Is this seriously what passes for news on NL these days? It's like an item in an FAQ or walkthrough. But this is part of the reason I've often skipped NL in my feed in recent years.
Hey, here's a link that will help you write a TON of articles!
@ekwcll As a Wii U owner, I can tell you about the dry spell of its 2nd year. Wii U owners also kept hanging on for Nintendo Directs.
No, this isn't nearly as bad as the Wii U dry spell, but as a Wii U and PS4 owner, I'm not seeing much for the Switch. Port after port of Wii U games I already own or continued ports of indie games. But I get the strategy: They're maintaining a stream of releases, even if ports.
I've been watching the Switch games and only picked it about a month ago. Mario Odyssey had gotten a lot of play, especially with my teenage son. So, we still have Switch games to consider buying. But it's not a long list.
I hope there are more game announcements. But Nintendo has given us reasons in the past to be skeptical.
First, we did not see Skyrim ported to the Switch and played natively. More than likely we saw gameplay rendered to video.
Second, we don't know how easy or costly it is to port games. Being able to run a particular game is very different from developing a game. This is not an x86 architecture. How much RAM is available to devs? What type? What are the multi processing details for this specialized CPU? What API and development support is Nintendo providing? Lots of details that we don't know but can greatly affect port costs and efforts.
Roguelikes are a difficult genre to review in my experience: Do you review a title for the roguelike players or for the general gaming audience? You can say that of many genres, but roguelikes are a particular thing for particular tastes--the escargot of gaming. Nearly every roguelike can be described as tedious with lots of grinding and repetition (especially true roguelikes with permadeath where players will start dozens of times, even hundreds). True, more modern roguelike have tried to reduce the need for grinding, but grinding is associated with the genre. I can say that Diablo and other dungeon crawlers are also very repetitious. So, to me, I wish that such generalizable criticisms were more qualified.
I disagree that a game should be judged in a vacuum. No one, except the newest of gamers, approaches a game without a context of and comparison with similar games. If anything, I expect reviewers of any sort--movies, art, food, comics, games--to have a formidable history that they bring to a review, using the most salient comparisons.
I think Mitch's review is a valid as a first timer in this series (in this genre?), but IMO that qualification should be stated up front. Valid though Mitch's experience and opinion are, they're not much help to me (and I imagine many gamers) if it's not an experienced opinion.
Update: FWIW, I'm indifferent to this series. I have some experience with it, though I've played a number of roguelikes, and I don't care if this game is a fail or not. So, I have no beef with your score because I'm not a fan of the series.
None of these are games I'm eagerly looking forward to. XCX has just taken too long and exhausted my excitement. Plus, I'm getting a weary of massive RPGs, especially if my choices and actions don't affect the game ending. Mario Maker isn't a $60 game to me. The rest are titles that I'll look at when they release but not much before.
But overall none of these are games that I'm going to follow closely until release, preorder, or eagerly look forward to. If they release, they release. To be honest, all the consoles feel that way to me, which is why I don't have a PS4 or X1.
I know there's little to go on, but Project Treasure has my interest, especially if it supports local coop. It seems like a long time since we've had a multiplayer dungeon crawler for a Nintendo console. (I try to forget the awful Alien Syndrome.)
Promising a feature and then not designing the game to support it is bad product development.
And less than a month ago, van Ginkel said, "There are some editor-related things happening behind the scenes that we cannot talk about yet, which you will understand when we reveal it!"
I'm just listing the PS4 games, somewhat in response to @SuperKMx. I considered the eShop games, but the release dates for most aren't nailed down. Still, the eShop games are why I don't think the PSN games are a difference maker.
I don't play sports games anymore, so their Wii U absence isn't a big deal to me. For some, it is.
Otherwise, we're looking at Battlefield 4, Knack, and Killzone as the big games for the PS4. It's not that overwhelming, even though those are likely good or great games. I don't see the Wii U at a major disadvantage with the games lineup--it comes down to what types of games you like to play.
So, here's a quick review of the PS4 launch titles. (I'm focusing on the PS4 because it's the more likely of the X1 and PS4 that I'd buy. I'm self-centered.
If you like sports games, then the Wii U isn't an option. The PS4 has some other nice options, but it's not nearly as many as the total number of launch games might suggest. I would not say, "meh," but I also wouldn't say that the Wii U is thoroughly outclassed with the fall games. I think the sports/driving games are the most significant difference.
