Nintendo Switch: My new love for local multiplayer

Over the last few months I’ve really gotten back in to Nintendo games on the Switch. The Switch is such a fantastic console and is seriously everything the Wii U (Which I loved too) should have been. The titles the system has to offer have been stellar recently and it has a catalog  that is ever growing with unique experiences. Usually my main console is either the PS4 or Xbox One with the Switch being a more casual experience every now and then.

Yet I can’t stop playing games like Super Mario Party, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Astral Chain and to an extent Animal Crossing New Horizons. With the last few Nintendo consoles I’ve owned I’ve only really used them sporadically unless something like the new Pokemon had just came out and you’re probably thinking the reason I’m playing so much at the moment is because of games like this all releasing near each other.

This is not the case though, surprisingly it’s actually because I’ve taken more note of the kind of experiences Nintendo can offer outside of just single player. Over the last few years I’ve really wound down my online play and co-op experiences due to factors like work and generally not having as much free time as I used to.

I used games as more solitary experiences until my wife started to take an interest in what I was playing. Sometimes she would just watch me while doing other things but at times she would tell me about what she used to play as a kid on the Nintendo 64 and would ask if I had any games similar to what she had played that we may be able to play together.

Initially she watched as I played Tetris 99 while we were living in Australia and all I had with me was my Switch. She was filled with nostalgia for it and asked if she could play, intrigued by the concept of battling other people online. She found it extremely addictive as I’m sure a lot of us have and began clocking in the hours quite quickly on her days off.

This opened the door for us to start talking about games like Smash Bros and how she loved playing it at her cousins house as a kid. When I told her the series was still going and I could buy it she got super excited. Since then we’ve been religiously playing Smash Bros, Puyo Puyo, Super Mario Party and more. 

I felt Nintendo really allowed me to share my hobby with my wife but also give me a new reason to play and enjoy games. I find that one of us is usually playing the Switch at any given time now and most evenings we will look at each other and just say ‘Switch?’. I still do play other consoles when I have the time but I’ve found that Nintendo has almost changed my perspective on gaming at the moment and that now I would rather have it be this fun joint experience for the both of us.

Now this will likely change as time goes on as we tire of playing the same games and while I’m currently enjoying experiences like Animal Crossing which has kept me coming back to the Switch for single player and online, I feel as though I want to experience more ‘co-operative’ games with people around me.

I want to do some couch co-op on Until Dawn and treat it like A movie, or keep playing party games like Jackbox with my friends when we meet up. I’ll always hold a candle out for playing alone but I’m happy to have experienced this change in me thanks to Nintendo. 

Switch 'N' Shoot (Nintendo Switch)

The past few weeks I’ve moved back to Australia and whenever I take a flight I love to have my Nintendo Switch on hand to take up some of the time. Flying from the UK to Australia is not something that’s going to go by quickly unless you can sleep for a long time. Unfortunately I really cannot sleep on flights so I thought I’d spend some time playing a bunch of Switch games I’d had sitting on the console for a while.

One of these games and arguably the one I put the most time into on the flight was Switch ‘N’ Shoot, an arcade style Shoot Em' Up in which you press only one button to control your spacecraft with the aim of getting the highest score possible. The game was made solely by Indie Developer Matt Glanville and is also available on Steam, and for Android devices. I really enjoyed my time with the game and wished to briefly touch upon why that was.

As soon as you boot the game up you are welcomed by some gorgeous border art by Paul Duffield (who interestingly currently works out of my home county of Northamptonshire, UK) that would not be out of place on something like a classic Space Invaders arcade cabinet. This artwork is in place for the entirety of the game and really helps sell the feeling that you’re about to play something inspired by the classics.

The game itself is very simplistic as you would expect with a game where you only really need to press a single button but this is something that allows the title to stand out and really helps with the addictive nature of the gameplay. I found myself absolutely terrible at the game at first because every time you shoot you also move left or right with each subsequent shot but over time I improved!

Your enemies remain the same so you don’t have to worry about how to deal with new enemy attack patterns and interestingly you don’t even have to worry about shooting every single enemy. However what I like about this game is if you do happen to miss an enemy they will stay almost level with your spaceship for a few seconds and then explode, meaning you have less space to manoeuvre and therefore have to press your single button a lot quicker.

This really ramps up the stakes and keeps you on your toes. Another great feature is that you can upgrade your craft if you collect enough pickups along the way. However should you miss any then your weapons will revert back to their previous level. I really enjoyed this as I really had to think did I want better weapons but risk hitting an enemy along the way? Or did I want to try playing it safe with a more basic weapon but not gain points as quickly and potentially be overrun with enemies?

It’s great that although you can upgrade yourself you never feel too overpowered compared to the enemies and the game will actually introduce a new challenge if you get the highest possible upgrade. That added challenge comes in the form of two beams that stop you being able to scroll out of one side of the screen and appear on the opposite side. On the one hand you’re insanely powerful but on the other you’ve got a much smaller window to move in.

Usually I find myself losing shortly after I obtain this upgrade because I’m just not quick enough to move back and forth before hitting those beams. Yet this game is just so addictive that I jump right back in for another 10 minutes or so. I think it’s a real challenge to make a game that’s not frustrating in that kind of situation so I applaud Matt for this.

A feature I found quite funny even after every time I died was that your pilot would have a unique name every single time. I’ve played countless times now and have never had the same name twice. You even get a nice message every time you die from your commander; I loved this little attention to detail and hope to see more of this sort of thing in other games in the future.

As an aside Switch ‘n’ Shoot actually reminded me of the game Downwell which I reviewed a few years ago. This was not only due to its pixilated style or the ability to unlock new palettes as you progress, it was the addictive nature of the game. In my ignorance I actually believed this was developed by the same person as Downwell and I do wonder if there was any inspiration on the developers part.

