I'm going North America because it reminds me of the classic Final Fantasy boxarts. Love how the Bravely series is an homage to that series so makes sense the boxarts would be like that.
@Spider-Kev the main point was even if you don't get your preorder in it's not like the games disappear and Limited Run even makes extra copies for Amazon and Best Buy. You can go on Amazon search Limited Run and get a ton of recent releases at MSRP. I know the early Switch games are above MSRP, but so is a lot of niche one print and done games.
So Limited Run really doesn't do anything specifically bad. They're upfront about how they only do the one run... Which a lot of companies do.
Is it FOMO? Sure, but it's way less FOMO than what other publishers do. If you're concerned about buying every Limited Run title... That's a different issue in my books especially if you can't financially afford to.
@EVIL-C it's not really FOMO though. The games tend to hold value on the secondary market yes, but they give you a bit over a month to order the release. They're not a true limited release of only 50k being printed, it's more print by demand. If 20k people order the game they'll print 30k and the other 10k will be shipped to Best buy and Amazon.
You can still easily get a number of their releases on Amazon as well. It's not like they pull an Atlas where they'll also only ever do one print run of a game and just not tell anyone. The thing is niche games will always only ever get one print run, LRG is just upfront about it
I think the hate you have for them is a bit overblown.
Wish Liam nothing but the best... but the series really dropped off after Season 1. I was even okay with Season 2, but Season 3 was just pretty all-round bad. You have a mega-fan of property who plays the role perfectly and even he didn't want to stick around... just glad the show is being put out of its misery after season 5. So much wasted potential.
@Ryu_Niiyama I think I get where you're going now with the idea. I will say though I think part of the reason God of War worked so well with the trio of Kratos Mimir and Atreus was the solid banter, which I personally think unless you seriously rework Link to be less of a blank slate Zelda could fall into the same trap Navi, Tatl and Fi fell into. I think the only time the companion character worked was with Midna.
Then again I really enjoyed the 2008 Prince of Persia, I thought the Prince and Elika where really enjoyable, and I liked how Erika was integrated into the gameplay. But, again a lot of that was because of the Prince's banter and how he and Elika bounced off each other extremely smoothly. I think if Nintendo went that direction it could work.. they kinda of experimented with that before with Spirit Tracks. But, unless Link speaks it might get grating with Zelda doing all the talking and Link just grunts.
I also, don't want Link to be diet-The Prince either... that would be pretty boring as well as that snarky adventurer archetype has thoroughly outstayed their welcome. Which is why I think a female Link could work better, because you don't even need to rework the character and lore wise, you can handwave it with "well this time the spirit of the hero incarnated as a girl or a boy." It doesn't really change the lore, as each Link is not directly related to the last (except maybe Minish Cap LInk, and Windwaker Link) so who says the Spirit of the Hero has to incarnate as a man every time.
Which is why I think the issue is less Zelda and more what do you do with Link that holds the idea back. I'm not against it, just not for it either. He just doesn't work as a side-character or really a duel protagonist without reworking him seriously.
@Ryu_Niiyama I was referring to the mainline series. Side games Zelda being playable makes perfect sense... I'm more looking at the main series and how Link is namely used to represent the player and the courage to overcome the trails. I just don't see a scenario where Link can really function as a side character as they don't really have an interesting enough... Well character to work as he is right now.
I'm not going to really be upset if they go the direction of Zelda being a playable lead, I just don't see how they can make the dynamic really work as Link is a silent character. What makes the current God of War games work is it feels natural for Kratos to go in that direction, Link is a very static character unlike Kratos so it's hard to say how It'll work. I get I may sound odd, but I just not sure how it will work to take Zelda as a series in that kind of direction without majorly revamping Link to be more than a player avatar with some unique characteristics. I'm sure it can work, but I feel you need to basically completely revamp Link and I feel that would end up being more controversial than Zelda being playable as Link is a blank enough slate that each player projects something different on to him.
The issue for me is less Zelda and more what do you do with Link.
Might be a hot take, but nah I don't want Zelda as the main playable character. She works best as a side character, and that was kind of the point when naming The Legend of Zelda was that it wasn't the name of the hero. Link is supposed to be the player avatar (which is why I think I'm more okay with the option of a female Link). If you're playing as Zelda it gives Link nothing to do as they've never been a fully fleshed out character. They are a character and has some character attributes, but not a fully baked three dimensional character unlike Ganon and Zelda. They are the hero as they embody the courage to go and adventure to save the Kingdom. The humble everyman who takes up the magical sword to save the people. That's what works best as it's the most relatable part of playing Zelda. Anyone can be the hero not just people born in the magical bloodline.
I know they've kind of broken that reading a tad, but Link is meant to embody that archetype.
But, Zelda for sure should be playable in side games. But, Zelda as the playable character kind of makes Link redundant.
@gcunit I miss the 3DS dearly! Never got into the DS when it was out (outside of the handheld Castlevanias), but the 3DS was my jam! Loved the games from launch-ish titles like Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing New Leaf, to the 3DS Pokemon games and I've probably sunk hundreds of hours combined in the 3 (or 5, I guess) Fire Emblem games on the system.
I really hope the Switch 2 (or Attach whatever it ends up called), will give us DS and 3DS games on Nintendo Online. Would love to relive these games again without having to find my old 3DS.
Moved a few times, so it is in a box somewhere. I might finally Homebrew it now that the servers are offline so I can still enjoy online trading in Pokemon when that gets going again.
@Olliemar28 Yeah, this article does make tons of sense to post considering these are two former Nintendo employees. I'm sure if Scot the Woz or RGT85 had worked at Nintendo and sharing insights of working at the company they'd be highlighted.
But, I do believe the NintendoLife editors made the right choice here, considering this is a wholesome article highlighting the post-Nintendo careers of two long standing Nintendo employees (combined 25 years with the company)... I don't get why some people don't get the difference between these two kinds of creators.
PS. Great article enjoyed the content and do miss seeing Kit and Krysta during Nintendo Treehouse showcases and other events.
@dtlux1 the question is why bother? Nintendo is not providing a service for Wii U online anymore, odds are the severs are completely offline so no cost either. This will probably get at most a shrug at Nintendo HQ as it doesn't require modding the system or allows piracy. It's pretty much user's personal private servers which have existed fine on PC and older consoles for decades with no issues from right holders.
@JohnnyMind @FirstEmperor I have a strong feeling BDSP was only made to please fans and GameFreak probably didn't trust ILCA to make too much original content for the game. Rather the Legends games are the region revisits that GameFreak wants to focus on moving forward, but have built such a strong expectation for remakes that it's a catch-22.
A) They make the remakes moving forward due to fan expectations and divert attention from their passion projects that would push the series forward, but continue the stagnation of the franchise in fans and critics eyes. That and further dilute their manpower to focus on the polish of said projects.
B) Don't do the remakes, but disappoint fans of regions like Johto, Unova, Kalos and Aloha as their favorite regions won't get the same love as previous ones. Or they get another company to do them as straight remakes, and possibly disappoint the fans anyways.
It really is a no-win scenario. And while I was fine with BDSP, I do have to admit compared to FRLG, HGSS, ORAS or even Let's Go, it really was lacking overall. So, I'd personally be more than okay if they allowed other companies to do them and just give them a looser leash to be more creative. Allow them to incorporate mainline mechanics even if they might be seen as a little silly, but maybe just include them in the post-game.
Either way much like most things Pokemon despite the popularity of the franchise there is no winning for GameFreak in this scenario.
@Preposterous That was a yikes right there. Yeah, if they were sharing pirated copies with each other to develop Yuzu (especially copies that broke streetdates), then they would not enjoy a discovery process. That and advertising the methods to circumvent Nintendo's copy protection is not going to end well.
This entire scenario could had been avoided for them if they were just a bit more less public with this information.
@Narrator1 agreed. Those are solid points that I think put Yuzu in check from Nintendo's side.
I think the biggest lesson learned here is don't monetize your emulator. Dolphin has been fine because they don't monetize and only got Nintendo's lawyers attention (and was more flagged by Valve) when they tried to get it up on Steam. Dolphin has not been taken down or sued by Nintendo only blocked from Steam and Xbox. And Nintendo only took action when they absolutely has to.
