Sonicka

@neogyo I hope they can get this one out the door ok after all those recent reports that they need Mina to do well.

After the holy grail of Shovel Knight (which was the gift that kept on giving in the 3DS days), I’m ready and willing to support Yacht Club games day one with Mina. I really want it to succeed for them (and also really want to see their proper Shovel Knight sequel come to fruition in the future).

Good to see this has done well. Love the first game, well, and the film, but then… Scott Pilgrim is my “of all time” favourite graphic novel series.

I appreciate O’Malleys approach to sequel’ing the story through the “Takes Off” Netflix anime and now this game. That’s some Kingdom Hearts story IP level of bulls*** spread over multiple mediums of the highest order… and I love it.

Pretty weak / average affair IMHO (but saved at the end by Blue Prince finally landing on Switch 2.

5/10 if I had to rate it.

I also recognise almost all these games are of no interest to me, so one man’s 5/10 is another gamers 10/10 trailer experience.

A no show for Mina the Hollower AGAIN (and in an Indie Direct of all things) is very very weird.

Probably my GOTY for 2025.

I lost about 80+ hours to this game l(and I know of some people whom are still in the hundreds.

Such a good fit for Switch 2 so I'm glad they managed to port it over - it deserves so much lot more attention than it probably got last year.

@Zeroo I do actually agree (I mean, look at Sony - they still pump out physical PS4 releases). But we aren't a year into the Switch 2 lifecycle, so cross-get is usually a given for a period.

In any case, it matters not to me with this. I was just more surprised it's Switch 2 exclusive more than anything, but there we have it.

@bransby @Rosona Admittedly I haven’t been keeping track of this particular Pokemon game as it’s not up my street, but how is this game not on Switch 1? I mean… It barely qualifies looking like a Switch 1 game.

Like Bravely Default Remastered… This is a really bizarre release move 🤔

@Axecon I’d just get it on Switch 1. Like a lot of other Nintendo cross-gens it’s probably physical there, then just upgrade (or whatever the pathway is if there is one).

Anyone else find it amusing that they thought it was super important that the second key visual to cut to in the trailer was a windmill running at appropriate frames per second? 🤣

Conceptual and visually, I love it.

Practically though, it’s a 0/10 kind of useless product.

They could put the original midi files on the NSO music app and it still wouldn’t be that appealing of a prospect for the ears.

I mean, at least visually it looks more like a standard Switch 1 game running on the Switch 2 (i don’t say that with malice - usually GF are one generation behind in visuals so I’m used to it). I’m just very happy that they seem to be finally able to somewhat match the visual quality of Breath of the Wild 9 years after the fact, it’s what I hoped for (9 years ago).

The key thing will be performance (and bugs). And given this was a showcase of what’s achieved so far (and that the release is likely… 18 months away if it ends up being Christmas 2027), it bodes very well with extensive QA.

Ultimately, I hope this turns out positively with prior lessons learnt, as I enjoyed Sc/Vi despite the performance problems. That they are indeed doubling down on the open world idea is also good, as it suits this series if applied correctly. Gen 8 took baby steps, Gen 9 was halfway there in the execution, so hopefully Gen 10 will be the home run.

I appreciate the larger problem here now.

I was under the impression the 60FPS and AI upscaling were seperate togglable options, I’d have been ok with 60FPS at the standard visual quality, but they went for both combined and you can’t opt out of it on the Switch 2 edition? That’s nuts.

I can appreciate it’s mostly an issue on docked, but… the inky smearing (especially for background objects and landscapes) is certainly not right.

Hopefully the devs will remove the upscaling (or improve the way it’s upsclaed) in a patch. But it’s certainly baffling that this has happened for a paid upgrade, especially when you consider the usual pedigree of Monolithsoft is top tier.

So the main complaints (from what I can see based on crap ton of clearly fake & real screenshots) is that the 4K AI upscaling ain’t so great.

I personally think this is a touch overblown when you consider this is a WiiU game remastered on Switch and upscaled. Could have been better? Probably. But it’s not a game breaker.

But I do ponder if it should have been left alone at the 60FPS bump though. The engine used is already certainly showing limitations just with the visual pop in and draw distance, and this is becoming more noticeable in 4K from the gameplay.

Reminds me of how Skyward Sword used it’s painted oil canvas graphical style to its advantage to mask its shortcomings… then this was undone in the HD Remaster which ruined the visual effects and undid the creative workarounds.

Bizarre character choice to introduce or cameo in this movie if true.

