@JMR_Alden that's a fair point. To be honest, I had forgotten the GBA was actually 32 bit. Especially given that most would call GBA games a 16 bit style... Which would be factually incorrect =) part of the problem is likely due to how many 8/16bit games were ported to the GBA. Though, I guess it really does just highlight how subjective it is to describe an art style in an arbitrary number of bits now days =)
Except, if you're enunciating the acronym, pronouncing it as N-E-S would still be correct. Just because you can say a word to represent an acronym (NES vs "Ness") doesn't mean you have to (USA vs... erm... "Ew-suh"...?)
@Rafke You really couldn't 3D print something anywhere near as nice as these, especially not without some pretty ugly visible layers. Thought I do agree, for me, it is too much money for something like this.
I'm also not sure I agree with the article claiming these are a "steal" and to think about what they'll be worth in the future. These are pretty expensive as is, and most collectors are interested in original carts. I know there's a market for custom stuff as well, I'm just not sure we'll ever see these blow up to be several hundred dollars.
@JMR_Alden Depends on what you mean. Switch is a 64bit system. I would say (Like the author) this is stylistically 16-bit visuals. However, just like the good'ole days, "bits" don't really mean anything and was twisted for marketing purposes (Sega's 128 bit Dreamcast, anyone?).
Most of today's 8-bit or 16-bit style games wouldn't run on actual 8-bit or 16-bit hardware, so I suppose you could make an argument it's a 32 bit pixel art style... but then it's just another label that's as meaningless as the already inappropriate 8-bit/16-bit styles =D
@BenAV It's a little too soon for me to give Celeste that title (I need to be absolutely sure before taking that title from SMB3) but it is definitely my favorite 2D platformer of the past 20 years or so. I do tend to think of 2D platformers like SMB3/SMW as in a different category compared to platformers like Celeste/Meat Boy/Slime-San/End is Nigh. I tend to prefer the latter, but stupid nostalgia is keeping SMB3/SMW at the top of my favorites list for now...
On-topic, this title was completely off my radar. It looks like something I should love. If it gets a physical release, I'm on board for sure.
@MisterMan That was my experience as well. They seem like games I should absolutely love, but I just can't get into them. I haven't played World yet, but I'm stoked it's coming to PC this month, so I'll definitely be giving it a play through.
EDIT: @JaxonH Maybe I'll consider trying this one then. I played a bit of 3, and couldn't get absorbed in it on 3DS. Part of it was poor UI/small text, admittedly, so I would imagine a higher resolution version would alleviate that.
@Razer Just to add a bit of fuel to the fire, @JoyconGang also claims that the 3DS sold more than Switch, PS4, and Xbox (One?) combined. Which, I guess that could be true... if you were to discount all PS4 sales... because... you know... that alone sold more than the 3DS.
I guess that's just how it goes in today's hyperbolic world, where everyone feels the need to exaggerate everything all of the time, despite their claims being blatantly false. And yes, the irony of that last sentence was intentional.
@NEStalgia I have to disagree. Investing in a fund does not have to mean you are contributing the problem. Of course it could, as we've both stated - anytime there is power and money, there is corruption. You'll get no arguments from me there. That doesn't mean there aren't safe, healthy ways to invest.
My point is, it's incredibly simple to avoid certain types of trades if they make you uncomfortable. It's also incredibly simple to invest in a single company, if that somehow makes you more comfortable (it shouldn't). If you don't know a fund manager you can trust and want to invest in, it's easy enough to invest in an unmanaged index fund.
In my case, after my 401k, I've been putting extra savings into an S&P500 index fund. I know exactly where my money is going. No smoke and mirrors and incredibly low administrative fees (.04% expense ratio). In a fund like that, it's easy enough to keep track of what's happening with your money - it should move in lock step with the S&P500. I'm not suggesting everyone has to invest in an S&P 500 index fund, but there are options out there. And hey, if it's good enough for Warren Buffet, it's good enough for me.
EDIT: Although it may sound like, I'm not really huge on investing either. I contribute the max to my 401k, simply because my employer matching up to 6%, so I'd be a fool not to take the 100% ROI =) I've recently started investing in an S&P500 index fund, simply because that beats letting my money rot in the bank. However, I've always preferred to invest in myself - I paid off all my personal loans with the exception of my mortgage, which I have been paying over double on for the past 3-4 years. My wife and I ran a photography business for 6 years (Quit when I started my MBA, and now have 2 kids, so not starting again any time soon) and I frequently invest in electronics projects - both for my own learning and enjoyment, but also to sell for profit. So I'm not against "investing" outside of the stock market by any means - I actually prefer it - but if it comes down to doing nothing with your excess funds or investing in a relatively safe fund, I definitely think an index fund is a good option.
@Mortenb If you're going back to the early 1900's, then sure, you can make an argument it hasn't always lost value. I was assuming we were talking about fiat currencies. There is more to investing than just the United States. So replace "always" with the "the past 100 years" and you should be able to understand the point I was trying to make.
As for being "just a bit good" at investing - that's not how it works. It doesn't matter how good you are - if there is someone out there better than you, you will be late to the party. It is you vs. the rest of the market, and the market (almost) always wins. Again, it's the same reason index funds regularly outperform actively managed funds. If there is an easy, short-term trade profit to be made somewhere, as an amateur/hobbyist investor, you are going to be beat out 99% of the time if you're trying to buy/sell individual stocks. That doesn't mean you can't invest and make money easily. On the contrary, I've said several times it's quite easy for just about anyone to invest and get an ROI around the market rate (8-10%, typically) simply by investing in an index fund, if you desire. What I am saying, is that you will be hard-pressed to beat the market, which is what traders attempt to do for a living, yet they regularly fail to do so. For the hobbyist, it doesn't make sense (To me, anyway) to event attempt to beat the market - I'll gladly invest in an index fund and take returns at the market rate.
Finally, I have enjoyed our discussion, as it's been quite entertaining and civil, so I apologize if this comes off as inflammatory - I genuinely do not intend it that way - but I honestly believe you need to do a bit of research on how and when dividends are issued. There are people who value high dividends, and that can certainly contribute to share value, but it is not the only contributing factor. It's entirely possible to achieve good ROI without ever receiving a dividend payment, especially when those companies are investing in growth, such as Amazon. It's definitely not the only indicator of company health or value. I'd say the majority of my current investments do not pay dividends, but they're up 14.8% from this time last year. Not sure where my 401k sits, I think it was around 9-10% last I checked.
@NEStalgia I pretty strongly disagree with parts of your response, and strongly agree with others. I certainly agree that investing can be complex, but it doesn't have to be. Again, if you are (In general, not you specifically) new to investing, there's a lot of terms thrown around - but you don't need to have an intricate understanding of every type of fund, futures contract, hedging, etc... to make reasonably safe personal investments. But if you take each of those concepts alone, study up on them a bit, they are pretty simplistic and there's nothing inherently shady about those types of trades. My main point is, I don't believe most of the types of trades we are discussing (Futures, hedges, etc...) should be banned or anything of the sort.
However, I fully agree with you that everything can be abused, especially where considerable wealth and power is involved. I know government is corrupt and abused, but I don't think the entire idea of government is bad. The internet is abused and frequently used for crime, but again, I don't think we need to ban it. I also know you weren't explicitly making any sort of suggestion like that, so take this as me explaining my stance, not attacking your's =) I think the various types of trades are overall a good thing.
Lastly, I'll say that while I agree there is a fair bit of smoke and mirrors, corruption, abuse, etc... (Just like any large system, this isn't exclusive to the free market) I think an equally big problem is uneducated investors. If someone doesn't understand futures, hedges, or the difference between put/call options, then obviously they shouldn't being investing their money there. Technology has made it easy enough, even for personal investors, to do a tiny bit of research and invest in a relatively safe mutual fund with a proven track record of ~10% returns, and easily avoid all of the more technical trading concepts/jargon.
@Mortenb Even if everyone were top-notch investors, the majority of people would still lose money. It's how the market works. If everyone were good, they'd still be outperformed by the best. It's also why you see so many funds that are managed by professional traders still outperformed by unmanaged index funds more often than not. It's also why people like Warren Buffet recommend S&P 500 index funds as the best investment for most people. I tend to agree, and follow that advice.
Money that is not invested has always lost it's value, so that's not really the reason you see more amateur investors. I think it just comes down to technology making it easier for everyone to invest. Technology has also made it easier for everyone to invest in (relatively) safer funds as well.