Call of Duty: Ghosts (Wii U)
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (Wii U)
Battlefield 4 - PS4 advantage
Minecraft - PS4 advantage
Contrast - PS4 advantage
DC U Online - PS4 advantage
Driveclub - PS4 advantage
FIFA 14 - PS4 advantage
Just Dance 14 (Wii U)
Killzone - PS4 advantage
Knack - PS4 advantage
LEGO Marvel Superheroes (Wii U)
Madden NFL 25 - PS4 advantage
NBA 2K14 - PS4 advantage
NBA Live 14 - PS4 advantage
Need for Speed: Rivals - PS4 advantage
The Playroom (packin) - PS4 advantage
Resogun (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Skylanders Swap Force (Wii U)
Super Motherload (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Tiny Brains (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Warframe (PSN) - PS4 advantage
War Thunder (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Watch Dogs (Wii U)
I finished the game yesterday. First, I love quirky games, even if they're flawed (like Contact and Deadly Creatures). I've enjoyed a number of average games in the 6.5-7.5 range--Elemental Masters, Lost Town-The Dust, Castle Conqueror for the DS.
I love the game's overall theme and feel. It does have a few bits of very odd dialogue (which might be poor translation)--from just plain weird statements to modern colloquialisms (which broke the 70s setting for me). But my major criticism is that this game holds your hand to a nearly insulting extent. You follow the markers on the lower screen and click A. The biggest challenge is getting your character in the right spot to get A to work.
I saw the card game required in about 3 places, but again, it painfully holds your hand here, too, showing you tips on your wins, losses, and draws and giving you a chance to swap cards.
I wish that Level 5 made it a more challenging adventure game than they did. As is, it's more of a ~2.5 hour story (with a little post-ending play focused on the battle cards) than a game . I can't see giving it more than a 6 or 6.5 at most. The setting and atmosphere are neat, but they should not inflate the grade.
It looks like a beat 'em up, which can be fun. After watching the E3 gameplay videos and reading some of the hands-on, it seems that the main thing is finding the right unite power to use. The bosses don't seem to have weak points, but they have behavior patterns, which sort of seem to affect how effective your actions are. You can choose what unite powers to get or level up.
Unless the previews are misleading, it's really about the unite powers and there's no control of the individual/groups of heroes (as you might with Pikmin). It seems that they're mainly a kind of energy supply: The more heroes, the more powerful the unite powers. There are combos and defensive moves, too.
Simple games can still be fun (New Leaf, Pokemon), but this isn't a deep game from what we've seen and been told.
I think Wiiware might be going the way of the VC. Nintendo seems to have more for the DSiware--is that because these titles sell more or because DSiware is newer than Wiiware? Or because DSiware is cheaper to produce?
If it weren't for And Yet It Moves and Toribash, this would be a summer wasteland for Wiiware.
@manchu: I like the Wii message idea, especially with the blue light. It'd be great if the mail provided links directly to the game in the Wii shop, but as someone said above, a lot of our suggestions would require a real rework of the Wii Shop channel.
If they want to be more in your face, they could have a splash screen at startup that highlights new games. Annoying but hardly uncommon to online users. I like the Wii Menu, but I do wish we could customize it more--make the icons smaller, change the colors or wallpaper, add sounds/music.
@buried WiiWare: I like that the Wii menu is a far easier UI to navigate than the 360, but Nintendo should do a couple things: 1.) Create a channel that highlights features, such as Wiiware and online gaming. MS has the Xbox 101 channels, which I think the Wii could use. It's for highlighting and demoing features, not particular games. 2) Allow users to create channels with more granularity, for example, a channel that lists Wiiware or VC games. Nintendo doesn't force the granularity or clutter on gamers, but they can chose it. 3) Create a game highlight channel. I know there's the Nintendo Channel with the videos, but if some feel that is truly too buried, then create a channel that highlights the Wiiware for that week.
Frankly, I don't think Wiiware is that buried: You click on the Nintendo Channel or the Shop Channel, and within a couple of clicks, you're purchasing a game. NXE is in your face with the games, which I find extremely annoying and cluttered. The Wii is more of a pull (more customer friendly) while the 360 is more of a push (more dev friendly).
@demos: About a year and a half ago, there was research that showed that gamers were less likely to buy a game based on a demo than a video. You as a gamer might like demos, but from a business perspective, they're not that great a return.
@Olimar: No problem. I'm very much of a comparison shopper, so I was trying to find out the details of the differences. From the sounds of it, CD is an enjoyable game if you like strategy games but haven't played a tower defense game.
Actually, I thoroughly enjoy Noda's homebrew Tower Defense for the DS, and I wouldn't mind having a tower defense game for a console. A change of characters would be nice.
