Tailesque

Pre-ordered my copy early at Gamestop, but still haven't received it or any updates on its arrival yet. They're even telling me "awaiting product availability" and have removed any trace of the original physical release date entirely. Seems like this rollout has been a bit of a mess all around.

Huh, only two of the four colors available for the western release. Glad I already import pre-ordered the midnight blue set, then.

@NeonPizza Don't get me wrong; I would prefer for Nintendo's systems to be able to reasonably support games of BotW's caliber at 60fps, I really would. I'm just speaking to the reality of myself and others who don't resort to outside methods like you're alluding to. It's not ideal, but it's also not at all a deal breaker either.

I go between PS5 games (which all run at 60fps) and Switch games (most of which just a consistent 30) pretty often, and while going from the former to the latter can be jarring for 15 minutes or so, it genuinely ceases to be a problem afterwards. At least for me personally; I'm not going to invalidate your own experience of feeling like it's just not enough to be enjoyable, if that's how it is for you.

@NeonPizza I am saying that, yes. The mind works by filling in perceived gaps (lack of frames) or learning to deal with them over a period of time, similar to how you're not constantly aware of your nose being directly in front of your vision at all times, because you've filtered that information out. But you wholesale admit to not having the patience to even stomach 30fps games for more than 15 minutes, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to that. There's no "fixation" on being content with 30fps. There are just a lot of people who find 30fps to be perfectly serviceable and unobtrusive. To be clear, I do not consider 30fps ideal; but playable and adequate as Sakurai also said.

I appreciate you taking back that jab, though. All good. Not sure why any of this has to be so heated, especially when I'm not even close to suggesting that 30fps is an end-all be-all state for all games, or even most. The core of what I'm saying really just has to do with the malleability of the brain and how it processes information/frames, and I'm not arguing against the fact that 60fps is preferred and very obviously results in a smoother experience in comparison.

@NeonPizza Good effort, pal.

@NeonPizza I mean, feel free to also willfully misinterpret what I was originally getting at, while speaking about me as if I can't see your open replies, all because of a framerate preference which I also happen to share because you never bothered to ask. If dismissing arguments that don't apply to me warrants some tired old "life of the party" sarcasm, then sure, I'll take it.

@BloodNinja Ah, resorting to ye olde "u mad" technique. Sorry you misunderstood everything man, I know it's a little embarrassing for you, but you'll be ok.

@BloodNinja I'll even pick apart the statement very slowly for you.

"Even if 60 is what you're used to, your brain and eyes can and will adjust to 30fps."

Even if 60fps is what you are used to performance-wise, your senses can and will be able to adjust to other games that run at 30fps, especially if you give yourself a decent acclimation period. This is what I have been getting at this entire time.

@BloodNinja Yeah, a direct statement that people are able to adjust their senses to 30fps gaming if that is the performance that the game offers in the first place. I cannot put it more simply, and yet you are willingly misinterpreting it to argue against a claim that I never made. Take a nap yourself bud.

@BloodNinja I am aware, and I'll still direct you to the part of my previous comment where I explain that you've misinterpreted this line from the start due to potentially ambiguous wording.

@BloodNinja I said one's senses are typically able to comfortably acclimate to 30fps gameplay - coming from playing mostly 60fps - given some time. You're straight up putting words in my mouth. That quote does not at all say the human eye can't see beyond 30 fps or that we "try to adjust 60 back to 30". I quite obviously never said either of those things. You're trying to prove statements wrong that have nothing to do with what I have been saying from the beginning.

You seem to be misunderstanding my initial statement; I'm saying your senses can adjust to 30fps gameplay and have it become a comfortable baseline if that is what you are working with. I am not nor was I ever saying that you process 60fps AS 30fps. Pretty certain you misinterpreted the wording.

@BloodNinja "Incorrect" number? You're literally not making sense; 30 is a number that can and has been applied to framerate in games for ages. My premise isn't incorrect because my "premise" was simply that action games are perfectly playable at 30fps, which has nothing to do with the upper limit for how many frames per second the human eye can perceive. It doesn't "negate the human brain" in any fashion, lmao. Ridiculous.

