@RobotReptile wants even more maddening is that Roll7 only had around 60 employees, as of late last year, at a burn rate of about £10,000 - £15,000 per employee per month that means they only needed around £600,000 - £900,000 a month to keep the doors open. £7.2 - £10.8million per year. And meanwhile the top two increased their own salaries by around $29 million ($36m USD). It’s sickening. Roll7 never made a mid game.
Bloody shameful. Even more so when you hear CEO Strauss Zelnik and the chairman doubled their salaries last year and doom home $72.3 million in 2023. Scumbags
Depends on the game. There are those you finish and are done with, I’ll sell those and someone else can enjoy them instead of just sitting there gathering dust. But others I want to keep forever.
Occasionally I will sell a game I enjoyed shortly after launch if the price is still high and rebuy a few years down the line, often digitally in a sale. But that’s more on other platforms, Nintendo doesn’t do large discounts on their games.
@aaronsullivan @Solomon_Rambling @HeftyLaces It is funny to look back, but I don’t think it was JUST that people felt salty because of the Wii U. You have to remember third party support was at an all time low for Nintendo on Wii U. Many large publishers weren’t making or porting their games to Nintendo at that time and even smaller devs seemed to be focusing on PC, Xbox & PlayStation.
That all changed with Switch, not only did major publishers start making unique games for Switch, they also started porting their games over. Playing things like Minecraft, Skyrim, Witcher on the go was a game changer.
Add to that it became the de facto place indies would publish on console often releasing before other platforms (e.g. Hollow Knight, Hades etc).
It always comes back to games, and developers supported the switch in great numbers.
I’m not ashamed to say I got this so wrong. Having been burned on the WiiU I didn’t see the full potential of the Switch at first. While I thought it would do better than WiiU I didn’t think it would be the juggernaut it was.
To be fair part of that was based on third party support which was truly awful on WiiU, I thought Nintendo had burned their bridges there. But in the first year of Switch devs supported it massively. It become THE place where indies published, often first on console. (E.g. Hollow Knight, Hades) and third parties like Ubisoft were making exclusive games for it. Quite the turnaround.
Additionally the first Switch trailer featured silly things that seemed like a stretch, like taking the console to a rooftop party, detaching the joycons to play coop several feet away from the tiny screen. Who has ever done that? lol
@sanderev true windows runs slow off a micro SD but that is a niche case. A few games too, but most are within touching distance of internal SSD. It isn’t the massive advantage many thought it would be.
@sanderev MicroSD is only a little slower than NVME on Steam Deck when playing games as the APU bottle necks the lanes. The nvme runs much slower in reality than on spec sheets.
The only times it has a really noticeable advantage (i.e. without using a stop watch) is when transferring files across or in a few specific games. In most game load times are within around 20% of each other.
@Serpenterror the only problem with using full SSD is if games are designed around that speed then additional storage gets expensive if you need a 2230 m.2 nvme.
Unless they deliberately run it slower (/bottle neck) like in Steam Deck so high speed Micro SD cards can compete. UHS is up to 624MB/s
EDIT e.g. According to Valve, “the 64GB eMMC loads games 12.5% slower compared to the 512GB NVMe SSD*. For boot speeds, the former is 25% slower than the latter”. Third party testing shows Micro SD is somewhere in the middle and the difference is usually negligible
@MeloMan Standard rule of storage buying is find the largest capacity you want to pay for/think you will need and at least double it. Time will thank you!
@sanderev m.2 SSD would make it much larger and more expensive to upgrade than Micro SD. And the m.2 on the Steam Deck is virtually the same speed as the Micro SD slot. Granted it's faster on things like ROG ally.
Depends on the system resolution and how much storage a game takes up. Even TotK was only around 19GB and that was large. But around 128/256gb minimum + a micro SD slot.
You can buy a high quality 256GB Micro SD for £15.
Honestly I expected this to be more... Considering P5 has been released across 3 console generations on almost every platform available, with a handful of spin-offs, and across around 20+ separate releases. Still great numbers, just thought it might be higher.