Seems like not taking action against TotK pirates in addition to monetizing their emulator is what finally got Nintendo to take action against Yuzu. Don't poke the bear's tentpole releases is probably the best policy.
Nintendo seems willing to play dumb when money or official releases are not on the table.
@naxuu indeed. This does not change legalities at all! Settlements are more optic victories than anything as Nintendo gets a "win" in the sense that it will deter people from making emulators for their consoles in the future.
Based on the results seems like Nintendo was more interested in the optics than the legal precedent. They would still need to overcome previous precedent if they sued another developer in the future.
@Frailbay30 Oh I very much agree! I remember owning a bunch of awesome retro games that got damaged in a flood. Since then, I've been far looser with how I play these games and tend to get re-releases through Steam (or Switch if a collection isn't on Steam). It is just easier that way. And far less costly then re-investing $1000+ dollars into my hobby for games I was probably not going to play anyways.
As for preservation standpoint, I think as an overall industry and audience we should collectively be doing better. Which is just educating ourselves on how we can best preserve how these games were intended to be played and be more willing to reach out to preservationist groups and see what we can do to help. Even if it is just sending in old strategy guides, magazines, etc to help them not just preserve the games, but also the context around them.
@Vexx234 There is one thing here I think we need to set straight. Preservation is not availability, availability is only an aspect of preservation.
Let's look at Star Wars for a moment. You can go watch Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope right now!!! The film is available, there is a catch though, it is not the original cut of Star Wars. Now, if we put the original cut up on Disney+ that would be awesome, but there are about two other cuts of the movie that are not available. Those too would need to be made available even if the differences can be seen as minor. And there are other aspects of the original movie that we need to look at outside of just the film.
i.e. the props, interviews with news papers, TV spots, magazines, toys, comics, behind the scenes information (such as presented through documentaries) etc. as these were all parts of the film outside of just the film itself. And is watching the film on the Disney+ the "intended way" for it to be watched? Star Wars as a Hollywood blockbuster was meant to be watched in theaters. So, is it preserved if the only way to experience it is through a streaming app? Because studies have been done and depending on the setting and environment of how you consume the media, the media is interpreted differently by the viewer. And some directors have been very clear like James Cameron that home video is not how he made his films to be watched.
What about directorial intent? George Lucas is a perfect case study here as every release of Star Wars had some change to it. Like the opening crawl, effects works etc. Lucas was very clear that he was never 100% happy with how Star Wars was released in the 70s as he kept tweaking it for years!! And he is not the only director who did this so many movies have had alterations and changes that you would never know happened unless you look at them side-by-side. This is why film preservation is a complicated conversation on its own.
Now if we go to video games there are a bunch of comparisons we can make to Star Wars alone. Persona 3 is a perfect example here. Persona 3 has four versions of the game, the original PS2 version, the FES edition, Portable and Reloaded. Atlus is only currently selling Portable and Reloaded on modern consoles. FES is only available to purchase on PS3. And the PS2 original is just stuck in physical only PS2 jail.
Now, in the aspect of game preservation from your definition of it. Persona 3 is "preserved" because Reloaded and Portable are available. BUT, Persona 3 is not preserved by your own definition as well. Because Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES are not on modern systems. But, by directorial intent Portable and Reloaded are the "definitive" ways of experiencing Persona 3 despite being radically different from the original game from a mechanics, visual standpoint and even story differences. Persona 3 is getting to a point where it is impossible to preserve the traditional way as the original game and how it was intended to be experienced is being lost despite Persona 3 being one of the most released games in gaming. And, in an era of patches, DLC, and "definitive editions" this is an extremely complicated issue that is almost exclusive to this medium.
Notice how this is starting to give you a headache. IF we look at game preservation only from availability standpoint how flawed this perspective is? Because we can argue that most games even re-released ones are not the original versions, and are not being played how they were intended to be played (arcade games are a MASSIVE preservationist headache). This is more than just owning the rights to the games, as even the best "re-releases" are not what you think they are.
This is not a simple issue of just make it available therefore it is preserved.
@Dr_Lugae Let's ignore emulation atm. I agree, availability =/= preservation. And preservation encompasses far more than just the game itself like source code, development documents, development builds etc. And Nintendo has proven to have the best track record of preserving that information, compared to contemporaries like Konami, Capcom, Square Enix and even western publishers like Atari. Now, is Nintendo obligated to release that information? No. Should they preserve it? Ooooh yes! Even if it is just to make future titles easier to release on modern systems.
I do get tired of arguments like "they should just release the entire insert console here backlog on NSO then they wouldn't have this problem." As if that is remotely reasonable expectation. Between music licenses, engine licenses, hardware compatibility or even just simple things like publishing agreements; video games are one of the hardest mediums to make available on modern eco-systems. It isn't as simple as music or film to find the rights holders (even in those mediums good luck with some of that) and put it on a streaming service or burn it to a blu-ray/DVD. Even emulators require meticulous testing to make sure things are working correctly and even then there can be problems (just look at some PSOne remasters, they got problems like the infamous Final Fantasy IX jump rope minigame). From a technical, and legal standpoint making games available on modern consoles and storefronts suck!!! for any interested party.
Do I agree with what Nintendo is doing here? Hard to say as I don't have all the information. But, I do think people overly simplify the "preservation issue" at bit too much where it becomes a disingenuous debate of nonsense.
@Faruko I dunno if I agree. Xenoblade games are extremely deep, but they function well and Xenoblade 3 made a lot of progress to make the combat more accessible (and Xenoblade 1 & X are pretty damn straightforward, just have a ton of daunting depth).
I think if they do a more action oriented Xenoblade I'm okay with that, but I don't want them going Final Fantasy on us where the series has a fractured identity and insists on completely ripping the ground up and redoing the gameplay every main entry (this has been the case since FFXII some 18 years ago).
I think they just need to explain the basics of their mechanics better and allow people a more easier way of accessing that deeper combat progressively. Kinda like what they did with Future Redeemed.
@LikelySatan I'm curious as well. It's a pretty fun fan game! Though yeah, I can understand why fans are upset, and Palworld is a good game so I can see why people defend it. It's a weird situation.
@LikelySatan oh 100% it's a weird issue that has emerged and a weird dissonance. If the creatures didn't look like Pokemon I doubt this would even be a headline. Monster collection games have been around since what Shin Megami Tensei? But, what's weird is Pocketpair says they took no inspiration from Pokemon, but you look at the UI for their box and party system and it's basically ripped from Legends Arcus, and a number of Pals are clearly based on Pokemon (you can't tell me you don't see the similarities between Dark Mutant and Mewtwo Y).
It's so weird, and interesting, just bizarre. It's clear that PocketPair can make a good game, but they clearly don't care as soon as you look at their previous games it's clear that to them "inspiration" is just lifting whole art designs, mechanics and even fonts from other games.
Such a disappointment as on principle this would be a lot of Pokemon fans jam.
@pupypup you understand though that the issues people have with Palworld is the designs legit lift a number of Pokemon and just remix them. There is no parody to it either as confessed by the developers. It's legit just lifting a design due to lack of creativity and/or lack of artistic integrity. Which is what is pissing people off as outside of that it's a really well made game which means the developers are capable of making something legitimately good! And they are not just doing this to the big mean Pokemon Company they are apparently also lifting Fakemon and other fan designs... So what about that? This isn't a copyright issues for writers and artists this is an artistic integrity issue. No one wants their hardwork lifted for someone else's profit. And if they have the balls to do this with the Pokemon Company then what about smaller indi devs who don't have the resources to investigate and possibly sue? Try thinking about that scenario.
@pupypup I wouldn't say they're in the legal clear. We are talking about two Japanese companies that will need to settle this in Japanese court if it comes to it. As for North American court we do have examples of issues like this such as Disney's objections to "Howard the Duck" from Marvel. We could see a similar settlement here where they'll need to change the infringing Pals. But, this is Japanese court so this could go very south fast for Palworld.
As for morally speaking... It's very ill-moral to do this. You can't deny just lifting Pokemon designs and "remixing them" is very sus and not really what game creators should be doing.
