#option and explore every single inch of the world and try to collect as much information as possible - then there are a few extra places to
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icewindandboringhorror · 4 months ago
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Lineup of all of the characters that appear long enough to need a visual representation of them in the game lol
#I added a few people that you can randomly run into around town (like at the inn or in the forest or etc) and have very short conversations#with just to kind of flesh out the world a little more in a more natural-ish seeming way. Like nobody in the main cast would really#have much reason to talk about the actual city you're in or anything. Since most of them havent lived there that long anyway.#But if there's a ''city inspector'' that you can run into whilst he's writing up notes examining the local inn. then maybe there could be a#few dialogue options with him where you can ask about things like that. since he would know more about the area as an offical Government#Worker or etc. Optional of course. since I have to be so wary of my natural inclination to lore dump lol and am trying extra hard to make i#all stuff thats easily avoided/skipped. But for the people like ME who deliberately choose to exhaust every possible optional dialogue#option and explore every single inch of the world and try to collect as much information as possible - then there are a few extra places to#do that. Though obviously not all of them just give exposition for like 15 paragraphs blandly. Some you don't really learn anything from#and it's kind of just.. random flavor to make the non-shop map locations more ''lived in'' feeling. Like the random#little girl you can talk to in the park doesn't bizarrely start reading out the wikipedia description of some War that happened 10 years ag#or whatever. she's just complains about school a little and asks if you've tried the nearby ice cream cart treats and etc lol#ANYWAY..#some of the art is so so evil but I'm not going to spend 800 years trying to clean it up and update it. whatever the hell mess I sketched#out in 2018 or whatever is just what I'm keeping lol... it is what it is#One of the many trials of the whole 'briefly work a few months on something and then abandon it almost entirely only to pick up work#on it literally like 4 - 5 yrs later and now you must contend with trying to decipher whatever weird shit you did years ago' experience lol#Also given the population breakdowns of the world in general I think there's an unrealistic amount of jhevona in this lineup since#they're a much rarer species to just see out and about anywhere but.. it IS a global trading center type area. and the game#takes place in the north (the country of Asen. near the coast. for the maybe 2 or less people who actually keep up with my worldbuilding#enough to know where that is lol (the same continent as Navyete (where the avirre'thel live)) and there's a decent concentration#of nothern jhevona only a short ways away so... tee hee..I shall pretend it makes sense and not merely me just wanting#to represent more of that species because I think their lore is interesting lol#I MEAN also realistically there would NOT be a human here because humans are extremely isolated species that don't even know the rest#of the world exists really and human territories are extremely protected from the outside world but... of course it's like.. well we need#at least One of them to be there for the Optional Lore. Same with the Ythrili. But at least those are like.. PLAUSIBLE.. not nonsensically#outlandish. If I had a Verrucalt or something in there THEN that would be truly lore-breaking almost lol#ANYWAY.. rambling that only means anything to me because nobody else knows what I'm even referencing but hbjh#also I think my character designs are so funny in the sense that I really do just love to do the same thing over and over again ghbjh#wow... random asymmetry and belts and arm straps and high collars where the neck is completely covered?? you dont say..how novel
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fancrop25-blog · 4 years ago
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Data Consumption Investigation Testbed-- DART Intro
Selecting an Online Dart Outlet
There are many different web sites that use on the internet dart outlets. These internet sites give players with many companies featuring assortment of nightclubs, titles, as well as directories. Some web sites likewise allow players to track their video game statistics so that they may track their efficiency.
When looking for an on-line dart outlet, it is essential to opt for a trusted service. In this particular short article, our company will definitely talk about a number of the many things to try to find in an on the internet dart shop.
Initially, rate. The pricing of the various online dart stores may vary based upon the companies provided. The cost for good service is actually even more pricey than a discount price website. The rates ought to be displayed on top of the internet site or even on the footer of the website. Internet outlets providing the most effective costs will definitely not make use of a bulk savings or even a lesser cost as an inducement to purchasers.
Second, customer support. Cost and service perform certainly not find out whether or not a site is credible. A reliable outlet will definitely use prompt client assistance as well as response to all inquiries promptly. A leading online dart shop will possess excellent client service as well as will give on-line help to clients who are actually possessing difficulty participating in activities.