As for "Undervalued based on dividends" - that doesn't entirely make sense, unless I'm just misunderstanding what you are suggesting, and "most" stocks are not overvalued. Many companies offer little to no dividends, while others pay out pretty substantial dividends. It simply depends on the company's strategy. A company like Amazon, for example, did not pay dividends and did not post any profits for many years, despite a soaring stock price. This is because they reinvested in the company and were growing considerably. There's much more to market value that the amount of dividends paid out.
Finally, if you just want to play with a little money, I suppose investing in a single company based on short-term news is fine, but it's definitely not a great, safe, long term growth plan. Based on your post, it seems you already understand that.
@nessisonett The result of investing absurdly large sums of capital. It's a little over a 6% loss. Obviously not great, but losing 6% on a single trade isn't crippling either - assuming he is a good trader and has other trades going on that are profiting, that is =)
On a personal level, I'm obviously with you. But when dealing with sums as large and as often as these firms do, you'd pretty much have to remove yourself from the actual dollar amount, and work entirely based off statistical probabilities of risk/return amounts.
There's too much mis-information going on in the comments to call out everyone specifically, but you all really need to read up on what futures contracts and hedges really are. It's not some underhanded sorcery that only the rich can take advantage of. It's a pretty straight forward trading concept once you read up on it a bit and understand it. If you are really interested, check out Investopedia - great, simple breakdowns of topics like this that came in handy when working on my MBA a couple years ago.
And yes, futures contracts & hedging are most often by large companies to mitigate risk, but that's simply because the more capital you have invested, the more you stand to lose. I.E., I have no reason to purchase future contracts of fuel, because even if the price doubled, I'll be okay, personally. If fuel prices doubled though, it may be enough to completely wipe out a large Airline - so it's highly likely they have future contracts/hedging strategies in place. It's not trading "non-existent" assets or market manipulation - it's a contract between two parties, pretty much like any other.
@GKO900 Primarily kids that enjoy building/learning? Not everything is designed with every consumer in mind. I simultaneously love that Labo exists, and have no interest in it whatsoever.
I'm not exaggerating when I say the only reason I stopped playing, and will refuse to buy the next Splatoon (If they don't fix it), is that stupid intro. I'm short on game time as it is. I know it only takes a minute or so, but it puts me in an irritated mood right from the start. I share a switch with my Wife, and tend to play in very short bursts, which resulted in me going through the intro multiple times a day. Bizarre decision, and even more bizarre that they did it a second time.
@JayJ That's just due to our tendencies to play games we like. Likewise, most average games aren't reviewed, so we see scores skewed towards the higher end if the scale, as I tried to address in my first paragraph.
If I were to look at my personal collection, I'd bet my average game would fall between 8-9. That doesn't mean those are average games. I just don't have the time to play mediocre games, and I tend to only buy things I like, so my collection skews very high.
Can't really comment on the money influenced reviews. Obviously that sucks, but it's hard to pinpoint when and where that happens.
@pullmyfinger On what planet is a 7/10 average? On a 0-10 scale, 5 would obviously be "average" - now, does the typical score skew towards the higher end of the scale? Obviously. Media outlets don't review shovelware and outright garbage.
Then of course, average has multiple meanings.The median is factually a 5. If we were to review all games (Not just good/popular ones) the mean would also likely end up around a 5. The mode is likely near a 7 if I had to guess, for reasons explained in my first paragraph.
TLDR: Quit trying to make a big deal over something so stupid and minuscule, especially when you are factually incorrect. And in general, everyone should stop taking the number so seriously - read the review and figure out if the game is "good" for you or not.
EDIT: And who cares if Metacritic says below a 70 is mixed? Obviously if the average critic score is a 70, that means that some there were critics that rated a game lower than that as well - hence, mixed.
@Switch_will_fail I said "most" - and considering the next two paragraphs were completely unrelated to motion controls, that is accurate. There's not much sense in comparing other aspects of the games here.
@Switch_will_fail Most of what you said is irrelevant to the conversation - which is strictly comparing the motion controls. I do agree with you, the major difference is due to the frame rate. However, when making fine adjustments (ADS/Sniping) the crosshairs do tend to jump a bit sporadically at times in Fortnite. For me, it's no question which has the better motion controls, even if there are several things Splatoon could learn from Fortnite.
@IronMan30 @I_am_Done it's also incorrect. Sure, it sounds cool, but if something is truly good for the shareholders long term (not speaking of short term gains) it is almost always good for the consumers. You don't drive increased sales by ignoring consumer demand.
Not accusing either of you of this behavior, but I've seen the same attitude towards media outlets like this one that they're not interested in what the users what, but are just in it for the ad revenue. While that may sometimes be true, the two move in lockstep - giving users more content they want, drives more ad views, which drives more revenue. Ergo caring about ad revenue is the same as caring about your users. It's not the exact same scenario, but it's similar to the shareholder VS consumer mindset.
@gatorboi352 It's cheap enough. For $12, this (Or something similar) would be totally worth it for Ikaruga alone, imo. Of course, there will also be additional games in the future.
@SuperCharlie78 @Anti-Matter Those are fine suggestions for some scenarios, but the ability to play handheld makes this a much nicer solution for me. Especially if you're one to play while lounging around or laying in bed.
That said, I doubt this campaign is successful. Doesn't seem to be getting a lot of traffic, and at $12 a pop, it's going to take a long time to reach their goal of $42,500. Hopefully I'm wrong, seems like a great idea.
EDIT: I thought this campaign had been running longer than it had. Looks like it's raising funds at a decent clip, so hopefully this is funded successfully.
I'm interested, not really at that price though. I passed this up on PC multiple times at a much cheaper price, mainly because there was no shortage of good aRPG's at the time. I have been looking for a new aRPG to play through local co-op with the wife. Sounds like this might fit the bill.
Even assuming they are truly perma-banning the cart, would it even really be worth worrying about? How many people actually dump & share their roms? Surely an infinitesimally small number of people. Once there's a clean dump of a game, there's little to no reason for someone else to do it.
That, combine with @GoodBytes' comment, leads me to believe this truly is a non-issue, even if we're talking about the worst case scenario of perma-banning a cart.
EDIT: @GoodBytes, forgot to ask for a source, if you've got it. Would like to read up a bit more on the issue.
@Mqblank yeah, it's as @GoldenGamer88 said - I was merely attempting to point out the ridiculousness of labeling things ports due to reusing some assets. Some of those games reuse even more assets, but it's pretty clear they're not ports. I liked @Kobashi100's suggestion of adding Mario Galaxy 2 to the list of "ports" as well =P
@MrPerson0 That's called re-using assets, which every studio does to an extent. This game pretty much changed everything about Ultra Smash. Core mechanics are different, graphics clearly have been updated, single player, etc... there's no way any sane person could argue this is any type of port. To be fair, Ultra Smash was pretty bad in the first place, so it had to be completely overhauled. Reusing a stage or character model is pretty insignificant, especially when there will be new ones as well. Almost every series brings back fan favorites.
@NEStalgia Yup, I agree. I can definitely understand why some are disappointed in the last couple months. I simply have a large enough backlog to keep me busy. The only real complaint I'm arguing against are those that criticize the Switch's lineup as a whole, saying there isn't anything to play, so they won't buy a Switch. There's a TON of content on Switch, especially if you're just jumping into it. For me, several smaller indie titles have been keeping more than happy for the past few months. Luckily (for me, anyway) the next 6 months look much better.
@Dang69 I won't disagree, this is a slow period for me as well. It's even worse if (like me) you owned a Wii U. That takes Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze and Treasure Tracker out of the mix of recent candidates. Fortunately for me, I passed on Treasure Tracker on Wii U. I borrowed a friends copy and really enjoyed it, so I am looking forward to that and Mario Tennis. Otherwise, Indies will have to keep me busy until Smash comes out. Hopefully next year's lineup is a bit fuller. It just irritates me when certain trolls who don't own a Switch say there's nothing to play - My Switch library is already double that of my WIi U =D
@gatorboi352 Seems like you're the one that can't handle people disagreeing with you with your bs comments like "Kick rocks, junior. Grown folks talking..." But hey, resorting to petty insults does make your points more believable, mirite?
