Visually looks very good, but already I'm wondering why this isn't solely a Super Mario World followup. Bringing in Yoshi, and then hightailing it to Galaxy level (which feels like a natural third entry) once the brothers have properly settled into the mushroom kingdom and its neighbours, just tells me it will be as overstuffed and plot insensitive as the first film.
Would love some deep cuts, but I’d much rather they get the remaining game-verse characters that have been missed out on first.
That the likes of Ray & Mighty, Chaos, Classic Sonic, Trip, Knack, Sticks, Tikal, etc… aren’t in before more obscure comic characters such as Tangle and Whisper is a little bit crazy to me (but happy for their fans).
@Markatron84 @Mana_Knight @Zadaris yes, yes and yes. If the IDW verse that I know zip about can make it in, then I’d love to see previous publications make the cut. It’s about Crossing worlds after all.
I’d happily settle for Fleetways crazed / maniac / demonic take on Super Sonic with the spiral eyes. Twas always a joy / dread whenever this alter ego showed up.
Despite this looking about 10x better than their Pokemon titles, they have continued their usual philosophy of not well optimising their game - it’s all over the place in the trailer and gameplay shown off (even though it is pretty).
Even during the interview with IGN, the director confirmed they aren’t focused on making a game that performs and runs well, it’s all about the gameplay experience.
@mackers84 that’s all well and good, but Remake is still a native PS4 game ported with extra bells and whistles to run and look slightly better on the PS5. Essentially it’s a “4K Remaster” with the option for high frame rates.
That’s not to say it ain’t impressive on Switch 2, even if it can only get to 30 FPS - but Rebirth is in a whole ‘nother league visually speaking and certainly wouldn’t have run on the PS4/Pro.
In any case, it’s still a positive that the Switch 2 Port of Remake is comparable to the PS5 port. That’s why I’m super interested to see how Rebirth is handled in comparison.
@Aneira thankfully FFVII Remake and Rebirth are still technical strategic RPG’s.
Though I prefer turn based, I’m not against the evolution taken in these specific titles as there’s still a huge element of needing to pause, slowdown & reflect as you have to make specific choices to win battles whilst engaging.
Final Fantasy XVI on the other hand… yup, that’s an utterly tragic DMC basic button masher that doesn’t even attempt to hide its unimportant levelling system with a “strength = win” scenario for every battle - who needs elements when none of it makes any difference.
But yes, I do wish they’d return to a ATB system for the mainline FF entries. I guess Square simply have very little vested interest now other RPG IP’s have taken this ground into more engaging directions, they probably think the void is filled. But it’s a shame all the same.
Super interested to see how well Rebirth and the final entry hold up on Switch 2. I know Remake is deemed technically impressive - but that was a PS4 title originally (which the DLC intergrade also should have been at the time of release), so I wasn’t that worried that it would have been a massive issue given where the Switch 2 sits in terms of being a hybrid portable console but also one that’s comfortably above “PS4 base standards” of power.
Rebirth is on another level and a current gen game - so whilst 30FPS is going to be a given for the port, I do wonder what visual sacrifices will be made to get it there.
@Ironcore I beleive they fixed a lot of these routes for the intermission courses in the last update.
The just need to add a “create your own custom GP / Knockout cup routes” so you can pick and choose courses and routes you want across the map, add traditional GP cups without intermissions as an option, and have an in game “Mario Kart Live” style route creator where you can set your own markers across the map to drive custom races wherever you want.
Not only are there layoffs, they’ve basically admitted generative AI is replacing creative talent like it’s a positive.
Additionally forcing developers back into 5 in-office days (where crunch is more likely to occur) is also a deliberate move to not incentivise new hires and push existing staff that prefer the present (standard) WFH / office mix into leaving the company.
@PikminMarioKirby exactly! I’d double dipped twice already with DKCR on Wii and 3DS and didn’t want to “return” a third time. Even though this update is great, it’s still not enough. If the game was about £20 / €30 dollars less then it might be a consideration, but I really don’t know what Nintendo thought they were doing here. I suppose at least the Mario Galaxy pack has 2 games for the same price… but even then that still feels over expensive.
Totally on board for TTYD getting updated. I remember narking on this back during release for the disappointing 30FPS against its GameCube brethren (despite it looking having a complete visual overhaul in its upgrade that would have taken a lot of effort). But if they can crank it up to be its best self on Switch 2 then I’m all in favour 🙂
@Wewewi considering Rebirth is also coming to Switch 2 and previously Square committed to the Trilogy happening, there’s no reason to think it won’t be ported after the PS5 version is released.
The quality of the Switch 2 version is definitely going to be impacted regardless however as technically Rebirth (and by proxy Part 3) are on another level of scale and ambition compared to Remake.
@PikminMarioKirby Bonanza DLC shouldn't have cost £17.99 in the first place… but then Country Returns HD in no way should have cost £49.99 either given its second re-release on as many consoles.
Let’s take this “free” update as a minor win / recoup for the price 🙂
(Also agree - a Paper Mario TTYD 60 FPS free update is a much needed requirement also).
Honestly speaking, the online discourse is pretty overblown to kingdom come IMO (and let’s be honest; mostly done for the click baiting negative attention algorithm that social media currently thrives upon).
In reality Prime 4 is a very solid 8/10 video game experience, but for the ultimate purists (me included) this feels like a huge a letdown because of the lengthy space of time that we’ve waited for a real sequel and because what Retro delivered is more of a “Metroid Prime for Beginners”. This is due to Nintendos current overindulgence of not trusting the player enough to figure stuff out. The likelihood is they also want to win a brand new player base starting out on a new trilogy - it’s probably why the maps are so linear in comparison to what is expected.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the bosses, I found the bike stuff to be very fun to cruise around, the green gem gameplay loop I actually got quite addicted to (so this grind everyone is talking about I never came across). And the “overworld” is just an OOT / SS style map and does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It’s a fun breather in between the biomes. NPC’s add a nice level of depth and I hope they return in the sequel, we just need Samus bloody talking to them this time - it’s like the developer got scared after Other M and went too far the other way).
