LazyBoy

Sorry Joe, I think looks great. They've put 7 in 4's world, added an inventory and I think a flavor of Souls esque worldbuilding. Look, farther it gets away from VI the better. Excited about this.

Not good. I fear for British studios in particular. We've been an economy for sale since the 80s, but since Brexit its been a fire sale. I don't care that video games are not the most political medium, censorship of any kind is poison to creative works. Thank god Chinese hegemony is solidifying in the age of feasible Indie development, else I fear there would not be room for creative developers to breathe.

I'm not clear, is that to finance further acquisitions or to manage debt?

Lovely write up, cheers Nick.

Ok so just watched the video above, and if I’m understanding this right any increase in power of the machine would only be to compensate for frame rate drops that result from upscaling to higher resolutions -right? So there would be any need to create a split tier of games in the switch library?

I just don't see them taking the risk. They are at the same time the most creatively ambitious video company, and the most financially conservative. Their hardware advances have only ever been ambitious when they're up against the cosh - Wii came in response to the failed GC, DS to counter the emerging mobile scene, Switch to counter failed Wii U. When they're operating from a position of strength, as they are now, they tend to opt for mid-generation hardware refinements that streamline and update, making the machine more efficient (and probably cheaper) without improving the ability of the machine - DS Lite, Switch Lite, GBA SP (nostalgia bomb, anyone remember this fucking beauty of a machine?). Cost is low and it can't be made redundant through poor adoption (like the Virtual Boy, the likely lesson that taught them their conservatism).

I’ll admit I have no idea when it comes to the tech. However in 20 years any time Nintendo has been rumoured to be giving us a performance boost it turns out to be bullshit.

Evidence is clear. What we have here is a Prestige situation, and no one can be sure who the original is. All I know is that he's dangerous and should be stopped.

I prefer the runs where shit fucks up and they have to improvise. Anything like that this year? Randomisers are normally the best for this.

Good post. Talk to me about Kovar - too young or completely out of his depth?

Sounds like bullshit. Shame though, give me Metroid Prime 4 in 4K.

Partner with more Indies like with Cadence of Hyrule. That or just some new IPs.

There are so many indie games I want to play, its hard to know where to start. Good to know the industry is so buoyant though. What's the financial health of these small studios, are they coping well?

I hope to be settled in a my new place by the time this comes out, commit to it for a couple months.

@Julius you’re completely right - I tend towards hyperbole after a couple drinks. Of course there is not a ‘Correct’ type of game, and narrative lead games are just as valid as any others. As you reference - the Souls games are nothing without their world building, and though I criticise the lack of gameplay innovation in Last of Us 2, I thoroughly enjoyed the first one. I just love BotW.

It’s a generational game. The further on in time I get from my first play through the more that is evident. Universal systems, the likes of which make BotW so flexible, so open to creativity, were far more present in older games I feel. As games became bigger and more complicated it became easier just to create big games with many systems - think GTA where between the driving and shooting you almost have 2 different games. Eventually we got Ubisoft style games where you have a sneaking game, a platforming game, a management sim and a combat emulator all existing in one package but all requiring the user to stick to that system at any one time. BotW feels like the first in a long while to reset and say “here’s the challenge, here are your tools, go nuts”. Leave out your shite wannabe moviemaker plot lines and your ‘cinematic gameplay’, empower the player and they will create their own art.

Underland - Robert Macfarlane This was a nice surprise for Christmas. A variety of anecdotes and insights presented via a trip through some of the deepest places on earth. Wonderfully written, genuinely enlightening - thoroughly recommended for fans of travel books or people who just like learning new things. 5/5

Could this be part of the reason all the NPCs feel quite unique in BotW? Because they've used a shortcut?

Kind of a bum final in the end. Well deserved by Price.

@Julius very happy to hear that, and will look forward to reading about you playing through the other games (if only so I can invade you at inopportune moments). edit: The lore is far richer in the later games as well, something to look forward to.

I still haven't unclenched. Firstly - Villa. How good are they? Really, they ain't some flukey outfit, they are the real deal. I'm talking European places easy. We were very good again, especially defensively, if quite tired. Pogba in particular has started to turn up recently, whilst Bailly has done great in coming in for Lindelof. Where's Van De Beek though? His absence is getting real strange. Top of the table on points. Crazy.

Don't tease me like this! edit: Chissy just threw 116 in that last set. Madness edit 2: Unbelievable. An humbling of the highest order. Chisnall surely favourite now?

Screamed my head off when that went in, huge 3 points. Wolves are such a good defensive unit - plenty of men back at all times, disciplined (especially in moving up), and they never make mistakes. Shout out to Matic and Bailly, thought they were great.

Oh Cullen. Just folded at the end. Two opportunities to win it at the bull. MVG though, winning against 19 180s in a 4 set game. Ridiculous.

Holy shit turn it on now if you aint watching already.