My Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch Announcement

We finally received more information about Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch. The name is rooted in the fact that you can switch from playing on your HDTV to playing as a portable. The console itself is a tablet. It includes a dock, and an elaborate control function where you have controls on either side of the tablet that you can remove and snap them together to use for when docking the tablet.

Last night Nintendo announced the price: $300. That stung a bit, as I was expecting $250. During the whole launch video, the power of the console itself was never a focal point. And this is a tablet, so we’re not expecting amazing specs, and as we saw with the Wii U, Nintendo’s art direction can make games look good without the highest-end hardware. With Ninty, it’s all about the experience anyway – they’ve got that down. So, we’ve got a lower-powered console and only 32GB of storage. That’s incredibly low. Sure, they can’t fit an HDD and larger solid-state storage would just be pricey – but sticking with 32GB on low-end hardware isn’t anything amazing. Let’s not forgot, no more disc drive. The Switch takes SD cards, which has to happen since we’re now dealing with a tablet.

Continuing with price, the Switch comes with the JoyCon: a left and right analog stick with buttons on a Wii remote-like controller that attaches to either side of the tablet, but then can snap onto a gamepad shell, creating a pro controller-like (real pro controller sold separately). They can be used separately for single player as well as 2-player! That’s pretty neat. This means multiplayer right out of the box. These things cost $80 alone, which is crazy, but let me get into why. Nintendo has gone back to the Wii, making each left and right JoyCon an advanced wiimote, with HD rumble (which sounds amazing) and the classic wrist-strap.

With the revelation of the JoyCon, does that then validate the price? The problem is, since the announcement, all the hype was centered around the tablet function and portability, not enhanced Wii-like functions. So while that may be the value proposition for the general market, I still need to soak this in.

With the price out of the way, what about games? The Switch plans to launch with the new Zelda on March 3rd. That’s cool. But the Wii U gets it shortly after, so not exactly a system seller. Then there are a few others, like a new Bomberman and 1 2 Switch, which is a Wii Sports-like game that makes use of the JoyCon. Other than that, the rest of the titles trickle out over the year. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in April, which is not necessarily an exclusive title, Splatoon 2 over the summer, and – my most anticipated – Super Mario Odyssey, though that’s not coming out until the Holidays. So while Splatoon 2 is cool, there’s nothing exclusive that makes me want to play the Switch immediately within the first few months. I’d be surprised if the new Zelda happens to look much different on the Switch compared to the Wii U.

The biggest revelation is Nintendo’s Xbox Live/PSN-like service. Nintendo online. It will have a smart device app used to manage and provide auxiliary functions and is free for the first six months. But, then it will be a paid service. That’s where the Live/PSN comparison comes in. Then, what does that mean for value? It says for a month that NES/SNES games will be free with online play. But that still isn’t exactly clear. Also considering these are games that have been available for decades and most people already own (multiple times) – so what exactly is the value here?

For now, the Switch isn’t as compelling as I thought, and this is mainly due to the software. Especially since I can get Zelda on the Wii U. But, how successful will Nintendo be with the mainstream? Does it attract tablet users, kids, parents, and/or PS4/XB1 gamers? We still have a lot to learn from the Virtual Console library. Are games backwards compatible? Will we be buying them again? Discount?

BlueGamer’s Game of the Year 2016

It has been a while. This year got a bit quiet, here on BG, but it’s only temporary. I started a new project that’s going to be some time in the making and hopefully I’ll have more news on that soon. If you follow me on instagram, you might have an idea. Anyway…there were less original games that I enjoyed and more sequels that shocked me. I even spent more time with older games. In fact, Minecraft became my favorite game this year, but it didn’t come out this year, obviously!

The Division – I gotta say, the content is lacking here, but visuals, controls, gameplay, etc, are all on point. The DLC has been fantastic too – Survival is very fun! I’ve played on both PS4 and PC, and yes, the PC version looks fantastic.