@MegaVel91 I think you hit the nail on the head. I was a little skeptical at first over the similarity of designs... but Anubis is 100% a Lucario knock-off. People say, well they are both based on the Egyptian god Anubis, so that is why they look similar. Well, no... look at the design language of both creatures, they look way too similar to say they both took inspiration from the same source.
There is even an unreleased Pal in the code of the game, that is legit just Mega Mewtwo Y!!! You can't look at the two and not go "well, Dark Mutant and Mewtwo Y look the same because they're both based on cat embrios... " if you're making that argument you're just being disingenuous.
The comparison between well Pokemon and Digimon are both similar looking and well, they are never gotten into legal dispute... well have you seen what Digimon look like? They are not even close to Pokemon in design and have very few design overlaps. And both have been around for 30 years! One would think with the amount of Digimon and Pokemon there are they'd have far more overlap.
So, if anyone is making that argument they can't make it in good faith. Palworld clearly ripped some Pokemon designs and remixed them. If that be because of laziness, for controversy, or just simply using AI to design their Pals... it's not a good look from just an artistic integrity lens. And, from a legal standpoint that is for a judge to decide. But, bringing Digimon or even TemTem into this is sheer laughable. If it were that easy to just have monsters look like Pokemon because "from the same inspiration" we'd have far more examples from similar franchises that overlap with Pokemon then we do just from the numbers game.
While we can talk about the merits of Palworld and there are a number of good points. Its a good game despite being extremely derivative by design. Let's not lie to ourselves as the developers are not shy about what kind of games they make. But, some of the designs do lean way too hard into Pokemon. There is taking inspiration from the same sources, as I've heard people say Pokemon took inspiration from Dragon Quest, and Dragon Quest took the same amount of inspiration from DnD. Inspiration is great! Palworld seems to have used direct assets from Pokemon which is a HUGE legal no-no.
But, even then while we can talk about legal no-nos in the West, both companies are Japanese. This will be resolved in a Japanese courtroom if it comes to legal action and if we have learned anything about Japanese copyright law is that it is FAR more strict than US, EU or UK copyright laws. So, it would had been beyond dumb for Pocketpair to directly crib direct assets from the most popular IP in the world. I hope they haven't, but if they used even a whiff of Pokemon assets (even if their CEO says they didn't take inspiration from Pokemon... yeah right) then this is an open and shut case as far as a Japanese judge is concerned.
That's my 2 cents as I don't see this going anywhere good for Palworld if this lands in a Japanese courtroom.
@Kevlar44 I honestly finally understand why Greg requested the content he was in gets pulled from the channel. The way Jirard did him dirty, made him sign and NDA and gave him no cut of the business he helped build is disgusting. Greg always hit me as very genuine and Jirard not so much... Which is odd considering I felt like this since I first watched the show. This just confirmed that guy feeling.
@themightyant Persona and well Shin Megami Tensei in general are really niche games. Persona 5's popularity is a pretty major outlier in the series as generally they're pretty underground games despite the hype. Granted Persona 4 did widen the reach pretty massively and P5 made it even bigger. We'll see how the series does when the P3 remake comes out.
@LikelySatan that would be for the best. I'm okay if it went the Metroid Prime route too. Considering the team members that made Turok went on to to make Prime. It be poetic and make logical sense for the franchise... But a big dumb shooter like the new Wolfenstein or Doom games would be perfect too!!
@XandertheWise I played Turok 3. For its time the game really is a treat!!! Maybe not as good as Turok 2, but still really good! The only bad Turok game is Evolutions. I'd say even Turok (2008) was pretty good if a bit generic. The IP could really use a reboot.
@Dimjimmer I think the price had to do with the fact that Turok 3 never had a PC port and I think the source code was missing. So they had to rebuild the game from scratched compared to 1&2 which required less work as they had something to build from. I think that is a fair exchange compared to what they could have done which would would be slap the game into a proprietary emulator and call it a day (which has its own problems outside of the obvious performance hit as N64 emulation is notoriously finicky). A complete remaster without the original source code is extremely difficult, read developer interviews from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix, it should give an idea how difficult this is to do... and Silent Hill HD Collection an example of how easy it is to botch.
@rjejr market footprint. Microsoft just wants products out in the wild for no other reason than the have one. The Xbox could sell miserably and lose Microsoft money, but they can write it off because they make unbelievable amounts in other departments. Having a console (even if Gamepass is on other systems) is more for brand recognition and to have a foot in the market. That and they can still have exclusives and other services only through an Xbox console.
I think Gamepass on other consoles would be for only games that are on said console natively. So Doom Eternal would be on a Switch version, but Dishonored, probably not. That is unless Microsoft wants to use Xcloud streaming to close that gap. But, with what Google Stadia proved cloud gaming is just not there yet (maybe in 10 years).
I'm sure there are other reasons outside of vanity sake, but those are me spit balling.
@Edwirichuu it depends really. Some people who own a Switch and on a budget will do trade-ins, wait till deep discounts, or borrow from friends and family. There are ways to game on a budget with the Switch fairly easily. Gamepass is great if there is a game you're unsure on and want to try it out for $20. It's like renting back in the 80s-90s. At least that's how I approach Gamepass, it did save me from getting Starfield at full price.
Honestly Gamepass is a good deal though and Microsoft does do promotions that allow you to get it cheaper. So, it is a pretty good budget option in that way. As for the full year... I think most prefer doing monthly so they can cancel whenever.
@larryisaman agreed. Despite how dumb and artificial the term is, it would not be good for consumers for Sony to be the only "high-end" game console. We already see how anti-consumer they are when they just have the lead.
@eltomo One would assume Nintendo would get a cut of any Gamepass subscription that is linked to a Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 console. From Nintendo's perspective it maintains player retention on their system, and they'd still get a cut of what is sold through the eShop. The only concern would be 3rd parties who may not like having their games on Gamepass for Switch, but have it on PC or Xbox.
I'm fine with it. Gamepass is an overall pretty great service, and I like the fact you can buy games you like from it at a discount. How would I feel with it on Switch (or Switch 2 at this point)? Pretty ambivalent. I'm neither for, nor against it as it gives people options and for people who can't afford to drop $100+ a month on each new game that interests them, if it is on Gamepass they can enjoy it for $20 instead for the month. Pretty solid deal overall. That and if it includes game streaming at an usable framerate then that opens the doors for Xbox 360 and Xbone compatible games without the need to port them to Switch. Even if I personally cannot get down with game streaming.
Waiting to be called a heretic because I'm not ride-or-die on physical only. I'm just all for options and it's nice to have them. Gaming is expensive and Gamepass saves people money.
@SilvercatMoonpaw 100% the 90s-era bishounen link needs to be adjusted to suit the environment more. Look at FFVII's original art by Tetsuya Nomura. If you translate that 100% faithful to a realistic environment it looks terrible. This is why FFVII Remake had to change so much of it while keeping true to the clothing and silhouettes of the original characters.
@WaffleRaptor01 I think the biggest issue is not the model itself, more the lighting and how the eyes move. The eye movement looks a little un-natural and the skin needs more surface detail. With everything else having hyper realistic textures and surfaces the "rubbery skin" looks out of place. Like how @Maxz pointed out. So they either needs to embrace the realism like Final Fantasy VII Remake did... or solve it in a different way.
I honestly think they should draw more from how Dragon Quest XI solves this issue. The textures are hand drawn (even if the lighting and particle effects are rather realistic) with strong outlines in varying locations to make it look more animated. This I think would solve 90% of the issues you both are experiencing with the model which is a bitty taste of uncanny valley.
@Znake Don't want to be that guy... but not everything needs to be Ghibli... there is a reason OoT looks the way it does is because it is trying to invoke a high-fantasy aesthetic found in the 1990s. It is colorful, is bright with bold colors rather than washed pastels. There is a strong art design reason why Nintendo did this and changing the style to just be "Ghibli" is a gross disservice to the original team... Especially considering Zelda's bold history of unique and vibrant art directions. The art dictates so much of the game design itself.
As for this video I appreciate it. Looks like a very strong model and pays respects to the original art. I personally would prefer if they remake the game to stick closer to how something like Dragon Quest 11 looks, but obviously with the original art style. But, for a fun fan process braking down how someone would do it... color me impressed.
