Julius

I don’t mean to the flames of this ‘discussion’, but £0.10/£1.40 is around a 7% price difference, not 25%. I certainly don’t mean to involve myself in this too much - because I respect and have had fruitful discussions with both of you, if not in this thread then in others - but I don’t think that @Ronnie was intentionally trying to mislead anyone, @Rummy, and I think it’s unfair to single him out for “wrong or misleading information”, when the 25% figure you just floated out can be seen as such given that it’s not contextually related to the current discussion. I’ve only been on these forums for a bit over two years, but I keep seeing heated debates between the two of you (and occasionally others) with ill-intentioned jabs at one another, and it has to stop. It’s not healthy for either of you, let alone the current discussion and other users here. I don’t know either of you personally, and so I don’t know whether your arguments are rooted in real life arguments or only online ones. As @Ashley points out, those UK subscription prices seem to be quite new. I certainly hadn’t seen them before, and I was even quoting the US$ prices as recently as yesterday in this very thread. Back on topic, with regards to the pricing, a family account subscription for up to eight users to use is available which costs only £31.49/year. That’s what, around £0.33/month/user? I think Nintendo has made it quite accessible in terms of pricing, especially if you compare it at face value to the prices of Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus. Whether you’re getting your money’s worth in contrast to the other two major console online services is a different matter altogether, though, and one I’m sure we’ll see coming up time and time again until we learn more about their plans for the service.

The irony of wanting “transparent, fun, fair, and balanced” experiences for players in FIFA, when it’s been known/seen for years that the game is highly scripted

Get Out was great. This should be gooooood:

Yeah, I get where you’re coming from. We’ve seen quite a bit of gameplay, but the lack of context (for the most part) makes it really difficult to get a read on the game itself and how it might flow. I’m actually seeing a lot of opinions that it could be a dark horse/sleeper hit next year, and I think that depends on how Sony positions The Last of Us Part II: if that game has a large presence at E3 and/or PSX, and ends up having a late 2019 release date, then I think Days Gone will just be completely overshadowed. From everything we’re hearing, it seems more mechanically driven than The Last of Us, but, at face value, I can’t help but worry that (potential) consumers are going to see it as a Last of Us rip-off. I really do hope that it turns out to be a successful game (Sam Witwer’s awesome and deserves all the success that he gets), but I do think it’s riding that fine line between being potential sleeper hit and a bomb.

A lot of information coming from Game Informer on the game: • Been in development for five years. • First idea came after making Uncharted Golden Abyss. • More than 100 developers, team size has doubled since 2016. • Picks up several years after a pandemic has ravaged the US. • People infected by virus are simply called "infected" by NERO (National Emergency Response Organization). • NERO operated 12 checkpoints for quarantining and processing people, but now abandoned. • Deacon has a mercenary friend named Boozer. • Plot is about surviving, not finding a cure. • Stealing Boozer's stuff will make him upset, which will effect your relationship. • Five encampments in the world which Deacon goes between, has to forge relationships. • Have to clear out locations to unlock fast travel. • Weapons look worn down because of the rain. • Larger towns to explore. • Weapons lockers and safehouses which refill ammo. • Deacon can scout camps with binoculars. • Deacon is the enforcer of a biker club called the Mongrels. • Bike is completely upgradeable with cosmetic upgrades such as paint jobs. • Can increase fuel efficiency and durability, swap out tires based on weather. • Can ambush camps. • Wide variety of weapons such as Shotguns, sniper rifles, molotov cocktails, pistols, LMGs, grenades, napalm. • Freaker-ear bounties, hunting animals, camps to clear. • Flashback missions where you learn about Deacon's past with Sarah. • Ambush camps are bad, encampments are good. • Ambush camps will attack you roadside(marauders). • Freakers are drawn to dark places such as tunnels and will make nests. • Only way to clear freaker nests is via molotovs, gas cans, oil drums. • Deacon has "survival vision" which highlights items of interest, can be upgraded to highlight enemies. • Deacons stamina, health, time slowdown are upgradable. • Radio towers that you can climb. • No fetch quests or time trials, everything has context. • Hordes are scattered throughout the world. • 300 zombie hoard is a "baby hoard", E3 2016 demo had 500. • Hordes need to eat, sleep, and drink. Travel in groups. NERO mass grave was where they were in demo. We also have our first look at the game’s map: They also estimate that the game’s critical path is around 30 hours long, but this is a number which can easily be changed by the weather that you experience during your playtime.

Game Informer have been crushing it ahead of E3 this year - what with their excellent Spider-Man coverage last month and God of War earlier this year - and they’ve just revealed that Days Gone will be the game that they feature this month. I’m looking forward to learning more about this game, because we really don’t know much about it at this point, which is a bit perplexing given that it’s been present on-stage at the last few E3s.

