turntSNACO

Sw2tch, pronounced “swi-tooch”. Anything else will break my heart.

@Samalik Question - if a game can be cheesed via difficulty options, what is the actual problem there? Do you worry that you would be tempted to cheese it yourself, or does it bother you that others may choose to cheese instead of taking the time to get better?

@Jeronan "Similar price" was part of your question, but sure. You shouldn't buy an $1100 Steam Deck with no warranty instead of a $750 Legion Go. You asked why "anyone" would get a deck instead of a Legion Go despite the weaker chip, and I think I answered that.

@Jeronan Lots of reasons to choose steam deck over legion go:

1. $100-$150 cheaper depending on storage
2. Considerably lighter in the hands
3. Better battery life generally
4. Even better efficiency with retro/2d games
5. SteamOS vs. Windows 11
6. OLED screen

AAA performance isn’t nothing, but it isn’t everything either.

@KayFiOS lol I’m glad it wasn’t just me who saw that. I wasn’t aware of an arc where Kitty gains 40 pounds and moves to NYC, but then again I haven’t played all the games yet.

Pretty cool that this will exist. I’ve tried 3ds emulation on steam deck and it just didn’t work for me at all on a single screen.

That said, this thing is probably going to cost $800 minimum, and I’m not sure of the utility of the second screen outside of emulating two specific devices. I also wonder his the recessed joysticks would feel for extended use.

Pro tip: before playing, jump into the audio settings and find the dialogue volume slider. Go ahead and drop that thing to 0. Put on a podcast and just run around shooting and ignoring the characters. You’ll have a good time.

Sorry for folks who lost their jobs. I’ve gotta think Epic spending hundreds of millions to get timed PC exclusives was one waste that didn’t do them any favors.

@LadyCharlie is that just for business matters, or literally no empathy in any situation for c-suite execs?

May I propose Sw2tch, pronounced “swi-tooch”?

Looks like I’m adding this to the list of games I’ll play on Switch while wishing it was available elsewhere at a better resolution (looking at you, SMT5).

@Kimyonaakuma For what it's worth, I recently heard a talk from a blind man who beat God of War (2018) using audio cues and some help from a sighted friend when he got stuck. He said he loved playing it.

If I started to lose some vision or developed a condition that limited my motor function, I very much doubt I'd give up gaming. I'd play what I could, and be pretty bummed out when I couldn't play a game like this because the developer didn't think I was worth the work of adding straightforward accessibility features.

@HeadPirate I specifically said I wasn't arguing with your larger point, so I'm not sure why you're still trying to convince me. Just pointing out that the text I quoted makes an incorrect generalization about people with disabilities.

@HeadPirate "if you have a disability in Japan and want to play video games, you will have an able bodied person beside you the whole time making sure you can do that."

I'm not arguing with your larger point, but the part I've quoted is way off-base (if I'm understanding it correctly). Completely blind? Sure, you'd need a second person to help you play most games. Colorblind? Limited motor ability? Dyslexic? Nah. I mean, look at the author of the article - he doesn't need a caregiver, he just can't rapidly switch between different buttons on a controller. There's a huge spectrum of disability.

@ComfyAko I would say that nearly all modern games with any sort of budget allow for button remapping/key rebinding. Nintendo is really out of step on this. Even things like the 'toggle vs. hold' setting are in a lot of games now.

@UltraZelda64 Those games do that so people with low (or no) vision can navigate the menu. Or someone with a neurological difference that makes reading difficult. If it didn’t happen automatically, they might not be able to find the option to turn it on.

A good rule of thumb is to think “I wonder how this helps somebody else?” when you encounter an accessibility feature like this. Features like this make game playable for people who couldn’t play otherwise - surely that’s worth you being slightly annoyed for 10 seconds once?

I love that y’all are doing these. There’s always just a few simple things that would enable so many more people to play…if Nintendo bothered to prioritize them even a little.

That Aonuma quote feels very Nintendo (in a bad way). They want to dictate a one-size-fits-all approach whenever they can, and make a bunch of ableist assumptions in the process.

Like all bad design, it goes beyond disability inclusion and negatively impacts a lot of other people. So many typically-baked people would’ve remapped BotW if they could have, just like they would’ve turned off motion controls in that Starfox Wii U game.

