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Messages - KeyBilly

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51
TalkBack / Re: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) Review
« on: May 05, 2017, 01:55:38 PM »
Thanks, that is good to know.

I do hope that consumers notice and make a big enough fuss to avoid this in the future.  Many people will never realize that they aren't even controlling the game directly.  People went crazy over the Super Guide, but I thought it was generally fine.  Imagine that it was on by default, though, with no notice that it even existed.  Young and new players would never have the journey that comes with figuring out the game, and would just think they were playing it normally.

Maybe it is fine for Nintendo to convert Mario Kart from a racing game to a game more focused on item management.  With their implementation of Smart Steering, that may be the direction they want to take the series.

52
Yep,a friend and I  share Amiibos.  I don't think any data is saved to them like in other games.  A fun thing to do with them is spawn chests in any place to use with magnesis.

53
TalkBack / Re: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) Review
« on: May 04, 2017, 04:24:08 PM »
I'm surprised that Smart Steering has been so universally praised.  It is a nice feature, but implemented in a terrible way, and could ruin the game for many.

There is no indication that the feature even exists, and no options menu in the normal places to find it.  I was unknowingly playing with it on for a long time.  I am completely rusty at Kart games and expected to be sliding around and having fun getting better, progressing through the CC levels.  Instead, I was immediately getting 1st with almost no effort on the hardest levels.  Every curve was a nice powerslide and somehow I was just nailing it.  What bothered me is that in two instances, my Kart was obviously shoved away from chasms.

The only reason I knew about Smart Steering is from reviews.  Was it on for some reason?  I had to look up how to find it online.  You can't turn it off without being in a race!  From there, you go into settings with the plus button.  The reviews I read described it as gently pulling you away from edges, so I didn't expect much change with it off.  Wrong.  I was sliding all over the place like an alcoholic for a while after that as I adjusted to being in control.  The genius of Smart Steering is that it give you enough choice to make you feel like you are driving, while the game is basically driving for you.  It reminds me of when I look at the wrong player when playing locally with friends, thinking I'm driving really well when I am really just bouncing into a wall or driving off a cliff.

I like that Smart Steering exists, because it will allow multiplayer sessions with even the most novice players to be relatively evenly matched.  The way it is implemented as the default option and hidden, though, is highly problematic.

54
Another island would be cool.  The idea of a boat man makes me think of the river Styx, which could lead to an odd death themed area.  It wouldn't be too out of place with all the big skulls in the overworld.  It could house all the children Zelda has been eating to stay young.

None of this is worth paying for yet, but it was more than I expected for this first little update.  The language choice is also a nice surprise. 

55
Perhaps it refers to the time taken, as it is something you say when excusing yourself in fine company.

56
Is this the sequel to Legend of the Seven Stars?

In the same way that the sequel to a gourmet dinner is taking a dump.

57
TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Announces New 2DS XL
« on: April 27, 2017, 10:39:35 PM »
It looks like they went out of their way to make it look cheap to differentiate it.  Still, if the price was lower, it would make a nice replacement for the 2DS.

58
More useful than hearts are the costume upgrades.  Once you get those, it feels a lot more like traditional Zelda.

59
This is no longer as impressive, though likely a good choice.  Digital Foundry did their typical testing and found that the main multiplayer modes, when docked, do run at a solid 60 fps now.  However, the resolution has also been downgrade from 1080p to 720p.  Likewise, the 720p resolution of handheld mode is also reduced.  For a game this simple, I think this is kinda sad.  Still, I have had issues with overhead in realtime programming myself, and developers are generally having difficulty with higher resolutions and frame rates when using Unity.

60
TalkBack / Re: Puyo Puyo Tetris (Switch) Review
« on: April 24, 2017, 01:03:35 PM »
Watching Triforce beat 3-vs-1 of the highest level computers made me really want this.  Also, any portable system needs Tetris.  I'm glad that this is a good version.

61
This is one of the most impressive patches I have ever seen.

62
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Official Sales Thread
« on: April 21, 2017, 12:44:23 PM »
Third party games made a killing in March.  I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't even heard of the top selling game.  I think I tune out Tom Clancy games like I do banner ads.

63
TalkBack / Re: The Jackbox Party Pack 3 (Switch) Review
« on: April 19, 2017, 02:04:03 PM »
Thank you for reviewing this.  It looks like a good game for large crowds, if I ever have my Switch in that situation.

64
I also miss the little skits.  They were endearing and often the most memorable parts of presentations.  Otherwise, it was good and the fast pace kept it from being boring.  The only critique I have is that it looked a bit too much like a PowerPoint presentation.

65
The Fierce Deity costume gives attack bonuses similar to another set found in the game, with a set bonus of increased stamina for the spin attack.  Upgrades require each piece of every dragon and Hinox and Lynel parts (max defense 20 per piece).  There is also the trademark purple sword.  As with other Amiibo items, it isn't super powerful and it breaks, but you may get lucky and get it again.

