@LastFootnote I recall that people have tried doing this for Switch 1 software and not seeing a performance gain, as the software would still render to the same resolution targets regardless of the device's video output resolution. So, it seems like Switch 2 software might actually be smarter about this; or at least the RE Engine is.
It really may vary from title to title, as I recall trying the 3D All-Stars version of Super Mario Sunshine with the Switch video output set to 480p, and the output looked reasonably accurate to the GameCube's original native resolution. That might be an edge case that Nintendo factored in for that software title.
@nhSnork True, SKG's priority is that a game you have purchased as a product (not as a service) continues to be operable indefinitely. The reasoning behind it all falls back to profits and costs, whether it's delisting a game or shuttering it. GOG's preservation program is about making sure the game remains accessible no matter what, since they sell DRM free games where your offline installers can't be taken away from you.
@Alcea No, the games industry is serving its own interests here, as much as it's against the consumer's interests.
Single-purchase products have a finite value, they get most of their money in the first year and then attention on the software drops off as new products become available. They seldom hit evergreen sales status like Nintendo first party games, and resort to heavy sales to squeeze out any last bit of revenue they can. In this scenario, the game being delisted entirely when it has run its course is of little consequence to the publishers, but of big consequence to the consumer market. The new LEGO fan late to the fandom may lose access to the game entirely, if they cannot source a physical copy or no such physical exists, or possibly even if there turns out to be a digital restriction on the game that renders it inoperable with a server going offline.
That's why the Stop Killing Games initiative is so important to preservation and consumer rights.
Don't forget that Mario and Luigi Brothership was made in Unreal Engine, by developer Acquire (with Alpha Dream alumni). This Yoshi title though? Almost certainly Good-Feel with their track record on Woolly World and Crafted World.
The direct formats have a lot of hype around them, but also a lot of disappointment when they don't land; especially if it's a partner direct.
Nintendo's recent shift towards Nintendo Today app announcements and "overview trailers" seems to be their preferred way of integrating with their established pattern of marketing a game a few months up to its release, as to maximise attention on that and better manage audience engagement. Behind the scenes, organising and producing a Nintendo Direct for the returns they were getting, I think perhaps was becoming too much to manage with all the companies that had to get involved? Avoiding Direct presentations also greatly reduces the risks of leaks, keeping better control of information flow.
Part of what sustained Nintendo Direct presentations so well were the Smash Bros. fighter reveals. Every presentation, there was the anticipation of whether or not there'd be new info, and keep you hooked whilst getting news on other games. Right now, Nintendo really doesn't have anything like that they can use and most of the games they're launching lately are feature complete, or "complete" with a roguelike mode tacked onto as postgame.
The way towns are broken down and you can see the salvageable structures and how you might repair them is pretty cool, but one of the biggest hurdles is finding the recipes to actually build certain things.
Some of the worst offenders are things built with iron blocks; iron-tiling, iron-plate flooring, and iron plating. It is complete chance whether or not you will find their recipes, and I only just today found the iron plating recipe after playing since launch.
I've worked myself into a routine where certain restoration projects just take a back seat whilst I work on resource gathering, daily recipe hunting, daily dream island visits, working on Pokémon comfort levels, and occasional new habitats.
My main project now is working on an organised storage bunker beneath the north-east part of my Palette Town, and moving all of my randomly stored items across all the maps into it so I can have clean stacks of easily found items ready to use elsewhere.
You can display anything in a frame, and will use that to mark which storage chests hold what kinds of items.
@Markatron84 Switch 2 Editions have also been a excuse to sell new exclusive content and a few extra features, like mouse mode, microphone and camera support.
BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! featured two-player content that would benefit from GameShare, it would allow two players to play together with two seperate cameras.
This is very important, you can take reference photos of the red crystal clusters, and 3D print them in Pokémon Centers using one rare Pokémetal Ingot. If you have enough ingots, you can get everything and more from Sableye's trades in a single day.
You can even place and subsequently break the Red Crystal Clusters inside of buildings (including the Pokémon Center), if you just want to quickly get the four red crystal fragments.
There's a lot of surprising things you can 3D print, actually.
Kickstarter backer for this one, and looking forward to playing the Switch version. I was gutted though when Red Art Games announced they were doing a PS5 physical, but no Switch physical.
@LafayetteBlues The dropped kit item might be sitting on a map somewhere, since dropped items don't despawn even across play sessions, unless you've got an excessive number of dropped items (like bulldozing lots of volcanic ash). There's the possibility you deleted the item through gifting or trading with another Pokémon, or dropping it on a dream island. If the kit is actually lost, I hope the game does have a way of recovering it; something like checking the original location in Palette Town, finding it in rippling water (as are prone to giving you various building kits), talking to a special Pokémon, etc.
As far as storage goes, is there maybe a forgotten storage chest somewhere, or maybe even inside of a Gulpin or Swalot? What about inside of buildings? I put a few larger storage containers inside of Pokémon Centers, they're convenient for placing down a work bench and a vending machine, too.
@MyUsernameWasTaken I had a lot of replies mentioning that it was probably just a thing the film crew themselves put together amongst themselves, which yeah that makes plenty of sense.
My follow-up thought to that was it's something that Nintendo would want to suppress in any potential Blu-Ray extra features, which sometimes feature behind the scenes production works. It could be seen as Nintendo permitting the use of a modified fan work.
@LafayetteBlues Did you check the Lost & Found in front of the Palette Town Pokémon Center? Did you place the building kits down on the ground somewhere and forget where?
Doesn't that have a pretty major implication for any multiplayer games where Peach and Rosalina are both together? Like Super Mario Wonder (the Switch 2 version), or Super Mario 3D World?
I'm referring to the part where they can combine their powers to drastically terraform a whole planet, just through contact.
It feels like Miyamoto was addressing selective criticisms, like Luigi's lack of key role in the first film by making him accompany Mario for the whole show this time around.
