Season of the Switch - March/April

            The Nintendo Switch is the first console I have ever bought at launch day. Typically I’d have to wait until a holiday season or a price drop to grab up new hardware, but the Nintendo Switch was just such a cool concept of a console I didn’t really care if it’d put a dent in my savings or whatever the software lineup is like. And thankfully, the console has not disappointed me in almost any way. While underwhelming on the surface, the Switch’s early library is filled with a good variety of games to play whenever, where ever you like!

The Negatives

            Let’s get the negatives out of the way. Buying a console early is never as smooth as you’d hope in the modern age and the Switch is no exception. Thankfully the console has been supported with regular patches to help fix these issues, but it did lead to some frustration. Apparently out of the box on launch the Nintendo Switch had issues connecting to a lot of people’s wifi which has had some of the issues such as not being able to find password protected connections patched out. Personally I still have issues getting the Switch to connect at times when everything else works fine, so connecting to the net is still a source of frustration for me, but thankfully it’s getting better. If you are looking for power you are not going to find it in the Switch, at least compared to the other home consoles. However, as a handheld it’s a powerhouse! The unfortunate part of the Switch’s marketing message as a console-on-the-go is that it’s more the exact opposite as a handheld with more options. And while I’m finding plenty of things to enjoy on Switch people looking for bigger games are probably gonna be underwhelmed with the library for quite some time. The controllers not having a real dpad is a real bummer as playing 2D platformers and fighting games without it is a bit of a pain, so I might just avoid those games until I have the money for a Pro controller. The battery life is also very low and no packed in power cord means I had to play with the Switch docked more than I wanted to until I bought a cord.

Versatility

            The main feature of the Nintendo Switch’s hardware is definitely the plethora of options you have in how and where you play. Of course you can play games as a regular console inside the dock and play it in your hands on the go, but you also have options to play games on a table top. You can lay the screen flat like a tablet, or set it upright on its kickstand. The options don’t even end there as the detachable Joycon controllers have their own list of options such as connected to the console as a handheld, detached and held free hand much like the Wii Remote before it, holding each Joycon sideways like a SNES controller for some 2 player action, or attached to the packed in Joycon grip accessory and played like regular controller. I was really skeptical of the Joycon grip, but it works perfectly fine as a controller. The only reason I ever see myself buying a pro controller is if I really want a true dpad, but for most uses the Joycon d buttons(?) work as a functional replacement. And of course none of this even gets into the additional accessories you can buy to further expand the play options of the console.

            Personally I really enjoy almost all the options available. During the Splatoon 2 testfire I kept changing up my controller set up every hour and found just about all of them work very well. The Joycon Grip makes for a good reliable controller, free hand is very comfortable, and handheld can be played anywhere within wifi range. None of them are a clear favorite as they all have their uses. Personally I find it a blast to play games on a console with enough options to fit my current needs. There are a lot of games I’ll just end up buying for a second time so I can have the option to play these games in bed, at the table, or wherever.

Game Library

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

            What is obviously the major launch title for the Switch and last hurrah for the Wii U, chances are you have probably played or at least heard enough about Breath of the Wild, so I’ll be brief. I am not a big fan of the Zelda series, while I tend to be impressed with their overall consistent quality, but they just don’t do enough for me for me to say I even like them all that much. They are perfect fine, playable, mostly inoffensive video games. Though the standouts of the series to me are the original and Wind Waker which both capture the spirit of adventure the series is known for the strongest. Breath of the Wild to me joins those two in capturing the same spirit of adventure while reinventing the Zelda wheel. Breath of the Wild makes a great balance between keeping up with Zelda tradition to keep the series identity going and making massive changes to help modernize the series. Breath of the Wild plays a lot like other modern AAA open world games, but is still very much a Zelda game. The game does have its issues mostly being weapon durability being more of a hassle than a fun challenge to work around, lack of decent rewards for combat makes combat a bit of a waste of time, the various magic powers and puzzle items feel very underwhelming compared to previous titles, and the boss fights feel like a step down for the series.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

            Another game that probably doesn’t need much explanation, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an upgraded port of the popular Wii U entry of the Mario Kart series complete with all the DLC, an overhauled battle mode, new characters, vehicles, items, and a change to a two item system similar to Mario Kart Double Dash. Whether or not you feel Mario Kart 8 is worth another $60 will vary depending on your love of the series and how much you enjoy playing games on the system. Personally, having Mario Kart 8 in my hands has made me fall in love with the game all over again. There aren’t many major changes other than the two item system which both makes the game more chaotic, but also more defensive when you’re towards the front of the pack. If you are familiar with the original Mario Kart 8 or Mario Kart in general you probably know what you are getting into with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as it is the definitive Mario Kart experience. Looking forward for more time trial grinding and online fun to come.

FAST RMX

            Similar to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, FAST RMX is an enhanced port of the Wii U racing game FAST Racing Neo. While not a replacement for a new F-Zero, FAST RMX is a great alternative to scratch that high speed racing itch we’ve all been feeling since F-Zero GX blew us all away on the GameCube. If Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is too slow and gimmicky for you, FAST RMX is your hard high speed alternative (and at a much more affordable price too). Personally, my only major gripe is that I still don’t feel the two color system adds anything to the game other than a distracting gimmick.

Super Bomberman R

            Konami of all people decided to join in on the Switch launch with a new Bomberman title. As a longtime fan of the series I had to pick it up for my Switch and I wasn’t disappointed. Super Bomberman R brings the classic Bomberman action and chaos to the Switch. Unleash chaos in local and online multiplayer or play the short but sweet story mode complete with adorable cartoon-style cutscenes. While a bit bare bones and lacking in a whole lot of content (especially for its steep price) the game still oozes in style and fun. The game also continues to get regular updates and has some fun Konami cameo costumes lined up like Vic Viper and Pyramid Head of all things. It’s a blast, though whether or not it’s worth the pricetag will vary depending on your love for the series.

The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth +

            This feels surreal to say, but the Binding of Isaac is one of the biggest launch window games for the Nintendo Switch. The latest version of the Team Meat cult classic indie hit, Binding Of Isaac feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch as it is so easy to just pull out the console for one more run. While the Newgrounds dead baby edgelord humor feels like an incredibly pathetic relic of your middle school years rouglikes are a very natural fit for the Nintendo Switch. I ended up dropping the Binding of Isaac around its Wrath of the Lamb expansion so there is so much new content to wrap my brain around. Honestly I do feel like the game feels way too random especially now. Still I find myself coming back to it every so often  just for one more run… I swear just one more.