I really do not have anything bad to say about this game because there is not much to it and what it does have it does well. I generally struggle to find a fault with the game but would perhaps like to see different ship designs and enemy designs as further unlocks along the way and perhaps even different borders as the art is just so nice it would be lovely to see what else Paul Duffield could come up with.

All in all I think Switch ‘n’ Shoot Is a fantastic affordable and short title that is absolutely perfect for those on the go or those who want a brief but addicting game to pass a short amount of time. Do I think I will keep coming back to this game for years to come? No. However for now it’s a nice little way for me to eat up time on a lunch break or on the Train home from work.

This game would not be out of place in an actual Arcade and I really like that aspect of it, in fact while researching the game and the developer I found that Switch ‘n’ Shoot does have an arcade cabinet available for purchase thanks to the guys at DSM Arcade. Now do I love the game enough to buy one? No. But If I saw one in the wild I’d definitely have a few rounds.

I think Matt Glanville has made something special here and would love to see what else he comes up with in time.

Tetris 99 (Nintendo Switch)

I have been utterly obsessed with this game since its release. Its so strange to me though as I've never actually played a Tetris game in my life. I was as surprised as everyone else when Nintendo announced this during its Nintendo Direct video on February 13th this year and have been playing it almost everyday since.

The game is 'free' if you have a Nintendo online subscription (along with the ability to play old NES games) which I think was a wise decision by Nintendo. I do not believe I'd pay the full price of a Switch title in the UK for this game or even the price of a budget title because I've never been into the series. I'm really happy they released it this way though because I've put so much time into it and gained a new love for puzzle based and competitive titles.

The aim of the game is to last as long as possible at a game of Tetris but the catch is you're against 98 other people. Every player has the ability to target others in order to eliminate them quicker, this is done by selecting what type of player you'd like to target such as players who are targeting you or players who have the most K.O's. It really is quite a simplistic game but I feel Tetris has always been that way, easy to grasp potentially hard to master and this puts a nice new spin on it.

I really don't care much for Battle Royale shooter games, admittedly I've not taken the time to play more than a handful of matches in something like Fortnite but it just does not do it for me. It's probably because I'm shit at non team based Video Games since playing the Lone Wolves game type on Halo 3 back in the day.

I never really thought about this being in the Battle Royale genre until I saw the memes online about it being the 'Fortnite killer'. In any case it's nice to see that Battle Royale doesn't have to just be FPS games right now, its kind of refreshing to be honest.

Now like I mentioned, I've been obsessed with this game every time I have a spare few minutes which more often than not turns into at least an hour or so. I'm currently living in Australia for a while and only took my Switch as any form console. That in itself is quite refreshing and has allowed me to take a step from always having too much to play back home and just focus on smaller titles when I feel like it.

This game and others like it are perfect if you're traveling but that kind of begs the question would I play this as much as I am if I was back in the UK with my Xbox One X and PS4? I certainly have many games that released during this period I'm itching the play and I can't help think that perhaps I would not have even given this game the time of day in that scenario.

I mentioned briefly that this game has given me a new love for puzzle based titles. I meant that as in it makes me want to focus more on them in the future if I can, but it's not my first rodeo with these its just been a while. I used to get obsessed with the Xbox 360 title Hexic HD which most people had pre-installed on their console.

Hexic and Hexic HD interestingly enough were actually designed by Tetris' creator Alexey Pajitnov so perhaps that explains my love for Tetris 99 in some way. I remember the countless hours I'd spend late at night playing Hexic HD on the 360 while listening to music. To this day I'm one of the only people I know with certain Achievements in that title.

I think the first time I played a game like this though was back on the Sega Megadrive (Genesis for USA), It was a sort of competitor to Tetris named Columns and was essentially an earlier version of Bejeweled (which I also enjoy, especially on long haul flights). I was terrible at it but with the Megadrive Collection on Switch perhaps I should go back to it some time soon.

There is not much more I can say about this game other than if you have a switch and pay for the Online functionality of it then give it a go, you might be pleasantly surprised with it. Full disclosure though I still haven't come first place but I'm determined!

Subsurface Circular (Nintendo Switch: 2018)

A few months ago I played a really short game on my Nintendo Switch and I loved it. It's called Subsurface Circular and was ported to the Switch in early 2018. I saw it on sale for under £4.00 and thought I would give it a shot based purely on the synopsis of the game and the designs of its robots.
I had no idea it was made by Mike Bithell and his company Mike Bithell Games who made another short Indie game hit Thomas Was Alone (Which I would also highly recommend). I think if I'd have known it was made by him I'd have likely picked it up sooner than I did.

The game is a text based adventure game in which you play as a Robot Detective in the not too distant future who is tasked with solving a case in which many other Robots are going missing. In order to do this you as the player are confined to the underground rail network and have to talk to a number of other worker robots and solve short puzzles in order to crack the case.

The gameplay is entirely simplistic and the perfect sort of game to play on the Switch in tablet mode (Or on an Ios device). The game is presented as a question and answer scenario with the odd puzzle placed here and there but this is more of a quick look at the rail map or a decision on who to talk to first and which questions to ask that will open up answers to other passengers questions. I enjoy that the game never really goes too far above that in terms of the gameplay because it allows the focus to be on its narrative.

I adore the Robot designs in the game for a few reasons. They stick to a more or less humanoid form and keep a simplistic approach to their colour schemes and facial designs. I feel as though they are the 'right' amount of futuristic as they don't look too much like humans yet and I feel they would not be too out of places in a movie like Blade Runner. It is a shame we did not see much of the world above ground but I do like the focus the game puts on where it wants you to be and why.




To speak more about this I enjoyed that the game could do a lot of world building purely by the conversations you have rather than have you explore as you are only confined to a single train car. It's interesting to see what could happen in our future with the advancements in robotics and perhaps we too would have humanoid robots replace us in many aspects much like this game.

