Dcubed

So... it's a game about cancel culture? This is gonna have some very right-wing political messaging, isn't it?

That's because Hexen is the direct sequel to Heretic. I'd be surprised if it didn't look so similar I should play this at some point. Never have, but I do like a good Doom clone

Decent showing, bit thin on the ground for first party games though... Seems like it's gonna be a pretty dry year for Playstation Studios overall.

Hey! Speak of the devil @Julius...

So... it's like a SM3DW + Bowser's Fury kind of thing then? A remaster with a new game attached onto it as well? Nice. Surprised that they're leaning into the characters and setting of Shadow The Hedgehog, would've thought that they'd try and distance themselves from that mess of a game... (I can hear the internal screams coming from @Glen-i already ).

Damn shame that it didn’t pan out. I guess Velan Studios (the staff from Vicarious Visions that splintered off after working on this cancelled DK game) was too small a team to be working on a game like this though, so I guess that’s how they got the Mario Kart Live gig following this then? Hope that rumour about EPD Tokyo working on a 3D DK game turns out to be true… they’ve been radio silent since they released Mario Odyssey in 2017; and I can’t imagine that they’ve been working on nothing but 3D Mario for Switch 2 for the past 7 years…

History has already shown that Nintendo can't win a head-on battle against Sony. They will always lose if attempting to compete on even footing in that red ocean, as 3rd parties will always politically favour Sony and they will never be able to outspend their competition. Nintendo's own IP isn't strong enough to overcome the tide (especially now that Sony's own first party output is pretty comparable from a commercial standpoint). Nintendo have to operate by offering something different. It's the fundamental, core part of their DNA that has kept them going. The gameplay evolution of their IPs also depends on them developing new hardware that allows for new types of gameplay mechanics to be made that couldn't be done before. Gameplay stagnation will eventually kill them.

You say that, but the hybrid form-factor isn't going to be much of a distinct USP over the next generation as the likes of Valve continue to encroach on their space with the Steam Deck... The portable PC space is only going to get more and more crowded as time goes on; and with even Microsoft now reportedly moving away from x86 and onto ARM with the next generation? A standard "Switch 2" isn't going to stand out very much in the market as time goes on. Complacency is very tempting, but also usually what happens before a fall. The Third Console Curse is a thing for a very good reason, and it's usually because the market leader gets over-confident, arrogant and complacent. Nintendo also need to consider the creative needs of their developers, who are no doubt begging for fresh new hardware that allows for fresh new experiences (Don't forget that Miyamoto himself has already been expressing a desire for new control schemes and new forms of play as far back as 2019). The last thing Nintendo needs is to lose their creative staff as they grow unsatisfied with chasing the status quo (especially as Chinese companies continue to poach Japanese developers en-masse).

Bloody hell! Low Poly is back! Has been a long time since the last episode! Always appreciate a detailed look at proper artistry on display (save for the last one.. which I reckon is rather wasteful and poor looking by comparison to the rest of the Snake models)

Looks like you may well be wrong… Looks like there’s gonna be some substantial new content and not just a straightforward remaster after all! That certainly changes things significantly

Well, if things keep going as they are and nothing really new or exciting comes along? I may just end up dropping out of playing modern games altogether and just go full retro from here on out if they can’t bring out something fresh & interesting, and keep disappointing me… Zelda? Pokemon? 3D Mario? All of their new releases on Switch have left me tremendously disappointed. Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Metroid Dread are the big two first party single player games on the console that I unequivably loved; both of those games utterly blew me away and both offered meaty, hand-crafted experiences with expert level design and bold new gameplay ideas and concepts that they nailed perfectly. (Note that I haven’t played Pikmin 4 or Bayonetta 3 yet because I’m holding out for a likely performance boost on the next console at this point; we’re close enough now that I might as well just wait it out). Kirby & the Forgotten Land was also great as well. These kinds of experiences are becoming ever increasingly rare however; especially as Nintendo seem to be falling more and more in-line with wider industry trends and open world game design (which I can’t stand). If this continues? I may end up just giving up on playing new modern games altogether. As for the whole thing about OLED vs LCD? It would be disappointing if they moved back to LCD for me, but not a deal breaker. Given the choice? I’d rather the hardware budget go into the CPU/GPU guts and the specialist inputs/display features than OLED niceties that could be added later on with a revised model. Hell, I’d much rather see them go with an autostereoscopic 3D LCD display again than go for 1080p handheld or 4k on the telly. I have the Spatiallabs View autosteroscopic 3D display for my PC and it is, by far, the most next-gen and exciting display related thing I’ve experienced since the 3DS came out. If you ever see something like Octopath Traveller or HiFi Rush running on this thing? You wouldn’t give two shits about anything OLED ever again, it is a true revelation that I would kill to see Nintendo adopt with their next console!