What a year it has been for Nintendo! New games for Zelda, Mario, Pikmin, Fire Emblem, Bayonetta, etc. Remasters/remakes for Metroid, Mario RPG and Advance Wars. DLC for Pokemon, Mario Kart, Xenoblade Chronicles and Splatoon. Plus the Mario movie breaking records. Console sales continuning to compete with next-gen despite it's age/power, and hitting 130+ million units. Incredible.
EDIT: As for most played... TotK with a staggering 305 hours.
@Rykdrew Yes our side matters. But I'd argue that a strong Nintendo IS good for us gamers. I'm not sure Game Pass will help them. Short term maybe it's good for Nintendo only players, but is it good long term? I'm not so sure.
Choice is generally good. But I don't think having Game Pass on Switch will do Nintendo any favours, i'd expect it to cannibalise some sales. Despite all the grief it seems to be getting above it's a good service, that will likely only get better with all their recent acquisitions regardless of whether you like it or not.
@burninmylight I don't think it would be JUST to beat PS5 but it would give their own studios more time to have games ready and build up more of a stockpile of consoles (there are always shortages at launch).
It was heavily rumoured Switch was delayed for example, which is why it launched in March not before xmas the bussiest time of year. Whether that was to launch alongside Zelda or for parts to become available so they could have enough at launch was never clear.
@Munchlax @romanista @-wc- I think most of us have been in this position before with games, it's usually a sign of burn-out. Concentrate on your other hobbies for a while and the love of games usually comes back stronger. Worked for me and many friends anyway.
Nintendo's digital pricing is just disgusting and they almost NEVER go on sale. At least with physical copies and second hand titles there is a small CHANCE to get the games at a reasonable price if you don't like them enough to want to pay full price.
There's plenty of games i'm on the fence about and a £60/£70 with no chance of refund or resale would make me make safer bets and play a narrow selection of games.
Looks amazing. Though, based on the trailer, i'm not loving the voice acting as much as the first run. Richard Armitage absolutely nailed it as Trevor Belmont. Wonder if James Callis and Graham McTavish will be back as Alucard and Dracula respectively... no spoilers please.
So many happy memories of SoM but my first was that wonderful title screen. At the time I couldn’t play the piano at all but I would try and get the melody down from memory, trying different notes one at a time and then memorising it. It was my first introduction to playing music and was one of the main reasons I started to play, badly at first but over time I got better and I still play to this day.
@Keman One of the interesting stats on console gaming is that the amount of consoles sold has only gone up relatively slowly in the last 30 years, whereas the number of games sold and amount spent has gone through the roof. More engagement.
@Olliemar28 Is that ALL Switch games, or just Nintendo ones? I kinda expected Minecraft to be in the mix TBH, it seems permanently in the charts more often than not for the past 6 years.
Always amused when I notice things in life that have video game connotations. My next door neighbour has a couple or red barrels in his garden, I think for compost, but I just want to see what happens if I shoot them... and then disappear into a daydream worthy of Apocalypse Now
Literally some of the lowest level gear in the game and in a game with permanent weapon damage. These are will last less than a minute in a fight. Pointless
@Cordyceps I still have my DS and IX. X has a fan made English translation for v1-4 through the DQX Clarity project. Though as you suggested Square-Enix have hinted at an official version. Though it's also Chibi, which i'm not a huge fan of, that combined with online always put me off.
@Picola-Wicola @BoyfriendOfDeath Kass is VERY conspicuous by his absence. He is teased at the very end of the Lucky Clover Gazette quest lines where you help Penn to track Zelda sightings.
After this quest line Penn can be found at Washa’s Bluff, where Kass was, talking about a famous bard and saying we will likely team up again soon. Seems likely he will pop up in DLC imo.
Just imagine reaching a new area and hearing that accordion. Onion chopping activated.
Always wondered why people would sit and watch other people play games.
