It ain't over till it's Game Over

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It's only three more weeks until we finally get to play Super Mario Odyssey. Even now it's safe to say that it has been a very long time since a Mario Game has created such buzz. Of course every game the (now officially) former plumber has starred in was excellent and from the looks Odyssey will continue this trend, but it's been a while since even non Nintendo Fans looked forward to a new Mario adventure.
Odyssey aims to take everything we knew about Mario, throw it right ouf the window and start completely fresh. And I couldn't be more excited.

Still there was one piece of news lately that got me thinking. Some of you may have heard about it, while others are still blissfully unaware. Don't worry it's nothing spoilerish, so you can continue reading. The piece of Information I'm talking about was revealed by the game director Kenta Motokura.

If you die in Super Mario Odyssey you won't have to worry about your life count. Simply because there is none. So if you die you'll get send back to the last checkpoint and lose ten coins. And even if you don't have any coins left you won't Game Over. Simply speaking there is no Game Over in the game.

We thought about how a lives system would work in this kind of broad, exploration-focused game. In this sort of game, there would be a lot of different restart points. We decided not to use the lives system because it was not an element that was absolutely necessary. We also thought that it would affect some users’ desire to play because, while users who are good at the game would rarely see the (game over) screen that comes up when Mario runs out of lives, inexperienced users would probably end up seeing it frequently.

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Now some purists may cry out about this, but let's face the fact. When was the last time you saw a game over screen in a game? Well it was probably Breath of the Wild but just because the words are written on Screen doesn't mean that this is a true Game Over. So let me rephrase my previous question. When was the last time you saw a Game Over have serious consequences? Ahh now it gets more tricky to answer, doesn't it? So today I'd like to take a look back at the history of the Game Over Screen and how it's used today.

Money Please:

To put it simply that was the reason for the Game Over screens existance in the first place. The 80s and earyl 90s were the domain of Arcade machines. Home Consoles had started to grow in popularity, but if you wanted to play the best looking and most impressive games you had to head to your nearest Arcade. In the early days of the industry many games on NES and other consoles were simply watered down ports of the arcade version. That's why so many titles had highscores and simply felt ''arcady''.

So why was the Game Over important for arcade games? You paid to play. Yes just like with todays online gaming, in arcade halls you had to spent your hard earned money to play a round. And it influenced game design, just like microtransaktions do today. A Game Over simply meant you had to start and pay again.

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You may have wondered about the classic continue screen many fighting games still have. A countdown is, well, counting down from and you have to press a button to try again. Well in the arcade it worked the same, but instead of pressing a button you had to insert more money. The countdown was there to pressure you into doing so. You don't want to lose your hard earned progress, just because you hesitated for 9 seconds, don't you?

So during those days the Game Over Screen was tied to real consequences, namely losing your hard earned allowance. That's also partly a reason why so many arcade games are hard as hell. Harder games resulted in more Game Over Screens, which resulted in more money.

But with the rise of Home Consoles this started to change. Game Over couldn't have any monetary consequences anymore, so developers had to adapt. Now time lost was the measurement in which you payed for your game over. Which leads us to today.

Back to the starting line:

That's probably still the moste common Game Over penalty, if there is still a Game Over in your games. You simply get sent back to the beginning of the level to your last checkpoint or (in some very old games) to the start of the game. But while this method was quite popular in early days it quickly died down. Simply because it was very discouraging. While in the Arcade you had the chance to choose, pay for the continue or loose your progress, on the home console this choice was absent. This lead to frustrated customers quitting, which in turn lead to the developers gradually reducing the impact the Game Over had on the gameplay experience.

Another fact for the dwindling impact of the Game Over Screen was owed to the fact that games grew more and more diverse. Over the time the simply platforming gameplay, which dominated the early NES days, had turned into countless different genres. And with that new questions arose. How do you implent a ''Game Over'' into a sports game? Or you can't send the player back to the start of your game, if it's a hundred hour long RPG epic.

