Comments 378

Re: Poll: What Do You Think of the New Nintendo 2DS XL?

brakeman90

If this had been out before I bought my original 3DS XL in 2013 or my New 3DS XL in 2016, I would have bought it. As things stand, it wouldn't offer anything I don't already have, but it will likely be a gateway into the DS/3DS library for anyone who didn't have one already. Good move for Nintendo.

Re: Weirdness: You Can Play and Win in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Without Touching the Controller

brakeman90

This will be a nice feature for especially young players and their families. I have no doubt that anybody seeking to improve their skills past a certain point, or wanting to participate in the more competitive online components or single-player modes, will graduate beyond the feature once they're ready. The more options, and the most inclusive a title is, the better as far as I'm concerned.

Re: Review: Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (Switch eShop)

brakeman90

@zionich Hahaha, agreed - the Switch already has more compelling games than I have time or money to play! I just picked up Shovel Knight and Snake Pass, but Wonder Boy will join the ranks of Snipperclips, Blaster Master Zero, and Fast Racing RMX as the next games on my wishlist.

Re: Four New ARMS Fighters Were 'Leaked' in Yesterday's Nintendo Direct

brakeman90

Thanks for highlighting this! I've been very happy with the character designs (and for that matter, everything else) in ARMS so far, and it's heartening to know that a few more will be revealed. I don't think the game needs any more than ten fighters, and indeed too many characters might dilute its impact. Glad to see that there are more than just the six revealed, in any case.

Re: Feature: The Big Nintendo Direct Summary - 12th April

brakeman90

The biggest hits to me were Ever Oasis, which I remain quite excited for, along with ARMS and Splatoon. Outside of that, I liked the look of Nintendo new flipping colors multiplayer game, the Pikmin amiibo, and Miitopia.

My wife was quite excited for the Namco Collection and the Sonic games, surprisingly! It would make it the first time I've owned a Sonic game since... 1994? We'll see how that shakes out.

I was disappointed with the Link and Splatoon amiibos, largely because I'd really like a Judd and a Hetsu amiibo, rather than variations on figures that already exist. I was already a guaranteed buyer for Goodbye Boxboy and Disgaea 5, so those weren't necessarily thrilling, but they continue to look fantastic. Quite a number of the games were ones that don't interest me (Payday, Yokai Watch, and Minecraft) or are ones that I'm still very much waiting for the reviews (HEY Pikmin and the Kirby games), but I can't expect to like everything published on the consoles, haha.

The biggest surprises for me were Monopoly, which looks bizarrely good for a game I've never had any interest in, along with Sine Mora EX and Battle Chasers: Nightwar, neither of which I'd had any awareness of but both of which received very compelling teasers. I'll wait for reviews, of course, but both look quite promising.

Re: Poll: Where Do You Currently Stand on ARMS and Splatoon 2?

brakeman90

There's a good chance I'll be buying both, but I have some minor reservations:

(1) Concerning ARMS, I'm more excited but less certain. Knowing more will help make my decision, but I suppose it hinges a bit on how much content we know to exist. Will the online mode be robust? Will there be more than five characters? Will there be a single player mode like Splatoon, or something more arcade fighter-esque?

(2) Concerning Splatoon 2 (Spla2n!), I love the original game, and the Testfire was fun, but the whole thing feels rather like getting a second helping of the same food - you know you'll like it, but it might be more exciting to try something new. I'll wait to find out how different everything feels, and how much content is being added, before deciding whether to be an early adopter or not.

Of the two, I'm certainly more excited for ARMS, especially with the great press from early players, but I'm open to either (or neither).

Re: Free DLC is Coming to Super Bomberman R

brakeman90

Too cool! I've been enjoying Super Bomberman R, and free DLC is always a nice thing for developers to offer, particularly where the game was not lacking at release. As for hopes, I would love to see other Konami characters added as unlockables in the multiplayer modes - Goemon/Ebisimaru and Solid Snake are at the top of my list, of course.

Re: A New Patch Is Available for Breath of the Wild on Switch

brakeman90

I was surprised and happy to see the patch, along with the rumors of framerate improvements. Humorously, I only have about an hour left in the game, as I'm headed into the castle this evening for the final confrontation. Womp womp, haha. Still, it'll be nice for new players, and while the issues were hardly catastrophic before, it will be cool to further improve this masterpiece.

