Man guys, what a Direct! Nintendo dropped a TON of info yesterday, so I just had to push this week's Indie Spotlight back a week. Don't worry, it'll still come out next Thursday! But for now, let's have a quick rundown of some of my highlights from yesterday! I've been kinda struggling with my ARMS hype lately. We hadn't heard much about it at all since the January Presentation, and I was starting to wonder if they'd ever release more information on it. Thus, I was insanely happy when Nintendo announced ARMS would be highlighted in the Direct! And man, did they highlight it. MinMin's design is awesome! Her beanie is especially cool. The way that she can kick away attacks is so different, it has me excited to see what else the team has up their sleeves in terms of fresh gameplay elements with other characters. The ramen bowl stage that she fought Spring Man on was also really well designed, and the music was beautiful. I'm just overall a fan of her now, easily more than any of the other fighters that've been revealed so far. The fact that Nintendo dove deeper into the game's meta and showed the different character traits and glove special effects was also really exciting. There really seems like there'll be some depth to this. The fact that you have to earn coins by winning matches to get new ARMs is fantastic, mainly because it gives a goal right out of the gate to strive for. And based on how many coins MinMin got for beating Spring Man (2) it seems like you'll have to play a lot of matches to fill out your ARMS roster! Also, those other two new stages though...! And the hidden characters...!! Man, I can't wait for this game! June 16th! Though they didn't show a whole lot of Splatoon 2, what they showed was still pretty sweet. The opening video was both bizarre and hilarious, and I really thought it was about to tie into the single player mode. But the fact that there's a whole new Salmon Run mode that plays just like a horde mode??? That's EXACTLY something that I wanted 2 years ago when the first Splatoon came out! It's just a perfect idea for Splatoon 2. I can see myself playing that all the time online! I wonder if the rewards will be Salmon Run-exclusive though? Other than that, the amiibo functionality seems pretty cool too. I'd rather they have challenges like in the first game, but hey, what can you do? I wonder if you'll need to have an amiibo to save favorite loadouts though...I hope not. It sounds like it's more for local play than anything else. In terms of release date, July 21st is better than the August date I kept hearing around. It's still snugly in summer, and it'll easily last me through August if no other major title comes out that month. If you read my Most Anticipated Switch Launch Window Games list, you already know that my most anticipated title is Disgaea 5 Complete. They didn't show much more of it here, but I felt like I sill had to show it come love. I'll be playing this game foreverrrrrrrrr! Otherwise, on the Switch side of things, I thought that Monopoly was a nice surprise for the Switch. I haven't played it in ages, but it looks like it'll be a fun way to pass the time with the right group of people. Now for some quick takes: Project Mekuru looks like a fun little game. PayDay 2 was a genuine surprise. It's old, sure, but I remember wanting to play it back in the day. It looks really fun, so hopefully it'll be a solid version. Still on the fence about Puyo Puyo Tetris. On the one hand I know I'll have a blast with it. On the other, I wonder if it's worth the $30 price tag, or if I should wait for a sale. Either way, I know I'll end up nabbing it eventually. I want to like Battle Chasers: Nightwar, but the art style is too dark for me. Still, it looks like it could be a fun game if it's story is solid. On the 3DS side of things, RPG Maker Fes is really exciting to me as a writer. I've always dreamt of writing my own game, and this could be my chance! The one drawback is that all of the game assets are similar for everyone, so anything you make will look relatively similar to someone else's. If they do something to address this, however, I might pick this up on day 1! I just need to know more about it.
Quick takes: Miitopia looks amazing. I have such high hopes for that game. Hopes that there'll actually be a good story packed in there, and that the game will have over 20 hours of content. The writing and battle system already look polished, so here's to hope! Bye-Bye Boxboy looks super endearing, but I haven't played any of the other games in the series. Part of me wants to hold off for a trilogy collection on the Switch. Fingers crossed! Monster Hunter Stories sounds and looks like exactly what I want from a Monster Hunter game. Less realistic graphics, more story focus. Hopefully they nail the story. Ever Oasis looks cute, but Fantasy Life seems to scratch the same itch in a more far-reaching way. Looking forward to the reviews on this one. Team Kirby Clash Deluxe was downloaded immediately following the Direct (along with the Boxboy demo), though I haven't tried it yet. Looks like it'll be fun though! And those are all my major thoughts on the Direct! I hope you guys enjoyed them. It was a really good Direct in my book considering they'd said it'd be all about ARMS and Splatoon 2. There are a ton of games coming down the road across both platforms. It's a pretty exciting time to be a Nintendo fan. I'll see you all Sunday for "Essential Sundays!" Cheers!! --Brent
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New map? New Impressions post! And it's actually really exciting this time--I absolutely love this map!