If anything I am very plainly echoing Sakurai himself in the source video with the sentiment that 30fps is perfectly adequate despite some people being hyperbolic and claiming it is an unplayable standard.

@BloodNinja It's like you ignored the rather central part of my comment explaining that your brain and eyes have very little problem making the shift to adjust to 30fps if you give them a brief time period and a chance. Yes, it is initially jarring if you are primarily playing 60fps games. Once you sit with it and acclimate, it really isn't a problem. Maybe you personally have trouble acclimating, though.

Also fail to see the point of that second part of your comment. Yes, people can tell the difference between framerates. We know this. It doesn't mean that 30fps is simply an unplayable standard on its own, despite 60 feeling smoother in comparison.

The claims I see in here about how action games "need" 60fps to be playable are, quite frankly, total bologna.

Even if 60 is what you're used to, your brain and eyes can and will adjust to 30fps. This includes accounting for any potential (small) increase in input lag. Monster Hunter endgame, for example, is some of the most demanding action game content out there for the most part, and yet something like Rise/Sunbreak is perfectly playable on Switch at 30fps. Same goes for MHGU prior.

@Branovices Different strokes and all that. The handful of blood drops are thematically fitting and well-incorporated into just a couple characters in the title from a graphic design perspective. Not to mention the palette and gold outlines just suit the rest of the art better than the unaltered yellow copy paste of the Western title. It's obviously Gothic at a glance, but a little playful with its elements too; essentially Castlevania to a T.

Going with Japan, here. Sure, you could call it cluttered, and I agree that Hugh's face is a bit much and oddly placed. But that stark yellow Western Castlevania title is so tacky, and I'm grateful they moved away from it starting with Aria. Much prefer the style of the Japanese title here, along with the ultra-ornate nature of the whole box design, even if it's kind of a lot for some.

@Ripplefield That isn't why they chose to forgo a numbered title and go with World, though. They've said it was to make it feel less daunting as a starting point for new players, as Monster Hunter 5 would communicate a need for much deeper investment to those prospective players despite things like minimal story beats not really carrying over through the numbered entries at all. They wanted World to feel more welcoming from the get-go to new players than Tri or 4, and it turned out to be a very successful endeavor.

I know part of this is intentional to emphasize how much of a threat Lucent Narga is meant to be, but it's really funny how the hunters in this preview look 100% out of their depth fighting it. Lance player turtling in place several yards away while the CB player can hardly get any hits in as they wirefall directly into successive attacks.

@8bit4Life Very fitting simile, wow. I've played all the XBCs and that's pretty much the most accurate way to describe the overall pacing of them.

@Tasuki It's just a silly article my guy

If you're looking for an extremely high quality vertical shmup on Switch, honestly just get Eschatos instead of this. It's cheaper, too. $40 for Sol Cresta is ridiculous.

@nessisonett I think about this all the time, yeah. Pretty much any garbage shovelware software can slip into the Switch eShop alongside actual gems that do deserve a look. It's ridiculous.

As someone who is generally not a big fan of crafting, I actually don't mind it here. Most of my problems stem from crafting being tacked onto games when it only adds extra, tedious steps towards getting what you want. It can feel like the game could have shipped without it and it wouldn't have been missed at all. Wytchwood, on the other hand, is deliberately built around this and is actively in service of it. The world seems designed to supplement and support crafting as a primary action. I appreciate a commitment like that far more than the half-hearted feature bloat addition that crafting has become in so many other games.

It's kind of sad that it's ending so abruptly (and why...?) but I honestly thought the hosts had pretty rough chemistry which would frequently generate some uncomfortable moments. Kind of impressed that lingered for, what, eight years? Or maybe it just got worse, who knows. I'm not personally invested in the series but hopefully Kit and Krysta end up doing alright after this.

@BloodNinja I'm... plenty aware that I'm welcome to disagree. That's why I went ahead and disagreed. Not sure why you bothered to respond like that but, okay.

@BloodNinja Hugely disagree in regards to controlling Samus here with the stick. It's smooth and feels great in a way where you can tell all of her movement was very much designed with this in mind. It really isn't a problem.

Haven't heard of a single one of these before. Weird.