The Wii and its IR control would have been a great platform for a map editor for this game.
This review is okay, but it doesn't answer questions about how this version compares to others. I checked gamefaqs and the IGN review, both written by Tower of Defense fans who have played the different versions.
R1 includes only 13 levels, not the full 300. The Wii version has other differences, such as seeing info on the next 3 waves (instead of only next wave), unlocking new units as you go (rather than having them all available), costs and strengths are different than other versions. R1 basically plays like a tutorial and introduction to the game, and it is much easier than other versions as a result of the level designs and the stat tweaks.
Given all this, there's no way I'd buy R1, not unless they confirmed that R2 was free. Buy it for the iPhone or 360. If you don't own either, then wait for the price on R2. If CD had included IR support, then it might have been worth a total of $10, maybe even $12, for both R1 and R2.
IMO, this kind of port represents the worst of Wii games: Price gouging and dumbing the game down for us poor, unsophisticated Wii owners.
Comments 22
Re: Guide: How To Battle Red In Pokémon: Let's Go On Nintendo Switch
Is this seriously what passes for news on NL these days? It's like an item in an FAQ or walkthrough. But this is part of the reason I've often skipped NL in my feed in recent years.
Hey, here's a link that will help you write a TON of articles!
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/switch/240024-pokemon-lets-go-eevee/faqs
Re: Nintendo Hasn't Revealed Its Full 2018 Lineup, Says Outgoing President Tatsumi Kimishima
@ekwcll As a Wii U owner, I can tell you about the dry spell of its 2nd year. Wii U owners also kept hanging on for Nintendo Directs.
No, this isn't nearly as bad as the Wii U dry spell, but as a Wii U and PS4 owner, I'm not seeing much for the Switch. Port after port of Wii U games I already own or continued ports of indie games. But I get the strategy: They're maintaining a stream of releases, even if ports.
I've been watching the Switch games and only picked it about a month ago. Mario Odyssey had gotten a lot of play, especially with my teenage son. So, we still have Switch games to consider buying. But it's not a long list.
I hope there are more game announcements. But Nintendo has given us reasons in the past to be skeptical.
Re: Video: Watch A Replay Of SNK’s Neo Geo Mini Online Presentation Right Here
Honest question: what does Neo Geo news, especially hardware, have to do with Nintendo?
Re: Take-Two Interactive Reiterates Support of Nintendo Switch, But Won't Confirm Games Yet
First, we did not see Skyrim ported to the Switch and played natively. More than likely we saw gameplay rendered to video.
Second, we don't know how easy or costly it is to port games. Being able to run a particular game is very different from developing a game. This is not an x86 architecture. How much RAM is available to devs? What type? What are the multi processing details for this specialized CPU? What API and development support is Nintendo providing? Lots of details that we don't know but can greatly affect port costs and efforts.
Re: Review: Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (3DS)
Roguelikes are a difficult genre to review in my experience: Do you review a title for the roguelike players or for the general gaming audience? You can say that of many genres, but roguelikes are a particular thing for particular tastes--the escargot of gaming. Nearly every roguelike can be described as tedious with lots of grinding and repetition (especially true roguelikes with permadeath where players will start dozens of times, even hundreds). True, more modern roguelike have tried to reduce the need for grinding, but grinding is associated with the genre. I can say that Diablo and other dungeon crawlers are also very repetitious. So, to me, I wish that such generalizable criticisms were more qualified.
I disagree that a game should be judged in a vacuum. No one, except the newest of gamers, approaches a game without a context of and comparison with similar games. If anything, I expect reviewers of any sort--movies, art, food, comics, games--to have a formidable history that they bring to a review, using the most salient comparisons.
I think Mitch's review is a valid as a first timer in this series (in this genre?), but IMO that qualification should be stated up front. Valid though Mitch's experience and opinion are, they're not much help to me (and I imagine many gamers) if it's not an experienced opinion.
Update: FWIW, I'm indifferent to this series. I have some experience with it, though I've played a number of roguelikes, and I don't care if this game is a fail or not. So, I have no beef with your score because I'm not a fan of the series.
Re: Feature: The Biggest Wii U Retail Games of 2015 - Summer Edition
None of these are games I'm eagerly looking forward to. XCX has just taken too long and exhausted my excitement. Plus, I'm getting a weary of massive RPGs, especially if my choices and actions don't affect the game ending. Mario Maker isn't a $60 game to me. The rest are titles that I'll look at when they release but not much before.
But overall none of these are games that I'm going to follow closely until release, preorder, or eagerly look forward to. If they release, they release. To be honest, all the consoles feel that way to me, which is why I don't have a PS4 or X1.
