Roderick
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Posts posted by Roderick
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I've been away from listening the Idle podcasts for a while due to the nature of my work (writing doesn't lend itself to listening to people talk), but I've been making an effort to get back again. Idle Weekend is so good. It's a relaxing, charming thing and it's always a pleasure to hear Danielle speak her mind. And the chemistry with Rob is great!
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You had me thrown for a moment there, I thought he had died. But nope. Sean Connery has no intention of fucking off right now.
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I hear that Square Enix are going to add free driving across the countryside in an upcoming patch. That's pretty cool!
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I didn't watch King of Comedy as a comedy at all. It's a drama about a seriously delusional man who turns into a borderline psychopath.
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Maybe! The idea is that, unlike most of the Wii Remote stuff, you actually course a curve with your arms to punch, which with Joycons should actually work. I fully expect not to be in any sort of situation from those clips though. And 1-2 Switch will be so easily forgotten! They're pushing that one so hard (just watch how much playtime it gets in the 4,5 minute video), but it reeks of the blandest tech demo.
I must say I do enjoy the visual style of ARMS. The character designs are funky and colorful in a good way.
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The King of Comedy is superb! Rupert Pupkin - such a non-standard roll for Robert de Niro too.
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Didn't they have a few scoops? Well, time will tell.
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I've had my little pleasure of the day browsing through the Rogue POTUS twitter account, secretly fuelled by White Hous aides and staff. It's a treasure trove if you need a pick-me-up. Apparently, Trump got so exasperated that he was heard shouting through a closed door 'Don't they know I'm the fucking president?!'
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Excelsior!
i already hate your game
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Did you get a weird glimpse into how our collective viewpoints have evolved over the years? Were we really as volatile as I suspect we were back then?
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Good call!
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The Last Jedi sounds like a singularly lame title, but then again every other Star Wars title to date.
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I didn't much care for Minish Cap. To me it felt too derivative, something that came this close to a Zelda game, without truly understanding what made it fun. Felt like a slog throughout.
For my money, the DS titles (Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks) were vastly superior. Interesting, unique, fun throughout. Of the two, I like Phantom Hourglass better, though many people were put off by having to repeat the central dungeon again and again. I didn't mind, because every new item you get offers a new and faster way through it, making for a great sense of satisfaction as you plow through an area that was at first a challenge.
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My love for Mario Sunshine is documented, but still I wouldn't say it's a better game than Galaxy (1). That's a pretty hardcore 'perfect' game if ever there was one. Sheer, unadulterated joy in gaming, brilliantly executed and a marvel of inventiveness. Sunshine is precious to me because it's so weird and it features the best hub in any video game, Delfino Plaza. But Galaxy, damn. Damn. Let someone else tell you.
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The March 3rd release date had us over here a bit shocked as well, suddenly realising we had so much more to play. So, currently I'm enjoying Tokyo Mirage Sessions (34 hours in) and having a GREAT time. After that I mean to play at least Super Mario 3D World before moving to the Switch.
But then I also have Rayman Legends lined up, and some Wii games I was raring to play: Zack & Wiki and The Last Story, most of all. Well, I can always get back to that after finishing Breath of the Wild. Honestly, I'll probably put the Switch right next to the Wii U and have them side by side for a while. No way am I packing up the console that plays Mario Maker (which gets every guest we've had so far super excited to play)!
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It looks pretty slick! I love me a good Japanese setting. I just dug into Shadow Tactics for that reason (plus 'Desperados clone') and it was glorious.
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I'm starting to think that maybe Reggie is speaking the truth about the 3DS sticking around as a platform. Especially now that there's a new Fire Emblem game announced on it, where I thought Yoshi's Woolly World would be its swan song. There's also the price to consider: a 330 euro Switch isn't going to be a viable replacement for people playing on their 180 euro handheld.
I don't know if I'd like this though. Part of the immense appeal of the Switch was that there'd be one single device Nintendo could focus all their resources and attention on. Well, we'll see.
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The FE Nintendo Direct was well produced, if also not what I expected. I was anticipating a HUGE reveal on Fire Emblem Warriors, seeing as that's the up-coming big Switch thing. Instead we got one measly additional shot which made it look hilarious and cheap, rather than enticing. The mobile game looked cute and they went so far to explain all the things you could do there. It felt highly aimed at newcomers to the series.
But, hey, if you're a die-hard FE fan, you definitely got four games in the next two years to look out for! So, I guess, Fire Emblem is in full production right now. A cash cow rivalling Mario at the moment. Which is neither a complaint nor a concern.
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Dartmonkey: the Switch boxes will be similar in height to regular Wii (U) ones (i.e. standard DVD box), but smaller in width. Should look pretty sleek, and also save on retailer space, possibly getting more Switch games up front in the store.