Third, client testimonials. Clients may upload an assessment concerning any offered online dart store on World wide web notification panels. An internet dart shop that prospers and also has a high rating in its client's customer reviews will have many customers that are happy to use the internet site.
Fourth, you can easily discover a store that supplies great companies for a low price. While a higher rate is actually certainly not consistently a promise of high quality company, it carries out show that your business is flourishing. dartborden beheren uses a wide array of shops, so there is one near you.
Fifth, the outlet needs to possess an immediate buy option. Many dart homeowners perform not give an instant buy option. If you do not would like to wait for many times for your acquisition, a reduced cost is actually better.
Sixth, the on the web dart shop must possess a region dedicated to your sporting activity of option. Some outlets just market general companies, while others feature a single brand name. There ought to be actually a place committed to darts, air weapons, and bean bags.
Seventh, the outlet needs to possess high quality items. Top notch products could be quite costly, but the benefit is worth the extra cost. On the internet outlets that are supplying very premium items at affordable are a great bet.
Eventually, to find the very best online dart look for your loan, take your time. Certainly not all dart shops offer the very same products, so it is necessary to try to find an outlet that provides a vast assortment of items.
When picking a dart store, you must spend some time to look into the business. Don't make the oversight of jumping into an offer prior to doing adequate analysis. You want to receive one of the most bang for your buck as well as you don't desire to pay out a lot of for the label brand of an air weapon that you would normally discover in your regional outlet.
It could be challenging to make a decision on the very best dart store online. On the internet dart shops are typically completing against each other for clients. This competitors can easily cause a price that is actually cheaper but might certainly not give the quality of service that you are looking for.
How to Purchase a Dartboard Along With Rim Online
When you acquire a dartboard at a dart shop, you are usually paying for a higher price for the item. You may discover that you may get a much better quality dartboard online for a less costly rate.
There are many different sorts of boards to pick from. The most vital point you require to do when getting your personal panel is actually to know what the dartboard's functions are actually.
There are actually a lot of brand names to pick from, so you must locate a brand that will definitely suit your brand-new digital board. This will definitely be a major think about the general rate you pay for. You wish to find the most effective board achievable for your new digital dartboard.
One more point to consider when getting dartboards online is actually the technology utilized. The additional advanced the innovation, the extra expensive the dartboard along with a rim will certainly be actually. You want to make sure that the item deserves its own cost.
Some stores use the computer system scanners to do the noting for you, which is actually handy if you don't have opportunity to mark all the darts. These dartboards with rims are a fantastic means to show your children the sport.
You can purchase a dartboard for every gamer on your group. A great idea is actually to purchase pair of, but only one will possess a published staff name on it. You'll need to have a pc body to print the crew titles on the various boards, however it could be worth it to buy pair of so every person possesses one and also does not get lost.
You may likewise buy dartboards on the web along with a variety of different activity options. If you're heading to offer your gamers the choice to opt for which option they such as well, the most important trait is actually that they play on a board that is quick and easy to check out. You do not want to provide a dartboard with a camera.
Make a decision exactly how sizable the panel will be actually. The larger the panel, the a lot more different colours and functions you may present on it. You can acquire smaller dartboards to match the tiniest areas, but you could certainly not require a big board.
It's less complicated to compare prices when you are buying a dartboard along with rim online. You can easily see what other people are marketing the boards for as well as you can easily match up prices in a secure environment. You can obtain lower costs than those you access an outlet if you check out a little bit.
Look into different dartboards in various colors and also ask the staff members regarding the business they help. You wish to see to it the staff members are actually honest and hardworking, or else, you'll never ever understand exactly how great or bad the shop is actually. You yearn for a place that is actually very easy to discover which won't permit you down.
Ensure you buy a dartboard online that is very easy to install. You do not would like to devote hours attempting to identify how to hook the board up. A fast and also easy to use dartboard will definitely produce it simpler for you and also the players to play on it.
Altogether, a dartboard with rim may include a lot of exciting to your game. The principal goal is to provide the gamers one thing that they can enjoy with and that may help the team win.