Aside from the structural and pacing issues mentioned (particularly, how quickly it wraps up), I also felt that Mario and Luigi didn't really have any development at all and were proxies for the audience just enjoying whatever adventures they're caught up in; which is perfectly fine. The most that Mario has going is discussing his feelings towards Peach, and it doesn't really go anywhere in a sort of meta commentery that it has gone nowhere for the entire franchise.
The amount of work it'd take to get Star Fox Zero working on a single screen, might be too much for a porting studio. Too much of the game is built around the GamePad, from aiming being designed for the GamePad screen, to retaining full control during cinematics shown on the TV screen.
@MyUsernameWasTaken Considering it's Nintendo's own character, I don't think anything would happen, but Nintendo have been known to avoid using fan art in their own works, and take action whenever that somehow happens.
The sprite is pretty recognisable though, and other people in replies to the Bluesky post have already pointed it out.
If that camera crew patch is for real, that's kinda wild that they used recognisable fan art in its design. It looks to be modified, but the base sprite is not for commercial use.
It's admittedly a bit late for me, I finished my 100% playthrough of Re-Playlee back in December, and had a good time with it.
The 30 FPS performance was actually pretty solid with good frame pacing and few dips, though there were occasional graphical bugs and the tonics that applied screen filters/shaders looked broken in many cases.
I'll check out a patch though and see what I was missing on, and hopefully there's actually some minor new content in there like a couple added tonics or something.
That's a little odd when you think about it. The game itself is still a Square Enix publication, whilst the licenses for DLC belonging to but also published by Square Enix are expiring.
@Nintendoh
I disagree, Pokémon Go is a wholly different experience and aimed to do something different from the outset.
I believe it's also a licensed game, as opposed to TPCi contracting a studio to develop the game as a second or third party, not entirely sure on that point.
Pokémon Champions as it stands delivers a fraction of the content of the main series battle content and system, with a bevy of bugs and mistakes introduced. There is little good reason to play it in this state if you already have Scarlet and Violet, even if there's a couple of new additions like some of the very latest mega evolutions from Legends Z-A.
Intended as a purist battle system experience akin to Stadium and Battle Revolution, it now has to compete with the unofficial Pokémon Showdown as a pure battle service.
That's as it currently stands. If they can get past this bad launch window and mature the service as a game alongside all future Pokémon entries, and allow new content to be added with each new Pokémon game (such as Pokémon Pokopia introducing a new forme for Rotom among other Pokémon), Pokémon Champions may be the long-term competitive option the series could benefit from.
I wanted the deluxe edition, but for some reason they just didn't provide that for the PEGI release on Fangamer EU. You could buy the game and the guide separately, at least.
AI upscaling can be done competently, but this isn't it, and there's also only so much you can do with poor source material. They probably just chucked the entire video set they had into Topaz Labs and called it a day.
A Switch 2 edition is exactly what it needs, really. So long as it isn't a Switch 2 release as Game-Key like Sonic x Shadow Generations I'll be willing to double dip on that.
It is a good game with some shortcomings, it's just a very empty feeling game at times with it not capturing the depth of exploration that Breath of the Wild did, and one of the five islands being a literal copy-paste of the starting island but with very little to do besides a fixed number of tower climbs.
@FawfulsFury
Japanese business and employment laws play a big part in that.
When Iwata and other top Nintendo executives took a big pay cut in 2014, those laws helped to prevent layoffs and protect employment positions.
Having watched the trailer now, the generic overview trailer approach they've taken doesn't really do much favours for the game. I mean, it's reiterating very basic concepts like "Take turns using moves to reduce your opponent's HP to zero", does that really need stating so plainly and objectively? The real messaging here, which is present later in the video, needs to be on the competitive aspects of fine-tuning your Pokémon's moves, ability, stats, and held item.
Pokémon Champions has to compete with services like Pokémon Showdown, which lets players freely configure a Pokémon team as they see fit. On the other hand, players might enjoy having team-building that they have to work towards, by earning VP through battle victories. Pay to win however is also a concern, if you can just spend money to build a meta team ASAP.
@KayFiOS If they take the Pokémon Battle Revolution approach, where re-using models from the N64 games for a Wii game was okay, they might get away with it. Pokémon Go started with re-using the 3DS models and now has a mixture of models from the Switch games, for Pokémon that debuted in the 8th and 9th generations.
Since every Pokémon has been represented on the Nintendo Switch in some capacity across the 8th and 9th generations of games now, they have at least the resources to make every Pokémon available in Pokémon Champions if they forgo visual cohesion within an acceptable degree. A model is more than just the geometry and the flat diffuse textures, they have to make sure the Pokémon renders correctly with things like shaders and specular textures. That's before getting into animations and rigging. The conversion process may take significantly less effort if they've been building towards this with some foresight; that's why they worked to make a fully animated 3D model for every Pokémon up to the 6th generation, when they developed Pokémon X and Y.
@KingMike User serviceable is the important part. The user must at the very least be able to easily remove the battery if it requires disposal, so that it can avoid damaging the device. Replacing the battery to make the device operable again is another issue to tackle after that step, and third party battery manufacturers do exist. Aftermarket solutions help to extend the usefulness of a device after their original vendor has stopped supporting them, I've renewed a few laptops this way, and even replaced a New 3DS XL battery like this.
Why does an MMO, a genre of game specifically about engaging with other real players, need AI to assist new players like this?
If this is just for the on-boarding process for new players, surely a guided tutorial is better than an AI assistant that may hallucinate during one of the most controlled parts of starting a game?
@NintendoWife
Large Language Models are generally considered to be generative AI, as like images they ingest prompts and context in order to output probable responses. Parameters can control how "inventive" the response is allowed to be in an effort to produce more objective and reliable responses, but the possibility for hallucinations or mistakes through crossed wires are still possible.