Snake Pass

            From the developers of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed comes something… very unexpected. Snake Pass is a very fun Snake “platformer?” where you control a snake by slithering and coiling around multiple courses. Snake Pass is a very fun smaller title that I enjoyed learning the ropes of slithering and coiling around. The game can get a bit frustrating with its unique controls, but feels intuitive enough to still feel well designed. While not the meatiest game on the Switch, Snake Pass will still give you plenty of hours of fun challenges set to a great soundtrack by David Wise of Rare fame.

Splatoon 2: Testfire

            While obviously no longer active, the Splatoon 2 Testfire event was the most fun I’ve had with the Nintendo Switch to date. I had a ton of fun trying out the new weapons, maps, listening to the new music, and trying out all the new control options the Switch can provide. I was also… shockingly good at it? While I have probably more Splatoon experience than a lot of Switch newcomers, I never actually got that much into the original as getting to the game late and missing Splatfests turned me away from playing the game. I don’t really want to brag too much, but I took to Splatoon 2, especially the new Splatdualies, so naturally I placed the top scorer and typically the best K/D (kills to death ratio) on my team every match! I am really looking forward to Splatoon 2’s launch this summer as I feel it is definitely the best upcoming game for the Switch.

The Future

            While Switch news has slowed down as we anticipate future announcements at E3 the near future of the Nintendo Switch looks bright! Ultra Street Fighter II is releasing in May which will bring a new version of the fighting game classic to Nintendo Switch. ARMS is coming out in June which looks like a ton of fun that I am curiously optimistic about. I am a bit worried that it could just be a gimmicky multiplayer Punch-Out that no one will play seriously so we’ll see. Splatoon 2 is going to launch in June and likely be a must have for all Nintendo fans and my most anticipated multiplayer game of the year. Also over the far horizon is the stellar looking Mario Odyssey come holiday season, Sonic Mania and Forces are also coming to the Switch which you’ll be able to go fast on-the-go on the Nintendo Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 which will add to the JRPGs of the Switch library which the console feels like the perfect fit for, there are also other JRPGs far over the horizon coming to the Switch like SquareEnix’s Octopath project as well as Dragon Quest XI (please come west), an unannounced Tales game, an untitle Shin Megami Tensei project, an unannounced Pokémon game which will be huge for the system. I definitely see myself enjoying a lot of games on this console for years to come.

NieR - Review B

I thought it felt really appropriate to come back to NieR with some more hindsight and a different perspective. I wrote a “review” for NieR a long time ago and… it is absolutely terrible. It’s a long incomprehensible series of word vomit paragraphs. It’s been something I’ve felt hanging over my head for a long time. I didn’t do NieR justice; instead I just screamed all my emotions at once into an essay and thought it was profound. I feel the need to apologize, but I suppose acknowledging your mistakes and working on improving on them is the path to becoming a better writer.

After watching a few other people play through the game and playing through all the endings, and even the sidequests this time around, I’ve learned that my original thoughts on NieR are questionable at best. It couldn’t be more appropriate that what has gotten me to appreciate NieR more is time for hindsight and seeing the game through different perspectives. I used to think Nier is a monster. The game lays on the guilt pretty heavy handed so it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking Nier is the real monster (an NPC in the late game even says this verbatim). I don’t think it is right to say Nier is totally innocent or the victim either. Instead I think it is important to consider that NieR is not interested in absolutes. NieR is a tragedy about two sides of struggling to survive in a cruel world and their coexistence being impossible.

“Ignore the sidequests” is very common advice to hear from people recommending you NieR. Its advice I followed on my first go of the game and at the time I felt it was the right way to go. There really isn’t any particularly useful rewards for completing sidequests, and the most you’d think you miss is some ultimately inconsequential dialogue. What could be written off as pointless busy work is actually a pretty important part of the game. You could argue that they should’ve made the rewards better or the quests more fun, but I think that misses the point. Nier’s bland adventures of doing pedestrian errands for the townsfolk for little to no reward other than the satisfaction of doing the good deeds themselves are appropriately designed as such. I’m not saying you need to do ALL of them, but it is important to go out of your way to do enough of them. The sidequests breathe life into the world and help humanize Nier.

NieR’s combat is also a pretty huge negative talking point, especially now that the smoother, prettier sequel by Platinum is out. While I won’t say that the original has the same depth, polish, variety, or smoothness of Automata I still feel like there is something to the original’s combat that I think people write off too easily. I’ve seen people go as far as telling people to avoid the game due to its rough combat which feels too far. Not only does the game have a lot to give outside of its combat, but the combat itself isn’t half as bad as people make it out to be. At the very least NieR’s combat shouldn’t be an outright deal breaker for anyone playing the game.

Behind the combat’s flaws is actually a really fun experimental action game attempting to marry the once thought distant worlds of hack and slash action RPGs and hectic shmups. It’s something that feels entirely unique and incredibly ambitious even if it doesn’t quite make the marks it aiming for. I’ve also gotta hand it to the late Cavia for making a combat system so versatile as they can shift the combat to play almost like entirely different games while changing very little about the core of the combat. Full 3D, 2D, Top Down, and shmup sequences all happening with this workhorse of a combat system. Bosses can even vary from Zeldaic puzzle fights, big set pieces, one-on-one humanoid fights, or just cover the screen with countless bullets. I am NOT saying the combat is perfect or not without faults, but I don’t think people should write the whole game off because of it.

This game is also the game that I feel Yoko Taro’s multiple ending structure works best. Playthrough B is definitely the high point of the game as replaying the game with hindsight and new dialogue giving you a new perspective on the game’s events is definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had playing a video game. While it’s easy to write it off as busy work I think it is critical that the game has you go back and meditate on your actions. I also really like how overpowered you are in this playthrough which just hammers home that Nier’s actions are not to be held as absolutely heroic however justified.

I’ve also came to appreciate Ending D more having yet another save file erased before my eyes. It’s a beautiful sacrifice and redemption for both Nier but also the player’s involvement in the tragedy. I’ve realized the multiple playthroughs and the tradition of collecting all the weapons are important elements both as pacing tools but also adding more weight into the final decision. It’s the ultimate undoing of all of the player’s work just to see the final ending.