I used to feel exactly the same way. Then during lockdown I started watching a few streamers. They are all different but it wasn't just about watching the game it was often more watching, and interacting, with the streamer and their style of play. They are just entertainers at the end of the day. Why do we watch sport, or go to the theatre, or watch a juggler on the street instead of doing these things ourselves? It’s the same thing. But I get that it SEEMS weird at first, truth is most things are until we try them a few times and sometimes we end up liking them.
Finished the story last night. I have all shrines done, i'm just looking for some final quests and things I missed. But I need to move on simply because I need my life back!
Almost nothing. Learning and the eureka moments, then changing how you play is a key part of the game. However I had over 100 korok seeds before I found Hestu and couldn’t upgrade my inventory for ages, which is a pain with early weapon degradation, It’s the only think I specifically looked up online.
Comments 550
Re: Nintendo Runs Out Of Replacement Parts For Wii U, Ends Repair Service In Japan
He’s dead Jim! (I’m fine with this.)
Re: Talking Point: Would You Want Quality And Performance Options For Nintendo's 'Switch 2' Games?
Choice is almost always good. But a good game is better.
Re: 'Wild Bastards' Goes Beyond The Void On Switch Later This Year
First game was great. Thought i'd just "give it a go" on game pass due to good reviews and ended up going down the rabbit hole.
Re: Take-Two Reportedly Shutting Down OlliOlli And Kerbal Space Program 2 Devs
@RobotReptile wants even more maddening is that Roll7 only had around 60 employees, as of late last year, at a burn rate of about £10,000 - £15,000 per employee per month that means they only needed around £600,000 - £900,000 a month to keep the doors open. £7.2 - £10.8million per year. And meanwhile the top two increased their own salaries by around $29 million ($36m USD). It’s sickening. Roll7 never made a mid game.
Re: Take-Two Reportedly Shutting Down OlliOlli And Kerbal Space Program 2 Devs
Bloody shameful. Even more so when you hear CEO Strauss Zelnik and the chairman doubled their salaries last year and doom home $72.3 million in 2023. Scumbags
Re: Nihon Falcom's Original 'Ys' RPG Arrives On Switch This Week
I played this back in the day but can only imagine it has aged like milk
Re: Talking Point: Is Knowing A Game's Ending Really That Bad?
Absolutely depends on the game. Some are more about the journey and gameplay. Others are more about the story and destination.
Re: Poll: How Often Do You Trade-In Your Switch Games?
Depends on the game. There are those you finish and are done with, I’ll sell those and someone else can enjoy them instead of just sitting there gathering dust. But others I want to keep forever.
Occasionally I will sell a game I enjoyed shortly after launch if the price is still high and rebuy a few years down the line, often digitally in a sale. But that’s more on other platforms, Nintendo doesn’t do large discounts on their games.
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of The Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Demo?
The demo itself was good, but a bit slow. However there was enough in the demo to show that the game could be very special.
Re: Yes, The Nintendo Switch Showcase Really Was Seven Years Ago
@aaronsullivan @Solomon_Rambling @HeftyLaces It is funny to look back, but I don’t think it was JUST that people felt salty because of the Wii U. You have to remember third party support was at an all time low for Nintendo on Wii U. Many large publishers weren’t making or porting their games to Nintendo at that time and even smaller devs seemed to be focusing on PC, Xbox & PlayStation.
That all changed with Switch, not only did major publishers start making unique games for Switch, they also started porting their games over. Playing things like Minecraft, Skyrim, Witcher on the go was a game changer.
Add to that it became the de facto place indies would publish on console often releasing before other platforms (e.g. Hollow Knight, Hades etc).
It always comes back to games, and developers supported the switch in great numbers.
Re: Yes, The Nintendo Switch Showcase Really Was Seven Years Ago
I’m not ashamed to say I got this so wrong. Having been burned on the WiiU I didn’t see the full potential of the Switch at first. While I thought it would do better than WiiU I didn’t think it would be the juggernaut it was.
