Video Game News and Miscellany
- Thread starter figmentPez
- Start date
Can't wait for the Jim Sterling take on this bullshit.
This is a case of day 1 dlc biting them in the ass. This dlc was supposed to launch when the game launched, but since they didn't actually finish the game on time (perhaps some of that dlc team should have been moved to the main game to get it working) they had to delay the launch. So now you get paid dlc for a game not even out yet.
It's...it's seriously a thing? Why? Why would anyone want this to be a thing?
So people figured Federation Force wouldn't sell well, but nobody expected it to flop this hard. Even Japan didn't buy it.
This might be the first time I've seen one of those boycott movements actually work, too. Usually people bitch about a game but it still sells like hotcakes.
This might be the first time I've seen one of those boycott movements actually work, too. Usually people bitch about a game but it still sells like hotcakes.
The sad thing is Nintendo will look at this and think, "Well, no one wants a Metroid game."
I hate constantly saying this, but the best thing that can happen to the Japanese game industry is for the current executives in charge of these companies to start retiring or dying off. Maybe even Miyamoto. The old guards are so entrenched in their thinking that it's causing problems for virtually all of the companies.
Never. He's behind Nintendo's "Always innovate in everything philosophy" which has produced nothing but trash in the last generation. Does the tablet controller of the Wii U add anything meaningful to the games for it's system, or was it simply in the way of 3rd party devs that just wanted port games? Was the recent Star Fox game any better with the inclusion of the sections that forced you to watch the tablet instead of the screen? (No. Those sections are widely regarded as the worst part of the game). Was Skyward Sword a better game with the inclusion of it's motion controls, or am I wrong in thinking a lot of people are waiting for an HD re-release on the NX that doesn't force you to swing a nunchaku around?
It's no surprise that the biggest hits on the Wii U (Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Brothers, Nintendo Land, Super Mario 3D World, Super Smash Brothers, Splatoon) all used the tablet the least. People don't want to deal with gimmicks if they aren't good. The Tablet isn't good... it's just fluff. And Miyamoto is one of the driving forces for this fluff.
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This is something that comes up in other media as well - just because something's innovative doesn't necessarily make it worthwhile. For example, Boyhood was filmed over TWELVE YEARS in order to age the cast in real time for their vignettes. Does that help it tell a story that couldn't be told by shooting segments with different actors? Not as far as I can tell. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow used almost entirely digital settings - who gives a fuck?
Then there's EVERYTHING on this list: http://www.cracked.com/article_19558_the-7-dumbest-video-game-innovations-that-actually-exist.html
Then there's EVERYTHING on this list: http://www.cracked.com/article_19558_the-7-dumbest-video-game-innovations-that-actually-exist.html
GasBandit
Staff member
Even the NES had its share of really dumb innovative garbage. The Power Glove is probably the biggest, most well-known example,
but the U-Force came a close second,
and really, even though it is a sacred cow some people swore by, the NES Max was a "360 degree" fake analog input that still only sent digital 4-way signals and was awful...
And of course let's not forget everybody's favorite breakdown-prone Robot Operating Buddy with only two games.
but the U-Force came a close second,
and really, even though it is a sacred cow some people swore by, the NES Max was a "360 degree" fake analog input that still only sent digital 4-way signals and was awful...
And of course let's not forget everybody's favorite breakdown-prone Robot Operating Buddy with only two games.
People loved the NES MAX because it was a turbo controller but didn't cost a god damn fortune like the NES Advantage did. The Turbo was worth the broken circle pad.
Splatoon uses the tablet as an integral part of winning matches. You can tell when playing which teammates haven't figured out the use of the tablet.
Other than that, yeah. And its existence isn't merited by one game.
Other than that, yeah. And its existence isn't merited by one game.
GasBandit
Staff member
... I just had an Advantage. But really, a full joystick wasn't any better than the MAX's 360 pad. All that was really needed was a stock controller with turbo buttons.
The NES Max's circle pad did come in handy on Konami's Olympics game for like the hammer throw, for example.
Zombie U, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and Hyrule Warriors make good use of the tablet. But the Wii U control scheme in and of itself is fine, and didn't interfere with porting a game, because you aren't REQUIRED to make a game interact with it. I liked the ability to play on the tablet controller while doing something else with the TV for games that didn't require it. I'm not going to defend Nintendo's bad ideas, but at least when you get news from Nintendo it feels like they are excited about what they are doing. They might end up tanking, but at least with a Nintendo game, you generally know what you're buying when you buy it.
Honestly, I'm sad the Wii U didn't make MORE use out of it's tablet screen, like the 3DS. It was ripe for an Etrian Odyssey console game.
Honestly, I'm sad the Wii U didn't make MORE use out of it's tablet screen, like the 3DS. It was ripe for an Etrian Odyssey console game.
Oi, I owned a Power Glove, thank you very much!
It was total garbage and it made every game much harder to play, but I still owned one, dammit! It was so bad!
It was total garbage and it made every game much harder to play, but I still owned one, dammit! It was so bad!