IMHO it’s already overstuffed with Yoshi coming in and then them going full on Galaxy when that probably should have been saved for the third outing.

A Legion of bad guys / anti heroes is not what this film requires on top.

IMO, gen 9 easily has some of the best new Pokemon designs and ideas (as a collective whole - not everything is a winner) in a good few generations.

Just a shame the game looked and ran like crapola (until the Switch 2 boost anyway).

Otherwise the series is basically going in the open world direction it should have taken a long time ago. If Sword & Shield were baby steps, and Scarlett & Violet was light treading then I… look forward…

…to seeing TPC mess it up with budgetary compromises and constraints on Gamefreak for Gen 10 (because really, we need to go in with zero expectations to save disappointment).

Since Legends, Rayman has been sorely missed.

Given the platformer is one of the key pillars in Ubisofts IP’s and branding (even if they don’t sell as much as your Assassins Creeds), it’s encouraging to know it’s not been forgotten and may be making a comeback.

Whether it’s via remaster, remakes, or new titles… bring it on! 😃

I caved and got the Cardboard iteration in the end (if only because it adds some limited use for the other VR switch games that the proper VB stand can’t accommodate).

It’s a fun novelty, and I get it with regards to why they want you to experience it in this manner as it’s very cool.

…But honestly? Just blow up the left or right side of the screen onto the Switch screen or TV (as per the trailers which convey how absolutely fine it is) and you’re golden to play this in 2D. There is no justified reason this can’t be an option for those that don’t want the goggles and want to play it on the NSO.

Not to mention that (having done as others advised and put a sticky note on one side of the screen and played all the games that way…) there is really no requirement whatsoever to need to play any of these games in 3D, much like the 3DS catalogue that succeeded this tech.

A 2D mode update patch is needed next, Nintendo.

I’m normally on the board of “screw them” - but at the very least they are being slightly more transparent since someone on their marketing team is WELL aware all these questions will
be asked - better to get out and ahead of the game.

I’m pro release of it being outside of the NSO, all titles should be as an option, but that also means I’d expect the opposite.

Price is also way too high, but they know people will pay for it so…

Otherwise - this is basically what people have been asking for goodness knows how long, so complaining about the finer things is pointless.

They delivered, and the execution isn’t perfect, but it never will be.

@themightyant this is very true.

I expected to take to it massively since I loved BoTW and ToTK and exploring these worlds has always been a huge part of the Xenoblade experience for me.

But yes, I do think the lack of (or rather, a less engaging) story with your main character being mostly mute does diminish the experience for me personally.

Still adore X conceptually, I probably just need to find my groove and dig in.

Question is whether or not I wait until I can reasonably afford to get a Switch 2 to play it.

I’ve dived into Xenoblade X several times now, originally on Wii U loooooooong ago, and also on Switch last year (and put it away again after a good long time spent as other things came calling).

That’s not to say X isn’t amazing in its own right (open world is freaking amazing), but it doesn’t hold the same drive for me like the mainline XC’s 1-3 do in pushing me onwards and forwards. Not quite sure why (story, probably) but i guess its why it’s oft considered the weakest of the bunch I guess.

That said… I do appreciate what the Switch Version improved already on WiiU, which were some damn fine QOL’s. I just don’t know whether to jump back in right now (as I had been considering it), or to wait until much later when I can feasibly pick up the successor console and play the S2 edition instead.

Decisions….

@AussieMcBucket I get it, but it’s supremely disappointing to have to pay for a peripheral when the Virtual Boy software is already locked behind a paid NSO subscription, meaning it won’t be available forever, and the plastic toy will eventually be useless when it’s inevitably not available in the future.

That’s why at the very least a 2D mode should be an option eventually… if not right from the start. The goggles are just a cool (if pricey and unnecessary) gimmick.

I get the want to sell the peripherals, but it's frankly insane to me that they have locked it out of playing in 2D on the TV or in portable mode.

We've all watched their YouTube videos and announcements actually showing gameplay in video format... and it looks perfect fine without the 3D effect... therefore it's appears to be reasonably achievable to emulate in 2D.

As ever, this appears to just be Nintendo locking a reasonable option behind their flawed "this is the intended way" logic for the sake of it.

Charizard - for many many reasons.

He was main in my party for Gen 1, he was such a salty, stroppy bitch to Ash well which made him standout in the anime, and of course you were the most popular kid in school if you had a Charizard Shiny from the base set Pokemon TGC ☺️

@DominionGamma I don’t think anyone ever said this. Mario Kart is a juggernaut for any racer to contend with. Now whether Crossworlds or MKWorld is the better game is another debate entirely.

