Julius

No problem at all! I'm still surprised it worked

Just tested something which might work - sent you another line

Not sure if it'll work but I've dropped you a PM with the link fingers crossed!

Can confirm: Thanks for the heads-up H-o-T, didn't get the email notification for some reason, despite it sitting firmly at the top of my inbox currently in the queue... Update: there it is

Somehow, Tears of the Kingdom turns one year old today! To commemorate the occasion, Nintendo have released a stunning piece of artwork from one of my favourite moments of the game (link for a phone wallpaper!) And this follows the beautiful piece of art we got just a day before launch last year: Okay, so one year on – for those who have played TOTK, how are you feeling about it now? For me, I'll be honest, it does lack the freshness in the world and I was a bit letdown by the lack of story connectivity to BOTW and progression in Hyrule's various settlements, oh and, well, the UI/mountain of menus kind of suck. But, for me, just to ramble off some of my favourite aspects: there is a stronger emphasis in key moments on its music; I thought the bosses and temples were much improved (Colgera's theme and the Sky Temple hnnnnnnnng); the vertical expansion of the world offered so much more room for exploration; I much prefer the abilities to BOTW's for their accuracy and ambition allowing for a greater sense of sandbox-like creativity and more nuanced, individualised approaches; the treasure trove of secrets; I love the small army battles, the caves, the initial exploration of certain darker areas in the map, and oh...that ending. The final few fights and moments of TOTK's story, for me, are well up there with some of my favourites in gaming, period. It lives in my head rent-free. It was my GOTY last year, sneaking in there at the last second, and of the Zelda games that I have played to completion - which isn't a lot; it's Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time, Tears of the Kingdom and Link's Awakening - it is, by far and away, while not a perfect experience, my favourite Zelda experience. (and yes I need to play more Zelda games don't @ me we'll get to those others in due course)

Someone made a Star Wars mod for the game and it looks INCREDIBLE

I'm now super confused about what does and doesn't belong in the "Nintendo Switch Successor Announced" thread; is that not the de facto Switch 2/whatever thread now? Assigning the words "heavy-hitting" to anything Metroid related is kind of wild to me after Dread broke Metroid franchise sales records by selling 3 million units (which, while great for a bit of a series revival, is measly in the grand sum of Nintendo IP) and considering that we haven't had a meaningful update on Prime Remastered sales since it broke the 1 million units sold mark. It's still an incredibly niche franchise. I think the only way Prime 4 ends up a Switch 2 exclusive is if it's a technical showcase for the console which can't physically run on the OG Switch, which I don't think is impossible, because I'd say Metroid is one of the few IP Nintendo has where I do think it can be given a layer of polish to visually rival other modern AAA juggernauts. Mario, Zelda, Animal Crossing, etc., they all look fantastic, but they don't offer the opportunity for a visual blitzing that Metroid does: I'm thinking particle effects; I'm thinking smoke, clouds, leathery alien skin, shiny metal, boots-on-the-ground dirt-on-the-visor; and I'm thinking...more particle effects Besides that argument, though - which I won't deny is, for me, the strongest one - I don't think software sales is a reason to consider making Prime 4 an exclusive game for the Switch 2. I really don't. Waving goodbye to an install base of 140+ million for a franchise as niche as Metroid is for anything other than technical reasons? I think it'd be wild to do if they genuinely have the option of bringing it to the OG Switch. I think how they handle Prime 4 will be really telling for how that potential cross-gen period might play out for the first couple of years of the Switch 2's life.

Grain of salt, blah blah blah, but PapaGenos (who was on top of the Prime Remastered shadowdrop and Mario vs Donkey Kong announcement) is hinting that a Legend of Zelda game with Zelda in the lead role is on its way: If you take the capital letters in the tweet: So, please be excited for Hyrule Warriors: Princess Zelda ~ Showtime! ft Cooking Mama

According to Deadline, Sigourney Weaver has signed onto The Mandalorian & Grogu in an as yet undisclosed role: She's totally playing Grogu, right?

Comunicado oficial: Mbappé is leaving PSG this summer. Not one mention of Nasser Al-Khelaifi the entire video, despite thanking everyone at PSG, in the entire city of Paris, and their mothers. Love it

