It would be fantastic if, when reviewing games, you could include some notes on how well the Switch 1 version runs on the Switch 2. Given the game key card situation, I suspect there are a lot of us that will be opting for Switch 1 versions of games even if we own a Switch 2. Thanks!
And for those who have asked in the comments, Sega are not offering a Switch 2 edition upgrade for this game.
Okay, I’ll admit this looks pretty cool, but there’s an important problem here: no gameplay.
They’re showing a couple of pawns spawned into a 2.5D game space and playing idle animations. It’s pretty. It shows they can pull off the visuals. But the characters need to move, to interact, to use their abilities and to feel right. There’s still a ton of work to be done here. This is, at this point, an art tech demo and nothing more.
Hopefully they show off some gameplay soon and prove me wrong. It might be fun to revisit these games.
I love fan projects. But I also understand where Nintendo are coming from. Depending on the territory, it's sometimes required that companies legally enforce their copyrights or risk losing them in future disputes. Nintendo has always struck me as a pretty conservative company, so my guess is this is what's driving their thinking on it.
To allow fan projects to be run while still maintaining the public/legal posture of protecting their copyright, they'd have to set up some sort of registration process for these fan projects. And I'm sure you can imagine how messy, and how much work, that would instantly become.
I sympathize with the people that pour their hearts into these projects. I get it. Early in my career I was part of a FPS project using an existing IP that got shut down. But these shutdowns are part of the landscape, and it's disingenuous for anyone to pretend that they thought they'd get by with it.
I'd love for Nintendo to allow fan projects, but it's not happening and they've shown that. So if anyone asks me, I'd either not do one or keep it quiet until the moment of release as the tweet in the article suggests. There's really no other way forward with Nintendo. It is what it is.
@YessMasster Replying to agree. I'm also a father of young kids (3yo twins), and getting time to play on a console attached to a TV is nearly impossible around here. The Switch has been fantastic for me, because I can sneak in game time where I can, and I can drop it into a dock and play on a TV on the rare occasion I can find the time to do that.
The result for me is that, if it isn't on Switch, I'm just not playing it. I don't have time. Getting through a huge RPG on the XB1 or PS4 (both of which I own) is impossible for me right now.
So I, too, am hoping for Persona 5 on the Switch just so I have a chance to actually play through it. Hoping for the Trails of Cold Steel series to come over as well. Fingers crossed. But I've got plenty of other stuff to play too.
@jruasap No idea. Amazing games. I've never really played them before (I played Ys III as a kid but that was it), but I'm currently playing through the whole series because a friend has been bugging me to do so for years. I've made it through Origin, 1-3, and currently blazing through Celceta. I'm having a tremendous amount of fun with them.
"The studio is known for creating JRPGs such as The Legend of Heroes, Xanadu, and the effing YS series(!!), and would surely make an ideal fit for the Switch. "
FTFY
And yeah, I hope Falcom jumps ship to the Switch. It certainly seems like the best option for spiritual successor to the Vita, for all of the amazing JRPGs and other quirky titles. The Vita has been gold for non-mainstream titles over the last several years.
Something that a lot of people don't seem to understand about intellectual property rights, at least within the US:
If someone tries to use your trade mark, and you challenge them in court, if they can prove a history of you not defending your trademark they potentially have a case that you're not defending it. If they can prove you're not defending, they may find legal grounds to use it themselves. This requirement of defense doesn't apply to ALL forms of intellectual property, but it DOES apply to trademarks, and Metroid is a registered trademark of Nintendo.
They're probably playing it safe here: protect any use of their copyrights, trademarks, etc., to ensure that nobody can take them from them. It's an intelligent business practice, whether we like it or not (and I hate it sometimes, because fan projects are fun to play).
I've never understood why people put such tremendous efforts into these fan projects though, given the legal status of them in the US. You're almost destined to be shut down. It seems to me the smarter move would be to make a game heavily influenced by/as an homage to the inspiration. See Ittle Dew (compared to Zelda), Bloodstained (compared to Castlevania), Axiom Verge (compared to Metroid), etc.
I know this isn't a fun or happy answer, but it's the truth as I understand it. My perspective is that of a professional game developer working in the industry and the son of an attorney who deals in intellectual property and patent law.
Comments 8
Re: Square Enix Rules Out Switch 2 "Upgrade Path" For Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
What are my thoughts on this?
Steam. On sale. IF I even buy it. Those are my thoughts on this.
Give me an on cart release for Switch 2, or an on cart release for Switch 1 with an upgrade pass, or take a walk, Square.
Re: Review: RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery Of The Soulless Army (Switch 2) - A Unique, Action-RPG Take On The SMT Formula
It would be fantastic if, when reviewing games, you could include some notes on how well the Switch 1 version runs on the Switch 2. Given the game key card situation, I suspect there are a lot of us that will be opting for Switch 1 versions of games even if we own a Switch 2. Thanks!