This is the first map in Splatoon that really takes things to new heights...yeah, I couldn't help it. The verticality of Moray Towers is really innovative for online play and introduces a few new possibilities to the standard Splatoon formula, just like Kelp Dome did before it: 1) Finally, chargers have a bonafide paradise map. There's literally nothing more annoying than an experienced charger peering down onto the center and sniping everyone as they try to cross sides. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that a charger is downright essential for this map in Ranked battles. I played Splat Zones on Moray for a few hours on Saturday, and the saltiness was real! If my team didn't have a charger and the other team did, it was almost impossible to get a Knockout (except for when the charger was just terrible). Chargers felt so important that I actually bought one and began learning how to snipe! Rollers are also great on this map, but are more useful in Turf War than Ranked. Heck, the ramps are sized almost perfectly for rollers! 2) It's hard to corner another team on Moray Towers. Maps like Walleye Warehouse and Urchin Underpass make it easy for one stronger team to keep the lesser contained in their base, thus resulting in savage overkills. Moray Towers, however, lends itself to jumping headfirst into the action and avoiding anyone trying to corner you at the top. There's less of a real base with this map, so if you want to just go for it and plow forward into neutral territory, you can get there fairly quickly (whether or not you'll stay un-splatted, though, is an entirely different matter). 3) Moray Towers shows off the graphical capability of Splatoon well. The backdrop for the Towers is right up there with SaltSpray Rig as one of the most beautiful maps in the game. The dreamy vista in the distance shines as you look over to the sprawling highways against the sea. The lighting effects against the adjacent buildings and the cars whizzing by below really bring life to the city. Not only is it beautiful in its own right, but Towers--just like Kelp Dome--also provides some much-appreciated contrast to the many water-or-concrete-centric maps Splatoon has to offer. At the end of the day, playing Moray Towers just makes me happy. Aside from Bluefin Depot (still a little iffy on that one) Splatoon has been delivering some consistently knockout maps since launch. I'm especially excited to play this one during this Friday's Splatfest! Here's to more innovative, beautifully-designed maps from the beautifully-creative people behind Splatoon! If you enjoyed this post, check back again tomorrow for another! If you enjoy me and want to keep up to date with smaller things I find interesting in gaming, follow me on Twitter @CreamBasics! Happy Monday guys. Ahhh, Splatfest. How real the hype was! We all finally got to enjoy Splatfest last weekend after it was pushed back from its original date in June due to matchmaking issues with the Japanese version. Now that it's all over, was it actually worth the wait? In this humble blogger's opinion, it sure was! SplatFest is really more of an aesthetic change to the game than anything else. All Splatfest matches and celebrations take place at night, and I was pleasantly surprised at how different this small change makes the entire game feel (was it me, or did the ink look extra shiny in the moonlight?). Callie and Marie's chart-topping hits substituting for the usual battle soundtrack was also a nice touch--they're so catchy! Another smart idea was only allowing Splatfest shirts to be worn during the event; this encouraged players to spend time leveling the gear up before the event so they'd have all their abilities available when it was time to throw down. And, of course, outside in the Plaza you were able to attend a totally awesome Callie and Marie concert (complete with choreography and Miiverse fireworks!!). However, hands-down the best feature of Splatfest by far was the team matchmaking feature. You were automatically grouped with your faction (Team Cat for this guy) and faced off against various opposing teams. The cool thing, though, was that you were able to keep your team throughout a series of matches! Normally the teams switch members every match or so, but during Splatfest I literally played with the same powerhouse team for at least 10 matches in a row. It was amazing to actually develop a strong group dynamic over the course of our matches, and to learn how each other played and how we'd all tackle a map. Since teams are usually jumbled up every match in normal play, it's impossible to develop consistently as a team. After the fourth or fifth match with Laura, joeyat, and sajan, however, we were strategizing and outplaying the enemy almost every match, and it felt great! When you usually play Splatoon it oftentimes feels like you're doing your own thing, getting your own points, etc. Being a part of a real team completely changes that--and, for what its worth, our little cheers of "Come on!" and "Booyah!" were used more often than ever during my Splatfest matches. (above: the ultimate team players!)
