The Friday Inbox asks whatever happened to Nintendo, as one reader looks forward to NSR: No Straight Roads.
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Concentrated gaming excitement
I’m not convinced those numbers for Sony and Ubisoft’s fake E3 events mean much, really. Both had more (much more in Sony’s case) to show this year than last so everything else is going to be obscured by that. I’m sure this is all the excuse they need not to support it next year – and if this hadn’t happened they’d make up something else – but I for one much preferred the way E3 work.
Technically there were replacement events but only, what, three? Sony, Ubisoft, and Microsoft just now? Were there others? Crash Bandicoot 4 got announced by Geoff Keighley but I don’t really remember anything else. Certainly nothing that raised the hype levels like a proper E3. No Warner Bros., no Square Enix, no Nintendo 2K… There was EA but I can’t even remember what they announced. That Star Wars game, or was that before it?
Everything feels so diluted and unexciting compared to four or five days of concentrated gaming excitement. There is an E3 planned for next year, I know, but something tells me that’s going to be the last one and most companies won’t even attend. I for one will be upset.
Weeble
Glass half full
I’ve been reading all the comments about Halo Infinite.
I’m probably in the minority but I really enjoyed the showcase. The end dialogue was really well written and motion captured.
Great to see John-117 back in the game and I hope it’s his again. Yeah, the graphics aren’t that great yet (the other half says I need glasses) but it’s still six months to go and they can still flip the HD/4K/UHD textures switch on.
But whatever they do, some won’t be happy with it.
I’m just happy there’s another Halo game and all the creative ideas from the other games, studios, and developers they are bringing to the table is amazing. Not just Microsoft but also Nintendo and Sony.
Yeah it’s been a little slow recently but there’s plenty to look forward to with so many great games coming out soon.
Cassius2K
Too much four you
Always look forward to a new Resident Evil but I’m not sure why the new one is going so hard in on Resident Evil 4 nostalgia. It’s the 15th anniversary this year, but I though the idea was that it was getting a remake next? Do we really want a homage and a remake in quick succession. Besides, I think Capcom kind of miss that the thing about Resident Evil 4 was the gameplay, everything else was secondary.
It wasn’t the setting or the story or even the characters that made it great it was the atmosphere and the gameplay. I still regard it as one of the greatest action games of all time and if the remake has the ability to move and shoot at the same time it will ruin the pacing of the whole thing. It obviously will but that’s because they don’t understand that Resident Evil 4 wasn’t interested in being realistic it was a game, where everything it did was to make itself more entertaining.
Doing everything in first person, with fluid movement, and more story is going to miss the point so much it may end up going into orbit. This is assuming the rumours are true, of course, but even ignoring the trailer, if you say Resident Evil 7 and village in the same sentence I immediately think of Resident Evil 4.
Combi
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Sound familiar
Hey, does anyone remember an old video games company called Nintando (I think that’s the spelling?). They were really big years ago but they kind of fell off the map a bit after that and it seems like half a lifetime now since I’ve heard of them. Have they gone bust or are they still going? I assume they went back into the love hotel business?
It was so strange when they were doing so well and then they just stopped releasing games or talking to fans. Maybe they just ran out of ideas or their bosses realised they had enough money to retire? Or maybe they all got abducted by aliens? That would almost make more sense then just not bothering to do anything for so long.
Setro
The Internet was wrong
I’m really enjoying Paper Mario. Fun dialogue, great Zelda lite dungeons and fun mini-games. The battle system though… is really great too? I kept reading in ‘the Internet’ how terrible it is because of lack of experience points, etc. But I really am enjoying it.
I like the puzzle element before the attacking phase, which feels like a mini-Panel De Pon round. The attack phase is just like any other Paper Mario too. I feel the defensive phase is the best in any Paper Mario though, as you really have to time it well and I enjoy how the enemies team up.
If you’re on the fence and enjoy minor puzzle elements I think you will really enjoy the game. I’m glad I didn’t listen to ‘the internet’ and gave it a go myself.
Mr Foreign Warren
GC: You didn’t read it from us, we think it’s a lot of fun too. People complain, rightly, when role-playing systems are added into action games for no good reason and we think it’s a similar situation here. If combat is fun it doesn’t need a meta element to give it additional purpose.