It's interesting to wonder would we give them as much or little freedom as is afforded to them in this game. It was quite harrowing in some ways to see what would happen to a certain unit once you had removed the limiters it was constricted in to by its creators by inputting a certain phrase. It was totally surreal to see a Robot feel some form of 'freedom' for the short time it was on the train with you and it was kind of heart warming to see some of them thank you for it.

I do wonder will there be a point where there will be rights for machines and Robots who are more or less also constricted by us to serve a certain purpose.

The final chapter of the game and its lead up are absolutely fantastic. I will try not to go too much into it as I don't wish to spoil the game for people who have yet to try it however it deals with a dilemma of do you upset the status quo and hope that a new future works itself out or do you keep with the status quo and not risk a terrible unchangeable  outcome but still be stuck with the parts of the your present 'life' that really are not that great.

To have one simple enough case lead up to a moral question such as this really shows how well Mike Bithell and the team are at weaving a great narrative. I am generally excited to see what they come out with next and only hope it can match this game or surpass it.

If I did have to try and critique an aspect of the game I would say it does feel a lot more like a visual novel at times as I feel I can't really lose. There is not a time limit to find the answer to questions in a chapter or anything like that so you really can just go at your leisure. There also is not an incentive to replay the game at any point other than perhaps the last chapter just to see the outcome of the other decision you make. However if you are into directors commentary you do unlock this for every chapter once you beat the game.

Overall Subsurface Circular is a great short game to play on a rainy afternoon or on your commute. It may also be a great title to start of with if you are looking to get in to the genre. I would highly recommend picking this title up on the Switch the next time you're heading to the Eshop!

The failed Vita and why I like it.

After talking about the Wii U a few weeks ago and how I still enjoy it even if it is deemed a failure I felt I should talk a bit about the Playstation Vita and how many would deem this handheld to also be a ‘failure’especially when comparing it to Nintendos 3DS and mobile gaming. I really enjoy the Vita and a lot of the games made for the console but I can absolutely agree that Sony again dropped the ball with their handheld system in the West.  I don’t believe the console is in any way a bad console for what it does or the games it has on it but I do feel Sony have not learnt from any mistakes of the past and brushed the Vita away as if it is the unwanted member of the Playstation family.

I feel to a point the PSP was a way more popular console, it certainly had longer Western support by Sony compared to the Vita. I did own a PSP and used to play it quite regularly but the only reason for this is because I modded the console with the help of a friend (and honestly who didn’t mod their PSP?). I mainly played Japanese Gundam games and PS1 games if I’m honest, I cannot remember a specific Western game I truly enjoyed on the console however I will say there were a few fantastic titles on the system that I used to play a lot that were Japanese Developed such as Tekken 5 DR which I would say is the best numbered titles to this day and the Shin Budokai Dragonball games. So there were elements to the PSP I enjoyed but I doubt I would have without the modding capabilities that plagued Sony and the console.

The reason I bought a Vita though is not because of my enjoyment of its predecessor but because I’d signed up for Playstation Plus and kept getting free games for it that would stack up, at the time when I first got PS+ the Vita games it provided me with were actually titles I was interested in playing such as Gravity Rush, Uncharted and Dragons Crown as well as a few indie titles. I thought if I keep getting decent titles like this I may as well pick up the console and just never buy any games for it so I bought the original model new with Tearaway (another great  game) included and for about a year I generally did not buy anything for the console.

Over time with the sales popping up I have been buying Vita games and I did buy a few physical imported Gundam games so I certainly do have a library built up albeit a small physical one so in no way do I leave my Vita to gather dust the way I eventually would my PSP. I feel the Cross save function for games like The Binding of Issac have really played a big part in this also, it’s such a wonderful feature and allowed me to continue my games on flights abroad, I can’t fault it.

Much like the Wii U I find myself getting annoyed that a lot of Vita exclusives have moved to other formats like IOS or Steam, I think it’s great that it will allow others to actually be aware and experience certain titles as some certainly deserve to be played but It kind of takes away some of the reason to ever play the console, I’m certainly torn on this.

I Felt some games used touch features for the sake of it, I think one of the biggest culprits of this is Uncharted: Golden Abyss. I have only played the game for about an hour and it’s nothing special but the tutorial would stop you every now and then saying things like ‘If you want to jump and climb touch the front screen’ when you could literally just press X and have it done automatically like in any other game, why mess about with touch features for something like this. I have no issue with touch features like rubbing the screen to uncover something or to zoom in and out but if you’re using it just for the sake of it because it’s on a console that uses the features then I’d rather you not bother, be creative with it for goodness sake.

The Vita actually got me in to a lot of Visual Novels which is a genre I really did not think I would ever care about, usually I cannot be bothered to be reading constantly when I’m playing a game but thanks to a sale and the DanganRonpa series I was hooked on the storyline and have now played every released game in the series, the great thing about these games is that they make sure they do something I feel any handheld should do and allow you to save at almost any point so you truly can play on the go even if the game is text heavy. I certainly would not want to be on the move with a game like this and be unable to save after reading a whole bunch of plot.

I will say I find the console comfortable to hold and never really find any issues with the button layout, I think I may find issues with the smaller slim version however, I love the interface of the system itself it’s really simple to find anything you need and the store is just as simple to navigate, I will say It does annoy me that some Apps on there cannot be deleted such as the calendar and the recently shut down ‘near’ service (think streetpass but shit)

As much as I enjoy the console I have never actually used the remote play feature which allows streaming of PS4 content to the Vita, this is because I’ve never had the need to, all of my consoles are in my own room and I never felt the need to go elsewhere in the house to play them, if I did I would just move the console I do think this is a cool feature for those who need it however!