How to Opt For the Right Dartboard For Your Property
The most general and possibly the best prominent type of dartboard is actually the standard dartboard with the rim. What is actually even more, it is marketed in nearly every dart outlet that you explore. What makes this type of dartboard much more desirable is the reality that it is available in nearly any size and shape that you would just like. This means that you may receive a dartboard that is exactly the very same size as your space or even one that is larger or even much smaller than you could be made use of to. You can easily acquire dartboards that are three inches dense and rather heavy to make sure that they will not slip through the doors of your home. There are actually a handful of various kinds of shapes that you may locate, as well as one of the most usual ones have a tendency to be in area as well as rectangle-shaped forms. In addition, some dartboards possess single, double, or even three-way collections on them for a little bit extra included style.
The next category of dartboard that you can easily find in the majority of the major department stores is actually the dartboard with blade. This is actually an upright dartboard that is actually delivered in either an upright cord or even an upright steel part. This is somewhat different than the simple cord dartboard that you are actually used to because there is actually a cable that explores the edges of the panel. This gives the board the potential to be rounded, which is actually wonderful when you are conforming. What is actually even more, you don't need to worry about the cable going over and inducing the dartboard to end up being worthless due to the fact that it is going to simply cover on its own around the dartboard. This is actually one thing that you can easily likewise locate in a few various other spots in addition to your local area dartboard shop.
The third kind of dartboard is the dartboard electronic. This is what most dart players and outlets make use of for sizable events because it is lightweight and easy to step. Using https://www.rtl7darts.nl/nieuws of dartboard, all you have to perform is connect it right into the wall and also you are actually good to go. If you are acquiring a digital dartboard, you are going to locate that it is commonly very easy to install as well as setup and also is actually a great deal easier to save in your residence than a frequent sort of dartboard.
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gallyg · 8 years ago
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Extended Thoughts on Breath of the Wild (spoilers below the cut)
Breath of the Wild simultaneously feels like an idealized distillation of what Zelda is all about, and a very un-Zelda-like experience. The resulting experience feels both nostalgically celebratory, but also unfettered by traditions that don’t benefit the experience. I went into the game with some degree of cynicism, as I don’t care for survival mechanics and the game seemed to be drifting further and further from a formula that I basically liked as a Zelda fan, but I was pleasantly surprised on both ends.
Perhaps I would have known  more about what the survival mechanics in Breath of the Wild were going to entail if I had paid more attention to the pre-release information, but I was trying to stay away from it since I am a doormat for Aonuma and will buy the game anyway, even if I thought it'd be bad, just to keep up on what's going on with the franchise. Or maybe it was never clear. Either way, I don't really care for the idea of having to hunt for food to feed myself because I get hungry. I was relieved to discover that there isn't actually a hunger mechanic. You hunt for healing items or elixir ingredients, but you only need to cook them if you want to heal yourself or create a potion to give you specific buffs. Cooking is a rather tedious, boring process, but at least you only need to do it on occasion to stock up on healing items and elixirs. You can even just eat the fruits and meats raw for a small heal if you don't want to cook anything.
The interesting consequence of this is that you don't have straight-up hearts to collect anymore. Grass drops almost nothing in this game and monsters only drop cooking and crafting material. This is part of a trend Zelda has been on lately with cutting out random consumable drops like arrows and bombs. It all started when Twilight Princess decided not to have random bomb drops, and it comes to a head now when enemies only kind of have random arrow drops if they had a bow and arrow. This makes me curious what exactly the "hard mode" DLC they have planned for Breath of the Wild will entail. Hero Mode is the recent Zelda standard hard mode, and its main feature is the lack of heart drops. The only difference here would be increased enemy health and damage, which really just makes the game more annoying than hard. Here's hoping for more of a Master Quest approach to the game's difficulty, as the puzzles in Breath of the Wild are significantly less demanding than the combat.
This leads me to the other big part of Breath of the Wild's survival mechanics: weapon degradation. The Master Sword is the only weapon you have that won't break, and even it will need to recharge every once in a while. Everything else? Shit breaks after a few skirmishes, at best. If you're fighting a stronger enemy like a Guardian or a Lynel, you will often have to burn through two or three swords just to take a single enemy down. This is substantially more annoying than the cooking, as it is an omnipresent fact that every single weapon you find that you like is either going to be relegated to "too good to use" territory or be quickly disposed of, as there isn't even a way to repair damaged weapons in this game, as far as I could find, anyway.