It’s just going to be a five minute long apology for the cancellation of Final Fantasy VII Remake, isn’t it? But seriously, mentioning the future of the company makes me wonder what else we might see besides the already announced games scheduled for release later this year? An update on the Avengers Initative seems a good bet, but beyond that, I’m not too sure. It seems too early for Final Fantasy XVI, but maybe we’ll hear something about what Luminous Productions have started work on? If I’m remembering correctly, wasn’t it also this sort of time last year that Takahashi Tokita (director of Chrono Trigger) teased a Switch project? Maybe - if Nintendo are only keeping things first-/second-party for their Switch Online/Virtual Console replacement - we’ll get some news about a 2D Final Fantasy collection for Switch? Or a Chrono Trigger port? I’m probably focusing on the wording a little too hard, but I’m excited for what they have to show I’ll go update the original post!

I know Avatar (not the blue people) is not an ‘anime’ in the Western connotation of the word, but I do think this belongs here, if not because it rides the fine line between an anime and cartoon, then because I’m sure that some people here have enjoyed it! Anyways, a month or two back, it was announced that Avatar: The Last Airbender would finally be seeing a complete series blu-ray release this summer, and some reviews for it are coming in from over the pond (where it’s already out). Visually and audibly, it seems to be the best version out there, and is supposedly vastly superior to the DVD release of the complete series. Fingers crossed it makes its way over here. As someone who has made it a tradition to watch the show every summer, I’m really excited about finally being able to watch it without the blurriness visible throughout a lot of the DVD release

I don’t play the game personally (my little brother loves it), but their crossover with Marvel is insanely smart. I was only just talking to my brother the other day about how Dusty Divot looked exactly like the crater/site of Mjölnir in Thor, and how they’re very clearly setting Season 4 up in tandem with the release of Infinity War with a superhero movie-esque trailer. And then I saw this crazy thing: Fair play to Epic. I definitely see how so many people have become so invested in the game due to its many updates and excellent feedback loop, and I admire the fact that there is a base game which is still available for free.

What’s really frustrating about this is that we’re even more confused than we were before. Games we’d expect to see under the Virtual Console banner will be up and running within months - if that - on Switches which are utilising homebrew. They really do like to do things the hard way, don’t they?

https://kotaku.com/virtual-console-...witter&utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Twitter The exact phrasing is interesting. This is pretty much marketing speak for “Yeah, we’re rebranding”. To what extent remains to be seen: is it a Netflix-style service as @Serebii seems to think? I don’t necessarily think so; it could just as easily be classic games brought together under a different brand name, which isn’t surprising at all, considering that Nintendo have been doing a lot of work to reinvent their brand since the NES Classic was revealed. To be clear, the branding (Nintendo Entertainment System — Nintendo Switch Online) for the Switch online service on their site very clearly outlines that their current plans are for NES games only. Suggesting that legacy titles from the GB, SNES, GBA, GC, DS and/or Wii are guaranteed to come to this service when Nintendo are being so cryptic about it - when the text “with more on the way” is so vague as to what is actually coming - is a bit on the naive side. I absolutely agree with @Hero-of-Time: this has been handled poorly, and is notably unprofessional considering just how well Nintendo has done at accurately conveying the message of what the Switch is in its marketing campaign. We already knew that their plans were for a rebrand in some form anyways, though; the return of a brand called Virtual Console was never on the cards, but rebranding doesn’t necessarily mean a change in concept (such as to a Netflix-style service). Here’s an excerpt of an interview from last June, conducted by Kotaku: I’m both extremely worried and excited by what many seem to think Nintendo are currently proposing. Excited because, hey, I’d love a third party physical Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest collection for the Switch. But I’m worried because the phrasing of this seems to suggest that Nintendo are only going to be featuring first- and second-party games in their catalogue, regardless of whether it’s Netflix-style or just Virtual Console with a different name. While Nintendo has a great back-catalogue - arguably the greatest - the presence of a service/brand associated with a quality standard which allowed for third parties to rerelease legacy titles was a great way to incentivise third parties to do so. I just genuinely don’t see many third parties wanting to go out of their way to optimise, market and release legacy titles. I can’t see this actually being more profitable than Virtual Console, when one considers the size of Nintendo’s back-catalogue and the low cost of their online service if shared through a Family account.

I’ve mentioned this before, but, personally, this is probably the sole reason that I’ve been able to hold out on purchasing a Switch for so long. As enticing as Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, etc., are, I have an obscenely long back log of hundreds of games, about half of which I’d reckon are Nintendo games. I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll never be able to get through all of them, but the portability of the Switch is an aspect which can’t be overappreciated when it comes to playing such widely adored legacy titles. I’ve had to stave off the temptations of heavily investing in the Wii/Wii U/3DS Virtual Consoles, because Virtual Console has to come to Switch eventually. Right?! All I can think of is that they’re saving it for E3 as one of their trump cards. As great as Nintendo have been doing, they seriously need to fill out the second half of the year with some excellent titles, and I think Virtual Console being launched would help ease the mounting pressure that’s on them to deliver at this E3.