There’s more this game could have been for sure, and it feels like they touched upon some fun psychic gameplay elements, but not enough was done with these.
In any case, Prime 4 is a pretty great game, but I think they Nintendo should have focused on pushing this as a spiritual sequel to the Prime series as others have mentioned rather titling it “Prime 4”. I understand the want to associate it for marketing reasons - but when the Metroid's hardly feature, and Metroid Prime herself is dead - why are we still calling it this?
@DdG1408 oh it sucked for sure (or was the usual mid-tier video-game style adaption at the very least).
My main point was that usually these things look better in motion as opposed to still promo images. Lara here looks like a anverage attempt at cosplaying, but it might end up faring better against an actual scene, or might only be one of many looks in the finalised product.
I had huge concerns with the visual look of characters of The Mario Movie beforehand, however it turned out to be not so bad when viewing the production quality on the whole (but yeah, this didn’t stop the movie being simply “ok” in general).
I know Lego sets can be expensive… but this is really biting the hand that feeds. The trio collection costing more than buying an actual Switch 2 with several Pokémon games is actual insanity.
DBrand always tend to get a laugh from me and the friends at my work. “Unprofessional comments” is just their brand of humour and part of the flavour of the website. It hurts no-one, Chill.
In any case - it’s nice to see them adopt for Joycon 2’s what Nintendon’t.
I get the deviation from Switch 1, but ultimately I don’t want to purchase a Switch 2 with black joycon 2’s that have a slight hint of colour that’s never gunna be seen on the magnetised insides. It’s barely noticeable on the analogue sticks as it is.
Ultimately, what Nintendo are doing is selling the exact same black joycon 2’s again with a minor colour variant, rather than a notably different coloured joycon 2.
IMHO, it makes this largely pointless in terms of aesthetic value overall. I’d would have at least expected the buttons or triggers to have the gradient colour as well or something… just, anything to make give them a personalised reason for purchase.
I enjoyed Miles as a character (as well as the others) it added something to the game having characters with speaking parts brings a brand new sense of desolate immersion the series is known for since they are all stuck, alone but together as a group. It’s a cool idea.
That said, I did not need him on the radio pinpointing out where to go every 5 minutes in the desert hub. I enjoyed zooming around finding all the secrets, crash sites, shrines, and breaking the crystals in-between the map biomes, it’s a fun enough (but simple) gameplay loop (more like The Sky World from Skyward Sword than the OOT / BOTW extremes others have suggested.)
But the game assumes I am “stuck” if I dilly dally for longer than 5 minutes when I already had an idea of where to go, I did not need Miles telling me when I’m enjoying myself speeding about.
The easy fix is for Nintendo to add an option to toggle the additional baby support on and off. I’m surprised this wasn’t done as standard considering it’s in other titles they’ve made. You can leave certain directional cues in if it’s story necessary, but he basically gives you the answer to what are already basic backtracking exploration puzzles for progression.
Nintendo / Retro need to relearn to trust that the player base are smarter than this.
There are times when I look at certain situations like the Expedition 33 scenario, which just used placeholders - with the intention of replacing it with actual creative assets later as not a terrible thing if it helps push things along…
…but then I remember that these sorts of placeholders and concept artworks are what make the games from creative individuals in the first place. Why would a creative artist want to simply update / replace an asset that’s already been generated by AI and has taken up half of their job already?
It’s just icky - imagine the concept artwork books we’d get in 10 years times for games, movies and and likes… it would literally just be generative AI slop based on existing material. It’s not why I buy such things.
Whilst I’ll take any soapbox opinion to spread the love for Rayman 2, “overlooked” is probably not the right descriptor.
I’m pretty sure Rayman 2 was universally praised on release (and re-release… maybe not so much the IOS / & 3/DS ports), but it’s appeared on no less than 9 different platforms in one manner or another.
Phenomenal platformer title overall - very apt comparison to “The Dark Crystal” as well! Never thought about it that way but it shares so much in common, no wondered I loved it.
I still think the Dreamcast / PC release was probably the best iteration, but playing this on NSO N64 classics I can see that this version really does stand on its own two feet surprisingly well! Defo gunna replay it to completion.
Halfway in now - really don’t get the hate for the NPC’s or the bike + desert. It’s been a real ride so far, neither immersion breaking or particularly intrusive IMO.
What I will say though (for better or worse) is that it is defo the most linear feeling Metroid to date. This is ironic considering how many were critical of the “open world” desert and there was concerns it would be like BoTW… yet if anything it’s the complete opposite - we actually have the Skyward Sword of the Metroid Prime series with Beyond.
In any case, this has been a blast so far, but hasn’t bested the quality of Metroid Prime 1 just yet.
Well; they certainly helped elevate Zelda into the broader success it’s seen over the last 10 years. Between these titles and Xenoblade, Monolithsoft are basically at the top of their game when it comes to interesting and varied open world design that begs to be explored.
So an entire game built from the ground up by them? Sign me up! (As long as it doesn’t detract from future Xenoblade entries)
@Suketoudara oh 100%, based on that alone it’s no surprise really (I don’t actually think it’s a bad game either - I just think SEGA pumped out some good competition this year that was worth a nod).
Completely with you on MKW’s soundtrack though, how did this not make it on here? It’s just pure blis and some of the best arrangements they’ve ever produced for a game.
@Kochambra well yes, exactly my point. Either we to need reassess our understanding of “indie” or TGA need to take a closer inspection of what should class as an indie or budgeted game and break this down in smaller categories.
Clair did what it did spectacularly, but it came at the cost of out-shining a dozen other brilliant titles this year that deserved just as much (if not more) of a mention.
If it were me - I’d have put Blue Prince as a very strong contender for Game of the Year (it’s actually my personal GOTY). But it is what it is
Other thoughts; It’s was unsettling to see Nintendo win in all the categories its didn’t really deserve too. Whilst it is great Bonanza picked something up (especially after something like Astro swept the table last year), I’m not sure “best family game” is really is category for it considering most of the competition were multiplier titles.
