragraph is designed to set the narrator up as a flawed character, who will then be shown the light by the unexpected wisdom of his own child.

It’s not a literary masterpiece, but since it got an overwhelmingly positive response and has been featured in the Best of 2020, I think it’s fair to say that it basically worked.

The professionalism you refer to is what means you get all that attention to good structure despite the fact that it’s just a quick, lighthearted read. Enjoy!

Re: Feature: Ace Attorney's Hidden Legacy: The Evidence Capcom Didn't Present To The West

Robokku

@Terra great article, thanks! Really thorough. Have to say I still find it hard to believe, though The reasons not to localise it are just too strong. Just the likely effort vs the probably quite small market is a big one to get over for me. But I really hope this does come out. It’s a really gorgeous game with brilliant 3D visuals and great soundtrack.

Hmmmm… Actually, having said that, my head is still stuck in the 3DS version. The economics on console maybe don’t make sense, but once you start counting phones and look beyond Nintendo, things start to add up. Maybe we will get to eat our hamburgers after all.

(Shame about the 3D though…)

Re: Random: Sorry, Mario Kart Live - Sega Beat You To The Punch Over 30 Years Ago

Robokku

@Slowdive So true: Sega always ahead of their time, especially with consoles. Sad that the old Sega appeared to die with the Dreamcast when in fact they still dominate the Japanese arcade scene and deliver wild new hardware and games on a massive scale. Don’t know if you’ve visited Tokyo but a lot of the spirit of the 90s arcades I read about as a kid has carried on. Just hoping the scene survives post-Covid

Re: Guide: How To Fit An IPS Screen To Your Game Boy Advance SP

Robokku

@joebleeps Awesome guide, Joe! Epic read. So that’s what goes on behind the Instagram curtain…

One day – one day – I will get myself an old Game Boy and a set of proper tools, study your instructions until I can recite them backwards, lock myself in a workshop for a week, then throw away all the broken pieces and cry.