Been in a Star Wars-heavy mood following the Celebration news and TPM viewing last weekend, so... I watched Tales of the Empire in one sitting on Sunday morning. Loved it. Both arcs felt meaningful and not at all stale, so I'd definitely give it the edge over Tales of the Jedi. Getting to see Thrawn and the Grand Inquisitor in TCW style was awesome, they looked PERFECT. Also have to highlight this: Been obvious they've been using matte paintings for a while in the animated series now, but taking this physical miniature and utilising it in an animated series like this is unreal - and just for one shot, too! Some seriously talented people out there! Also, not really spoiler-y considering who it involves I don't think, but for the first time EVER in this style we go beyond the realm of the prequel trilogy and it's subsequent years and then beyond the original trilogy and into the years between ROTJ and Mando/Ahsoka for the final episode focused on Morgan Elsbeth, for the first time I think really a clear hint that this team might be open to reusing this art style beyond it's original prequel era scope. I think with how much time has clearly been invested into it and the tools they use, a bit of tweaking aside to make things feel fresh in terms of proportions, I would love for them to use it for the next show, if only so we can kick on with it already! Really have my fingers crossed that it's not yet another show set between III and IV. I've been tired of that era being mined for years at this point... Anyways, we also got the official release of this OST, The Bad Batch S3's, as well as the OSTs for Rebels S3 and S4 - after years of waiting! Which means I finally get to listen back to some of my favourites in an official capacity Last night I re-watched Attack of the Clones. Meh. It contains the only scenes I can't go without cringing through in the series, it's a bit of a mess pacing-wise (okay, a lot of a mess pacing-wise), and well, yeah - up until Rise of Skywalker it was the weakest Star Wars for film for me, and now it's just second to it. Across the Stars deserved so much better than the romance that film served up considering that it's Williams at his best, and while there's a good bit of recycling going on from TPM, the use of Duel of the Fates while Anakin tracks down his mother, the new recording of the Trade Federation theme when unveiling the clone army (which might seem lazy but is a musical way to scream at the audience that Palps is behind both) and the Imperial March kicking into full swing at the end as the new Grand Army of the Republic is dispatched are the musical highlights for me. Oh, and the best detonation sound effect of any film, ever, during that asteroid chase sequence - Ben Burtt at his best! And, lastly, today I re-watched Revenge of the Sith. I haven't much new to say about it that I haven't before...except that this happened: (damn you Letterboxd and your "four favourites"!) I think Empire is objectively the best Star Wars film, and I think the only other film really in with a shout is A New Hope. To me you can take the Star Wars aspect of it aside and they're still two of the best films ever put to film. But - I've said it before, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise - Revenge of the Sith is my absolute favourite Star Wars film. I can watch it over, and over, and over again; it has, in my opinion, by far and away the best single soundtrack of any Star Wars film; the best duel (sorry, Duel of the Fates); the immolation scene is one of the best-acted moments in the entire Saga; and the CGI still looks great 80% of the time today, as does much of the background art done for the film, which is some feat. That final shot you get of Naboo towards the end is otherworldly. Planning to revisit Solo for the first time (yup, I've only watched it once before!) this weekend, as well as go in to experience the glory of Rogue One once again I am in a VERY Star Wars-y mood, it's safe to say!

God of War Ragnarök is rumoured to be the next PlayStation exclusive coming to PC: Now the question is: announced at an unannounced State of Play/Showcase this month, or at Summer Game Fest next month? The rumours of a PlayStation event this month have persisted for a while now, and it definitely feels like we're due one anytime...

Galactus inbound:

I think between Leverkusen and Real, what becomes apparent is just how comfortable they are once stoppage time arrives. The mental fortitude those teams have and the way that has to play on the minds of their opposition must be insane. Leverkusen were 3½ minutes into stoppage time and not taking it to the corner to take the safe route to the final - which pitted against Roma's need for another to make it through meant it was serious end-to-end stuff - but instead just passing it around on the edge of the final third. They looked so calm and composed, whereas as a viewer you're so used to normally seeing teams get very cagey and rush things through at that late stage, hook it into the box from any and every angle. Got to be the best non-UCL team in Europe since Simeone's Atletico for me. Sure, Sevilla have the trophies to back them up in this particular competition, but they've never shown this level of confidence and quality before. Just totally in control.

17 after the 90th minute now this season. Absolutely insane stuff

Bayer Leverkusen are now 49 games unbeaten in all competitions after turning that back around, a record in the era of regular European competition and overtaking the 48 by Eusebio's Benfica over half a century ago. Incredible. Indescribable. Inevitable.

OH MY GODDDDDDDD

Pretty sure the commentator just called Bayer Leverkusen "Bayern Munich" Oh dear

Here we go

Roma 2-0 up on the night and level on aggregate against Leverkusen. 25 minutes for their plot armour to kick in, then...

Interesting first half in Leverkusen where Roma were getting pushed back against the wall and Leverkusen were unleashing shot after shit, and then a penalty gives Roma some hope. Really fun to watch this Leverkusen side, they're just unrelenting and really solid at shutting down counters through the middle.

Yeah, definitely think you're right here. They both have apps - I HAVE to imagine that Nintendo do something the app for the Switch 2 or give NSO an overhaul - and so integrating it there for starters, like how PlayStation allows syncing screenshots and clips from the last 14 days, would be a solid first step. I do wonder if the jump in file size from HD to 4K puts the thought of cost at the forefront, too, even more so than usual. ftfy

Oh, absolutely agree, it's very backwards. It's the same with how PlayStation took it away not too long ago, and likely for the same, kind of understandable reason, but now it's such a pain to share things from that platform. I wonder what the workaround is here? Especially with how important social media is for word of mouth on games these days; I've lost count of the number of times friends will come to me with Game X or Game Y (thankfully not the Pokémon games with those titles ) after seeing them on their feeds and asking if it's worth looking into. There's also just kind of something special about a feed being flooded with Zelda or BG3 or a surprise game like Balatro shortly after it's release, and I do think it's especially important for the indie scene that a platform to share footage of a game is easily accessible. Social media platforms besides Twitter, currently known as X, just don't seem suitable for throwing up clips and screenshots in such a haphazard way, nor are they as simple and reliable to share and embed, I find. Anyways, whatever the solution may be, I wonder if it's part of the general Switch and Switch 2 experience or if it's going to be bundled into NSO (or if they're just going to pull a PlayStation and do sod all)

SONOS have just rolled out one of the worst app updates I've ever been subject to – removing a number of key features and remixing the layout of their app, including removing the alarm function (which I use on a daily basis!) and volume control being a bit of a mess. Just...why?

Elon can get bent. Thanks for this, going to give it a test run later