This is a small annoyance that never really stopped nagging at me, but it is basically the only negative to this game's combat. Wind Waker gave the combat a more fluid feeling, and Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword gave you more ways to act in combat, but the core issue of enemies being weak and passive has only ever been slightly addressed. In Breath of the Wild, running from a fight is not an easy get-out-of-jail-free option, because enemies tend to be quite aggressive in chasing you down. Rushing headfirst into battle is also not a mindless exercise in button mashing on most enemies, because the monsters of this game actually attack when you'd expect something trying to kill you would. Nothing like Twilight Princess's bokoblins dancing and screeching an inch from your face for thirty seconds before finally doing a half-heart attack. The enemies in this game will mess you up if you let your guard down. If you decide to invest in stamina over hearts in the early game, you can find yourself regularly getting one-shot by normal monsters. I think this change is especially welcome in The Breath of the Wild, as it does make the more substantial resource management of its survival mechanics feel more relevant.
I mentioned earlier that the puzzles were a bit easier than the combat, and while I stand by that, I don't want that to come across as a slight against the puzzles, because the puzzle design of this game is absolutely brilliant. This game takes full advantage of its systems when it comes to the puzzles. While you might find a Sheikah shrine that clearly wants you to use all your abilities to move some blocks in such a way that they stay in place and finish an electrical current, you can also just throw all your metal weapons at the circuit to make the connection. You might be expected to use stasis to launch an object at a button across a long body of water, but you can also just build yourself a little bridge with ice blocks, three at a time, until you can push the button yourself. You might be expected to manipulate the room geometry to carefully maneuver yourself higher up, but you can also just use your high jump if you've already completed the dungeon that gives you that. This all technically makes the puzzles "easier", and even the intended solutions tend to be pretty straight-forward, but the way you are allowed to experiment and abuse all the games mechanics to achieve success makes for a great system of player expression. Or to put it less pretentiously, it's fun.
All in all, I like the exploration in Breath of the Wild. It's freedom from the moment you finish the tutorial, and there's always more to find. My only complaint really is that the visuals can get a bit boring. The vast majority of the overworld feels the same with the repeating theme of fields and trees and mountain ranges. There's a few areas that are a bit different, of course, but it's mostly just the dungeon quests around those aesthetics, so most of the exploring still happens in that eternal green field. Fun to traverse, rewarded with finding tons of shrines with interesting puzzles, not a whole lot to look at while you're doing it.
I've heard people complain about the enemy variety, and I do think it makes the world feel a bit bland when combined with the above point, but I think it's made up for to some extent by how many references to the rest of the series there are. Nothing to Spirit Tracks, sadly, but Phantom Hourglass's cast has some islands named after them, Tingle's brothers get some islands, Koholint gets a mountain, Fi gets alluded to, the Wind Waker races are back, even Minish Cap gets a shoutout. And of course, Ocarina of Time gets referenced plenty because of Ocarina of Time privilege.
I am a timeline theorist, so the fact that all these references seem contradictory is exciting to me. It's been a long time since Hyrule Historia and we haven't really had a game that muddied the timeline since then. The Sheikah, Rito, and Zora all co-existing in healthy numbers like they do here makes no sense, even if we grant that every name on the map is just a coincidence. It's fun to think about, and the general conclusion I've come to is that if it is meant to make any literal sense, the Hyrule Historia timeline is useless in discerning that sense. Aonuma even confessed that the timeline he works off of changes to suit the purposes of whatever game they're currently developing. Three games and six years have passed since Hyrule Historia. The timeline they work off of has definitely changed as well. And that's even ignoring my general opinion that the authorial intent does not matter when it comes to theorizing.
That's just speaking literally, though. What the game feels like, to me, is the metaphorical resolution of the Zelda series. The last major game introduced the concept of Demise's spirit and felt like the true origin of the legend. This game features Calamity Ganon, an ethereal spirit/eldritch horror that feels like a spirit that has put up with dozens of lifetimes and thousands of years of anger and frustration. It has degraded into a horrific form, a return to that force of nature Demise was before being reincarnated as Ganondorf so many times. You are not fighting a man or a beast, you are fighting hatred and malice incarnate. This combined with the inclusion of may beloved elements from all the games, timeline coherence be damned, makes me believe that this game is meant to be the definitive end of the story, not just of the adult, child, or downfall timeline, but to Zelda as a whole.