Besides, this article is specifically citing Sonic Rumble and Rovio significantly underperforming - an entirely different branch and game altogether.

It’s a shame about Sonic Rumble, as it’s actually a really fun Fall Guys clone. Say what you will about the MTX shop and ads, I paid for bugger all and got a load out of my free investment in playtime.

The mistake they made here was it being locked in for over a year of beta testing from most of the world waiting to play it and not understanding what it was. There was also a massive missed opportunity in this not being put on Consoles as well (something they’ve screwed up for the second time in a row with their surprisingly decent mobile titles).

The trouble with acquiring Rovio though, is that SEGA expected their experience of Angry Birds and the spinoffs steamrolling to be instantly applied to any IP they worked on for them. Whilst this might have been true when mobile gaming first came out over 10-15 years ago, the landscape is VEEEERRY different these days.

@Dr_Lugae yeah it’s likely the same one we got last year I suppose?

Unless I’ve misunderstood their intention and they revealed it’s coming to PS5 last night… hence a Demo for the system dropping?

Just found it vaguely bizarre as I assumed it was coming to all platforms anyway.

Wild to me that this was on the PS Showcase last night and not the Nintendo Partner Direct last week.

I can understand wanting to spread the word on top of dropping a demo (I honestly thought one was out already on PlayStation), but I think a reminder / assurance that it is coming was probably needed on the platform where folks are more likely to pick the game up.

Nice, I also heard that Ubisoft’s finance and management teams also over-performed with mass layoff tasks this quarter.

It would be nice to see some Blue / Red / Yellow / Gold / Silver / Platinum releases.

I don’t care if it’s Virtual Console, or if they do it on the eshop, or a cart. It’s been 30 years and a new package is due.

Virtual console would be ideal considering they have sold Gen 1 FOUR times us now (GB, GBA, 3DS VC & Switch) and Gen 2 THREE times (GBC, DS, 3DS VC), and that’s not even mentioning pirated routes. So it wouldn’t kill ‘em to put these on the subscription pass.

That said, ownership and physical is always king - so eshop and carts are also welcome if they are “struggling” to fund the next Gen 10 installment 🤣

Such an underrated gem in the franchise, potentially my favourite. Love me some Origami King soundtrack Nintendo. THANKS

Honestly speaking, I think he’s talking about certain battle mechanics for gameplay. What else really can they take from the Warriors series that isn’t part of or meshed with Zelda already?

Whilst there is a nice tactical element in your approach to enemies in BOTW & TOTK, both Age of calamity and imprisonment had far more exciting battle scenarios, not to mention actually battling enemies / bosses was much more engaging.

I don’t mean that Zelda should be 1 V 1000… most certainly not. But the way characters interact dynamically with bigger enemies and bosses is just more dynamic in their musou titles.

…Basically, just make engaging enemies more exciting next time Nintendo. Hunting from a distance with a bow is very cool and all, but it sneaking and sniping shouldn’t always trump using the Master Sword in the heat of battle.

@Kiz3000 exactly, and that’s actually a further good point about DQVII.

Either way, this is not a good solution to anything. It moreso just proves that the current Switch 2 carts are either not big enough for a higher quality ports, or publishers just don’t want to opt into spending more money on a more expensive cartridge due to their predicted / expected sales forecast.

As it is current “Switch 2 Editions” are mostly shipped as Switch 1 carts with extra data for for the Switch 2 unlocked in that device / patched upon input.

Nintendo has inadvertently created a bigger problem instead of providing a cleaner solution with the game key cards.

I know that a lot of PS4 titles also have PS5 paid or free upgrade paths, but I can still physically buy the PS5 version disk 9 times out of 10 if I need too.

Just like Drsgon Quest VII then?

Whilst I think in terms of the Physical Box it looks much better - I don’t actually understand why they keep releasing these ports on both consoles but opt for GKC on Switch 2 when the game fits on a Switch 1 cartridge.

This just suggests to me that it’s not a space issue and moreso that the carts they pay for on Switch 2 are far more expensive.

Went to purchase Cool Boarders… but it’s Switch 2 exclusive… why??

N64 runs pretty seamlessly for NSO, so this sucks (and lost them a sale) =/

So basically, it is absolutely supported. But they don’t want current Labo VR adopters to know that 🤣

Gotta sell more cardboard and plastic peripherals after all.

