Comments 367

Re: Rumour: Fresh Sources Suggest Shovel Knight Is Indeed Digging His Way To Super Smash Bros.

TJF588

Skipping down after getting halfway through the comments. All the salt over an additional character. I get it, the game's recent and multiplatform, so the character's impact is negligible for not being a Ninty exclusive, but when one says "eShop", what are the arguments in favor? I'd imagine Shovel Knight is one of the "must-buy" recommendations, up there with the Shantae games (Risky's Revenge being a large proponent for DSiWare).

I like the character, and his goofy proportions, and dat shovel, so I'm good by it. But seeing all this Isaac love... Man oh man, I'd love a Golden Sun character in. Heck, make half of Isaac alts be Felix (like the other Robin, and Olimar, the Villager...), and I'll swoon.

Re: Splatoon Original Soundtrack Bringing 2 CDs of Noise to Your Pointy Squid Ears

TJF588

And I just got a 2.0-updated rip, I was so want of the OST. The fully instrumented version of the final battle music, for sure, as well as the Squid Sisters music I first fell in love with from the debut Splatfest announcement. Also got the credits music on there (good heavens, do I love the credit reel; so many cute asides that really open that world up!). Otherwise, I have Game Chops' 'Splatunes!' album (giving it a proper listen, I really like much of the music, such that I had the album on repeat for the hours I took cleaning my room), as well as MtH's "Gentlesquid" mashup.

Far as availability goes, well, we've seen Game Freak/The Pokémon Company/whoever release all the main games' soundtracks on iTunes, so there may be hope, even if only from that storefront.

Re: The Piracy of amiibo Now Seems Possible With the 'amiiqo' Device

TJF588

Skimming, I'm with @AlternateButtons here. When it comes to pirating, it'd been soundtracks. Games? I have so many, on the cheap the most, and unless the distribution rights tank, I know I can get them eventually. Music is likewise in that vein, these days. It's readily available for purchase, and Bandcamp allows me to listen to it at home if I can't buy it yet. I think, if these things we like are readily available, we'd prefer to buy it, knowing we've got a recognized claim to it. But amiibos are stupid scarce, and not available digitally, so in light of our alternatives — giving too much money to people who don't contribute to amiibos' proliferation — it's frustrating not know WHEN, if ever, we can get these things. I'd think there's many who've given up on the idea of "eventually", given Nintendo's handling so far, so if they are a fan of a title, here most egregiously Splatoon, why should they not allow themselves to enjoy what's part of their download?

I was able to nab the Splatoon amiibos, but if I couldn't, I wouldn't pay scalpers, and never on their terms. I'd likely just stew at not being able to access it, which may even be more damaging than hacking my way in — knowing I can't have something just because of some gimmick, I might well turn sour to the whole thing. (Incidentally, I feel this way for "backer-only" playable content; I believe all non-trivial content should be timed exclusive.)

Re: The Piracy of amiibo Now Seems Possible With the 'amiiqo' Device

TJF588

I begin thinking about Jim Sterling's breaking point with amiibo, where Splatoon's got significant content (beyond outfits, story levels retooled with different weapons and conditions) locked behind amiibo. Instead of a little treat for having a figure, like in Mario Kart 8, it's real, valuable gameplay that near no one ca get to because there's not enough going around to allow them.

So, yeah, Nintendo, if you don't want this happening, don't maintain a situation where these efforts are so damn valuable.

Re: Masahiro Sakurai Tackles Criticisms of Bonus Features in Games

TJF588

Odd-fitting as dating-sim-style character model interaction seems to me for a turn-based strategy war game series, I was caught by the allegations of rape and curing of a "lesbian problem" for a recent title. But, a quick Googling got me selections from a translated transcript of the Soleil conversations in question. I take it the "let me help you handle being around cute women" and the "I wouldn't want to get touchy with you before marriage" lines are, as mentioned above, were misconstrued via translation generators.

THAT cleared up, non-biological incest (step-, adopted, etc.) is endemic of teh animu, though implications on part of the player character in a Nintendo game is If-fy (ha!). But, as with much of Fire Emblem, I cannot be assed to look into it enough to cease being so out of the loop on particulars.

Re: Nintendo Explains Reasoning Behind Upcoming Miiverse Redesign

TJF588

The only reason I would ask or expect a response to a gameplay question on Miiverse is if I was desperate and didn't feel up to sifting through a likely spoilery GameFAQs file. Elsewise, a large lump of my posts had been TFFCC braggings (namely, my "first runs", which maybe I should finish up before the redesign hits).

I mean, why else have tags? Not like there isn't swaths of users who seem oblivious (most criminally to "Mark as Spoiler", but even on ACNL, I've commented on Dream Address shares for the user to add that tag).

Re: Nintendo Download: 16th July (North America)

TJF588

With a friend over, I booted into the Wii U eShop to find 'I've Got to Run!' on sale for a single cent. Since Nintendo funds appropriation allows for only as much as is needed, I nabbed it. Not too good of a game, but funny for how differently Roy the Marshmallow Boy handled. After we passed it between ourselves, popped into Miiverse to see what others had to say. Learned the (stately better) 3DS version was ten cents. So, had to get it. And wow, it is so much more on 3DS. More familiar jumping, more significant graphical assets, and a wider set of options for it all. Not disappointed in these both, as a fun night for us.