Doom – This turned out rather amazing, but more due to shock of what they pulled off rather than it actually being amazing. I wish they didn’t reboot – but they did an amazing job on characterization. Mid-to end of the game was great, but the beginning didn’t pull me. It was just doing a AAA version fo what indie FPS games have been doing since AAA games stopped doing what Doom started…if that makes sense.

Dead Rising 4 – This is like a mid-budget game of a AAA franchise. I think by having my head wrapped around that (knowing Capcom used a western developer from last time) I was less critical. Complaints would be no co-op, no timer, and survivors are easy to save – but it changed the game. I actually took my time and went everywhere. Dead Rising does a good job of making a world feel real, and I really got to enjoy that design as I played. It was just FUN.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – I feel like a tool adding a CoD game, but they made a campaign comparable to Titanfall 2 – the reality is CoD games can do things great and us veteran gamers have to get it out of our minds that this is just mainstream fluff. Every level was so detailed and alive, but outside that, half the game was space battles! They did a good job giving the ships FPS controls too – not deviating far from the standard way to play. So, I’m hoping we see this more. It still has large, linear, set-pieces, but countered by nearly sandbox style space ship missions. The MP is fun too – but nothing drastic enough to give it any special honors.

Dark Souls 3 – Not as good as Dark Souls, but better than 2. It’s Dark Souls and that’s all that matters. Not GoTY because it didn’t do much new compared to how Titanfall 2 did more new for the FPS genre.

8-Bit Armies/Hordes/Invaders – This is everything I ever wanted. Westwood makes a C&C-style RTS that pulls concepts from C&C, WarCraft, and StarCraft – making 6 factions that have enough differences to be interesting. It’s pretty much my go-to RTS.

And the GOTY is…

Titanfall 2 – I disliked the first game, but they turned it around. The campaign is incredible. They did more than just make it a single-player version of what the MP is, they actually built a world, story, and crazy sci-fi elements. The only thing I’d ask for is the next one to have a co-op campaign. Think of how frenetic the MP is, then add that into a scripted campaign. Speaking of the MP: God-tier. Last year Halo 5 took the crown, and I think it stepped up here. The gameplay takes FPSs to another level, requiring more out of a player, but making that skill certainly achievable.

Honorable mentions:

Overwatch – great game, but it’s rather samesies all the time.

Forza Horizon 3 – Best racing game, but I spent so much time on FH2 that I need more of a break before I get all in it again.

Battlefield 1 – it looks great! But it doesn’t do much new or different.

Rise of the Tomb Raider – I got the Windows 10 version which came out in January. 3rd person controls perfected, but the length was padded by collectibles that eventually drove me insane and made me rush to beat it. They need to balance that better next time.

Watch Dogs 2 – Unfortunately I just started this, but it’s leagues beyond what the first game was.

Star Fox Zero – the level design was there. The story was there. The action was there. But the gyro/gamepad controls just got in the way to actually enjoy it. This could have been near the top, but those damn controls. My wish is for a Switch version with standard controls!

But my favorite games I played this year from previous years are Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Minecraft, and LEGO Dimensions.

8-Bit Armies is Petroglyph doing Command & Conquer

Westwood is back with Command & Conquer, as 8-bit Armies from Petroglyph.

And this is why (how) it finally now works:

Detailed polygonal RTSs don’t look as clear as they did when they were sprites. Modern graphics become much more detailed and rely on accurate scale. Because of this, it’s hard to make out what’s going on and sometimes this required the developers to make units stand out by designing them with flair. With this new look, it allows an RTS to look and feel like a classic RTS. And because of the minimalist graphics, this gives developers more time to make a campaign! A campaign is exactly what we want, as most modern games with advanced graphics tend to be light on the content.

You can get it on Steam here!

The Division is Empty Excellence

The Division has great 3rd person, tactical, cover-based shooting mechanics. I think the cover and vault buttons need to be swapped, but I also think the sticky cover option is the best. They really messed up on the button-mapping, but whatever – the mechanics are there.