@cookiki Both are excellent games!!! And considering Baldur's Gate 3 probably won't come to Switch anytime soon (it would probably be a Switch 2 title) it would probably scratch that itch for a lot of people. Plus just being a pure classic CRPG by the mad lads at pre-EA Bioware.
@AlCamus a DS Castlevania collection I'm sure is coming... But it will have some technical hurdles like how to handle the duel screen, touch screen and microphone integration. For the touch screen it be easy-ish on Switch in handheld mode, but odds are for PC, PS5 and XSX/S it will prove difficult. They either need to gut those features (which means reworking those games to rebalance them) or figure out how to implement them on modern systems...
I'm sure Konami will do them soon (probably 2024/2025) but it will probably be not as easy as slapping some roms into an emulator and calling it a day. Which seems to be their tactics with these collections.
@Jacket_p it's purely a writing issue. The cast was fantastic from top-to-bottom excellent casting. Even if they don't "look like the characters" Anya Chalotra is perfect as Yenn. She is firey, flirty, passionate and just oozes charm!! Henry Cavil... I mean do I need to gush about him? Freya Allen is just a joy as well!!! The production values are fantastic with excellent set design, costuming (sans that Nilfgaardian armor from S1). The writing just really lets down such an overall work of passion by the actors, directors and every level of production.
@HeadPirate I dunno man the Netflix series had 99 problems, but Henry ain't one. All joking aside the nitpicking from the games' fans was rather irritating. Like Yennefer and Geralt having a toxic relationship... Like that's kinda the point of their relationship in the books...
But, after season 3 it's kinda hard to excuse the shows problems outside of those nitpickers. You can honor the books by it adapting the books and just sneak some Easter eggs for game fans (like the game's version of the pendent). But, as far as just the books go... Netflix did a pretty bad job as a whole past season 1 (which was pretty damn good changes and all)..
@ottoecamn Ghibli also does not do adaptations. Any adaptations they have done were more "in name only." I like Ghibli's work as much as the next guy, but terrible choice for a Zelda moving. It would probably be pretty, but it wouldn't be Zelda.
@RupeeClock Agreed. Most people tend to get a footing in the creative fields by doing fan works and very rarely are they leaping directly into the deep end of an original works. Bioware used their creation kits around the time of Neverwinter Nights to help narrow down their hiring process. Even Bethesda has done the same with the Fallout 3/NV/4 and Skyrim moding scene. So, there is precedent of studios and publishers finding future employees within these scenes.
Fan works are not inherently bad. I can argue I think it would be better for the creatives to make original works like Undertale, Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight, but fan works are a safer playground to be creative in learning the ropes.
I think my personal issue is more the permissions aspect than anything with how fan works treat the publication of their works. i.e. how some fans think that just because they make a fan work that entitles them to make money off it, or remove them from potential legal consequences of their works. Think DMCA take downs, or how a cove artist had their album taken down because they didn't get a cover license and just complained about it when Nintendo had the album pulled.
Can people please stop calling everything bright and pastoral Ghibli? Very impressive piece of 3D animation, but this is far from being Ghibli (specifically the works and style of Hayao Miyazaki). The faces are similar and inspired by, but there is more to Miyazaki's work than just the style he draws faces, from his camera work, to color choices, ambiance and how he directs a scene. I don't want to bag on the animator either, but when you invite the comparison, the comparison you will get. This is not even NintendoLife inviting the comparison, I just feel bad dogging on the person like this.
Good work by the animator overall, but needs a bit more polish.
@boxyguy I honestly think it's just due to the amount of goodwill he has. Think of some of the best games with long stretches between releases. We tend to be okay with it because of how good the previous games were. I find the eye rolling happens more when we all know the publisher is taking longer with the game because of mismanagement more than making the best game possible. With Toby we know it's more him and his team trying to make the best game possible.
@CutchuSlow the relationship is more what Microsoft offers to Nintendo. Nintendo gets Minecraft, CoD, and access to Rare's IPs along with access to select Microsoft IPs. It's more a win for Nintendo. What Microsoft gets is good PR, extra revenue and penetrating a market that may traditionally not have interest in their consoles.
It's more one direction as far as IP sharing goes.
Anyone who thinks Microsoft's internal emails released through court documents will harm the two companies relationships don't really understand how the business side works. They basically said "if we could buy them we would, but that's not happening" is more of a complement than anything. It didn't contain plans to do a hostile takeover, or plans to screw over Nintendo, it was basically saying due to Nintendo's strong IP history they'd put Microsoft in a better position in the market. That is a duh! If Sony could aquire those IPs you don't think they would? You think even corporate outsiders like Disney wouldn't sniff around Nintendo if they think they could score Mario, Zelda or Donkey Kong? Pokemon alone would put Microsoft in a much better position, let alone Nintendo's other IPs.
The thing is Microsoft and Nintendo will remain to have a healthy relationship provided they continue to benefit from it. It's really that simple. Nintendo doing a major course correction and possibly jeopardize not getting Crash, Banjo, Doom, Wolfenstein, or in the future CoD over a leaked email that was mostly complementary are fooling themselves.
As for Microsoft, they have inquired twice about owning Nintendo and both times were told to take a hike. It's really not going to happen unless Nintendo has multiple Wii Us in a row and even then they'd probably just go the Sega route before being bought out.
@Freddyfred I mean... Star Fox has only had one game since Command (that was not a rerelease)... and Star Fox Zero was pretty much a reboot to try to capture an audience that may not be familiar with anything past 64. Though the company mandate to integrate the gamepad hurt that game way worse than the story. Even if I personally enjoyed the game, it got issues. Though it was sick they gave us Star Fox 2 after all these years of it being on the shelf.
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Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl - Duel: Bravely Default
I'm going North America because it reminds me of the classic Final Fantasy boxarts. Love how the Bravely series is an homage to that series so makes sense the boxarts would be like that.
Re: WayForward's 'Clock Tower' Switch Port Receives Stunning Physical Editions
@Spider-Kev the main point was even if you don't get your preorder in it's not like the games disappear and Limited Run even makes extra copies for Amazon and Best Buy. You can go on Amazon search Limited Run and get a ton of recent releases at MSRP. I know the early Switch games are above MSRP, but so is a lot of niche one print and done games.
So Limited Run really doesn't do anything specifically bad. They're upfront about how they only do the one run... Which a lot of companies do.
Is it FOMO? Sure, but it's way less FOMO than what other publishers do. If you're concerned about buying every Limited Run title... That's a different issue in my books especially if you can't financially afford to.
Re: WayForward's 'Clock Tower' Switch Port Receives Stunning Physical Editions
@EVIL-C it's not really FOMO though. The games tend to hold value on the secondary market yes, but they give you a bit over a month to order the release. They're not a true limited release of only 50k being printed, it's more print by demand. If 20k people order the game they'll print 30k and the other 10k will be shipped to Best buy and Amazon.
You can still easily get a number of their releases on Amazon as well. It's not like they pull an Atlas where they'll also only ever do one print run of a game and just not tell anyone. The thing is niche games will always only ever get one print run, LRG is just upfront about it
I think the hate you have for them is a bit overblown.
Re: Netflix Reveals The First Official Look At Liam Hemsworth In 'The Witcher'
Wish Liam nothing but the best... but the series really dropped off after Season 1. I was even okay with Season 2, but Season 3 was just pretty all-round bad. You have a mega-fan of property who plays the role perfectly and even he didn't want to stick around... just glad the show is being put out of its misery after season 5. So much wasted potential.
Re: Rumour: Princess Zelda May Take The Starring Role In An Upcoming Game
@Ryu_Niiyama I think I get where you're going now with the idea. I will say though I think part of the reason God of War worked so well with the trio of Kratos Mimir and Atreus was the solid banter, which I personally think unless you seriously rework Link to be less of a blank slate Zelda could fall into the same trap Navi, Tatl and Fi fell into. I think the only time the companion character worked was with Midna.