NieR still remains my favorite modern JRPG. It is an absolutely beautiful tragedy that doesn’t quite fall all the way to grim, hopeless “sadporn”. NieR is a game where you can feel the crushing sadness of a conflict where both sides are the victim, but also laugh as Kaine and Emil talk about camping. It is a game that is filled with lovable characters, the best soundtrack in video games, amazing bosses, varied gameplay setpieces, and commentary on violence. Yet even being packed full of all this amazing stuff the game never really feels like a mess. It’s not a perfect game, but it is sad to see people pass this one up for the shiny, new sequel.

Moving on From Final Fantasy XV

            Well here it is! After many delays and much hyping up, I finally wrote this Final Fantasy XV piece. And appropriate for the game itself, it’s largely underwhelming and disappointing!

            Okay that opening is probably crueler than FFXV even deserves, though I can’t help but feel upset about it. I’ve spent the last few years lowering my expectations to the floor, but somehow FFXV came barely stumbling its way out of an unforeseen basement door. I saw the game’s troubled development and movement towards design decisions that I wasn’t too happy about. I thought I set myself impervious for disappointment, but somehow this game prevailed, or failed, depending on how you want to look at it. I was really worried about the build up towards that game because it’s big focus on its big open world and free form gameplay

At the very least, the openness of FFXV actually did feel pretty refreshing despite my preferences. I love my hallways! Nine times out of ten I’d rather have a totally linear directed experience than just be given a big map with a bunch of way points. FFXV actually manages to break this as it makes its open world traversal VERY enjoyable. FFXV’s roadtrip is when FFXV shines its brightest. The four characters are very enjoyable to watch bicker and bond with one another. The highway structure makes the game very easy to go from point A, get sidetracked by points C and D, and continue onwards to point B.  Even just riding in the car doing absolutely nothing for minutes at a time is amazing when watching the breathtaking world roll on by. Planning out daily routes to wrap up sidequest objectives as optimal as possible is honestly the most fun I had playing this game. I spent 40 hours before even progressing the plot as soon as the world opened up. Outside of some janky shit, I feel like those were hours well spent.

However, once I ran low on sidequests to wrap up and explored the majority of the world and decided to progress the FFXV story is when my FFXV experience began to fall apart. At first I recognized that FFXV was going for a much simpler, classic Final Fantasy story and I felt okay about it. There are plenty of games with little or zero depth or complexity to their stories that I loved a lot. What I feel ends up being crucial for me in these circumstances is if the characters, tone, world, or game systems are well enough to make up for its lack of narrative depth. FFXV unfortunately does not land this. The characters are enjoyable for the most part, but that quickly changes as the story progresses. Some characters just vanish into the background, some change into much less enjoyable super serious versions of these characters. Characters can and should change as the circumstances around them become direr, but it’s hard to swallow when the lighthearted banter between the main four turns into serious fighting between members of the group. It certainly doesn’t help that the pacing and tone just shifts way too fast, possibly due to cut content or content stuck in the character specific DLC chapters.

Honestly, the death of Lunafreya could be its own blog post. Luna’s death and the Leviathan boss sequence is where my opinion changed completely from mild disappointment to just pure shock in what was actually happening on my screen. Luna plays a similar role to a lot of past women in Final Fantasy games, love interest, spiritual healer, but apparently most importantly a corpse for Noctis to cry over. You could argue that is just FFVII’s Aerith/s all over again, but it is honestly worse since Luna isn’t a member of your party and you barely get any time to get to know her. The most you see Luna is in flashbacks where she’s either focused on her destiny as Oracle or her marriage to Noctis. She seemingly only exists in the story to suffer and die and raise the stakes for Noctis which is misogynist edgelord writing 101. And it ends up transcending an old tired problematic cliché to just pure schlock when this results in Noctis going Super Saiyan and fighting Leviathan in a horrible flying battle hilariously reminiscent of the final battle of Sonic Adventure 1. I was supposed to be moved to tears, but instead I couldn’t help myself to belting out “Open Up Your Heart” and laughing my ass off. Sadly the game doesn’t really improve from there, nor does it continue to have any sort of unintentionally hilarious schlock value. Just a pretty bland predictable Final Fantasy plot that is living so much in the shadows of FFVI and FFVII that it’s almost pathetic.

However, one aspect of this second half that is genuinely amazing it’s the way it builds up the impending doom of the darkness. The game runs on a day night cycle, but as you progress the story the night falls sooner and sooner, the game doesn’t even mention this is happening, but I started to notice when my later sidequest wrap ups had to take much more frequent rests. The linearity and shift in tone also reflects this too though sadly much less elegantly pulled off. It’s a very neat alternative to FFVI’s apocalypse where it’s a gradual shift you probably won’t notice until it’s too late which is a pretty refreshing take on a sinister power creeping its way to bringing the world to ruin. It works extremely well with having the earlier game’s openness and tone in hindsight. You can of course return to the open world, but it does require a resting point, which feels appropriate as if Noctis is dreaming of adventures with his friends he’d never have.

But good use of tone is just not enough for me when what is tying the whole game together is an awful combat system. I wasn’t expecting Platinum-esque levels of polish and depth in the combat, but this game isn’t even on the level Square’s own Kingdom Hearts. People giving this game’s combat a pass, but saying they won’t play the original NieR due to its combat feels like a crime! Final Fantasy games don’t all have amazing combat, but I just felt miserable mashing up against enemies for hours.

Final Fantasy XV being bad was my expectations, but the few strokes of brilliance really makes me upset. There’s a great entry to the Final Fantasy series somewhere in there, but it’s just unfortunately bogged down with so much trash. What makes this game getting mixed to positive reactions from a lot of people a real bummer is that FFXIII was truly so much better than this. The cult of Versus XIII is, appropriately, the outcry of a hardcore fanbase against the FFXIII installments. I’m not saying they have to like those games as much as I do, but I feel the games got an unfair reputation. FFXIII is blamed for such an absurd amount of things such as killing Final Fantasy, Square, JRPGs, even as far as the entire Japanese game industry, when none of that is remotely true. It’s a movement away from more linear, directed experiences to wanting a revival of the “glory days” of Final Fantasy with big open world maps and simple, awful stories.

Power vs Convenience - Nintendo Switch Impressions

            The buildup for the “NX” reveal was a long road of countless rumors, leaks, and whole lot of jokes. I’m not too interested in speculating why it has taken them so long to final unveil their next big system, though it does concern me a bit for its launch. I’m glad the info is finally out (well most of it). It wasn’t too much of a shock considering all the leaks, but I am very impressed by the reveal.