Re: Talking Point: Raw Power Isn't Vital to Nintendo's NX, But It Does Matter

TJF588

As someone who, for home consoles, has mained Sony's stuff (and, heck, currently I'm pouring time into a Vita over my n3DS), when it comes to multiplatforms, I've sided with Sony unless there's something specifically unique to another platform. Nintendo's gonna need to at least reach parity, so that it's not a problem to do straight ports, and if these devs aren't encumbered by that process, they may just do more with their Nitnendo versions, like the second-screen jibberydoo we saw in the launch ports (and which the Vita could certainly use more of, Bethesda~). And beyond power, network features. "Cheevos" are a metagame now, on Xbox, on PlayStation, on Steam, and soon even GOG. Miiverse is excellent (I certainly like it more than what I've gleaned of the current PlayStation sphere, though trophy-triggered screenshots are cool, and I'm bummed to miss out on that for shared-list titles I've started on PS3/Vita), but Nintendo need to at least match, so that "immigrants" will have all the luxuries of their previous homes, and more.

Re: Nintendo Life Weekly: F-Zero Wii U, Octolings, and Same-Sex Marriage

TJF588

@russellohh That is a very good point, which has bubbled to mind as I read about this stuff. Still have yet to play Awakening, so I don't know how romances work in that aside from what I've read up here, but it's one thing to have custom companion characters turn out how ever you, as the player, guide them to be (as I'd imagine for a Tomodachi Life followup), and another for these characters to have defined personalities. Haven't played BioWare's stuff much, either, but I want to say the romance options also fall more in line with the characters' traits. So while it's groan-inductively restrictive as the player to have but one character in each game who can swing for same (what I'm reading, they can also swing for opposite?), in-game, this can fall in line with statistics.

(But then, take any given non-customs RPG, and you're apt to see a whole spread of ages, races, etc., so "reflective of real-world populations" has never been the go-to line for these ragtag heroes to tow.)

Regardless, that there's any effort on Nintendo's part, it's a great start. From here, they just need to keep pace, rather than stagnate for fall back.

As for concerns of accidentally triggering unintended/unwanted relationships, I have to ask if, in Awakening, one could "max out" an opposite-sex relationship without triggering a romantic interest. If so, just do that. If not, just do what the straight not-interesteds have done before. Yeah?

Re: There Are Now Over 600 DSiWare Games And Apps

TJF588

@davidevoid I think it's that Nintendo has since locked the pricing (which was based in fixed tiers of Nintendo Points). When WayForward had their anniversary sale, they claimed something along those lines for why Shantae:RR (and, in a similar boat, Mighty Milky Way and Mighty Flip Champs!) weren't included.

Re: Review: WarioWare Twisted! (GBA)

TJF588

Saw this review, and started to freak out internally. "When was it put on the eShop?!" But yes, I went into the game off my enamorment* of the earlier ones, and it wasn't until I was reading reviews some time after beating it that the word "gimmick" ever came to mind. This game is so built around its gyro and knowing the screen will be turning, it never felt too forced (though playing Crygor's stuff on an SP over the at-the-time-of-release GBA felt slightly misaligned). If the New 3DS's added power would allow true Virtual Console conversions of GBA games, I might would have to buy this as soon as it hits eShop, to beat it for the third time.

*not a word, but sounds like it could be

Re: Eight SEGA 3D Classics Get Discounts in North America

TJF588

Thinking of Galaxy Force II, maybe Space Harrier and/or Super Hang-On. All of which, if I'm getting this right, are from-behind/second-person(?) views. Played some of the others on PS3 or such, but if Monster World IV gets the 3D treatment, oh I just might would have to. Oh, and the Phantasy Stars!

Re: Talking Point: E3 Highlighted Nintendo's Development Shift Towards NX, and Away from Wii U

TJF588

I make myself sick waiting around this past Black Friday getting a Wii U, then make an impulse buy on a (Latin American?!) PS Vita, and both systems are pretty much "ehhh..." in prospects now. Le sigh. But as said, there's a strong back-catalogue, but I think in both cases, there's some rejuvenation that could go toward getting word-of-mouth out.

The PS Vita and especially PS TV have janky Store issues, with interface, usability (especially of the Download List), updates (PS TV's still showing stuff from, like, March, and its "New Releases section is interspersed with 2012 content), and compatibility issues (PSP, PS1, minis, there's something in all those categories that has no reason to not be immediately accessible on those systems).

The Wii U, though, I'd say is struggling with the Nintendo Network. Not online functionality, but against with the Store. PS systems have Cross-Buy, but that's rarely been seen on the eShops, and even then not an automatic process, with purchases still being bound to the system they were purchased on. No cloud saves (with the 3DS in a restricted 30-file limit for local backup), and a web store presence that's a bit hidden from view. If Ninty would finally announce their integrated followup thing, with account-based content accessibility and perhaps achievements (tied in with their rewards program?), that would be enough hype just in the, "I guarantee, it's not gonna be a pain in the butt to get and keep your games," that, with a price drop, could get folks to say, "Eh, why not?"