It’s also a shame Mario Kart World beat out Sonic Crossworlds, if you were to judge it based on the audience reactions to the game title reads at the event it was pretty evident which one people were more ecstatic for.
AND it still irks me that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 got snubbed entirely from best video-game adaptation. Should have at least been a nominee considering it released after the 2024 game awards, and yet somehow the critically / commercially panned Last of us Season 2 won the thing.
On the positive, it was nice to see them shuffle the awards around a bit, I hate it when they reel off some of them on the fly really quickly so certain creators don’t end up hitting the stage - a particular bug bear was the soundtrack category but they respectfully made that a bigger deal this year.
In any case, this wasn’t worth watching. Most of the months teasers for reveals I was hyped for never came to fruition tonight, and nothing really caught my eye in the up and comings, so personally it was more of a yawn fest.
Unsurprising that Clair won in all of its categories. Clearly a spectacular title (and one that should be ported to Switch 2).
I do however, think either we as a gaming community need to look at redefining our understanding of what “indie” is and can stand for, or the TGA need to redefine it for future award ceremonies.
Sandfall does absolutely class as an indie developer, they have a very small team (even if some work was outsourced), in comparison the larger AA and AAA studios, they have their own independent publisher that deals with a select group of indie devs and titles, and Sandfalls whole motto / belief is in proving that AAA quality games can be produced in scope under the size and restraint of small studios with the right tools and talent - something they very clearly demonstrated to great effect with their first title.
On paper it feels unfair because the game looks and play leagues above what most Indie developers look to do with their titles, but at the end of the day this Sandfall achieved what most large publishers and software companies fail to accomplish every year; make an excellent value consumer product that (1) doesn’t waste the players time (2) feels premium in scope, and (3) make the player feel like they have received a AAA experience under the guise of a relatively small budget.
@Banjo- that’s essentially it. I was so excited to get this on GC back in the day and just found myself endlessly frustrated due to the navigation between light and dark worlds, becoming lost a lot more quickly, and because of how difficult it makes everything to traverse.
In concept i love it… and having a mirror version of the same location was somewhat smart in scope. But tonally it became a slog after a while, and I didn’t find all the environment's to be as visually interesting as Prime 1’s were to explore, so doing it twice just doubled down the boredom for me sadly.
That said… I wouldn’t mind a Remaster of Prime 2 (like Prime 1) to see what they can crank up in terms of subtle improvements so I can give it another whack.
In total agreement with Prime 1 and Super Metroid being the best of their respective perspectives though 🙂
Not entirely terrible considering it is based on user ratings, but Beyond should really be holding its own above Echoes - that game was an expertly stitched together exercise in boredom and difficulty, easily making it the weakest of the 4 main Prime titles. Time will see this revolve around again I’m sure.
@Pat_trick yup, which is a fair opinion to have. I’m all for accessibly and more options at the end of the day.
On the creative side I don’t know where I come down personally on it being an unlock. No Music seems to be a choice for the desert so it seems intentional.
IMPORTANT As I don’t want to contribute to the spread of misinformation, I should say that after investigating this further, it seems like there is a 50/50 split online on the radio being unlocked for the bike being exclusive to the Amiibo or through gameplay related unlocks. Lots of people have claimed they’ve done it without Amiibo, and others are saying the radio is only unlocked with Amiibo. So it’s anyone’s guess at the moment.
Overall, it seems like the developers intent was that there was not supposed to be music during the desert sections as they were gunning for wild ambience. The radio simply gives access to unlockable tracks from older Metroid titles and other tunes in game to listen to as you drive about it seems. There isn’t a dedicated soundtrack for the desert that Nintendo are blocking users off from.
@Pat_trick if it’s unlock-able without having to pay anything (no matter how long it takes) this basically invalidates any internet argument saying you have to pay for the music, therefore the amiibo feature is just a bonus. As usual, the grifters farm for negative engagement on social platforms and this is how the discourse is spread.
In general, these sorts of achievements and feature unlocks are standard and normal. Should they have music available earlier in the desert region? Maybe. That is another discussion entirely. But clearly the desolation and ambience for the desert was an audio design choice from the get go whether a good or bad thing.
It’s amazing how all the tweaks made in this Remakemaster really make all the difference in elevating the title to a solid 9/10 experience.
And considering how good Impossible Lair was it really seems like Playtonic have got a better handle of their craft. I can’t wait for Twoka-Laylee Yooka-Kart, or whatever comes next! 🙂
Still holding out until there is something I REALLY need to play right now that I absolutely cannot wait for... Hyrule Warriors was a close one. Mario Kart and DK Bonanza as well as other obvious Switch 2 upgrades and editions are very welcome but not necessary to upend my backlog at the moment.
Additionally, I’m waiting considering the LED screen model can vary (from the launch editions) and would rather guarantee the better version, not to mention I have a preference to OLED now, but I reckon that variation in model will be a few years away.
However, having played a lot of my mates I am impressed all the same. I can’t wait to get it eventually.
Nice, glad this lives up to the Switch 2 version (which it should… considering this is the base game product anyway). I won’t be playing this on SW2 and have my OLED and TV ready, thus I wont have comparison envy thankfully. As far as I am concerned as long as it’s 60FPS and looks on par with Prime 1 Remastered then I’m golden.
@HammerKirby there is another reason for physical collectors that they may want to purchase Switch 1 versions - the beautiful box art is not overcrowded with a ridiculous amount of Switch 2 Edition tags, labels, and worded texts boxes and disclaimers.
@Yoshi3 nah it’s cool I get it 🙂 I mean you know my particular stance on Zelda… I’m a bit of a sucker for openness if it’s something I get lost in under the right circumstance (but on the flip-side it is fatiguing to think about playing multiple different open world experiences from game to game).
You are correct about my comparison actually. I think I was thinking of Metroid Prime’s landing areas and adjacent rooms (being on the cusp of some (but not all) biome areas with this new hub acting in a similar way as I recall retreading there often.