To be fair part of that was based on third party support which was truly awful on WiiU, I thought Nintendo had burned their bridges there. But in the first year of Switch devs supported it massively. It become THE place where indies published, often first on console. (E.g. Hollow Knight, Hades) and third parties like Ubisoft were making exclusive games for it. Quite the turnaround.
Additionally the first Switch trailer featured silly things that seemed like a stretch, like taking the console to a rooftop party, detaching the joycons to play coop several feet away from the tiny screen. Who has ever done that? lol
Re: Poll: How Much Internal Storage Would Be Reasonable For 'Switch 2'?
@sanderev true windows runs slow off a micro SD but that is a niche case. A few games too, but most are within touching distance of internal SSD. It isn’t the massive advantage many thought it would be.
Re: Poll: How Much Internal Storage Would Be Reasonable For 'Switch 2'?
@sanderev MicroSD is only a little slower than NVME on Steam Deck when playing games as the APU bottle necks the lanes. The nvme runs much slower in reality than on spec sheets.
The only times it has a really noticeable advantage (i.e. without using a stop watch) is when transferring files across or in a few specific games. In most game load times are within around 20% of each other.
Re: Poll: How Much Internal Storage Would Be Reasonable For 'Switch 2'?
@Serpenterror the only problem with using full SSD is if games are designed around that speed then additional storage gets expensive if you need a 2230 m.2 nvme.
Unless they deliberately run it slower (/bottle neck) like in Steam Deck so high speed Micro SD cards can compete. UHS is up to 624MB/s
EDIT e.g. According to Valve, “the 64GB eMMC loads games 12.5% slower compared to the 512GB NVMe SSD*. For boot speeds, the former is 25% slower than the latter”. Third party testing shows Micro SD is somewhere in the middle and the difference is usually negligible
Re: Poll: How Much Internal Storage Would Be Reasonable For 'Switch 2'?
@MeloMan Standard rule of storage buying is find the largest capacity you want to pay for/think you will need and at least double it. Time will thank you!
@sanderev m.2 SSD would make it much larger and more expensive to upgrade than Micro SD. And the m.2 on the Steam Deck is virtually the same speed as the Micro SD slot. Granted it's faster on things like ROG ally.
Re: Poll: How Much Internal Storage Would Be Reasonable For 'Switch 2'?
Depends on the system resolution and how much storage a game takes up. Even TotK was only around 19GB and that was large. But around 128/256gb minimum + a micro SD slot.
You can buy a high quality 256GB Micro SD for £15.
Re: Random: PlatinumGames Includes Kamiya's Exit In Its '2023 Recap' Video
Personally I liked it, FAR better than the usual ignoring of luminaries long service. Seems they can’t win
Re: Soapbox: Chants Of Sennaar Is The GOTY Candidate That Nobody Is Talking About
Sounds right up my alley. But I have to get to Case of the Golden Idol first.
Re: The Persona 5 Series Has Shifted Over 10 Million Copies Worldwide
Honestly I expected this to be more... Considering P5 has been released across 3 console generations on almost every platform available, with a handful of spin-offs, and across around 20+ separate releases. Still great numbers, just thought it might be higher.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Switch Year In Review 2023 - Our Most Played Games
What a year it has been for Nintendo! New games for Zelda, Mario, Pikmin, Fire Emblem, Bayonetta, etc. Remasters/remakes for Metroid, Mario RPG and Advance Wars. DLC for Pokemon, Mario Kart, Xenoblade Chronicles and Splatoon. Plus the Mario movie breaking records. Console sales continuning to compete with next-gen despite it's age/power, and hitting 130+ million units. Incredible.
EDIT: As for most played... TotK with a staggering 305 hours.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Interest In Bringing Game Pass To "Every Screen" Including Nintendo Platforms
@Rykdrew Yes our side matters. But I'd argue that a strong Nintendo IS good for us gamers. I'm not sure Game Pass will help them. Short term maybe it's good for Nintendo only players, but is it good long term? I'm not so sure.