I never figured the tablet to be the issue, I'd put the blame on it being underpowered and Nintendo's internet multiplayer systems being insanely limited and bizarre.
All in all though, yeah, I would agree that most Japanese devs just need more fresh blood, Nintendo being the biggest offender.
All in all though, yeah, I would agree that most Japanese devs just need more fresh blood, Nintendo being the biggest offender.
http://www.pcgamer.com/steam-sale-dates/
Here's an interesting article for you number crunchers out there: a PC Gamer article on how long it takes games to become cheap during a Steam sale.
Here's an interesting article for you number crunchers out there: a PC Gamer article on how long it takes games to become cheap during a Steam sale.
I disagree, but then again, I play more than just Monster Hunter.
figmentPez
Staff member
I'm so damn glad this is fake:
You disagree that some games don't even have a display on the bottom?I disagree, but then again, I play more than just Monster Hunter.
I can prove it.But seriously, looking back at the DS, there were games where the touch screen was the primary display and you had no option but to use it. Now, more games give a choice between touch and controller, and some games utilizing the touch screen just have one thing to tap. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is the best example I can think of, where it's only used to answer Luigi's cell phone, but I could probably run through my list of owned 3DS games and distinguish minimal to extensive touch screen use.
That said, I can't imagine Nintendo going back to single screen.
What's horrible is that, bad as that is, it wasn't entirely unbelievable that Nintendo would do something like it, even if the presentation of this itself makes it obviously fake. "Wii, Wii U ... ???"
Sega Activator Sir
Bioware/EA announces Mass Effect Andromeda will be 30 FPS for PS4 and PS4 Pro. I'm still confused about what is the point of this 4.5 bullshit, as in what it does for gamers if the people buying it aren't getting something, because Sony has said developers don't have to make double versions of games.
If there really is a console crash on the horizon, PS4 Pro and Xbox Whatever are going to help its arrival.
If there really is a console crash on the horizon, PS4 Pro and Xbox Whatever are going to help its arrival.
The fundamental issues are...
- Average consumers are still impressed with flash so graphics are still the "best" way to ensure market share.
- PC technology is outpacing consoles at an even faster rate than ever and no one wants to look "last gen".
- There are creative ways around this issue (original or stylized art style for one) but the kind of talent who can produce that don't come cheap and it's hard to "value" artists numerically.
- Therefore game companies are doubling down on making things HD as a substitute for quality.
So yes... as long as the big companies continue to equate better graphics with increased quality because they can quantify it's cost, they will suffer a crash. However... the market is STILL full of mid-range guys and little guys. It's not just Atari anymore. So if we get a crash, what is going to happen is the BIG guys (EA, Activision-Blizzard, Square Enix) are ether going to go out of business or become mid-sized developers and the medium/small guys will be fine. Guys who do mostly PC will also be fine.
But Nintendo? It's already losing it's identity because they don't have an Iwata to fight the stockholders anymore. Reggie could (and would) do it but I don't see Nintendo (still a mostly Japanese owned family business) making him president even after over a decade, especially when they still have a bunch of old guard chomping at the bit for their time in the chair. I know that I've lambasted Miyamoto before (and I still think he needs to step down so others can rise) but at least he knows what the company is about and so does Reggie... but I don't think Genyo Takeda (who is from the hardware division) has an ounce of creativity in him and thus won't fight like the others have. The recent push for mobile games is evidence enough for that. For god's sake, we're getting a Super Mario endless runner.[DOUBLEPOST=1473344105,1473343725][/DOUBLEPOST]Also, apparently Interplay has begun to sell it's IP portfolio.
I'm pretty sure that making mobile games is not a terrible idea. More non-gamer people are likely to play a game on their phone than buy a 3ds. I am far more amused at the Wii U games that are being ported to the 3DS, which I feel says quite a bit about them knowing where their market shares are right now at the very least. I have a few games on my 3DS that are just busy time killers, which would probably thrive on a mobile platform. I mean, you complain about too much innovation on one hand, then complain when they try to move into the smartphone market, they clearly can't win no matter what they choose.
Innovation without support is not innovation. Making the Wii U more like the 3DS with the tablet controller generally did not catch on and only served to hinder the Wii U which, yet again, failed to attract a lot of third party devs looking to take advantage of the functionality and only served to prevent ports from other systems by requiring that each game had tablet functionality. It was clearly a hindrance to the system as a whole and it made otherwise excellent games (Star Fox Zero) lesser by it's forced integration. A more traditional system would be a better seller and have more games worth buying.
I'm not TOTALLY against Nintendo doing mobile games... but I want them to be more like the games they release on their own consoles and not afterthought/also rans. Pokemon GO is great; it brings the game into the real world, gets people talking to each other, and is going to be getting additional features in the coming months to make it more like the handheld titles. But this Mario endless runner is just that: an endless runner with a Mario skin. How does that set the game apart from something like Jetpack Joyride, Temple Run 2, and Canabalt? Hell, SONIC has one (Sonic Dash). It's just a weak choice on their point...
If they wanted to be bold, they'd release Pokemon Sun/Moon on mobile.