Re: Nintendo of America Unleashes a Nintendo Direct Micro With New Game Details
I know there's little to go on, but Project Treasure has my interest, especially if it supports local coop. It seems like a long time since we've had a multiplayer dungeon crawler for a Nintendo console. (I try to forget the awful Alien Syndrome.)
Re: GamePad High Capacity Battery Now Available in North America
@Metal_Slugger It is 8 hours.
Re: Nintendo Addresses Confusion Surrounding Wii U's Name In Latest TV Commercial
Folks are making too much out of "upgrade." When a husband or wife makes an "upgrade," it's a replacement, not an addition.
Re: Two Tribes Teases New Title While Describing Toki Tori 2+ Level Editor as "In The Fridge"
Promising a feature and then not designing the game to support it is bad product development.
And less than a month ago, van Ginkel said, "There are some editor-related things happening behind the scenes that we cannot talk about yet, which you will understand when we reveal it!"
Re: Two Tribes Teases New Title While Describing Toki Tori 2+ Level Editor as "In The Fridge"
So, what will they promise and not deliver for the new game?
Re: 3DS Reigns in the U.S. for Another Month as Pikmin 3 Sneaks Into the Top 10
@Peach64 I don't think it helps that the Wii U version of Splinter Cell has almost no reviews, so its Metacritic score for the Wii U is still tbd.
I kind of want the game, but I'm happy to wait for a more personally convenient time (when my current project at work wraps up).
Re: Reggie Has Seen The Xbox One And PS4 Launch Lineups, And He Says "Meh"
@senario:
I'm just listing the PS4 games, somewhat in response to @SuperKMx. I considered the eShop games, but the release dates for most aren't nailed down. Still, the eShop games are why I don't think the PSN games are a difference maker.
I don't play sports games anymore, so their Wii U absence isn't a big deal to me. For some, it is.
Otherwise, we're looking at Battlefield 4, Knack, and Killzone as the big games for the PS4. It's not that overwhelming, even though those are likely good or great games. I don't see the Wii U at a major disadvantage with the games lineup--it comes down to what types of games you like to play.
Re: Reggie Has Seen The Xbox One And PS4 Launch Lineups, And He Says "Meh"
So, here's a quick review of the PS4 launch titles. (I'm focusing on the PS4 because it's the more likely of the X1 and PS4 that I'd buy. I'm self-centered.
If you like sports games, then the Wii U isn't an option. The PS4 has some other nice options, but it's not nearly as many as the total number of launch games might suggest. I would not say, "meh," but I also wouldn't say that the Wii U is thoroughly outclassed with the fall games. I think the sports/driving games are the most significant difference.
Call of Duty: Ghosts (Wii U)
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (Wii U)
Battlefield 4 - PS4 advantage
Minecraft - PS4 advantage
Contrast - PS4 advantage
DC U Online - PS4 advantage
Driveclub - PS4 advantage
FIFA 14 - PS4 advantage
Just Dance 14 (Wii U)
Killzone - PS4 advantage
Knack - PS4 advantage
LEGO Marvel Superheroes (Wii U)
Madden NFL 25 - PS4 advantage
NBA 2K14 - PS4 advantage
NBA Live 14 - PS4 advantage
Need for Speed: Rivals - PS4 advantage
The Playroom (packin) - PS4 advantage
Resogun (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Skylanders Swap Force (Wii U)
Super Motherload (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Tiny Brains (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Warframe (PSN) - PS4 advantage
War Thunder (PSN) - PS4 advantage
Watch Dogs (Wii U)
Re: Pikmin 3 Shifts Slightly More Copies Than The Original in First Week in Japan
@ScorpionMG Yep, that's what I understood as well. Plus, I don't think that number includes digital downloads.
http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/16139/article/enterbrain-reveals-pikmin-3-sales-success-53-sell-through-rate-in-2-days/
Re: Review: Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale (3DS eShop)
I finished the game yesterday. First, I love quirky games, even if they're flawed (like Contact and Deadly Creatures). I've enjoyed a number of average games in the 6.5-7.5 range--Elemental Masters, Lost Town-The Dust, Castle Conqueror for the DS.
I love the game's overall theme and feel. It does have a few bits of very odd dialogue (which might be poor translation)--from just plain weird statements to modern colloquialisms (which broke the 70s setting for me). But my major criticism is that this game holds your hand to a nearly insulting extent. You follow the markers on the lower screen and click A. The biggest challenge is getting your character in the right spot to get A to work.