I would imagine Square Enix would take care to make sure their Chatty Slimey is only using text based resources explicitly for published versions of Dragon Quest X, but since it's working atop a Gemini model there's a real chance for it to accidentally mix in details for older versions of DQX, the offline versions, previous Dragon Quest games, or even unofficial materials.
This could also go as poorly as when Epic Games put Darth Vader into Fortnite, and players could chat with the AI powered character to make it say things that aren't being vetted by any human.
Watch players make this Chatty Slimey do really naughty things, how about some Puff Puff?
If the battery is user serviceable, that could result in a less slimline system. That could mean you need a new dock entirely, if the new model is just that bit thicker.
@Metazoxan Handheld boost is specifically for Switch 1 software without specific Switch 2 updates or upgrade packs, so titles like Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 that has a Switch 1 update, or Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 edition, don't use handheld boost as they have their own dedicated handheld modes already.
So for Xenoblade Chronicles X, the upgrade pack to the Switch 2 edition affords 60 FPS, further improved performance, and higher resolutions, but it also has that nasty smoothing filter exclusively in handheld mode. It was enough of an issue to burn some customers that might actually prefer to play the game in Switch 1 handheld boost mode instead.
@Max_the_German Okay, so the device is operating at 1080p video output, the software itself is rendering at 720p, but the internal resolution of that software might still be lower resolution than that. This is something that Bloodstained does, the HUD and menus are rendered at a higher resolution than the gameplay. It's also something you can manually configure through INI files on the PC version, which is useful for less powerful hardware.
@Bunkerneath Bloodstained is 100% one of the games I thought of checking in handheld boost mode. I'm genuinely curious if that game is going to get a Switch 2 update or edition or something though, because LRG was going to open pre-orders for a physical release a few weeks ago, but didn't actually do it at their announced time and is stuck at "coming soon" with no new date.
@Max_the_German Software can operate in 1080p video output whilst running an internal resolution below the video output. Different parts of the rendering pipeline can render at different resolutions too, so you might have a 1080p HUD overlay with crisp pixels no matter what resolution the 3D gameplay might be dropping to. Many games feature variable dynamic internal resolutions so that they can reduce the pixel count to maintain performance, but where the Switch 2 affords so much more processing power this means Switch 1 games with variable resolution usually stay at their maximum.
The Switch 1 version of Tears of the Kingdom for example, 1080p video output when docked, but runs a maximum internal resolution of 900p with FSR iirc. There exist mods for homebrew enabled Switch systems or emulators that remove FSR and force increase the internal resolution to 1080p or higher, to get TotK looking the best that it can, and the Switch 2 upgrade pack will actually do things like that.
I wonder if this makes Xenoblade X look better on Switch 2 in handheld mode, without the Switch 2 upgrade pack? You'd lose out on the 60 FPS, but you'd have native 1080p rendering without that horrible smoothing filter.
A couple of games I tried out quickly were Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, since it has scaling options optimised for 720p and 1080p displays, and Mission in Snowdriftland since that one has really bad sprite artwork scaling issues in 720p handheld mode on a 1080p display. All fixed now!
Incredible update, I just gave it a quick go with two titles that game to mind: MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection, and Mission in Snowdriftland.
The former uses display scaling options for the emulated GBA games that differ between handheld (720p) and docked (1080p) modes, and makes a big difference.
Whilst the latter, a simple 2D sprite graphics platformer in the Unity engine, actually scaled really badly in 720p handheld mode in Switch 2. It does have touch screen controls but only for menu navigation, so you're not losing much compared to the huge boost to graphical fidelity!
Here's a couple quick camera shots of Mission in Snowdriftland, without and then with handheld boost. Look at the detail of the snowflake in particular. (Click link or view image to zoom in)
I've yet to boot up my Switch 1 copy of Tunic, so maybe this'll finally be the time to jump in. I wonder what they mean by update though? That could mean three things:
A free update to Switch 1 software to run with some Switch 2 enhancements to performance and resolution
A Switch 2 Edition upgrade (paid or free) with even better performance and resolution, and potentially more features
A dedicated Switch 2 title, offering the best possible performance and graphical fidelity, but lacking an upgrade path
That last one has a potential option to apply a promotion like Deltarune did, where owning a digital version of the Switch 1 or 2 title gives you free or nominal fee access to the opposite title, but it won't do you any good for the physical copy.
So physical distributions of DLC codes isn't unusual, but they usually take the shape of a code on a non-plastic card or something. Putting the download code in a plastic game card without the base game is pretty unusual, and I already don't care for code-in-a-box game releases.
The DLC for Godzilla was time limited and previously became unavailable, but it looks like it became re-available recently, so I've made sure to download that so I don't miss it again. Dredge and Godzilla are free DLCs whilst the Ichiban's Holiday pack is paid and also time limited.
Still interested in this physical regardless. By the way, the Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack is free, if you already have the Switch 1 game either digitally or physically.
These changes aren't exclusive to console games, mobile game apps on the Google Play Store (but not the Apple App Store) have PEGI ratings. Pokémon Go currently has a PEGI 7 rating, but if we evaluate it against the new guidelines that they have laid out, it should at minimum have a PEGI 12 rating due to "time-limited or quantity-limited offers", such as the in-game event tickets that provide limited windows to earn in-game content like rare Pokémon or player cosmetics.
"Play by appointment" rules could also qualify it for PEGI 12, as many of the paid tickets and progression researches have punished players for not playing daily; a key example is gating a trainer level-up being completing a route on 7 sequential days.
If we stretch the definition of "Paid random items", it could hit PEGI 16, due to how Premium Battle Passes work. These Battle Passes allow you to participate in Raid Battles, or the Premium Track of Go Battle League. When you win battles, you receive random items at chance (with better performance rewarding greater rewards), and fewer or no victories means you receive next to nothing and the Battle Pass is consumed. If you lose a Raid Battle, you get a token amount of star dust, but you have a time window (usually up to around 45 minutes) to re-attempt the battle until you can win (as your Battle Pass has already been consumed).