The Biomes in general used to be very interconnected, in past games, I suppose this did branch off a bit in Prime 3, so maybe that’s why this title continued along that path? As I mentioned somewhere above in the comments, maybe it would have been cooler to have this large overworld on top, keep it dense, then layer the game downwards with biomes to more effectively connect the land and depths and give reason for secrets and exploration.
But hey… i dunno, we Wouldn’t get Viola I suppose and they really pushing for the cool bike this time 🤣
@yoshi3 I get where you are going with this, but Modern Metroid (Prime 4) isn’t open world, I mean, not really. If that’s the case, then we may as well be saying retro Zelda titles with large field maps are also open world experiences.
Whilst a lot of reviews have opted to click bait many to dismay in the subtitles at it being an open world disappointment, they all say the same thing in the fine text, “semi open” “wide linear” “desert zone” “large connective hub map”.
They,ve just taken the landing area from any old Metroid game and turned it into a massive desert to justify the locations to travel to across the planet. Could it have been done better? Probably, I’ll have more thoughts once I’ve had a go, but is it redefining the core structure of Metroid? No, not really, they’ve just expanded the elevator cutscenes into a playable portion of the game.
I don’t think “open areas” are necessarily a bad thing for the franchise. It’s moreso the how and why it’s incorporated into the base structure of the game.
The open map seems to scream more classic Zelda like Wind Waker in terms of scale than anything needless like BOTW/TOTK.
What I do think is a missed opportunity here is that they opted to connect the proper Metroid biomes at the edges, hence the vast trips on the bike (Prime 3 just used the ship to fast travel to planets than explore space after all).
I think what would have been more interesting is having a semi large open desert on top, and then interconnecting it to all the biomes below the surface (as traditionally, we’ve gone deeper and deeper into a planet).
Not only could you make multiple entrances and secrets to and from the surface, but it would be densely packed to reward those returning to the surface overworld to explore.
@Yoshi3 don’t worry, i don’t think they’ll really infuse it as a proper open air experience on a scale like BOTW.
The reviews make it sound more like the “overworld” is a more of a hub with these mini dungeons/shines (to me it seems more akin to The Great Sea from The Wind Waker as a more apt comparison) the main bulk is still likely the classic interconnected metroidvania areas we know and love 🙂
At the moment Metroid Prime 4 sits a single point above OTHER M on metacritic.
You could say “that is wild” but I love OTHER M, so I’m pretty sure this will be my jam as well.
The fact that the interconnected overworld is an expansion of the usual (and often disjointed) segways / elevators AND has shrines to explore like BOTW just makes it all the more enticing for further Metroid styled exploration and immersion.
Nice. It sure sounds like the concerns of the federation team overstepping and quipping too much were nothing to be concerned about after all. God bless internet hyperbole.
It doesn’t need a “Switch 2 Edition” with tweaks, save that for Xenoblade 3.
Xenoblade 2 really needs needs a “Definitive Edition” released on Switch 2, much like the original and X got.
There’s a lot of stuff to address that could turn an 8/10 experience into a 10/10 one. I love Xenoblade 2 by the way - it has A LOT - but it suffers from the team trying to reinvent and appropriate change where it doesn’t pan out (see field skills, applying and navigating multiple blade menus, low quality graphical issues in handheld, and the infamous navigation system). All this sort of stuff was fixed and refined across XC1DE, XCX and XCXDE. So personally speaking, it would be awesome to see a similar treatment get put to work on this for a new Switch 2 re-release.
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Re: Super Mario Galaxy Movie's New Trailer Shares A "First Look" At Yoshi
Visually looks very good, but already I'm wondering why this isn't solely a Super Mario World followup. Bringing in Yoshi, and then hightailing it to Galaxy level (which feels like a natural third entry) once the brothers have properly settled into the mushroom kingdom and its neighbours, just tells me it will be as overstuffed and plot insensitive as the first film.
Re: Sonic Racing Open To Including More 'Deep Cut' Characters From Extended Sonic Universe
Would love some deep cuts, but I’d much rather they get the remaining game-verse characters that have been missed out on first.
That the likes of Ray & Mighty, Chaos, Classic Sonic, Trip, Knack, Sticks, Tikal, etc… aren’t in before more obscure comic characters such as Tangle and Whisper is a little bit crazy to me (but happy for their fans).
@Markatron84 @Mana_Knight @Zadaris yes, yes and yes. If the IDW verse that I know zip about can make it in, then I’d love to see previous publications make the cut. It’s about Crossing worlds after all.
I’d happily settle for Fleetways crazed / maniac / demonic take on Super Sonic with the spiral eyes. Twas always a joy / dread whenever this alter ego showed up.
…Or Kintobor, Grimer, Tekno, Shortfuse, Marxio Bros (ha), Porker, Lightfoot……
Re: Pokémon Developer Game Freak To Reveal More About 'Beast Of Reincarnation' Later This Month
Despite this looking about 10x better than their Pokemon titles, they have continued their usual philosophy of not well optimising their game - it’s all over the place in the trailer and gameplay shown off (even though it is pretty).
Even during the interview with IGN, the director confirmed they aren’t focused on making a game that performs and runs well, it’s all about the gameplay experience.
So yeah, this is defo a Gamefreak title 🤣
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake's Sequels Will Have "Exactly The Same" Gameplay As Other Consoles
@mackers84 that’s all well and good, but Remake is still a native PS4 game ported with extra bells and whistles to run and look slightly better on the PS5. Essentially it’s a “4K Remaster” with the option for high frame rates.
That’s not to say it ain’t impressive on Switch 2, even if it can only get to 30 FPS - but Rebirth is in a whole ‘nother league visually speaking and certainly wouldn’t have run on the PS4/Pro.
In any case, it’s still a positive that the Switch 2 Port of Remake is comparable to the PS5 port. That’s why I’m super interested to see how Rebirth is handled in comparison.
Re: Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup In Bellabel Park Arrives On Switch 2 In March
Substantial upgrade, but Rosalina should have been playable in this game from the start & should be free no matter the console version you own really.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake's Sequels Will Have "Exactly The Same" Gameplay As Other Consoles
@Aneira thankfully FFVII Remake and Rebirth are still technical strategic RPG’s.