I saw the card game required in about 3 places, but again, it painfully holds your hand here, too, showing you tips on your wins, losses, and draws and giving you a chance to swap cards.
I wish that Level 5 made it a more challenging adventure game than they did. As is, it's more of a ~2.5 hour story (with a little post-ending play focused on the battle cards) than a game . I can't see giving it more than a 6 or 6.5 at most. The setting and atmosphere are neat, but they should not inflate the grade.
Re: Video: New Wonderful 101 Trailer Explains Techniques of Teamwork
It looks like a beat 'em up, which can be fun. After watching the E3 gameplay videos and reading some of the hands-on, it seems that the main thing is finding the right unite power to use. The bosses don't seem to have weak points, but they have behavior patterns, which sort of seem to affect how effective your actions are. You can choose what unite powers to get or level up.
Unless the previews are misleading, it's really about the unite powers and there's no control of the individual/groups of heroes (as you might with Pikmin). It seems that they're mainly a kind of energy supply: The more heroes, the more powerful the unite powers. There are combos and defensive moves, too.
Simple games can still be fun (New Leaf, Pokemon), but this isn't a deep game from what we've seen and been told.
Re: Nintendo Download: 13 September 2010 (North America)
I think Wiiware might be going the way of the VC. Nintendo seems to have more for the DSiware--is that because these titles sell more or because DSiware is newer than Wiiware? Or because DSiware is cheaper to produce?
If it weren't for And Yet It Moves and Toribash, this would be a summer wasteland for Wiiware.
Re: WiiWare Needs More Exposure, Says Former XBLA Manager
@manchu: I like the Wii message idea, especially with the blue light. It'd be great if the mail provided links directly to the game in the Wii shop, but as someone said above, a lot of our suggestions would require a real rework of the Wii Shop channel.
If they want to be more in your face, they could have a splash screen at startup that highlights new games. Annoying but hardly uncommon to online users.
I like the Wii Menu, but I do wish we could customize it more--make the icons smaller, change the colors or wallpaper, add sounds/music.
Re: WiiWare Needs More Exposure, Says Former XBLA Manager
@buried WiiWare: I like that the Wii menu is a far easier UI to navigate than the 360, but Nintendo should do a couple things:
1.) Create a channel that highlights features, such as Wiiware and online gaming. MS has the Xbox 101 channels, which I think the Wii could use. It's for highlighting and demoing features, not particular games.
2) Allow users to create channels with more granularity, for example, a channel that lists Wiiware or VC games. Nintendo doesn't force the granularity or clutter on gamers, but they can chose it.
3) Create a game highlight channel. I know there's the Nintendo Channel with the videos, but if some feel that is truly too buried, then create a channel that highlights the Wiiware for that week.
Frankly, I don't think Wiiware is that buried: You click on the Nintendo Channel or the Shop Channel, and within a couple of clicks, you're purchasing a game. NXE is in your face with the games, which I find extremely annoying and cluttered. The Wii is more of a pull (more customer friendly) while the 360 is more of a push (more dev friendly).
@demos: About a year and a half ago, there was research that showed that gamers were less likely to buy a game based on a demo than a video. You as a gamer might like demos, but from a business perspective, they're not that great a return.
Re: Review: Crystal Defenders R1 (WiiWare)
@Olimar: No problem. I'm very much of a comparison shopper, so I was trying to find out the details of the differences. From the sounds of it, CD is an enjoyable game if you like strategy games but haven't played a tower defense game.
Actually, I thoroughly enjoy Noda's homebrew Tower Defense for the DS, and I wouldn't mind having a tower defense game for a console. A change of characters would be nice.
The Wii and its IR control would have been a great platform for a map editor for this game.
Re: Review: Crystal Defenders R1 (WiiWare)
This review is okay, but it doesn't answer questions about how this version compares to others. I checked gamefaqs and the IGN review, both written by Tower of Defense fans who have played the different versions.
R1 includes only 13 levels, not the full 300. The Wii version has other differences, such as seeing info on the next 3 waves (instead of only next wave), unlocking new units as you go (rather than having them all available), costs and strengths are different than other versions. R1 basically plays like a tutorial and introduction to the game, and it is much easier than other versions as a result of the level designs and the stat tweaks.
Given all this, there's no way I'd buy R1, not unless they confirmed that R2 was free. Buy it for the iPhone or 360. If you don't own either, then wait for the price on R2. If CD had included IR support, then it might have been worth a total of $10, maybe even $12, for both R1 and R2.
IMO, this kind of port represents the worst of Wii games: Price gouging and dumbing the game down for us poor, unsophisticated Wii owners.