66
TalkBack / Re: Standalone Switch Dock Coming Soon
« on: April 13, 2017, 04:06:34 PM »
I'm hoping that if Nintendo does iterations of the Switch every 2-3 years, the dock will stay compatible between at least a couple generations.  That would give us a spare dock or two over time.  Otherwise, the best option would be cheap third party docks if Nintendo didn't do anything too obnoxious with the chipset.

67
Reading this discussion made me realize that reviews are most useful when they are based around how well the vision for a game is executed.  If a game tries to be epic in scope, with a complex narrative, then it should be judged on how well it accomplishes that goal.  If it is instead trying to be a simple and addictive puzzle game, it should be judged only against that measure.  This would be the most useful way to calculate a numbered score, rather that judging a game against all other games.

A separate recommendation (buy, wait for a sale, only for fans, skip) would take price into account without muddying the general question of whether the game is good or not.

68
TalkBack / Re: Monopoly To Release On Switch
« on: April 12, 2017, 09:43:53 PM »
This... actually looks really fun.  I hope this and the other cheesy classics have good versions ASAP to give me more options when playing with non-gamers.  Board games in tabletop mode would be cool for a train or plane.

69
The typical form of the infinite arrows strategy is to stand in an open field.  After the patch, the arrows just disappear after a small set limit, from what I've read.  It could be that you have unintentionally found a way to do it post-patch.

Near finishing the game, I ended up with around 30K rupees of random materials to sell, so I just started buying out all the arrows I saw.  I think that when playing the game, I was too afraid to sell my materials or spend money on consumables.

70
Nintendo Gaming / Re: What can Wonderful 101 learn from Bayonetta?
« on: April 12, 2017, 01:52:15 PM »
Apparently, it could learn how to port perfectly to PC: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2017-bayonetta-pc-performance-analysis

I am actually very impressed at how well the game holds up in 4K at 60fps, and it even runs well on relatively outdated hardware.  This is pretty tempting to buy...

71
Looks like the new patch destroys the arrow farming strategy (let riding bokolblins shoot at you and pick up arrows).  I never did it, but I don't like the idea of messing with things like that or stasis/magnesis inventions in updates.  One of the fun things about games is seeing all the creative exploits people come up with, particularly in speed runs.  Speaking of that, the speed runs for this game are already great.

72
TalkBack / Re: The Positives and Pitfalls of Review Democratization
« on: April 11, 2017, 11:30:08 AM »
Tangentially related question, but do consumers really use metacritic? I feel like that website, along with things like Rotten Tomatoes are more commonly sourced by the industry itself and "reception" sections on Wikipedia articles, than by actual individuals.


If I'm on the fence about a game, I'll read a few reviews conveniently compiled there.  I pick some of the higher scores, some of the middle scores, and some of the low scores to get a wide variety of perspectives.  I then decide whether or not the good outweighs the bad.


But I don't do things based on an aggregate score alone!

This is typically how I use review sites, including games, movies, or Amazon.  The outlier (super high or low) reviews are sometimes the most useful, as long as they describe their reasoning.  There are some games with issues that others can look past, but would make me lose interest quickly.  There are also times when most people rate a game very low, but I would rate among my favorites.

73
TalkBack / Re: The Positives and Pitfalls of Review Democratization
« on: April 10, 2017, 11:50:56 AM »
Thought provoking article.  There are simple statistical methods for outlier removal, which I agree would make sense.

In terms of Jim Sterling's review, I found it deplorable before I played the game or actually read it.  In the first hours of playing the game, it seemed like the 10/10 that many gave it.  After playing it longer, the cracks started to show and the excuses I had made for it fell apart.  I have now completed all the shrines and a 7/10 doesn't seem absurd, though I would rate it closer to 8.5.  There are plenty of issues for sequels to address and refine.  I did eventually read the review, after getting some perspective, and found that while the tone was over the top, the critiques were legitimate and really should have borne more weight and time in other reviews, along with other things the reviews were too rushed to mention.  Perhaps a game like this is worth revised reviews after more time.

Even now, I find that most discussions regarding BotW involve people censoring their own critiques.  There is a pattern of people mentioning flaws, then deflating their importance apologetically.

I don't mean to counter your obvious distaste for his motives, because I don't have an opinion on that.

74
TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Direct To Air Wednesday
« on: April 10, 2017, 11:14:17 AM »
These are always fun, even if I don't care much about the games they are covering.

75
I got all the shrines and beat the game last weekend, and I am so thankful that the designers went in such a different direction.  They definitely were not worried about sticking to the old conventions and wanted to make it their own.  With that said, I do have a lot of mild critiques, which I hope to see addressed in the next iteration.

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