Though I prefer turn based, I’m not against the evolution taken in these specific titles as there’s still a huge element of needing to pause, slowdown & reflect as you have to make specific choices to win battles whilst engaging.
Final Fantasy XVI on the other hand… yup, that’s an utterly tragic DMC basic button masher that doesn’t even attempt to hide its unimportant levelling system with a “strength = win” scenario for every battle - who needs elements when none of it makes any difference.
But yes, I do wish they’d return to a ATB system for the mainline FF entries. I guess Square simply have very little vested interest now other RPG IP’s have taken this ground into more engaging directions, they probably think the void is filled. But it’s a shame all the same.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake's Sequels Will Have "Exactly The Same" Gameplay As Other Consoles
Super interested to see how well Rebirth and the final entry hold up on Switch 2. I know Remake is deemed technically impressive - but that was a PS4 title originally (which the DLC intergrade also should have been at the time of release), so I wasn’t that worried that it would have been a massive issue given where the Switch 2 sits in terms of being a hybrid portable console but also one that’s comfortably above “PS4 base standards” of power.
Rebirth is on another level and a current gen game - so whilst 30FPS is going to be a given for the port, I do wonder what visual sacrifices will be made to get it there.
Re: Mario Kart World Has Been Updated To Version 1.5.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@Ironcore I beleive they fixed a lot of these routes for the intermission courses in the last update.
The just need to add a “create your own custom GP / Knockout cup routes” so you can pick and choose courses and routes you want across the map, add traditional GP cups without intermissions as an option, and have an in game “Mario Kart Live” style route creator where you can set your own markers across the map to drive custom races wherever you want.
Then it would be chefs kiss👌
Re: Ubisoft Cancels 6 Games In Major Organisation Restructure
Wow. So this is legitimately terrible then.
Not only are there layoffs, they’ve basically admitted generative AI is replacing creative talent like it’s a positive.
Additionally forcing developers back into 5 in-office days (where crunch is more likely to occur) is also a deliberate move to not incentivise new hires and push existing staff that prefer the present (standard) WFH / office mix into leaving the company.
Scum.
Re: Sonic Mania Dev Laments "Corporate Bureaucracy" Ahead Of Its Next Game
I don’t know what I just watched… but it looks hella fun to play. Interested to see more.
Re: Review: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Switch 2) - A Big, Bold Reimagining, And A First-Class Port
@Questionable_Duck excellent, that only further reinforced my point 🙂
Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gets A Free Switch 2 Update And Adds Dixie Kong
@PikminMarioKirby exactly! I’d double dipped twice already with DKCR on Wii and 3DS and didn’t want to “return” a third time. Even though this update is great, it’s still not enough. If the game was about £20 / €30 dollars less then it might be a consideration, but I really don’t know what Nintendo thought they were doing here. I suppose at least the Mario Galaxy pack has 2 games for the same price… but even then that still feels over expensive.
Totally on board for TTYD getting updated. I remember narking on this back during release for the disappointing 30FPS against its GameCube brethren (despite it looking having a complete visual overhaul in its upgrade that would have taken a lot of effort). But if they can crank it up to be its best self on Switch 2 then I’m all in favour 🙂
Re: Review: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Switch 2) - A Big, Bold Reimagining, And A First-Class Port
@Wewewi considering Rebirth is also coming to Switch 2 and previously Square committed to the Trilogy happening, there’s no reason to think it won’t be ported after the PS5 version is released.
The quality of the Switch 2 version is definitely going to be impacted regardless however as technically Rebirth (and by proxy Part 3) are on another level of scale and ambition compared to Remake.
Re: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Gets A Free Switch 2 Update And Adds Dixie Kong
@PikminMarioKirby Bonanza DLC shouldn't have cost £17.99 in the first place… but then Country Returns HD in no way should have cost £49.99 either given its second re-release on as many consoles.
Let’s take this “free” update as a minor win / recoup for the price 🙂
(Also agree - a Paper Mario TTYD 60 FPS free update is a much needed requirement also).
Re: Talking Point: Metroid Prime 4 And The Burden Of Being 'Good Enough'
Honestly speaking, the online discourse is pretty overblown to kingdom come IMO (and let’s be honest; mostly done for the click baiting negative attention algorithm that social media currently thrives upon).
In reality Prime 4 is a very solid 8/10 video game experience, but for the ultimate purists (me included) this feels like a huge a letdown because of the lengthy space of time that we’ve waited for a real sequel and because what Retro delivered is more of a “Metroid Prime for Beginners”. This is due to Nintendos current overindulgence of not trusting the player enough to figure stuff out. The likelihood is they also want to win a brand new player base starting out on a new trilogy - it’s probably why the maps are so linear in comparison to what is expected.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the bosses, I found the bike stuff to be very fun to cruise around, the green gem gameplay loop I actually got quite addicted to (so this grind everyone is talking about I never came across). And the “overworld” is just an OOT / SS style map and does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It’s a fun breather in between the biomes. NPC’s add a nice level of depth and I hope they return in the sequel, we just need Samus bloody talking to them this time - it’s like the developer got scared after Other M and went too far the other way).
There’s more this game could have been for sure, and it feels like they touched upon some fun psychic gameplay elements, but not enough was done with these.
In any case, Prime 4 is a pretty great game, but I think they Nintendo should have focused on pushing this as a spiritual sequel to the Prime series as others have mentioned rather titling it “Prime 4”. I understand the want to associate it for marketing reasons - but when the Metroid's hardly feature, and Metroid Prime herself is dead - why are we still calling it this?
Re: Hi-Fi Rush Has Been Rated For The Switch... Again
Needs to happen. A Switch 1 version could work but would need to have massive sacrifices on the visual fidelity.
That’s to say, this isn’t a game for 30FPS, and timing is pretty crucial for this rhythm action adventure.
Re: Sophie Turner Looks Incredible As Lara Croft In Amazon's Tomb Raider Series
@DdG1408 oh it sucked for sure (or was the usual mid-tier video-game style adaption at the very least).
