Comments 204

Re: Nintendo On Inappropriate Use Of Its IP And Games: "Action Must Be Taken"

mlj11

@Cotillion "How does Nintendo shut down the porn or violent games while letting the Metroidvania one exist? They can't, or at least have a much harder time because they have allowed it before. The precedent was set that they allow their IP to be used unlicensed, so it's a much harder fight should the ones using it fight back."

I work in a legal field and am unaware of such a doctrine, nor have I ever heard of what you described happening in any actual cases. Of course my knowledge is non-exhaustive, but just a quick google search on "intellectual property infringement defences" will return plenty of results such as fair use, but I don't see a single source saying that a IP holder failing to dispute another (prior) instance of infringement therefore denies the holder the right to bring a claim against a separate infringement.

Yet you appear very confident about what you're saying - do you perhaps know of some case law where a defendant successfully used such a defence against a copyright infringement claim? If so do you mind sharing that case here?

Otherwise... are you just making things up? Your usage of term 'precedent' is extremely peculiar and raises my suspicions - I've certainly never seen the concept applied legally in the manner which you've described.

Re: Nintendo On Inappropriate Use Of Its IP And Games: "Action Must Be Taken"

mlj11

@Cotillion

Thanks for your reply. You said, "If Nintendo allows the sweet and innocent, they also have to allow the degrading, violent, horrific and pornographic, because a precedent was set in allowing others and precedent is everything."

That is quite the claim. I don't understand this particular idea of precedent you're talking about, do you mind sharing where you got the concept from? Exactly who made and/or enforces the rule that allowing one piece of fan art obliges you to allow every other piece?

In any case, my question was about a company losing its earnings or IP because it didn't take down fan art. Do you have any specific examples of this happening?

Re: Nintendo On Inappropriate Use Of Its IP And Games: "Action Must Be Taken"

mlj11

Question for all those "Nintendo has every right to protect their IP" commenters: protect from what exactly? Can you name one instance where a company in allowing somebody's fan art / game to exist resulted in them losing the rights to the intellectual property, or in noticeable financial losses? Just one single instance will do.

Re: Reaction: What's Your Gut Feeling On The Zelda Movie News?

mlj11

I thought the Mario movie looked great visually, but apart from that it was meh. There wasn't a hero's journey there - no real ups or downs or any personal growth, it was just Mario being pulled from one scene to the next without much agency.

That was ok for Mario because his games were always just about getting from Point A to Point B anyway. But I'm worried about the Zelda movie using that formula too.

Link's journey in the games usually called for him to encounter some tragedy but come out stronger after that. I hope it isn't as flat from a characterization standpoint as the Mario movie.

Re: Legend Of Zelda Fans Accuse Indie Game Of "Ripping-Off" Link's Awakening

mlj11

Look, there are games "inspired" by others, but this... This doesn't pass the eye test. It looks like they copied Link's Awakening wholesale - if you placed screenshots of both games side by side, I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart.

For those who say copying isn't a big deal, maybe you need to create something original and let someone else made an almost carbon copy of it, then tell us how that feels.

Re: Feature: Metroid Dread Has Plenty Of Other M's DNA, And That's No Bad Thing

mlj11

Never played Other M but I watched a bit of a playthrough - there were a lot of cutscenes.

I understand the game's story beats and Samus' characterization were envisioned entirely by Sakamoto. I thought both were pretty juvenile and just didn't gel with the stoic appearance of the silent but deadly bounty hunter. No wonder fan reception was mixed.

Re: Feature: 30 Years Of Sonic The Hedgehog - The Many Faces Of Mario's Biggest Rival

mlj11

Gameplay wise 2D Sonic is the pinnacle of the series, and I'm glad I was around to experience the hype first hand when Sega took the platforming crown away from Nintendo.

Recent 3D Sonic generally hasn't lived up to the franchise's promise because I think Sonic Team has leaned too much on making gameplay about sheer speed, which simply doesn't make for great 3D platforming.

Because they've decided that Sonic's all about "gotta go fast", actions like attacking enemies has devolved into button mashing (because anything other than auto targeting enemies would be too unwieldy), and traversal can become mindless (grinding-on-rails sections, or much of Sonic Forces where you can get through courses without even touching the controller!). As far as interactivity in 3D games go, these design choices are simply not that fun or satisfying.

Unless they change up the formula, I'm not sure that Sonic Team knows how to make a great 3D game that can challenge the likes of, say, Mario Odyssey.

Gameplay from the upcoming game, Solar Ash (made by the studio who gave us Hyper Light Drifter), gives me hope that a 3D game can effectively marry both speed and platforming, and perhaps provide a template that Sonic Team can follow in the future.

Re: Review: Baldo: The Guardian Owls - Exquisite Ghibli-Esque Art Can't Hide Tortuous Gameplay

mlj11

This review highlights some huge red flags in the game's design here, so I don't know why people are rushing to defend it.

For a game with a heart/life system throwing out game overs so easily yet setting the player back just a few seconds away is an absurdist design choice, especially if there's reloading involved every time. Seems like the only intention here is to punish and grind away at the player's desire to progress.

Also the fact that the same attack sometimes arbitrarily either wounds or outright kills you is a huge head-scratcher. This implementation robs the player of the opportunity to learn and improve from past experience, and just reinforces avoidance at all costs (which is at odds with the heart system).