The problem is, the game is rather empty. Playing by yourself and even with some teammates, the world is empty. It would be cool if other players could show up, just not killable (like it is in the Dark Zone). But, when engaged in a story mission with a group, it is a ton of fun. There’s a lot of environment variety that makes these encounters interesting. The actual encounters that happen outside of story missions are fun, but a little boring. And that’s all there really is. This game doesn’t have much to it.

When it comes to loot, that’s pretty fun. Tons of weapons, modding, etc. Appearance is quite crap, but maybe that was done to be a bit more realistic, but everyone looks the same. I’m wearing a purple scarf just to be a little different. They messed up there.

Dark Zone is fun, but with everyone getting to 30 and beating the story missions so fast, what’s the point of the loot you get? This game needs way more content.

It’s weird comparing this to Destiny. Destiny has the GOAT FPS shooting experience, but I’d rather much do the 3rd person tactical shooting of The Division. Missions and encounters are so much better in The Division. Just more meat, thinking, strategy, etc. Destiny raids are top-tier, but barrier to entry is way too high. I’m not sure why these games are having such a hard time creating a full cohesiveness, but maybe it’s because all the budget spent on presentation.

I didn’t mean for this to be a Destiny vs Division post, but that’s really what’s going on here. This is a new genre that hasn’t been done correctly, but Ubisoft is headed in the right direction.

Cross-Network Play – Will it Happen?

While not the first, the Dreamcast really ushered in the idea of online play done easily on console. And it wasn’t to have an online platform of theirs, it was just to have it possible on console. Dreamcast online play could also work with PC players. Yes, that existed back then. The Xbox has always been the console that carried the Dreamcast’s torch, despite the Sony oppressor. The Xbox technically offered more for the consumer, even if Sony had a handle on the better exclusives.

So Microsoft decided to take it a step further with online play and create a service. This service had exclusive games and a whole system for online play. It rivaled anything on PC, and really, the PC took time to catch up – it’s on an open platform, so there’s not one standard. Anyway, this grew into a big business for Microsoft. Sony was still a bit big-headed with the PS3 but Microsoft was succumbing to that same success with the Xbox platform (Kinect, DRM on XB1). They focused less on gaming and more of an entertainment box, whereas Sony went back to being about gaming. Through this, Sony maintained the idea that cross-network online play is a possibility with their platform, but Microsoft wouldn’t play ball.

Now, with MS trying to keep up, they’ve gone back to their open ways (Microsoft software on PCs in the 80s) and announced cross-network play is possible. First game will be rocket league, but with many more to come. This inflates online player numbers in order to attract those players to the Xbox platform. Finally, with MS on board that just means all platforms unite! But, now that Sony has the upper-hand, they aren’t having that. Business and Policy issues are blocking it from happening…for now.

The PS4 is a beast of a console right now – most multiplayer games on Xbox are nowhere near the population count of the PS4 counter-part. Sony knows this, so they aren’t quick to join in for cross-network play. Really, this makes Sony the bad guy. For all the good they are doing for gamers with the PS4, it sounds like it’s just whatever it takes to get people on their platform, not whatever it takes for gamers (PS4 has had a lack of good exclusives, and indie titles do launch bugged). From a business perspective, sure. I guess it makes sense. But the future of hardware and services will change quite a bit, and Sony shouldn’t get behind like they did with the PS3. They’re banking on PS Now, so obviously they have an idea of where this is headed.

The best answer from Sony should have been – “We’re working on it right now”. Just get over the hump of exclusive online networks, and focus on a strong exclusive first-party titles.

The Division, Dragon’s Dogma, Tomb Raider

I’ve had Dragon’s Dogma since release, but I’ve been meaning to speak on it. It ran horrible on consoles so I could only bear so much. But, on PC it is magnificent. I’m not an RPG guy and never have been, but this game is just so much fun. I consider it a less stressful Dark Souls. I’m all about action, and dying in this game doesn’t have the same consequences as Souls. Many checkpoints, many ways to avoid death. What’s really fun to me is having “Pawns”, or AI partners, that I can customize to work with me in battle the way I want. This game would be perfect if it was a co-op game. The exploration and enemy encounters would be awesome for a group. Dragon’s Dogma online exists in another region, but I really don’t know how that plays. This is also a game I can casually play a quest or two in a sitting. With Souls, I plan time ahead when I won’t be bothered so I can invest a few hours in a sitting.