I thought the Playstation TV was an alright idea in theory as it was a Vita console without a screen or buttons you could hook up you your TV. I mean if you wanted Vita games but did not want the Vita and wanted to play them at home it’s certainly an option for you but half the games were not even compatible due to Touch screen features so if you did own one you had to be quite selective, either way it was discontinued in the West last year which really does not surprise me…

People like to say the console is a ‘Weeb machine’ because most of the support was from Japan and at this point pretty much all the support is from Japan, I can see why they would say this because it’s generally true. All the games are either Niche titles or JRPGS with a few Indie games sprinkled in, I have no problem with this as I have found plenty of titles I’ve enjoyed, however the reason it’s this way is because Sony again don’t know how to push a handheld in Western markets, the support is there from Japan but not everyone is a fan of typically Japanese games.

The Vita started off well with games geared more towards a Western audience like ports of PS2 classics, Uncharted and Tearaway but soon after it just sort of dried up, I don’t ever remember there being much advertisement for the console either and most people were already disappointed with their dust collecting PSPs at that point to see a clear reason why this one would be any different other than touch screen features. Perhaps the necessity for a  handheld aimed more towards ‘gamers’ rather than kids is not really there, I certainly feel a bit odd bringing out a handheld on the train or in public even though that’s primarily the whole point of them and I’m sure others do too.

I think one of the reasons it sold so poorly in general though is the ridiculous price of memory cards. I believe my console game with a 15gb card and due to the amount of games I would get from PS+ I would constantly have to delete titles and redownload them when I actually wanted to play them again rather than just having a full library available to me whenever I wanted.

This was an issue somewhat with the PSP also but at least with the PSP the memory cards were a fairly decent and reasonable price that also did not have to be Sony specific and could be any sort of Sandisk card as long as it was the right physical size to fit, of course there was the chance for corrupted data from cheap cards but the option was there.

With the Vita though there is not this option, you HAVE to buy a memory card specifically made for the Vita, this tiny little thing that holds your games has to be from them. That’s not so bad right? Wrong! Because Sony never cheapen the price for these cards, If I wanted the biggest card I could find which was 64GB it would set me back almost £70 plus postage as god knows there Is no Vita merch in any game store I’m aware of in the UK.

I actually did bite the bullet and buy this memory card recently because I was just sick of constantly trying to make room for the games I would be getting,  It was annoying to have to pay this price but I felt with the lack of the support for the console in the West they may just stop making these cards soon and then to buy one new would be even more expensive. I’m glad I did buy it because I can just play whatever the hell I want now without the worry but eventually I’m sure I will fill this up too! I sure as hell won’t buy anymore cards!

I really like physical media rather than purely digital although I have got a number of digital titles on all my consoles due to services like 'Games with Gold' and such I really would prefer it to be physical, now in the case of the Vita I only own a few physical games by choice however there are a few games that I’m happy actually get a release in the US and EU such as the new Gundam Vs game which came out this month but there was just no option to own it physically which kind of bummed me out, I understand it is a very niche game but I’d love there to have at least been a very limited run of physical cases for them, I just love to see them all displayed on my shelf.

Some companies do actually do this and that’s really cool it’s like developers know there is this really small but vocal fanbase in the west for the Vita and they appreciate them as much as we do them, it’s almost like the Vita is this little club of people sometimes from what I read online and I have no issue with it, I know people who have bought one and literally only have ps1 games on it because they want to play them on the way to work, I know people who just buy exclusives and I know people who just play imports  or Indie games . There are all these different kinds of people playing who are so vocal and happy the console exists and that’s kind of endearing.

As much as I like Sony I feel it is crucial they learn from their mistakes in the West with this sort of thing especially with VR coming up, I am quite excited about VR and will likely by the PSVR at some point however I am hesitant as I don’t want it to just be a fad first of all and I don’t want Sony to slowly drop supporting it altogether as they have the Vita. Perhaps as VR is attached to a home console this will not be the case but I cannot shake the feeling.

I think it would be best if Sony do not make any more Handheld consoles and if they do they better make sure they learn from it, I think they can certainly release mobile games even if I am not one to play games on a phone or tablet but they certainly do not need to focus on making another handheld, I think the Vita will be fine for the duration of the PS4s lifetime but I feel all developers will move on after that which is totally understandable, I think I’ll continue with it for ps1 games on the go if anything at that point but who is to say what’s going to happen in a few years time I suppose.

Overall I still continue to enjoy the Vita and feel I will for some time as PS+ continues to provide me with some fun titles and sales generally always bring me something new to play, I think it’s a shame that the Vita has been reduced to this by its own companies lack of support amongst other issues but I think if you’re on the fence about it and perhaps want to try a few titles then by all means see if you can find a used console or one quite cheap but be aware of the issues like memory cards and multiple exclusives eventually being ported either to the PS4 or Steam, it’s certainly no necessity to own this console as a Sony fan but it’s left an impression on me.

The Wii U is over but I still love it

With the NX being announced I was thinking about the Wii U and it’s legacy, I know a lot of people will deem it a failure of a console and in many ways it was advertising wise. However I noticed online so many news outlets, forums and even people I know are just so against Nintendo as of late. I feel this is generally due to the Wii U and its poor reception. I never wanted this console to be my main source of gaming entertainment and to be honest I picked it up on a whim when it was super cheap at a store that was going into administration but this console has honestly become one of the most fun consoles I’ve ever owned and has only ever presented positive experiences to me. 

Originally I really did not care for this console or the 3DS, I was so off put with Nintendo but I remember looking up a number of games for the 3DS and DS that I had missed and instantly buying the 3DS so I could catch up. This got me back in to the Nintendo mood but I was still not about to buy a Wii U. The only thing that made me want to get the console at first was Bayonetta 2 being an exclusive, as the first one was one of my favourite games. Only when a shop in the UK went into administration and they were selling their stock super cheap did I actually pick the console up.