At the end of a victorious Raid Battle, arguably the biggest feature in Pokémon Go as this is where you can get legendary Pokémon, you get a "bonus encounter" with the Pokémon with a limited number of chances to catch it. The phrasing "bonus encounter" is not accidental, it's their way of deferring that the items are the actual reward for winning raids, when most players will be motivated to catch the Pokémon instead. Therefore, if the items are the actual reward and you can buy battle passes for a chance to earn random amounts of random selections of items, this should be subject to a PEGI 16 rating. Perhaps PEGI 18 if you factor in the chance of getting virtually nothing. The 500 stardust you get for losing a raid is less than 5% of the value of winning some raids, and the difficulty rating of the raid also decides the maximum reward amount and availability of certain items.
There's definitely some confusion around the options available for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, as compared to III HD-2D. The latter on Switch 1 had an update that gave you options between Performance and Graphics, where the former targets 60 FPS with a small graphical reduction, and the latter targets 30 with slightly better graphics. The option was provided for people playing the Switch 1 version on Switch 2, but I want to know if this same option was provided for I & II HD-2D. Updates to Switch 1 software, and Upgrade Packs to Switch 2 Editions, and Switch 2 software, are three separate things; and Switch 1 updates can also be separated into two kinds.
@Aneira
I would probably call 1printgames a yellow flag.
My pre-order of Slap City in a triple pack release has been waiting since 2025, and the most that company has done since then was assist a Kickstarter campaign for a download game called Captain Soda.
They appear to be connected to the publisher Leoful Games, that have put out a number of Asia English releases you can find on Play-Asia.
@tseliot The original terms of the Steam codes provided by Deck13 to FPG customers, would be that if you cancelled your physical pre-order they would revoke the Steam code associated with your item. Where I ordered two different Switch physical editions of Chained Echoes, one intended as a gift, I received two Steam codes and I gifted one of those codes.
@Freek Under new management, that explains why they haven't put out one of their "Direct" style announcement reels in a long time. It sounds like they were too pre-occupied with signing deals to get new releases, and making those reveals, and not putting in enough work to secure sales or get products shipped.
I've been waiting on releases like C.A.R.L., Tadpole Treble, and Curse Crackers, for just too long. Most of these were pre-ordered via Video Games Plus, and are holding up orders as a result.
@Yalloo Gravity Circuit has had at least three different physical distributions, one of them is Red Art Games, and another is an Asian distributor Pixn' Love's standard Gravity Circuit physical has been available for much longer, it's just this collector's edition that taken unreasonably long to fulfil.
@Friendly Do you want to know the most galling part? They've had the Switch 1 game cards in their possession since December 2024. They claimed that they "plan to start shipping Chained Echoes for Switch in February/March (2025)", and that came and went with nothing further on official annoucements. All this because of some slip cases?!
@dskatter Most of LRG's complaints stem from how they used to operate pre-orders that would sell out in minutes, or their change to the open pre-order system where stock is made to demand; and the reality of long production times are exposed to the customer as a result. LRG had a few years during the open pre-order system where standard physicals releases without bells and whistles were taking way too long, but they've gotten past that now. Some collector's editions are still taking too long to fulfil, with Sonic x Shadow Generations being a sore enough point that they've launched a weekly updated page.
LRG does manage to maintain a healthy string of standard physical releases, and the turnaround is pretty reasonable now. Their collector's editions you have to accept will take longer, and aren't necessarily worthwhile packages.
Comments 7,758
Re: Using GameChat Will Actually Boost Pragmata's Performance On Switch 2
@LastFootnote
I recall that people have tried doing this for Switch 1 software and not seeing a performance gain, as the software would still render to the same resolution targets regardless of the device's video output resolution.
So, it seems like Switch 2 software might actually be smarter about this; or at least the RE Engine is.
It really may vary from title to title, as I recall trying the 3D All-Stars version of Super Mario Sunshine with the Switch video output set to 480p, and the output looked reasonably accurate to the GameCube's original native resolution. That might be an edge case that Nintendo factored in for that software title.
Re: LEGO 2K Drive Is Being Delisted From Digital Storefronts Next Week
@nhSnork
True, SKG's priority is that a game you have purchased as a product (not as a service) continues to be operable indefinitely.
The reasoning behind it all falls back to profits and costs, whether it's delisting a game or shuttering it.
GOG's preservation program is about making sure the game remains accessible no matter what, since they sell DRM free games where your offline installers can't be taken away from you.
Re: LEGO 2K Drive Is Being Delisted From Digital Storefronts Next Week
@Alcea
No, the games industry is serving its own interests here, as much as it's against the consumer's interests.
Single-purchase products have a finite value, they get most of their money in the first year and then attention on the software drops off as new products become available. They seldom hit evergreen sales status like Nintendo first party games, and resort to heavy sales to squeeze out any last bit of revenue they can.
In this scenario, the game being delisted entirely when it has run its course is of little consequence to the publishers, but of big consequence to the consumer market. The new LEGO fan late to the fandom may lose access to the game entirely, if they cannot source a physical copy or no such physical exists, or possibly even if there turns out to be a digital restriction on the game that renders it inoperable with a server going offline.
That's why the Stop Killing Games initiative is so important to preservation and consumer rights.
Re: 'Yoshi And The Mysterious Book' Game Engine Seemingly Revealed
Don't forget that Mario and Luigi Brothership was made in Unreal Engine, by developer Acquire (with Alpha Dream alumni).
This Yoshi title though? Almost certainly Good-Feel with their track record on Woolly World and Crafted World.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Prefer Big Directs Or A Steady Flow Of News From Nintendo Today?
The direct formats have a lot of hype around them, but also a lot of disappointment when they don't land; especially if it's a partner direct.
Nintendo's recent shift towards Nintendo Today app announcements and "overview trailers" seems to be their preferred way of integrating with their established pattern of marketing a game a few months up to its release, as to maximise attention on that and better manage audience engagement.