The more and more we talk about it, the more I’m convinced that Pokémon Switch will be exempt. @Hero-of-Time‘s and @Glen-i‘s point about how cloud saves could lead to cloning is something I hadn’t even thought about, and is an excellent point. There’s also the issue of multiple user accounts on the Switch, and saves currently being tied to the system, which means that multiple save files for a Pokémon game would be allowed, which I just don’t see happening. Having multiple people in a household have the same game is one of the biggest ways that I imagine they cash in. The only solution to these problems I can see them realistically using is the one that they’ve used since the first games, and that’s having the game save locally to the cartridge. That would almost certainly mean that it wouldn’t be tied to the online subscription service, in my mind?

Going back to how they’re handling the NES games tied to the service, though, I’m reading around and there’s a lot of confusion going on with regards to titles from other legacy platforms. “Will SNES, GC, etc., titles be coming to this service? It says that there’s more coming later...”; “It only makes mention of NES titles, so Virtual Console is still an option”; “no, I think this means Virtual Console is dead”, etc., etc. Nintendo need to have whatever they’re planning for other legacy titles worked out by, and announced at, E3. The Switch is already vulnerable, and all that’s left to do for emulators to run perfectly well on Switch now is optimisation to an fps count relative to the game. Oh, I totally agree. From a PR standpoint, I think such a move is incredibly risky when taking fans of other franchises into account. I don’t think that it’s something that they should pursue, to be clear. However, I do think it’s one of the few AAA titles that, from a business perspective, makes sense to make exempt. For one, the online services seen in Pokémon games is incredibly basic and pared down when compared to other games. It also is, by no means, the game’s main draw; I’d argue that it belongs in a conversation alongside Odyssey’s freerunning leaderboards as opposed to the likes of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. For many children, Pokémon will be a gateway experience into the Nintendo library of gaming, as it has been for the last 22 years, and I think it’s one of their franchises best positioned to do that. I don’t think that confusing parents with young children with the online capabilities of the Pokémon games and a subscription price being attached to them is the way to go. Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon were easily on course to cruise past the 20 million units sold mark, which would have been the first time this happened in the franchise since Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver. Nintendo’s radio silence on numbers since January 2017 means it’s unlikely that this mark was crossed, and the release of the divisive Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon likely borough Sun and Moon’s figures to a standstill. Just imagine how well a Pokémon Switch game will sell compared to this, what with a relatively older average consumer than the 3DS playing into the hands of a franchise that depends arguably a bit too much on nostalgia. However, my lukewarm take aside... I don’t think this can be understated. If Bank is turned into a free app, or one that’s bundled with a purchase of a Pokémon game, then maybe Pokémon Switch will be one of the games tied to the online service. But, if not, it seems unfair to ask Pokémon players to shell out for a subsidiary service on top of the core online subscription service when players of other games don’t have to. An important point that I forgot about up until now, though, is the actual price of the game: there is no way that Pokémon Switch doesn’t have an RRP of £59.99. The 3DS games has an RRP of £39.99, so what’s going to be so different about these games that their RRP is on the same level as games such as Super Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, etc.? As much faith as I have in Gamefreak when it comes to giving me an experience that makes me feel like a child again, I just don’t see them making this the fully fledged game that everyone optimistically wants to see at an RRP of £59.99. I think the addition of a free online for what is essentially only side content and not the main feature of the game, as well as access to a Pokémon Bank which doesn’t require any further cost, could go some ways towards justifying that kind of price tag.

~$4.40 if you split the $35 cost with the maximum seven other Nintendo Account holders seems like something that many will want to take advantage of. I’m curious if this is by design or if Nintendo have been a bit too innocent in assuming that users will use the Family membership as it was designed (i.e. for a family)? My bad forgot that PS Plus only expands storage for users, but it’s offered regardless; in which case, I’m not a fan of how it’s behind a paywall either. And yeah, I’m definitely getting the sense that Pokémon will be one of the titles exempt from the online subscription cost. It’s a system seller which always manages to play on nostalgia to the right degree for most (though notably a bit too much for some) much like Zelda and Mario. I don’t think I’m too concerned about a potential backlash which might arise from Bank returning as a paid service in addition to the cost of the online subscription, because every generation of Pokémon is keen to include every single species across their respective games (something I’m personally not a fan of, but alas) due to how competitive play is handled (i.e. a Pokémon must be native to the current generation of games to be used in tournaments, etc.). Then again, I could definitely see a small minority of hardcore competitive players being irked by that, seeing as they would feel obliged to pay for Bank to transfer their perfect Pokémon for breeding to the new games.