The My Nintendo News report is VERY interesting, since it basically contradicts the current report that the 'one free game' deal is a limited time offer. In theory, that's a big thing. I'm also crossing my fingers for that long-fabled unified Nintendo account where all your games are tracked unbound from the machine.
Also, I took the jump and for the first time ever, I preordered a console. The Switch for 330 euronions. I made up my mind that I want the colored ones, since grey is just too drab, but the major gaming chain here only accepts preorders for grey Switches, with the possibility for changing once they know how many in color they get. That's fine. And yes, it'd be great if Nintendo started producing sets of Joycons in all sorts of crazy colors and combinations. That'd get me to buy a new pair.
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Good post, Kolzig. Like Twig, I also really really like the name Switch and the logo and the whole branding of the thing. I doubt the 3DS will live on after the first year of Switch (caveat: unless the Switch bombs to an amazing degree, then they'll scramble to revitalise the system and create a follow-up). Reggie's talk is standard procedure.
I have a pre-order problem though. I'd love to pre-order (here in Holland it's still possible), but I can't make up my mind if I want the grey joycons or the red and blue ones. I'm verrrry slowly getting used to the colored ones, but my initial reaction was 'yuck', because they seemed so gaudy neon - not quite a strong color but vaguely diluted. Has anyone seen them for real? I suspect they may be nicer in real life than on pictures, but until I get a hands-on, I won't know for sure. Grey is the safe option, of course, though I've lamented before it's also very boring.
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The Eurogamer article is a little troubling, BUT. In contrast to the Wii U, I think the Switch offers an inherently attractive proposition to many gamers. Which is why I think that, if it isn't a big hit at first, it'll follow the same trajectory as the 3DS. To wit, a much-maligned system with a barren landscape of games at first (though how a big time Zelda and Mario game can be seen as anything else than system sellers is beyond me), but that after its first year picks up steam enormously as game studios start making more games for it and a few killer apps appear (Streetpass most notably).
It's not unreasonable to think that Nintendo might pull the price-lowering card again, like they did with Wii U, come Summer. And we just haven't heard all the games yet that will appear on the system this year. It's entirely possible that somewhere in Q3 or Q4 as surprise Pokémon Stars is coming, and that basically means everyone will buy a Switch. But, really, the first year isn't always that meaningful for a console (even if financial people might disagree). A console can make all sorts of turnarounds. Though I still think the system will outperform the Wii U even in its first year.
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Having read up on all the rest of the developments and announcements since the presentation, there are a few things that are kind of sort of bumming me out, but not nearly enough to dull my initial excitement.
The paid online service is of no interest to me, since I only play singleplayer games, or co-op ones with friends. Party games! Having said that, it's incomprehensible that they're giving away a free game (rental?) and then taking it back after a month. That's kind of crazy. It's the sort of thing that only Nintendo would even dream of doing, locked away in Kyoto and somewhat divorced from the rest of the world. Really, that's the source of both all the cool stuff that they make, and the backwards things.
The pricing of peripherals, though much in line with the wayyyy expensive controllers and gewgaws that every manufacturer pumps out, is just silly. 80 euros for a set of Joycons? It'll be really tempting once they put out ones with nicer colors and designs, but damn if that's not a lot of money. On the other hand, I don't understand the need to buy a Pro Controller at all. If you place the Joycons in the grip, then you basically already have exactly that, right? Only for multiplayer would it be a good addition.
Then there's the awkward European pricing. Reports say that it's 349 euros in France, 329 euros in most other countries. That seems a lot more than the 300 dollars Americans are paying. I get it, taxes and border stuff and whatever, but even so - this is in my eyes too much. It's crossing a vague threshold between a good price to pay for a gadget and wait a minute, why am I not getting the power of a Playstation 4 for this money? I'm afraid this price point will hurt Switch sales badly. Don't get me wrong, there's still overwhelming enthusiasm from a lot of friends and people I know, so I still think this'll be a success. But 329 is a little too close to the initial price of the Wii U for comfort.
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I remember being totally miffed when I discovered about the RDR track when you get to Mexico. Stepping off the boat, I refused to take the horse that was ready for me (which triggered the song), because I first wanted to explore the surroundings a bit. Guess my wanderlust actually got in the way of a beautiful, scripted moment about... wanderlust.
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I technically didn't get out of bed to watch the livestream, since I had placed an alarm and then watched it on a laptop from the bed, but holy cow was that worth it. I didn't feel like an idiot at all: I felt part of a global community, spoken to directly by Nintendo. After an amazing hour with almost zero bad moments (I'll get to that in a bit), I felt energized and My Body Was Ready.
Okay, first the bad moment. It was when the EA big shot came in and tried so hard (or not at all) to make it an appealing statement that FIFA was coming to Switch. It was as if the guy couldn't even get himself to be excited over this, and I wonder why the hell Nintendo included him at all. Surely no Nintendo-fan watching a livestream in the dead of night is going to be interested in the most milked-out sports game in the world? It may have been better if there had been an actual dev on stage, with some enthusiasm and a few yakuza gang signs like Suda51.