Behind the scenes, organising and producing a Nintendo Direct for the returns they were getting, I think perhaps was becoming too much to manage with all the companies that had to get involved? Avoiding Direct presentations also greatly reduces the risks of leaks, keeping better control of information flow.
Part of what sustained Nintendo Direct presentations so well were the Smash Bros. fighter reveals. Every presentation, there was the anticipation of whether or not there'd be new info, and keep you hooked whilst getting news on other games.
Right now, Nintendo really doesn't have anything like that they can use and most of the games they're launching lately are feature complete, or "complete" with a roguelike mode tacked onto as postgame.
Re: Opinion: My Pokopia Towns Look Terrible, But That's Okay
The way towns are broken down and you can see the salvageable structures and how you might repair them is pretty cool, but one of the biggest hurdles is finding the recipes to actually build certain things.
Some of the worst offenders are things built with iron blocks; iron-tiling, iron-plate flooring, and iron plating. It is complete chance whether or not you will find their recipes, and I only just today found the iron plating recipe after playing since launch.
I've worked myself into a routine where certain restoration projects just take a back seat whilst I work on resource gathering, daily recipe hunting, daily dream island visits, working on Pokémon comfort levels, and occasional new habitats.
My main project now is working on an organised storage bunker beneath the north-east part of my Palette Town, and moving all of my randomly stored items across all the maps into it so I can have clean stacks of easily found items ready to use elsewhere.
You can display anything in a frame, and will use that to mark which storage chests hold what kinds of items.
Also Hejibits' recent comic on Pokopia is exactly this article's vibe.
Re: New 'BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!' Rating Spotted In Taiwan
@Markatron84
Switch 2 Editions have also been a excuse to sell new exclusive content and a few extra features, like mouse mode, microphone and camera support.
BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! featured two-player content that would benefit from GameShare, it would allow two players to play together with two seperate cameras.
Re: Pokémon Pokopia: Sableye's Gem Hunt Event Guide - Red Crystal Locations, Sableye Habitat
This is very important, you can take reference photos of the red crystal clusters, and 3D print them in Pokémon Centers using one rare Pokémetal Ingot.
If you have enough ingots, you can get everything and more from Sableye's trades in a single day.
You can even place and subsequently break the Red Crystal Clusters inside of buildings (including the Pokémon Center), if you just want to quickly get the four red crystal fragments.
There's a lot of surprising things you can 3D print, actually.
Re: Review: Monster Crown: Sin Eater (Switch) - A Satisfyingly Deep And Open-Ended Pokémon-Like
@Pillowpants
It would be like calling Digimon a Pokémon-Like, or calling Quake a Doom-Like.
Or Mortal Kombat a Street Fighter-Like.
Re: Review: Monster Crown: Sin Eater (Switch) - A Satisfyingly Deep And Open-Ended Pokémon-Like
Kickstarter backer for this one, and looking forward to playing the Switch version.
I was gutted though when Red Art Games announced they were doing a PS5 physical, but no Switch physical.
Re: Random: Out Of 1-Ups? This Manufacturer Has Some Stylish Super Mario Coffins
These kinds of coffins or caskets are usually made for children's funerals, and I've seen some pretty tasteless memes of such things.
Re: Pokémon Pokopia Updated To Version 1.0.4, Includes Improvements & Fixes
@LafayetteBlues
The dropped kit item might be sitting on a map somewhere, since dropped items don't despawn even across play sessions, unless you've got an excessive number of dropped items (like bulldozing lots of volcanic ash).
There's the possibility you deleted the item through gifting or trading with another Pokémon, or dropping it on a dream island.
If the kit is actually lost, I hope the game does have a way of recovering it; something like checking the original location in Palette Town, finding it in rippling water (as are prone to giving you various building kits), talking to a special Pokémon, etc.
As far as storage goes, is there maybe a forgotten storage chest somewhere, or maybe even inside of a Gulpin or Swalot?
What about inside of buildings? I put a few larger storage containers inside of Pokémon Centers, they're convenient for placing down a work bench and a vending machine, too.
Re: We Might Have Just Got Our Best Look At Link In The Legend Of Zelda Movie
@MyUsernameWasTaken
I had a lot of replies mentioning that it was probably just a thing the film crew themselves put together amongst themselves, which yeah that makes plenty of sense.
My follow-up thought to that was it's something that Nintendo would want to suppress in any potential Blu-Ray extra features, which sometimes feature behind the scenes production works.
It could be seen as Nintendo permitting the use of a modified fan work.
Re: Pokémon Pokopia Updated To Version 1.0.4, Includes Improvements & Fixes
@LafayetteBlues
Did you check the Lost & Found in front of the Palette Town Pokémon Center?
Did you place the building kits down on the ground somewhere and forget where?
Re: It Sounds Like Peach's Mario Galaxy Movie Backstory Will Be Canon In Future Games
Doesn't that have a pretty major implication for any multiplayer games where Peach and Rosalina are both together?
Like Super Mario Wonder (the Switch 2 version), or Super Mario 3D World?
I'm referring to the part where they can combine their powers to drastically terraform a whole planet, just through contact.
Re: "It's Truly Baffling" - Shigeru Miyamoto Comments On The Mario Galaxy Movie's Critical Reception
It feels like Miyamoto was addressing selective criticisms, like Luigi's lack of key role in the first film by making him accompany Mario for the whole show this time around.
Aside from the structural and pacing issues mentioned (particularly, how quickly it wraps up), I also felt that Mario and Luigi didn't really have any development at all and were proxies for the audience just enjoying whatever adventures they're caught up in; which is perfectly fine.
The most that Mario has going is discussing his feelings towards Peach, and it doesn't really go anywhere in a sort of meta commentery that it has gone nowhere for the entire franchise.
Re: Talking Point: Star Fox Zero Is 10 Years Old - Have You Actually Played It?