I got The Division beta from my friend Matt, which is better late than never. What I played so far was really fun. I consider it a more tactical Destiny. A much more lively world that I understood quickly. The short time I had with the beta alone did all that for me, so I can’t wait to see what I get from the full game. It is a Destiny and Borderlands-like, but the realistic, modern approach is the next step. Reminds me of when Call of Duty went modern – not many would think it would work, but it does. It is weird that it takes clips in the head to kill an enemy, but that’s just part of being this stat-driven shooter.

I also got Rise of the Tomb Raider since it just released on PC. Not only does this game look and run fantastic on PC, but it is a ton of fun. Maybe GOTY 2015 if I had played it? Obviously I need more time with it, but it is that incredible. I see why Microsoft was banking on this as an exclusive, but exclusive IPs have to be really unique to that specific console in order to work. Anyway, I also got this on the Windows 10 Store, so it’s considered an Xbox title with full achievements and everything. I actually like this idea. I know more games are planned for this, but being primarily a PC gamer, I like the idea of playing on my hardware while using the functionality of Xbox Live.

BlueGamer 2015 GOTY

I’m finally getting around to this…

2015 is in the past and I’ve played everything I could. Here are my favorite games in no order:

Grey Goo – A call back to the days of Command & Conquer. It wasn’t quite there but haven’t played anything like this in a decade.

Zombie Army Trilogy – This is how a zombie game should be, and the 3rd chapter added some more depth.

Dark Souls II – Hey, it may not be the best Souls, but it’s Souls.

Halo 5 – The multiplayer has brought the franchise back to what I love about it.

Hotline Miami 2 – I LOVE the first game, and this took it to a new level without being too different or too much of the same.

Bloodborne: My real number 1. In fact, it may even be my favorite game of all time. Though, that may also be Dark Souls which I would never have played if it wasn’t for Bloodborne. Incredible game!

What a year – to find a game that has lead to maybe my favorite game franchise of all-time! I didn’t have much to look forward to as the year started either.

Best Games I Played in 2015 That Did Not Come out in 2015

Usually the start of any year, through the summer, leaves quite the empty void to dig into one’s backlog. Here are my favorites from this year that are from previous years:

Twilight Princess (GCN) – Playing the GameCube version, since it is the superior version, this became my favorite Zelda game. Here’s my review.

Fist of the North Star – 2014’s Hyrule Warriors got me into this whole new genre. While stuff like Dynasty Warriors 8 and Warriors Orochi didn’t offer the same experience, I had a lot of fun with Fist of the North Star. It played like a slower-paced Warriors game, with a focus on melee combat. Also, probably one of my favorite soundtracks from this year (of a non-2015 title). I actually have the 2nd game on the shelf waiting for me. I can’t wait! Here’s my review, and video.

Favorite track.

Wind Waker & Skyward Sword – So, while these Zelda games didn’t touch me like Twilight Princess, they are still great games in general – I can’t deny that. It was a crazy year for me to play through three 3D Zelda games that I had missed out on.

Dark Souls – And this is where it ends. Holy crap that I played the greatest game of all-time this year after three 3D Zeldas. In fact, I played through Dark Souls twice, and not as a NG+ character. Once on 360 and once on PC. You can read about that adventure here. This also accounts for Demon’s Souls, which I have yet to complete (Souls Fatigue).

And considering some of the games that came out this year, 2015 has been one of the best years for me when I account for everything I’ve played for the first time.

Battlefront vs Black Ops III vs Halo 5

It just had to be done.

This fall, more than any other fall, there are a number of huge online FPS titles that are being released around the same time. They are out, I’ve played them all – so what’s the final verdict?