Then again I really enjoyed the 2008 Prince of Persia, I thought the Prince and Elika where really enjoyable, and I liked how Erika was integrated into the gameplay. But, again a lot of that was because of the Prince's banter and how he and Elika bounced off each other extremely smoothly. I think if Nintendo went that direction it could work.. they kinda of experimented with that before with Spirit Tracks. But, unless Link speaks it might get grating with Zelda doing all the talking and Link just grunts.
I also, don't want Link to be diet-The Prince either... that would be pretty boring as well as that snarky adventurer archetype has thoroughly outstayed their welcome. Which is why I think a female Link could work better, because you don't even need to rework the character and lore wise, you can handwave it with "well this time the spirit of the hero incarnated as a girl or a boy." It doesn't really change the lore, as each Link is not directly related to the last (except maybe Minish Cap LInk, and Windwaker Link) so who says the Spirit of the Hero has to incarnate as a man every time.
Which is why I think the issue is less Zelda and more what do you do with Link that holds the idea back. I'm not against it, just not for it either. He just doesn't work as a side-character or really a duel protagonist without reworking him seriously.
Re: Rumour: Princess Zelda May Take The Starring Role In An Upcoming Game
@Ryu_Niiyama I was referring to the mainline series. Side games Zelda being playable makes perfect sense... I'm more looking at the main series and how Link is namely used to represent the player and the courage to overcome the trails. I just don't see a scenario where Link can really function as a side character as they don't really have an interesting enough... Well character to work as he is right now.
I'm not going to really be upset if they go the direction of Zelda being a playable lead, I just don't see how they can make the dynamic really work as Link is a silent character. What makes the current God of War games work is it feels natural for Kratos to go in that direction, Link is a very static character unlike Kratos so it's hard to say how It'll work. I get I may sound odd, but I just not sure how it will work to take Zelda as a series in that kind of direction without majorly revamping Link to be more than a player avatar with some unique characteristics. I'm sure it can work, but I feel you need to basically completely revamp Link and I feel that would end up being more controversial than Zelda being playable as Link is a blank enough slate that each player projects something different on to him.
The issue for me is less Zelda and more what do you do with Link.
Re: Rumour: Princess Zelda May Take The Starring Role In An Upcoming Game
Might be a hot take, but nah I don't want Zelda as the main playable character. She works best as a side character, and that was kind of the point when naming The Legend of Zelda was that it wasn't the name of the hero. Link is supposed to be the player avatar (which is why I think I'm more okay with the option of a female Link). If you're playing as Zelda it gives Link nothing to do as they've never been a fully fleshed out character. They are a character and has some character attributes, but not a fully baked three dimensional character unlike Ganon and Zelda. They are the hero as they embody the courage to go and adventure to save the Kingdom. The humble everyman who takes up the magical sword to save the people. That's what works best as it's the most relatable part of playing Zelda. Anyone can be the hero not just people born in the magical bloodline.
I know they've kind of broken that reading a tad, but Link is meant to embody that archetype.
But, Zelda for sure should be playable in side games. But, Zelda as the playable character kind of makes Link redundant.
Re: Random: Kit And Krysta Show Off Their Immense DS And 3DS Collection
@gcunit I miss the 3DS dearly! Never got into the DS when it was out (outside of the handheld Castlevanias), but the 3DS was my jam! Loved the games from launch-ish titles like Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing New Leaf, to the 3DS Pokemon games and I've probably sunk hundreds of hours combined in the 3 (or 5, I guess) Fire Emblem games on the system.
I really hope the Switch 2 (or Attach whatever it ends up called), will give us DS and 3DS games on Nintendo Online. Would love to relive these games again without having to find my old 3DS.
Moved a few times, so it is in a box somewhere. I might finally Homebrew it now that the servers are offline so I can still enjoy online trading in Pokemon when that gets going again.
Re: Random: Kit And Krysta Show Off Their Immense DS And 3DS Collection
@Olliemar28 Yeah, this article does make tons of sense to post considering these are two former Nintendo employees. I'm sure if Scot the Woz or RGT85 had worked at Nintendo and sharing insights of working at the company they'd be highlighted.
But, I do believe the NintendoLife editors made the right choice here, considering this is a wholesome article highlighting the post-Nintendo careers of two long standing Nintendo employees (combined 25 years with the company)... I don't get why some people don't get the difference between these two kinds of creators.
PS. Great article enjoyed the content and do miss seeing Kit and Krysta during Nintendo Treehouse showcases and other events.
Re: Fan-Made Nintendo Network Replacement 'Pretendo' No Longer Requires Hacked Wii U
@dtlux1 the question is why bother? Nintendo is not providing a service for Wii U online anymore, odds are the severs are completely offline so no cost either. This will probably get at most a shrug at Nintendo HQ as it doesn't require modding the system or allows piracy. It's pretty much user's personal private servers which have existed fine on PC and older consoles for decades with no issues from right holders.
Re: The Pokémon Company Sets Up A New Subsidiary Called 'Pokémon Works'
@JohnnyMind @FirstEmperor I have a strong feeling BDSP was only made to please fans and GameFreak probably didn't trust ILCA to make too much original content for the game. Rather the Legends games are the region revisits that GameFreak wants to focus on moving forward, but have built such a strong expectation for remakes that it's a catch-22.
A) They make the remakes moving forward due to fan expectations and divert attention from their passion projects that would push the series forward, but continue the stagnation of the franchise in fans and critics eyes. That and further dilute their manpower to focus on the polish of said projects.
B) Don't do the remakes, but disappoint fans of regions like Johto, Unova, Kalos and Aloha as their favorite regions won't get the same love as previous ones. Or they get another company to do them as straight remakes, and possibly disappoint the fans anyways.
It really is a no-win scenario. And while I was fine with BDSP, I do have to admit compared to FRLG, HGSS, ORAS or even Let's Go, it really was lacking overall. So, I'd personally be more than okay if they allowed other companies to do them and just give them a looser leash to be more creative. Allow them to incorporate mainline mechanics even if they might be seen as a little silly, but maybe just include them in the post-game.
Either way much like most things Pokemon despite the popularity of the franchise there is no winning for GameFreak in this scenario.
Re: Reaction: Nintendo's Switch Emulator Fallout Is Shocking Only Because It Took This Long
@Preposterous That was a yikes right there. Yeah, if they were sharing pirated copies with each other to develop Yuzu (especially copies that broke streetdates), then they would not enjoy a discovery process. That and advertising the methods to circumvent Nintendo's copy protection is not going to end well.
This entire scenario could had been avoided for them if they were just a bit more less public with this information.
Re: Switch Emulator Yuzu To Pay $2.4 Million To Nintendo & Cease Development
@Narrator1 agreed. Those are solid points that I think put Yuzu in check from Nintendo's side.
I think the biggest lesson learned here is don't monetize your emulator. Dolphin has been fine because they don't monetize and only got Nintendo's lawyers attention (and was more flagged by Valve) when they tried to get it up on Steam. Dolphin has not been taken down or sued by Nintendo only blocked from Steam and Xbox. And Nintendo only took action when they absolutely has to.
Seems like not taking action against TotK pirates in addition to monetizing their emulator is what finally got Nintendo to take action against Yuzu. Don't poke the bear's tentpole releases is probably the best policy.
Nintendo seems willing to play dumb when money or official releases are not on the table.
Re: Switch Emulator Yuzu To Pay $2.4 Million To Nintendo & Cease Development
@naxuu indeed. This does not change legalities at all! Settlements are more optic victories than anything as Nintendo gets a "win" in the sense that it will deter people from making emulators for their consoles in the future.
Based on the results seems like Nintendo was more interested in the optics than the legal precedent. They would still need to overcome previous precedent if they sued another developer in the future.
Re: Nintendo Sets Its Sights On Switch Emulator Yuzu In New Lawsuit
@Frailbay30 Oh I very much agree! I remember owning a bunch of awesome retro games that got damaged in a flood. Since then, I've been far looser with how I play these games and tend to get re-releases through Steam (or Switch if a collection isn't on Steam). It is just easier that way. And far less costly then re-investing $1000+ dollars into my hobby for games I was probably not going to play anyways.
As for preservation standpoint, I think as an overall industry and audience we should collectively be doing better. Which is just educating ourselves on how we can best preserve how these games were intended to be played and be more willing to reach out to preservationist groups and see what we can do to help. Even if it is just sending in old strategy guides, magazines, etc to help them not just preserve the games, but also the context around them.