There were a couple areas where Splatfest could use some improvement though, despite all its overwhelming awesomeness. There were three stages available to play on instead of the normal two, which was great and a huge surprise, but those three never changed. As someone who detests Urchin Underpass with a passion, this was not good news for me. Sure, I learned how to better play those stages and work through them more effectively with my team, and I definitely got better at the game because of that, but I still wish we could've had more stage variety. Aside from that, the only other request I'd have for Splatfest is a dance button we could all push to see our characters dance with everyone else in the Plaza. Remember how you could make your villager in Animal Crossing: New Leaf do four different little dances at the nightclub depending on which d-pad direction you pressed? Yeah, we need that feature active during Splatfest. I felt so left out watching everyone else! How did you guys enjoy Splatfest? Did you reach King rank? What would you like to see changed in the next one? Tweet me @CreamBasics and let me know. See you all tomorrow guys! When it was first announced that the new Ranked mode would premier this week, I was taken completely off guard--I'd assumed that all the new modes would come in the August update. So it ended up being a really pleasant surprise, and I couldn't wait to dive right in. Here's what I thought about it.
I never experience more joy and rage at the same time than when I play Splatoon. Tower Control takes this to a whole other level, but leans more on the side of rage. Both teams have five minutes to rush to the moving tower, stay on it, and progress deeper and deeper into the enemy base to reach their respective goals. If no one reaches a goal when the time is up, the team that's made it the furthest to their goal wins. It's a simple concept, but one that gets chaotic and intense extremely fast. Because a member of your team always has to be on the tower to move forward, this mode is much more heavily focused on getting splats (kills) than in Splat Zones. The struggle is real, and when you win a match it truly feels like an accomplishment. If you're on the tower, expect to be splatted in a matter of seconds (I personally chose the support role for this very reason). No matter how good of a shot you are, it's pretty difficult to defend yourself against a surrounding enemy team without strong support from your teammates. And here's where the issues start to rear their ugly heads. Tower Control is a refreshing take on the Splatoon formula, and it's a lot of fun when you see your skills and strategic maneuvers paying of, but it's infuriating when you don't because of clueless randomized teammates. I know, the first thing everyone does when they lose is blame their team, right? The thing is, TC is a much more teamwork-oriented mode. You need a competent team to secure the W. Randomized teams complicates this, as does the fact that your rank from Splat Zones carries over to this Ranked mode, too. This means that because someone earned an A rank in Zones, they're placed with players who've achieved an A rank just from playing TC. If this wasn't the case, randomized teammates wouldn't be too much of a problem (at least, to a lesser extent in the higher ranks). Another issue that's more of a basic fix is that Ranked modes follow the same formula as stage selection: Nintendo controls when/what you play. You aren't allowed to play Splat Zones when Tower Control is available, and vice-versa. It's a much greater annoyance than the stage selection issue--there's actually something smart about having people play the same stages for a few hours before changing them and giving players what feels like a fresh experience. But for actual game modes?? I wanted to play some more this morning before writing this post to refresh myself on the mode, but it was locked to Splat Zones, so I couldn't. Not being able to play a mode of the game at certain times of the day just feels like a broken experience in a way that the map selection doesn't. This has to be updated ASAP. And with that, another post has come to a close. Thanks for reading guys! What do you think about the new Ranked mode? Fun times--but poorly implemented--is my opinion. Let me know on Twitter @CreamBasics. See you all Monday! One of the most hyped games of the past two E3s has been No Man's Sky, and for good reason. The promise of nearly limitless space exploration sounded astonishing, and the pure scope of the game is something that's been praised since it was first announced. Gaming press that went hands-on described how each planet was literally planet-sized. Onlookers fell for the game's pretty, clean art style. And when space combat was announced? Well, that sealed the deal for just about everyone. When I look at No Man's Sky I see a huge, beautiful sandbox with loads of potential. The idea of travelling around different planets and encountering their unique forms of life is a major draw, and I can see myself spending plenty of time on that exploration and discovery aspect alone. However, what would make me want to travel to more planets than I needed to? Or, better yet, what would make me interested in one planet long enough to explore its entirety? There are spacesuit/spaceship/etc. upgrades you can/have to grind for to proceed closer to the center of the universe, but what