One to watch
With all this talk of next gen, one game I’d like to mention on here that’s coming out soon is NSR: No Straight Roads.
It’s an action-platformer about an indie band whose goal, in the name of recognition, is to topple an electronic music label (the titular NSR).
It was actually meant to be out in June but ended up getting delayed into August because of gestures around self. And with it being out so soon, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it mentioned on these pages.
So why am I looking forward to it? Well, I love the art direction and character designs in the game, and the music is just sublime (particularly DJ Subatomic Supernova). But it also reminds me a lot of the kinds of games that drew me to gaming in the first place, like Ratchet & Clank (roughly, mind). I personally hope the game can capture that level of fun I wish was more commonplace in gaming today.
I’m not sure if GC themselves have heard of this (BTW, do you think you’ll be reviewing it?), but surely I’m not the only one on here who’s looking forward to this one?
Divv
PS: I thought this footage would be a decent introduction to the game. The Mother and Child boss fight is actually available as a demo on PC via the Epic Games Store.
GC: It was on our release schedules till it got delayed and we’ve definitely got our eye on it.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=86nDjeFBeAI%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26fs%3D1%26autohide%3D2%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent
Overly cautious
The Dream Suite addition to Animal Crossing New Horizons seems like such a wasted opportunity. I never tried it on the 3DS, so maybe it’s exactly the same, but not didn’t able to visit random islands is another Crazy Nintendo Decision.
What is it with Nintendo and making you enter ridiculously long codes to get a feature to work?
ttfp saylow (gamertag)
Now playing: Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Gears 5
GC: The old Animal Crossing games kind of blur into one for us but there was definitely one where you were visiting other people’s houses, as they were pulled in at random from online. Like you say, the current version of Dream Suite is pretty much pointless. The revamped Custom Designs Portal is great though, we just downloaded a Squirrel Girl outfit someone made!
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Second-stringers
With so many games being remastered that people thought would not return there are a few platformers aside from Crash Bandicoot And Spyro The Dragon that I’d like to see make a return via a remaster or reboot. Those who remember the Sega Mega Drive will also remember that it had its share of amazing platformers for a 16-bit console and there are quite a few of these that I’d love to see be rebooted or remastered.
Games like Cool Spot, Decap Attack, Dynamite Headdy, Ristar, Chuck Rock, Global Gladiators, Tiny Toon Adventures, Tom & Jerry, as well as Tailspin and many more from that era. However, QuackShot has been given a reboot so I won’t include that on the list.
Then you also have the platformers from the SNES like Bubsy Bobcat, Aero The Acrobat, Lion King, Super Adventure Island, Donkey Kong Country 3, and Kirby Superstar all of which were some of the best platformers to of appeared on the SNES. With a huge amount of platformers available for both the SNES and Mega Drive that’s a lot that could easily be rebooted or remastered for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
With a huge library of platformers on both of these great systems, it’s strange that we haven’t seen a few of these return and given both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X is now arriving these would give platformer fans an additional extra perk to look forward to.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)
GC: Bubsy Bobcat had a new game just recently and The Lion King and Kirby Super Star have already had remasters. Also, the QuackShot remaster was an April’s Fool (the developer did pitch the idea to Disney, but they turned it down).
Inbox also-rans
I agree that getting excited over 5 seconds of pre-rendered Avowed footage is pretty weird but do you know what’s weirder? That we’ve hardly had any other Skyrim clones in what is now almost nine years. I find that very odd.
Grimedark
Will you be doing a review of Skater XL, GC? I was interested in it, but the early buzz has seemed a bit negative so far.
Planckton
GC: We will, but the review copy was sent very late. Read into that what you will.
This week’s Hot Topic
Given the Xbox Games Showcase last week the topic for this weekend’s Inbox is an obvious one: how do you think Microsoft are doing with their next gen plans so far?
What did you think of the games that were shown and will they be enough to convince you to get an Xbox Series X? Do you think the complaints about Halo Infinite’s graphics are fair and how do you think that game in particular is looking? If you were the head of Xbox right now how would you handle the launch of the console?
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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
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