Sakura

@Euler I don't think Sakurai can work in any way except making the best game he can, irrespective of audience. It's interesting that the question was asked, though. Reggie hinted that he has a wider vision and being a great game wouldn't preclude anything.

@rjejr I think we can let that slide, 🤣

@rjejr You replied to yourself, but I think you meant me.

I honestly didn't realise it was the outline of Mario's cap from Club Nintendo. It DID make me think of Mario, though, so something in the subconscious was ticking over there. I don't know that I like the idea of branding seeping that deep.

The new lettering makes me think of kids, though I think I prefer it slightly overall. The old logo had a full stop between club and nintendo and it was all lower case. I'd rather have the old service, though (or similar). Maybe it will improve.

@Euler I think the pairing of the E3 Direct with this Direct is what is more unusual, but it makes more sense in light of Reggie's comments. It's the E3 Direct which is slightly odd. Very focused on Smash, but didn't give the important details. Part of me wonders why they bothered; much of it seemed like filler. Apart from Zelda, they've given more breadth to the presentation in other years. They have other games they could have shown, but took the deliberate decision not to do so. That's odd for a presentation that is still the biggest gig of the year for the industry.

I'm not sure that hoping that they make up for it now with more Directs is really a great message for Nintendo to be giving. But, Nintendo will do whatever they will do, and mostly, that works out. I really think they are going to try to do something special with Smash Ultimate that they haven't done before with the franchise. That's a good thing. Not giving info on anything else is still less of a good thing, though.

@Abaeron Eshop shows it as planned for release tomorrow, same as the US. The European Nintendo Update press release only seems to include games out on the Thursday. The US update gives info on all releases for the week ahead.

@rjejr I wonder if the curves are to match the logo on the left. What is that? A cloud? I keep thinking it's Mario's head, but it looks nothing like it, so I don't know why. Maybe just because of the M.

@Euler Mario Kart outsells Smash too, but Mario Kart hasn't been showcased like Smash (at E3 for half the presentation and again in a focused Direct not that long afterwards). Neither was Smash on Wii U given quite the same level of exposure in an E3 presentation. They have Pokemon as a system-seller too that launches around the same time. I know it's a spin-off, but it's still a way more successful franchise than Smash. I was wondering whether so much attention was because of a change of direction (like BotW) or, perhaps more likely, a hike in importance of the series in Nintendo's eyes. Reggie said something about showcasing it as a deeper fighting game and not just a button-masher.

As you said yourself, E3 was lackluster, giving few other games and lots of seemingly inconsequential detail on Smash. If you want more info on Smash, then others should have the right to hope for more info on other games, no? Perhaps, you could say, "Of course they'll announce things later!" I don't think they get a pass just because they're Nintendo. I'll believe it when I see it and I'd be pleased with something big, but still left shaking my head at why on earth they didn't announce at E3.

Anyway, I'm wondering if perhaps something about Switch Online might be mentioned. That alone will make the presentation worth watching.

The last time Nintendo went this big with promotion was BotW. I know Smash is big, but it doesn't seem like the same kind of reinventing of the series that Zelda was. Maybe they really are trying to get it pushed as a serious esport. Okay, then.

Still another Direct feels like an interesting strategy considering the criticism of not announcing other stuff that they still claim they have in the works.

Well, I'm not fussed about Smash, but I'll watch it anyway to see if there's anything else mentioned. Plus, I still see Smash as a game created with precision and passion, even if it's so not for me.

@nintendolife Would you consider adding a "wish list" button to go with the "games collection" button? It would be great to be able to create a wish list direct on the site. Was there something like that at one time?

Edit: Nevermind, it is there already, I just forgot where to click!

Labo for pets? Cats are easy; just give them a box!

A treat toy would also be good. When a sensor is covered by a paw, a treat is made available. Or even something that involves a sequence of sensors. I've found that pets become way more intelligent when treats are at stake.

Yay! A collection of the previous 4 too, please!

Flipping Death is also out on the 7th (Tuesday) according to the Switch eShop. Physical seems to be out in September.

I have a pre-order, but may just get the digital version. Or I may wait. I really ought to play the games I already have first.

@NEStalgia Haha, I won't argue too much. It's like that in many fields, though. There's a huge change in cancer treatment, now referring to the type of cancer cells involved instead of the part of the body affected. Outcomes are much improved by tackling the particular type of cell. It's obvious, but hasn't reflected treatments for all that long.

It looks like that story from The Mirror was just their attempt to cash in on the classification of Gaming Disorder by the WHO, adding their own sensationalist twist, of course.

Elsewhere in psychology, there is discussion of a "paradigm shift", reclassifying all mental health conditions under symptom clusters, that is, reducing the number of specific disorders and concentrating on underlying mental processes instead.