Re: Video: How Well Does Snake Pass Run on Nintendo Switch?

brakeman90

@BenAV Agreed, steadiness is the main thing. One thing I find intriguing is that games designed for a steady 30 FPS sometimes seem to look better than games that can alternate between the two - Zelda looks great at 30, but I found Hitman or The Witcher looked rather stutter-y at 30 FPS on my PC. In any case, I also find the difference between 720 and 1080 to be reasonably small, especially compared to the jump from 480 to 720; playing the Splatoon testfire, I would have sworn it was 1080 but this is evidently untrue.

Re: Video: How Well Does Snake Pass Run on Nintendo Switch?

brakeman90

I'm really looking forward to buying this game, though I can't help but be slightly disappointed that it couldn't manage either 1080p or 60fps on a new piece of hardware. Does it really matter? No. Will it keep me from buying? No. Do I wish it was operating at a higher level? Of course.

Re: Feature: We Grade the Various Nintendo Switch Launch Complaints from the Web

brakeman90

Glad to hear the screen scratching is less common than I'd feared. I've been very cautious with mine, but when examining it from the side, it's hard to see how the screen would even touch the inside of the dock. I also haven't experienced the joycon issue, even while (very briefly) trying to replicate it using the GameXplain example.

My only beef with the console so far is that I got a bit of wrist pain from playing it in handheld mode, which was discouraging since I expect this'll be my preferred method of playing over the next few years. I suspect a grip or something could resolve the issue.

Re: Review: Super Bomberman R (Switch)

brakeman90

Having purchased this for about $30 with some judicious discounts and gift card usage, I can say that's it's well worth that investment.

I'd heard that the visuals were rough, and that the pace seemed a little sluggish at 30 FPS, but that's not been my experience at all. My wife and I are playing the campaign co-operatively, but the battle mode is where it really shines. I played a couple of matches there after completing the campaign's first world, and it is delightfully hectic. Great music, too!

In any case, I see this being a pretty reliable multiplayer game over the next few years, either in-person or online, so I'd strongly suggest buying it if (1) you enjoy multiplayer games and (2) the price is a little bit lower.

Re: Feature: A Breakdown of the Nintendo Switch eShop Games of 2017

brakeman90

The Nintendo Switch is effectively shaping up to be a platform even more geared towards my interests than expected - a portable machine that plays the best indie games, along with Nintendo first party titles. Don't get me wrong, having more AAA third-party stuff would be good for sales, but I haven't sought out a major AAA game in years - for me at least, the Switch is already moving into perfect console territory.

Re: Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons Are Disconnecting, And No One Seems To Know Why

brakeman90

@Ralizah This is promising. I got an Xbox 360 a couple years into its life-cycle (as I have any console until now, haha), so I was unaware that this is the kind of problem that has precedent and may be fixable with a patch. Still not something that should occur, as QA/QC should have caught it miles ahead of release, but I'll remain optimistic.

Re: Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons Are Disconnecting, And No One Seems To Know Why

brakeman90

This is a very disappointing issue, though I'm quite glad to hear that the company is aware and working on a fix ahead of release day. It really isn't the kind of problem that should be occurring, especially with a hardware designer as good as Nintendo. Given that Zelda is the only title being tested so far, problems with the Joycons in horizontal mode has not been reported (as far as I know), but this could be an even bigger issue - hands wrap around most of the controller when used in that fashion, and that could further obscure reliability of the signal.

I'm really hoping this gets worked out, ideally by a software update, but, as this is the first time I've bought a console at launch, it should act as a cautionary tale for me in the future.

Re: Nintendo Confirms Expansion Pass DLC for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

brakeman90

@allav866 Nintendo becoming more modern such a double-edged sword, right? And we all have conflicting ideas about what parts of modern gaming culture that we'd like Nintendo to adopt, and which parts we'd like them to eschew.

