Dcubed

Pretty sure that it’s the latter. Doesn’t matter if you’re keeping the old system or not. I was of the impression that everything except for Animal Crossing (due to it being the ONE game on Switch that doesn’t have its save files tied to a specific user; but rather to the console) would transfer over when you do a data transfer from one Switch to another? Guess EA must be actively blocking it somehow?

I love the UI in this game. It’s incredibly faithful to the classic 2D Metroid aesthetic. Everything about it is absolutely accurate to the classic 2D Metroid series, right down to the font choice, the colours, the layout, the use of the L&R buttons on the status screen; and even the presentation of the file select screen (The classic “Samus Files” are presented just like how they are in the SNES & GBA games; even including the classic animation of Samus turning her head towards the camera when you select the file! ). The UI feels just like the classic pixel art 2D Metroids, just now presented in HD. It goes a long way towards making Metroid Dread feel like the legitimate Metroid 5 that it really is. It’s decidedly un-modern, but still feels slick and fun to use. It’s absolutely perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing about it!

See Nintendo? It really wasn’t that hard. Fantastic news!

So I just beat the first boss and got up to the second area… I’m absolutely loving it so far! And it hasn’t quite played out to my expectations either… First off, Samus controls like absolute butter and she has never felt better to control! Gone is the staccato rhythm of combat from Samus Returns in favour of far more fluid traversal & combat. Thankfully, they’ve ditched the idea of having every single enemy be super aggro like in Samus Returns and the focus on the melee counter has been greatly reduced. You won’t be seeing every single enemy lunge at Samus with a glowing light asking for her to counter them here in Dread and instead, most enemies are more like classic Metroid foes with some aggro ones thrown in. It’s a nice balance and the game’s enemies feel much more varied as a result than they did in Samus Returns. Speaking of which, the difficulty also feels more finely tuned than in Samus Returns as well. Most enemies don’t hit as hard as in SR and they’re also a lot more generous with missile & ammo drops than in that game (it’s not uncommon for enemies to drop 50hp or more!). It’s certainly on the harder side of Metroid, but it doesn’t feel nearly as unfriendly to the player as SR did so far. Secondly, the game feels much more linear so far than I was expecting. While you don’t have the guiding hand of Adam telling you exactly where your target is, the level design has a fairly obvious critical path that leads you towards progression. From what I hear, this changes up later on though. It’s not a bad thing at all (I do love Fusion after all), it’s just not what I was expecting from the outset. Finally, the EMMI encounters don’t quite play out like the stealth sequences I was expecting them to be… The areas where they appear are quite wide and open, and these sequences play out more like an escape sequence than stealth per-say. They’re really fun! And they do make you feel the sense of Dread that the game is going for, but they’re not quite like the stealth sequences that I thought they were going to be. They’re much faster paced and action focused than I had expected. Also… I pulled off the EMMI counter on my first attempt Sadly I didn’t pull it off the second time I was captured Turns out that the counter timing is randomised each time you’re captured!

Sounds like it's more like Xenoblade than Xenoblade X... which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned The areas are still stonkingly huge. It's just that it has 5 seperated "open worlds" that you choose between when you set out on your quest from the main hub.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2021-metroid-dread-tech-review 900p/60FPS in Docked (virtually flawless performance); native 720p/60FPS in Handheld. Cutscenes are 30FPS. The BIG win though is the 5.1 surround sound mix; which is apparently one of the best on the Switch

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/10/sad-times-the-amazing-flip-grip-accessory-doesnt-work-on-switch-oled Good news! A new version of the FlipGrip is currently in the works for the SWOLED

I wouldn’t expect anything more than that. Most likely these are based on the previous mobile ports.

The Houser brothers actively hated Nintendo though ever since the fall out over Body Harvest on the N64. This is an even more unlikely and surreal release than FF7! There is absolutely no way in hell this would’ve happened if Dan Houser wasn’t kicked out of Rockstar last year. Take Two have managed to wrestle control of the company from the Houser brothers and this is the first real major sign of change that’s come as a result. This is HUGE for Rockstar.

Wow! It finally happened… End of an era for Rockstar. This would never have happened if Dan Houser was still at Rockstar. His absence is an absolute sea change for the company.

Why isn't it home time yet?

