#which was the price of a launch xbox one. which is what i have. and its chugging along

[clockworkslick]

I have this weird irrational fear (not a major thing) that I'll never play a new game when it's new ever again. the last game I played new was elden ring, and that's because it was also on xbox one. I'm mostly worried that I'll never have the ability to spend an ungodly amount of money on a new console, and its not like I can just get a good pc since my macbook (inb4 "oh complaining about money while having an absurdly expensive apple product", I had help paying for it and my school lied to me and said it was required before I enrolled.) still works and it seems silly to have both. also because it's expensive as shit.

[otternalremnant]

Switch 2 Price: Objectively

Before I get started let me just say that I absolutely agree that $450 is a lot of money, not denying that one bit. Please do not be mean in the comments, I am mildly autistic and was abused as a child so I cry stupidly easy.

It goes without saying that some of this price has also been adjusted due to the new 24% tariffs on Japanese goods. (This has not been confirmed by Nintendo but it follows the market trend of companies passing those costs directly to consumers).

With that out of the way, lets look at the hardware specifications of the Switch 2 that have been confirmed by Nintendo and nvidia.

4k 120 FPS when docked

7.9" 1080p HDR LCD screen built in

DLSS, ray tracing, and g-sync support

256GB SSD storage

These specifications put the Switch 2 firmly above the capability of a PS4 in the form factor of what is essentially a tablet. The Switch 1 was about as capable as the PS3, which is also somewhat impressive for the formfactor. While we likely won't have actual benchmark tests until review units go out near launch, we can still see that the hardware is quite good based on the info we have. Now let's take a look devices with similar capability of Switch 2 that are currently available on the market.

PS5

The PS5 is a more powerful system than Switch 2 without a doubt with Sony originally toting 8k resolution support. However it is also a much larger device and is notoriously sold at a loss as has been the trend with all console manufacturers since the 1970s. The PS5 slim comes in at the same $450 as Switch 2 due to its lack of Bluray drive. It also cannot be played anywear other than your home unless you invest in the $200 Playstation Portal streaming handheld.

Xbox Series X/S

While the Xbox Series S comes in at $150 cheaper than the Switch 2, it has also been notoriously hard for developers to get their games running in 4k on the device and is widely considered a non option for others, with Microsoft having to wave certification requirements for certain games such as Baldur's Gate 3 in order for Larion Studios to even consider porting it to the Xbox.

These are also not a portable system and are likely to be discontinued soon due to Microsoft shifting focus away from console exclusivity and on to their GamePass streaming service.

Laptops

The lowest price I could find on a laptop that features similar performance to Switch 2 will cost you around $650. And while laptop PCs can do much more overall due to the nature of the Windows desktop environment, I'm looking at this from a purely gaming performance focus. These lower end devices often suffer from performance dips due to lack of proper cooling and the overhead of the OS as well.

Handhelds/Steamdeck likes

The Steam Deck is a pretty incredible value starting $400 with access to a vast amount of the Steam Library. However it struggles with running complex games in 4k and its ray tracing support is quite lacking as well, but to be fair the device was not really designed to do that. It also only has a 720p 60hz display and is quite a bit bulkier than the Switch. Steam Deck competitors such as the ROG Ally and Legion Go are a bit more capable, but have notoriously poor battery life and are much more expensive in the $700-800 range.

Switch 1

The Switch 2 is also bound to compete with the Switch 1 for sales due to pricing and availability in the first couple of years of its lifespan. While the system is 8 years old, it still has quite a vast amount of support from developers and publishers due to it having a great lifetime sales figure. It has unfortunately been notoriously under-powered since its initial launch in 2018 with developers often having to greatly pare down their games in order to get them running on the system and often releasing 1-2 years after they have already launched on other platforms. The system also hasn't dropped its price from $300 outside of rare holiday sales.

The extra power of the Switch 2 should allow for more games to run on the system at a much less compromised experience compared to PS5/PC ports.

TLDR; Yes $450 is expensive, but the cost of the hardware is a fair market price.

$80 for the games is batshit insane tho.

[sage-nebula]

The thing about the Switch 2 pricing is -- well, there are multiple things.

Video game console prices had already hit this point. I'm not saying that justifies it; I'm saying that's a fact. The Playstation 5 was $499 when it launched. The PS5 Pro was $699, and that's a digital-only console. The fact is, if a competitor is doing something that is profitable and they succeed at doing that thing, others are going to follow suit. I understand that many Nintendo fans might not have been aware of PS5 pricing, since Nintendo has their own fanbase that is often separate from those who are into Playstation or Xbox, but it's true nonetheless. (I singled out Sony because that is a fellow Japanese company, but for the record, the Xbox Series X also debuted at $499. The galaxy black special edition, which came with a disc drive, debuted at $599. And while one could try arguing that those consoles deserve the higher price point because they are technologically stronger than Nintendo consoles, that doesn't change the fact that Nintendo's strength has always been in their IPs rather than their hardware, or the fact that, again, if competitors succeed at something profitable, other companies will follow suit.)

Unfortunately, Nintendo had already tried the "games that we know people will buy no matter what will be priced higher than standard games" tactic on the Switch. Most Switch games retail at $59.99. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, however, retailed at $69.99, and it sold gangbusters. And the thing is, Nintendo isn't exactly hiking the price by miles here; they're doing the frog pot method, where they raise it by ten dollars, and then another ten, and so on and so forth. So most consumers probably will still buy in. (Probably, because yes, I know that the 3DS had poor sales to start with and got its price lowered. I was there, Gandalf. I also know that it wasn't only the price that got the 3DS off to a slow start, but a poor lineup of launch titles. Switch 2 is launching with a brand new Mario Kart, so I don't think it'll face the same hurdle. But we'll see.)

Speaking of competitors, standard retail price for PS5 games is $69.99. This also seems to be the standard price for Switch 2 games that Nintendo doesn't consider to be the highest value, since Donkey Kong: Bananza will be retailing for $69.99. So again, competitors already set that standard; Nintendo is just following suit.

I've seen a post going around saying that there will be no more physical game cards, only game keys. The good news is, this is false. Game keys will be used for specific games only, likely Fortnite and the like. Physical game cards are still being made. The bad news is, remember that post I made about how it's ridiculous that digital games cost the same price as physical games? Well, Nintendo listened. Physical games (or at least some) will cost about ten dollars more than digital. Meaning that a game that costs $80 digitally will cost $90 physically. Nintendo isn't taking as active of measures to phase out physical games as Sony and Microsoft are (we'll see if there ends up being a digital-only Switch 2 Lite), but they clearly don't want to make them anymore either.