Battlefront

Boy, is this one of the best looking games ever. And doesn’t it feel just like Star Wars? It does, and it better get it right, because that’s all its got going for it. I have 10 hours to play with EA Access, and that’s probably all I need. With no singleplayer campaign and only a few maps, I don’t think I’ll be spending too much time with this – but this is really just about the multiplayer. I’m sure next year’s Game of the Year Edition will be just fine with all the extra maps and modes. This is what happens when EA is tasked to make a game by a company that’s licensing the IP to everything – including coffee creamers.

Again, it looks incredible, but this is one of those times where I think 30fps would lend itself better to the film aesthetic. Also, the UI, menus, etc don’t really have the Star Wars feel. But, I’m sure they didn’t have time for that.

Black Ops 3

Best Call of Duty in years. You’ll even notice when you play that it feels different. Not only does it take a few more hits to kill someone, but head shots also take more time. With that, customizing your loadout means even more than ever. There are so many different ways to play, especially when you add it specialists and their abilities. I finally found one that worked for me, and it all just worked so well. The leveling takes a bit longer too, but with all the different unlocks and specialists, there’s still plenty to do. Also, the maps are ace – there’s not one I dislike.

Halo 5

While Halo 5 multiplayer is fun, it was missing that Halo feel. Warzone relies too much on random drops and “buying” vehicles – which is built around microtransactions. Then, this week, 343 launches Big Team Battle. This is the Halo I knew and loved. With BTB now here, I don’t know how to manage my time between Halo 5 and Blops III. BTB has all that random vehicle mayhem that Halo is known for – no need to buy a vehicle, just hop in one!

In the end, Battlefront is the loser and I call a tie between Halo 5 and Blops 3. But, my wife hates all three!

Where Microsoft Has Failed Halo

So Halo 5 was a bit of a disappointment. But don’t just ask me, ask anyone else. At this point, Halo 5 should have sold better than it did (but it did fine). Sure, the multiplayer is fun. But aren’t they fun for a bit, then we move on? After Halo 3, the games changed up a bit when it came to multiplayer. 4 multiplayer was one of the biggest changes, and 5 sort of went back to its roots while lacking content and added a whole new mode based around micro-transactions (otherwise, why have random drops?).

What makes games like CoD work is that they don’t deviate from what it does well. Microsoft (and 343, Bungie) couldn’t nail down how to add to multiplayer, so they just changed things up. Anyway, this point of an inconsistent multiplayer experience really started with Halo 4, but wasn’t the only culprit.

It was either in the making and rushed out, or was a last minute attempt after Spencer came in to save the day, but the Master Chief Collection was released in a bad state and disappointed everyone. It just didn’t work. I never got it to work like a game should work. I think that soured a lot of people. The Xbox One just isn’t selling well. Microsoft no longer focuses on console shipments, just services.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Microsoft has a bunch of different devices – Windows PCs are everywhere with a quick Windows 10 adoption rate, they are still focuing on Windows Phone, and of course, Xbox. For computing, they are already establishing the cross-platform accessibility and this will occur with the Xbox service. Already, MS is implementing backwards compatibility, as they want a full-fledged service offering tons of games across all of their devices.

But, that’s not the point. They are only here because Halo is failing them and they aren’t where they planned to be with the launch of the Xbox One. If Microsoft wants Halo to succeed, they need to take time with their franchises. Release Halo 2 Anniversary stand-alone at $30. Focus on the netcode of that game. Spartan Assault was fun – but Strike was only released on iOS and Windows(???), though with those games I’m sure people are turned away by the micro-transactions. Continue with Halo Wars, but make sure it’s quality. Release a remastered version of Reach. Make Halo 6 have a more interesting story that doesn’t rely on outside knowledge (really, I’m a fan of that but it didn’t work as well in Halo 5 as it did in 4). And lastly, make every Halo game that comes to Xbox One work on Windows devices. That’s the rumor anyway. Oh, and maybe some dedicated servers?

I love the Halo franchise but MS seems to have been skimping on the quality lately. It can’t be done like that.