The amount of work it'd take to get Star Fox Zero working on a single screen, might be too much for a porting studio.
Too much of the game is built around the GamePad, from aiming being designed for the GamePad screen, to retaining full control during cinematics shown on the TV screen.
Re: We Might Have Just Got Our Best Look At Link In The Legend Of Zelda Movie
@MyUsernameWasTaken
Considering it's Nintendo's own character, I don't think anything would happen, but Nintendo have been known to avoid using fan art in their own works, and take action whenever that somehow happens.
The sprite is pretty recognisable though, and other people in replies to the Bluesky post have already pointed it out.
Re: We Might Have Just Got Our Best Look At Link In The Legend Of Zelda Movie
If that camera crew patch is for real, that's kinda wild that they used recognisable fan art in its design.
It looks to be modified, but the base sprite is not for commercial use.
Re: Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic Seems To Be Teasing Something
It's admittedly a bit late for me, I finished my 100% playthrough of Re-Playlee back in December, and had a good time with it.
The 30 FPS performance was actually pretty solid with good frame pacing and few dips, though there were occasional graphical bugs and the tonics that applied screen filters/shaders looked broken in many cases.
I'll check out a patch though and see what I was missing on, and hopefully there's actually some minor new content in there like a couple added tonics or something.
Re: Two Free 'PowerWash Simulator' DLCs Are Being Delisted Next Month
That's a little odd when you think about it.
The game itself is still a Square Enix publication, whilst the licenses for DLC belonging to but also published by Square Enix are expiring.
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Pokémon Champions
@Nintendoh
I disagree, Pokémon Go is a wholly different experience and aimed to do something different from the outset.
I believe it's also a licensed game, as opposed to TPCi contracting a studio to develop the game as a second or third party, not entirely sure on that point.
Pokémon Champions as it stands delivers a fraction of the content of the main series battle content and system, with a bevy of bugs and mistakes introduced. There is little good reason to play it in this state if you already have Scarlet and Violet, even if there's a couple of new additions like some of the very latest mega evolutions from Legends Z-A.
Intended as a purist battle system experience akin to Stadium and Battle Revolution, it now has to compete with the unofficial Pokémon Showdown as a pure battle service.
That's as it currently stands. If they can get past this bad launch window and mature the service as a game alongside all future Pokémon entries, and allow new content to be added with each new Pokémon game (such as Pokémon Pokopia introducing a new forme for Rotom among other Pokémon), Pokémon Champions may be the long-term competitive option the series could benefit from.
Re: Gallery: Fangamer's UFO 50 Deluxe Edition Is Packed With Nostalgic Goodness
I wanted the deluxe edition, but for some reason they just didn't provide that for the PEGI release on Fangamer EU.
You could buy the game and the guide separately, at least.
Re: Random: AI Has Ruined A Classic Mario Cartoon On MeTV
AI upscaling can be done competently, but this isn't it, and there's also only so much you can do with poor source material.
They probably just chucked the entire video set they had into Topaz Labs and called it a day.
Re: Sonic Frontiers "Definitive Edition" Has Been Rated In Korea
A Switch 2 edition is exactly what it needs, really.
So long as it isn't a Switch 2 release as Game-Key like Sonic x Shadow Generations I'll be willing to double dip on that.
It is a good game with some shortcomings, it's just a very empty feeling game at times with it not capturing the depth of exploration that Breath of the Wild did, and one of the five islands being a literal copy-paste of the starting island but with very little to do besides a fixed number of tower climbs.
Re: Epic Games Cuts Over 1,000 Jobs Weeks After Raising Fortnite V-Bucks Prices
@FawfulsFury
Japanese business and employment laws play a big part in that.
When Iwata and other top Nintendo executives took a big pay cut in 2014, those laws helped to prevent layoffs and protect employment positions.
Re: Pokémon Champions Nails Down Switch Release Date, And It's Only Two Weeks Away
Having watched the trailer now, the generic overview trailer approach they've taken doesn't really do much favours for the game.
I mean, it's reiterating very basic concepts like "Take turns using moves to reduce your opponent's HP to zero", does that really need stating so plainly and objectively?
The real messaging here, which is present later in the video, needs to be on the competitive aspects of fine-tuning your Pokémon's moves, ability, stats, and held item.
Pokémon Champions has to compete with services like Pokémon Showdown, which lets players freely configure a Pokémon team as they see fit.
On the other hand, players might enjoy having team-building that they have to work towards, by earning VP through battle victories. Pay to win however is also a concern, if you can just spend money to build a meta team ASAP.
Re: Pokémon Champions Nails Down Switch Release Date, And It's Only Two Weeks Away
@KayFiOS
If they take the Pokémon Battle Revolution approach, where re-using models from the N64 games for a Wii game was okay, they might get away with it.
Pokémon Go started with re-using the 3DS models and now has a mixture of models from the Switch games, for Pokémon that debuted in the 8th and 9th generations.
Since every Pokémon has been represented on the Nintendo Switch in some capacity across the 8th and 9th generations of games now, they have at least the resources to make every Pokémon available in Pokémon Champions if they forgo visual cohesion within an acceptable degree.
A model is more than just the geometry and the flat diffuse textures, they have to make sure the Pokémon renders correctly with things like shaders and specular textures. That's before getting into animations and rigging.
The conversion process may take significantly less effort if they've been building towards this with some foresight; that's why they worked to make a fully animated 3D model for every Pokémon up to the 6th generation, when they developed Pokémon X and Y.
Re: Europe Might Be Forcing Nintendo To Revise The Switch 2
@KingMike
User serviceable is the important part. The user must at the very least be able to easily remove the battery if it requires disposal, so that it can avoid damaging the device.
Replacing the battery to make the device operable again is another issue to tackle after that step, and third party battery manufacturers do exist. Aftermarket solutions help to extend the usefulness of a device after their original vendor has stopped supporting them, I've renewed a few laptops this way, and even replaced a New 3DS XL battery like this.