Lastly, everyone is upset about the $450 or $500 price point. I understand why and also think it sucks. But Nintendo announced today that they are pushing back the April 9th preorder date because of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. They said they want to see how the tariffs will affect export pricing and how the market will shake out. Meaning that it is highly likely that this console and the games for it will be even more expensive than they are currently. And again, it won't just be them; when Sony announces the Playstation 6 and Microsoft introduces the Xbox Model 720 or whatever they decide to call it, those are probably going to once again be even more astronomically expensive than the Switch 2. So buckle up, because it is most likely about to get worse.

[thyrus]

ok erm nintendy 2 predictions (may or may not be in the direct, just my general thoughts? i guess)

games/features:

mario kart launch title

n64 zelda remake for summer

new mario title for holiday

^3d mario

enhanced versions of ACNH, splat3, mario wonder, BOTW/TOTK, pikmin, metroid. these could take advantage of joycon mouse. ubi teased mario rabbids on switch 2 or something so maybe that gets an upgrade of some kind

weird new IP to demo the new hardware features

animal crossing announced before 2027, maybe aimed around that point but could always be delayed into 2027

splat4 announced 2026, release in 2027 i think (too early for splat4)

i think a splatoon spinoff is likely this gen but idk when. this year might be a good time as filler but i think they'd rather save resources to develop splat4

less focus on mobile and more on console. i feel like the mobile games were kinda cushion during the 3ds/wiiu era and after the success of the switch and the development of the switch 2 they feel like its not necessary (have all mobile games discontinued? not including like. pokemon ((which should always count as a separate thing)) and pikmin?). i thought i saw an article about them not abandoning mobile but idk if it was with apps or games or what. apps are definitely here to stay though i think

roblox will come at some point. it's gotta

another weird "99" type game or something of an old IP

in the direct: 3rd party anime and ~cozy farm games~

xbox games come to switch (idk anything about xbox. halo? this was rumoured)

bingo space: C button is for voice chat (microphone sold separately) (idr did anyone find a microphone on it?) (wii speak...2!)

price of games go up $10-20

monetization:

nintendo dabbles in microtransactions for the first time this generation. remember in the mid-2010s everyone was like "nintendo is the good company they dont release halfassed games" and then so many games were halfassed on the switch LMAO. also they really focused on DLC this time around and ""free updates""

microtransactions/more paid DLC for animal crossing, NOT tied to amiibo, maybe they'll try to milk it and make it run longer. expansions for towns/islands/cities (whatever they settle on), furniture sets, villagers.

microtransactions/more paid DLC for splatoon 4, not tied to amiibo. single player obviously, but also cosmetics and maybe weapon skins (THERES your "third kits")

free-to-play games with microtransactions?

honest attempts at live service games for AC and splatoon. i feel like its stupid how little content they put out for these major games when they could very easily get way more money out of it. if not "indefinite" service then way more than just two years (lbr "two years" was barely anything for these games. they released bare bones games and then added like one major thing towards the end of the lifespan after two years and thats it. they ended before they got good, or they started to get good and then it died because no one gave a shit anymore because they don't know how to keep people interested)

themes, but not to the extent of the 3ds (nothing quirky)

the playtest game, if they're gonna make it a full experience,

wishlist/wildcard:

nintendogs. idk if i necessarily want to play it but its more about a nostalgic IP coming back lol. and it would look good

quirky comes back (personality with menus, miis, something like streetpass, badge arcade, cutesy themes, SOMETHING)

gamecube VC

make wii and ds work somehow

i want the rayman 3 remaster pleeease :) dont think it'll be in the direct though im not expecting it

wildcard: mario paint as a cheap eshop title

oooooooooooooh bring back art academy maybe

more first party smaller titles for eshop? (like how pokemon does with their free to play games. like release a simple dr. mario without charging $60 for it)

[dillweedshole]

(prices in canadian dollars. 80 CAD translates to 60 USD, just keep that in mind.)

i saw an argument (in defense of Switch first party games never going down in price) about how "The games don't go down in value, they don't degrade"

sure! you'd be correct, but EVERY OTHER PLATFORM, every other PUBLISHER, every other POSSIBLE OPTION for buying older games sells them to you at a much lower price.

if you know me, you know where i'm going; DOOM 2016 comes to mind since i've been playing that recently. it's still considered one of the best first person shooters ever, regularly going toe-to-toe with it's 2020 sequel, DOOM Eternal. At launch, it was a full 80 big ones.

you can get it during sales for as little as 5 dollars, and it's the same game! or Eternal, which was also a big fat 80, but you can get it at like, 15 fucking dollars during sales, their non-sale price is around 25 and 30 dollars, respectively.

And, okay, sure. That's not a first party example. Halo MCC, a collection of a full 4 games, almost all of which being loved to hell and back, i can't find info on it's original price but i'm willing to bet it was in the ballpark of 80, like any other full-priced launch in the 2010's.

now? 50 dollars, with it regularly going on sale down to 12 dollars. let me recap, TWELVE DOLLARS for FIVE GREAT GAMES and also Halo 4 is there.

Breath of the wild? Launched at 80, still 80, goes on sale when the planets align and the stars unite for like 50 dollars. Are you high??

it's dogshit, but the reason they got away with it during the Switch 1's life is because it's so fucking cheap when you look hard enough, and you really don't even have to look that hard.

a Refurbished Switch Lite is $165, compared to a refurbed Series S (the cheapest non-nintendo big console) which goes for around $380. and that's for if you really don't care how you play your games.

165 to 380, that's insane, right? that's enough room to buy 2 big nintendo games and even some Online on the side before you finally match prices with a cheap version of the only other major budget console immediately available.

but the Switch 2 doesn't GIVE you that price gap. It's going for almost the exact same price as the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, with 630 for the S2 and 650 for the other 2.

that's not much more room to allow for game purchases, and they're getting more expensive, PLUS you need to pay an extra premium if you want to play some of your older games at a performance relative to the system's actual specs.

The games never going down in price but ONLY on Nintendo systems is silly when ever other platform with every other damn game does just that.

What I want to ask you with all of this isn't "Are you okay with getting fucking screwed by a corporation?", it's "Do you truly believe this is a Nintendo that cares about you?"

Is Nintendo going to give you an experience all Nintendo? Sure. But they will make you pay way more than you should deserve to give AND they won't give you enough in return.

I've said somewhere before, I'm okay with the Switch 2's base console price, but it's that ridiculous Switch Tax that really starts to bite you, and it's going to hit way harder since the Switch 2 doesn't have a big base price gap to at least help with the blows to your wallet.

