In which Jonny rediscovers Pikmin 3, and James exposes the true Quality of Life.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/36452
Following our moderately epic live show with Greg and F-Zero, RFN gets back to normal this week with loads of weird games and a bit of Listener Mail. Jonny leads the charge with a fresh look at Pikmin 3, which he is enjoying far more the second time through. Jon catches up with 3D Galaxy Force II and admits that it may actually be better than Space Harrier. James is in love with and/or mortified by the ultra-Japanese weirdness of Yakuza 4 (from the developers of F-Zero GX). Simultaneously playing both Final Fantasy Adventure and its sequel, Secret of Mana, might seem like a tough challenge, but Gui has excelled in both and is now nearing their respective conclusions. Finally, Jonny comes back around with a strident recommendation for The Room 2 on iOS. It's great because it's not like any other iOS game (except the first one, which it's exactly like).
We only had time for a pair of Listener Mail questions in this slightly abbreviated episode, but they're both thought-provoking. The first asks us to assess Iwata's recent announcement of a "Quality of Life" platform, whatever the hell that means, and how it might affect Nintendo's existing (dwindling?) video gamer audience. James has already been studying the issue carefully and goes into his industry-speak trance. We also field a letter about our least favorite game genres and consider what might make us reconsider playing them. Let us know which genres miss the mark for you, or anything else about video games and Nintendo, by emailing the show! We really do read every submission and use the majority of them on the podcast, so your participation counts!
Also, in case you missed Jonny's guest appearance on the Back in My Play podcast, do check that out to hear a lengthy analysis/defense of the controversial Milon's Secret Castle.
MOBAs aren't as complex as they are described in the podcast, at least not at a UI level.All my numerous, numerous and sincere efforts to try to get into this genre ended with me staring at the UI and feeling completely stumped. I open the game and try to pick one of the 200+ characters that i know nothing about. Then, i open the shop and start to feel the despair of the Buridan's ass: should i pick this tree branch that gives me +2 to my dexterity or that branch that gives +3 to my agility. Oh and i am getting insulted while doing so and am timed too -- oops, i already lost while i was trying to figure it out. Ah well.
It isn't just the farming. The idea that the army I built is completely discarded and yet the first thing I have to do is reestablish supplies to rebuild it, is stupid. No army works that way. It devalues long-term prioritization.But then keeping the same army throughout entire playthrough would break the gameplay. Enemy would have to keep increasing it's own numbers as well with each passing stage to prevent you from steamrolling them with your big army. It can only go so far until you will hit unit count limit.
