Nintendo Switch eShop Thread

The crux of the matter is that level design takes a backseat to overall game design with roguelites. There's more of a focus on making sure the game feels fun to play and a focus on replayability which randomly generated levels aid in greatly. And that doesn't detract from the overall experience as the games have been designed around the fact that the developers can't predict what the player will run into. And yeah, you'll get your devs who don't design around that particularly well, but that's the same with most genres - I've played more thoroughly average platformers than I can name, but then you've got your Marios to counterbalance. The same applies in the world of roguelites with things like Isaac and Rogue Legacy which are blast to play and use their level generation and random seeding to their fullest.

Anyway, I'm in a good position because I'll get to enjoy whatever's announced at the next Nindies Direct with no qualms about how they're designed.

It's true, I'm very much a trees over wood player. Mind you, the last game that concentrated on keeping the level design fun over the bigger picture was SMO, with its drastic inconsistency over the broader scheme... and we know how that turned out.

Anyway, the last bit's definitely true. I've heard somewhere that most of the games in the previous Direct were of European heritage, so perhaps this is for more American and Japanese offerings?

Balladeer wrote:

JayMoyles wrote:

It's almost coming across as an assumption on your part that a dev just presses a button and out splurges a game from the game machine algorithm. There's a huge amount of work that goes into making sure the generation works, coupled with the character/enemy/room designs, music, the actual gameplay itself... But regardless, that's not something that's impressive to you as you mentioned anyway, so that point might be falling on deaf ears.

I think it's a deeply inferior talent, I'll be honest.  Mucking around with algorithms to randomise levels decently (because really well isn't really an option in randomisation), compared to designing levels really well.  It's like comparing art with mass-production, the works of Michaelangelo with corporate logos, or if I'm feeling a bit kinder then Warhol.  (That said, if any algorithm-fiddlers are reading this, or any bug testers, I think they're both far superior talents to being an insurance actuary.)

With a little of bit of experience attempting both, I'd say these are different talents, but not superior/inferior. As has been hinted above, developing a good algorithm for level generation is as good as level design. There's no doubt that the important bits of Zelda and Mario games are the best designed things in the universe. However, I'd take e.g. Starbound as a good example of algorithmic design; it generates many planets that feel like they've been planned out to tell a story, but are in fact different each time. There are also bad examples of each; someone designed Donkey Kong 64's Creepy Castle. Likewise: the game in my signature? That's going to be randomly generated. But I don't know what I'm doing, so it's very likely you get the same thing over and over again, with the market stall slightly to the left/right.

The other things is (blasphemy incoming)
I would imagine that some of the sections between key landmarks in Breath of the Wild were, at least initially, generated.

Onimusha: Warlords is getting a Switch remaster, and it's out in January 2019.



http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/08/capcom_has_announced_an_onimusha_warlords_remaster_for_nintendo_switch

I liked this a lot when it was new in 2001, and while it's never been a game I've been especially keen to see remastered, I'm willing to give it a gander.

I didn't know Onimusha was so B movie-esque, might give that a look as well.

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I just got done watching that new indie direct and there some decent looking stuff in there, the stuff I like the look of are:

Hyper light drifter - I've been meaning to get this for a while and now and it's finally out on Switch on the 6th of September.

Samurai Gunn 2 - not sure about the simple pixel art style but the gameplay looks really fun.

Into the breach - A shame there's not more turn based strategy games on Switch but this is meant to be really really good.

Untitled goose game - Now this was the absolute stand out as who wouldn't want to play a Goose that pesters folk and steals their stuff?

ARSEHOLE GOOSE FOR SWITCH GET IN. I'm definitely up for honking in some people's faces and nicking their hats.

Obviously I'm glad to see HLD get a release date. I'll be acquiring Towerfall for Switch too, I reckon: good for those multiplayer evenings (6 players!), plus I have a big interest in helping MMG's games sell on Switch. buyCelestealready I'll probably pick up Transistor and Bastion too: the Switch feels in a way like my reward for Nintendo loyalty, outputting many of the games I'd looked at longingly on other platforms. I've probably missed another couple of good games too. This was a strong Direct Showcase for me.

But UGG is definitely the highlight. HONK!

From the PR, Video, The Price (£15.99) etc Onimusha seems like a PS2 Classic but instead of just being on PS4 via PSN but all the systems also the yanks are getting a physical version

On the showcase, if I was like you Balla then that would be epic showing as Transistor is arguably one of the best digital games on PSN still to this day but I played it 4 years ago.