They're asking you to give them just as much as the other guys get, and then sneakily throw a 10 dollar fee on a Console Tutorial at you, a 20 dollar upgrade fee for old games, an online chat system that requires you pay at least 5 dollars a month to even use it, they won't even bring the prices of their games down, they'll nickel-and-dime you in ways you won't see at first because, who's going to throw a fit over 20 dollars after a 630 dollar console?

It's insane, it's anti-consumer, it's anti-YOU. WHY would you defend this, it's STUPID, and you KNOW it's going to sell well too, which will tell Nintendo "Hey, this works, keep doing this!!"

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Midnight Gaming: Drop Dead Red

So last night I played Paint The Town Red past midnight, checked socials later to find... nintendo has announced an open playtest for an upcoming feature coming to nso + xpansion pack.

So Nintendo Switch Online is the paid online subscription of nintendo similar to xbox gold and playstation plus. It is one of the cheapest of the three though the online on switch has been lauded as spotty, it has gotten better over the years. Theres also the offering of classic titles that can be played on a subscription from NES, SNES and game boy, which is essentially the current iteration of the old Virtual Console service that was on Wii. Theres also the expansion pack which is an upgrade to the base subscription which adds a selection of Game boy Advance, N64 and sega mega drive games along with access to some dlc for certain games though the jump in price and spotty emulation at launch made the NSO expansion pack a very hard sell. Its alteast a bit better now but you dont often hear people recommend getting the full package.

So colour me intrigued when nintendo announced an open playtest for an upcoming feature for the NSO + Expansion Pack.

The only conditions you need to apply is to have an active NSO + Expansion sub. Now what exactly is this feature they are testing? Im not sure at the moment but i'm hoping its gamecube and wii support, though more likely its something else thats not really that exciting. I've had nintendo let me down before.

Anyways, speaking of things that are related to the colour red....

Paint The Town Red is a voxel-based first person brawler available on steam where you enter a level and start a no holds barred brawl in the area that doesnt end until your the last one standing. The name is certanly accurate since a lot of the levels by the end do end up painted red with the blood and viscera of every single person who was in the area at the time.

Seriously, the games use of Voxel graphics ends up making it almost as gory as the Mortal Kombat series with how much bodily damage you can inflict on enemies to the point of their own skeletons popping out of the voxel meat just to say happy halloween.

A lot of objects can be picked up and swung as a means to defend yourself during the hour of violence such as glass mugs and bottles, chairs, plates and weights, to more convential weapons such as blades, bats and firearms. Not too mention you fill up a power meter that sits above your health, with every enemy eliminated, allowing you to use one of three skills when you have enough so you can inflict some more damage. One small issue I have is that health can be troublesome to manage since you dont really get any health recovery unless theres a health pickup placed in the level and if theres isnt one or you already used them up, you'll find yourself needing to be careful when your mopping the last few brawlers and since enemies can do a quick lunge that if unblocked can hit you for a lot, it can lead to a death or two and a restart.

The game does have a nice variety of content available with the scenarios which are your basic levels where you get your ultraviolence on. An arena mode which is essentially your survive as long as you can mode. A freaking roguelike mode called Beneath with character classes and passive unlocks, yeah thats pretty neat. And then theres the user-made levels which are just levels and themes available through the games steam workshop. And yes, I played the Family Guy level.

So to wrap this, PTTR? Neat lil game, definatly a lot on offer especially for ultraviolence fans. Theres also a vr version available for anyone with a headset.

Im still a bit curious as to what Nintendo is planning with that upcoming feature they're looking to test, but im not sure I really wanna spend roughly £40 so I coukd try to apply for the test.... I dont suppose anyone would be... nice enough to buy it for me?? For the sake of journalism naturally 😏.

So thats Midnight Gaming, sorry for the delay but wanted to take a few days for my health. Feel free to leave feedback and game suggestions. See you all tomorrow.

[satoshi-mochida]

Ogre Tale for Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch launches July 11 - Gematsu

MAGES. will release side-scrolling beat ’em up game Ogre Tale for Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on July 11 for $19.99, the developer announced. Microsoft Store (Xbox Series, Xbox One pre-orders are available now at a $14.99 discount price.

Ogre Tale first launched for PC via Steam on August 20, 2020.

A major update is also now available for the PC version, which adds the following content:

Fixes for Steam Deck

Fixed a bug related to frame rate.

Adjustment of behavior when connecting an external controller

Adjustment of Some User Interfaces

Added a function for bulk sales in the store.

Added description to the special move detail screen.

Adjustment of Game Balance

Level cap changed from 50 to 100.

Added “Nightmare” and “Nightmare+” difficulty levels.

Weapons with “Multi-Jump,” “Dash in the Air,” and “Dash Attack” skills were added from the beginning.

Drop rate of items has been revised upward.

Lowered the number of times to raise the level of ultimate moves.

Lowered the conditions for obtaining some achievements.

Here is an overview of the game, via MAGES.:

About

Join ogre sisters Ran, Hana, and Yume, and their feline mentor, Iroha, in a battle against fairytale folk heroes-turned-villains via this action-packed tongue-in-cheek 2D beat ’em up romp set in modern day Japan!

Story

Hundreds of years ago, there dwelled ogres alongside humankind. These ogres were known to cause no end of problems for the humans they came upon, leading them to be feared and hated, regarded as monsters and demons. One day, a trio of soon-to-be folk heroes named Momotaro, Kintaro, and Issuntaro decided enough was enough, and set foot upon the land from whence the ogres came: Onigashima. Their goal was to confront the ogres on their own turf and take them down once and for all… and so they did. After a long struggle, Momotaro and his crew successfully defeated the leader of the ogres: the beautiful yet dreaded Iroha (CV: Yukari Tamura). And with Iroha’s defeat, the ogres themselves fell to ruin, and peace once again reigned for humanity. Momotaro, Kintaro, and Issuntaro were heralded as heroes, and they all lived happily ever after… Or did they?! Tokyo, present day. Iroha, having used an ancient technique for reincarnation upon herself just moments before her demise, has lived many lives in many forms. Finally, after nearly giving up hope, she discovers the last surviving ogres: a trio of sisters bearing the name of their ancient homeland, Onigashima. She (or, now, he, as a male cat) raises them as her/his own, strictly teaching them the ways of the sword so that one day, s/he may lead them into battle against Momotaro and reclaim the ogres’ rightful place in society. And fortunately for them, Momotaro is indeed still out there! Specifically, a guy named Momotaro—who happens to be a 37th generation descendant of the original—just so happens to have been toiling day in and day out as a host in the red light district, and has finally reached his breaking point. He has PLANS now, and suffice it to say, they’re not exactly folk-heroic! So, hey, this was supposed to just be a petty revenge story, but with Momotaro suddenly turning evil due to systemic depression, maybe the ogres can actually be the good guys this time around! Lucky… them, I guess? What even IS this story, anyway?!