Re: "New Players Won't Feel Alone" - Square Enix Partners With Google For AI-Powered Dragon Quest Companion
Why does an MMO, a genre of game specifically about engaging with other real players, need AI to assist new players like this?
If this is just for the on-boarding process for new players, surely a guided tutorial is better than an AI assistant that may hallucinate during one of the most controlled parts of starting a game?
@NintendoWife
Large Language Models are generally considered to be generative AI, as like images they ingest prompts and context in order to output probable responses. Parameters can control how "inventive" the response is allowed to be in an effort to produce more objective and reliable responses, but the possibility for hallucinations or mistakes through crossed wires are still possible.
I would imagine Square Enix would take care to make sure their Chatty Slimey is only using text based resources explicitly for published versions of Dragon Quest X, but since it's working atop a Gemini model there's a real chance for it to accidentally mix in details for older versions of DQX, the offline versions, previous Dragon Quest games, or even unofficial materials.
This could also go as poorly as when Epic Games put Darth Vader into Fortnite, and players could chat with the AI powered character to make it say things that aren't being vetted by any human.
Watch players make this Chatty Slimey do really naughty things, how about some Puff Puff?
Re: Europe Might Be Forcing Nintendo To Revise The Switch 2
If the battery is user serviceable, that could result in a less slimline system.
That could mean you need a new dock entirely, if the new model is just that bit thicker.
Re: Community: Which Switch 1 Games Benefit Most From Switch 2's New Boost Mode?
@Metazoxan
Handheld boost is specifically for Switch 1 software without specific Switch 2 updates or upgrade packs, so titles like Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 that has a Switch 1 update, or Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 edition, don't use handheld boost as they have their own dedicated handheld modes already.
So for Xenoblade Chronicles X, the upgrade pack to the Switch 2 edition affords 60 FPS, further improved performance, and higher resolutions, but it also has that nasty smoothing filter exclusively in handheld mode.
It was enough of an issue to burn some customers that might actually prefer to play the game in Switch 1 handheld boost mode instead.
Re: Community: Which Switch 1 Games Benefit Most From Switch 2's New Boost Mode?
@Max_the_German
Okay, so the device is operating at 1080p video output, the software itself is rendering at 720p, but the internal resolution of that software might still be lower resolution than that.
This is something that Bloodstained does, the HUD and menus are rendered at a higher resolution than the gameplay. It's also something you can manually configure through INI files on the PC version, which is useful for less powerful hardware.
Re: Community: Which Switch 1 Games Benefit Most From Switch 2's New Boost Mode?
@Bunkerneath
Bloodstained is 100% one of the games I thought of checking in handheld boost mode.
I'm genuinely curious if that game is going to get a Switch 2 update or edition or something though, because LRG was going to open pre-orders for a physical release a few weeks ago, but didn't actually do it at their announced time and is stuck at "coming soon" with no new date.
Re: Community: Which Switch 1 Games Benefit Most From Switch 2's New Boost Mode?
@Max_the_German
They actually force the video output of the docked Switch system to 720p, regardless of user system settings?
Re: Community: Which Switch 1 Games Benefit Most From Switch 2's New Boost Mode?
@Max_the_German
Software can operate in 1080p video output whilst running an internal resolution below the video output. Different parts of the rendering pipeline can render at different resolutions too, so you might have a 1080p HUD overlay with crisp pixels no matter what resolution the 3D gameplay might be dropping to.
Many games feature variable dynamic internal resolutions so that they can reduce the pixel count to maintain performance, but where the Switch 2 affords so much more processing power this means Switch 1 games with variable resolution usually stay at their maximum.
The Switch 1 version of Tears of the Kingdom for example, 1080p video output when docked, but runs a maximum internal resolution of 900p with FSR iirc. There exist mods for homebrew enabled Switch systems or emulators that remove FSR and force increase the internal resolution to 1080p or higher, to get TotK looking the best that it can, and the Switch 2 upgrade pack will actually do things like that.
Re: Community: Which Switch 1 Games Benefit Most From Switch 2's New Boost Mode?
I wonder if this makes Xenoblade X look better on Switch 2 in handheld mode, without the Switch 2 upgrade pack?
You'd lose out on the 60 FPS, but you'd have native 1080p rendering without that horrible smoothing filter.
A couple of games I tried out quickly were Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, since it has scaling options optimised for 720p and 1080p displays, and Mission in Snowdriftland since that one has really bad sprite artwork scaling issues in 720p handheld mode on a 1080p display. All fixed now!
Re: PSA: Switch 2 Update Adds Handheld Mode Boost, Here's How To Use It
Incredible update, I just gave it a quick go with two titles that game to mind: MegaMan Battle Network Legacy Collection, and Mission in Snowdriftland.
The former uses display scaling options for the emulated GBA games that differ between handheld (720p) and docked (1080p) modes, and makes a big difference.
Whilst the latter, a simple 2D sprite graphics platformer in the Unity engine, actually scaled really badly in 720p handheld mode in Switch 2. It does have touch screen controls but only for menu navigation, so you're not losing much compared to the huge boost to graphical fidelity!
Here's a couple quick camera shots of Mission in Snowdriftland, without and then with handheld boost. Look at the detail of the snowflake in particular. (Click link or view image to zoom in)
Re: Brilliant And Brutal Puzzle Adventure Tunic Is Getting A Switch 2 Update
I've yet to boot up my Switch 1 copy of Tunic, so maybe this'll finally be the time to jump in.
I wonder what they mean by update though? That could mean three things:
That last one has a potential option to apply a promotion like Deltarune did, where owning a digital version of the Switch 1 or 2 title gives you free or nominal fee access to the opposite title, but it won't do you any good for the physical copy.
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC Is Getting A Code-In-A-Box Release
So physical distributions of DLC codes isn't unusual, but they usually take the shape of a code on a non-plastic card or something.
Putting the download code in a plastic game card without the base game is pretty unusual, and I already don't care for code-in-a-box game releases.