Wow… this actually didn’t look half bad considering. Nice work Square! 😮

@Yoshi3 in which case it’s a pretty good job Nintendo evaluated the “want” and quickly recognised that an open world structure doesn’t fit with Metroid style gameplay (considering they stated they experimented with it during the Prime 4 development and it didn’t work out).

I’m pretty glad the final product didn’t end up that way ultimately (and I say that as someone that likes exploration if it’s validated). The bike stuff in Prime 4 was enjoyable enough, but like the Ocarina of Times and Skyward Swords, I don’t play these game to traverse those types of maps since they’re just open field segways.

I think the real missed opportunity with Prime 4 was using an N64 design map template from Zelda, instead of placing the biomes above and below the desert to interconnect everything.

It’s likely to be port heavy, and even more likely digital & game key card only - but Switch 2 certainly deserves the likes of Blue Prince, Clair Obscur, Kingdom Hearts (non cloud edition), Final Fantasy XIII trilogy / XIV / XV / XVI / Rebirth, Alan Wake 2, High Fi Rush, Decapolice, Red Dead 2, GTA IV or V etc… being shown off or announced.

Hopefully we’ll see some new game announcements as well, but I reckon that will be in the minority for this showcase.

Would also love a Sonic Unleashed (PS3 / 360 version) or Sonic Lost World remaster, or whatever Frontiers 2 turns out to be as it feels timely for SEGA to unveil something along those lines (But I suspect that will be more of a Summer game fest thing).

Hell, I’d even take a port of the Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 HD versions that have been available since 2 generations ago. I’m still surprised this hasn’t been made available on Switch 1 since launch as I would LOVE to play and own these titles portably.

It doesn't come with the controller? I don't know how I missed that. I thought for £69.99 that the entire thing was a given. Cancelled my preorder. Cardboard variant it is I guess.

That said, I still don't understand why we can't just play these games without the blasted VR headset whatsoever. Will it not work if it's not inserted into a VR headset? Or is it just a case of it just looking blurry and fuzzy?

The fact that I'm watching these videos of gameplay IN 2D highlights that there should be an option to not play in 3D mode like the 3DS.

@Dr_Lugae you are joking… right? If not - I’m presuming you haven’t played the full game if you think you’re being short changed?

Ironically, there are actually more tracks in this game than previous Mario Karts have offered in the past. With 39 unique tracks in the game overall, comprised of 24 Main Courses (which also have alternate variations in their final laps), and 15 CrossWorld Courses.

There’s no cheaping out on the 4th GP race, it’s intentional that you learn the 3 main courses for the first three races before they put a “spin” on the CrossWorld feature for laps 1, 2 and 3 of the 4th race.

That said, in general the game is full and content rich from the off. The DLC is just what it is for player engagement. It’s no different to anything your Mario Karts and the like have done before by adding more to the base game, and you can still play these tracks for free online if you luck out on the track draw selection.

Expectations on SEGA’s part definitely should have been lowered, especially when you are competing against the MK juggernaut in the same year (regardless of weather you feel the game is better than the competition or not).

That said, it’s odd they see it as failing “so far” considering it peaked early for the million (which it achieved much faster than its predecessors).

But it’s the selling for the longer haul that is more important. Lack of a Switch 2 version probably didn’t help matters from the start, but the DLC campaigns and keeping players engaged is what will be important going forwards.

Price wise… I don’t think this is big issue. Crossworlds is neither on the high end or budget side of what games currently cost (basically, they placed it in the middle tier bracket, which is appropriate for what was on offer).

I think the real stinger is in the DLC pricing, which is currently far too expensive. The ongoing way this is promoted is also confusing for a lot of casual players. Despite the staggered release schedule, no one seems to understand what is free DLC and what is paid DLC, what characters are added that you get for free, and what you don’t, or that DLC tracks need to be paid for in the DLC to own (but that you can play on them regardless online for free), and that festivals are just part of the online experience and are not paid DLC experiences.

Due to this, I’m not paying a dime on the DLC despite wanting to support the game, either the cost of what’s on offer needs to be lowered significantly, or I’ll just wait for a sale to own the 3rd party characters. The important thing for me is that I can still race on all the tracks when playing online.

If there's one man with vocal tones that can sell me on a game alone, then it's Jon's. XD

wishlisted

@Dm9982 apologies, that’s not what I meant regarding the LSL titles. I was just responding using a range of titles / genres as those were used specifically in the comments already.