Re: Xbox Reiterates Interest In Bringing Game Pass To "Every Screen" Including Nintendo Platforms
Choice is generally good. But I don't think having Game Pass on Switch will do Nintendo any favours, i'd expect it to cannibalise some sales. Despite all the grief it seems to be getting above it's a good service, that will likely only get better with all their recent acquisitions regardless of whether you like it or not.
Re: Video: Digital Foundry's Technical Analysis Of Super Mario RPG On Switch
Considering how pedantic Digital Foundry can be, making mountains out of molehills, this sounds great!
Re: Nintendo Switch Has Now Sold Over 132 Million Units
@burninmylight I don't think it would be JUST to beat PS5 but it would give their own studios more time to have games ready and build up more of a stockpile of consoles (there are always shortages at launch).
It was heavily rumoured Switch was delayed for example, which is why it launched in March not before xmas the bussiest time of year. Whether that was to launch alongside Zelda or for parts to become available so they could have enough at launch was never clear.
Re: Nintendo Switch Has Now Sold Over 132 Million Units
Anyone think they may delay to 2025 and aim for PS2s 155 million?
Re: Review: Dave The Diver - One Of The Best Games In A Year Of Greats
@Munchlax @romanista @-wc- I think most of us have been in this position before with games, it's usually a sign of burn-out. Concentrate on your other hobbies for a while and the love of games usually comes back stronger. Worked for me and many friends anyway.
Re: Nintendo UK Launches Super Mario Bros. Wonder Bus Spotting Competition In London
Any idea when the review embargo is up?
Re: Upcoming Metroidvania 'Lucid' Gains Veteran Composer David Wise
Metroidvania crossed with Celeste. Colour me impressed!
Re: Talking Point: Would You Buy A Digital-Only 'Switch 2'?
Nintendo's digital pricing is just disgusting and they almost NEVER go on sale. At least with physical copies and second hand titles there is a small CHANCE to get the games at a reasonable price if you don't like them enough to want to pay full price.
There's plenty of games i'm on the fence about and a £60/£70 with no chance of refund or resale would make me make safer bets and play a narrow selection of games.
LOL on the last 100% poll.
Re: Review: Gunbrella - Witty, Winsome Action-Platforming With A Great Hook
Been looking forward to this but there’s just too much to play right now. On the backlog
Re: Castlevania: Nocturne Gets Main Trailer Ahead Of Netflix Launch This Month
Looks amazing. Though, based on the trailer, i'm not loving the voice acting as much as the first run. Richard Armitage absolutely nailed it as Trevor Belmont. Wonder if James Callis and Graham McTavish will be back as Alucard and Dracula respectively... no spoilers please.
Re: Memory Pak: Secret Of Mana's Dazzling World Of Colour Opened My Eyes
So many happy memories of SoM but my first was that wonderful title screen. At the time I couldn’t play the piano at all but I would try and get the melody down from memory, trying different notes one at a time and then memorising it. It was my first introduction to playing music and was one of the main reasons I started to play, badly at first but over time I got better and I still play to this day.
Re: Talking Point: Which Nintendo IP Should 'Switch 2' Launch With?
@Croctopus Agreed. Staggered they didn't mention Mario Kart 9 considering the last one MK8 released over 9 years ago on the Wii U!
Aside from that 3D Mario is the obvious choice and Metroid Prime 4 surely has to be coming soon.
Re: Here Are The Top Ten Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games As Of June 2023
@Keman One of the interesting stats on console gaming is that the amount of consoles sold has only gone up relatively slowly in the last 30 years, whereas the number of games sold and amount spent has gone through the roof. More engagement.
Re: Here Are The Top Ten Best-Selling Nintendo Switch Games As Of June 2023
@Olliemar28 Is that ALL Switch games, or just Nintendo ones? I kinda expected Minecraft to be in the mix TBH, it seems permanently in the charts more often than not for the past 6 years.
Regardless amazing sales for all these titles.