And for those who have asked in the comments, Sega are not offering a Switch 2 edition upgrade for this game.
Re: Mortal Kombat HD Dev Wants To Remake The OG Trilogy, But It Needs Your Support
Okay, I’ll admit this looks pretty cool, but there’s an important problem here: no gameplay.
They’re showing a couple of pawns spawned into a 2.5D game space and playing idle animations. It’s pretty. It shows they can pull off the visuals. But the characters need to move, to interact, to use their abilities and to feel right. There’s still a ton of work to be done here. This is, at this point, an art tech demo and nothing more.
Hopefully they show off some gameplay soon and prove me wrong. It might be fun to revisit these games.
Re: Talking Point: As The Fan-Made 2D Metroid Prime Game Is Shut Down, Where Do You Stand On Nintendo's Takedowns?
I love fan projects. But I also understand where Nintendo are coming from. Depending on the territory, it's sometimes required that companies legally enforce their copyrights or risk losing them in future disputes. Nintendo has always struck me as a pretty conservative company, so my guess is this is what's driving their thinking on it.
To allow fan projects to be run while still maintaining the public/legal posture of protecting their copyright, they'd have to set up some sort of registration process for these fan projects. And I'm sure you can imagine how messy, and how much work, that would instantly become.
I sympathize with the people that pour their hearts into these projects. I get it. Early in my career I was part of a FPS project using an existing IP that got shut down. But these shutdowns are part of the landscape, and it's disingenuous for anyone to pretend that they thought they'd get by with it.
I'd love for Nintendo to allow fan projects, but it's not happening and they've shown that. So if anyone asks me, I'd either not do one or keep it quiet until the moment of release as the tweet in the article suggests. There's really no other way forward with Nintendo. It is what it is.
Re: Atlus Is Releasing Persona 5 Scramble In Japan Next February
@YessMasster Replying to agree. I'm also a father of young kids (3yo twins), and getting time to play on a console attached to a TV is nearly impossible around here. The Switch has been fantastic for me, because I can sneak in game time where I can, and I can drop it into a dock and play on a TV on the rare occasion I can find the time to do that.
The result for me is that, if it isn't on Switch, I'm just not playing it. I don't have time. Getting through a huge RPG on the XB1 or PS4 (both of which I own) is impossible for me right now.
So I, too, am hoping for Persona 5 on the Switch just so I have a chance to actually play through it. Hoping for the Trails of Cold Steel series to come over as well. Fingers crossed. But I've got plenty of other stuff to play too.
I'll pick this up just to support Atlus.
Re: Nihon Falcom President Would "Definitely" Like to Release Games on Nintendo Switch
@jruasap No idea. Amazing games. I've never really played them before (I played Ys III as a kid but that was it), but I'm currently playing through the whole series because a friend has been bugging me to do so for years. I've made it through Origin, 1-3, and currently blazing through Celceta. I'm having a tremendous amount of fun with them.
Re: Nihon Falcom President Would "Definitely" Like to Release Games on Nintendo Switch
"The studio is known for creating JRPGs such as The Legend of Heroes, Xanadu, and the effing YS series(!!), and would surely make an ideal fit for the Switch. "
FTFY
And yeah, I hope Falcom jumps ship to the Switch. It certainly seems like the best option for spiritual successor to the Vita, for all of the amazing JRPGs and other quirky titles. The Vita has been gold for non-mainstream titles over the last several years.
Re: Reggie Fils-Aimé Defends Nintendo's Indie Support and AM2R Policy
Something that a lot of people don't seem to understand about intellectual property rights, at least within the US:
If someone tries to use your trade mark, and you challenge them in court, if they can prove a history of you not defending your trademark they potentially have a case that you're not defending it. If they can prove you're not defending, they may find legal grounds to use it themselves. This requirement of defense doesn't apply to ALL forms of intellectual property, but it DOES apply to trademarks, and Metroid is a registered trademark of Nintendo.
They're probably playing it safe here: protect any use of their copyrights, trademarks, etc., to ensure that nobody can take them from them. It's an intelligent business practice, whether we like it or not (and I hate it sometimes, because fan projects are fun to play).
I've never understood why people put such tremendous efforts into these fan projects though, given the legal status of them in the US. You're almost destined to be shut down. It seems to me the smarter move would be to make a game heavily influenced by/as an homage to the inspiration. See Ittle Dew (compared to Zelda), Bloodstained (compared to Castlevania), Axiom Verge (compared to Metroid), etc.
I know this isn't a fun or happy answer, but it's the truth as I understand it. My perspective is that of a professional game developer working in the industry and the son of an attorney who deals in intellectual property and patent law.