Sad news. SEGA loses one of its last remaining big stars, and with it, one of the last remnants of its history. Will be interesting to see if more games start hitting Switch now that he can’t block their release anymore though.

Holy shit @ that plot synopsis @Jonnas! The definitely belongs in the So Bad It’s Good thread! Might just have to watch a let’s play at some point

I still think the kickstand is the biggest upgrade in this new model. Massive improvement over the original. As for the screen? I just don’t feel the need for a larger display. The original is plenty big as it is. And the original’s speakers were already great. Really can’t see myself springing for SWOLED unless there’s something major we don’t already know about… But I’m still looking forward to everyone else’s impressions of the SWOLED

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/10/classic-shooter-gleylancer-arrives-on-switch-soon Add another one onto the pile of previously JPN only games getting an English localisation on Switch @S.C.G!

Slap-bang in the middle. Thoroughly mediocre. Suits me perfectly

Despite his abhorrent views on LGBTQ+ matters and Japanese war crime history; it’s still a sad day today. Like him or loathe him, he was a cultural institution unto himself within Japan; and he was responsible for much of the Japanese music industry as we know it today. Whoever will be taking over for the DQ series will have some enormous shoes to fill… Will be interesting to see what happens with DQ12; given that it seems to be a huge departure away from series history & tradition in favour of a western focused approach…

Who fancies another Direct?

Similar reviews as what Samus Returns got, if very slightly better. Given the drag factor from Dread being a 2D game on a HD console selling for £50/€60/$60 (which will inevitably lower its review scores unfairly). That’s a very good result! Roll on Friday!