would make that experience enjoyable if I just keep traversing similar planets with similar beasts and similar robotic guards? I can only speak on what's been shown of the game so far, but No Man's Sky seems to lack a distinct sense personality. The visual style is striking, sure, but it also feels a bit generic. There're certain upgrades to achieve, but what else sets me apart from the other players? Look at other open world games like Skyrim and even Minecraft; I think visually customizable characters and ships would be a great addiction here that would help many players to feel like their experience is a uniqueone. Not only that, but I'd also appreciate something that would make me feel a special tie to the planets I've traversed. Instead of just landing, glancing around for a few minutes and moving on, it would be nice to be able to make some sort of camp or settlement wherever you're currently stationed that could make your experience somewhat unique. Think along the lines of Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire's secret bases; imagine if you could set home bases up at certain pre-designated areas of the planet, and imagine being able to customize those bases. Whenever you returned to that planet you'd have somewhere where you'd instantly feel at home, and the planet would feel more unique to you because of your home there. Other players would also be able to stumble across your base and get a real feeling that someone else had already been there (as opposed to a simple "Already Discovered: Planet _________"). You could even imagine being able to put your mark on a planet in different ways, such as monuments you could build when you have enough currency or tents scattered around that could serve as saving points and safe zones from pursuers. There are so many things the developers at Hello Games could implement to make each stay on a planet that much more meaningful to the player. What do you guys think could make for a more meaningful exploration experience in NMS? Hit me on Twitter and let me know--I have a few wilder, less reasonable ideas that I'd love to share. Hope you all enjoyed the post, and see you tomorrow!
Let's face it: this has been one of the worst-received Nintendo E3 events in years. In fact, I don't think a Nintendo video has ever gotten as many dislikes as the trailer for Metroid Prime: Federation Force accumulated in just two days. However, there're two sides to every coin; for every FF, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, and Skylanders SuperChargers, there's a lesser-known title coming out that gives me hope. All of the following are confirmed for a 2015 release. Without further ado, here are my Top 3 Hidden Gems of Nintendo's E3. NUMBER 2: Little Battlers Experience (3DS Exclusive) Though it was previously revealed during the Micro Direct before E3, we got to see a lot more of LBX gameplay yesterday with the Nintendo Treehouse. The level of customization options for your Battlers looks insane, and it instantly recalls fond memories of Custom Robo. It's also said to be tied closely into the TV show which, from what I've heard about the show, is a great thing in terms of the game's story. The only possible issue I have is with multiplayer; though we've seen how much fun the local multiplayer looks, it would be an absolute travesty not to have online multiplayer with a game like this. Being able to fight against other random players around the world with their carefully constructed Battlers (and don't even get me started on online 2V2 and 3V3 possibilities) seems like a no-brainer. We're still waiting for confirmation, but if it's excluded, hopefully it's because the single-player is fleshed out enough to where online is unnecessary. NUMBER 1: FAST Racing Neo (Wii U Exclusive) One of the biggest disappointments of this year's E3 Digital Event was the lack of a new F-Zero game. Gamers have been clamoring for a new futuristic racer on the Wii U (and other options aside from Mario Kart 8 in general) for awhile now. The team at Shin'en saw the need and decided to fill it, and though it's not F-Zero, it looks flipping amazing. Although the trailer looked okay, it wasn't until I saw the Treehouse gameplay that my mind was blown. Even in its Alpha stage (don't worry, it's definitely still confirmed for later this year) the game seemed to run at a full 60fps and had a layer of polish that almost approached MK8 standards--and this is just the alpha! From the menus to the car designs to the environments and track designs, you can tell that presentation was extremely high on the list for the team. During the gameplay demonstration there were a couple graphical hiccups during races and slightly long loading times, but those things are understandable at this stage in development. The game still ran silky smooth, and the sense of speed that it conveyed on the slowest difficulty tier was ridiculous--if there's one worry I have with the game, it's that it might be almost unplayable at the highest speed setting. That aside, though, I highly recommend you check the gameplay out on Nintendo's YouTube channel--whether a new F-Zero is in the works or not, this looks like it'll be perfect to tide people over. Oh yeah, by the way--ONLINE MULTIPLAYER CONFIRMED! And another thing--it's an e-shop title! A game like this with online multiplayer (and leaderboards) at an e-shop price? Shin'en, take my money. As