Or maybe it's just after Adventure of Link, I donno.
Random Thoughts:
The Koroks in this game are tear-wrenchingly adorable in this game. Only the ones in the forest, though. The Koroks in the overworld don’t have any unique character or dialogue.
I played this game with my girlfriend and she put forth the amazing idea of having to find replacement Champions for the Divine Beasts as an alternate version of the story. Riju pilots Vah Naboris, Teba pilots Vah Medoh, Yunobo pilots Vah Radunia, and Sidon pilots Vah Ruta. I love this idea and consequently hate that they just had ghosts pilot the Divine Beasts instead.
Remember not that long ago when Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks made it seem like we were headed toward a Steampunk aesthetic? Funny how the somewhat cybertech aesthetic of the Twili are what seems to have stuck around more, with Fi being basically a robot, Skyward Sword having literal robots, and now this game straight up just giving Link an iPad.
So the magic meter is never coming back, right? Right. Damn shame. I don’t like the stamina meter as much.
Much as I enjoy the more open games, I do hope that we eventually see more linear Zelda games. I love the more structured take on things as well. Both of the last two mainline games opted to give you every relevant item from the start over the traditional approach of gaining items throughout the game to unlock the ability to get to new places, which as a Metroid fan I love. Even if it is technically less freedom, it feels more rewarding because when you get somewhere and beat the challenges there, your prize is basically more ability to explore the world.
People complain that this game had no good music but Stone Talus is right here:
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viralhottopics · 8 years ago
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Nintendo Switch: hands-on with the world’s strangest games console
At a London launch, we got our first look at Nintendos hybrid gaming system, as well as playing Zelda, Splatoon 2 and more
Some are calling it Nintendos last chance. At least at manufacturing a games console. The creator of smash-hit machines since the original Nintendo Entertainment System in 1983 suffered an ignoble commercial failure with Wii U. Announced last year and revealed in full on Friday, the new Nintendo Switch machine has a lot to prove.
Its a typically idiosyncratic creation. Described as a hybrid system, it works as a traditional home console, plugging into your TV, but it can also be slid out of its dock and played on the go, via a built in screen. The concept is fascinating, merging the portable and home experiences into one product, but what about the practice?
On Friday afternoon, Nintendo held hands-on events in several cities around the world. Outside the Hammersmith Apollo in London, a long queue of lucky fans, media types and industry insiders waited patiently, many bleary-eyed from having stayed up until 4am watching Nintendos Switch console livestream from Tokyo. All were eager to get inside, away from the cold and towards Nintendos future. Heres what we discovered.
Hands-on with the machine
The Nintendo Switch games console. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images
Immediate first impressions. Its small. The central tablet-shaped unit is smaller than a Wii U GamePad and has the same size screen – 6.2 inches, which is smaller than an iPad Mini. The dock through which you connect the device to your television is just a little bulkier. The Joy-Con controllers, which can be connected to the sides of the Switch to turn it into a handheld console, are tiny. Wrap your fingers around them, perhaps for a motion-controlled game of boxing, and they almost feel like they could disappear. You might want to actually wear your wrist strap for these, and dont let your children run off with them or youll never find them again.
Still, with their curved edges and soft finish the Joy-Con are surprisingly comfortable in every possible configuration. The grip that turns a pair of Joy-Con into something that resembles a standard controller might look a bit silly – and canine – but it nestles snugly in the hand. It was difficult, however, to get a proper feel for the weight of both the grip and the handheld mode with Joy-Con attached to either side of the screen, because they were all attached to their stands with thick security cables.
Nintendo Switch in its box. Photograph: Nintendo
Because of the security measures, it wasnt possible to try much of the actual switching that gives the console its name, with one exception. When playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, attendees could switch from television to handheld mode by removing the Switch from its dock, which proved to be almost instant, and back again, which took a second longer. Placing the Switch in its dock didnt seem to quite have the satisfactory click expected, but that might again be blamed on the thick cable throwing off the balance.