     One of my favourite things about this console is the Virtual Console which allows you to buy older Nintendo games and emulate them on the console, now this is not anything new as it was also something you could do on the previous console as well as the DS and 3DS. The reason I enjoy it on this console is because you can use the game pad as a portable NES/SNES (within reason), I love playing games like Mario World on the toilet (Don't Judge me) or just sitting in bed with the headphones in while I play Kirbys adventure in dream land or some shit. 

  

I     I have to admit I love reading peoples experiences with the games on the Miiverse, mostly because it's dumb young kids who have never played a game before the ps3 era and have no idea what the fuck they are doing at any point so they just ask the most obvious questions, but there are those who generally just wanna share something cool they did, I feel like if it were the same system on any other home console it'd be full of people just being mean for the sake of anonymity.

     That actually leads me to my next point, the Miiverse, which is pretty much a semi social media esq application on the console (and was later added to 3DS) in which you can post screenshots from your game, comment on them, give tips and also see what your friends have been playing or doing in their games. I know it's a Nintendo console but this always seems to be the nicest and least toxic place to discuss games, I've never met a shitty person on there, everyone seems to be so pleasant and just wanting to have a good time, unfortunately I don't really use it much as the update kinda messed with a few things and made it more difficult to see what your friends are up to.

     At first I was not too fond of the idea of the Game pad and generally thought it was some Ipad gimmicky shit, but once I sat down with it it truly made for some unique gameplay opportunities. The second I tried it with the launch title Nintendoland and saw the functionality with it in terms of multiplayer where you as the game pad user could become a ghost and see everything but those on the main screen couldn't see you I knew the game pad was going to be a blast. 

      I mean a lot of games don't really put their focus into the game pad and they don't really need to as it just works well as a minimap or an inventory screen like in Zelda but a lot of games really used it to their advantage, a recent game that did this for me was Starfox Zero, the main screen was your standard Starfox view but the game pad was your cockpit view and if you tilt the game pad in any way it will move the target in that direction. 

      Although there is the option to use the gamepad most games will just allow you to use your Wiimote or even a Pro controller which looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller, there really is something for anyone with this console. My favourite thing they ever did was allow an adaptor to let you use your old Gamecube controller for Super Smash Bros , my only gripe with this being you couldn't use it for any other games or even for the emulated Wii as I used to play most Wii games on the GC controller, I hope it's not too late to patch something like this in? 

       

     

I    I want to talk a little about why I feel this console failed overall, there are a lot of reasons for it for sure but I think the main reason is because Nintendo got cocky. The Wii was a surprise hit not just with those who played games but more so with those who really didn't care either way, I know older people who still play fucking Wii sports, there are so many games for this console that cater towards those who don't really play games much, I'd say this is true also for the original DS with Brain training and such.

     Now of course if you've got one of the most popular consoles in recent memory you're probably thinking 'well it will be easy to get people on board once we create a new one', I would have thought the same to be honest and I think that's why they chose the name Wii U, because it's like a continuation of that console. However I think this is the main reason the initial lack of attention this console got because  of the demographic for it, being kids or parents of kids who were none the wiser a lot of them thought this console was just an optional add on for the original Wii, who could blame them though honestly?

     It really did not do much to differentiate itself from the Wii and I know a lot of parents bought Wii U games for their kids thinking they would work on the Wii which just caused further problems which they really could not be bothered with at that point.

I     I think Nintendo do get stuck in a rut and maybe they believed 'if it aint broke don't fix it' with their IPs but I feel like lately there has been a large lacking in the creation of new IPs. The only stand out title I can think of in this respect is Splatoon. Now it was great to see Nintendo put their focus in an online multiplayer game for once but personally this game was not for me, I just did not connect to it overall, it was fun but nothing got me back into it after launch, I've only played it a handful of times at most but after writing this I feel I should give it another chance.

Splatoon was a step in the right direction for sure but they really need to focus more on some entirely new games if they want to keep evolving with the times. This almost goes hand in hand with another issue the console faced after its initial launch and that was the lack of third party exclusives and towards the end third party games in general.

At launch we had titles like ZombiU which while not anything amazing they were something just for Wii U owners, however with the decline of the console many developers either cancelled their third party games entirely or put them on indefinite hold. I think the most annoying thing is that ZombiU was the eventual port to other consoles to make a quick buck recently, I find this really shitty as the whole point in this title was the gamepad functionality, to not have that and just make it a generic zombie game really makes me wonder what the point was in the port.

I    I think my overall favourite title on the console has to be Super Mario Maker, this game just hits every note with me, it has the simplistic gameplay of core Mario titles, the Online interactivity of a game from this console generation and above all else allows me to just create and share whatever I want. I've not felt that way since games like Zoo Tycoon and Sim City which I used to play for hours on end on the family computer. To be able to create and share in a game is a wonderful thing and provides so much longevity to a title.

I find it strange that fans really want a new F-zero and other older titles yet Nintendo just doesn't make one because they feel there is not really anywhere for the series to go, I mean that's fine but a lot of their current series are only slightly different from their predecessors. The new Star Fox is almost a total remake of 64 for one thing so at this point remake the original F-zero, it'd make something for new fans at least. I mean I'd quite like a new F-zero at this point with online play and customisation, they should know there are a group of people who want it because of the game that came out recently named Fast Racing Neo, sort it the fuck out Nintendo.

     With that said though I feel Nintendo still maintain a good relationship with their customers, they know their games never go cheaper so after a few years they re-release them for like £20.00. They start to listen to their customers and allow some more niche titles to make their way over to the West like Shin Megami Tensei IV and Project Zero. They finally made a multiplayer focused shooter with Splatoon and they decided to go forward with DLC and in some cases make things from scratch such as the DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. I think these sort of things are what keeps me happy with the company and the latter is what made the Wii U a much more positive experience overall.