Characters

Playable Characters

Ran (voiced by Yoko Hikasa) – The middle sister. Always has a sword at the ready. Innately controls fire, so many of her techniques are fire-related. More of a doer than a thinker, Ran is the type who will hit first and ask questions later. Comes across as stoic but reliable.

Hana (voiced by Ayumi Takeishi) – The eldest sister. Armed with a whip and a longbow. Don’t let her gentle voice and calm-seeming personality fool you: she’s 100 percent sadist. If you cross a line with her, she’ll mess you right up. Generally serious and confident, she’s nonetheless the voice of reason among the three.

Yume (voiced by Hina Kino) – The youngest sister. Outwardly flaunts her metal club, but also has bombs at the ready. Does not think things through, ever. She acts purely on instinct at all times. Educated through games and anime rather than textbooks, with expected results. Lures you in with her cuteness, but then absolutely demolishes you with words and weapons alike as you approach. Most definitely hazardous to your health.

Non-Playable CharactersIroha (voiced by Shigeru Chiba) – Legal (?) guardian of the three Onigashima sisters, and general chief of their operations. Possesses the reincarnated soul of the ogre leader who died hundreds of years prior. Struggles every day to raise his charges as true ogres, teaching them everything s/he knows. Yet, in the end, is still just a cat.

Momotaro (voiced by Yoji Ueda) – Momotaro the 37th (Momotaro XXXVII?). Presently works as the #1 host in Kabukicho. Though probably not for much longer, all things considered! Basically, he’s the last boss. He’s had enough of the host life, and now wants to try his hand at being a supervillain. Turns out, he’s well suited to the role!

And Many More, such as…Tsuru no Ongaeshi – The Vengeful Crane.

Urashima Taro

System

Story Mode – Select from the three Onigashima sisters and challenge main missions and side missions as the tale progresses, leveling up and earning items and money (to spend on items via online shopping, of course!) that help teach you new skills and toughen your stats for the inevitable face-off against Momotaro! Between each mission, listen to witty and often fourth wall-breaking banter among the girls, their cat guardian Iroha, and a wide variety of villains. This story doesn’t take itself very seriously, and neither should you! Just kick back and enjoy the ride!

Cooperative Multiplayer – Up to three players at once can join the fray in this chaotic frenzy of a mode, wherein a number of enemies not seen anywhere else can be encountered, and a vast fortune can be earned through contiguous beatdowns and massively one-sided fights (I mean, it’s three of you against one boss enemy! OF COURSE you’re going to kick yokai tail!).

[monitorchakas]

Sad and angry about halo hours

Lovely isn't it? How Microsoft decided to wring halo dry of any money it could get from it with low effort on the content

only to then just abandon it? The "flagship" game of their stupid console

Think about it. Halo Infinite was promised to be a 10 year service for us, promised to have splitscreen campaign (first on launch then 3 months later (then never)), and much more!

Look where that's gone, after we paid $60 based on the promise of splitscreen campaign they scrapped it. They literally lied to the fans multiple times. Who cares though because Microsoft has your money ;)

That ten year plan has also been scrapped because something about their precious engine that theyvworked so hard on for such a long time is too difficult to work on!!

Plus the infinite multiplayer shop charging you ridiculous prices for armor and color. OH BUT ITS FREE TO PLAY! Well I paid for the campaign and with the old games buying the campaign let you unlock all the colors and armors for free with the campaign.

Meanwhile its unplayable with the terrible de sync which they acknowledged existed haven't heard of it being fixed?

Cherry on top they fired everyone from campaign team (we have their money no need to keep that and work on what we promised) and who knows who else go fired.

Because one thing that is consistent is 343i giving updates on stuff they are cutting because "uwu not enough resources!!!"

Dont get me started on Master Cheeks...

Fuck these people I wish it were different I wish there were hope but halo has been left bleeding in a ditch to die and other games will take its place

The xbox showcase confirmed that

[calvincell]

Though I’ve yet to actually get a physical journal specifically for Blue Prince thanks to starting it up while in the hospital, hours in I’ve defaulted to the Steam Deck’s screenshot shortcut more than I think many other users have done in earnest. My Screenshot Folder in my Deck is essentially 50+ Blue Prince pics & 1 pic I took years ago by accident during MGS5 😂

Obviously, this is another thinly-veiled game recommendation post for the absolutely incredible game Blue Prince. It’s a stylish fusion of roguelike/deckbuilding mechanics with a full on Escape Room moment to moment loop. Your “deck” is a series of rooms you’ll draw from your draft pool (ie. your deck) with rooms ranging from neutral new paths & annexes to rooms with significant positive and/or negative traits capable of heavily affecting your path through the house in some manner. Following that you must place said rooms to navigate through an eccentric uncle’s bequeathed legacy villa secretly containing a hidden room which, though never mentioned throughout his ownership of the constantly shifting property, is now the requirement for the player to succeed in providing himself worthy of his uncle’s inheritance.

Though sensible navigation is key due to limited steps per day, several of the rooms have bespoke puzzles & many of the mansion’s rooms meld into one massive puzzle that expands the many secrets of the house & handful of meta progression elements that make the journey through the house as much of a worthwhile & valuable goal as the final room is for players.

(BTW, despite my mention of limited steps, strict beelining is NOT a necessity since the game doesn’t have a hard lock of limited days until a game over. There is no “find Room X by Day 30 or you lose” scenario. No spoilers but you can absolutely leisurely get through this game at your own speed without worries of having “wasted a day” or whatnot. )

Honestly, IMO Blue Prince more than qualifies to stand in the ranks of Lorelei & The Laser Eyes as Escape Room games from the last decade that happen to be not just excellent on their own but true evolutions in the puzzle game genre.

I desperately am begging people even halfway intrigued to try the game out. Hell, I personally balked back when people were posting about putting 40-100+ hours into Blue Prince’s Demo alone but no that was all true & highlights just how dense the game is. An absolute treasure trove of Escape Room-style puzzles for genre fans & just average puzzle fans and/or fans of roguelike deckbuilders truly looking for a true innovator in the genre.

