Comments 475

Re: Review: ESP Ra.De. Psi - The Best Shmup On Nintendo Switch, Period

Technosphile

@masterLEON it’s a genre overwhelmingly dominated by Japanese players. Facts are facts and your exceptions prove the rule.

Edit: the larger point that I was trying to make is that ESPrade has a LOT more going for it than just playing for score, especially in the context of western players who are unlikely to challenge for the top scores anyway. Add in the fact that ESPrade is considered sort of busted scoring-wise, and it needs to be judged on other merits, which ESPrade has in spades. It is a great aesthetic game with awesome art and music, and even something of a coherent story; unheard of in shooter games. It’s stylish and is just a cool game. Infinitely more compelling to look at and listen to than stuff like Ketsui (which is an awesome game too).

Play for score, by all means. Sack up and challenge those Japanese guys. I just don’t think the scoring mechanics of ESPrade in particular are nearly the most interesting things about it.

Re: Review: ESP Ra.De. Psi - The Best Shmup On Nintendo Switch, Period

Technosphile

There's a lot of talk in this review about scoring mechanics. Real talk here: if you are not Japanese, none of that matters. At all. You are never going to be the world's top scorer at ESPrade. You will never be in the top 50. Playing shmups for score, as a Western player, is a joke.

What matters with ESPrade is aesthetics, presentation, and sound. The in-game art of the arcade original is about as good as Cave ever got; and for some reason new, inferior character art was added to the additional modes in this for..some reason? It sucks in comparison and it would be great to somehow opt for the original character art in Plus mode. I don't even know where to begin with ESPrade's music other than to say "Desperate School" is one of the greatest game BGM ever recorded. The game takes place at Christmas time, and there's snow and trees and lights and it is quite comfy feeling for a Cave shooter.

1998 is surely the single greatest year in gaming history: Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter Zero 3, Marvel vs. Capcom, King of Fighters '98, Ocarina of Time, WCW/nWo Revenge, and ESPrade all debuted in that same year. Absolutely astounding, and the peak of Japanese gaming and the hobby in general.

Re: Review: Tecmo Bowl (Wii U eShop / NES)

Technosphile

@Tecmo-Player I would guess also that the NES color palette played a role in it. Maybe the development team thought adding another light blue jersey, white helmet team would be too much of a programming hassle with the Dolphins around. I’ve always assumed this is why the Seahawks wear pink, aside from them being a bunch of pussies.

If that actually is one of the reasons for team selection, it gives yet another reason to lavish praise on Tecmo Super Bowl: not only are team colors accurate, but every team has two color sets for when they match up with a similarly colored opponent.

Re: Review: Tecmo Bowl (Wii U eShop / NES)

Technosphile

@Tecmo-Player this is almost an argument of semantics. 8 of the 12 teams in Tecmo Bowl were indeed the 1987 NFL playoff teams. The two participants who didn't make the cut, well:

*the Giants were the defending champions and I can't name anyone offhand who was on that Saints roster. So that makes sense.
*The Dolphins had Dan Marino. Enough said, really.

Frankly I think the wrong call was made with the Colts; if the deciding factor really was Eric Dickerson then that is an even worse decision in retrospect because of his tantruming that got Albert Bentley to replace him in revision copies of the game. The Warren Moon and Ray Childress Oilers would have been a better choice.

All that being said, the inclusion of the Seahawks (who spent nearly the entirety of the 80's looking up at the Broncos), the Colts (who were terrible from before Elway was drafted and well into the 90's), and the Vikings (who were by no means a perennial contender, but did make a great push in the '87 playoffs including a stunning upset at San Francisco) really makes the "for the most part the most successful franchise of that era" argument a shaky one. These by and large are the 1987 playoff teams, save for two stragglers who got blown out in the Wild Card and Divisional round, respectively. The Raiders and Cowboys cruised in on huge fanbases and exciting running backs, but in the 1980s the Raiders also were forced to watch as the Broncos took control of the division, and the Cowboys were so bad they became a sellable commodity.

So maybe it didn't have nothing at all to do with the most popular teams making the cut, but who made the playoffs in 1987 clearly played a part.

Re: Wii U OS Version 5.5.2 Is Now Live

Technosphile

The reason the Wii Shop is still open is because they sold 100 million consoles. The Wii U barely did a tenth of that.

Nintendo wants to wash their hands of it. Miiverse, online play, and eShop will be cut from it quite soon, perhaps 2/3 by January.

Re: Nintendo Switch to Introduce Paid Online Service in Autumn / Fall

Technosphile

As someone who somehow, for reasons which are completely unknown to me now, managed to play over 300 hours of 007 Legends on Wii U, you would have to be certifiably insane to pay Nintendo money for online play on their systems. They don't grasp even the most basic elements of online gaming like voice chat, seeing how many players are using a game, and on-screen message notifications.

I can't even fathom what games beyond Smash, Splatoon, and Mario Kart would have enough players to justify paying Nintendo money to play them online.

Re: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Co-Director Was Initially "Disappointed" With Western Localisation

Technosphile

If there were one thing I could encourage players to understand, it would be that you are not "lucky" to have games localized for you. You are not "lucky" to have content cut, you are not "lucky" to have character names changed because of groundless lawsuit fears, you are not "lucky" to be treated like a pre-sex talk child.

You are also not obligated to support these practices with your money, out of concern that not buying will keep them from ever publishing certain games in the west again. That is like Stockholm syndrome and, if anything, is the best possible reason for you to not buy these games. Don't be treated like a child, don't have your intelligence insulted. Speaking with your wallet works both ways; how Nintendo interprets poor sales is entirely up to them but with the Internet at our collective disposal, it would not be hard for them to stumble upon why.