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The questions developers now had to answer was if they wanted a Game Over in ther game and if yes, how could they make it count? Many started to answer the first question with no. Games like Assassins Creed don't really offer a Game Over anymore. If you die you'll get briefly desynchronized before you can start again from a savepoint, which there are many off, meaning that in the end the only time you loose is on the loading screen. Even Breath of the Wild does this. When you attack an enemy camp and fail, you may see the words Game Over written in red letters over a black screen, but once you press Continue you'll start again at the same location.

The Idea is that a death shouldn't frustrate you instead. Instead it should allow you the learn from your mistakes and quickly use your new knowledge to this time conquer the task in front of you.

Game Over truly has become nothing more than some words written on the screen. So the question todays developers have to answer isn't really if they want a Game Over or not, but how much do they want death to count. How much should a death cost you?

To die, or not to die:

The Game Over has always been just the name for the most costly death. A ''normal'' death may send you back to the start of the level, but once you've used up all your lives it will send you to the start of the game. As we iterated the concept of finite lives and the Game Over has mostly disappeared from todays gaming market, but that doesn't mean the concept of a costly death has. But it's easy to make a death cost ''much''. It's not so easy to do this without creating a frustrating experiences for your customer. It's a thin line creating a death system that does punish your players but at the same time encourages them to keep playing your game. Luckily there are two games out there that impented that concept brilliantly.

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The first one is Dark Souls (it was probably Demon Souls but I've never played that game. Like with everything in the Game Dark Souls really punished you for your death. Souls are the core currency in the games world. You use them to level up and buy things from merchants. Because of that they're pretty important. Now if you die you loose all your souls and are send back to the last bonfire (savepoint). Now because this would feel really frustrating because you will die a lot in Dark Souls the developers implemented a genious trick. You can reclaim your souls if you manage to come back to the place where you died earlier and pick them up. But if you die again before that they are lost forever. They give you a chance to make up for your mistake. This has two effects. Frist it makes a stressful game even more stressful if you have to get through the deadly traps of Sen's Fortress to reclaim your one million souls near the top, and secondly because of it Dark Souls never feels unfair. You always have the chance to get back what is yours. Another Game that used the same concept was Zombi U for the Wii-U. If you died there you're character would turn into a Zombie and you'd take control of a new survivor. If you then returned to the place your former Avatar had died, you could find him(or her) wandering around the area as Zombi. Now you just had to kill your former self to reclaim all your equipment. But just like with Dark Souls if you died again before that all was lost.

The second one is the predecessor to a game which released the other day. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor was kind of a sleeper hit in 2014. The gameplay was an Assassins Creed rip-off, but quite solid and Monolith managed to create a Mordor that was interesting to explore. The hidden star of the game was, however, the Nemesis System. Many of the Orks in Saurons Army did have unique character traits and even without the players input the Army would change. Orcs would fight eachother and rise in rank. I don't want to get into to much detail for this system, but there was one aspect of it that ties into todays topic. If an Orc managed to kill you during your adventure this would have real consequences. Not for the player, you would still get send back to the last checkpoint and could start again, but for the Orc. Not only would they gain scars from the encounter but if they managed to kill you they would then rise in rank and grow more powerful. So as a direct consequences of your failure your enemies grew stronger. This wasn't just a great way to attach a real weight to your deaths, but also served to motivate the player. Finally killing an Orc that managed to slay you earlier is an extremely satisfying feeling.

But how does this all tie into Mario you may ask? Well I talked about this two examples to show that just adding weight to a death isn't enough today. It would be easy for the developers of Odyssey to just implement a life system and if you saw the Game Over just throw you back at the start of the world and delete all your Power Moons, but that would be bad game design and feel extremely discouraging. Death can still have weight in video games, but you need to be the right game for it. It shouldn't be an afterthought, but instead needs to be an integral part of the experience. If it isn't then you're better off simply kicking it out.

But what are your experiences with Game Over in Video Games? Which Game Over did turn you insane? Do you miss a meaningful Live and Game Over System in todays games? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

And as always

thanks for reading

Nintendo Q1 Financial Results

I hope you all are enjoying Splatoon 2 as much as I do. If you managed to get hold of a Switch that is. But the launch of the sequel to one of the most addicting and fun online shooters in decades was not the only thing noteworthy that happened in the last couple of days.