SIDE NOTE:

Despite being on the pulse of the recent Switch 2 Chaos & aching to play DK Bananza at one point or another; it’s releases like Blue Prince that make me absolutely satisfied sitting on the outside of Nintendo’s Walled Garden this generation alongside both Sony & Microsoft’s Consoles, abandoning both after the launch of the Xbox 360. The Steam Deck has simply added so much value & access to my gaming life that the very existence of Nintendo Exclusives is not enough justification to make the upgrade from my current Switch to Switch 2. The triple whammy of S2’s game prices, rotten Online Services monetization plots (ie game chat button, Virtual Console etc.) & an overall executive-level disregard for the living costs of those making up the category of “Average Gamers” - those who happily buoyed a slightly dire Nintendo back around the era of the Wii & Iwata’s general company reign (RIP); all aggregate into a Red Flag Ratking too grotesque & imposing for me to ignore. I’ve genuinely gone from loving what I saw during the Switch 2 Direct to despising every post-announcement blunder to just being bluntly & plainly disinterested in any & all things Switch 2, a state very familiar to me when both the PS4 & Xbox One were the new hotness and I simply decided I couldn’t do the standard console mambo each generation anymore. The Steam Deck’s actual hardware & software versatility & overall game catalog simply makes it the best gaming hardware purchase I’ve made since the era of the 3DS.

Not only is Blue Prince the type of gaming innovation & quality that makes it deserve as much attention & financial compensation as Nintendo’s flagships (Metroid, DK, Mario Kart etc.), but also between my backlog & whishlisted games, the wealth of indie & AA-level games at my fingertips via PC & at regular/regularly massive sales & sale prices collectively dwarfs my need and/or desire for the Switch 2.

[lighteffexor]

Look, if you want to hate the Switch 2 and the pricing and info around it, fine, be my guest. At least be correct about the reasons you hate it, I'm fucking BEGGING you.

First off, why are the games more expensive now? Because they aren't using optical media formats like the Xbox and Playstation. The games need to fit in flash memory like what you have on your phones, and, wouldn't you know it, phones with different storage sizes cost different prices. There's different cards for different storage spaces available for devs to put their games on and, if a game is larger, it needs more space, and more needed space means it'll be more expensive.

This shit has been a fact since the dawn of time. It's why, way back in the 16bit days, some games were a lot more expensive than others since they needed more space to store everything. Another reason was that some games had extra chips like some SNES games having the Super FX chip or other games having battery backups to save data which also drove up prices, but those aren't really a thing anymore. If the Switch 2 ran on optical media like the Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, and basically every non-Nintendo console from the PS1/Saturn onward, then we probably wouldn't be seeing this and MK World would be 60, maybe 70 dollars. DK would definitely be 60, though.

Not sure why the fuck Mario Kart World is eighty fucking yoo-ess dollars though. I don't think the cost of a Switch 2 cart for the size it is can be that expensive.

Secondly, the price of the console itself. I dunno, if we're comparing it to the LCD Steam Deck and it apparently has higher specs, including a 1080p 120hz display, I guess it being $50 more than it makes sense? You could argue about the available game library and the fact that it's basically a linux machine swinging things in the Deck's favor and I wouldn't argue against that (in fact, I'd be on your side).

The Switch 2 is still $50 less than the base PS5 and Series X (it might even be comparatively cheaper than the PS5 elsewhere since I remember that getting a price hike in non-US regions a while ago), and I feel like there's probably more worth getting on Switch 2 than those that you can't get on PC, so I dunno. Maybe that says more about the state of everything as a whole.

Could I afford a Switch 2 on launch? I'm in a position financially where I most likely could. Will I? Dude I don't fucking know. If I can get the Switch 2 + MK World bundle for actually $500, maybe. If these stupid fucking Trump Tariffs bump that up to, like, $700+, then holy fuck no, you're out of your goddamned mind. I don't need one that bad. I have enough shit to play. If I can find my way to Canada and could pick one up for a non-tariff'd price then sure, I guess.

Lastly, the game key cards. Holy shit this one in particular is making me mad with the amount of disinfo I'm seeing. This was a thing back for the Switch 1 and now they're just giving it an actual name. You aren't buying a case with a code in it, you're buying an actual card that has a key that tells the eshop that you're allowed to download the game digitally and is then required to be inserted so you can play the game. This goes back to the first point where companies can opt to use this format to make larger games while allowing them to use the smaller storage options which means the cost will be less.

Another benefit to this is that you can actually resell your "game key game" or loan it to someone else, as the card is just saying you're allowed to download and play the game. If, for example, FF7 remake uses this, they can put the 100GB behemoth of a game on the smallest available Switch 2 cart and just have you download the entire thing (while also devoting half of your Switch 2's storage space to a single fucking game), thus saving on costs. You could then give it to a friend when you're done (or sell it to fucking gamestop for a whopping $1.50 of in-store credit) and they could then play it on their console.

The downside to this system, obviously, is that it's reliant on having access to the download servers. If you can't connect to them, then you can't (re-)download the game. You can still play it if you have it downloaded, as the card is just the thing that says you're allowed to play it, you just can't get it on your system. Personally, I'm a physical copy phillip, so I'm not too keen on this practice as I don't like the idea of buying console games digitally. I like to be able to just swap a the media in my console and get right to playing anything in my library without having to deal with storage management. On the other hand, let's be real with ourselves, when these download servers eventually get shut down, Switch 2 emulation will most likely be good, so preservation will prevail in the end.

Also, no, not every fucking Switch 2 game is using this, I have no fucking clue who started that claim, goddamn it's not fucking true please I'm begging you stop spreading that shit.

I don't know, to me, if I want to hate something, I want to at least hate it for reasons that are valid, not reasons that aren't a thing. The prices do feel shit, so, if that's why you hate it, hey, I get it. You have my approval. Fucking hate it to your heart's content. I'll support you.

The box art for Switch 2 games blow so much ass, though. What the fuck were they thinking when they designed these? Especially the "Switch 2 Edition" cases, holy shit, what a fucking crime those are.