Re: Nintendo Sets Its Sights On Switch Emulator Yuzu In New Lawsuit
@Vexx234 It's all good! This is just a very complicated subject so word usage is important! Glad you enjoyed my word vomit.
And yeah I wish more games I loved got re-releases like the N64 Bomberman games. I miss them dearly...
Re: Nintendo Sets Its Sights On Switch Emulator Yuzu In New Lawsuit
@Vexx234 There is one thing here I think we need to set straight. Preservation is not availability, availability is only an aspect of preservation.
Let's look at Star Wars for a moment. You can go watch Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope right now!!! The film is available, there is a catch though, it is not the original cut of Star Wars. Now, if we put the original cut up on Disney+ that would be awesome, but there are about two other cuts of the movie that are not available. Those too would need to be made available even if the differences can be seen as minor. And there are other aspects of the original movie that we need to look at outside of just the film.
i.e. the props, interviews with news papers, TV spots, magazines, toys, comics, behind the scenes information (such as presented through documentaries) etc. as these were all parts of the film outside of just the film itself. And is watching the film on the Disney+ the "intended way" for it to be watched? Star Wars as a Hollywood blockbuster was meant to be watched in theaters. So, is it preserved if the only way to experience it is through a streaming app? Because studies have been done and depending on the setting and environment of how you consume the media, the media is interpreted differently by the viewer. And some directors have been very clear like James Cameron that home video is not how he made his films to be watched.
What about directorial intent? George Lucas is a perfect case study here as every release of Star Wars had some change to it. Like the opening crawl, effects works etc. Lucas was very clear that he was never 100% happy with how Star Wars was released in the 70s as he kept tweaking it for years!! And he is not the only director who did this so many movies have had alterations and changes that you would never know happened unless you look at them side-by-side. This is why film preservation is a complicated conversation on its own.
Now if we go to video games there are a bunch of comparisons we can make to Star Wars alone. Persona 3 is a perfect example here. Persona 3 has four versions of the game, the original PS2 version, the FES edition, Portable and Reloaded. Atlus is only currently selling Portable and Reloaded on modern consoles. FES is only available to purchase on PS3. And the PS2 original is just stuck in physical only PS2 jail.
Now, in the aspect of game preservation from your definition of it. Persona 3 is "preserved" because Reloaded and Portable are available. BUT, Persona 3 is not preserved by your own definition as well. Because Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES are not on modern systems. But, by directorial intent Portable and Reloaded are the "definitive" ways of experiencing Persona 3 despite being radically different from the original game from a mechanics, visual standpoint and even story differences. Persona 3 is getting to a point where it is impossible to preserve the traditional way as the original game and how it was intended to be experienced is being lost despite Persona 3 being one of the most released games in gaming. And, in an era of patches, DLC, and "definitive editions" this is an extremely complicated issue that is almost exclusive to this medium.
Notice how this is starting to give you a headache. IF we look at game preservation only from availability standpoint how flawed this perspective is? Because we can argue that most games even re-released ones are not the original versions, and are not being played how they were intended to be played (arcade games are a MASSIVE preservationist headache). This is more than just owning the rights to the games, as even the best "re-releases" are not what you think they are.
This is not a simple issue of just make it available therefore it is preserved.
Re: Nintendo Sets Its Sights On Switch Emulator Yuzu In New Lawsuit
@Dr_Lugae Let's ignore emulation atm. I agree, availability =/= preservation. And preservation encompasses far more than just the game itself like source code, development documents, development builds etc. And Nintendo has proven to have the best track record of preserving that information, compared to contemporaries like Konami, Capcom, Square Enix and even western publishers like Atari. Now, is Nintendo obligated to release that information? No. Should they preserve it? Ooooh yes! Even if it is just to make future titles easier to release on modern systems.
I do get tired of arguments like "they should just release the entire insert console here backlog on NSO then they wouldn't have this problem." As if that is remotely reasonable expectation. Between music licenses, engine licenses, hardware compatibility or even just simple things like publishing agreements; video games are one of the hardest mediums to make available on modern eco-systems. It isn't as simple as music or film to find the rights holders (even in those mediums good luck with some of that) and put it on a streaming service or burn it to a blu-ray/DVD. Even emulators require meticulous testing to make sure things are working correctly and even then there can be problems (just look at some PSOne remasters, they got problems like the infamous Final Fantasy IX jump rope minigame). From a technical, and legal standpoint making games available on modern consoles and storefronts suck!!! for any interested party.
Do I agree with what Nintendo is doing here? Hard to say as I don't have all the information. But, I do think people overly simplify the "preservation issue" at bit too much where it becomes a disingenuous debate of nonsense.
Re: Monolith Soft Is Looking For Programmer With "3D Action Game Experience"
@Faruko I dunno if I agree. Xenoblade games are extremely deep, but they function well and Xenoblade 3 made a lot of progress to make the combat more accessible (and Xenoblade 1 & X are pretty damn straightforward, just have a ton of daunting depth).
I think if they do a more action oriented Xenoblade I'm okay with that, but I don't want them going Final Fantasy on us where the series has a fractured identity and insists on completely ripping the ground up and redoing the gameplay every main entry (this has been the case since FFXII some 18 years ago).
I think they just need to explain the basics of their mechanics better and allow people a more easier way of accessing that deeper combat progressively. Kinda like what they did with Future Redeemed.
Re: The Pokémon Company Releases Official Statement About Palworld
@LikelySatan I'm curious as well. It's a pretty fun fan game! Though yeah, I can understand why fans are upset, and Palworld is a good game so I can see why people defend it. It's a weird situation.
Re: The Pokémon Company Releases Official Statement About Palworld
@LikelySatan oh 100% it's a weird issue that has emerged and a weird dissonance. If the creatures didn't look like Pokemon I doubt this would even be a headline. Monster collection games have been around since what Shin Megami Tensei? But, what's weird is Pocketpair says they took no inspiration from Pokemon, but you look at the UI for their box and party system and it's basically ripped from Legends Arcus, and a number of Pals are clearly based on Pokemon (you can't tell me you don't see the similarities between Dark Mutant and Mewtwo Y).
It's so weird, and interesting, just bizarre. It's clear that PocketPair can make a good game, but they clearly don't care as soon as you look at their previous games it's clear that to them "inspiration" is just lifting whole art designs, mechanics and even fonts from other games.
Such a disappointment as on principle this would be a lot of Pokemon fans jam.
Re: The Pokémon Company Releases Official Statement About Palworld
@pupypup you understand though that the issues people have with Palworld is the designs legit lift a number of Pokemon and just remix them. There is no parody to it either as confessed by the developers. It's legit just lifting a design due to lack of creativity and/or lack of artistic integrity. Which is what is pissing people off as outside of that it's a really well made game which means the developers are capable of making something legitimately good! And they are not just doing this to the big mean Pokemon Company they are apparently also lifting Fakemon and other fan designs... So what about that? This isn't a copyright issues for writers and artists this is an artistic integrity issue. No one wants their hardwork lifted for someone else's profit. And if they have the balls to do this with the Pokemon Company then what about smaller indi devs who don't have the resources to investigate and possibly sue? Try thinking about that scenario.
Re: The Pokémon Company Releases Official Statement About Palworld
@pupypup I wouldn't say they're in the legal clear. We are talking about two Japanese companies that will need to settle this in Japanese court if it comes to it. As for North American court we do have examples of issues like this such as Disney's objections to "Howard the Duck" from Marvel. We could see a similar settlement here where they'll need to change the infringing Pals. But, this is Japanese court so this could go very south fast for Palworld.
As for morally speaking... It's very ill-moral to do this. You can't deny just lifting Pokemon designs and "remixing them" is very sus and not really what game creators should be doing.
Re: The Pokémon Company Releases Official Statement About Palworld
@MegaVel91 I think you hit the nail on the head. I was a little skeptical at first over the similarity of designs... but Anubis is 100% a Lucario knock-off. People say, well they are both based on the Egyptian god Anubis, so that is why they look similar. Well, no... look at the design language of both creatures, they look way too similar to say they both took inspiration from the same source.