Because today Nintendo released their Q1 financial results reports. With that we have up to date information about the sales figures of all Nintendo Platforms and games. The Quarter covers everything sold from the 1^st April until the 30^th June. So without further ado let's take a look at the data.

• Net Sales: ¥154,069 Million
• Operating Income: ¥16,208 Million
• Profit: ¥21,260 Million

• Total Switch Hardware: 4.70 Million
• Total Switch Software: 13.60 Million
• Total 3DS Hardware: 67.08 Million
• Total 3DS Software: 335.10 Million
• Total Wii-U Hardware: 13.56 Million
• Total Wii-U Software 99.97 Million Units

• Smart Device, IP related income: ¥9,062 Million
• Earnings from Pokemon Go: ¥3,286 Million

So all in all we're looking at quite the successful quarter for Nintendo. And to think what could have been possible if the Switch wasn't plagued by constant supply issues. But there is on big thing that I would like to direct your eyes to. The insane attach rate Mario Kart 8 and Breath of the Wild have. Nearly everyone who owns a Switch owns those games. This once again proves the Power Nintendo IP has to sell software, but also poses a great danger. If Nintendos first party offerings are too successful 3^rd Party developers may feel discouraged to bring their games onto the system. Nintendo has to actively work against this, not by releasing inferior games, but by encouraging and fostering relationship with other publishers. Lets hope they've learned their lesson from the Wii-U.

Anyways these numbers are great and prove that the Switch Hype is far from dying. Let's hope they can keep that momentum until the holidays, but with Super Mario Odyssey on the Horizon I have little doubts that they'll manage.

And as always

thanks fro reading

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Nintendo Direct 12.04.2017

After the unfortunate passing of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata nearly two years ago Nintendo Directs have become quite the rarity. And while the Nintendo Switch event was held in similar spirit, the formal atmosphere couldn't match the carefree fun the Directs often had.

If you missed the Directs as much as I did, I have good news for you. Tonight we got treated to another Nintendo Direct, focusing on ARMS and Splatoon 2. Two of the biggest upcoming titles for Nintendos new console. But of course other titles were also mentioned.

So was this a good Direct? First take a look for yourself.

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It was tightly packed and eventful, that is for sure, but let us start at the beginning. So after the Nintendo Switch event it seems Yoshiaki Koizumi is going to be the new, permanent host. And while he hasn't reached Satoru Iwatas level of charisma yet, I'm positive that he will grow into the role. Overall his presentation was a little bit stiff at times. Still overall I found the Direct rather charming and well done.

But, and this can't be denied, the whole presentation felt rather rushed. Apart from Splatoon 2 and ARMS no game got much more than a minute of screen time. Also there weren't any meaningful announcement, but more on that later. For now let us focus on the information that we were given.

We started of with a slew of 3DS titles, but really now meaningful information on any of them. Granted it were all games we had seen before, but still it felt really rushed. The information we got, apart from a very basic overview on the games, were mostly release dates. Still I find it reassuring that Nintendo still supports their six year old handheld. This reinforces their stand on the Switch being a true Home Console and not some sort of hybrid, which replaces the Wii-U and the 3DS.

And the titles coming to the handheld system aren't bad either. Ever Oasis and Monster Hunter Stories have me interested the most, but there seems to be something to enjoy for everybody. And the Pikmin game, which is now called Hey! Pikmin looks really good. It is a big departure from the main series, but as a Spin-off the 2D Side-Scrolling approach could really work.

But something that has become painfully clear is that Handheld game development is now entirely a Japanese Club. There has been no game announcement from a Western Studio for the 3DS. Not even from an Indie Studio. While the handheld market has always been eastern dominated it is a shame to see that the West seems to focus solely on Mobile Games nowadays.

Still I think most of us are fine with mostly Japanese games for the 3DS. And like I said earlier there is a wide array of different games and genres coming this year, so we have lots too look forward to. So far Nintendo does an excellent job in keeping the 3DS alive and I hope they will keep it that way for at least a year.