            The Nintendo Switch seems like it’s my new dream console. For a few years now I’ve been primarily a handheld system user. This is partially due to some living condition things that I don’t need to get into, but what has me always reaching for my 3DS is the privacy of a personal screen and the ability to play it anywhere in my home. I don’t get out of the house very often, so I don’t really tend to take the console out with me on my travels, but the portable aspect of the console is still incredibly useful to me if I can just put in a few hours into my game of choice from whatever room I choose, even my still laying in my bed. I love the convenience of handheld systems so much that at times I feel the only way I can finish certain games is if they happen to be on 3DS. If tried for a while, but I never finished a Shin Megami Tensei until it found its home on 3DS, and the first Tales of game that I finished was oddly enough the 3DS port of Tales of the Abyss. I can put in countless hours into JRPGs easily on handheld, but I’m still struggling to even really get into a lot of the games I started on my newly purchased PS4. A lot of my issues with the console gaming experience might be really specific to certain aspects of my lifestyle, but I can’t be the only person who just finds the convenience of pulling out your 3DS from your bag or pocket from anywhere you like a way more appealing console feature than any sort of 1080p/60 fps or the tech culture’s newest obsessions 4K resolutions and VR.

            I’ve never really understood the voracious appetite people have for newer, more powerful tech in gaming. People have been saying a lot that we are seeing diminishing returns on the graphical jump between console generations, but I’ve been saying that since the Xbox 360’s launch. I do now appreciate this stuff a bit more these days now that I actually have an HD widescreen tv to play stuff on (and going back to my old tv is just unbearable), but it’s when we get into stuff like the jump between 720p to 1080p, 1080p to 4K, demands for 60 fps minimum on games that really don’t get anything out of that kind of performance is where these tech fanatics lose me. Maybe I just have to be a tech hungry gamer with a high end PC build that costs more than a decent car to understand the appeal because I honestly just don’t see a huge reason to invest hundreds of dollars just for a resolution bump. The tech power arms race of the “console war” is just getting worse now with “Pro” and “Scorpio” versions of the new consoles that a lot of people were just trying to save up to buy the launch editions. I just bought a PS4 and already the industry wants to move on to the Pro to chase some seemingly niche 4K craze?? Now I’m paranoid that new games I’m excited about on PS4 will run like shit because the industry will be developing for the Pro’s specs, and the regular console version will be an afterthought.

            The weird part is that despite me feeling all paranoid over the Pro and Scorpio versions of the big boy consoles I still primarily play on my 3DS, which by comparison might as well be a Razer flip phone. What is weird about the handheld side of the so called “console war” is that the Vita is killing the 3DS hilariously in power, but its failing miserably anyway. And don’t get me wrong, I think the Vita is a cool console that I could see myself also playing a ton if I just had the cash to drop on one, but the Vita’s failure weirdly enough gives me hope that at least on the consumer end, power doesn’t always win. There is a place where the “lightweight” console can duke it out with the “heavyweight” power consoles.

            Personally, I’m a bit confused at the marketing message they are going with for the Switch as a “home console you can take on the go”. It seems like it’s the exact opposite. It’s a new generation handheld that can be plugged and upscaled to a home tv gaming experience. I guess I’m no marketing expert though because handheld gaming is somewhat looked down upon by the tech hungry industry. Speculation through leaks (with no official word) puts the Switch around the same power of an Xbox One, which would sound like a huge game changer from the handheld perspective, immediately obsolete from the console side. Considering I’m more of a fan of the handheld side I am very excited. The next wave of Pokémon, Monster Hunter, Yokai Watch, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, etc. are going to see a dramatic jump in graphical quality while also staying convenient as handheld games. Though games like Splatoon, 3D Mario, Smash, etc. are sadly not going to see as dramatic of a jump, but will join the others in being convenient handheld games now.

            Of course there are some concerns. The Wii U’s failure had 3^rd Party support for the console leave that console to die. While I do think the Wii U still has an impressive library, it would be very hard if that were your only modern home console option. The 3DS has some good support, but the dramatic jump might scare away these partners. There are many technical concerns too such as battery life, durability, and performance between the handheld and docked options. For my purposes the former two don’t concern me as much, but I do have fears very similar to my fears about the PS4 Pro of developers chasing the more powerful option too hard and the game runs like garbage when in a handheld mode. Of course the lack of concrete technically information given by Nintendo doesn’t help matters. We don’t even have a price for the machine, and yet they’re okay with saying no further info until 2017, a minimum 3 months prior to their launch? Price is also concerning since I did just purchase a PS4 and I am still recovering from such a huge console purchase on my small income. There is hope that if the console is aiming for less power it could end up being a dramatically cheaper option than its competition though, but we’ll wait and see.

            I was just thinking the other day on my lunch break at work how wonderful it would be to have the Switch. Being able to pull out a handheld and have not just handheld but what would be typically be console exclusive games to play on my break would be amazing. I was imagining myself getting in a few games of Pac-Man CE2, getting through a few levels on the latest 3D Mario, or even messing about in Breath of the Wild during my break. At home I could possibly get to play games possibly like the latest Dragon Quest, Tales of, Final Fantasy from the comfort of my bed every morning. The Nintendo Switch is a dream console, but let’s just hope it can live up to those dreams.

My Price Limit At Launch - $300 or $350 if the launch line up is amazing

Personal New Game Wishlist

Splatoon 2

Wonderful 101 sequel

Bayonetta 3

Pokémon Gen VIII

Pokémon Generation IV Remake

next Tales of game

next Final Fantasy

next Persona/SMT games

Pikmin 4

new Yokai Watch

new F-Zero

new Metroid Prime

Personal Port Wishlist

Tales of Series (Symphonia, Zestiria, Berseria)

Nier and Nier Automata

Final Fantasy XIII Series

Final Fantasy VII Remake

SMT/Persona Series (P5, SMT Nocturne)

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX & 2

Metroid Prime series

F-Zero X & GX

3D Mario series

The State of Girl Sideward [Personal Update #4]

            So far 2016 has been a bad year for a lot of reasons, but it has been especially bad for this blog. Honestly, I wish I had a good explanation for why this blog has been more or less dead for nearly all of 2016, but I don’t. I’ve had quite a few plans for things to write that never panned out. Some as stupidly ambitious as a Tales of Abyss review along with weekly follow up pieces on all the individual party members, and some as small as a No Man’s Sky review or Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain anniversary retrospective. Almost nothing panned out for no good reason other than it’s just hard for me to write when I’m both depressed out of my mind with my current living condition as well as just out of confidence in my own work. Whenever I get an idea for something to write either I think its trash and scrap it, or someone writes something I wanted to say better than I ever could.