My main point was that usually these things look better in motion as opposed to still promo images. Lara here looks like a anverage attempt at cosplaying, but it might end up faring better against an actual scene, or might only be one of many looks in the finalised product.
I had huge concerns with the visual look of characters of The Mario Movie beforehand, however it turned out to be not so bad when viewing the production quality on the whole (but yeah, this didn’t stop the movie being simply “ok” in general).
Re: Sophie Turner Looks Incredible As Lara Croft In Amazon's Tomb Raider Series
It’s a no from me.
Still, it’s only one image - the Mario films also looked pretty terrible in all the stills.
Re: LEGO Pokémon Reveals First Sets, Launches February 2026
I know Lego sets can be expensive… but this is really biting the hand that feeds. The trio collection costing more than buying an actual Switch 2 with several Pokémon games is actual insanity.
Re: Disappointed In The Switch 2's Joy-Con Colours? Dbrand Has You Covered
DBrand always tend to get a laugh from me and the friends at my work. “Unprofessional comments” is just their brand of humour and part of the flavour of the website. It hurts no-one, Chill.
In any case - it’s nice to see them adopt for Joycon 2’s what Nintendon’t.
Re: Nintendo Reveals First New Joy-Con 2 Colours For Switch 2
I get the deviation from Switch 1, but ultimately I don’t want to purchase a Switch 2 with black joycon 2’s that have a slight hint of colour that’s never gunna be seen on the magnetised insides. It’s barely noticeable on the analogue sticks as it is.
Ultimately, what Nintendo are doing is selling
the exact same black joycon 2’s again with a minor colour variant, rather than a notably different coloured joycon 2.
IMHO, it makes this largely pointless in terms of aesthetic value overall. I’d would have at least expected the buttons or triggers to have the gradient colour as well or something… just, anything to make give them a personalised reason for purchase.
Re: Poll: So, Now The Dust Has Settled, How Did You Find Myles MacKenzie?
I enjoyed Miles as a character (as well as the others) it added something to the game having characters with speaking parts brings a brand new sense of desolate immersion the series is known for since they are all stuck, alone but together as a group. It’s a cool idea.
That said, I did not need him on the radio pinpointing out where to go every 5 minutes in the desert hub. I enjoyed zooming around finding all the secrets, crash sites, shrines, and breaking the crystals in-between the map biomes, it’s a fun enough (but simple) gameplay loop (more like The Sky World from Skyward Sword than the OOT / BOTW extremes others have suggested.)
But the game assumes I am “stuck” if I dilly dally for longer than 5 minutes when I already had an idea of where to go, I did not need Miles telling me when I’m enjoying myself speeding about.
The easy fix is for Nintendo to add an option to toggle the additional baby support on and off. I’m surprised this wasn’t done as standard considering it’s in other titles they’ve made. You can leave certain directional cues in if it’s story necessary, but he basically gives you the answer to what are already basic backtracking exploration puzzles for progression.
Nintendo / Retro need to relearn to trust that the player base are smarter than this.
Re: Talking Point: Does It Bother You That Big Games Companies Are Using GenAI?
There are times when I look at certain situations like the Expedition 33 scenario, which just used placeholders - with the intention of replacing it with actual creative assets later as not a terrible thing if it helps push things along…
…but then I remember that these sorts of placeholders and concept artworks are what make the games from creative individuals in the first place. Why would a creative artist want to simply update / replace an asset that’s already been generated by AI and has taken up half of their job already?
It’s just icky - imagine the concept artwork books we’d get in 10 years times for games, movies and and likes… it would literally just be generative AI slop based on existing material. It’s not why I buy such things.
Re: Opinion: Rayman 2 Is An Overlooked Platforming Classic About A Rebel With A Cause
Whilst I’ll take any soapbox opinion to spread the love for Rayman 2, “overlooked” is probably not the right descriptor.
I’m pretty sure Rayman 2 was universally praised on release (and re-release… maybe not so much the IOS / & 3/DS ports), but it’s appeared on no less than 9 different platforms in one manner or another.
Phenomenal platformer title overall - very apt comparison to “The Dark Crystal” as well! Never thought about it that way but it shares so much in common, no wondered I loved it.
I still think the Dreamcast / PC release was probably the best iteration, but playing this on NSO N64 classics I can see that this version really does stand on its own two feet surprisingly well! Defo gunna replay it to completion.
Re: Fans Uncover Unused Dialogue From Metroid Prime 4
Halfway in now - really don’t get the hate for the NPC’s or the bike + desert. It’s been a real ride so far, neither immersion breaking or particularly intrusive IMO.
What I will say though (for better or worse) is that it is defo the most linear feeling Metroid to date. This is ironic considering how many were critical of the “open world” desert and there was concerns it would be like BoTW… yet if anything it’s the complete opposite - we actually have the Skyward Sword of the Metroid Prime series with Beyond.
In any case, this has been a blast so far, but hasn’t bested the quality of Metroid Prime 1 just yet.
Re: Monolith Soft Releases Interview Celebrating Its Work On The Zelda Series
Well; they certainly helped elevate Zelda into the broader success it’s seen over the last 10 years. Between these titles and Xenoblade, Monolithsoft are basically at the top of their game when it comes to interesting and varied open world design that begs to be explored.
So an entire game built from the ground up by them? Sign me up! (As long as it doesn’t detract from future Xenoblade entries)
Re: Capcom Game Awards Switch And Switch 2 eShop Deals, Save Up To 85%
A few Megaman collections AND 11 for just a few quid each? Bloody hell yes Capcom.
Re: Review: Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Mega Dimension (Switch 2) - Repetition Takes The Shine Off
Overpriced DLC that should have just been post-game content in the first place? Who would ever have suspected?
Re: The Game Awards GOTY For 2025 Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
@Suketoudara oh 100%, based on that alone it’s no surprise really (I don’t actually think it’s a bad game either - I just think SEGA pumped out some good competition this year that was worth a nod).