List of 3DS releases:

• Hey! Pikmin: 28^th July 2017
• Ever Oasis: 23^rd June 2017
• Monster Hunter Stories: Fall 2017
• YO-KAI Watch 2 Psychic Specters: Fall 2017
• Culdcept Revolt: 29^th August 2017
• RPG Maker Fes: 27^th June 2017
• Miitopia: 2017
• Fire Emblem Echoes DLC: 2017
• New Kirby Multiplayer Game: Holiday 2017

But of course the 3DS wasn't the only focus of this Direct. There will be also new Amiibos. First up the already speculated new Zelda Amiibos finally got confirmed. On 23^rd June Kid Link from Majoras Mask, Link from Skyward Sword and Link from Twilight Princess will come to stores. The Data Mined Skywards Sword and Fierce Deity Outfits from Breath of the Wild already revealed that these Amiibo were in the making, but now we finally have a release date.

But that's not all .Because soon we'll all be able to hold Bayonetta in our hands. Yes that's right. On 21^st July 2017 the final three Amiibos from the Smash Bros. Series, including our favorite Witch will launch.

And now let us get to the main event.

Even with only a hand full of games the Nintendo Switch launch has been a huge success. But, and this has to be said, launching with on of the best games in history (Breath of the Wild) won't be enough to sustain a long term success, if there isn't a steady support of other games. And in this regard I'm not fully behind the Switch yet. On 28^th April we'll get the definitive version of Mario Kart 8 with Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, but apart from that there is no truly big title coming till e3. At least fans of Japanese games can get the Switch without any worries.

While the support of Western developers is still in the air somehow it seems their Japanese colleges are fully behind Nintendos newest console.

But as for now, except from Sonic Forces, there is no big third party title announced for the Switch. Still if you missed out on the Wii-U the Swich is worth a purchase.

But were the 3^rd Party developers dropped the ball (till now) Nintendo luckily is ready to pick it up. While the Wii-U suffered a long drought of games after it's launch this time it seems they have a slew of titles ready to launch overt he coming months.

Just like with Splatoon when it was first unveiled, ARMS looks better and better with each showing. It seems they truly have packed the game full with great Multiplayer content. The short presentation of a fight between Spring Man and new Character Min Min really showcased the intense and quick fun this game will (hopefully) provide. I'm still unsure if ARMS is going to be the next big thing, but it seems like a solid multiplayer title which will be loads of fun with your friends.

ARMS launches on 16^th June 2017.

And only one month later we will be treated to the first true highlight of the Switches post launch line-up. Splatoon 2. As we all know the first game was a blowout success, especially in Japan where it even managed to outsell Final Fantasy 15 and Mario Kart 8. So of course the announcement of Splatoon 2 created a lot of buzz. After the original Splatoon was Nintendos first attempt at a Multiplayer Shooter Splatoon 2 now builds and expands on this basis. New Weapons, New Equipment and new Game modes.

If you're a Sony or Microsoft Gamer you're probably familiar with Horde Modes. They are quite popular in games like Gears of War or Call of Duty after all. Well now Nintendo only games can join the fun in Splatoon 2. The goal of this mode is to defend and survive against Waves of Enemies, who continuously grow stronger. It's a simple premise but with the right team of friends it's nearly endless fun.

The Nintendo Switch will get it's next System Seller on 21^st July 2017 when Splatoon 2 launches.

List of Switch releases:

• ARMS: 16^th June 2017
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: 28^th April 2017
• Ultra Street Fighter 2 The Final Challengers: 26^th May 2017
• Minecraft: 11^th May 2017
• Sonic Forces: Holiday 2017
• Sonic Mania: Summer 2017
• Project Mekuru (Working Title): Summer 2017
• Fate/Extella: 25^th July 2017
• Disgaea 5 Complete: 23^th May 2017
• Monopoly: Fall 2017
• Rayman Legends Definitive Edition: 2017
• Sine Mora EX: Summer 2017
• Battle Chasers Nightwar: (Late) Summer 2017
• Payday 2: 2017
• Namco Museum: Summer 2017
• Splatoon 2: 21^st July 2017

Verdict:

Was it a good Nintendo Direct? Well it was serviceable. Two months before e3 2017 I didn't expect a slew of unannounced games. Still with no announcement at all this only furthered my expectaions for Nintendos e3 presence this year. Only focusing on games we already know won't be enough. The Nintendo Switch needs to keep it's momentum and for this it needs the Hype of big announcements.