TTYD was good, but I personally prefer the original Paper Mario 64. The latter doesn't get nearly enough love compared to TTYD. It's a shame.

This was going to be the easiest double dip of my life if cross-save was realized. Definitely not now. Happily staying on Switch with the file I've already put hundreds of hours into.

Probably in the minority, but I'm really hoping a new Darius game is involved.

Sadly, the only game that excites me here is Aria. Really never liked the slight knock-off vibe of Circle, and Harmony is... okay I guess.

I know it wouldn't be nearly as straightforward to pull off, but a Castlevania DS collection would be incredibly hype. All three main CV DS games are fantastic.

Capcom's post-launch monhun support continues to go hard. You love to see it

Torvus Bog from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. 😌

@Mauzuri Kind of a weird comment to make considering they've already shown off a volcanic region, and it seems to be by far the biggest den area of them all judging by the official image. I think it's safe to say that yes, there will be more fire types available this time around.

Arriving on 28th July

@LordVal I'm waiting for my collector's edition to arrive to play it... Can't wait.

The exclusion of Shinsekai here hurts, Kate.

Such a fantastic, beautiful game, and I'm just so glad it found a home on Switch after initially releasing as an Apple Arcade exclusive

Prime 4 predicted as a 2020 release is ludicrously naive.

@Muddy_4_Ever I definitely wouldn't say 50 mins (which is the maximum time allowed for a single hunt outside of Expeditions) is the norm at all. With general competency, hunts usually take anywhere from around 5 minutes to 15 or 20. 30+ is typically reserved for select quests that are notably harder, and even then, 50 full minutes is extremely rare. I wouldn't worry too much about time commitment for hunts individually (but boy do the hours ever stack up over multiple!)

@Lord Your point about starting over isn't really applicable here since you could transfer your save from the 3DS version of MHX/XX to the Switch MHXX.

The lack of CS mode really is bizarre. Tons of content, properly sized to be reasonable in portable mode, with extra bosses not present in the arcade original. Would have been one of the easiest Switch shmup recommendations of my life, yet Taito chose to omit it, so it's much more situational. Bit of a shame, but as the review discusses, the content you still get is fantastic, granted you don't have DBCS on PC or PS4.

"Alien wyverns??"

Ichinose: "Stop."

I've been participating in early access for over a year with this game on PC. It is every bit as incredible as this review makes it out to be. It has been honed to a near-flawless edge by now, please do yourself a favor and play it.

@Rpg-lover Personally, as opposed to the others who have replied to you, I think XBC1 is far and away a more masterfully written story with more enjoyable character relationships, and with every "arc" tying directly into the bigger picture of its magnificent conclusion. I enjoyed the combat of 2, for sure, but it wasn't enough to become more memorable than 1, in my opinion.

I've played through almost the entirety of S through S3, and have started S4 recently. The lack of touch controls is an absolute non-issue here. On smaller boards, moving the cursor to where you want it quickly isn't a concern. On larger boards (i.e. 20x15 and the new whopping 40x30s) touch controls would be nearly impossible to use precisely enough. It isn't a problem.

Shinsekai not being in this list is frankly puzzling to me. Gorgeous art direction and soundtrack, potent Metroid (especially Prime) vibes, solid exploration and progression, etc. I dunno, I personally thought it was pretty spectacular, especially for a game initially developed for iOS. Team Shinkai put out some great work.

The argument that it's a... serviceable PC replacement for the Animal Crossing styled experience aimed towards those who don't own a Switch feels really weak to me. Something that's very roughly emulating another game that has already been doing its own thing very well. I understand that one might want a certain type of experience from any game that could deliver it, but how that game presents itself is important, and Hokko Life appears hollow and rough compared to its obvious inspiration. I don't doubt that it could be developed and polished further to a point where it could feel more like its own genuine thing, but right now it truly doesn't seem like it's worth consideration.

Absolutely Shinsekai personally, no question. The art direction, soundtrack, exploration, progression, and so on. It all deeply resonated with me. Super thankful that Capcom/Team Shinkai could bring it to Switch.

It's a bummer for those of us in the U.S. though, where certain albums like MHW and AA3 are completely locked and unavailable.