Completely with you on MKW’s soundtrack though, how did this not make it on here? It’s just pure blis and some of the best arrangements they’ve ever produced for a game.
Re: The Game Awards GOTY For 2025 Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
@Kochambra well yes, exactly my point. Either we to need reassess our understanding of “indie” or TGA need to take a closer inspection of what should class as an indie or budgeted game and break this down in smaller categories.
Clair did what it did spectacularly, but it came at the cost of out-shining a dozen other brilliant titles this year that deserved just as much (if not more) of a mention.
If it were me - I’d have put Blue Prince as a very strong contender for Game of the Year (it’s actually my personal GOTY). But it is what it is
Re: The Game Awards GOTY For 2025 Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Other thoughts; It’s was unsettling to see Nintendo win in all the categories its didn’t really deserve too. Whilst it is great Bonanza picked something up (especially after something like Astro swept the table last year), I’m not sure “best family game” is really is category for it considering most of the competition were multiplier titles.
It’s also a shame Mario Kart World beat out Sonic Crossworlds, if you were to judge it based on the audience reactions to the game title reads at the event it was pretty evident which one people were more ecstatic for.
AND it still irks me that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 got snubbed entirely from best video-game adaptation. Should have at least been a nominee considering it released after the 2024 game awards, and yet somehow the critically / commercially panned Last of us Season 2 won the thing.
On the positive, it was nice to see them shuffle the awards around a bit, I hate it when they reel off some of them on the fly really quickly so certain creators don’t end up hitting the stage - a particular bug bear was the soundtrack category but they respectfully made that a bigger deal this year.
In any case, this wasn’t worth watching. Most of the months teasers for reveals I was hyped for never came to fruition tonight, and nothing really caught my eye in the up and comings, so personally it was more of a yawn fest.
Re: The Game Awards GOTY For 2025 Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Unsurprising that Clair won in all of its categories. Clearly a spectacular title (and one that should be ported to Switch 2).
I do however, think either we as a gaming community need to look at redefining our understanding of what “indie” is and can stand for, or the TGA need to redefine it for future award ceremonies.
Sandfall does absolutely class as an indie developer, they have a very small team (even if some work was outsourced), in comparison the larger AA and AAA studios, they have their own independent publisher that deals with a select group of indie devs and titles, and Sandfalls whole motto / belief is in proving that AAA quality games can be produced in scope under the size and restraint of small studios with the right tools and talent - something they very clearly demonstrated to great effect with their first title.
On paper it feels unfair because the game looks and play leagues above what most Indie developers look to do with their titles, but at the end of the day this Sandfall achieved what most large publishers and software companies fail to accomplish every year; make an excellent value consumer product that (1) doesn’t waste the players time (2) feels premium in scope, and (3) make the player feel like they have received a AAA experience under the guise of a relatively small budget.
Re: Best Metroid Games Of All Time
@Banjo- that’s essentially it. I was so excited to get this on GC back in the day and just found myself endlessly frustrated due to the navigation between light and dark worlds, becoming lost a lot more quickly, and because of how difficult it makes everything to traverse.
In concept i love it… and having a mirror version of the same location was somewhat smart in scope. But tonally it became a slog after a while, and I didn’t find all the environment's to be as visually interesting as Prime 1’s were to explore, so doing it twice just doubled down the boredom for me sadly.
That said… I wouldn’t mind a Remaster of Prime 2 (like Prime 1) to see what they can crank up in terms of subtle improvements so I can give it another whack.
In total agreement with Prime 1 and Super Metroid being the best of their respective perspectives though 🙂
Re: Best Metroid Games Of All Time
Not entirely terrible considering it is based on user ratings, but Beyond should really be holding its own above Echoes - that game was an expertly stitched together exercise in boredom and difficulty, easily making it the weakest of the 4 main Prime titles. Time will see this revolve around again I’m sure.
Re: Mini Review: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Now A Legit Contender For Mario's Karting Crown
@Emacster it won’t be a competitor in terms of sales. Mario Kart is just far too big of a juggernaut at this stage to be rivalled by much of anything.
The Quality and execution of ideas on the other hand, is another matter entirely.
Re: Random: Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Wins GameStop's "Worst Game Of The Year" Award
@Pat_trick yup, which is a fair opinion to have. I’m all for accessibly and more options at the end of the day.
On the creative side I don’t know where I come down personally on it being an unlock. No Music seems to be a choice for the desert so it seems intentional.
IMPORTANT As I don’t want to contribute to the spread of misinformation, I should say that after investigating this further, it seems like there is a 50/50 split online on the radio being unlocked for the bike being exclusive to the Amiibo or through gameplay related unlocks. Lots of people have claimed they’ve done it without Amiibo, and others are saying the radio is only unlocked with Amiibo. So it’s anyone’s guess at the moment.
Overall, it seems like the developers intent was that there was not supposed to be music during the desert sections as they were gunning for wild ambience. The radio simply gives access to unlockable tracks from older Metroid titles and other tunes in game to listen to as you drive about it seems. There isn’t a dedicated soundtrack for the desert that Nintendo are blocking users off from.
Re: Random: Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Wins GameStop's "Worst Game Of The Year" Award
@Pat_trick if it’s unlock-able without having to pay anything (no matter how long it takes) this basically invalidates any internet argument saying you have to pay for the music, therefore the amiibo feature is just a bonus. As usual, the grifters farm for negative engagement on social platforms and this is how the discourse is spread.
In general, these sorts of achievements and feature unlocks are standard and normal. Should they have music available earlier in the desert region? Maybe. That is another discussion entirely. But clearly the desolation and ambience for the desert was an audio design choice from the get go whether a good or bad thing.
Re: Nintendo Expands Switch 2 GameCube Library With Wario's 3D Outing
Dammit, I’m gunna have to look at investing in a Switch 2 sooner than I thought…
Re: Take Yooka-Replaylee For A Spin In This New Switch 2 Demo
It’s amazing how all the tweaks made in this Remakemaster really make all the difference in elevating the title to a solid 9/10 experience.