This actually sounds quite promising, at least to me. The way that they’re handling cloud saves, as far as I can tell, is the same as PlayStation and Xbox, so I don’t think anyone can complain too much about that if that is the case. I own a number of those NES games, but have only played a select few, and personally wouldn’t mind playing through them, especially with added online functionality. My only concern would be that the vast majority of Switch owners have more than likely already played some/all of those games and aren’t enticed by added online functionality. I’m hoping that this means that previous titles from all of their legacy platforms won’t be tied to such a service if and when they do come to Switch, and that we see the return of a Virtual Console-style set-up that is hopefully a bit more fleshed out and streamlined as a result; personally, I really do not like the idea of a Netflix-style service and would rather pay for and own the games myself as opposed to having them tied to an online service, so hopefully their silence on such a topic (NES games aside) is an indicator that that isn’t part of their plan. The family subscription, at least at first glance, sounds like a very smart idea too, and the online subscription prices currently being quoted seem more than fair given the current state of other online services. All in all, I think the newly announced items are interesting, and a good way to go. I’m still a bit worried about how well the online service will actually perform, and from everything that I’ve read, the smartphone app needs a complete overhaul, but it was smart of them to get this information out ahead of E3. There are still a few areas which aren’t fully explored in this newest release of information, so I hope that they leave this to the side during E3 to focus purely on the games and return to it in a dedicated Direct in July or August. I’m definitely inclined to pick up a subscription when I get a Switch later this year, if only for the special offers With this out of the way and no news on their plans for legacy titles beyond the NES, I wonder if they’re saving Virtual Console/whatever it will be called for E3? Dare I even suggest a shadow launch, on the day following their video presentation? (If you can’t tell, I really want Virtual Console on Switch...)

Man, I do love myself some Dunkey Side note: Labo arcade cabinet design coming when? Bundle it with Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. and I think you have a monster of a collector’s item.

Great result for us today, but there’s still a lot for us to do if we’re to secure Champions League football for next season; even if Tottenham draw mid-week and we win our next two games, we’ll more than likely still be at a disadvantage because of relatively inferior goal difference (-9 in comparison). So yeah, still a big uphill battle for us. Not quite sure why we decide to always do everything the hard way, but we took a mid-season siesta which has come back to bite us in the behind. It’s nice to see the lads have a bit of grit between their teeth now. @Hero-of-Time, I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you. I think it’s much more likely that Tottenham drop points in their remaining two games than you in your final one.

After seeing the trailer before Infinity War a few times now, I have to admit: I’m really starting to warm up to it. Pretty cool 360 video for the film:

Yeah, this has me a bit confused, actually. Granted, I’ve got a whole lot of Dragon Quest that I want to play through before playing this game, but, as someone who loves JRPGs conceptually (a focus on story, character, and simple to get to grips with but hard to master techniques) and is going to dive head first into the genre this summer, I find myself drawn to much more classically designed JRPGs, because they seem like an excellent gateway into the genre. Maybe I’m wrong, but I can’t imagine starting with a modernised, action-oriented take on the JRPG formula - such as Final Fantasy XV - and finding it easy to revert back to older, more classically designed games, such as the pre-X Final Fantasy games, the majority of the Dragon Quest games, or Chrono Trigger, based on what I’ve read/seen/played of those games. It’s probably the same people who want Pokémon to change its battle mechanics, but the simplicity of the age-old mechanics for new fans - and a thoroughly ingrained understanding of it for longtime fans - is part of what makes it so easy for the franchise to come across as so charming.

In a stream yesterday, it was revealed that Beyond Good & Evil 2 will be making an appearance at this year’s E3. Some new gameplay was shown off during the stream, but the current focus of the development team is E3, and they supposedly have a lot of surprises in store for us. I thought they’d be going quiet for a few years, honestly I wonder if they’re further along with this game than we realise? The gameplay that they revealed yesterday looked like it was coming together well.

Staff combat and ship manoeuvres gameplay: Information revealed during the stream:

God of War reportedly sold 3.1 million in only its first 3 days, making it the fastest selling PS4 exclusive to date. For comparison, Uncharted 4 sold 2.7 million units in its first week, and Horizon Zero Dawn sold 2.6 million units in its first two weeks.

New gameplay of the Western version:

I’ve just had a quick look around, and it doesn’t look like they’ve announced if/how it’ll be available to those who aren’t BT Sport subscribers. Seems a bit odd, given that they’ve had it - and the UEL final - up on BT Showcase, their own website/app, and on their YouTube channel for free to watch/stream in recent years. Just have to wait and see what they say about it, I guess if they’re going to do anything like they have in recent years again, maybe they’ll announce it tonight, once the UEL finalists are confirmed?