I too already own far more games for my Switch than I did over the entire lifespan of my Wii U. Certainly not a lack of quality if you take 3 seconds to look. Given the outrageous first year sales success of the Switch, I'd say it's pretty clear there are plenty of other people that agree - there's no shortage of quality software on the Switch.
@Dang69 I'll agree we are in a bit of a lull at the moment, but all systems go through that at different times of the year. All things considered, I think there's a pretty extensive library of high quality games considering the Switch's age. Of course that's not a benefit to someone like you or me who have owned one for a while and played through most of what interests us already, but the catalog is still strong IMO.
EDIT: @Traskin7 Not that I'll disagree, he certainly seems to love trolling, but what does age have to do with anything? I'm in my early 30's, have a kid, have another due this week, and I still love Nintendo.
@Mqblank @gcunit @parasnail I got to the end of the review and thought it sounded like a really "great" game - then I saw the only scored it 8/10... which... is great... Seriously though, the difference between 8/9/10 is pretty minimal, and they all indicate a game is highly recommended. There's bound to be a bit of variance due to personal preferences. An 8 seems inline with what other outlets are scoring it as well.
@MrPerson0 @GoldenGamer88 Likewise, Fallout New Vegas was a "port" of Fallout 3, which in turn was a "port" of Oblivion & Majora's Mask was a "port" of Ocarina of Time. You know, cause re-using assets and/or game engine = port.
@GoldenGamer88 I accept the fact that I am a dummy. And I agree with you fully =P I don't agree with that ending statement. The part of the conclusion that jumped out at me was "for Ultra Smash to have moved across without a substantial makeover would have been disastrous" so it seems odd to also later say it's a bit of a port plus.
@GoldenGamer88 Who is calling it a port? Pretty much everything I've seen for this has been far more positive than Ultra Smash and highlights just how different they are.
@electrolite77 Maybe I'm a sucker, it's day 1 for me as well, but the demo went awful for me. I could tell the game itself was good, and I'm sure I'll have a hoot in single player & local multiplayer, but I sure hope online works better for me.
@Solomon_Rambling @Nestalgia I don't have to much more to add, I feel your conversation touches on a lot of key points and both sides articulated them well. My only gripe with this whole notion is why is it a separate disorder at all? Why act like "gaming disorder" is different than any other non-physical addiction? I'm not against recognizing it as a type of addiction, but it seems silly to "officially" recognize it as an addition, when there are hundreds of other activities or behaviors that could also be addictions.
@Cobalt Correct, I am located in the US. I mod all my systems, and could not agree with you more =) I have a Sony PVM 14M4U and a GScart SCART switch with most of my retro consoles connected via RGB SCART. Main exception is Gamecube, for which I used my Wii via component, simply because gamecube component cables are ridiculously expensive. I've sold quite a few modded, refurbished, and custom consoles on eBay as well, retro systems (And electronics in general) is a hobby of mine. Here's a custom Nomad I sold for $500: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultimate-Sega-Genesis-Nomad-Custom-Paint-LCD-Battery-Pack-and-Speaker-mod/162852828979
I often use the foreign console names and the American counterparts interchangeably, simply because some of these systems I didn't own when they originally launched. I.E., I never personally owned a TurboGrafx until a few years ago when I picked up a broken PC Engine LT & GT and refurbished them. I recently sold the LT (Cost me $600, sold it for $1500 after repairs) and now use a PC Engine Core Grafx. So despite it being called Turbografx 16 here in the US, I'm actually more familiar with the PC Engine line.
Pardon the rant - short version is, everyone should mod all their systems for RGB and try to get an RGB monitor if they're a serious retro gamer. Absolutely worth the time and hassle, and you'll learn a lot along the way if you're doing your own mods.
@impurekind I'll give you that. It does feel like it falls somewhere between.
@impurekind All of those videos show graphics that are far more simplistic. If you think this looks more 8-bit, that's fine - I'm mainly just pointing out that it doesn't really mean anything anymore and saying things like 8-bit/16-bit style often has a lot of overlap. Example being, the color palette & number of sprites in some segments immediately screams early 16-bit to me, while there's clearly other aspects of the game that you and others feel evokes an 8 bit style. Neither is really correct.
EDIT: @Cobalt I'm a huge fan of both of those games. I actually didn't realize the SMS had Dynamite Headdy, but I loved it on the Genesis. And R-Type is amazing, though I played it on the PC Engine. Admittedly, the SMS is a bit of a blindspot for me, as I never owned one, and have not yet added one to my retro collection. It's next on my list though!
@Cobalt If you can remember without doing a direct comparison, that's great. I've been gaming for over 25 years, my first system was an NES, and I still regularly play retro games. My comment wasn't meant to be any sort of attack or criticism - just that often times, memory & nostalgia often paints a more favorable view of the past. That's not directed towards you, that's directed towards anyone, myself included. Going back and doing a simple side by side comparison made it immediately clear that this was well beyond what was capable in the 8 bit era. But again, at this point, I don't think it really matters, since nothing is 8-bit/16-bit... Just wanted to point out that I understand why this would be labeled 16-bit rather than 8 bit, even if both are equally wrong =)
@aaronsullivan Perhaps it's part of a new 13 bit era? I understand the argument to be made for 8 bit, I suppose, and you've explained why your brain went there. I guess for me, the larger color palette immediately triggered a 16 bit feel. But hey, as previously noted... we're both equally wrong anyway (Ok, maybe you're a little bit more wrong =P)
@impurekind @Cobalt I think you need to go back and do a direct comparison of some 8 bit games =D I'll agree that the audio track gives off a very 8 bit vibe, but I think graphically there is way to much going on for this to have ever existed on an 8 bit console. NES/SMS games were much more simplistic and had a very limited color palette.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter whatsoever. None of these games are under any sort of real limitation, making many of the 8-bit like games closer to 16 bit in reality, and many of the 16-bit like games wouldn't have existed until the 32 bit era. It's just an arbitrary designation at this point, so there's bound to be a lot of overlap/grey area.
@RazumikhinPG This is what is so stupid. I can't stand that we have no characterize this as a real thing, rather than just a generic addiction disorder. Of course you could abuse video games, just as you could abuse your cell phone, television, board games, social media, music etc... And honestly, I think some of those things are infinitely more harmful (Phone/Social media) for those with an addictive personality.
On the topic of the polls, I probably play 4-6 hours a week. I normally get about an hour a day. Sometimes over that on a weekend, but not usually too much more. I wish I could play more, and I used to play much more. Video games for me, I believe, have had the single greatest impact on who I am today after my Parental & religious upbringing. If I'm brutally honest, those things (Parents/Religion) have had far more negative side effects than video games. Video games are the ultimate art form, combining music, visuals, story telling, puzzle solving, etc... into one. They've helped me develop an appreciation for various types of art, they develop critical thinking skills, develop relationships with other people (Especially during local co-op as a kid), and are largely the reason why I got into my chosen career field (IT). I'd have to really struggle to come up with a potential negative side effect of video games that wouldn't also apply to any type of addiction.
@gaga64 I could take it or leave it. I thought it was good, but not great. It's just one of those games that was exponentially more fun for me when I was playing it with other people. I normally played with at least 1-2 other people. I also had a group of 7 play one or twice, and it was an absolutely ridiculous good time. My wife was angry, because there may have been a bit more screaming/yelling at one another than I care to admit...
@rjejr I don't think anyone (that isn't delusional) is arguing that the Switch is on par technically with the other platforms. I think the article is simply stating that the system should be treated equally in terms of priorities, and I agree. Of course compromises will need to be made, but with the Switch's user base growing so rapidly, I think it will continue to get harder and harder for companies to ignore. Whether we see straight ports of PS5/Xbox1-II games, or dedicated versions for Switch, who knows - but I would imagine Switch will still be a major part of their release strategy.
EDIT: Also, if Nintendo doesn't knock off this "new" crap and they name the next iteration the "New" Nintendo Switch, I'm blaming you personally =D
@Yorumi Yup, agreed. I will inevitably spend much more on this service than VC. With VC, I only bought my absolute favorites (Again, and again...) but even after buying certain titles multiple times across Wii, Wii U, and 3DS, I doubt I spent over $100, especially since I got many of them as My Nintendo rewards. I'm also reasonably confident the price of the service will increase, so it will likely end up being more than $100 over the next 5 years. And of course, if my son or wife end up getting their own Switch, I'll have to get the family plan, so even more money to Nintendo. All things considered, a smart move by Nintendo.