@Yannis fwiw, battery life is not bad at all. Yeah, it’s like 90 minutes for Spider-man or something like that, but Dragon Quest Builders 2 gets around 4 hours for me and anything 2d lasts forever.

It is bulky, though. No arguing that

This game can be brutal and often just straight up unfair, but I love it dearly. It’s probably the highest hours played per $ spent ratio of any game I’ve ever owned.

Cancelled my sub after n64 came out with an extra fee, have been enjoying emulators on the steam deck instead. I’d genuinely rather pay to have these games officially on Switch, but the service is just so poor. I’d love to either but games individually, or subscribe to access a large and diverse library. Unfortunately Nintendo provides neither option, so they make no money here.

@theModestMouse It’s so weird that they’d make a big point of recognizing that support is difficult and people don’t enjoy playing it, then immediately mega-buff the character designed to make supports’ lives hell.

Huge! Probably my most played 3ds game (and that’s saying something)

Yeah…XP is no longer a reward. Playing a few times a week I’m well part through the battle pass. XP doesn’t get you coins for cosmetics, which they know is the real prize.

Game is fun, but I feel like I’m maintaining enthusiasm in the face of an actual blizzard of negativity from every monetization choice they make.

@anibalherrerab lol glad it wasn’t just me. Really sounded like a newspaper obit headline.

@Diogmites I was kind of in the same boat before getting 2 on sale on PC. The fact that classes actually feel unique makes a big difference.

480p handheld? Sheeeeeeesh

My steam deck is on the way, which I will promptly load with emulators for all the gba and SNES games I own physically or in last-gen VC. Already turned off renewal of NSO.

I’d be fine paying Nintendo again to keep these games in Switch, but a subscription that adds games a couple times a year and never confers long-term ownership is just SO much worse than what I can set up myself after an hour on Google.

Got mine a couple months ago, would not recommend. The low latency is nice, but comfort and sound quality are very lacking IMO.

Battle Pass is pretty reasonable IMO. But $25 skins as the main “reward” for seasonal events has been a real enthusiasm-killer. I really hope they’ll adjust after getting what must be a ton of negative feedback.

Hard pass. There was barely enough value on the basic plan, the idea that we should pay $30 on too really rubbed me the wrong way. I’ll hopefully get a steam deck one day and run emulators for all the games I already own on 3ds and Wii U virtual console.

I’d be happy to pay Nintendo again, but this model that is both expensive and lacks any actual ownership ain’t it.

@riki_sidekicks I mean, you control Joker though. You can pursue non-romantic paths with both. I understand you think it shouldn’t be in the game at all, but I don’t think its depiction is causing real-world harm. It’s teen boy fantasy stuff.

@Lizuka You have an extra month to max [redacted] compared to the others, so technically one dungeon. It would be annoying to immediately replay the last hours for the other ending, but some might prefer it to replaying the entire game.

@Williamfuchs420 For what it’s worth, you only get the extra semester if you meet a series of requirements. If any are unmet, you get the ending from vanilla P5. There will still be differences in the main game, but nothing that makes Strikers inconsistent.

If you’re curious about both paths, you can save when you’re late in the game and try it both ways. I won’t say more here, but you can google spoiler-free ending requirements and you’ll be set.

@ChickenJoe Well said. We tend to say things like “Blizzard wants x”, but of course Blizzard is made up of a bunch of different interests at different levels within the organization.

@Vortexeo yeah wish they had announced a time or just said the 14th since it practically was…oh well, still in time for the weekend.

@Malakhim24 Yes, Blizzard has effed up and continues to. Yes, they want their public image to improve. But I really just don’t see how these characters are political. “Sorry for harassing women - here’s a giant Australian lady with an axe?” These things just don’t connect for me.

But even if management did push these characters because of bad press, does that necessarily mean I should dislike them? They’re not out of place in this game, and they’re not written or conceived worse than just about anyone else. Why take objection to a muscular lady in a game with a playable hamster?

Is the concern that Blizzard is getting away with something because of these new heroes? I just don’t buy that if so. People aren’t fooled into thinking the company is totally different now because they added a couple more women of color and a self-proclaimed queen. Ultimately the company succeeds or fails based on whether enough people are excited to play the game.

@RareFan Cancel culture exists, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only conceivable reason to put a muscular woman in your game. So many people like Junker Queen’s design. Not because she represents their woke agenda or whatever - they just think she’s cool. Maybe designers at blizzard also thought it was a cool design and weren’t motivated solely by fear of a negative Kotaku article and a bad day on Twitter.