Re: Dave The Diver's Next Major DLC Launches This June
The DLC for Godzilla was time limited and previously became unavailable, but it looks like it became re-available recently, so I've made sure to download that so I don't miss it again.
Dredge and Godzilla are free DLCs whilst the Ichiban's Holiday pack is paid and also time limited.
Still interested in this physical regardless.
By the way, the Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack is free, if you already have the Switch 1 game either digitally or physically.
Re: Yoshi And The Mysterious Book's Switch 2 Box Art Is Suitably Adorable
Before you ask, that's not Kirby on the cover.
That's Marching Milde, look, no hands!
Re: PEGI Targets Loot Boxes With Its New Overhauled Ratings System
These changes aren't exclusive to console games, mobile game apps on the Google Play Store (but not the Apple App Store) have PEGI ratings.
Pokémon Go currently has a PEGI 7 rating, but if we evaluate it against the new guidelines that they have laid out, it should at minimum have a PEGI 12 rating due to "time-limited or quantity-limited offers", such as the in-game event tickets that provide limited windows to earn in-game content like rare Pokémon or player cosmetics.
"Play by appointment" rules could also qualify it for PEGI 12, as many of the paid tickets and progression researches have punished players for not playing daily; a key example is gating a trainer level-up being completing a route on 7 sequential days.
If we stretch the definition of "Paid random items", it could hit PEGI 16, due to how Premium Battle Passes work.
These Battle Passes allow you to participate in Raid Battles, or the Premium Track of Go Battle League.
When you win battles, you receive random items at chance (with better performance rewarding greater rewards), and fewer or no victories means you receive next to nothing and the Battle Pass is consumed.
If you lose a Raid Battle, you get a token amount of star dust, but you have a time window (usually up to around 45 minutes) to re-attempt the battle until you can win (as your Battle Pass has already been consumed).
At the end of a victorious Raid Battle, arguably the biggest feature in Pokémon Go as this is where you can get legendary Pokémon, you get a "bonus encounter" with the Pokémon with a limited number of chances to catch it.
The phrasing "bonus encounter" is not accidental, it's their way of deferring that the items are the actual reward for winning raids, when most players will be motivated to catch the Pokémon instead.
Therefore, if the items are the actual reward and you can buy battle passes for a chance to earn random amounts of random selections of items, this should be subject to a PEGI 16 rating.
Perhaps PEGI 18 if you factor in the chance of getting virtually nothing. The 500 stardust you get for losing a raid is less than 5% of the value of winning some raids, and the difficulty rating of the raid also decides the maximum reward amount and availability of certain items.
Re: Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Receives A New Update, Here Is Everything Included
There's definitely some confusion around the options available for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, as compared to III HD-2D.
The latter on Switch 1 had an update that gave you options between Performance and Graphics, where the former targets 60 FPS with a small graphical reduction, and the latter targets 30 with slightly better graphics.
The option was provided for people playing the Switch 1 version on Switch 2, but I want to know if this same option was provided for I & II HD-2D.
Updates to Switch 1 software, and Upgrade Packs to Switch 2 Editions, and Switch 2 software, are three separate things; and Switch 1 updates can also be separated into two kinds.
Re: Chained Echoes Dev Is Filing A Lawsuit Against Physical Distributor
@Aneira
I would probably call 1printgames a yellow flag.
My pre-order of Slap City in a triple pack release has been waiting since 2025, and the most that company has done since then was assist a Kickstarter campaign for a download game called Captain Soda.
They appear to be connected to the publisher Leoful Games, that have put out a number of Asia English releases you can find on Play-Asia.
Re: Chained Echoes Dev Is Filing A Lawsuit Against Physical Distributor
@tseliot
The original terms of the Steam codes provided by Deck13 to FPG customers, would be that if you cancelled your physical pre-order they would revoke the Steam code associated with your item.
Where I ordered two different Switch physical editions of Chained Echoes, one intended as a gift, I received two Steam codes and I gifted one of those codes.
Re: Chained Echoes Dev Is Filing A Lawsuit Against Physical Distributor
@Freek
Under new management, that explains why they haven't put out one of their "Direct" style announcement reels in a long time.
It sounds like they were too pre-occupied with signing deals to get new releases, and making those reveals, and not putting in enough work to secure sales or get products shipped.
I've been waiting on releases like C.A.R.L., Tadpole Treble, and Curse Crackers, for just too long. Most of these were pre-ordered via Video Games Plus, and are holding up orders as a result.
Re: Chained Echoes Dev Is Filing A Lawsuit Against Physical Distributor
@Yalloo
Gravity Circuit has had at least three different physical distributions, one of them is Red Art Games, and another is an Asian distributor
Pixn' Love's standard Gravity Circuit physical has been available for much longer, it's just this collector's edition that taken unreasonably long to fulfil.
Re: Chained Echoes Dev Is Filing A Lawsuit Against Physical Distributor
@Friendly
Do you want to know the most galling part?
They've had the Switch 1 game cards in their possession since December 2024.
They claimed that they "plan to start shipping Chained Echoes for Switch in February/March (2025)", and that came and went with nothing further on official annoucements.
All this because of some slip cases?!
Re: Chained Echoes Dev Is Filing A Lawsuit Against Physical Distributor
@dskatter
Most of LRG's complaints stem from how they used to operate pre-orders that would sell out in minutes, or their change to the open pre-order system where stock is made to demand; and the reality of long production times are exposed to the customer as a result.
LRG had a few years during the open pre-order system where standard physicals releases without bells and whistles were taking way too long, but they've gotten past that now. Some collector's editions are still taking too long to fulfil, with Sonic x Shadow Generations being a sore enough point that they've launched a weekly updated page.
LRG does manage to maintain a healthy string of standard physical releases, and the turnaround is pretty reasonable now. Their collector's editions you have to accept will take longer, and aren't necessarily worthwhile packages.