            It also doesn’t help that I’ve been agonizing over my previous work lately. For example, my NieR piece from over a year ago is dreadful in hindsight. Time and watching and talking with other people as they play through the game gave me a new perspective that is WAY different than anything I wrote. What I wrote is just a complete stream of conscientiousness that’s completely unreadable. I’m not even sure what the hell I was even thinking to be honest other than I really wanted to write something fast right after I finished the game with fresh tears on my keyboard. I could break down all my previous work and why it’s awful but it’s not really important. I could beat myself over past mistakes all night (it’s already 1:30 AM) but it won’t make a difference. I guess on the bright side, less content this year means a lot less of it is trash.

            However… Girl Sideward is not going away. I started this blog primarily to improve my own writing so messing up so much and all this self-doubt is part of a learning process. Trying to work out how to be productive with your work is also a big part of the learning process. I currently don’t have any plans and I am not trying to make too many ambition plans so I don’t disappoint myself. I am currently playing Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Yokai Watch 2 Fleshy Souls, Touhou: Scarlet Curiousity, AND Tales of Zestiria and I have no idea if I’ll write about any of them, but if I do come up with anything I think is interesting to say I’ll probably at least give it a draft. Of course there are the big upcoming releases such as World of Final Fantasy, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Final Fantasy XV, Tales of Berseria, Persona 5, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and a WHOLE LOT MORE. I am real excited to play a lot of these games in this BUSY BUSY season. Hopefully, I will have SOMETHING interesting to say about at least ONE of these. I’ll probably be unable to keep myself from screaming about Pokemon or giving my two cents on FFXV and P5, but I’m done making promises.

            I am somewhat bummed about not pitching or opening up a Patreon to get paid for writing yet. Not that I even made anything this year worth money and I wouldn’t want to force myself to write just to get paid, however I just need something to get myself into a better living condition. Still I don’t believe I am ready to write for a living, especially not after this year.

E3 2016 [Working Title]

            Last year I wrote a lot about E3 because I was excited… this year I write about E3 mostly because I’m having a hard time writing about anything else. Writing about E3 is easy. It’s a showcase of the extremes of the industry so it’s easy to find the things you are REALLY excited for, and the things you absolutely despise. Last year’s E3 was especially explosive with announcements like Shenmue 3 and FFVII Remake. This year was… boring. It was not terrible like a lot of recent years, but I couldn’t care for most the BIG surprises. VR was a big part of this year’s E3, but thankfully not the main focus. I was dreading the console upgrades taking up stage time, but only Microsoft said anything and it was just a short bit at the close of their conference. I got most the stuff I wanted to see, but not much else. 

World of Final Fantasy

Square Enix dropped a trailer for World of Final Fantasy right before E3 (a festive time of year I’ve been calling PrE3). The trailer is fantastic! I’ve been sold on the charm of World of Final Fantasy since announcement, but this new trailer is making me think this game is going to end up as something beautiful. Tiny chibi Final Fantasy characters in a cute monster RPG sounds like the game made just for me. I suppose it is easy to wave the game of ass a Pokémon/Yokai Watch cash grab or yet another FF/JRPG nostalgia game (which neither is exactly 100% wrong) but Final Fantasy’s roster of memorial creatures helps it stand out from its contemporaries and I’ve always wanted to catch and train my own Chocobos, Moogles, and Cactuars. Also, unlike most JRPG Nostalgia games I’m not feeling some smug superiority of the old RPGs are better than the new. World of Final Fantasy seems more like a celebration of the series as a whole, no Tidus or Lightning left behind. Though even with all that said, I’m honestly looking more forward to World of Final Fantasy then Final Fantasy XV!

Final Fantasy XV

I really want to be excited for this game. I am going to buy a PS4 to play this game. I HAVE to play it at launch because the discourse online about it will be insufferable without it. I think I’ll like this game. I’m really liking the group accompanying Noctis on his adventure. Even though it is an all dude cast, Final Fantasy is typically good at male characters. I’m liking most of what I’ve seen other than the open world stuff and that really poor Titan stage demo during the Microsoft conference. Obviously most the hype around the game is the fans hoping FFXV will reclaim the RPG genre, which is silly to me, FFXIII is flawed but fine and JRPGs are arguably bigger than ever, but of course “JRPGs are Dead”. Look forward to the review because there’s no way I’ll be able to resist throwing in my two cents.

NieR: Automata

            There was not a lot of info for NieR: Automata… but any footage of this game in motion is enough to amaze and excite me. It’s been a long time since I’ve been as excited for a video game as I am for NieR: Automata. It is easily one of my biggest dream games brought to reality. NieR is one of the best games in years and Platinum are the best in the business at combat design. It’s a match made in heaven for me. I’m trying not to let the excitement consume me, but it’s hard to resist. I’m worried I could be setting myself up for disappointment, but what we’ve seen looks so promising. My only gripe with NieR: Automata at E3 is that I was really hoping for a release date. NieR: Automata is THE game that made me feel like I NEED a PS4, so it’d be nice to know when my deadline is to buy the console.

Fighting Games

I’ve wanted to get into fighting games for a long time, but it’s so difficult when I don’t have a local scene or a group of nearby friends to play with. Thankfully fighting games are getting better at creating their games’ online play a smooth enough experience to be compatible with their frame perfect demands. There’s just something about fighting games that draws me in, despite me not being too into competitive play. I feel it’s mostly the characters with their larger than life personalities and something about playing fighting games gives me a stronger sense of embodiment in my character than really any other type of game. E3 had quite a few big fighting games present. Street Fighter was playable and we got to see more people get their hands on the new character Ibuki. I’m not a big fan of the series, but Injustice 2 was announced. KOFXIV continues to impress me despite the strong backlash of people on the internet whining about the graphics. Killer Instinct revealed their Gears of War guest character General RAAM who isn’t a character I care about, even as a Gears of War fan, but his “FANGief” (Street Fighter’s FANG’s poison and Zangief’s grappling) playstyle looks fun. Tekken 7, which might be my personal favorite, announced it was coming to consoles along with a story mode with seamless transitions between fighting and cutscenes. Sadly, living in the middle of nowhere, it’s hard to get too excited for these games. It’s hard to justify spending $60 on a game that I’ll either give up on or be virtually useless to me if it has bad online play.