And considering how good Impossible Lair was it really seems like Playtonic have got a better handle of their craft. I can’t wait for Twoka-Laylee Yooka-Kart, or whatever comes next! 🙂
Re: Talking Point: Six Months Since Launch, How Would You Rate Switch 2?
Still holding out until there is something I REALLY need to play right now that I absolutely cannot wait for... Hyrule Warriors was a close one. Mario Kart and DK Bonanza as well as other obvious Switch 2 upgrades and editions are very welcome but not necessary to upend my backlog at the moment.
Additionally, I’m waiting considering the LED screen model can vary (from the launch editions) and would rather guarantee the better version, not to mention I have a preference to OLED now, but I reckon that variation in model will be a few years away.
However, having played a lot of my mates I am impressed all the same. I can’t wait to get it eventually.
Re: Mini Review: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Switch 1) - An Impressive Version If You've Yet To Upgrade
Nice, glad this lives up to the Switch 2 version (which it should… considering this is the base game product anyway). I won’t be playing this on SW2 and have my OLED and TV ready, thus I wont have comparison envy thankfully. As far as I am concerned as long as it’s 60FPS and looks on par with Prime 1 Remastered then I’m golden.
@HammerKirby there is another reason for physical collectors that they may want to purchase Switch 1 versions - the beautiful box art is not overcrowded with a ridiculous amount of Switch 2 Edition tags, labels, and worded texts boxes and disclaimers.
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
@Yoshi3 nah it’s cool I get it 🙂 I mean you know my particular stance on Zelda… I’m a bit of a sucker for openness if it’s something I get lost in under the right circumstance (but on the flip-side it is fatiguing to think about playing multiple different open world experiences from game to game).
You are correct about my comparison actually. I think I was thinking of Metroid Prime’s landing areas and adjacent rooms (being on the cusp of some (but not all) biome areas with this new hub acting in a similar way as I recall retreading there often.
The Biomes in general used to be very interconnected, in past games, I suppose this did branch off a bit in Prime 3, so maybe that’s why this title continued along that path? As I mentioned somewhere above in the comments, maybe it would have been cooler to have this large overworld on top, keep it dense, then layer the game downwards with biomes to more effectively connect the land and depths and give reason for secrets and exploration.
But hey… i dunno, we Wouldn’t get Viola I suppose and they really pushing for the cool bike this time 🤣
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
@yoshi3 I get where you are going with this, but Modern Metroid (Prime 4) isn’t open world, I mean, not really. If that’s the case, then we may as well be saying retro Zelda titles with large field maps are also open world experiences.
Whilst a lot of reviews have opted to click bait many to dismay in the subtitles at it being an open world disappointment, they all say the same thing in the fine text, “semi open” “wide linear” “desert zone” “large connective hub map”.
They,ve just taken the landing area from any old Metroid game and turned it into a massive desert to justify the locations to travel to across the planet. Could it have been done better? Probably, I’ll have more thoughts once I’ve had a go, but is it redefining the core structure of Metroid? No, not really, they’ve just expanded the elevator cutscenes into a playable portion of the game.
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
I don’t think “open areas” are necessarily a bad thing for the franchise. It’s moreso the how and why it’s incorporated into the base structure of the game.
The open map seems to scream more classic Zelda like Wind Waker in terms of scale than anything needless like BOTW/TOTK.
What I do think is a missed opportunity here is that they opted to connect the proper Metroid biomes at the edges, hence the vast trips on the bike (Prime 3 just used the ship to fast travel to planets than explore space after all).
I think what would have been more interesting is having a semi large open desert on top, and then interconnecting it to all the biomes below the surface (as traditionally, we’ve gone deeper and deeper into a planet).
Not only could you make multiple entrances and secrets to and from the surface, but it would be densely packed to reward those returning to the surface overworld to explore.
Re: Review: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2) - Samus Returns In Prime Form
@Yoshi3 don’t worry, i don’t think they’ll really infuse it as a proper open air experience on a scale like BOTW.
The reviews make it sound more like the “overworld” is a more of a hub with these mini dungeons/shines (to me it seems more akin to The Great Sea from The Wind Waker as a more apt comparison) the main bulk is still likely the classic interconnected metroidvania areas we know and love 🙂
Re: Review: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2) - Samus Returns In Prime Form
At the moment Metroid Prime 4 sits a single point above OTHER M on metacritic.
You could say “that is wild” but I love OTHER M, so I’m pretty sure this will be my jam as well.
The fact that the interconnected overworld is an expansion of the usual (and often disjointed) segways / elevators AND has shrines to explore like BOTW just makes it all the more enticing for further Metroid styled exploration and immersion.
Re: Review: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2) - Samus Returns In Prime Form
Nice. It sure sounds like the concerns of the federation team overstepping and quipping too much were nothing to be concerned about after all. God bless internet hyperbole.
Re: New 'Sonic Universe' Movie Spin-Off Announced For 2028
It’s amazing just how well this movie franchise has done considering the first trailer for Sonic 1.
It had every reason to flop… and yet here we are, 3 movies and one series on, with further movies and expanded universe things on the horizon.
Take good notes, Nintendo!
Re: New 'Sonic Universe' Movie Spin-Off Announced For 2028
GUN: The Movie
Re: Anniversary: Monolith Soft Celebrates Xenoblade Chronicles 2 With A Post, But We're Desperate For A Switch 2 Revamp
It doesn’t need a “Switch 2 Edition” with tweaks, save that for Xenoblade 3.
Xenoblade 2 really needs needs a “Definitive Edition” released on Switch 2, much like the original and X got.
There’s a lot of stuff to address that could turn an 8/10 experience into a 10/10 one. I love Xenoblade 2 by the way - it has A LOT - but it suffers from the team trying to reinvent and appropriate change where it doesn’t pan out (see field skills, applying and navigating multiple blade menus, low quality graphical issues in handheld, and the infamous navigation system). All this sort of stuff was fixed and refined across XC1DE, XCX and XCXDE. So personally speaking, it would be awesome to see a similar treatment get put to work on this for a new Switch 2 re-release.