@Emperor-Palpsy I'm not complaining, but I understand those who are. At what price point are people allowed to complain, if not $20? Cloud saves shouldn't cost a penny nor be locked behind an online service in the first place. Saying that online play "requires" infrastructure/support costs from Nintendo is also disingenuous - this can and has been offered for free on PC and older consoles for decades, the developer simply takes it into account when budgeting for their title. That leaves us with 20 NES games at the moment for $20 a year. Doesn't seem overly impressive to me. Yes, that number will grow and expand, but we're not giving our opinions on what the service could be, we're talking about what it is. In it's current state, it's not very impressive. For me, it's still worth $20, but just barely. It shouldn't be too hard to understand that to others, it is not a very impressive offering - especially those that have little interest in online play or are tight on cash.
@GravyThief If I had to guess (No data backing up my guess) VC was still profitable. My bet is that they simply think they will make more with subscriptions, especially once they establish their library and ramp up the annual fee. Also, there is almost no chance they can get all the licensing back for VC, since most companies started re-releasing their own games (Capcom, Sega, SNK, etc...) with more to likely follow suit.
@GravyThief I can only assume we're an extreme minority, and you even more so. Like you, I prefer original hardware and I can play just about anything I want dating back to the NES. I also have a Vectrex, but otherwise NES was my cutoff - and I've modded most of my disc based consoles as well. However, I'll still be subscribing to this service, mainly for online play, but the added benefits of some retro games (with online play) also appeals to me, as well as the convenience of having the games on Switch. I assume Nintendo is banking on the vast majority of people still hopping on board, even the dummies like me who have purchased this games 5 times...
@Menchi187 You say they're not, but a company that actually ports games for other developers says it is... hm... not sure who to believe here.
Also, equals does not imply identical in every facet of technology. Obviously, Nintendo is trounced in some aspects. It's stupidly obvious that compromises had to be made for Switch to fit in a portable form factor. That doesn't mean that the Switch shouldn't be treated as equally important as the other platforms. Despite how much you seemingly hate Nintendo and everything they do, there's 15 million people that voted with their wallets in the first year of the Nintendo Switch's life cycle that would strongly disagree.
@GamingDude800 And that's fine if those things don't appeal to you. I'm not trying to change you opinion on the service itself. I'm lukewarm on it, honestly. My point is that saying this like "It's a terrible idea" don't really make sense without context. Maybe it's terrible for you, but the idea itself makes perfect sense (We'll see how it's executed) and it's one of the benefits the other platforms use to keep users from allowing their subscription to lapse.
Again, as it stands right now, I'm lukewarm on the idea. I was the same way when I moved to digital music and digital video as well. Perhaps with time, a Nintendo's subscription service will be as indispensable as Netflix, who knows. It's certainly not there right now, but again, that's the direction they're heading.
@GamingDude800 It's not a dumb idea, simply because you don't like it. However, I agree fully that it is not a great service, simply because it costs $20. The reason you list for it being a terrible idea, are the exact reasons why it is a great idea for Nintendo, from a business perspective. Of course they want you to maintain a subscription, just like the other major platforms. Having access to a growing library of games and online game play is perhaps one of the easiest, and most logical ways to do that. Again, I'm not saying this is the best possible scenario for consumers, and I too will miss the Virtual Console, but I think most people have known for quite sometime that the Virtual Console would not be returning in its previous form. I just hope that the library expands rapidly and we quickly get games from other systems - NES only just isn't going to cut it.
@Rhaoulos Personally, I would highly recommend Runbow. It's not an endless or an auto runner, so I wouldn't really place it in the runner category (I understand why some would, though).
What it boils down to for me and my recommendation, is if you can find a couple friends to play with. The game is an outrageous amount of fun for local multiplayer. Even when I could only play with 1 other person, I still had quite a lot of fun playing through the campaign and Bowhemoth modes.
This news doesn't change anything though. Companies (Including Nintendo) will continue to launch standalone titles on the eShop if they want. Especially given the success of retro Capcom games and SNK games have seen, it's no wonder other companies would want to follow suit. Sega has their own collection on the way as well. In addition to Nintendo wanting to push the Switch online service, they likely couldn't get licensing for all the games the previous had on the VC either. It sucks to hear it confirmed I suppose, but this is exactly what everyone expected anyway.
@link3710 I'm not saying I don't believe that you heard that, but I don't think I believe the original statement - if they want Smash to be taken seriously at all competitively, echo characters will have to be part of the balance process. Even minor stat changes can have a pretty big impact on how a character plays.
I do agree with you on Mario/Dr. Mario, however. I edited my last comment to reflect that. I played the most Melee, and that's what I was thinking of when talking about them - I forgot about some of the recent changes that they made to differentiate the characters. Perhaps that's the approach they will take with the other clones too. Which again, leaves me a bit fuzzy on the whole echo designation in the first place. Some obvious choices aren't echoes, and I still think it would have been easy enough to just have another 3 clone characters without a designation, or add them as alternate skins like the Koopalings.
Despite the length post, like I previously said - I don't actually really care. I'm happy we're getting all the characters we are, regardless of what they call them. Just more curious about their thought process than anything.
@aaronsullivan Yeah, just because the bulk of the games score between 6-10, doesn't mean that crappier games don't exist - it just means media outlets don't take the time to review them. In general, people are interested in what they believe will be good games, so there wouldn't be much benefit to reviewing them. It's no wonder reviews skew towards the higher end of the scale.
@Dang69 Those were 3 good examples of clickbait, but example #12 will BLOW your mind!
@Ecto-1 @Aaronsullivan For sure, loads of great games coming IMO. The only complain I have was the pacing of the presentation itself. Taking a step back from E3 and looking at the lineup and the existing library of games, its hard for me to be disappointed in any way.
@johnvboy I agree with you - the low point for me this entire press conference was actually Bethesda showing an Elder Scrolls 6 teaser. It just doesn't make sense to me. Look, we all know you own the IP and have plans to make another game someday. Don't show me a teaser, and then say it's a game you aren't even actively developing right now, and you'll focus on it after Starfield releases, which is itself a couple years away. So we're looking at what, 4-6 years for ES6?
Pardon the rant =D Short version, I agree with you. No harm (in my opinion) by not showing MP4 this year. I think Nintendo's show would have been great if they simply showed 60 seconds of each of those indies/third party games (so about 10-15 minutes total) and cut out some of the Smash.
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Re: Review: Iconoclasts (Switch eShop)
@JMR_Alden that's a fair point. To be honest, I had forgotten the GBA was actually 32 bit. Especially given that most would call GBA games a 16 bit style... Which would be factually incorrect =) part of the problem is likely due to how many 8/16bit games were ported to the GBA. Though, I guess it really does just highlight how subjective it is to describe an art style in an arbitrary number of bits now days =)
Re: Random: Nintendo Finally Confirms The Correct Pronunciation For 'NES'
Except, if you're enunciating the acronym, pronouncing it as N-E-S would still be correct. Just because you can say a word to represent an acronym (NES vs "Ness") doesn't mean you have to (USA vs... erm... "Ew-suh"...?)
Re: These Are The Most Insanely Gorgeous NES Cartridges You'll Ever See
@Rafke You really couldn't 3D print something anywhere near as nice as these, especially not without some pretty ugly visible layers. Thought I do agree, for me, it is too much money for something like this.
I'm also not sure I agree with the article claiming these are a "steal" and to think about what they'll be worth in the future. These are pretty expensive as is, and most collectors are interested in original carts. I know there's a market for custom stuff as well, I'm just not sure we'll ever see these blow up to be several hundred dollars.
Re: Review: Iconoclasts (Switch eShop)
@JMR_Alden Depends on what you mean. Switch is a 64bit system. I would say (Like the author) this is stylistically 16-bit visuals. However, just like the good'ole days, "bits" don't really mean anything and was twisted for marketing purposes (Sega's 128 bit Dreamcast, anyone?).
Most of today's 8-bit or 16-bit style games wouldn't run on actual 8-bit or 16-bit hardware, so I suppose you could make an argument it's a 32 bit pixel art style... but then it's just another label that's as meaningless as the already inappropriate 8-bit/16-bit styles =D
Re: Review: Iconoclasts (Switch eShop)
@BenAV It's a little too soon for me to give Celeste that title (I need to be absolutely sure before taking that title from SMB3) but it is definitely my favorite 2D platformer of the past 20 years or so. I do tend to think of 2D platformers like SMB3/SMW as in a different category compared to platformers like Celeste/Meat Boy/Slime-San/End is Nigh. I tend to prefer the latter, but stupid nostalgia is keeping SMB3/SMW at the top of my favorites list for now...