Two more games to add to the list (both very timely!) Wait a second... Super Monkey Ball Deluxe didn't come out on the Gamecube you say? It was a PS2/Xbox port you suggest? Well... you'd be right... AND YOU'D BE WRONG! Thanks to the power of insane fans with crazy software engineering skills; the above is now a reality. Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is now available for YOUR Nintendo Gamecube! As God intended First, a bit of context. Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 were released on the Nintendo Gamecube back in 2001 & 2002 respectively; as you all know. However, in 2005, the two games were compiled together into one game, alongside 47 brand new stages recovered from the cancelled Super Monkey Ball 3: Banana Crazy, into one giant game called Super Monkey Ball Deluxe that was only originally released on the PS2 and Xbox. This game is basically exactly like Sonic Delta, in that it's a port of Super Monkey Ball 2 with all the content from the other games grafted onto it; the only difference being that it was an actual official release as opposed to a fan-made project. However, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe was somewhat of a botched port overall; with downgraded graphics & sound on both platforms (but especially on PS2; now running at a miserable 30FPS that even drops further still!), a myriad of glitches and worst of all, they botched the controls something fierce. Quite frankly, Super Monkey Ball Deluxe was a poor way to play two of SEGA's very best games... but it did actually have extra content that was worth playing. If only there was a way to play through this extra content on its original platform... OH WAIT! NOW THERE IS A WAY!! Naturally I just had to give this a try; and I can confirm that it does indeed run on real Gamecube hardware like a champ! The fans have basically done exactly what SEGA did, they took Super Monkey Ball 2 and squashed all of the stages from SMB1 and SMBDX into SMB2! The result is a port of Super Monkey Ball Deluxe that looks and runs far better than the official release ever did on PS2/Xbox! (And indeed, offers a much better experience than the recently released HD Remake to boot ). Has much better physics than the HD Remake. Fans do what SEGADon't. The port is almost completely perfect. Barring a few minor issues with Practice Mode not displaying its stage list correctly, a few bits of slowdown in some stages and the attract mode videos going out of sync; this is basically a commercial quality port that is, quite frankly, the best way to play Super Monkey Ball Deluxe today. Of course, that then begs the question, is Super Monkey Ball Deluxe the definitive Super Monkey Ball game? Are these games better for having been combined into one massive game? Honestly? The answer is no. Super Monkey Ball is an arcade game, and though Super Monkey Ball 2 was designed for a home console? It too was designed as an arcade game first and foremost. At the maximum game length/difficulty (Expert Mode; 50 Stages), you can blast through either game in just about an hour or so. Here though? Beginner Mode starts at a whopping 30 stages (including the Beginner Extra stages, that makes 40; that's already almost as long as Expert Mode!), Advanced is 70 stages long (becoming a ridiculous 90 with the Extra stages), and Expert is now a staggering 100 stages long! (An eye watering 120 with Expert Extra!). That is absolutely exhausting to go through in one sitting! And if you thought beating Expert without losing a single Continue in SMB1 to unlock Master Mode was hard!? Yeah... you aren't pulling this off in Deluxe without unlocking the 99 Lives option! But it doesn't end there! Because once you beat Beginner, Advanced and Expert? You unlock the utterly monstrous Ultimate Mode... 300 STAGES BACK TO BACK!!! Your eyes will fallout of your head before you beat Ultimate Mode Needless to say, I could not stomach Ultimate Mode. There's something to be said for there being too much of a good thing here; and that saying definitely applies in this case. What about the new 47 stages that were added into the game though? Are they any good? Well I'm glad you asked, because the answer is YES! The new stages are excellent, and fit right in with the original ones from SMB1 & SMB2 perfectly. I'm really glad that I got the chance to play them with proper controls at last; they all play great here. It's definitely well worth trying this port out to experience them. Overall, I would not choose to play Super Monkey Ball Deluxe over the original Super Monkey Ball 1 and Super Monkey Ball 2 as seperate games; I think that they are better seperated, as they lose their arcade immediacy when slammed together, and the absolute marathon presented here in Deluxe is just absolutely crushing to all but the absolute most hardcore of the hardcore Monkey Ball players. That being said though? It's definitely worth checking out for any fan of the first two titles, not only for the ability to play the additional Deluxe stages, but also for the novelty of seeing two games grafted together. I don't think that this experiment works as well as Sonic Delta does, nor do I feel that the games benefit from the grafting process like Sonic's MD outings do, but it's definitely well worth experiencing. At the very least, I'm glad to see that Deluxe finally has proper representation in Gamecube form; like it should always have been. And you'll still be getting a much better experience than the crappy HD remake on Switch either way! Next... Now, I didn't plan on playing through the Metroid games before Metroid Dread comes out; I didn't want to play too many Metroid games within a short timeframe, as I wanted to experience Metroid Dread feeling as fresh as possible... but I just couldn't help myself! I suddenly found myself really in the mood to play through Metroid Fusion again, and I simply couldn't resist the call. So I fired up my Wii U, cranked up my surround sound system and delved once more onto the BSL Research Station. Immediately I am greeted with this... Fucking CHILLS! ... and I am home again. Now I know I previously mentioned a bit of background regarding Metroid Fusion when I did my writeup about Metroid Zero Mission, so I won't repeat myself here. You all know that Metroid Fusion is, by far, the most linear game in the series; and that it reneges on the series' trademark exploration and freedom in favour of a tightly scripted and narrative driven experience. The question here though, is whether or not Metroid Fusion's tradeoff was worth it and whether or not it succeeds at what it sets out to do. I am of the firm belief that... yes! It absolutely does succeed at almost