      Not only do they have a good relationship with their customers but I feel like they third party developers that decided to stick around also had a lot of opportunities to release some great games. Platinum Games were probably the best example of this, they were already set to make big waves with Bayonetta 2 which they naturally did, it was the reason I got the console and it did not disappoint in any way. However I feel Hideki Kamiyas Wonderful 101 was simply amazing.
  
     Imagine Viewtiful Joe mixed with Pikmin and you've pretty much got 101, the game is just goofy as hell, tight gameplay and a great Super Sentai inspired setting with giant robots thrown into the mix later on. I seriously hope we get a sequel to it some time but I feel it really relied on the gamepad so if the NX doesn't have that it'd have to be a 3DS game I think.

Their latest games, Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard are also pretty good but they are a departure from the Platinum Games style I'm familiar with and as mentioned earlier Zero is pretty much a Remake of 64. But having Nintendo let them handle one of their first party IPs just goes to show the trust between the two and that their relationship will only continue strongly over time.

It kinda bummed me out there was not much in the way of interactivity between the 3DS and the Wii U, I mean the only example I can think of is being able to transfer Miis and then later in both consoles lives having the ability to have a joint account for both consoles. I know that eventually some games had the cross play function so that if you owned it on both consoles you could transfer your saves, but there was no ability to buy a game and having copies for both consoles included.

I feel like this should be mandatory so you can play on the go and shit, I think it would be such a good idea for virtual console games too, it's amazing to me that the 3DS only just got SNES titles, I'd totally buy some if I could use my saves from the Wii U... If the Playstation Vita/3/4 can do this easily it should not be so hard for Nintendo to do the same.

I have a lot of hope for the NX at this point because I feel like Nintendo can learn from their mistakes in a lot of areas and produce something that a wider audience will again enjoy. I feel as though there will no doubt be some kind of gimmick but I think there will still be the ability to at least use a Wii Mote as so many people still have them. Id like to think the Wii U won't be forgotten and the NX will allow the use of the gamepad and backwards compatibility, if not It's not the end of the world as I still use my Wii U as a Wii also anyway.

I feel like they seriously need to consider cross buying and saving as so many people play their 3DS, they need to make a lot more online based games which they've had success with recently in Mario Kart, Splatoon and Smash Bros. More than anything though they need to market this thing well, their strategy of Nintendo Directs are really popular but if they want the sort of audience the Wii had they will need to make sure they do enough to reach those sort of people. Nintendo have always made consoles for 'anyone', the Wii U was no exception it was just poorly thought out.

To me the console did not fail, it was a fun experience that I don’t regret in anyway and I will continue to use the console for years to come for games like Super Smash Bros and also all the virtual console games I have amassed providing they don’t have the option to transfer any of these to the NX.

Overall this console is underrated and really could have had a much fuller life but sadly we're reaching its twilight but this in no way means the console is not worth your time. This console has a large amount of great games and I know I've had a of fun with it, yes it could have been a lot more in a lot of ways but I'm happy with my purchase. As I said before this console would never be my main source of games, I own pretty much all the consoles and I have a lot to play because of that but every time I have gone back to the Wii U I have had a lot of fun.

I have fun with a lot of games but I can honestly say the older I get the harder it is for me to be not only focused or find time for games but  consistently enjoy my time with them, with Nintendo games they have always been a pick up and play thing for me because you can drop in at any time and not have to play many levels before you can put it down and leave it for a few hours or even days. Perhaps that is only true for me but I think it helps in my enjoyment.

I've never found their games too difficult they are just a fun experience with a really charming nature, the majority of my favourite games this console generation have been from the Wii U, they are the ultimate stress tool for me they combat it so well and I'm glad really chill games like that still exist, you don't need something with a complex story or complex gameplay to have fun these days and I think that it something I think a lot of developers need to remember nowadays.

I enjoy more complex games like Dark Souls and the like but you can't forget the simple almost age old ways of Nintendo IPs. I've just gone back to Mario Galaxy and it just makes me feel this sense of wonder I've not felt in a long time, Nintendo just know how to give you a good time where the stakes aint super high and you're just here to have fun and enjoy the time you have, I greatly appreciate the love and care they put in to their titles especially as I get older and sadly have less and less time for my favourite hobby.

I hope you enjoyed this somewhat, if you did let me know at @ScatmanBegins on Twitter. This blog almost got deleted for a phishing scam the other day somehow and i got mad at blogger support, I mean I mostly write for myself but I'm glad other can find some enjoyment in it! Any encouragement would be great!

Your experiences with Video Games: Ant Dahl

This week I'm back with another interview about experiences with video games!, I'm really happy with how this is going so far and have been pleased with the amount of people who wish to be involved. One of the first to ask to be included was Ant Dahl who is one of the hosts of one of my favourite podcasts The Fortuna Podcast. I think I first started speaking to Ant shortly after letting him know that I enjoyed the podcast that he and Marshall put together and from there we discovered we were both in to the same sort of things as well as big fans of flannel shirts.

Shortly after Ant and Marshall were kind enough to invite me on their podcast which I really enjoyed even if it does require me to be up pretty late/early. I've been on since which you can check out here!
I actually got the opportunity to meet them both when I went to California to attend Gamedays 2015 in Anaheim and we had a blast even if we didn't get to hang out for as long as I'd hoped it was just nice to meet someone you admire and shoot the shit a bit. 

Ant and Marshall both speak in depth about video games amongst other things on their podcast so I'm really pleased to be talking to one of the Yankee-doodle double threat this week and I hope you enjoy the interview!

What were your first experiences with video games?
Some of my first experiences with video games came from playing games with my Dad as a kid. It's odd really because I remember having both a Nintendo and a Super Nintendo at that age, but my memories come from the times I played games like Donkey Kong Country with my Dad. We used to sink a lot of time playing the Super Mario Bros All Star Pack for Super Nintendo as well. But I also have these memories of playing this weird coloring game for the NES, where you colored pictures of Dinosaurs. It was terrible but I used to spend so much time with it. I have a bunch of memories that I can’t place in the right spots.