One thing I want to point out: look around this comment section. You’re the only one who seems offended by character choices. Nobody complaining about sexualized teenagers in skin-tight bodysuits or racial tropes. Your comments are the closest thing to outrage culture here.

@shining_nexus There’s some hilarious clips online…basically people found out a way to fire unlimited shots with Bastion’s ultimate (instead of the 3 it’s supposed to have). Not sure what’s up with Torb though.

@RareFan tbh the distinction between “honest” and “pandering” exists in your mind and is based on nothing. Designers couldn’t possibly decide to make a diverse set of characters based on their sincere beliefs (either in diversity, or in having distinct and interesting characters with different body types) - nope, must be a fear of getting canceled.

I’ve been a fan for years, so it’s kinda sad seeing Dunkey buy into his own hype. He mentions Celeste, Undertale, and Hollow Knight as signs of his trustworthiness as a reviewer. These were all once-in-a-decade games that were universally praised by major gaming publications, but sure, Dunkey is the one who made them successful.

I watch nearly all Dunkey videos because he’s funny, not because he’s a particularly insightful reviewer. He’s one voice among many. And even if he was the best reviewer of all time, it wouldn’t mean he knows how to run a publishing company.

I don’t wish him ill, but this seems more likely to blow up in his face than not. Watching the announcement, I could only think of the inevitable “The Rise and Fall of Dunkey” video that will come in a couple years.

@KingofSalvagers04 DLC is included in all versions.

@Jhena Nothing new for the new releases, as far as I know. P3 on switch will be a port of Persona 3 Portable, so missing the post-game from FES but including female protagonist.

@Paraka OW2 is free tho…

@Tasuki confirming what Snatcher said, all your unlocks go with you to overwatch 2.

So excited for this - some really smart updates from the original game. F2P is a change, but the model they announced today is as fair as I could’ve hoped tbh.

@gaga64 lol I’m glad I dropped the McDonald’s ref. You took it to the next level.

@gaga64 "Otherwise, it feels somewhat like the author is just making arbitrary articles to justify a pay cheque on a slow news day.."

Obviously, 'arbitrary' is in the eye of the beholder. But beyond that, it's kinda weird IMO to be bothered somebody justifying their pay check. Or earning it, more accurately, since writing for sites like this tends not to be a full-time salaried position.

You probably wouldn't walk into an empty McDonald's and tell the employees to go home because nobody wanted any burgers. Why not be glad that somebody got paid and it cost you nothing?

@IronMan30 A couple other things to consider:

1) Sites like this can only pay writers by creating new content. They have to find things to write about, and not everything can be time intensive like a review.

2) As others have said, it likely takes you half a second to scroll past an article that doesn’t interest you. Other people have said they’re interested in this, and I am as well. You’re not willing to spend the half second of scrolling so that others can learn about something cool?

3) You’ve probably opened this article twice, once for each comment. This is engagement. If you ever see a headline on a news/aggregator site that you think doesn’t belong, the best thing you can do is not click. Coming in here being rude to a writer doing their job, getting replies from people you annoyed, coming back to further explain yourself - all of this boosts the article’s performance.

Double rewards points sounds nice and all. But practically speaking, Nintendo is listing a special offer where you can get several $59.99 games at the low low price of...$56.99. This is the silliest thing on the eshop, and yet they do it all the time.

Persona 5 in 2017, Bloodborne before that in 2014. The other 3 all happened in the 90s.

Seems like a good time to recommend Tim Rogers' excellent series on FFVII's translation for Kotaku. Watching it I learned that a lot of Japanese Aeris' charm and wit didn't survive localization to English.

I can only assume it's a similar story with Yuna, who I can't imagine cracking the top 10 in a western poll.

@Rayquaza2510 I don't think I've played anything at less than 720p in a couple years now, so it really stands out to me. It bums me out that a Switch exclusive (as opposed to a PC port like Witcher or Doom Eternal) isn't designed to run at the highest resolution. Same with Xenoblade.

Nice that it looks better docked, but again, Switch Lite. As for the World comparison, I wrote that after 20-30 minutes of game time. I'm sure it gets better, but the intro is a real tell-don't-show-fest. Totally possible I'm misremembering the early hours of World, but it definitely gives you a lot more action before dropping you in tutorial land.