That for me from the showcase was Mineko's Night Market, Untitled Goose Game, Dragon Marked for Death

Balladeer wrote:

 I'll be acquiring Towerfall for Switch too, I reckon: good for those multiplayer evenings (6 players!)

It's a recommend from me Towerfall's been really popular on my PS4. It's surprisingly accessible (based on comments from people that sometimes feel like they have trouble keeping up with multiplayer games) - an unusual shout for "one for the whole family".

It's one I'm looking primarily to bring to my book club full o' nerds - that doesn't necessarily make them any better than my family though, they're usually dosed up with alcohol by the time any games get played. I'm sure my family will get in on the action too (parents + 1 sister = enough for a good multiplayer game), although by the next time I see them all Smash will be out...

From the Nindies Direct Round 2, I really liked the look of Untitled Goose Game as mentioned in its thread. Mineko's Night Market looked wonderfully charming and I reckon it'll end up being a bit of a sleeper hit. HLD will get a look, natch, and I can't believe I'm tempted to buy Bastion and Transistor for a third time, but they're brilliant games so it wouldn't exactly be wasted money.

Mineko! Yes. Forgot about that. It looks... interesting. Good interesting, I think?

That Ninja platformer 'The Messenger' has been getting great reviews so I'll be buying that tomorrow and as a result my Switch backlog will be getting bigger yet again.

I wasn't overly fussed originally, but the weight of public opinion is swaying me...  I'm going to have to do another backlog thread post once I finish Iconoclasts, I think.  It will be shameful.

EDIT: Somebody make another post there first so I don't triple-post please?

Yep, slotted The Messenger onto my wishlist a few weeks back. It looks the business.

My plan is to start up Celeste first then move onto Severed as a platformer cleanser before I start it.

That is an excellent gameplan Jas! Much though I'm ludicrously fond of Celeste, Severed is another great game and seemed to fly under this place's radar. I think only Zero and I played it first time around, and we both enjoyed it greatly. (I may have filtered out other people's less-than-favourable views.)

Severed is excellent, I played it when it actually first came out on VITA as a timed exclusive. It's also just got a physical release on VITA.

I stand corrected, apologies Mas! Perhaps I should clarify that only Zero and I, as far as I recall, played Severed on Nintendo systems. I clearly remember posts about the Vita as much as Sony remembered the Vita.

I even reviewed it on Gintendo 😥

Seems two things that would have been in the direct are2 now out that's a demo of Mega Man 11 and slightly more exciting Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD.

Which I did start on PC (don't think it has the HD moniker) and played the first two chapters (I think) which we're part of the free to start nature on mobile.

It was good and as it's on windows earned achievements which I do think is neat but didn't buy the rest as it was £20ish and now this version on Switch, PS43, Xbox One is £25 (it's on offer for the first week, though) which seems a lot for very good but watered down version of the real game.

The other thing Gone Home is now out

Yeah, I've heard good things about the MM11 demo, so I'll be checking that out. It looks like a lot of fun to play, although the visuals are still a bit too close to MN9 for my liking.

I've no desire to pick up FFXV on Switch, what with having a copy of the full-featured version, but it's brilliant to see that folks will get a chance to experience the game in some way.

I'm not sure where to put this either, but we're getting Civ VI on Switch as well! That is staggering news and also terrifying considering the number of hours I've dropped into Civ V.

I have no interest in Civ, but it certainly feels like it should fit well on the Switch.

I don't know whether I'm interested in FFXV. 'Originally a mobile game' is not usually something that fills me with hope.

Mobile has come along way and I know I don't really play much on them but FFXVPEHD seemed top notch but I'd want to pay a tenner for it not £25 (£18 on PSN at the moment).

I'm interested in how Civ will translate to a console, guessing on Switch touch screen could make sense.

Balladeer wrote:

I don't know whether I'm interested in FFXV.  'Originally a mobile game' is not usually something that fills me with hope.

By all accounts, it works pretty damn well as the Pocket Edition, so it might be worth a look once it drops below £20.

That Mega Man 11 demo is unsurprisingly unimpressive. The last game I played before it was 1996's Metal Slug, yet Mega Man 11 doesn't seem to have any of the ingenuity or even the freshness of that. A waste of time, quite frankly.