In regards to the Switch the Direct did it's job, but also reinforced the fear of the console being a Nintendo only machine once more. At least the support from Japanese developers seems to be a given, but even there the big titles are missing so far. All we get in the upcoming months are Indie and Retro titles. For the start this is enough, especially with Breath of the Wild keeping everyone busy, but in the long run the Switch needs to secure a steady supply of high profile titles to avoid the fate of the Wii-U.

But the Direct wasn't only doom and gloom. Because the first part, focusing on the 3DS, was really great, but also really rushed. It reinforced Nintenods statement that the Switch won't replace their dedicated Handheld. Instead they are focusing quite the resources into creating a lot of good games. Once again it is very Japanese focused content, but it is hardly Nintendos fault that most Western Studios nowadays associate mobile gaming with Phones and Tablets.

Overall it was a good Direct without any surprises or major upsets. The continued support of the 3DS is great and I withhold my judgement about the Switch until we have a clearer picture. Hopefully this will be the case after this years e3.

What are your thoughts on this Direct? Let me know in the comments.

And as always

thanks for reading

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Breath of the Wild Info Dump *Spoiler Warning*

Only a little more than three weeks to go until we finally get to play Breath of the Wild. After more than four years, when the game was first mentioned, and nearly three years from its first showing, it is understandable that people are getting quite hyped. And because of that we now have to face a very difficult decision. Game Informer recently ran a huge story about Breath of the Wild, revealing a lot of things about the World and even one of the dungeons. Of course this is huge spoiler territory. And now we have to ask ourselves. Do we want to know the information or want to go into Breath of the Wild blind? Well I took the bite and spoiled myself, so I can recap the information about you and then give my own opinions about it. So if you don't want to be spoiled I would advise to ignore this post completely and return later when the planned Thoughtpiece about Star Fox: Zero is released. 

You have been warned!

The Information:

• Nintendo previously made Zelda games by making small areas and connecting them together
• For Breath of the Wild, the team first had to figure out what needed to be placed on the map
• Groups were created out of the over 300 devs to work on specific section of the world
• Gam Informer's demo starts at Serenne Stable
• Yammo runs this place
• Link can rest in bed and restore health here
• Stables also let you store horses, meet with merchants, NPCs...
• Stables are located throughout the world
• Each one is run by a distinct character
• You can spend rupees on a more expensive bed, giving you an extra heart at the next morning
• These hearts are yellow and can't be recovered if you're hit in combat
• Spending time by fires in the world passes the time faster
• Dynamic weather system in the game, with the world reacting as a result
• Ex: when it starts raining, NPCs outside the stable quickly go inside
• Beedle is back to sell you goods
• Have to be careful during a thunderstorm, since your metal items can attract thunder
• Metal weapons and shields can be discarded or thrown at enemies
• Link can get killed by lighting
• Difficulty spikes depending on where you are, since you can go around it and avoid it until you're stronger
• Over 100 Shrines
• You can find an item that identifies Shrines
• Discover a Shrine for it to be a fast-travel point
• Shrines also give a Spirit Orb
• Trade in orbs for unknown items
• Dedicated team handled animal A.I.
• Bears, wolves, deer move through the snow
• You can get overwhelmed by enemies quickly
• Link can keep multiple horses at a time
• Affection/Loyalty is important with horses
• Feed and take care of horses to raise their stats
• Can call horses over to you, but horses need to be in a certain proximity to be called
• Horses can be killed by enemies
• Aonuma wanted players to choose their own path, so no companion character this time
• Stamina meter encompasses sprintign, paragliding, climbing
• Meter can be upgraded, but Nintendo won't say how
• Different shields have different speeds and level of control for snowboarding
• Can mine rocks which can be sold for rupees or used for crafting
• Can place stamps to mark areas of interest
• 100 of these symbols can be used on the map, including sword, shield, bow and arrow, pot, star, chest, skull, leaf, diamond
• Every style of weapon has a unique set of animations and feel different
• No invincible weapons in this game, Nintendo says
• Zelda can get mad at you and scold you
• Players can see the ending without seeing everything from the story
• A certain element was added in the game to make for a more cohesive storyline
• Most difficult Zelda game to make
• Aonuma is still finding new things in the world