It is also deplorable for Nintendo to maintain region lock in an age where even Microsoft no longer uses it. This and their censorship tactics imply an obsessive need to control their audience and dictate to them what is acceptable on their hardware. Well, no, Nintendo. Technology and the gaming public have grown up. Forcibly limiting the consumer's options does nothing but foster resentment and indifference, typically in that order.

The point of all this is: you have a choice. You can shrug things off and say it's no big deal, give them your money. But at least ask yourself if supporting this kind of crappy committee thinking is, in any way, a good thing? Your ability to choose is what is important here. To have the decision about what you're comfortable with seeing firmly in your hands, and not decided for you by a company whose motives for this are honestly mystifying.

Re: Fans Create Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Patch Which Uncensors Western Censorship

Technosphile

I've actually had my comments altered by mods here when hacking and emulation were brought up--and now NintendoLife is openly sharing news of a fan-made patch? Which to use, one would have to, you know, hack their Wii U?

I mean, kudos for lightening up a bit and maybe even seeing the light, but I'm curious as to what would prompt such a change? Is the staff as sick of Nintendo's crap as the rest of us?

Re: Nintendo is Selling its Majority Stake in the Seattle Mariners

Technosphile

This may finally turn the Mariners around. If management is closer to home, the focus on building a winning baseball team as opposed to just making money should take hold.

Nintendo, on the other hand, is a sinking ship and clearly needs money, since owning the Mariners is and has been a cash cow for them for 20 years. Tough times? Sell off one of your most valuable assets.

Re: Rumour: EA And Nintendo Looking To Rekindle "Unprecedented Partnership" On NX

Technosphile

@smashbrolink you misunderstand. You don't advertise sports video games during sports broadcasting; you advertise all your other games, you know, like what Microsoft and Sony do during literally every commercial break of SportsCenter. Bayonetta 2, Smash, Mario Kart, whatever, just reach out to the key demo. Instead Nintendo has chosen to do very limited advertising on ABC Family (soccer moms don't care anymore) and Comedy Central (stoners too stoned to care).

For Christ's sake. I saw ads for Destiny and FarCry every break today when I was watching that NBA show Rachel Nichols hosts. I literally have never seen a Nintendo ad during ESPN programming, or at least not since "Wii would rike to pray".

Re: Rumour: EA And Nintendo Looking To Rekindle "Unprecedented Partnership" On NX

Technosphile

So, EXACTLY what I've been saying for years on this very site: that Nintendo needs to advertise on ESPN and during sporting events.

I've been saying this stuff for years, seriously. MEN AGED 18-34 ARE THE KEY DEMOGRAPHIC FOR VIDEO GAMES AND THEY LOVE SPORTS. NINTENDO HAS MADE ZERO EFFORT TO APPEAL TO THEM AND INSTEAD HAS CATERED TO SJW'S AND SOCCER MOMS (which failed).

Like, I'm just an average schmoe with no marketing degree and I understand this concept. How can a company supposedly worth billions be so laughably clueless and have such an awful marketing department?

Re: Soapbox: If Nintendo Took On Virtual Reality, Would It Be A Disaster Or Gaming's Holy Grail?

Technosphile

To be first to market with an affordable, effective, quality VR headset designed around the concept of console gaming is, in my opinion, Nintendo's last hope of mainstream success and relevancy. Like it or not, VR is the future of gaming and to be last on that train, or to miss it entirely, amounts to loading the shotgun before bringing it to their temple.

However given the company's recent history, Nintendo is likely dismissive of VR and will attempt to bury it publicly with such colorful statements as: "it's not fun", "it's not social", and "mothers would complain".

Re: Review: Devil's Third (Wii U)

Technosphile

So I finally got this game and it's a blast, online and off.

What's your problem, Thomas Whitehead? Why do you hate fun? Does a game need to be cute, or feature British accents for you to enjoy it?

Re: Nintendo NX Doesn't Need To Compete With PlayStation 4 And Xbox One To Be A Success, Claims Analyst

Technosphile

It is precisely this thinking that Nintendo should avoid internally. Their objective should be to mop the floor with Sony and force Microsoft out of the console business. I don't need to tell you that both are a monumental task at this point for Nintendo, but that should be the end goal.

"Nintendo NX Doesn't Need To Compete With PlayStation 4 And Xbox One To Be A Success"

is like saying the Wii U was a success for the company because they didn't sell it at loss for a couple of years. In reality, it is one of the biggest jokes in the history of video games. Being successful in this industry has less to do with profit margins and more to do with public perception and visibility.

Re: Fascinating Patent Shows Nintendo Portable Utilising Free-Form Screen Technology

Technosphile

@IceClimbers and all you ever come in with is a drone contrarian apologist act. If you're going to say I'm wrong then the burden of proof is on you to prove this isn't the NX. If it is, that begs the questions

How is this not more gimmickry?

What 3rd-party developer is going to want to tailor their multiplatform game to suit this sort of control setup?

The DS and Wii were too big of a success, they convinced Nintendo that every product needs a gimmick and that just isn't what people want anymore, unless (maybe) it's an affordable VR headset.

Re: Fascinating Patent Shows Nintendo Portable Utilising Free-Form Screen Technology

Technosphile

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

OH GOD MY EARS I AM TRAPPED IN A DRONE HIVE

What is wrong with you people? You're actually saying that touchscreen controls--you know, the kind on mobile phones--are good or exciting? Have you lost your minds?

If this is Nintendo's next anything, be it handheld or console controller, then for me 30 years--literally 30 years--of devotion and support will come to a close. It will be proof positive that this company is run by delusional idiots who live in this bizarre bubble where Sony isn't kicking their ass, where people want gimmicks in their game systems, and where they are still relevant.