Resident Evil VII

I adore the Resident Evil series. The series is probably the best at balancing atmosphere, camp, and its resource management gameplay. The later entries were a departure from this, but evolved into one of the best 3^rd Person Shooting series on the market. The Revelations spinoff games brought the series horror atmosphere back to critical acclaim, so it seemed inevitable for the series to go back to its roots. However, REVII is bringing back horror to the series, but harder than anyone expected. The REVII demo (which I sadly cannot play) makes it seem like the series is going into horror harder than its roots, and possibly removing any element of action or camp. REVII is following the recent trends of the indie horror scene, spooky dark environments and not chance to defend yourself. While PT was taking a similar direction, that direction makes sense for Silent Hill’s own brand of psychological horror. REVII’s direction makes the game look like an entirely different series, for better or worse. Personally, I don’t really care for the indie horror trend of Spooky’s House of Jump Scares, but I can understand the appeal for other people. REVII is not a return to roots. It is a complete reconstruction of the franchise’s identity to chase modern industry trends in its genre. REVII might be a great game for those who want it, but it’s probably just not for me so I can’t help but feel disappointed.

The Last Guardian

I just don’t care anymore outside my curiosity. It’s coming out in October which sucks because there’s so much else coming out around that time frame that I doubt I’ll be able to justify buying it at launch to fill my curiosity. I’m mostly just glad the game is coming out so everyone can get some closure and we can move on.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

If there’s anything to take away from this E3 is that the game that shocked me the most was a Call of Duty game. For the first half of the trailer I had no idea what the game was until it dawned on me it was Infinite Warfare. I have a lot of issues with Call of Duty as a series, but its movement into future warfare and now space has helped fix some of my issues. Call of Duty In Space looks a lot less like some creepy US Military propaganda machine. While I’m sure the politics and military fetishization of CoDIW will still be as gross as ever even in space, at least it doesn’t seem too direct that I can put it aside in my mind and enjoy zero gravity space ship breeching. The game also has spaceship combat which is the quickest way into my Star Wars loving heart. Sadly we didn’t see any multiplayer, but even CoDIW’s singleplayer looks exciting enough to satisfy me. Also contrary to popular belief, CoD singleplayer can be REALLY good. I feel like Modern Warfare 1’s singleplayer campaign deserves to be talked about on the same level as we do games like Half Life 2. Despite the gross way it’s being sold, I’m really excited to play MW1 again in its remastered edition. On the bright side, I’m getting possibly the only things I care about in Call of Duty in one convenient package. If I awarded Best in Show for E3 based on pure shock and spectacle alone, I’d award it to Call of Duty Infinite Warfare.

…Also fuck off, this game looks infinitely more exciting than Battlefield 1.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Horizon: Zero Dawn continues to impress me. The world looks beautiful and the Animal Mechanical wildlife that populates the world are some of the coolest stuff I’ve seen from AAA games. The gameplay looks fantastic too. Surviving the big open world, gathering supplies, taming the machine wildlife, it all looks fantastic… and I’m one of the people who feel REALLY sick of open world games. Honestly, Horizon: Zero Dawn is almost on equal with its Zelda competitor, and this one has a girl in it, SHOCKER!

…But Horizon: Zero Dawn has one major issue that continues to bug me. The game’s human character designs are going in hard on a weird future Native American aesthetic… but all of the characters seen look like pale white stoners. It’s a really unfortunate cultural appropriation issue going on. I’m not of ANY authority to talk any deeper on this, but it’s still something that’s really obvious to even me. It’s a real shame reflective of the AAA industry’s continuing problems with representation of race. If the game were to get a sequel, I’d certainly hope they’d try and fix this problem, but for now it’s a blemish on a really promising game.

Death Stranding

This game COULD be the greatest game of the new generation… it’s just a shame we know nearly NOTHING about it. For all of Kojima’s faults (and yes there are many, MANY faults) I still feel Kojima is one of the most impressive storytellers in the AAA game industry. Now that he’s free from Konami’s chains and Metal Gear, he has a world of infinite possibilities ahead of him.

…It’s just a shame the trailer is so vague and out there it’s impossible to get much info out of it. And I get that the game is probably too early for the E3 stage, I get that Sony is likely gambling a  lot on Kojima’s new project that it’s better to start the hype early. There’s nothing really wrong with the trailer, it’s a standard Kojima quality trailer that dives deep into the absurd this time around. Just it’s hard for me to get my hopes up over no information.

Pokémon Sun and Moon

Unless you don’t know me well, or don’t get that I named my blog after a Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal reference, you should know I ADORE Pokémon. Pokémon is my comfort food. It’s a series I can keep coming back to and find enjoyable. Whether it’s replaying the singleplayer or diving back into competitive battling, I can always find a way to enjoy Pokémon.

However, it should be said that because I love Pokémon more than most human beings, including children, that I am also extremely critical of Pokémon. I’m harsher on Pokémon and take it more seriously than most people because I love it so. Pokémon is one of the few older childhood series I still get giddy about like I’m still 10 years old.

So if I’m the foremost authority on Pokémon criticism (I am joking), what is my verdict on the Pokémon Sun and Moon gameplay shown on Nintendo’s Treehouse stream? I’m absolutely excited for my journey in Alola!

Generation 6, Pokémon X and Y, are by far my least favorite games in the Pokémon series. I got myself REALLY excited about Gen 6 and I crashed in burned in disappointment when the game was just merely… okay, on par, not bad, 7/10. I could (and might still) write up a huge review of all my issues of Pokémon X and Y, but the main things I dislike the most about it is that it just plays it way too safe. Despite the seemingly HUGE changes like Mega Evolution, Fairy Type, EXP Share, etc, they ultimately don’t have a huge impact on the main game. Megas are mostly locked to post-game and only really matter in competitive play, Fairy is designed to counter Dragon type which is still rare in the main game, EXP Share is FINE and reduces grinding, but turning it off makes the journey through Kalos even more insufferable. The Gen 6 roster is too small, the story is bland even for Pokémon standards, and the game is ugly and runs horribly… I promise I’m getting to my point.