"...many mental disorders are manifestations of relatively few core underlying dimensions."

https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/07/19/searching-for-the-fundamental-mental-processes-that-cut-across-diagnostic-categories-driving-confusion-and-distress/

Gaming Disorder would disappear under such classification, the symptoms being related to the underlying mental processes giving rise to the problem. Those underlying mental processes would also explain the drug addiction, making for an altogether more holistic approach. The focus would be on the individual's mental thought processes and not on their manifestation in behaviours.

I feel quite confident that the underlying processes at The Mirror include belief in the idea that sensation sells, regardless of truth.

Is the 7th August release date just for digital? All pre-orders are showing 7th September for me.

Needs more deflating Pikachus.

Game looks good, though.

I think I'm going to need some features on some of these games

(Or, you know, a Direct.)

The link for N.E.R.O only gives a PS4 version, btw.

My top 10 from play data:

1. StreetPass Mii Plaza
2. Animal Crossing
3. Nintendo Pocket Football Club
4. Mario &Sonic London 2012
5. Fantasy Life
6. Hyrule Warriors Legends
7. DK Country Returns
8. Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon
9. Rayman Origins
10. Fallblox

One of my favourite systems of all time.

@TJF588 Nintendo couldn't tell that until now? Wow... that surprises me as I would have thought that was an easy fix. Maybe it's not so easy; it's not like I know.

I still have a few 3DS games to play, most still in the cellophane - Ever Oasis, Lego Undercover Chase and a few more. These are all in the back log. Luigi's Mansion is the only new game coming that I'll get. Despite releasing the 2DS XL, it does look like Nintendo is pretty much done with the 3DS. Time to start thinking of it as part of my retro collection. A bit sad

That's a lot of links! Appreciated.

I'm still interested. Only just completed Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games on 3DS that I've had since launch, so need something to fill the place of my casual mini game collection project.

As Nintendo doesn't host all online services, will people who only play third party games online that have their own servers still have to pay for Nintendo Online?

I'm thinking Fortnite, Rocket League etc. Presumably, there won't be cloud saves for those games either.

@rjejr That's... literally unbelievable 🤣

@rjejr They built Stonehenge too, you know!

@rjejr It was part of an Ancient History/Archaeology class at the University of Warwick, an extra curricular/interest course. The lecturer was admirable in his restraint and tolerance. I, on the other hand, struggled not to laugh and had to request to leave to visit the bathroom because I was at risk of setting off a few of my fellow students in a collective chain reaction. I didn't want to humiliate the woman as I suspected she might get that reaction a lot.

The "theory" was that the words Egypt and gypsy shared the same etymology. Well, they both have the letters "gyp" so it must be true, right? Well, only in that in the 16C, gypsies were believed to have come from Egypt, but that's a couple of millennia + out date-wise. Also, there was comparison of Scotland's megalithic tombs, although there's nothing in that either, the only similarity really being large communal building projects involving beliefs in an afterlife.

There has been a lot of recent study of why people ignore fact entirely when giving opinions or theories. It's as simple as having a self-interested agenda, not only for material or other gain, but in that anything that affects a person's sense of self is ignored as a self-protection measure. So, for example, if a person were particularly vain, they might invent an entirely preposterous hairstyle that fools no-one and insist that it looks completely natural and that everybody else in the world agrees so that they don't have to admit to a receding hairline, which they would find deeply shaming. People will do anything to retain the integrity of their self-perception and so will justify anything, even when it is objectively false or even ridiculous. You can see this at work in comment sections everywhere

@rjejr I met someone once on a course who thought Nostradamus was a prophet. They also thought the pyramids were built by Scottish gypsies who were trying to recreate the mountains of their homeland. That was an interesting session...

Checked out some reviews and though most point out that the game has flaws, it is an interesting premise. Will probably pick this up to see for myself, depending on price.

@NEStalgia

I'd add randomly encountered enemies on the list of why RPGs aren't chart toppers. I can cope with the grinding, deep story and time-sink in many of them, but enemies popping up that I have to fight while I'm in the middle of a quest of some sort I find irritating. It's the big thing that stops me liking Pokemon, Dragon Quest and the like.

Grabbed the SD card as I use those in a few different devices.

This does sound like the kind of thing I'd enjoy. On the list it goes.

Super Mario Odyssey! I'm waaay behind on my games backlog. If it's a big game I like to have the time to enjoy it.

I tried the Octopath demo and it was okay, but can't face random encountered enemies at the moment. Really not a fan of that, but I love narrative. I might get it later on.