I didn’t mean it to come across as though the LSL games were part of the same sesspool of Hentai and / or Shovelware titles (at least in terms of their quality anyway). 🤣

I’ve played some of the previous Larry games in my teens with mates for a laugh (PS2 era is mostly what I recall) but of course the series predates that by a mile as you mentioned 🙂

But yup, it sure seems like adhoc tried to play it safe out of concern for pushback. Would be interesting to see Nintendo comment on the matter to see if they can address it.

Dispatch is PEGI 18, so the need to censor seems very redundant. Seems pretty clear cut that they tried to work within the rulings of Nintendo to get approval as per the statement.

As for the Hentai style games and Leisure Suit Larry’s, as well as shovelware… Nintendo very clearly don’t have a human approval system to cater to every title thrown in the mix.

Dispatch is a much bigger deal and more likely to be screened - to me it just seems like the Dev’s took the path of least resistance to ensure there was no rejection (and if there was it was clearly catered too).

Still, when you had a toggle option and a high age rating the entire affair does seem rather dumb on Nintendos part. I guess at least the devs were able to adjust their digital artwork back to regular version when that issue made the news a few weeks back.

This is one of the best “visual novel” style games I’ve ever played.

It’s also unfortunate that due to the release timing it didn’t qualify for multiple nominations at the Game Awards last year… or will this year) as it would have easily have taken a few awards off Expedition 33.

Shame it’s been censored on Nintendo platforms as the crudeness is all part of the fun - what’s the point of age ratings if you have to censor things further?

@Oldstalk the more you learn, the more you know. Genuinely had no idea how popular Tomodachi is, and I thought it was just one of those cult status Mii branded titles that people enjoy. Obviously I have a much better idea now.

Honestly - when I saw the game even announced last year I immediately wondered what audience this was even supposed to be for considering how outdated Mii’s are (and I say that with absolute love for Mii’s and what they represent) considering they are a Wii era phenomenon that impressively clung on for dear life to each successor generation.

@Anti-Matter Oh it’s absolutely about the why - or it wouldn’t be questioned (and not just by myself). I have a broader and much better idea now though.

But yes, Kirby Air Riders absolutely felt like it didn’t need two 1 hour directs either… but it got it because it was Sakurai. Some people just have the leverage to bargain for real advertisement estate to promote their games, especially if they feel they are worth pushing so they aren’t lost in the release backlog.

Oooh, now THAT is interesting. They turned The Gateway Galaxy into a full-on massive habitable planet! Look at those little houses, and the stone fort is now a full on castle!

I’m going to harbour a guess that this is probably where Rosalina resides in this movie (since a few locations appear to match the first trailer where she was battling, I didn’t make the connection until now).

@progx In fairness, I probably should have done the same research rather that post “but… why?” rather obtusely in the first place.

It wasn’t meant as an attack on the title or its fans, I was just genuinely curious why this particular game would get a specific focus from Nintendo.

I knew of Tomodatchi from articles, and directs, but outside my own circles my awareness this sort of Nintendo product to me seemed much in the same scope of the “Rhythm Heaven” franchise. And by that I mean to say the games are awesome, but oft irrelevant to a wider audience and so therefore never seem to get discussed in a broader sense very often.

In any case - if it’s big in Japan and has some serious sales going on elsewhere, then fair play.

@progx now this…is the kind of constructive answer I can appreciate, thanks! 🙂

I’m very happy to be wrong on a subject which is why I wondered why this game had a specific direct in comparison to other titles (Metroid was admittedly just a generalised example I was using… however the metrics are interesting now it’s spelt out in constrast).

I also didn’t realise this was the third game in the series (I guess due to the DS game being Japan exclusive). I knew of the 3DS title and Miitopia only previously. But if it’s that big of a thing, even after a couple of titles, then fair enough.

@squiddu-real @Anti-Matter that’s fine - and honestly speaking I don’t have anything against a Direct that has an audience. I don’t know enough about Tomodatchi Life to comment on its quality.

There are definitely Directs I’ve watched where I’m pretty certain others couldn’t care less about anyway, one man main genre is another mans trash.

In any case, my query is not “I don’t care about this” and more “why this game in particular, Nintendo?” - especially when some of their bigger franchises needed pushing before release (eg - Metroid Prime 4).

@Anti-Matter you’ve basically made my point even more clear.

FYI, not against a focused direct, but it seems very bizarre to me that Nintendo are pushing a focused Direct on a quirky title that has a niche audience. (Does this mean Rhythm Heaven will gets its own direct etc…)

More importantly, despite the consensus on the product now… why did Metroid Prime 4 not get a direct and instead just an overview trailer. The logic doesn’t brain.

Ok… but… why though? 🤔