Surprised that it has taken this long TBH. Though that being said, I wonder what they’d do with it on Xbox; considering that the BC 360 version already runs at a full 4k/60FPS on Series X as-is… Also, what about Sonic Lost World? We already have a PC version (which runs on the same engine) and have had it for a good few years now… Will that get an Xbox/PS5 port as well?

Bloody hell! Talk about a late port. How random, surprised that they wouldn’t just go straight to the sequel really. Should do well on PC though. The genre is right and the price is right.

What a fuck up of epic proportions. Insane just how much of the traditional video game industry is just getting destroyed as Embracer impodes on itself. The video game industry is so fucked. We're gonna be looking at the next great console market crash very soon. And not just that, but these idiots are also gonna end up taking down Middle Earth Enterprises and Dark Horse Comics along with them too. Crazy to think that both companies involved with the LOTR movies will end up getting killed by both Unity (Weta) and Embracer (Middle Earth Enterprises) both imploding at the same time!

Would make for a great Switch 2 launch day exclusive… just saying

The trailer was literally better than the game itself Yeah, I agree. Which is why I'm worried that we're going to end up getting something utterly safe and boring. Nintendo just don't seem inclined to take the kinds of risks they used to anymore... I hope I end up being wrong though!

Yeah, those games do err more extreme; but I like the balance that ISS has between arcade & realism. Mario Strikers Charged Football is the best as far as full-on cartoony football goes though I'm just not a fan of full-on simulation football, it's just all a bit dull to me. But sometimes you don't want full-on looney tunes, which is where ISS strikes that perfect balance for me. Edit: I guess a closer match to ISS would be Virtua Striker 2 & 3 for the Dreamcast and GCN respectively… but those games lack the elegance and control fluidity of the N64 ISS games.

Pro Evo is a very different kind of footy game though, erring much more to the side of realism than the ISS games before it. The Pro Evo games on PS2 were indeed great, and far better than FIFA, but they weren't really the same kind of game. As far as its particular breed of arcade style of footy goes? No, I don't think the ISS games were ever really topped. You had a few good attempts, like Red Card on the PS2/Gamecube, but this kind of game really died out as the PS2 came into being.

HD Rumble is standard across the industry now (Xbox notwithstanding), so that's not going anywhere. Likewise, no reason to remove the NFC functionality either. Amiibos are still being made, and NFC also has other potential applications not yet explored (such as contactless cards and the Super Nintendo World Power Bands); it's also dirt cheap to implement and doesn't impact on aesthetics or other functionality. It's really tough to see where they go with Switch 2. I can't see them changing the concept of the system when the hybrid form factor has been such a massive success (and is still yet to be copied by Microsoft or Sony; though you're now seeing the likes of Valve encroaching on their territory with the Steam Deck), but Miyamoto has previously mentioned wanting to do something radically different with the controls for Switch 2; and I can't imagine Nintendo's designers being satisfied with just making such a boring and safe more-of-the-same successor. And neither can I. Switch is the most boring and safe console Nintendo has made since the Gamecube, and I'm desperate for something truly new and exciting at this point. I'm not really sure what form it'll take exactly, but I've previously spoken about how I think that going with a foldable display would be a great idea and a brilliant way of bringing back the dual screens concept (and even introducing front/back screens as a new gameplay possibility in the process). I'd also be very happy to see past hardware features make a return, such as the IR Pointer/Sensor Bar, Stereoscopic 3D, front/rear cameras, microphones and the Stylus; all features that are sorely missed and would allow for both returning game concepts from the DS/3DS/Wii/Wii U that can't currently be replicated, as well as new types of games that have yet to be made with those existing technologies (certainly there's still loads of untapped potential that was never realised with those previous consoles). At the very least, I just really want to see something fresh. It would be utterly soul crushing if Switch 2 just ends up being a more powerful Switch; especially seeing as hardware/control input/display tech innovation within this industry has basically ground to a halt outside of Nintendo. I'm fucking starving for something really fresh and new; I'm uttery sick of the status quo and I want crazy Nintendo back!