On-topic, this title was completely off my radar. It looks like something I should love. If it gets a physical release, I'm on board for sure.
Re: Guide: Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games And Accessories For August And September
@MisterMan That was my experience as well. They seem like games I should absolutely love, but I just can't get into them. I haven't played World yet, but I'm stoked it's coming to PC this month, so I'll definitely be giving it a play through.
EDIT: @JaxonH Maybe I'll consider trying this one then. I played a bit of 3, and couldn't get absorbed in it on 3DS. Part of it was poor UI/small text, admittedly, so I would imagine a higher resolution version would alleviate that.
Re: The US Trader Who Bet $400 Million Against Nintendo Takes Huge Hit As Stock Price Soars
@Razer Just to add a bit of fuel to the fire, @JoyconGang also claims that the 3DS sold more than Switch, PS4, and Xbox (One?) combined. Which, I guess that could be true... if you were to discount all PS4 sales... because... you know... that alone sold more than the 3DS.
I guess that's just how it goes in today's hyperbolic world, where everyone feels the need to exaggerate everything all of the time, despite their claims being blatantly false. And yes, the irony of that last sentence was intentional.
Re: The US Trader Who Bet $400 Million Against Nintendo Takes Huge Hit As Stock Price Soars
@NEStalgia I have to disagree. Investing in a fund does not have to mean you are contributing the problem. Of course it could, as we've both stated - anytime there is power and money, there is corruption. You'll get no arguments from me there. That doesn't mean there aren't safe, healthy ways to invest.
My point is, it's incredibly simple to avoid certain types of trades if they make you uncomfortable. It's also incredibly simple to invest in a single company, if that somehow makes you more comfortable (it shouldn't). If you don't know a fund manager you can trust and want to invest in, it's easy enough to invest in an unmanaged index fund.
In my case, after my 401k, I've been putting extra savings into an S&P500 index fund. I know exactly where my money is going. No smoke and mirrors and incredibly low administrative fees (.04% expense ratio). In a fund like that, it's easy enough to keep track of what's happening with your money - it should move in lock step with the S&P500. I'm not suggesting everyone has to invest in an S&P 500 index fund, but there are options out there. And hey, if it's good enough for Warren Buffet, it's good enough for me.
EDIT: Although it may sound like, I'm not really huge on investing either. I contribute the max to my 401k, simply because my employer matching up to 6%, so I'd be a fool not to take the 100% ROI =) I've recently started investing in an S&P500 index fund, simply because that beats letting my money rot in the bank. However, I've always preferred to invest in myself - I paid off all my personal loans with the exception of my mortgage, which I have been paying over double on for the past 3-4 years. My wife and I ran a photography business for 6 years (Quit when I started my MBA, and now have 2 kids, so not starting again any time soon) and I frequently invest in electronics projects - both for my own learning and enjoyment, but also to sell for profit. So I'm not against "investing" outside of the stock market by any means - I actually prefer it - but if it comes down to doing nothing with your excess funds or investing in a relatively safe fund, I definitely think an index fund is a good option.
Re: The US Trader Who Bet $400 Million Against Nintendo Takes Huge Hit As Stock Price Soars
@Mortenb If you're going back to the early 1900's, then sure, you can make an argument it hasn't always lost value. I was assuming we were talking about fiat currencies. There is more to investing than just the United States. So replace "always" with the "the past 100 years" and you should be able to understand the point I was trying to make.
As for being "just a bit good" at investing - that's not how it works. It doesn't matter how good you are - if there is someone out there better than you, you will be late to the party. It is you vs. the rest of the market, and the market (almost) always wins. Again, it's the same reason index funds regularly outperform actively managed funds. If there is an easy, short-term trade profit to be made somewhere, as an amateur/hobbyist investor, you are going to be beat out 99% of the time if you're trying to buy/sell individual stocks. That doesn't mean you can't invest and make money easily. On the contrary, I've said several times it's quite easy for just about anyone to invest and get an ROI around the market rate (8-10%, typically) simply by investing in an index fund, if you desire. What I am saying, is that you will be hard-pressed to beat the market, which is what traders attempt to do for a living, yet they regularly fail to do so. For the hobbyist, it doesn't make sense (To me, anyway) to event attempt to beat the market - I'll gladly invest in an index fund and take returns at the market rate.
Finally, I have enjoyed our discussion, as it's been quite entertaining and civil, so I apologize if this comes off as inflammatory - I genuinely do not intend it that way - but I honestly believe you need to do a bit of research on how and when dividends are issued. There are people who value high dividends, and that can certainly contribute to share value, but it is not the only contributing factor. It's entirely possible to achieve good ROI without ever receiving a dividend payment, especially when those companies are investing in growth, such as Amazon. It's definitely not the only indicator of company health or value. I'd say the majority of my current investments do not pay dividends, but they're up 14.8% from this time last year. Not sure where my 401k sits, I think it was around 9-10% last I checked.
Re: The US Trader Who Bet $400 Million Against Nintendo Takes Huge Hit As Stock Price Soars
@NEStalgia I pretty strongly disagree with parts of your response, and strongly agree with others. I certainly agree that investing can be complex, but it doesn't have to be. Again, if you are (In general, not you specifically) new to investing, there's a lot of terms thrown around - but you don't need to have an intricate understanding of every type of fund, futures contract, hedging, etc... to make reasonably safe personal investments. But if you take each of those concepts alone, study up on them a bit, they are pretty simplistic and there's nothing inherently shady about those types of trades. My main point is, I don't believe most of the types of trades we are discussing (Futures, hedges, etc...) should be banned or anything of the sort.
However, I fully agree with you that everything can be abused, especially where considerable wealth and power is involved. I know government is corrupt and abused, but I don't think the entire idea of government is bad. The internet is abused and frequently used for crime, but again, I don't think we need to ban it. I also know you weren't explicitly making any sort of suggestion like that, so take this as me explaining my stance, not attacking your's =) I think the various types of trades are overall a good thing.
Lastly, I'll say that while I agree there is a fair bit of smoke and mirrors, corruption, abuse, etc... (Just like any large system, this isn't exclusive to the free market) I think an equally big problem is uneducated investors. If someone doesn't understand futures, hedges, or the difference between put/call options, then obviously they shouldn't being investing their money there. Technology has made it easy enough, even for personal investors, to do a tiny bit of research and invest in a relatively safe mutual fund with a proven track record of ~10% returns, and easily avoid all of the more technical trading concepts/jargon.
Re: The US Trader Who Bet $400 Million Against Nintendo Takes Huge Hit As Stock Price Soars
@Mortenb Even if everyone were top-notch investors, the majority of people would still lose money. It's how the market works. If everyone were good, they'd still be outperformed by the best. It's also why you see so many funds that are managed by professional traders still outperformed by unmanaged index funds more often than not. It's also why people like Warren Buffet recommend S&P 500 index funds as the best investment for most people. I tend to agree, and follow that advice.
Money that is not invested has always lost it's value, so that's not really the reason you see more amateur investors. I think it just comes down to technology making it easier for everyone to invest. Technology has also made it easier for everyone to invest in (relatively) safer funds as well.
As for "Undervalued based on dividends" - that doesn't entirely make sense, unless I'm just misunderstanding what you are suggesting, and "most" stocks are not overvalued. Many companies offer little to no dividends, while others pay out pretty substantial dividends. It simply depends on the company's strategy. A company like Amazon, for example, did not pay dividends and did not post any profits for many years, despite a soaring stock price. This is because they reinvested in the company and were growing considerably. There's much more to market value that the amount of dividends paid out.
Finally, if you just want to play with a little money, I suppose investing in a single company based on short-term news is fine, but it's definitely not a great, safe, long term growth plan. Based on your post, it seems you already understand that.
Re: The US Trader Who Bet $400 Million Against Nintendo Takes Huge Hit As Stock Price Soars
@nessisonett The result of investing absurdly large sums of capital. It's a little over a 6% loss. Obviously not great, but losing 6% on a single trade isn't crippling either - assuming he is a good trader and has other trades going on that are profiting, that is =)
On a personal level, I'm obviously with you. But when dealing with sums as large and as often as these firms do, you'd pretty much have to remove yourself from the actual dollar amount, and work entirely based off statistical probabilities of risk/return amounts.