There is even an unreleased Pal in the code of the game, that is legit just Mega Mewtwo Y!!! You can't look at the two and not go "well, Dark Mutant and Mewtwo Y look the same because they're both based on cat embrios... " if you're making that argument you're just being disingenuous.
The comparison between well Pokemon and Digimon are both similar looking and well, they are never gotten into legal dispute... well have you seen what Digimon look like? They are not even close to Pokemon in design and have very few design overlaps. And both have been around for 30 years! One would think with the amount of Digimon and Pokemon there are they'd have far more overlap.
So, if anyone is making that argument they can't make it in good faith. Palworld clearly ripped some Pokemon designs and remixed them. If that be because of laziness, for controversy, or just simply using AI to design their Pals... it's not a good look from just an artistic integrity lens. And, from a legal standpoint that is for a judge to decide. But, bringing Digimon or even TemTem into this is sheer laughable. If it were that easy to just have monsters look like Pokemon because "from the same inspiration" we'd have far more examples from similar franchises that overlap with Pokemon then we do just from the numbers game.
Re: The Pokémon Company Releases Official Statement About Palworld
While we can talk about the merits of Palworld and there are a number of good points. Its a good game despite being extremely derivative by design. Let's not lie to ourselves as the developers are not shy about what kind of games they make. But, some of the designs do lean way too hard into Pokemon. There is taking inspiration from the same sources, as I've heard people say Pokemon took inspiration from Dragon Quest, and Dragon Quest took the same amount of inspiration from DnD. Inspiration is great! Palworld seems to have used direct assets from Pokemon which is a HUGE legal no-no.
But, even then while we can talk about legal no-nos in the West, both companies are Japanese. This will be resolved in a Japanese courtroom if it comes to legal action and if we have learned anything about Japanese copyright law is that it is FAR more strict than US, EU or UK copyright laws. So, it would had been beyond dumb for Pocketpair to directly crib direct assets from the most popular IP in the world. I hope they haven't, but if they used even a whiff of Pokemon assets (even if their CEO says they didn't take inspiration from Pokemon... yeah right) then this is an open and shut case as far as a Japanese judge is concerned.
That's my 2 cents as I don't see this going anywhere good for Palworld if this lands in a Japanese courtroom.
Re: Sea Of Stars Developer Sabotage Replacing 'The Completionist' NPC
@Kevlar44 I honestly finally understand why Greg requested the content he was in gets pulled from the channel. The way Jirard did him dirty, made him sign and NDA and gave him no cut of the business he helped build is disgusting. Greg always hit me as very genuine and Jirard not so much... Which is odd considering I felt like this since I first watched the show. This just confirmed that guy feeling.
Re: The Persona 5 Series Has Shifted Over 10 Million Copies Worldwide
@themightyant Persona and well Shin Megami Tensei in general are really niche games. Persona 5's popularity is a pretty major outlier in the series as generally they're pretty underground games despite the hype. Granted Persona 4 did widen the reach pretty massively and P5 made it even bigger. We'll see how the series does when the P3 remake comes out.
Re: Review: Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion (Switch) - A Quality Restoration Missing Its Multiplayer
@LikelySatan that would be for the best. I'm okay if it went the Metroid Prime route too. Considering the team members that made Turok went on to to make Prime. It be poetic and make logical sense for the franchise... But a big dumb shooter like the new Wolfenstein or Doom games would be perfect too!!
Re: Review: Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion (Switch) - A Quality Restoration Missing Its Multiplayer
@XandertheWise I played Turok 3. For its time the game really is a treat!!! Maybe not as good as Turok 2, but still really good! The only bad Turok game is Evolutions. I'd say even Turok (2008) was pretty good if a bit generic. The IP could really use a reboot.
Re: Review: Turok 3: Shadow Of Oblivion (Switch) - A Quality Restoration Missing Its Multiplayer
@Dimjimmer I think the price had to do with the fact that Turok 3 never had a PC port and I think the source code was missing. So they had to rebuild the game from scratched compared to 1&2 which required less work as they had something to build from. I think that is a fair exchange compared to what they could have done which would would be slap the game into a proprietary emulator and call it a day (which has its own problems outside of the obvious performance hit as N64 emulation is notoriously finicky). A complete remaster without the original source code is extremely difficult, read developer interviews from Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix, it should give an idea how difficult this is to do... and Silent Hill HD Collection an example of how easy it is to botch.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Interest In Bringing Game Pass To "Every Screen" Including Nintendo Platforms
@rjejr market footprint. Microsoft just wants products out in the wild for no other reason than the have one. The Xbox could sell miserably and lose Microsoft money, but they can write it off because they make unbelievable amounts in other departments. Having a console (even if Gamepass is on other systems) is more for brand recognition and to have a foot in the market. That and they can still have exclusives and other services only through an Xbox console.
I think Gamepass on other consoles would be for only games that are on said console natively. So Doom Eternal would be on a Switch version, but Dishonored, probably not. That is unless Microsoft wants to use Xcloud streaming to close that gap. But, with what Google Stadia proved cloud gaming is just not there yet (maybe in 10 years).
I'm sure there are other reasons outside of vanity sake, but those are me spit balling.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Interest In Bringing Game Pass To "Every Screen" Including Nintendo Platforms
@Edwirichuu it depends really. Some people who own a Switch and on a budget will do trade-ins, wait till deep discounts, or borrow from friends and family. There are ways to game on a budget with the Switch fairly easily. Gamepass is great if there is a game you're unsure on and want to try it out for $20. It's like renting back in the 80s-90s. At least that's how I approach Gamepass, it did save me from getting Starfield at full price.
Honestly Gamepass is a good deal though and Microsoft does do promotions that allow you to get it cheaper. So, it is a pretty good budget option in that way. As for the full year... I think most prefer doing monthly so they can cancel whenever.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Interest In Bringing Game Pass To "Every Screen" Including Nintendo Platforms
@larryisaman agreed. Despite how dumb and artificial the term is, it would not be good for consumers for Sony to be the only "high-end" game console. We already see how anti-consumer they are when they just have the lead.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Interest In Bringing Game Pass To "Every Screen" Including Nintendo Platforms
@eltomo One would assume Nintendo would get a cut of any Gamepass subscription that is linked to a Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 console. From Nintendo's perspective it maintains player retention on their system, and they'd still get a cut of what is sold through the eShop. The only concern would be 3rd parties who may not like having their games on Gamepass for Switch, but have it on PC or Xbox.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Interest In Bringing Game Pass To "Every Screen" Including Nintendo Platforms
I'm fine with it. Gamepass is an overall pretty great service, and I like the fact you can buy games you like from it at a discount. How would I feel with it on Switch (or Switch 2 at this point)? Pretty ambivalent. I'm neither for, nor against it as it gives people options and for people who can't afford to drop $100+ a month on each new game that interests them, if it is on Gamepass they can enjoy it for $20 instead for the month. Pretty solid deal overall. That and if it includes game streaming at an usable framerate then that opens the doors for Xbox 360 and Xbone compatible games without the need to port them to Switch. Even if I personally cannot get down with game streaming.
Waiting to be called a heretic because I'm not ride-or-die on physical only. I'm just all for options and it's nice to have them. Gaming is expensive and Gamepass saves people money.
Re: Random: Ocarina Of Time's Link Has Been Beautifully Recreated In Unreal Engine 5
@SilvercatMoonpaw 100% the 90s-era bishounen link needs to be adjusted to suit the environment more. Look at FFVII's original art by Tetsuya Nomura. If you translate that 100% faithful to a realistic environment it looks terrible. This is why FFVII Remake had to change so much of it while keeping true to the clothing and silhouettes of the original characters.
Re: Random: Ocarina Of Time's Link Has Been Beautifully Recreated In Unreal Engine 5
@WaffleRaptor01 I think the biggest issue is not the model itself, more the lighting and how the eyes move. The eye movement looks a little un-natural and the skin needs more surface detail. With everything else having hyper realistic textures and surfaces the "rubbery skin" looks out of place. Like how @Maxz pointed out. So they either needs to embrace the realism like Final Fantasy VII Remake did... or solve it in a different way.