Attendees werent allowed to try attaching the Joy-Con to the grip or the Switch itself, but the different games around the room were set up to be played in different ways. In handheld mode, games were displayed at 60fps and 720p, which looks pretty good on a screen that small. Some games were set up with the Switch as the display and the controllers detached, and for those it was common to see players leaning in to see more closely. It works, but is best saved for when you cant use a television.
Importantly, while it wasnt usually possible to test physical switching from one mode to another, moving between games set up to be played in different ways felt natural. Those with experience with the likes of analog sticks and triggers should have no problems adapting to the feel of the different control methods.
Hands-on with the games
Here are the titles we got a chance to play.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Photograph: Nintendo
Given the popularity of this long-running adventure series, its unsurprising that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the only game with a substantial queue. Many of the attendees had already played this demo at E3, but on a Wii U. The Switch version is largely similar, right down to the existence of Links Sheikah Slate, which was obviously meant to reflect the second-screen experience provided by the Wii U GamePad an experience you cant have on Switch because when its docked, the screen is not visible. You can of course undock your Switch and explore that beautiful world 720p but still lovely on the go, if only for up to three hours at a time.
1-2 Switch (Nintendo; launch title)
1-2 Switch. Photograph: Nintendo
The game that best showed off what the Joy-Con can do was 1-2-Switch, a collection of mini games designed to get players looking away from the screen and at each other. Each mini game on show was one-on-one competitive multiplayer, each player using a single Joy-Con to perform some action mimicking real life.
Quick Draw and Samurai Training use the accelerometer and gyro-sensors inside the controllers to test your reaction times, by respectively asking you to shoot your opponent or catch the sword they swing through your open hands. The latter also demonstrates the sturdiness of the Joy-Con, since you catch the sword by clapping the controller in your hand.
Ball Count and Safe Crack demonstrate the HD rumble technology in the devices that can make it feel like there are little balls rolling around inside the controller. Nintendo claimed that the rumble tech is so intricate it can even make the Joy-Con feel like a tumbler full of ice cubes. Its cool, but unlikely to be used to its full extent in many games.
But the 1-2-Switch mini game everyone was talking about was Milk, for which you hold the Joy-Con vertically, wrap your fingers around it, and move it up and down while applying rhythmic pressure to the top and bottom in turn. You know, to milk a cow. In the background, the screen shows a stylised view of a cows teats delivering the … product. Unsurprisingly, footage has already been a hit on social media.
These mini games are great the first time you try them, and would probably go down well at parties, just like the original Wii games did a decade ago, but the collection lacks the lasting appeal required to justify a purchase. Its a shame Nintendo hasnt chosen to bundle it in with the console, especially given the popularity of Wii Sports.
Snipperclips (Nintendo; March 2017)
Snipperclips. Photograph: Nintendo
Another game that caused a lot of buzz on the showroom floor was a cooperative 2D puzzle game that involves two shapes with feet and faces cutting chunks out of each other in order to create new shapes and solve challenges. Played in pairs with a Joy-Con each, Snipperclips fits well with the tendency players have to lean in when using the Switch on its kickstand as the display. Its unique mechanic feels very refreshing, and appropriate for a Nintendo console, but Snipperclips might not be as new as it seems. A very similar game called Friendshapes, from brothers Tom and Adam of SFB Games, was playable at EGXs Leftfield Collection back in 2015.
Arms (Nintendo; March 2017)
Arms. Photograph: Nintendo
Arms is reminiscent of the boxing game in Wii Sports, albeit with characters whose arms extend on springs and end in a variety of weapons. Hold two Joy-Con vertically and turned so that the buttons face inwards which is still comfortable but makes you grateful for the wrist strap and punch. You can also tilt the controllers to move, turn them inwards to shield, punch both at once to grab, press L and R to dash and jump, and press ZL or ZR to use a characters special move – heal while shielding, hover, teleport and so on. Theres plenty of strategy here, but just as boxing was the lesser played of the Wii Sports games because it required each player to have a nunchuck, Arms is likely to suffer from its need for two Joy-Con each, especially given their listed price of 75 a pair.