For me, microtransactions, overly cinematic narratives and unfinished or un-QA/QC'd games are the scourges of modern gaming. DLC, while not something I'm crazy about, isn't something that I'm overly concerned about either. Heck, I even bought the controversial on-disc DLC for Mass Effect 3. There's part of me that loves the (for lack of a better word) 'purity' of a Zelda game - it plays perfectly out of the box and is an entirely self-contained experience, Oracle games aside. I think, if it doesn't contribute significant new content, shunting Hard Mode off to paid DLC is my biggest beef with the Season Pass; this feature was included automatically in Twilight Princess HD and Link Between Worlds, among other titles in the franchise.

That said, I'm willing to be entirely wrong about this. The first portion of the DLC, featuring largely whimsical cosmetic additions, is the kind of thing that offers additional value but which won't keep someone from feeling like they have the full product. Similarly, if they find ways to add expansive new content to what is already a solid, complete game (a la Mario Kart 8 or Hyrule Warriors DLC), then I think the consumer benefits.

Re: ARM Confirms That The Nintendo Switch's Chipset Is Very Close To Tegra X1 Spec

brakeman90

Eh. It would be nice to have something fancier, but Nintendo published extraordinary software on the Wii U, and I expect we'll get plenty of excellent content on the Switch. Its primary selling point is its portability, rather than being a cutting edge home console. In some ways, I think it's wise for Nintendo to be carving out a niche as an addition to a home with either a PS4, Xbox One, or gaming PC, rather than a competitor to those markets.

Re: Poll: What Are Your Nintendo Switch Pre-Order and Launch Day Plans?

brakeman90

Picking up physical editions of Bomberman and Zelda at launch. Grabbing a carrying case too. I may get an extra set of Joycons, but that hinges on whether Bomberman supports four players on one console. I'll be quite disappointed if it doesn't, though that will save me some money, haha.

I'll also be downloading I Am Setsuna, Fast Racing RMX, and Snipperclips as they become available. I missed IAS and RMX on their original releases, so now I'll get to enjoy them and have portable versions. Snipperclips is actually my most-desired Switch game after Zelda, as my wife and I like to play co-op games.

Re: Mario Sports Superstars Heading to Europe on 10th March

brakeman90

The amiibo card stuff is kind of dumb, but it sounds like the game is perfectly playable without them (and may indeed be a better experience without artificially strong characters). In any case, I like the trailers I've seen, and unless the game gets very bad press upon release, I intend to buy this in March or April.

Re: Feature: 10 Intriguing Third-Party Nintendo Switch Games for Your Wishlist

brakeman90

The top of my Switch third-party list is likely Disgaea 5, since I've enjoyed the two games I've played in that series and would like to encourage further engagement from NIS. Besides that, a number of these are appealing - Super Bomberman R, Fast Racing RMX, and I Am Setsuna in particular. The only day-one buy will likely be Fast Racing, since I skipped it on the Wii U and want a top-notch racing game, but I'll be grabbing them all eventually.

Re: Talking Point: What We Hope to See in the Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct

brakeman90

@ZurapiiYohane64 Final Fantasy Warriors would be outstanding. It's funny, because if you'd have asked me pre-Hyrule Warriors whether the Musou model could have pre-existing properties intelligently grafted on, I'd have been inclined to say no (with exceptions). But heck, if they can do it with an IP based primarily around exploration and puzzle-solving, they can do it with anything!

Re: Talking Point: What We Hope to See in the Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct

brakeman90

@OneBagTravel An XCOM-esque Fire Emblem would be cool, and they've already moved in the direction of less battlefield/fight scene segregation with Fates. That said, we kind of already have XCOM, so making Fire Emblem less distinctive and more similar to an already existing property would feel perhaps a bit like eroding the IP's identity. Not sure - I'd have to see it in action.

Re: Here's How Dragon Quest Heroes II On Switch Shapes Up Against The PS4 Version

brakeman90

The most disappointing alteration, to me, is the actual architecture of the windows being simplified and made blockier in the lower image comparison. That's a rather surprising change. Obviously not the kind of thing that would keep me from enjoying the game - I will be picking this up if it comes West - but it's certainly not going to have someone buy this version when they could opt for the PS4 version. As a counterpoint, of course, this one can be played on the go.