I honestly think they should draw more from how Dragon Quest XI solves this issue. The textures are hand drawn (even if the lighting and particle effects are rather realistic) with strong outlines in varying locations to make it look more animated. This I think would solve 90% of the issues you both are experiencing with the model which is a bitty taste of uncanny valley.
https://youtu.be/NdFgFABSkhQ?si=rjwV64Rm_PLvRBh5
EDIT: Noticed you're talking about the "Ghibli" video... yeah... it's not very good and looks extremely choppy.
Re: Random: Ocarina Of Time's Link Has Been Beautifully Recreated In Unreal Engine 5
@Znake Don't want to be that guy... but not everything needs to be Ghibli... there is a reason OoT looks the way it does is because it is trying to invoke a high-fantasy aesthetic found in the 1990s. It is colorful, is bright with bold colors rather than washed pastels. There is a strong art design reason why Nintendo did this and changing the style to just be "Ghibli" is a gross disservice to the original team... Especially considering Zelda's bold history of unique and vibrant art directions. The art dictates so much of the game design itself.
As for this video I appreciate it. Looks like a very strong model and pays respects to the original art. I personally would prefer if they remake the game to stick closer to how something like Dragon Quest 11 looks, but obviously with the original art style. But, for a fun fan process braking down how someone would do it... color me impressed.
Re: Nintendo Of America Announces Cyber Deals eShop Sale, Up To 80% Off
@cookiki Both are excellent games!!! And considering Baldur's Gate 3 probably won't come to Switch anytime soon (it would probably be a Switch 2 title) it would probably scratch that itch for a lot of people. Plus just being a pure classic CRPG by the mad lads at pre-EA Bioware.
Re: 'Felix The Cat' Konami Collection Surfaces On The ESRB
@AlCamus a DS Castlevania collection I'm sure is coming... But it will have some technical hurdles like how to handle the duel screen, touch screen and microphone integration. For the touch screen it be easy-ish on Switch in handheld mode, but odds are for PC, PS5 and XSX/S it will prove difficult. They either need to gut those features (which means reworking those games to rebalance them) or figure out how to implement them on modern systems...
I'm sure Konami will do them soon (probably 2024/2025) but it will probably be not as easy as slapping some roms into an emulator and calling it a day. Which seems to be their tactics with these collections.
Re: Netflix Announces Return Of "The Voice Of Geralt" In New Witcher Animation
@Jacket_p That sucks to hear about Wheel of Time... I was really looking forward to getting into that series... :/
Re: Netflix Announces Return Of "The Voice Of Geralt" In New Witcher Animation
@Jacket_p it's purely a writing issue. The cast was fantastic from top-to-bottom excellent casting. Even if they don't "look like the characters" Anya Chalotra is perfect as Yenn. She is firey, flirty, passionate and just oozes charm!! Henry Cavil... I mean do I need to gush about him? Freya Allen is just a joy as well!!! The production values are fantastic with excellent set design, costuming (sans that Nilfgaardian armor from S1). The writing just really lets down such an overall work of passion by the actors, directors and every level of production.
Such a shame as season 1 showed such promise.
Re: Netflix Announces Return Of "The Voice Of Geralt" In New Witcher Animation
@HeadPirate I dunno man the Netflix series had 99 problems, but Henry ain't one. All joking aside the nitpicking from the games' fans was rather irritating. Like Yennefer and Geralt having a toxic relationship... Like that's kinda the point of their relationship in the books...
But, after season 3 it's kinda hard to excuse the shows problems outside of those nitpickers. You can honor the books by it adapting the books and just sneak some Easter eggs for game fans (like the game's version of the pendent). But, as far as just the books go... Netflix did a pretty bad job as a whole past season 1 (which was pretty damn good changes and all)..
Re: Miyamoto And Avi Arad Have Been Discussing The Zelda Movie For A Decade
@ottoecamn Ghibli also does not do adaptations. Any adaptations they have done were more "in name only." I like Ghibli's work as much as the next guy, but terrible choice for a Zelda moving. It would probably be pretty, but it wouldn't be Zelda.
Re: Random: Animator's Stunning New Teaser Reimagines Zelda's Castle Town As A Ghibli Film
@RupeeClock Agreed. Most people tend to get a footing in the creative fields by doing fan works and very rarely are they leaping directly into the deep end of an original works. Bioware used their creation kits around the time of Neverwinter Nights to help narrow down their hiring process. Even Bethesda has done the same with the Fallout 3/NV/4 and Skyrim moding scene. So, there is precedent of studios and publishers finding future employees within these scenes.
Fan works are not inherently bad. I can argue I think it would be better for the creatives to make original works like Undertale, Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight, but fan works are a safer playground to be creative in learning the ropes.
I think my personal issue is more the permissions aspect than anything with how fan works treat the publication of their works. i.e. how some fans think that just because they make a fan work that entitles them to make money off it, or remove them from potential legal consequences of their works. Think DMCA take downs, or how a cove artist had their album taken down because they didn't get a cover license and just complained about it when Nintendo had the album pulled.
Re: Random: Animator's Stunning New Teaser Reimagines Zelda's Castle Town As A Ghibli Film
Can people please stop calling everything bright and pastoral Ghibli? Very impressive piece of 3D animation, but this is far from being Ghibli (specifically the works and style of Hayao Miyazaki). The faces are similar and inspired by, but there is more to Miyazaki's work than just the style he draws faces, from his camera work, to color choices, ambiance and how he directs a scene. I don't want to bag on the animator either, but when you invite the comparison, the comparison you will get. This is not even NintendoLife inviting the comparison, I just feel bad dogging on the person like this.
Good work by the animator overall, but needs a bit more polish.
Re: Toby Fox Shares Deltarune Development Update: "No More Waiting For Chapter 5"
@boxyguy I honestly think it's just due to the amount of goodwill he has. Think of some of the best games with long stretches between releases. We tend to be okay with it because of how good the previous games were. I find the eye rolling happens more when we all know the publisher is taking longer with the game because of mismanagement more than making the best game possible. With Toby we know it's more him and his team trying to make the best game possible.
Re: Doug Bowser: Nintendo Has A "Great Relationship" With Microsoft
@CutchuSlow the relationship is more what Microsoft offers to Nintendo. Nintendo gets Minecraft, CoD, and access to Rare's IPs along with access to select Microsoft IPs. It's more a win for Nintendo. What Microsoft gets is good PR, extra revenue and penetrating a market that may traditionally not have interest in their consoles.
It's more one direction as far as IP sharing goes.
Re: Doug Bowser: Nintendo Has A "Great Relationship" With Microsoft
Anyone who thinks Microsoft's internal emails released through court documents will harm the two companies relationships don't really understand how the business side works. They basically said "if we could buy them we would, but that's not happening" is more of a complement than anything. It didn't contain plans to do a hostile takeover, or plans to screw over Nintendo, it was basically saying due to Nintendo's strong IP history they'd put Microsoft in a better position in the market. That is a duh! If Sony could aquire those IPs you don't think they would? You think even corporate outsiders like Disney wouldn't sniff around Nintendo if they think they could score Mario, Zelda or Donkey Kong? Pokemon alone would put Microsoft in a much better position, let alone Nintendo's other IPs.
The thing is Microsoft and Nintendo will remain to have a healthy relationship provided they continue to benefit from it. It's really that simple. Nintendo doing a major course correction and possibly jeopardize not getting Crash, Banjo, Doom, Wolfenstein, or in the future CoD over a leaked email that was mostly complementary are fooling themselves.
As for Microsoft, they have inquired twice about owning Nintendo and both times were told to take a hike. It's really not going to happen unless Nintendo has multiple Wii Us in a row and even then they'd probably just go the Sega route before being bought out.
Re: Random: Making "Miyamoto Happy" Isn't The Goal Of Development, According To Pikmin 4's Creators
@Freddyfred I mean... Star Fox has only had one game since Command (that was not a rerelease)... and Star Fox Zero was pretty much a reboot to try to capture an audience that may not be familiar with anything past 64. Though the company mandate to integrate the gamepad hurt that game way worse than the story. Even if I personally enjoyed the game, it got issues. Though it was sick they gave us Star Fox 2 after all these years of it being on the shelf.