The rest was so, so good though. After a slow beginning that understandably reiterated what the Switch was (Nintendo's not taking any chances, y'all), they started with 1-2 Switch and Arms. And, I think this may be the most incredible thing, it explained something about the Switch that I hadn't even thought about before. Something so stupendously obvious that I fail to understand how I overlooked this: you are basically playing with two Wii Remotes. Even beyond the impressive tech they've put in there, this means you can do things like the boxing game and Splatoon and whatnot in a way more active stance. It looks like how you'd use the Nunchuk before, but the inclusion of motion sensors makes this a very different proposition. It had been staring us in the face all this time. I feel very dumb, or at least that Nintendo has some very smart people in the house.
I've bemoaned before how Nintendo was probably not going to do colors for the Switch until later in the lifecycle, if at all, but surprise, I was wrong! However, I'm not convinced about the neon blue and neon red joycons just yet. They seem like gaudy colors. Maybe in real life it'll look different and better, but on screen they didn't pop and looked rather unstylish next to the black screen. I'm undecided yet which version I'll take. My girlfriend liked the colors though, so that might factor into the decision. Now, the whole premise of the Switch is that I'll probably be able to buy new colors later on, but considering the market and the tech involved, I expect loose joycons to cost around 40 to 50 euros. So, we'll see.
As for the price, Europe was hilariously unmentioned because of all of our weird currencies, but I'm thinking 230 pounds and 250 euros, but that might also shoot up to 300 euros. Expensive, but not an unreasonable price.
I was laughing out loud at the explanation of how you could meaasure ice cubes floating in a glass with a joycon. That is a such a smart way to explain how advanced the rumble feature is.
Alright, onto the games! Super Mario Odyssey made me absolutely giddy. I've been waiting for a proper Mario game since Galaxy 2, and Odyssey seems a return to specifically the great and underappreciated Mario Sunshine. It's unapologetically weird, it's festive, it already feels like a treat. I can't wait to play it, but unfortunately the wait is going to be a bit under a year. The hat eyes are weird-looking, but I'm pretty sure you'll only see them in cutscenes. For a real graphic snafu look no further than the ugly world in the logo. But otherwise, this seems like a brilliant new thing, a Mario that's once again true to form and pushing some very weird boundaries. I want to toss my hat around and then jump on it like a platform! And is that Bowser in a white fur pimp hat? Splatoon 2 looked like fun, if not totally my genre. The presentation by the dev ok, even if the American translator seemed to start to fumble a bit there. I hope they put a really solid singleplayer campaign in there, that might pull me over. Breath of the Wild still looks really good, though I remain concerned. Whenever there's an aerial shot, the landscape rarely looks as accomplished and lively as, say, Skyrim. Playing is believing, but I wonder if the game world won't feel a little sparse and bleak as you traverse it. Speaking of which, Todd Howard's enthusiastic praise for Nintendo made me warm inside and I remain in a state of looking forward to Skyrim. I've been wanting to replay it ever since my Xbox 360 died after 130 hours of Elder Scrollsing, and this seems the perfect opportunity. I'm curious how good the game will look compared to the PS4 edition.
Am I forgetting things? Probably. The announcement of Xenoblade 2 didn't do much for me, neither did really really sparse trailers for Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem Warriors. These are good games to have on a system, but they're clearly holding some surprises back. I'm still hopeful for a Pokémon Stars on the Switch this Summer and also hope that Atlus might be tempted to do something unexpected. It may be too much to ask for a Persona 5 port, but a sequel to Tokyo Mirage Sessions down the line (which I'm currently enjoying like all heck on the Wii U) would be great. Or Catherine 2? For that matter, I'm hoping for all sorts of unique, Japanese games on there, much like how those popped up on the Wii and 3DS. Games like Fragile Dreams, Silent Hill Shattered Memories or Zack & Wiki. Games that may not have broad appeal, but that'll really be special to a select crowd.
By the way, a word on the main presenter of the show, Yoshiaki Koizumi. Lead dev on the Switch and overseer of all its software. I got the feeling they're pushing him forward to one day replace Miyamoto, letting him star in a cute magic show unveiling of the Switch. And I totally dig it. I thought he was charming, even though we joked that he had a yakuza-type head at first. We quickly fell in love with yakuza-san.
All in all, I loved it. I am allowing myself to be a total fanboy here. This is what Nintendo does to me, more than any other gaming company.
Marvel Netflix shows (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, etc.)
in Movies & Television
Posted
Yeah, Luke Cage kind of went on a downward spiral after the first three or four episodes.
Though I liked the politician lady to the end, it was a bad move to trade in the somewhat interesting dance club bad guy from the beginning for the stupid superhero crazy bad guy. Basically, shit got bad as soon as the show remembered that it was a Marvel product and therefore needed superhero antics.