Pokémon Sun and Moon appears to be pretty big improvement on X and Y, if not in huge way, but the adding up of smaller changes. They showed off quite a few small changes that makes the game more welcoming to newer player and likely has no effect on the experience of veterans. Alola looks like a beautiful region and the multiple islands are a nice shake up to Pokémon’s usual structure. The UI changes look nice, the new Pokémon they showed off are all great, but are also likely parts of already established roster archetypes so they didn’t give anything too big away. For competitive, Yungoos’s Stakeout (2x damage on a Pokémon who switches in mid-battle) ability might be a huge deal, especially in 1v1 formats where switching Pokémon in and out is a frequent and huge part of the game. They left a lot of hints to our imagination and didn’t just reveal half the roster. I’d be satisfied if this is all the info we get.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Let’s get this out of the way. I am, like many others, disappointed in no girl Link or playable girl character option. I, like most others, are embarrassed for the really REALLY poorly thought out excuse given for no inclusion of a playable girl. HOWEVER, personally, I think Link is fine the way he is in Breath of the Wild, he is possibly my favorite Link yet being an adorable, still quite feminine elf boy who is extremely expressive despite still being a mostly silent protagonist. I want to make it CLEAR that I am BOTH disappointed in Aonuma’s statement about why there is no girl option, but also pleased with what we got. It sucks, but is not any more of a deal breaker for me like there being no girls in the main FFXV party. I think representation, especially playable main lead representation, for women in games is VERY important, but NOT the be all end all of my critical opinions on videogames.

All right, are we good? Now back to the Wild.

I have not been really excited for a Zelda game in a long time. I didn’t exactly grow up with the classics. I hated Ocarina of Time for years until I started appreciating it a bit more when I was like 16. The only Zelda games so far that I’ve absolutely loved are Majora’s Mask and The Wind Waker. My adoration for sailing the open seas in the colorful cartoony cel-shaded artstyle of The Wind Waker was what finally got me to even care about Zelda as a series. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the first time since sailing out the open seas of The Wind Waker I’ve been this excited about a Zelda game.

Breath of the Wild is not another retread on the aesthetics or structure of Ocarina of Time. Breath of the Wild is also, no matter how much Nintendo themselves claim, not exactly a return to Zelda’s NES roots. The most it has in common with NES Zelda is a lack of a guiding hand, for better or worse. Breath of the Wild is another game in a following trend of games completely restructuring its design and identity to catch up with other industry trends.

Now that sounds pretty cold and cynical to say that Breath of the Wild is just chasing popular trends to make a quick buck, but you can’t look at the open design and the survival mechanics and not think about your Minecrafts, Skyrims, Dragon’s Dogmas, etc.

…BUT honestly, as someone who doesn’t really care for Zelda’s established structure and identity, I see this as a welcome change. I’m not even a big fan of the popular trends that Zelda is chasing, but I prefer it to the OoT like structure that Zelda has been clinging to. There’s enough change that I’m willing to give Breath of the Wild a shot even if I don’t care for hunting, gathering, crafting, and combing and open world for trivial secrets.

Breath of the Wild is gorgeous. It’s taking the best from The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword’s cel-shaded art and applying them to a massive landscape and gorgeous shrine mini-dungeons. Link himself looks great in any of the clothing and even armor sets they’ve shown off so far. Link animates with personality, clumsily stubbing his bare toes kicking open chests and shivering in the cold.

The free climbing is a welcome edition which will hopefully solve the problems of many open world games of wasting so much time traversing around a huge incline. The climbing isn’t infinite however since you do have a stamina limitation, which is nice to still ground Link, bother literally and figuratively.

Breath of the Wild has a huge selection of weapons. Usually you are limited to a basic sword, a few creative uses for items, and your Master Sword, but in Breath of the Wild you can use sticks, clubs, axes, spears, etc. This is a huge welcome change to Zelda’s combat, but it does come with a tradeoff that all weapons can easily break. While this may just translate to more unnecessary resource management, it’s a change I’m willing to deal with to play with Link using a spear, because spears are cool!

While it’s easy for me to shrug off The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as Zelda selling out to the huge demand of open world games, it is a brave new world for Zelda’s design. Honestly, I wish more Nintendo games could get a huge restructuring and modernization like Breath of the Wild. For better or worse, it’s a huge change for Zelda and Nintendo, and considering how safe, conservative, and out of touch Nintendo can be, change is good, change is needed.

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It’s uplifting to see E3 was still at least somewhat enjoyable despite everything that was going on. E3 was a nice distraction during one of the worst weeks in recent memory. Also, I didn’t have to dread video games moving into VR or unnecessary console upgrades making games way more expensive to enjoy. I was expecting E3 to be another downer in a series of dread, but it was okay, not the biggest deal ever, but it was enough to keep me mildly entertained at a time I thought would destroy me.

…Maybe now I can… get my writing groove back. I hope so.

Accessibility vs Meritocracy

            This is an essay I feel that’s been a long time coming. I’ve written quite a few drafts over the past few years and it is something I feel so passionate about I just need to get this right. It’s a topic that comes up a few times every year that causes actual migraine-magnitude headaches when the hot takes come pouring in. I am of course talking about what is apparently one of the biggest controversies in video game culture (or at least seems that way with how people write about it), and that is… people playing videogames???

            Now that sounds like nonsense, but apparently there is at least a very loud if not large group of people in games’ culture just do not want other people playing or enjoying video games. Elitism is nothing new and nothing too surprising in video games. Games typically included both winstates and losestates and its understandable the people who take a lot of pride in winning. And I want to make it clear that is not a bad thing. Challenge is actually a really good and really important part of game design. I love a good challenge. I don’t think that challenge should be the only thing video games should strive for, but when there’s a good challenge in a good game it’s fantastic. To others though, challenge is apparently everything. They can’t get anything out of a game that doesn’t challenge them. I find that real sad and closed minded, but I guess everyone has their preferences. It’s only really a problem when the same people demand everyone else, regardless of their experience, age, physical ability, or even a desire for challenge, go through the same level of challenge as them. I just do not understand that mindset. It seems like something so selfish, so ignorant, and so mean spirited that it defies basic logic to me.