Re: The US Trader Who Bet $400 Million Against Nintendo Takes Huge Hit As Stock Price Soars
There's too much mis-information going on in the comments to call out everyone specifically, but you all really need to read up on what futures contracts and hedges really are. It's not some underhanded sorcery that only the rich can take advantage of. It's a pretty straight forward trading concept once you read up on it a bit and understand it. If you are really interested, check out Investopedia - great, simple breakdowns of topics like this that came in handy when working on my MBA a couple years ago.
And yes, futures contracts & hedging are most often by large companies to mitigate risk, but that's simply because the more capital you have invested, the more you stand to lose. I.E., I have no reason to purchase future contracts of fuel, because even if the price doubled, I'll be okay, personally. If fuel prices doubled though, it may be enough to completely wipe out a large Airline - so it's highly likely they have future contracts/hedging strategies in place. It's not trading "non-existent" assets or market manipulation - it's a contract between two parties, pretty much like any other.
Re: Nintendo Has Sold 19.67 Million Switch Consoles To Date
@GKO900 Primarily kids that enjoy building/learning? Not everything is designed with every consumer in mind. I simultaneously love that Labo exists, and have no interest in it whatsoever.
Re: Soapbox: What Splatoon 2 Can Learn From Fortnite And Paladins, And Vice Versa
I'm not exaggerating when I say the only reason I stopped playing, and will refuse to buy the next Splatoon (If they don't fix it), is that stupid intro. I'm short on game time as it is. I know it only takes a minute or so, but it puts me in an irritated mood right from the start. I share a switch with my Wife, and tend to play in very short bursts, which resulted in me going through the intro multiple times a day. Bizarre decision, and even more bizarre that they did it a second time.
Re: Treadnauts Is A Tank Brawler Due Out On Switch Next Month
@Dogorilla I too wonder the same thing, but at least it is somewhat fitting in this case, as it is a play on the word Dreadnought.
Re: Review: Pool Panic (Switch eShop)
@JayJ That's just due to our tendencies to play games we like. Likewise, most average games aren't reviewed, so we see scores skewed towards the higher end if the scale, as I tried to address in my first paragraph.
If I were to look at my personal collection, I'd bet my average game would fall between 8-9. That doesn't mean those are average games. I just don't have the time to play mediocre games, and I tend to only buy things I like, so my collection skews very high.
Can't really comment on the money influenced reviews. Obviously that sucks, but it's hard to pinpoint when and where that happens.
Re: Review: Pool Panic (Switch eShop)
@pullmyfinger On what planet is a 7/10 average? On a 0-10 scale, 5 would obviously be "average" - now, does the typical score skew towards the higher end of the scale? Obviously. Media outlets don't review shovelware and outright garbage.
Then of course, average has multiple meanings.The median is factually a 5. If we were to review all games (Not just good/popular ones) the mean would also likely end up around a 5. The mode is likely near a 7 if I had to guess, for reasons explained in my first paragraph.
TLDR: Quit trying to make a big deal over something so stupid and minuscule, especially when you are factually incorrect. And in general, everyone should stop taking the number so seriously - read the review and figure out if the game is "good" for you or not.
EDIT: And who cares if Metacritic says below a 70 is mixed? Obviously if the average critic score is a 70, that means that some there were critics that rated a game lower than that as well - hence, mixed.
Re: Soapbox: Fortnite's Motion Controls Leave a Lot to Be Desired
@Switch_will_fail I said "most" - and considering the next two paragraphs were completely unrelated to motion controls, that is accurate. There's not much sense in comparing other aspects of the games here.
Re: Soapbox: Fortnite's Motion Controls Leave a Lot to Be Desired
@Switch_will_fail Most of what you said is irrelevant to the conversation - which is strictly comparing the motion controls. I do agree with you, the major difference is due to the frame rate. However, when making fine adjustments (ADS/Sniping) the crosshairs do tend to jump a bit sporadically at times in Fortnite. For me, it's no question which has the better motion controls, even if there are several things Splatoon could learn from Fortnite.
Re: New Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa Receives 96.51% Approval Rating From Shareholders
@IronMan30 @I_am_Done it's also incorrect. Sure, it sounds cool, but if something is truly good for the shareholders long term (not speaking of short term gains) it is almost always good for the consumers. You don't drive increased sales by ignoring consumer demand.
Not accusing either of you of this behavior, but I've seen the same attitude towards media outlets like this one that they're not interested in what the users what, but are just in it for the ad revenue. While that may sometimes be true, the two move in lockstep - giving users more content they want, drives more ad views, which drives more revenue. Ergo caring about ad revenue is the same as caring about your users. It's not the exact same scenario, but it's similar to the shareholder VS consumer mindset.
Re: The Flip Grip Is A Vertical Grip Accessory For Your Switch, Now Funding On Kickstarter
@gatorboi352 It's cheap enough. For $12, this (Or something similar) would be totally worth it for Ikaruga alone, imo. Of course, there will also be additional games in the future.
@SuperCharlie78 @Anti-Matter Those are fine suggestions for some scenarios, but the ability to play handheld makes this a much nicer solution for me. Especially if you're one to play while lounging around or laying in bed.
That said, I doubt this campaign is successful. Doesn't seem to be getting a lot of traffic, and at $12 a pop, it's going to take a long time to reach their goal of $42,500. Hopefully I'm wrong, seems like a great idea.
EDIT: I thought this campaign had been running longer than it had. Looks like it's raising funds at a decent clip, so hopefully this is funded successfully.
Re: Victor Vran: Overkill Edition Secures August Release Date And New Trailer On Switch
I'm interested, not really at that price though. I passed this up on PC multiple times at a much cheaper price, mainly because there was no shortage of good aRPG's at the time. I have been looking for a new aRPG to play through local co-op with the wife. Sounds like this might fit the bill.
Re: Nintendo Is Banning Switch Game Cards To Combat Piracy, Potentially Killing The Second-Hand Market
Even assuming they are truly perma-banning the cart, would it even really be worth worrying about? How many people actually dump & share their roms? Surely an infinitesimally small number of people. Once there's a clean dump of a game, there's little to no reason for someone else to do it.
That, combine with @GoodBytes' comment, leads me to believe this truly is a non-issue, even if we're talking about the worst case scenario of perma-banning a cart.
EDIT: @GoodBytes, forgot to ask for a source, if you've got it. Would like to read up a bit more on the issue.
Re: Review: Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
@Mqblank yeah, it's as @GoldenGamer88 said - I was merely attempting to point out the ridiculousness of labeling things ports due to reusing some assets. Some of those games reuse even more assets, but it's pretty clear they're not ports. I liked @Kobashi100's suggestion of adding Mario Galaxy 2 to the list of "ports" as well =P
@MrPerson0 That's called re-using assets, which every studio does to an extent. This game pretty much changed everything about Ultra Smash. Core mechanics are different, graphics clearly have been updated, single player, etc... there's no way any sane person could argue this is any type of port. To be fair, Ultra Smash was pretty bad in the first place, so it had to be completely overhauled. Reusing a stage or character model is pretty insignificant, especially when there will be new ones as well. Almost every series brings back fan favorites.
@NEStalgia Yup, I agree. I can definitely understand why some are disappointed in the last couple months. I simply have a large enough backlog to keep me busy. The only real complaint I'm arguing against are those that criticize the Switch's lineup as a whole, saying there isn't anything to play, so they won't buy a Switch. There's a TON of content on Switch, especially if you're just jumping into it. For me, several smaller indie titles have been keeping more than happy for the past few months. Luckily (for me, anyway) the next 6 months look much better.
Re: Review: Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
@Dang69 I won't disagree, this is a slow period for me as well. It's even worse if (like me) you owned a Wii U. That takes Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze and Treasure Tracker out of the mix of recent candidates. Fortunately for me, I passed on Treasure Tracker on Wii U. I borrowed a friends copy and really enjoyed it, so I am looking forward to that and Mario Tennis. Otherwise, Indies will have to keep me busy until Smash comes out. Hopefully next year's lineup is a bit fuller. It just irritates me when certain trolls who don't own a Switch say there's nothing to play - My Switch library is already double that of my WIi U =D
Re: Review: Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
@gatorboi352 Seems like you're the one that can't handle people disagreeing with you with your bs comments like "Kick rocks, junior. Grown folks talking..." But hey, resorting to petty insults does make your points more believable, mirite?