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo; summer 2017)
Splatoon 2. Photograph: Nintendo
Despite promises of a full sequel, Splatoon 2 feels very similar to the original, which will probably be just fine for those who racked up dozens or hundreds of hours and just want more of the same, or those who skipped the Wii U altogether and will experience it for the first time on Switch. The demo did include one new weapon, Splat Dualies, which let your squid shoot their coloured ink from both hands at once. Using motion controls in this case in handheld mode still feels gimmicky, fun at first but not ideal for fast-paced competitive play.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo; 28 April)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Photograph: Nintendo
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isnt pretending to be anything more than an upgraded version of Mario Kart 8, which will suit both those who want to bring that experience with them when they upgrade from Wii U to Switch, and those whove never played the game before. Changes include the introduction of a battle mode, some new characters including ones from Splatoon, and an optional smart steering feature that keeps players on the track.
But the biggest Switch-specific feature, of course, is the ability to play in many different ways. At the event, attendees could play eight-player local multiplayer in handheld mode, with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller in television mode, or with the Switch on its kickstand and two players each using one Joy-Con in a tiny steering wheel. Any way you play it, Mario Kart 8 is still great.
Fast RMX (Shinen; March 2017)
Fast RMX. Photograph: Nintendo
This colourful futuristic racer looked great in 1080p and 60fps on the television mode, but it would have been good to test out how it plays in handheld mode, whether you can still play two-player splitscreen and if that causes the frame-rate to drop. Still, with little more to worry about than staying on the track and switching your anti-gravity vehicles colour in time to catch boost strips, Fast RMX is good simple fun.
And the rest
Sonic Mania. Photograph: Sega
Sonic Mania (Sega; Spring 2017) was described as a homage to Sonic. Its neither a new game nor strictly a reboot. The demo was the first level of the original Sonic but with added Tails and dash ability, and a different boss encounter at the end.
Skylanders Imaginators (Toys for Bob; Activision; 3 March) was demonstrated the NFC, with players bringing Skylanders into the game by tapping them against the right Joy-Con. It works well, but feels less magical than placing them on a solid pedestal.
Super Bomberman R (Konami; 3 March) was also played with two players with a Joy-Con each, leaning into the Switch on its kickstand. This setup seems to work well for retro-type games, and well probably see more come to Switch.
Just Dance 2017 (Ubisoft; 3 March) also worked well with each player holding just one Joy-Con, their small size and light weight an advantage for those who want to forget theyre holding a controller at all.
A Nintendo Switch launch event. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images
Our verdict
As its name suggests, the main selling point of the Switch is the ability to play it in all sorts of different configurations. Though it was disappointing not to be allowed to try many of these actions at the event, most of the configurations were available and proved viable even if they sacrificed some resolution or power or in the case of leaning in to better see the Switch on its kickstand comfort. The question is whether people will see these options as reason enough to buy.
If were going to question the necessity of certain features, when will we see why the Switch needed a capacitive touch screen? What games will make the HD rumble worth whatever extra cost it added to the expensive Joy-Con controllers? Without having 1-2-Switch bundled in with every console, will players care about the motion controls and will developers bother to create more games that use them? Will there be enough online content to justify paying a monthly subscription after the free introductory period ends?
Of course, you could just see these features as a bonus to a console that looks and feels great, but then the selling point has to be the games. As far as launch titles go the Switch is lacking, but then the hardcore fans wholl buy the console on day one will likely be satisfied with just the huge open-world Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And for those who wait for Christmas therell be lots more to choose from, supposedly including a new open-world Mario game in Super Mario Odyssey.
As for third-party developers, word on the show floor was that the Switch is far easier to develop for than the Wii U, which could translate to better third-party support. Given the architecture is apparently similar to the latest Sony and Microsoft machines, it should at least be easier for developers to port across their PS4 and Xbox One games to bulk out the Switch library. Whether they do this or not will depend on whether the console shows signs of success. Low initial sales can quickly cause a vicious cycle in which publishers withdraw support and further lower a consoles chances.
This was a fun event, filled with familiar Nintendo experiences, but doubts remain. Given what happened with the Wii U, heres hoping Nintendo can switch things up.
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