So, was that why we had all those seemingly inconsequential Smash details in this year's E3 Direct? To show how every decision is carefully planned and dispel that myth of a "happy accident"?

That helps to explain why the presentation was so lop-sided. I still don't agree that that was necessarily the way to go, but at least some of that Nintendo logic has been elucidated, for once.

@cyberlocc It was reported that it was Nintendo themselves that mentioned in their press release that only most Switch games will be backed up to the cloud. I just want to know which ones might not. Like you, I thought it should be all of them. Apparently not, though.

"Save Data Cloud Backup: By using Nintendo Switch Online, a backup of Nintendo Switch save data for most Nintendo Switch games will be stored online for easy access. This is great for people who want to retrieve their data if they lose, break or purchase an additional Nintendo Switch system."

If you think about online only games maybe being stored on other companies' servers (like the streamed Res Evil in Japan), then I don't care and can't see that as any problem at all - data is already backed-up in the cloud.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180507006260/en/Nintendo-News-Nintendo-Shares-New-Details-Nintendo

Honestly, the horror of how people with mental health conditions have been and sometimes continue to be treated is worse than the "horror" of the conditions themselves. It's just chemical imbalance and "faulty wiring".

I think it's great that it's out in the open a little more as a topic for reflection. Pre-ordered physical.

I'm hoping that there will be some offers like linked game discounts that will sweeten the deal.

With no way to separate out the different elements of the service, as it stands, I'll be paying for online that's currently free and I don't use anyway, NES games that I'm not interested in and cloud saves that might not even include all games.

Waiting for confirmation of details, but not seeing anything yet that makes the service seem worth it for me.

I'd really like to know why it's taken so long too. I suppose one reason might be system security that identifies pirated games online etc.

I'll probably give it a go for the first year at least, but it doesn't seem to offer much value for me, despite being cheap.

They could do with rewording the normal digital purchase notice while they're at it - "I consent that Nintendo begins with its performance before the cancellation period ends." Could be clearer.

No cracks, but joy-con sticks depress a little too easily. A pain for Zelda. Play almost exclusively in handheld mode.

Just out of interest, is it best to keep it in the dock and on when not playing or should it be turned off completely? Could there be an effect on battery life?

@rjejr Definitely worse. We're a bit short on beer here too because of a CO2 shortage. Just as England win the first penalty shootout in decades to progress further in the world cup than in decades and we have unseasonably summery weather too.

@rjejr Hope your day gets better! I'm going to put this on the wish/watch list, watch more gameplay and probably get it at some point. Right now I have too many games and I can wait for a discount.

@rjejr That looks good. Thanks for the heads up.

I loved Fantasy Life. Great game.

Maybe I should pick up Crash sooner rather than later. I don't have any nostalgia for it, having never played it before. Looks good enough, just hasn't been a priority, on the wish list somewhere.

Spyro, though, I'd be there day 1.

@Princessgina They downgraded the 3DS to a 2DS. Twice! Downgrading widens the market by being more affordable to more people.

I really love the 3DS too, still my favourite system of all time. StreetPass was great. Focus does seem to have shifted, though.

@nintendolife There are some printable alternate jacket covers available on the Nintendo website. New art and no white banner.

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/Wolfenstein-II-The-New-Colossus-1276093.html#Extras

I've just started the Champion's Ballad DLC, so I'll continue with that. I'd forgotten how beautiful BoTW looks.

Otherwise, I'll be out enjoying the summer weather, which is remarkable in actually being present this year. Although it's baked the clay soils round here hard as concrete so archaeology is difficult.

Well, I guess we know in which direction Ubisoft will be going.

10 years for Nintendo to stream games seems unlikely, though. Add at least a decade for them to catch up. We don't even know that their paid online service will be worth it yet. Or even work well.

Anyway, I don't like streaming. I buy CDs, DVDs and record TV to hard drive.

I wonder how much eyesight has to do with play mode preference.

Anyway, it's exclusively handheld for me as it's more comfortable on my eyes and I need to look after them. There's a non-correctable scratch on the cornea that gives double vision at certain angles. Playing on the TV is more difficult, even though it's huge with good resolution.

I really like this format. Easier to work out the value of deals.

I've got Lumo physical already and will probably get Figment while it's 20% off. Waiting on a full collection and better price for The Journey Down. Waiting for a price cut/sale on Crash, no rush. Limbo and Inside are on the wishlist and will get those at some point.

With so much to play, prioritising things on sale. Already have more than enough to be getting on with.

As long as it stays heart warming and not schmaltzy then I'm in. Figment's looking good too.

@invictus4000 +1 for those games. I loved Cryo's games too, but they might be more niche still.

More excited for all these point-and-clicks and other adventure games coming to Switch than I was for anything at E3.