I too already own far more games for my Switch than I did over the entire lifespan of my Wii U. Certainly not a lack of quality if you take 3 seconds to look. Given the outrageous first year sales success of the Switch, I'd say it's pretty clear there are plenty of other people that agree - there's no shortage of quality software on the Switch.
@Dang69 I'll agree we are in a bit of a lull at the moment, but all systems go through that at different times of the year. All things considered, I think there's a pretty extensive library of high quality games considering the Switch's age. Of course that's not a benefit to someone like you or me who have owned one for a while and played through most of what interests us already, but the catalog is still strong IMO.
EDIT: @Traskin7 Not that I'll disagree, he certainly seems to love trolling, but what does age have to do with anything? I'm in my early 30's, have a kid, have another due this week, and I still love Nintendo.
Re: Review: Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
@Mqblank @gcunit @parasnail I got to the end of the review and thought it sounded like a really "great" game - then I saw the only scored it 8/10... which... is great... Seriously though, the difference between 8/9/10 is pretty minimal, and they all indicate a game is highly recommended. There's bound to be a bit of variance due to personal preferences. An 8 seems inline with what other outlets are scoring it as well.
@MrPerson0 @GoldenGamer88 Likewise, Fallout New Vegas was a "port" of Fallout 3, which in turn was a "port" of Oblivion & Majora's Mask was a "port" of Ocarina of Time. You know, cause re-using assets and/or game engine = port.
Re: Review: Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
@GoldenGamer88 I accept the fact that I am a dummy. And I agree with you fully =P I don't agree with that ending statement. The part of the conclusion that jumped out at me was "for Ultra Smash to have moved across without a substantial makeover would have been disastrous" so it seems odd to also later say it's a bit of a port plus.
Re: Review: Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
@GoldenGamer88 Who is calling it a port? Pretty much everything I've seen for this has been far more positive than Ultra Smash and highlights just how different they are.
@electrolite77 Maybe I'm a sucker, it's day 1 for me as well, but the demo went awful for me. I could tell the game itself was good, and I'm sure I'll have a hoot in single player & local multiplayer, but I sure hope online works better for me.
Re: Poll: As "Gaming Disorder" Becomes A Thing, Is It Time To Assess How Much You Play?
@Solomon_Rambling @Nestalgia I don't have to much more to add, I feel your conversation touches on a lot of key points and both sides articulated them well. My only gripe with this whole notion is why is it a separate disorder at all? Why act like "gaming disorder" is different than any other non-physical addiction? I'm not against recognizing it as a type of addiction, but it seems silly to "officially" recognize it as an addition, when there are hundreds of other activities or behaviors that could also be addictions.
Re: Aggelos Is A New Retro-Styled 2D Action-Adventure Coming To Switch This Year
@Cobalt Correct, I am located in the US. I mod all my systems, and could not agree with you more =) I have a Sony PVM 14M4U and a GScart SCART switch with most of my retro consoles connected via RGB SCART. Main exception is Gamecube, for which I used my Wii via component, simply because gamecube component cables are ridiculously expensive. I've sold quite a few modded, refurbished, and custom consoles on eBay as well, retro systems (And electronics in general) is a hobby of mine. Here's a custom Nomad I sold for $500: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultimate-Sega-Genesis-Nomad-Custom-Paint-LCD-Battery-Pack-and-Speaker-mod/162852828979
I often use the foreign console names and the American counterparts interchangeably, simply because some of these systems I didn't own when they originally launched. I.E., I never personally owned a TurboGrafx until a few years ago when I picked up a broken PC Engine LT & GT and refurbished them. I recently sold the LT (Cost me $600, sold it for $1500 after repairs) and now use a PC Engine Core Grafx. So despite it being called Turbografx 16 here in the US, I'm actually more familiar with the PC Engine line.
Pardon the rant - short version is, everyone should mod all their systems for RGB and try to get an RGB monitor if they're a serious retro gamer. Absolutely worth the time and hassle, and you'll learn a lot along the way if you're doing your own mods.
@impurekind I'll give you that. It does feel like it falls somewhere between.
Re: Aggelos Is A New Retro-Styled 2D Action-Adventure Coming To Switch This Year
@impurekind All of those videos show graphics that are far more simplistic. If you think this looks more 8-bit, that's fine - I'm mainly just pointing out that it doesn't really mean anything anymore and saying things like 8-bit/16-bit style often has a lot of overlap. Example being, the color palette & number of sprites in some segments immediately screams early 16-bit to me, while there's clearly other aspects of the game that you and others feel evokes an 8 bit style. Neither is really correct.
EDIT: @Cobalt I'm a huge fan of both of those games. I actually didn't realize the SMS had Dynamite Headdy, but I loved it on the Genesis. And R-Type is amazing, though I played it on the PC Engine. Admittedly, the SMS is a bit of a blindspot for me, as I never owned one, and have not yet added one to my retro collection. It's next on my list though!
Re: Aggelos Is A New Retro-Styled 2D Action-Adventure Coming To Switch This Year
@Cobalt If you can remember without doing a direct comparison, that's great. I've been gaming for over 25 years, my first system was an NES, and I still regularly play retro games. My comment wasn't meant to be any sort of attack or criticism - just that often times, memory & nostalgia often paints a more favorable view of the past. That's not directed towards you, that's directed towards anyone, myself included. Going back and doing a simple side by side comparison made it immediately clear that this was well beyond what was capable in the 8 bit era. But again, at this point, I don't think it really matters, since nothing is 8-bit/16-bit... Just wanted to point out that I understand why this would be labeled 16-bit rather than 8 bit, even if both are equally wrong =)
@aaronsullivan Perhaps it's part of a new 13 bit era? I understand the argument to be made for 8 bit, I suppose, and you've explained why your brain went there. I guess for me, the larger color palette immediately triggered a 16 bit feel. But hey, as previously noted... we're both equally wrong anyway (Ok, maybe you're a little bit more wrong =P)
Re: Aggelos Is A New Retro-Styled 2D Action-Adventure Coming To Switch This Year
@impurekind @Cobalt I think you need to go back and do a direct comparison of some 8 bit games =D I'll agree that the audio track gives off a very 8 bit vibe, but I think graphically there is way to much going on for this to have ever existed on an 8 bit console. NES/SMS games were much more simplistic and had a very limited color palette.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter whatsoever. None of these games are under any sort of real limitation, making many of the 8-bit like games closer to 16 bit in reality, and many of the 16-bit like games wouldn't have existed until the 32 bit era. It's just an arbitrary designation at this point, so there's bound to be a lot of overlap/grey area.
Re: Poll: As "Gaming Disorder" Becomes A Thing, Is It Time To Assess How Much You Play?
@RazumikhinPG This is what is so stupid. I can't stand that we have no characterize this as a real thing, rather than just a generic addiction disorder. Of course you could abuse video games, just as you could abuse your cell phone, television, board games, social media, music etc... And honestly, I think some of those things are infinitely more harmful (Phone/Social media) for those with an addictive personality.
On the topic of the polls, I probably play 4-6 hours a week. I normally get about an hour a day. Sometimes over that on a weekend, but not usually too much more. I wish I could play more, and I used to play much more. Video games for me, I believe, have had the single greatest impact on who I am today after my Parental & religious upbringing. If I'm brutally honest, those things (Parents/Religion) have had far more negative side effects than video games. Video games are the ultimate art form, combining music, visuals, story telling, puzzle solving, etc... into one. They've helped me develop an appreciation for various types of art, they develop critical thinking skills, develop relationships with other people (Especially during local co-op as a kid), and are largely the reason why I got into my chosen career field (IT). I'd have to really struggle to come up with a potential negative side effect of video games that wouldn't also apply to any type of addiction.
Re: Runbow Sprints Towards A New Release Date On Switch, Now Available 3rd July
@gaga64 I could take it or leave it. I thought it was good, but not great. It's just one of those games that was exponentially more fun for me when I was playing it with other people. I normally played with at least 1-2 other people. I also had a group of 7 play one or twice, and it was an absolutely ridiculous good time. My wife was angry, because there may have been a bit more screaming/yelling at one another than I care to admit...