            This topic explodes these days almost every time Nintendo releases a new video game. Nintendo have continued their efforts to put what I will call “easy options” in their games, the latest of which is an invincibility mode added to Star Fox Zero. I could go on and on about all the different options Nintendo has put in their games over the years; White Tanooki Suits, Full Party Experience Share, perma-death being optional in a series widely known for said feature, multiple variations on features that more or less just skips an entire level, or the classic easy mode. We could go over all these and more and which ones are effective or which ones are bad, but no matter what there’s always some loud backlash from gamers about the features. No matter how optional, no matter how obscured and out of the way these options can be, they feel personally attacked by the mere presence of them. It’s irrational, it’s absurd, its complete bullshit that these design decisions has anything to do with them. I like these options; I think their presence is good. People who find the challenge alienating, but still enjoy the game can do simply that, enjoy the game. Enjoying the game at your own pace, at your own desired leveled of difficulty is not only fine, but the way everyone should be enjoying games. I feel Nintendo understands that. Nintendo understands that the 8-bit era of brute forcing your way through a game designed purely to resist the player is long, long gone and we can finally let people in.

            This is all not to say that games should just remove all challenge entirely. Challenge is an aspect of games enjoyed by many even if there are those who don’t or cannot enjoy it. Also challenge isn’t just the resistance a game, but can also be a very important ludic device for a game’s story. Intense difficulty can highlight a world’s feeling of oppression on the player character. I feel this playing Shin Megami Tensei where the worlds are harsh post-apocalyptic hellpaces and the game’s own resistance to the player’s progress is directly related to world and god-like beings (or well very often gods of course) resistance to your own motivation to change the world. Undertale has a very good example of this as well, but I would like to avoid spoiling it. If you have played Undertale, you may have had a bad time and are likely very familiar with how a narrative can use difficulty to its advantage. Dark Souls, Metal Gear, Deus Ex, Drakengard, a lot of games use challenge or optional challenges to the benefit of their narrative. Challenge isn’t just a ludic principle for bragging rights.

            So we’re good right? Challenge is important and not something to just be discarded with the times, but it’s not something I feel is always appropriate. Absurd difficulty is not something I feel makes sense in children’s games. Children tend to be newer to games for obvious reasons and giving them a cruel wall of difficulty right away could scare them off of the whole media right away. A lot of people don’t see that. They see only their own experience when they were young. They struggled through those impossible NES games to get where they are now in their hobby. There’s definitely a lot of gross idealism in this debate. People who feel kids need to toughen up and get over challenges to deserve their place in the hobby. It’s an old man begrudging modern advancements because when he was young he had it harder. I don’t really want to get into this debate of “tough love” vs coddling mostly because I’m not very experienced around kids, but that kind of mentality is what seems to be at the heart of this argument. In my mind, the kids who want difficulty will seek it out. I don’t see anything wrong with some kids playing Super Meat Boy and the others preferring to play Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Yet I still see some full grown adults online yelling about Star Fox including a mode for “children” or “toddlers”, its full grown adults pushing kids over on the playground and telling them how to play with their toys.

            Children are by far not the only people who gain from accessibility options. There are a ton of people who would love to enjoy games but can’t due to various disabilities. To be honest I have it pretty good. None of my physical or mental disabilities really get in the way of my enjoyment of games. I’m speaking from a position of privilege. I do understand though that others are not as well off as I am and we can do better to help close that gap in videogames. Some changes to help these people can be so minor too. Some small visual and audio fixes or optional settings could be huge for people with hearing or sight disabilities. Easy modes can be helpful for people who can’t deal with tight reaction times. Alternate or customizable button layouts could be a life saver. The list goes on. Sadly there are a lot of people who feel outright spiteful about trying to make changes for people with disabilities. It’s another extremely ablest mindset that I cannot understand whatsoever. The excuses they come up with to defend themselves are bullshit. “You can’t make a game for everyone so why bother”, that accessibility changes limit what games can do, that the suggested changes go against the author’s intentions. The excuses pile up and none of them make sense. We can come to compromises like the changes being optional if they really do effect the game’s expression for whatever reason. You can’t make a game that everyone can possibly play, but we should be trying to maximize all we can instead of not trying at all. Games’ culture can be disgustingly cynical and ablest about these things and I think that’s also something we should be working to change too.

            Still no matter how old you get and no matter how able you are to play videogames, sometimes you just don’t care for a challenge and just want to play the game. I feel that’s perfectly fine. Gaming doesn’t need to be a meritocracy. There is no shame in playing the easy mode. Off the top of my head I can easily think of reasons why. Maybe you just want to enjoy a story that you don’t feel gains anything by the resistance to the player. Maybe a certain difficulty option like perma-death really bothers your anxiety about losing characters and the game is just enjoyable without countless resets. Maybe a game is just taking too long and it would be a lot more convenient if it were easier. All of these are fine, and you should enjoy games the way you want to. No one else should be shaming you for going for an easier difficulty. The experience of a videogame is a very subjective thing. There is no “true” way to play a videogame. Not every game is for everyone, but we don’t need to limit a game’s audience as much as possible. Also, easy modes can just be a lot of fun. Back in the day there used to be cheats like “noclip” and “godmode” that were a lot of fun to play with even if they remove all the difficulty from the game. Beating a game at the highest difficulty can be a lot of fun, but it’s not the only way to enjoy that game. You aren’t “special” for beating the game on hard, you just enjoyed the game in the way you preferred, and I don’t see why others can’t respect the reverse other than letting their pride get the best of them.

            There’s just a lack of respect going on here. The gamers, particularly older gamers from eras of gaming designed with less accessible games, are stuck in the past.  They’re stuck in a past where parents were harsh, a past where the ideals of “hard work” were everything, a past where kids were sold games that were difficult to stall for time so players would feel they got their money’s worth. There’s a lot of abuse, deception, and exploitation going on here. Gamers seem dead set on making this vicious cycle continue on, even if they know it or not. Gamers are used to this harshness but twist it into pride so it’s easier to swallow. Whatever the case may be, easy options in Dark Souls, invincibility in Star Fox, an overhaul in fusion mechanics in Shin Megami Tensei with less randomness, removal of frame perfect combos in Street Fighter, or whatever there’s always this mean spirited backlash of, dare I say a conservative side of games’ culture. Sadly sometimes these backlashes work and I think games are lesser for it. Even the cynical hardcore audience loses out here. They complain about games being designed to appeal to the “casuals”, but if these “casuals” have their own separate set of accessible options, the options intended for the “hardcore” audience could be better designed to suit their needs. Instead they feel more people being able to complete or even enjoy games makes them less “special”. It’s real sad that we can’t just respect each other.

People should be able to just enjoy games, pure and simple.