everything it attempts to accomplish. Metroid Fusion is not a horror game, but it absolutely succeeds at drawing upon elements of horror to craft a dread atmosphere that leaves the player constantly feeling at unease. This game represents a corruption of the Metroid series in almost every sense; you are never free to explore, you are never granted a feeling of safety, and you never get to the stage where you feel overwhelmingly powerful. Samus is no longer the hunter, but rather the one being hunted. And even the Galactic Federation turn out to be just as evil as the Space Pirates were! Nintendo R&D1 successfully subvert just about everything that players knew about the Metroid series up until this point; and it's done in brilliantly stylish fashion. Here, Super Metroid is almost an enemy to be taken down, perhaps embodied no better than by the SAX itself; a literal incarnation of Samus from Super Metroid, complete with her end-game arsenal, presented as your greatest enemy. Metroid Fusion is a firm statement by Nintendo R&D1 that the Metroid series is not just bound by the formula set up by the original NES Metroid and Super Metroid; but rather it is something that can be adapted into other forms that can deliver different experiences. Yes, Metroid Fusion is a much more linear and scripted affair than Super Metroid, but that allows it to present a much more dynamic and intricately crafted play space that changes unexpectedly (though, of course, that element of surprise is somewhat lost after your first playthrough). No matter how many times I play through this game though, I still love all of the scripted moments though; be they the dread-inducing encounters with the SAX, the exciting mid-game self-destruct sequence, the power outage, Nightmare's escape from captivity... they're all just handled so well, and bring so many well designed and exciting moments. Metroid Fusion is just a brilliant action platformer that never has a dull moment! I will never not get chills down my spine when I come across this scene The linearity of Metroid Fusion does bring about issues with exploration... but these do subside towards the end of the game; as it does grant you the opportunity to freely explore the BSL station to your heart's content at the end-game. And here, the game's excellent level design really shines; as its myriad of items are hidden in devious fashion, requiring insane shinesparking skills to solve the environmental puzzles needed to get to each hidden powerup. While the game does lack in freedom throughout the main story, it is a very satisfying game to attain 100% completion in (or indeed, 1% completion; should you brave the challenge of a minimal percentage run!). Speaking of level design and freedom... while it's true that Metroid Fusion is the most linear game in the series, it's actually not true that this game tells you exactly where to go. Sure, at the start of the game you're held by the hand, but by the time you reach Sector 2, you're already mostly on your own to figure out how to get to your target destination. Cleverly, the map only shows a fraction of the total area that you'll need to explore; it's up to you to chart the uncharted territory on your own! The linearity also comes along with benefits to the action combat part of the game, with more engaging enemy and boss encounters than what you got in Super Metroid. Simply put, Metroid Fusion has some of the very best and most exciting boss battles in the whole series; especially if you are attempting a 1% challenge run! They're all brilliant! The story is also far more engaging and intricate than in previous entries; and it's genuinely pretty gripping. It's not overly complex, but it's just told really well, with brilliant environmental story telling matched with clever foreshadowing, mood, contrast and timing used throughout. The moment when you step into the Metroid Breeding Lab is just absolutely spine tingling stuff! Quite how Sakamoto went from this to the absolute disaster that was Other M's story is beyond me, but that doesn't take away from what they accomplished with Fusion. Ahh yes, the bastard that ruined countless 1% challenge runs... This nightmare still haunts my dreams... If there is anything I have to complain about with Fusion though? It's perhaps the ending... which cribs a bit too much from Super Metroid for my liking (like, come on! The final Metroid encounter is far too similar to the sequence where the Baby saves you from Super Metroid!). Also, I feel that the game could've done a bit more with the idea of having inter-connections between the different Sectors. This only really crops up once throughout the main story (though there are more hidden connections if you go off the beaten path looking for powerups), and it feels like a bit of an underutilised idea. Also, yes, I would've liked to see a bit more freedom to perform sequence breaking, but I understand that this isn't what the game was going for; it just didn't fit in line with Metroid Fusion's goals, and that's ok. Metroid Fusion sets out to prove that the Metroid series isn't just confined to repeat the Super Metroid formula ad-nauseum, and it absolutely succeeds on that front. What is less of a success though is the selection of items. Metroid Fusion only introduces two "new" items to the series and really? I'd barely even call them new items at all. You get the Ice Missile (which is, let's face it, a rebadged Ice Beam) and the Diffusion Missiles; literally useless outside of a couple of rooms where it acts as a glorified key. Not very exciting stuff, and I was disappointed with the lack of real new items, even all the way back in 2002. This is something I really hope that Metroid Dread rectifies. A lame addition, even for its time But that's it. Metroid Fusion is an absolute belter of an action platformer, and is one of the best games Nintendo have ever made. It's absolutely insane to think that I have waited more than half of my entire lifetime for a true follow-up; but we're just a scant two days and a couple of hours away! Metroid Dread has some awfully big shoes to fill; and I absolutely cannot wait to see how they follow up this masterpiece! I just hope that Nintendo are brave enough to not just be content with letting Metroid Dread stand in the shadows of the past; but rather allow themselves to push the Metroid series in bold new directions with this final installment. If there's any lesson that Nintendo needs to learn from Metroid Fusion? It's that they're at their best when they're not beholden to the past and aren't afraid to experiment with pushing their series' into new, scary and uncharted places. See you next mission. And with that?