Re: Release Window Between Consoles And Switch "Shrinking All The Time" Says Panic Button Boss
@rjejr I don't think anyone (that isn't delusional) is arguing that the Switch is on par technically with the other platforms. I think the article is simply stating that the system should be treated equally in terms of priorities, and I agree. Of course compromises will need to be made, but with the Switch's user base growing so rapidly, I think it will continue to get harder and harder for companies to ignore. Whether we see straight ports of PS5/Xbox1-II games, or dedicated versions for Switch, who knows - but I would imagine Switch will still be a major part of their release strategy.
EDIT: Also, if Nintendo doesn't knock off this "new" crap and they name the next iteration the "New" Nintendo Switch, I'm blaming you personally =D
Re: "The Virtual Console successor is Nintendo Switch Online" Says Reggie
@Yorumi Yup, agreed. I will inevitably spend much more on this service than VC. With VC, I only bought my absolute favorites (Again, and again...) but even after buying certain titles multiple times across Wii, Wii U, and 3DS, I doubt I spent over $100, especially since I got many of them as My Nintendo rewards. I'm also reasonably confident the price of the service will increase, so it will likely end up being more than $100 over the next 5 years. And of course, if my son or wife end up getting their own Switch, I'll have to get the family plan, so even more money to Nintendo. All things considered, a smart move by Nintendo.
@Emperor-Palpsy I'm not complaining, but I understand those who are. At what price point are people allowed to complain, if not $20? Cloud saves shouldn't cost a penny nor be locked behind an online service in the first place. Saying that online play "requires" infrastructure/support costs from Nintendo is also disingenuous - this can and has been offered for free on PC and older consoles for decades, the developer simply takes it into account when budgeting for their title. That leaves us with 20 NES games at the moment for $20 a year. Doesn't seem overly impressive to me. Yes, that number will grow and expand, but we're not giving our opinions on what the service could be, we're talking about what it is. In it's current state, it's not very impressive. For me, it's still worth $20, but just barely. It shouldn't be too hard to understand that to others, it is not a very impressive offering - especially those that have little interest in online play or are tight on cash.
Re: "The Virtual Console successor is Nintendo Switch Online" Says Reggie
@GravyThief If I had to guess (No data backing up my guess) VC was still profitable. My bet is that they simply think they will make more with subscriptions, especially once they establish their library and ramp up the annual fee. Also, there is almost no chance they can get all the licensing back for VC, since most companies started re-releasing their own games (Capcom, Sega, SNK, etc...) with more to likely follow suit.
Re: "The Virtual Console successor is Nintendo Switch Online" Says Reggie
@GravyThief I can only assume we're an extreme minority, and you even more so. Like you, I prefer original hardware and I can play just about anything I want dating back to the NES. I also have a Vectrex, but otherwise NES was my cutoff - and I've modded most of my disc based consoles as well. However, I'll still be subscribing to this service, mainly for online play, but the added benefits of some retro games (with online play) also appeals to me, as well as the convenience of having the games on Switch. I assume Nintendo is banking on the vast majority of people still hopping on board, even the dummies like me who have purchased this games 5 times...
Re: Release Window Between Consoles And Switch "Shrinking All The Time" Says Panic Button Boss
@Menchi187 You say they're not, but a company that actually ports games for other developers says it is... hm... not sure who to believe here.
Also, equals does not imply identical in every facet of technology. Obviously, Nintendo is trounced in some aspects. It's stupidly obvious that compromises had to be made for Switch to fit in a portable form factor. That doesn't mean that the Switch shouldn't be treated as equally important as the other platforms. Despite how much you seemingly hate Nintendo and everything they do, there's 15 million people that voted with their wallets in the first year of the Nintendo Switch's life cycle that would strongly disagree.
Re: "The Virtual Console successor is Nintendo Switch Online" Says Reggie
@GamingDude800 And that's fine if those things don't appeal to you. I'm not trying to change you opinion on the service itself. I'm lukewarm on it, honestly. My point is that saying this like "It's a terrible idea" don't really make sense without context. Maybe it's terrible for you, but the idea itself makes perfect sense (We'll see how it's executed) and it's one of the benefits the other platforms use to keep users from allowing their subscription to lapse.
Again, as it stands right now, I'm lukewarm on the idea. I was the same way when I moved to digital music and digital video as well. Perhaps with time, a Nintendo's subscription service will be as indispensable as Netflix, who knows. It's certainly not there right now, but again, that's the direction they're heading.
Re: "The Virtual Console successor is Nintendo Switch Online" Says Reggie
@GamingDude800 It's not a dumb idea, simply because you don't like it. However, I agree fully that it is not a great service, simply because it costs $20. The reason you list for it being a terrible idea, are the exact reasons why it is a great idea for Nintendo, from a business perspective. Of course they want you to maintain a subscription, just like the other major platforms. Having access to a growing library of games and online game play is perhaps one of the easiest, and most logical ways to do that. Again, I'm not saying this is the best possible scenario for consumers, and I too will miss the Virtual Console, but I think most people have known for quite sometime that the Virtual Console would not be returning in its previous form. I just hope that the library expands rapidly and we quickly get games from other systems - NES only just isn't going to cut it.
Re: Runbow Sprints Towards A New Release Date On Switch, Now Available 3rd July
@Rhaoulos Personally, I would highly recommend Runbow. It's not an endless or an auto runner, so I wouldn't really place it in the runner category (I understand why some would, though).
What it boils down to for me and my recommendation, is if you can find a couple friends to play with. The game is an outrageous amount of fun for local multiplayer. Even when I could only play with 1 other person, I still had quite a lot of fun playing through the campaign and Bowhemoth modes.
Re: "The Virtual Console successor is Nintendo Switch Online" Says Reggie
This news doesn't change anything though. Companies (Including Nintendo) will continue to launch standalone titles on the eShop if they want. Especially given the success of retro Capcom games and SNK games have seen, it's no wonder other companies would want to follow suit. Sega has their own collection on the way as well. In addition to Nintendo wanting to push the Switch online service, they likely couldn't get licensing for all the games the previous had on the VC either. It sucks to hear it confirmed I suppose, but this is exactly what everyone expected anyway.
Re: Gallery: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Full Character Roster
@link3710 I'm not saying I don't believe that you heard that, but I don't think I believe the original statement - if they want Smash to be taken seriously at all competitively, echo characters will have to be part of the balance process. Even minor stat changes can have a pretty big impact on how a character plays.
I do agree with you on Mario/Dr. Mario, however. I edited my last comment to reflect that. I played the most Melee, and that's what I was thinking of when talking about them - I forgot about some of the recent changes that they made to differentiate the characters. Perhaps that's the approach they will take with the other clones too. Which again, leaves me a bit fuzzy on the whole echo designation in the first place. Some obvious choices aren't echoes, and I still think it would have been easy enough to just have another 3 clone characters without a designation, or add them as alternate skins like the Koopalings.
Despite the length post, like I previously said - I don't actually really care. I'm happy we're getting all the characters we are, regardless of what they call them. Just more curious about their thought process than anything.
Re: Review: Iro Hero (Switch eShop)
@aaronsullivan Yeah, just because the bulk of the games score between 6-10, doesn't mean that crappier games don't exist - it just means media outlets don't take the time to review them. In general, people are interested in what they believe will be good games, so there wouldn't be much benefit to reviewing them. It's no wonder reviews skew towards the higher end of the scale.
Re: Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé Talks About His Feelings On Leaks In Gaming
@Dang69 Those were 3 good examples of clickbait, but example #12 will BLOW your mind!
@Ecto-1 @Aaronsullivan For sure, loads of great games coming IMO. The only complain I have was the pacing of the presentation itself. Taking a step back from E3 and looking at the lineup and the existing library of games, its hard for me to be disappointed in any way.
Re: Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé Talks About His Feelings On Leaks In Gaming
@johnvboy I agree with you - the low point for me this entire press conference was actually Bethesda showing an Elder Scrolls 6 teaser. It just doesn't make sense to me. Look, we all know you own the IP and have plans to make another game someday. Don't show me a teaser, and then say it's a game you aren't even actively developing right now, and you'll focus on it after Starfield releases, which is itself a couple years away. So we're looking at what, 4-6 years for ES6?
Pardon the rant =D Short version, I agree with you. No harm (in my opinion) by not showing MP4 this year. I think Nintendo's show would have been great if they simply showed 60 seconds of each of those indies/third party games (so about 10-15 minutes total) and cut out some of the Smash.