always guys, be sure to check back daily for more video game coverage. Follow me on Twitter @CreamBasics to know as soon as a new post is up. The blog is young, but it's doing beautifully. Hope you're enjoying E3 week! Cheers. I don't think I've ever felt such heartbreak. Nintendo was set up perfectly: a Mini Direct with loads of smaller announcements, a great Smash Direct, an exciting Nintendo World Championships, and even a totally random "Nindies@Home" program that highlights indie developers and offers free previews of upcoming indie games (but more on that later in the week). This strong a rollout of announcements and content led myself and many others to assume that Nintendo was saving its big guns for E3. Surely, if they held two Directs before the E3 conference even started they must've had some gems tucked away, right? As It turns out, the answer isn't a simple yes or no. Nintendo did make a few fairly sizable announcements. We finally saw the first of Star Fox Zero's gameplay, official title and release timeframe (Holiday of this year). They also announced Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam for Spring 2016, a December release date for Xenoblade Chronicles X, Yoshi's Wooly World to be released in October, and a September release date for Super Mario Maker. These were thing gamers had been waiting on for ages (aside from the surprise Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam, which totally came out of left field and looks awesome), and in that way the Digital Event finally answered some questions gamers had had for months. The problem is that less questions were answered than needed to be. When Nintendo sacrificed time showing off games and instead focused on Developer Interview segments, and then spent the final seven minutes of the event celebrating Mario's 30th anniversary, I was decimated. No true Animal Crossing Wii U ("amiibo Festival"? Really?), no F-Zero, no Legend of Zelda surprise announcement (I know they already said it wouldn't be at E3, but I was hoping they were lying), no new IPs, no new main-series Metroid title (Metroid Prime: Federation Force? Meh), etc. The biggest issue is that there were no real game-changing announcements regarding the Wii U. The 3DS is doing great, and yet Nintendo insisted on unveiling a bunch of new games for it instead of focusing on their struggling system. Star Fox Zero, the localization of Xenoblade Chronicles X, Yoshi's Wooly World and Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival are not nearly enough to shift people over to their console. What they need is either another brilliant new IP like Splatoon, or to deliver on the big franchises they know people want to play. It almost feels like they've given up on supporting the Wii U, and that they're holding their biggest punches until the NX comes out. Here's hoping I'm wrong. Thanks for hanging in there with me guys, I know this post was up later than usual. As always, check back daily for new content. Hope you all have a beautiful day.
There wasn't as much hype as I thought there would be leading up to the NWCs. I honestly didn't know much about it at first, probably either due to a lack of advertising on their part or researching on mine. At first glace the NWCs simply seemed like an extra event Nintendo was having to make up for another digital-only E3 presentation. While this may be partially true, after watching the Championships via Blahblahlps' stream yesterday I came away very impressed with Nintendo's handling of the event nonetheless. They played it well, inviting eight popular gamers (celebrity push) and eight qualifying gamers (hardcore reassurance) to the tournament. Though it was clear some of the celebrity gamers weren't known for playing at a competitive level, this never became an issue because they were eliminated fairly quickly (*cough* Jovenshire *cough*). Nintendo also chose the game sequence perfectly: they started with Splatoon both for broad exposure and to highlight it as a competitive title, and ended with Super Mario Maker to showcase how some incredibly creative level designs are possible with the tools the game gives you. There were numerous highlights throughout the NWCs: Splatoon being played in a competitive setting for the first time, Miniwheat the nine year-old commentating alongside his dad and confusing everyone, the race to escape the planet in Super Metroid, and watching Hungry Box destroy an obviously trolling Reggie in Smash 4. The undeniable star of the show, however, was the newly-named Super Mario Maker. New features were revealed including warp pipes, doors and special hats, and stages shown looked both marvelous and punishing. One can only hope that the game ships with these stages, or at least has them available to download at launch. As was the goal of including SMM in the Championships, I'm super excited for the game now, and I'll almost certainly be buying it when it comes out. The next step? Nintendo announcing the release date during their Digital Event! With everyone now re-hyped for SMM's release, it'd be crazy not to give us a date to look forward to. Well those are all my thoughts guys. Make sure you check back throughout this whole E3 week (and every week after that) for great gaming coverage. If you want to talk to me directly, you can on Twitter @CreamBasics. Hope you have a beautiful day!
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