I think it's safe to say that nobody could ever have predicted the final roster Don't be upset about being called out for your failure. That list of copyrights is just absolutely insane!

Nerd

What mistake? Lucina was always listed next to Robin! Shut up!

So now that Everyone Is Here, and our final Smash Character Reveal Trailer has been released... it's time to vote for your favourite! There can only be one winner.... Which Super Smash Bros series Character Reveal trailer was the best? (Remember, we're judging the quality of the trailer itself; NOT the characters featured within!). Which trailers made you laugh, cry and hype the most? It's time to find out! Links to all of the previous character reveal trailers are listed below to help refresh your memory... Super Smash Bros Brawl E3 2006 Trailer (Metaknight, Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Wario and Snake) Sonic Joins The Brawl (Sonic The Hedgehog) Super Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U 1st Trailer (Villager) Mega Man Joins the Battle! (Mega Man) Wii Fit Trainer Joins the Battle! (Wii Fit Trainer) Comet Observatory (Rosalina & Luma) Champion of the Ring (Little Mac) Challenger From the Shadows (Charizard, Greninja) Goddess of Light (Palutena, Dark Pit) Red, Blue, Yellow (Pac-Man) Mii Fighter Gameplay Trailer E3 2014 (Mii Swordfighter/Gunner/Brawler) Book, Blade, and Crest of Flame (Robin, Lucina) Looks like we don't have a choice! (Shulk) The Future King (Bowser Jr/Koopalings) One Dog, One Bird, One Zapper (Duck Hunt Duo) Mewtwo Strikes Back! (Mewtwo) Lucas Comes Out of Nowhere! (Lucas) Roy seals the deal! (Roy) Here comes a new challenger! (Ryu) Cloud Storms into Battle! (Cloud) Corrin Chooses to Smash! (Corrin) Bayonetta Gets Wicked! (Bayonetta) Super Smash Bros. is coming to Nintendo Switch! (Inkling) Daisy Reveal - E3 2018 (Daisy) A Piercing Screech (Ridley) Vampire Killer (Simon, Richter) Chrom & Dark Samus in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - REVEAL TRAILER (Chrom, Dark Samus) The Rivals (King K-Rool) A hard worker’s dream (Isabelle) Fighting Fire with Fire (Ken, Incineroar) Piranha Plant joins the battle! (Piranha Plant) Take Your Heart or The Masked Rebel (Joker) - Either choice will count as the same vote; given the staggered nature of this character unveil Heroic Encounter (Hero/Erdrick) Best Friends (Banjo & Kazooie) Breaking News– The Challenger or The Legendary Wolf (Terry) - Either choice will count as the same vote; given the staggered nature of this character unveil The Ashen Demon (Byleth) Ramen Time! (MinMin) A New Seed! (Steve?, Alex, Zombie, Enderman) One-Winged Angel (Sephiroth) One day, Pyra just disappeared (Pyra/Mythra) The Iron Fist of Darkness (Kazuya) The Last Key (Sora) How to vote Given the N-E Forum's limited number of poll options and the absolutely ridiculous number of trailers on offer (A whopping 44!!), we're gonna need some sort of system in place. So here it is! Vote for your top 5 trailers in order of preference. Points are allocated as follows... 1st place = 6 points 2nd place = 4 points 3rd place = 3 points 4th place = 2 points 5th place = 1 point Send your votes via PM to @Glen-i, who has graciously agreed to tally up the votes on my behalf (he has a lot more time to handle the admin stuff than I do ). Remember that you are voting for the trailer itself and NOT the character! As such, you will need to send your vote with the name of the trailer itself! (You can also send the featured character/s as well if you want to; but you MUST send the name of the trailer that you are voting for! Let's avoid confusion here!). DO NOT POST YOUR VOTES INSIDE THIS THREAD ITSELF! Send them via PM to @Glen-i. You are free to discuss the trailers themselves here, but do not reveal your votes publically. At the end of the voting process, points will be added up and a final post will be made with the full rankings list from bottom to top; giving us the ultimate Smash Bros Trailer Tier List! Let the battle begin!

TBH even KH3 could run on Switch if S-E could be arsed. UE4 runs just fine on Switch; and even the base Xbox One runs a respectable version of KH3. The Trials of Mana remake runs on that same engine, and it runs perfectly well on Switch. The KH1&2 collections being cloud versions are an absolute embarrassment on S-E's part. Completely shameful.