Re: Soapbox: These Everyday Items Trigger Me Now, And I Blame Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
@Evantide_Island Loved this, what a fun article.
Always amused when I notice things in life that have video game connotations. My next door neighbour has a couple or red barrels in his garden, I think for compost, but I just want to see what happens if I shoot them... and then disappear into a daydream worthy of Apocalypse Now
Re: PSA: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom News Channel Giving Out Free In-Game Items
Literally some of the lowest level gear in the game and in a game with permanent weapon damage. These are will last less than a minute in a fight. Pointless
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom "Most Downloaded" Switch Game In The First Half Of 2023 (Japan)
Biggest new Nintendo exclusive for several years is most downloaded switch game in it's launch window... who would have guessed! /s
Re: Square Enix's Dragon Quest Series Has Now Sold Over 88 Million Units Worldwide
@Cordyceps Yeah some people love it, I find it hard to engage as much with super deformed Chibi characters.
Re: Square Enix's Dragon Quest Series Has Now Sold Over 88 Million Units Worldwide
@Cordyceps I still have my DS and IX. X has a fan made English translation for v1-4 through the DQX Clarity project. Though as you suggested Square-Enix have hinted at an official version. Though it's also Chibi, which i'm not a huge fan of, that combined with online always put me off.
Re: Square Enix's Dragon Quest Series Has Now Sold Over 88 Million Units Worldwide
More than I thought. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11S, Builders.
7 & Builders 2 still on my list to get to. Not sure about 9 & 10 as they are more Online I believe. Looking forward to the 3 remake too.
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Update Now Live (Version 1.2.0), Here Are The Full Patch Notes
@Picola-Wicola @BoyfriendOfDeath Kass is VERY conspicuous by his absence. He is teased at the very end of the Lucky Clover Gazette quest lines where you help Penn to track Zelda sightings.
After this quest line Penn can be found at Washa’s Bluff, where Kass was, talking about a famous bard and saying we will likely team up again soon. Seems likely he will pop up in DLC imo.
Just imagine reaching a new area and hearing that accordion. Onion chopping activated.
Re: Toby Fox Shares Development Update On Deltarune Chapter 3
Anyone else been underwhelmed by Deltarune?
I fell asleep twice during chapters 1&2.
Re: Shuntaro Furukawa: Switch Successor Will Utilise The 'Nintendo Account' System
Plot twist: you will have the same account but none of the games will be usable.
Nintendo: we didn’t lie 💀
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Was One Of Twitch's "Most Watched" Games In May
Breaking news: biggest game of the year is streamed a lot on a game streaming service /s
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Was One Of Twitch's "Most Watched" Games In May
NinjaNicky wrote:
I used to feel exactly the same way. Then during lockdown I started watching a few streamers. They are all different but it wasn't just about watching the game it was often more watching, and interacting, with the streamer and their style of play. They are just entertainers at the end of the day. Why do we watch sport, or go to the theatre, or watch a juggler on the street instead of doing these things ourselves? It’s the same thing. But I get that it SEEMS weird at first, truth is most things are until we try them a few times and sometimes we end up liking them.
Re: Random: Some Square Enix Staff Really Want A Final Fantasy VI Remake
FF6 and Chrono Trigger done properly and I can die happy.
But not half-hearted efforts like the Secret of Mana remake, if that was the case i'd rather you left well alone.
Re: Poll: Are You Still Playing Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?
Finished the story last night. I have all shrines done, i'm just looking for some final quests and things I missed. But I need to move on simply because I need my life back!
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Wish You Knew Sooner In Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?
Almost nothing. Learning and the eureka moments, then changing how you play is a key part of the game. However I had over 100 korok seeds before I found Hestu and couldn’t upgrade my inventory for ages, which is a pain with early weapon degradation, It’s the only think I specifically looked up online.
Re: Random: Zelda: TOTK Players Build Cucco Traps For An Easy Way To Farm Eggs
Wow! the things people come up with! LMAO