[maximuswolf]

Gamers We Need to Take a Stand Boycott Nintendos $80 Games Before Its Too Late

Gamers, We Need to Take a Stand – Boycott Nintendo’s $80 Games Before It’s Too Late Alright, I need to get this off my chest because I am absolutely livid. Nintendo has officially lost their damn minds. If you haven’t heard, they just announced the Switch 2, and while the hardware itself looks promising (basically PS4-level power), they dropped a bombshell that should have EVERY gamer furious.Nintendo is setting a dangerous new standard by charging $80 for a digital game and $90 for a physical copy. That’s right, they’re pushing game prices up even further when $70 was already absurd. And guess what? If this works for them, other publishers WILL follow.This isn’t just about Nintendo. This is about the entire gaming industry.Why This is a Problem:• It normalizes higher game prices. If people accept $80, then you can bet Sony, Microsoft, and every other publisher will follow suit. Soon, $100 for a standard edition won’t seem so crazy.• Nintendo’s games NEVER drop in price. Unlike PlayStation and Xbox games, which go on sale frequently, Nintendo keeps their games full price for years. Imagine being stuck paying $80 indefinitely.• It’s not justified by the hardware. The Switch 2 is only catching up to PS4/Xbox One. Nintendo is NOT offering a next-gen experience, yet they want to charge more than Sony/Microsoft.• It sets a dangerous precedent for gaming as a whole. If gamers just roll over and buy these games, publishers will see it as proof that they can get away with charging whatever they want.We Need to Boycott – For Real This TimeI know, I know. Gamers suck at boycotts. We complain, then still buy the games. That’s why we keep getting microtransactions, loot boxes, incomplete $70 games, and now this. But for once, we NEED to take a stand.Do NOT buy these games at launch. Do NOT let Nintendo get away with this. If these games flop due to pricing backlash, it’ll force them to reconsider. If they succeed, we are SCREWED because every company will jump on this price hike.This isn’t just a Nintendo issue—it’s an industry issue. We need to rally together as a community and show these companies that we will not pay $80+ for standard editions.Please, for the love of gaming, spread the word and DO NOT BUY INTO THIS SCAM.Edit: Wow, I honestly didn’t expect so many people to just roll over and accept this. I see a lot of comments saying things like “just don’t buy it if you’re broke” or acting like this is some kind of personal financial issue. Let me make something very clear—I am not poor. I work a job like everyone else, and I can easily afford these games if I wanted to. That is NOT the point.The issue isn’t whether or not I (or anyone else) can afford $80/$90 games—the issue is that this is a blatant cash grab that will set a dangerous precedent for the entire gaming industry. Once Nintendo gets away with it, other publishers will follow, and soon, $80-$90 will be the new standard. Then what? $100 games in a few years? Where does it stop?It’s not about being able to afford it—it’s about not letting companies take advantage of consumers just because they know people will pay no matter what. If you’re fine with spending that much, great, but don’t act like those of us calling this out are just being cheap. We’re trying to stop gaming from becoming even more overpriced than it already is. Submitted April 02, 2025 at 11:38PM by Baseball_Oly https://ift.tt/WnXsbJB via /r/gaming

[adeptuscriticus]

Can AAA gaming be saved or should we just let it implode?

Over the years we have spoilt by having great games on a regular basis often pushing the boundaries of what the latest hardware can handle, but in recent years we are seeing more and more discourse gamers divided into groups the woke and the anti-woke, (what ever all that is about is beyond me).  What I want to talk about is what I believe has contributed to the apparent decline in AAA gaming.

Corporate greed.

I remember a time when you bought a game you got the full game and that was it, now not so much you are expected to pay £70 for a game a further £20 for a season pass and then some more for all the microtransactions for cosmetics and battle passes, loot boxes that contains stuff that should be in the game from the beginning, and yes I know you have the option to not buy any of these.

Loot boxes

I will use the FIFA games as an example you pay £100 for the Ultimate edition because the main mode you are playing is ultimate team you get some Fifa money or what ever its called and some packs to get some players and hopefully they aren’t rubbish ones, you then if you want to get better players pretty much have to buy the packs to be able to win. This to me promotes gambling to younger players as FIFA is marketed as an all-ages game.

Battle passes.

For this I will us Diablo 4 as an example, again you pay £70 to £100 for the game and you are immediately hit with advertisements for cosmetic items which all look better than the cosmetics in game, If you want to unlock them you will need to pay for a battle pass there is nothing on offer that actually helps you with the game no special items just cosmetics and some of these packs are the price of a game which is just crazy.

Games being released in a mess.

We are seeing this more and more often, no one will forget the disaster and the uproar with Cyber Punk 2077 when that game released it was a right mess especially for players who didn’t have the Xbox Series X, Sony even pulled the game from the store that’s how much of a mess it was and people paid out £70 minimum on release and it took a further two years to fix it, and then there was Redfall well with Redfall that was just rubbish so I will end it there with that one.

Developers are relying more and more on day-one patches and post-launch updates to fix all the issues that should have been addressed before it was released, again Cyber Punk 2077 will be my example.

Live service oversaturation.

More and more live service games are being developed and so many of them are just not up to par, Marvel Rivals is an exemption to that rule they just hit the nail right on the head and is deserving of all the success.

Now games like Anthem and Marvel’s Avengers, Outriders were live service games with no content. 

Same old same old.

Ubisoft used to be innovative but now not so much, Assassins Creed is what Call of Duty is the same game with a different skin on it. They no longer bring anything new the game worlds are the same cut and paste mechanics filled with issues that should have been fixed before release I’m looking at you Star Wars Outlaws (an awful game in my opinion).

Now for something positive.

Now I have had my complaints, lets go onto something positive I have not lost my love for gaming and that is because there have been some brilliant games that have come out, Selaco one of them it is brilliant for me it is what Perfect Dark on the 360 should have been. Another brilliant game is Dead of Darkness the game is so good I will be buying a physical copy of it on Switch when it releases, if you are a fan of psychological horrors especially original Resident Evil & Silent hill then you will really like Dead of Darkness and one more game I will recommend is ReSetna this game reignited my passion to try and get good at metroidvania’s (I still suck at them).

Finally, I will leave you all with this.

It is perfectly fine to not like a game someone else likes it is not fine to harass or abuse people who do like those games and vice versa. I like games that I’m sure some of you will think are not good and that’s ok because we are all different and our differences are important. We need all need to take a step back from influencers, Streamers, Youtubers and Journalists telling us what is good and what is bad how we should be thinking, I know I am sounding like a hypocrite but I’m not a journalist, but I can promise this the reviews I write are my experience with the game and the game alone I do not care for any outside politics if I enjoy the game great if I don’t great and that’s how it should be for everyone.

I would love to hear your opinions about the current state of the industry but more importantly recommendation for games to play.