A legend within the genre. It's truly remarkable just how much Konami got it right on their first try. And really? This game was simply never bettered, even arguably by its own sequels. It's the perfect blend of realistic simulation and un-realistic arcade style footy fun. It's fast & snappy and its control mechanics both instantly accessible and surprisingly in-depth; with plenty of options available for both tactical gameplay (such as through-passing) and player expression (such as the functionally pointless keepy-upy moves). Anyone can pick up the controller and immediately understand how to play; the controls expertly mapped to the N64's buttons in a shockingly intuitive fashion (c-up? Through ball, makes perfect sense). Joe Casual could even get by just understanding that A passes and B shoots; with the more complex controls being mapped to the c-buttons for more seasoned players. The AI is also tuned so well. Each team feels distinct and like their real world counterparts (French players feigning fouls? Yup, that's here! Brazil being showoffs that taunt you with keepy upppies? Yup, here too). You can really tell that the developers understood and LOVED the sport. And though the game lacks any sort of licensing? It perfectly captures the spirit of football. From the general presentation & atmosphere, to the gameplay movement mechanics, to the super upbeat and catchy music, it just puts you in the mood for a kickabout... Admit it, you wanna play it right now And of course, we have to mention the commentator. Utterly ludicrous, massively entertaining and truly legendary. The ISS64 commentator is so well loved within retro gaming circles that he had his own Twitter account! And even till this day, people are still making videos where the ISS 64 commentator is dubbed over classic football matches (this one here is just brilliant ). It really can't be overstated just how ahead of its time this game was. When this game launched in 1997, it completely blew away every other football game. It was basically a full generational leap over the competition in terms of presentation, and played like an absolute dream by comparison. Even putting aside the disastrous Fifa 64 for a moment (a game so bad that you could literally win by letting the goalie hold onto the ball until the match timer ran out), its contemporary competition looked and felt positively ropey by comparison... Not (FIFA Road To World Cup 98 - PS1) Even (Sega Worldwide Soccer 97 - Saturn) Close (ISS Pro - PS1) It's also worth noting that the ISS games on the PS1 were made by a completely different team at KCE Tokyo (while the N64 games were made by Major A productions at KCE Osaka). The difference in quality between the ISS games for N64 and PS1 is staggering, and when people talk about how great ISS once was? They're specifically referring to the Major A games for the N64 here. The 3rd N64 game (ISS 2000) would end up being the last of its kind however, as the N64 series would end up morphing into what became known as Pro Evolution Soccer as we moved into the following generation; but while the Pro Evo games became well loved in their own right? They would end up going further down the simulation route and away from that blend of sim & arcade that defined the N64 titles. This means that the three N64 ISS titles (64, 98 and 2000) stand as still being unique and well loved within the sports genre as a whole. If there is any real flaw to hold against ISS 64 however? It comes down to that classic Konami cheapness we've come to expect from them as a publisher. Now, I'm not referring to the lack of licenses here (that actually gives the game a rather unique, kitschy charm), but rather the lack of on-cartridge saving. This is 1997, and Konami had the gall to require the player to purchase and use an N64 Memory Pak to save your game at all; these things are notoriously flaky and prone to failure, which unfortunately makes playing the longer seasons an exercise in frustration that really isn't the fault of the game itself. Like... come on. Konami were already being cheap by using a 64mbit/8MB N64 cart with this one (which was the cheapest cartridge size available around the console's launch), but to not even include on-cart flash for game saves is insulting. Just like with Castlevania Dracula X, Konami went for the cheapest and nastiest cartridge that they could get away with, and the game suffers for it. But luckily, football games like this don't really have a lot of unique art assets (it's essentially just a couple of stadium models, one set of repeated textures and a handful of character models with some pallette swaps); so the actual game itself doesn't really suffer for the small cartridge size. If anything, the majority of the cartridge space likely went to the audio presentation (cartridge space well spent); so thankfully it's not a repeat of what happened with Castlevania Dracula X here. Finally, I'd like to give a special shoutout to the Scenario Mode; which pits the player against a set of specific challenges that are meant to represent famous historical footy matches. They're pretty simple affairs, like being forced to play England when they're down 2-4 against Germany in the last 30 mins and you're tasked to somehow claw back victory following a free kick; but they add a nice single player diversion away from the main league mode and multiplayer. ISS 98 would go on to expand on this idea with its larger Scenario mode and its excellent Training mode; both of which are amongst the best things about that game, but more on that when @Cube eventually gets round to ISS 98 in a few months or so. Still, it's things like this that make ISS 64 stand out within the football and even sports genres as a whole. ISS 64 isn't just a game that was well ahead of its time, it's also a game that has stood the test of time. It's still one of the best footy games ever made, and while it's far from the most realistic take on the sport, few other football games have ever managed to capture the real magic of the beautiful game like ISS 64 did. It's Miyamoto approved for a damn good reason, what a howler of a game!

It really is remarkable just how much Nintendo turned around their communication when Switch took over from Wii U. Like, it's a complete 180; almost as if it came from an entierly different company.

War Gods might be a bit crap as a competitive fighter, but I do really like its presentation. The announcer voice is great, and the game oozes that OTT mid-90s Midway arcade style. It's cheesy in a good way, and it certainly entertains; even if it's all a bit skin deep. Midway presents... WAR GODS!! Ultimately a good port of a fairly middling arcade fighter. Not Midway's best game in the arcades to begin with, but it's part of a string of quality Midway arcade ports to hit the platform over its lifetime; and it's at least worth watching on Youtube for its carnie-esc personality.

The thing about the voice samples being so low quality in the original is that you don’t really notice it because it’s meant to be low quality radio chatter; so it makes sense that the radio signal would sound ropey anyway. Very clever

Shame you can’t use the HDD on a slim PS2… Fat PS2s are booty.

Looking forward to digging into that new deep lore lamayoh