When do you feel you got in to video games as a hobby?
You know, I'm not entirely sure. It probably stems from getting Pokemon Red and Blue for the Gameboy. So this was somewhere around 1998 I believe. I had never been so sucked into a video game at that point in my life. As an 8 year old I was constantly trying to figure how to finish things quicker than normal so I could soak more time into them. I started waking up for school an hour earlier so I could get ready and have an extra hour to try and catch a Pidgey or some bullshit. 

I played the playstation 2 all throughout Middle School (6^th- 8^th grade in the states). I fell out of video games throughout high school until I got a Wii my senior year specifically for Smash Bros Brawl. But other than that, I probably didn't start looking at games as a hobby until I got the Xbox 360 when I graduated high school. But Pokemon was definitely the jumping off point for me. 

What are some of your favourite games and why?
Two of my favourites really stand out to me because of their cinematic qualities. I absolutely love film and if a game has a cinematic quality, I can easily be drawn into it.

I'm a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid series. Those games are brought up in every day discussions with me. They're just so dense with information and things to question that if I have a moment to talk to somebody about metal gear in depth, then I'm stoked. I think my favorite out of the series is Snake Eater. That was really the peak of the story for me, I think about the writing and the story constantly and how genius it was. Especially since it was a PS2 game.

The original Bioshock was one of the most immersive experiences I've ever had with a video game. I had never felt like I was so apart of a world before. There was so much to explore and the way it unfolded stories of characters that weren’t central to the plot really struck a chord for me. It helped that it incorporated a lot of horror elements into the game. I'm such a sucker for horror games even though I'm easily scared.

Another important favorite of mine is Pokemon Red and Blue. I got them as a gift from my grandmother very shortly before she passed away and they have always been some of the most sentimental games to me. Like I said earlier, I changed my life to revolve around those games and now whenever a new instalment comes out, I take the day off just to play it. When Pokemon X and Y came out, I put 12 hours into it on the day it came out.

Just to name a few other favorites Donkey Kong Country, Super Smash Bros, Red Dead Redemption, Hotline Miami, A Link Between Worlds, Bloodborne, and Mega Man X. I think some favorites that will surprise some people are Tony Hawks Undergound 2, and Parappa The Rapper. This by far was the most difficult question, because my favorites change so often. 

What game has the best soundtrack to you and why, do you feel music is important in a game? 
Hotline Miami had a soundtrack for a video game that changed the way I look at video game soundtracks. The Phantom Pain has an incredible collection of music in the game. The Tony Hawk series has always had a great soundtrack. Except the most recent one that one was shit in every way.

Most vivid video game memory?
I was in first grade when this happened. My dad once called a Necky in Donkey Kong Country a “fucking prick” and I asked him what that meant and his response was “that thing”. So I went to catholic school the next day and called some kid that annoyed me a “prick” and got in a ton of trouble over it. My dad and I still laugh about to this day.

What are you playing currently?
I generally try to play one game at a time because I absolutely hate starting a game and never finishing it. I kind of look at it like not finishing a movie or not finishing a book. Once I start something I have to finish it. But I'm in between semesters right now so I'm playing way too many games. 

I'm mostly focusing on Dark Souls II: Scholars of the First Sin, but I’m also playing Yoshi's Woolly World, Black Ops 2, Amplitude, and I'm slowly burning through Until Dawn.

What is the most obscure game or rarest game you own?
In terms of most obscure, I have this game called Incredible Crisis for the first PlayStation. I think its original name is Todemo Crisis. It's this super weird collection of these super difficult mini-games. Any time I bring it up to someone, the usual response is that they've never heard of it. It's a ton of fun though and it’s really funny. 

As far as rarest games, I don't have many, but I have a few. A while back I scored a copy of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes for 20 bucks. I have a sealed copy of Super Empire Strikes Back. I don't think that game is rare by any means, but I've never taken it out of the box. I have an original copy of Manhunt before it was pulled from shelves and given an AO rating. 

Unfortunately I went through a period of my life where I sold a good portions of my games off, so I don't have a lot of the games that I used to own that would be considered rare and being a college student constantly leaves me broke. When I do have money, I often choose to put it towards traveling to meet up with friends or check out newer games.

What about video game memorabilia
I need to stop buying Amiibos.

Physical or digital?
Physical all the way. I can't believe there's actually debate about this. Even if I buy a game digitally I will make it an effort to get a physical copy down the road. I think with the most recent Konami scandal with P.T. it should showcase the risk of buying a digital copy of anything. You can own it one day and it could disappear the next. 

Was there ever a genre or series of games you were adamant you would not get in to but ended up enjoying?
I’m not entirely sure it’s a genre, but the “Souls” series was something that I thought would be the dumbest series of games, but I cant stop playing them. I’m not a huge fan of RPGs to begin with and the attitude that people carry about these games can be super annoying. But as of late, they are some of the most fulfilling games I’ve played.

What was the best co op experience you had?
Portal 2 had a co-op mode that was co-op in the truest sense of the word. I spend most of my time playing single player games so I haven’t played many co-op games. I played The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures on my own and I’ve even played through most of Triforce Heroes on my own.

If you were to have kids would you want them to be in to video games and what would you have them start with?
I thought about this question before and I’m never sure of the answer. I think I’d like to take the approach that my dad did with me. We played so many great games together when we were younger and that was a stepping-stone for me to explore new games. But now a ton of games don’t include split screen co-op because games have become so technically advanced since the Super Nintendo. I think it would be super cool to have those bonding moments.

But on the other hand I’d want my kid to hate video games. I’m not trying to raise a loser or anything.

Do you feel you'll always be playing games in some form?
Unfortunately.