Like others have said, I highly doubt any number of bug-fixing patches will make this a decent game, because too many flaws are just design choices.

Re: Gallery: Nintendo Shares Absolutely Stunning High-Res Super Metroid Artwork

mlj11

@Devlind I think we all know that merciless serial killers are generally named by their parents who weren't expecting their kids to grow up and become monsters though?

I don't understand what point you're trying to make, especially since it looks like you agree that a run-of-the-mill name "doesn't fit" a scary looking video game alien bad guy meant to inspire fear.

What's next? Are you gonna tell me that "Timmy" is a perfectly good choice of name for the villain in the next Predator movie?

Re: Gallery: Nintendo Shares Absolutely Stunning High-Res Super Metroid Artwork

mlj11

I haven't got into the Metroid franchise yet (this will hopefully change once Dread releases), but I gotta say Ridley is such a.. quaint name for a scary looking alien creature that I think was supposedly meant to invoke fear.

Iirc Samus' birth parents also have names that don't really help with building immersion / suspension of players' disbelief in an otherwise awe-inspiring universe.

Re: Sonic Mania Is Now 4 Years Old

mlj11

Personally I'd love for the Mania brand to make revamped older zones its "thing" going forward.

Honestly I think the clamour for brand-new zones is a bit overblown at this point, considering that Mania gave us the definitive versions of Green Hill and Chemical Plant imo, each with their own special and highly enjoyable gimmicks that were perfectly implemented (especially that delightful surprise boss - which was just chef's kiss). I'd even go as far as to say I found these two zones more fun than Press Garden, which was brand new.

If there's anyone who has a chance of making us fall in love with zones like Labyrinth and Sandopolis, it's definitely the Mania devs. So why not let them add their own spin to these classic stages?

Re: Nintendo Plugs Its NSO Zelda Games Ahead Of Skyward Sword HD's Release

mlj11

@sleepinglion I haven't played Skyward Sword before so I'm excited for this HD version. I wanted to tell you that your description of being on a date with it got a good chuckle out of me, good job! 😂

Nintendo's recent ads for it seem to indicate that they're scaling back on its hand-holdy nature though, which I think is a good indicator that they're finally giving the fanbase more credit.

Re: After Months Of 'Switch Pro' Rumours, Nintendo Officially Unveils The Nintendo Switch OLED Model

mlj11

My problem with the Pro model rumors has always been - what processor is gonna power it? For the original Switch, it was obvious they'd use Nvidia's silicone that was already in the Shield (TV and tablet) product range at that time. But I follow Android news and afaik there hasn't been any successor to the Tegra chip that's been announced in the intervening years. In fact I have no idea if Nvidia has any interest in producing a mobile-focused processor with good graphical capabilities again, because the Android tablet market simply isn't lucrative enough to warrant such an investment imho, that's why they haven't released any new tablet models in years.

To all the optimistic people saying this OLED model will be sightly upgraded computing-wise, which SOC are you betting on?

Re: Rocket League's Bringing Back Iconic Cars For Its Summer Road Trip Next Month

mlj11

People should stop complaining, the purchasable items are all 100% cosmetic and do not affect your ability to play and win in the game.

I get that nobody likes Epic, but the dev team needs to retain staff to update and troubleshoot the game as well as add content for new season passes. Any money you spend will be used to support the devs, and yes items are more expensive now, but don't forget it's because the game has gone free to play.

Re: Video: Yuji Naka Actually Made This Hidden Gem During The Wii Generation

mlj11

Didn't Naka's tweet that he'd tell the story of why he left Sqeenix someday? That hints that he feels he wasn't supported enough to succeed with Balan.

The operative phrase here being he feels.

I mean, speaking as someone who grew up being a Sega boy back in the 90's I'm grateful for his part in creating Sonic, but I'm sure Kojima also has similar stories to tell about his time at Konami, yet Metal Gear under him never plumbed the depths Balan has.

Maybe both Naka and us need to learn to let go of the past.

Re: Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Expansion Pass Appears For Free, Thanks To An eShop Exploit

mlj11

@sixrings You mentioned morals? As in, you don't think a business is morally entitled to set a price for their product so they can pay their engineers and artists for their work? Is that it?

Is the amiibo expensive? Compared to other typical ones, yes. But has anyone considered that it's because it has two characters instead of the usual one? That's more material, more paint. I don't see how selling it at a higher rate than other, smaller amiibo is a price gouge.

Even if it's a price gouge, the silly thing is entirely optional and barely does anything more than providing a cheap way of cheesing Skyward Sword's dungeons. You don't have to buy it if you don't like it.

Whether you'll admit it or not, your post downplays people's theft by trying to cast aspersions on Nintendo's pricing decisions.

Since you've opted to take the moral high ground here, maybe you'd like to share what you'd do if you were in Nintendo's shoes?

Re: Yes, Link's Improved "Fast Travel" In Skyward Sword HD Really Does Seem To Be Locked Behind An amiibo

mlj11

@Meehanuk But it's an optional privilege, nobody is being forced to pay for it. And if you don't pay you still get a functioning product.

It's like when a car maker updates its models and offers new features as paid add-ons, say a sunroof or better audio system, that were not available for the earlier edition. Do car buyers make a big fuss? No.

This is literally the same concept.