Canary

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CRank: 5Score: 36880

The problem with Nintendo is that they've only managed to make themselves a viable platform for low-budget indie titles. For whatever reason, mid-range titles seem to be wholly absent on their platforms.

Which is really odd because a lot of recent independently-released games seem like they could only be improved with stylus controls. From Beamdog's Infinity Engine ports to Shadowrun to the full host of fantastic roguelikes we've seen lately.... Something is clear...

3329d ago 0 agree4 disagreeView comment

...What standards would those be? Sorry, but our beloved medium's standards for both gameplay and visual presentation haven't exactly changed much since the PS2 era. The only standards we have that are higher now are our fidelity standards, so unless this game has subpar framerate and/or resolution, I've no idea what you're on about.

3329d ago 0 agree2 disagreeView comment

I'm struggling to see you're point.

Like most arguments re:Sarkeesian, what she says and what gamers seem to think she says don't really line up. These "ideas on the market" (whatever that means) are little more than a few basic guidelines on "how to avoid misogyny."

Well, other than the one that's clearly just about making fun of the Tomb Raider reboot.

Plenty of games meet all or most of the criteria Sar...

3329d ago 1 agree3 disagreeView comment

No, no, the implicit message is "we don't know how to optimize or scale games. At all." CDPR has always been terrible at this, and given the ludicrous PC specs I'm astonished the console ports aren't 700p letterboxed.

3333d ago 0 agree4 disagreeView comment

...And if you're any example to go by, the online community must be pretty terrible already.

3334d ago 0 agree1 disagreeView comment

I wouldn't say it's aged better. Even when it was released, MM offered a much more polished experience than OoT with much more focused level design. IE greater content density.

So it's not really that MM aged better than OoT so much as that OoT did not age well in general.

3336d ago 2 agree0 disagreeView comment

That's the thing, though. Nintendo's overwhelming success with the NDS and Wii were due largely to them having a singular game with enormous mass appeal to non-gamers. (Nintendogs and WiiSports respectively).

The problem is that Nintendo recognizes that this is not a viable long-term strategy and are therefore trying to appeal more to their core fans and actual gamers... while at the same time desperately hoping they'll hit another ball out of the park.
...

3336d ago 2 agree1 disagreeView comment

I can't imagine they're losing money on a product that's in such great demand that 90% of the figures have been out-of-stock at every single retailer within 100-miles of my location since day 1.

Nintendo is incompetent, yes--but not THAT incompetent.

3338d ago 2 agree3 disagreeView comment

Best thing about Xenoverse? It's on Steam. Best time to try it out is when it's 75% off during the Summer Sale (will probably only hit 25-30% off during the Spring sale).

The MSRP is cheaper than the PS4/XB3 MSRP, and you don't have to pay a subscription for online. It's win/win/win.

3338d ago 0 agree1 disagreeView comment

Whatever happened to that "leaked" image of a slimmer, sexier gamepad? Was that a hoax? 'Cause I feel like 2015 is right around when Nintendo ought to do a big marketing blitz for the WiiU, and a new model of WiiU could help.

3338d ago 0 agree0 disagreeView comment

So any time there's a bad game on a playsation platform, it's really because it's so good a game that it makes jealous xbox gamers launch massive smear campaigns to discredit them?

Yeah... that sounds reasonable to me.

3339d ago 2 agree2 disagreeView comment

Generally speaking a flop, as the name implies, is the result of a severe imbalance with a game's reception. Generally this means reviews are either much lower than expectations, or sales are much lower than anticipated.

Worst case scenario a game is unable to turn a profit because its development costs were too high and the development studio goes under (see Kingdoms of Amalur).

This is why AAA game development churns out such samey, unambitious games y...

3339d ago 0 agree0 disagreeView comment

Falcom is our lord and savior and can do no wrong.*

*Statement only valid in Japan.

3339d ago 1 agree0 disagreeView comment

It's pretty much the same logo they've had for years/decades. Remember the flippy little logo button on the PS2? At least since then.

3339d ago 2 agree2 disagreeView comment

"The new microtransaction system will create a new in-game currency called Platinum and seems to be focused mostly on cosmetic upgrades, including wings, non-combat pets, character portraits, and character slot expansions."

To be fair, this is slightly less terrible than $20 USD "upgrades" to "collector's editions" that only offer two minor cosmetic options.

3339d ago 0 agree0 disagreeView comment

Not going to happen. Not willingly.
The only way to force players to traverse enormous environments slowly when they could be doing so quickly is with a stamina meter, or some other arbitrary limitation.

Though I have to question the necessity of either auto-run or fast-travel when (and correct me if I'm wrong here) the game lets you hop in a giant mech and fly around the map super-fast at any time.

3339d ago 0 agree0 disagreeView comment

...It's only "weird" if you can't follow the conversation.

Let's recap:

Xof stated that the problem with Nintendo's hardware was Nintendo.

I elaborated that the problem is how Nintendo handles its hardware. This should be obvious--they don't know how to brand, market or support their hardware.

And then I got the fanboyish response that Nintendo's apporach to hardware is somehow irrelevant bec...

3339d ago 3 agree1 disagreeView comment

So are all these disagrees...

1.) People who think the PS4 has a good, or even servicable OS?

2.) People who expect the Sony to improve the OS significantly despite their track record with the PSV and PS3?

or

3.) People who take any criticism of a Sony product as a personal insult?

3339d ago 1 agree1 disagreeView comment

Look, guys... there's a big difference between Nintendo's development philosophy and how they handle their hardware. Yeah, I'm with you: their games are fantastic. But how they handle their platforms?

Well, let's just say there's a reason you're ignoring that entire side of their business (the only side that's actually pertinent to this discussion) to focus on their games.

Nintendo fanboys have to heap praise on Nintendo's gam...

3339d ago 3 agree4 disagreeView comment

@MonkeyMan: the thing is, if the WiiU was only a platform for Nintendo's game, you'd be right--it would have been better to sit on it for another year. But, ultimately, it's not. There's a reason why all consoles tend to launch long before any good games are ready--third parties demand they launch early so they can start shoveling games out on 'em.

Just look at the PS4 and all the PS3 ports that got dumped on it. Or the WiiU and all of ITS cheap PS3 ports....

3339d ago 3 agree1 disagreeView comment