What's a game series you feel is under appreciated? 
Garrett Hunter from Mega64 talks about The Legacy of Kain series every so often and its always met with strange looks or it illicit the response of “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Soul Reaver and Blood Omen were such phenomenal games for the PS1 and PS2. I actually wish they would bring back that series. Soul Reaver 2 was also the first game that I played that had a long cut scene in the beginning of the game that I couldn’t skip and it sort of taught me that video games can be a great platform to tell stories.

Has there ever been a spin off of a series you've enjoyed more than the original series?
Technically Rock Band, but Metal Gear Rising takes the cake for sure on this one. It is so infuriating listening to people drone on about how much they hate Metal Gear Rising because “it ruined metal gear solid” or how “its not a stealth game this is bullshit”. All of that because they couldn’t read the games title to see that it wasn’t a Metal Gear Solid game. Of course its okay to dislike the game for valid reasons, but dismissing it for not being a “solid” game is bullshit. I don’t necessarily like Rising better than Solid, but that game is incredibly gratifying.

Now I know you're a big fan of Movies, Video Game movies have a bad wrap so is there any video game movie you actually enjoy, has there ever been a movie tie-in game you've enjoyed?
I actually have this really sick morbid curiosity when it comes to movie tie in games. Because I know those games have to be complete shit, but that cant be completely broken. I’ve actually had an idea for a series of videos based on movie tie in games that I eventually want to work on.

But to answer the question, there are tons of movie licensed in games and a ton of TV licensed games that I love. I think a lot of them come from the SNES era, but there are still some great ones. Toy Story 1 and 2 both have incredible games to accompany those films. There’s a Pagemaster game that I think is a ton of fun as well. You know, the movie where Macaulay Culkin gets sucked into a book by a wizard? The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie game was so much fun as well. Star Wars has several great games. I think movie tie in games have a bad reputation, but there are some solid ones there. 

What series are you connected with the most?
This is a weird split, but Metal Gear Solid (series) and Pokemon. Pokemon for the reasons I’ve already stated, but Metal Gear for how in depth those games are. Metal Gear Solid just hits me hard with the story and its game play. These games have actually taught me to be extremely patient in video games. I mean, certainly the story of the series has had its ups and downs, but I think the thread of MGS has always been there. The fact that I’m able to carry on hour-long conversations about different theories of what’s happening in these games, should say a lot about how connected I am with these games.

How do rhythm games fare since their resurgence?  
Rhythm games are one of my favorite genres of games. If you’re making a rhythm game, chances are you have to have a dope soundtrack, your game play requires you to think fast and put your hand to eye coordination to the test. Amplitude was just “rereleased” for the PS4 and that alone should show people that rhythm games don’t have to be clones of Rock Band. I love Rock Band, but in that whole 5-year span where everyone had their hand in the “plastic guitar rock music” pot, it became super saturated and boring. 

Now there are games like Crypt of the Necrodancer, Amplitude, Elite Beat Agents, Bit Trip, and even Guitar Hero has understood that these games need a drastic change or need to be drastically different from their competitors to stand alone. Rock Band really tapped into best of the genre and now others need to figure out how to make it their own.

I hope that now that they’re returning that it’s a regular genre of games. Playstation is testing waters to see if people have an interest in Parappa the Rapper by releasing the sequel for the PS4 (which I hope spawns a third game). I hope rhythm games are here to stay. I think they have a shot. Even some of the Tony Hawk games have felt like rhythm games to me at times.

I feel like you secretly knew I had an undying love for rhythm games, and that’s why this question is here. I like this question.

Are there any areas or stories you wish were explored more in games
Dark Souls and Bloodborne have such vast worlds to explore in games that I know I’ll never get to all of those areas. I wish I had more time to go back through Bloodborne and explore more of Cainhurst Castle or the Upper Cathedral Ward, maybe even some of the chalice dungeons. I just don’t have that much time to devote to completing games. Once I’m done with a story, I like to move on to the next.

What game are you most excited for in 2016
Dark Souls 3 for sure. That is hands down the most anticipated games for me this year. But I’m also really excited for The Legend of Zelda Wii U, Ratchet and Clank, hopefully Rise of the Tomb Raider hits PS4 this year, Yooka-Laylee, The Last Guardian, and I’m sure there will be a few more down the road.

How do you feel about video games currently?
I think we’re in a fine state of video games. I think a lot of people get wrapped up in the politics of games a bit too much. Some I find to be incredibly understandable, but then there’s shit like Gamergate where I’m ready to check out. There just seems to be such an incredible sense of entitlement to people who use the word “gamer” to describe themselves that just straight up grosses me out. And that falls on both ends of the spectrum as well. I totally understand and support people that want better things in their games, such as portrayal of women and minority characters. Certainly not all of that is done properly or the way that I would go about discussing it, but I would rather support that than support a group of man-children calling in death threats because a woman spoke ill of the a game they probably mildly like.

Games can be complete shit and handle things poorly, but those things get recognized for being piss poor and eventually get weeded out. At the end of the day the video games I’m playing are fucking fun as hell and if that has indication of the state of games, then I suppose that means we’re doing something right.

Where do you feel video games will go in the future?
I’m excited to see what people do with the VR that isn’t virtual porn games. I think since I’ve been playing video games since I was around 3 or 4 years old that games have only gotten better, that they can only get better. I think we’re on the right track to make that happen. I hope video games become more accessible to more people and that they become learning tools teach kids moral and life lessons. I hope that they become more cinematic and really showcase how powerful a story telling medium it can be, more so than it already has. I hope they become more inclusive to women and minorities. Other wise they belong in the trash. 

 

I just wanted to thank Ant for this in depth interview and also for his and Marshall's work in putting together a really entertaining podcast that you should totally check out! Fortuna podcast returns on Wednesday the 26th with episodes generally coming out every Wednesday, be sure to follow their Tumblr linked above for updates or Ant on Twitter.