[nielsmichiels]

I have some thoughts about the Activision/Blizzard takeover. Well, more about some of the xbox gamers that support it. Year after year since the ps4 launch i had to hear that it "wasn't fair" that PS had some exclusives (which most of them were first party titles or completely new franchises) and microsoft apparently had nothing. And that this deal and the Bethesda takeover is somehow some "devine justice" for being "ridiculed for having nothing". Meanwhile i remember the thirteen years when Microsoft just flopped a bag of cash in front of developers and made twenty seven instalments (that i know off) of multiplatform games (or even playstation mainstays) to make those instalments exclusive on the xbox and xbox 360. Just one generation where the roles are reversed and they feel it is justified that Microsoft just bought a huge chunk of the third party multiplatform ip and make it exclusive to the xbox/gamepass. I have to say it, but what a bunch of hypocrites. Sony plays by microsoft's own rules just a couple of times and Microsoft just flips the board. And these hypocrites praises them for it. I never had a high opinion about Microsoft. I know the company for thirty years now. I remember when they tried to monopolise the OS market. I remember when they tried to monopolise the search engine market I remember when they tried to monopolise PC gaming. I remember the twenty seven games they robbed us PS players off with the xbox. I remember when they tried to increase the price of xbox gold multiple times for no reason. Including two years ago and now they forced gold into gamepass. I remember the xbox one. A DRM filled machine "entertainment system" that made it unable to not only sharing your games with somebody else (let alone sell them) it also had a mandatory spy camera that you couldn't turn off. Oh, and let's not forget about the allways online part. I remember Donald Mattrick repeating that the kinnect, allways online and the drm were "hard coded" into the system and that it was unable to "flip a switch" to remove them. .........Only for a couple of weeks later after well deserved protests from the xbox playerbase to find out they could flip a swith and remove that. And gamepass.......... Gamepass is in my eyes a trojan horse that could destroy gaming as we know it. If it is successfull we will enter an age where we no longer have any rights to our games, that we don't own our games that we payed hard cash for. That they if they wish could just cut our access off, willie nillie. And you couldn't do anything about it. Or just increase the price. They had no reservations to try it multiple times with xbox gold, what will prevent them from doing it with gamepass? And people ask why we Playstation gamers (and probably some pc gamers too if they have the same suspisions i have with gamepass) have reservations with this buy out. This massive change in the gaming landscape. I wonder why people trusts that company still. Now i can understand that Playstation has its flaws. Its cybersecurity is a mess. But they never have tried to screw me over as a gamer. Microsoft/Xbox has.

[transgirl-gaming-thoughts]

My Thoughts On: Nintendo for $70

Being a Nintendo fan is getting harder and harder for me. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of Nintendo IPs, but when I think about Nintendo games and consoles I love, I don't generally jump to the Switch... Not to mention, Nintendo consoles have always been underpowered compared to the competition, but now that they're aiming at this hybrid console thing, while it's still a neat idea, it's very very hard to justify paying industry standard prices for games that are comparable to the Xbox 360 and PS3... from more than 15 years ago.

(thoughts continue under the cut)

This only gets worse when I see them charging $70 for Tears of the Kingdom. Sony and Microsoft are charging $70 for their biggest current-gen games because they're bigger than any games of the past have been, but Nintendo charged $60 for WiiU ports of games that weren't that impressive to begin with, and retailed for $40 at release on the WiiU. A lot of the best PS3 and Xbox 360 games resell online now for $10-$30, and I'm buying games of the same power and scope from Nintendo for $60... soon, that could be $70. Am I the only one that feels weird about that? Does this feel wrong to anyone else?

The sequel to the Switch is rumored to be on par with a PS4/Xbox One, which is a big step up and could lead to not only great Nintendo originals, but also better third party support. However, PS4 games sold $60 MSRP. It feels right for Nintendo to start making games on that level, and charging on that level... but instead, their prices are trying to compete with the scope of PS5/Xbox Series games at $70.

In my mind, and take this with a grain of salt as my opinion only, I want Nintendo to properly justify their game prices. Return to the home console/handheld console split, and make a home console on par with the competitors, plus a handheld that is probably weaker, costs less, etc. but still offers unique gaming experiences! Make home console games that run on comparable hardware and offer comparable experiences to what people from Sony and Microsoft are giving us, and then I'll be more willing to pay $70 for it.

OR, if Nintendo wants us to accept that some games are just worth more, they need to accept that some games are just worth less. So many Nintendo games come out with little content or unfinished/unpolished aspects, and they charge us full price regardless. Not to mention, these games rarely go on sale, so this is essentially the "new" price forever. Lots of games, including ports and smaller remasters, deserve a $40-$50 price point, and just don't earn the full $60.

I haven't bought a new Switch game in a long time, mostly because I just can't tell if it's going to be worth my $60. I didn't buy Tears of the Kingdom (at $70!!); I didn't buy Kirby and the Forgotten Land; I didn't buy Pikmin 4. I love all of these series! And in hindsight, I really want to play Pikmin 4, but I'm still torn on TotK and Forgotten Land. I wasn't willing to risk that much money at launch, and I'm still not sure if I'm willing to pay that much, and will most likely buy these games at a discount, used. I love Nintendo games and consoles, they're the reason that I'm as in love with games as I am, but if they can't rectify their content versus their prices... well, they won't be seeing much money from me outside of console purchases.

[blazehedgehog]

Physical or digital media?

I would be a 100% physical media person if I could help it.

There are too many stories of games getting delisted for licensing or whatever. A developer pays for a celebrity likeness or a top 40 song or a specific model of car and five years later, whoops! The rights expired! The game goes poof. It's like it never existed. Doesn't matter how good or bad the game was.

And keep in mind, even a bad game is going to be somebody's favorite, and they deserve a way to still experience it.

If you have a disc, that disc is forever (within reason). If it's a digital game, it gets deleted from that reality. Literally deleted. I bought Forza Horizon 3 on PC a few years ago because Microsoft had the foresight to warn people when it was getting delisted. And thankfully, the servers are still up, and Microsoft says they are, at least for now, committed to letting you redownload delisted games that you paid for.

But that won't always be the case, and it's already happening that some games can permanently disappear. The Wii Shop Channel is gone now. All those Virtual Console games, all those WiiWare titles, if you missed your shot to download it from Nintendo, it's gone now. Doesn't matter how much you paid. If you connect that console to the internet all you'll have is an error message. The clock is also ticking on the 3DS and Wii U eShops, which are slated to close at the end of this month.

Stadia, in its entirety, is gone. Most (not all) of those games are available on other platforms... but if you bought it on Stadia, you will have to buy it again somewhere else, and hope that one day, that too does not also go down.

There are always gestures of preservation efforts made by the community. And I'm thankful for those. The Wii Shop Channel is gone, but all of those games have been backed up by pirates years ago. Believe me, I'm no stranger to the methods used to play games like Castlevania ReBirth or Fast Racing League, which died on the Wii Shop and have never been ported anywhere else to this day.

But there are a lot of assumptions made in things like that which may not have practical solutions. Like, how many of you reading this blog have ever tried to emulate an original Xbox game on the PC? Microsoft only lets you access a small percentage of the Xbox library through their official backwards compatibility, but what if you want to venture outside of that?

It's not an easy process. Compatibility is a mess, system requirements are all over the place, and you have to get very specific dumps to even get the games to boot at all, assuming they can actually run. Yes, the data has been preserved, but it's not worth much when you can't do anything with it or need to spend $1500 on a PC good enough to run the emulation software.

It will always be easier to own the disc and throw it in the original hardware. A lot of Sega Saturn emulation still isn't an especially easy thing to run smoothly unless you have an above average gaming PC. I'd have to spend at least $300-$400 just to upgrade my system's CPU, but a couple years ago I spent $110 on a RetroTink2x Pro and I can hook my real hardware up to that just fine.

But even that's becoming it's own problem, because all of the greasy collectors have been moving in for years now and driving prices up on even the cheapest, most recent trash. The aftermarket is all but disappearing -- up through the launch of the PS4, it used to be you could find PS2 games for pennies. Now used prices seem to stay pretty much lock step with retailer MSRP (that's the price you pay for brand new shrinkwrapped games, kids). You might be lucky to find newer games on Ebay for a couple bucks off, but it's not like it used to be.

There are more and more and more stories about grifters like WATA coming in and "officially grading" retro games to be fake collector's items, leading to awful headlines like a copy of Super Mario 64, one of the most ubiquitous and common N64 games ever made, selling for a million dollars. That's like selling a bucket of tap water for a million dollars.

Buying physical is becoming a landmine because it's feeling like if you wait too long then you're at the mercy of scalpers and grifters and "collectors" who think they can throw a loose cart of Super Mario 64 up on Ebay and get $50-$70 for it.

A part of me wants to slap on a tinfoil hat and say that this was a plan. Ten years ago, the used games market was the enemy for a corporation like Microsoft, because it was a method to get dirt cheap games without any of that money going to them.

And though they backed off from that after it publicly damaged the Xbox brand, they are still pushing very, very, very hard to move everything to digital where the used games market does not exist. The next generation of Xbox after the one we're on right now probably won't come with a disc drive at all for how much they push the all-digital Series S in the marketing.

How do you hurry that along? Turn the used games market in to "the collector's market" where those old games like Halo 2 are much more expensive and much less convenient than just buying a digital copy of The Master Chief Collection for $20 on the Xbox Store.

And make no mistake, it is more convenient. Speaking as someone who has moved into smaller and smaller spaces over the last seven years, there comes a very real moment where you have to get rid of pieces of your life. Being able to plug a single box in and have my 18 year old Steam account with 1500+ games certainly seems a lot more comforting on the surface than having to lug five tubs of plastic cartridges and game discs around everywhere I go.

But what if the unthinkable happens, and Steam shuts down some day? I cannot reliably back up 1500 PC games. What if it gets stolen tomorrow and I can't get access back? Is convenient always better? Like, yeah, somebody could break in and steal my retro games, too, but that's a lot harder to do than breaking into my Steam account.

And this isn't even touching on the complications of ownership rights, and how certain businesses are trying to redefine what it means to be a "service" because that allows them to bypass the ownership laws meant to protect people like you and me.

The reality is, because of space, price, and availability concerns, I only really buy physical games if they're meaningfully important to me. And if they're important to me to own on a disc, I usually end up buying them digitally too, just for the convenience of digital. The Xbox 4 might not have a disc drive but I'll still be able to play the digital copy of Sonic Unleashed on it some day, while also being able to pop that same disc in my old 360, assuming it still works.

There are forces at work here and as always their goals are to take more and more and more of our money away from us. They have discovered a lot of great ways to do that. Buying physical is getting to be almost a matter of protest at this point.

[author-morgan]

thoughts on the AC crossovers?

First, let me preface this by saying Ubisoft’s quality control before releasing new content is absolutely horrendous. Every update with free content for Valhalla, this crossover included, has crashed the game back to my Xbox home screen, made loading times three times longer (it literally took 9 minutes and 24 seconds for the River Raids to load —yes, I timed it), and corrupted saves. Also, I think the autosave may be malfunctioning, but I am not 100% sure of that yet. But if I’m being frank, Valhalla has been a steaming pile of shit since launch with all the bugs, glitches, and corrupted saves, but that’s another rant for another day. I will never be buying another Ubisoft game at full price, though.

And to make things even better for the crossover, throughout my entire playthrough of the Isle of Skye arc, Kassandra’s lips never moved once for her dialogue, so that was certainly a bummer.

On to the actual crossover. I thought it was extremely lazy. It’s no secret Ubisoft’s storytelling capabilities have been in an exponential decline since the change to RPG and the loss of Desmond (Origins is still very good, though), and I couldn’t help but feel the entire time this was just something ripped from fan theories and thrown together rather hastily. To substantiate the importance of this arc to the continuation of Odyssey, I think there needed to be more content in Odyssey’s base game. The Korfu questline? Definitely should have existed in the main game and not as additional content tacked on almost four years later without ceremony. That said, I did enjoy the Korfu quest and the explanation for what happened to the Leonidas Spear for it to end up being buried with Herodotus. And at the end of the day, I just want more from Odyssey and its protagonist because there is so much potential to explore history than just doing crossover events.

I will say one of the prime reasons I did not like the Valhalla arc was the lack of emotional stakes and attachment I have toward Kassandra as the Eagle Bearer. At this point, it should come as no surprise if you’ve been following my Assassin’s Creed stories for the past three years, but I played as Alexios. He was my first choice and will continue to be the character I prefer no matter who Ubisoft says is ‘canon.’ The same goes for male!Eivor, I picked to play solely as him without a second thought. Neither of these was a hard choice.

If Ubisoft is going to continue giving us choices as to which gender we can play as the protagonist, then they need to make good on those choices for the duration of the series. And yes, this is entirely possible. My nemeses from Shadow of Mordor transferred over into Shadow of War. I have spent 300+ hours with Alexios. I have only done one 28-hour speed run with Kassandra through the family storyline for the sole reason of seeing Alexios as Deimos. It’s very jolting to have invested that kind of time into a game only to be told the character I chose is completely irrelevant because of ‘canon.’ Like cool, great job Ubisoft, you just alienated over 2/3rds of players who picked Alexios.

This same sentiment carries over with Valhalla. If you are going to give us a choice, then carry through it. It was so jarring to have male!Eivor misgendered (can you imagine if it had been the other way around 💀) repeatedly and then to have one of the final cutscenes of the main story feature female!Eivor, regardless of the 200 hours I just invested into the game playing as the other choice? It makes me wish they would go back to only having one protagonist with a fully developed story (like Bayek or even Ezio) or continue with what was set up with Jacob and Evie in Syndicate —both genders are canon and their storylines.