New Dungeon:

• Nintendo took Game Informer directly to a dungeon
• This dungeon is constantly moving
• Game Informer says: Link must manipulate the entire enormous mechanism through his own ingenuity
• Players can skip dungeons if they want and go straight to Calamity Ganon
• The substance known as malice covers the dungeon
• Link gets hurt if he touches it
• Can be destroyed by finding and attacking each pocket of malice's eyball
• Sheikah Slate serves as Link's map, binoculars and more
• Use the slate in the dungeon to see a 3D model, til the entire dungeon from here
• Doing so slices blocks into place and opens up angles you can use to paraglide to new locations
• Voice tells you that you need to access terminals with the slate across the dungeon, marked on your map
• All bombs in the game are remote and don't blow up on a timer
• Simpler approach with dungeons in Breath of the Wild
• Game Informer didn't see the familiar chest opening animation and signature music
• Never found a signature Zelda item or compass
• Wind Blight Ganon is the dungeon boss here
• Voice tells you, “It's one of Ganon's own, it plays dirty.”
• Wind Blight Ganongis a huge monster, has no face, gun-like arm
• Wind Blight Ganon can create tornadoes and will fire large spikes

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The Analysis:

Well that is certainly a lot of information right there. Let's focus on the World first before we take a look at the dungeon information, which hold some juicy tidbits for speculation.

By this point Breath of the Wild truly seems like a survival game first and foremost. And a hard one at that. From different streams we already know how dangerous the enemies in this game can be. From terrifying guardians, which can kill you in one hit, to Lizalfos, which will gang up on you and us different tactics to take Link out. But now we also now that the environment itself poses some danger. I really hope Nintendo managed to create a breathing and living world, and all the information we got so far seems to indicate just that.

Another interesting tidbit is that the Overworld will feature “difficulty spikes”. So some areas will be much harder to survive than others. They feel it's okay because you can always avoid these areas and return later, when you're better prepared. I really like that idea. It makes your skill and equipment the only determining factor for your progress. This feels much less artificial as, for example, a force field that blocks a specific portion of the map until you complete a certain task. It also makes the world feel much more open. It also makes exploration much more rewarding. Finally beating an area, which you couldn't complete earlier, will be extremely satisfying.

We also got a lot of expected information. Like for example that the Stables serve as a place to rest and trade. You can gather materials and craft. Also much of the information about the Horses has already been known.

But there are still two interesting tidbits left. First of Zelda can get mad and scold you. To me this sounds like Zelda will be a much more engaged character this time. Maybe she'll even travel alongside you for longer periods of time. My theory for the Story of Breath of the Wild is that after their 100 year sleep Link and Zelda travel around Hyrule to unite the people of the land. Because only a unified Hyrule has a chance to stand against Calamity Ganon. The Scenes in the last trailer with the Gerudo Girl, the Zoras, Orni and Gorons supports this theory.

"Hylians pass stories of a destined time long past where multiple races lived and worked together in harmony. The Sheikah Tribe's blue aura breathed through the land and this mutual prosperity continued until a cataclysmic disaster stuck. The Hero and the Princess attempted to seal the terror which became known as the Calamity Ganon. Divine beasts awoke from four directions and deployed a mechanical army which made the King and his people fearful. They fractured Ganon's power and sealed him but the Sheikah were banished from the land ever since."

From this introduction text, which was leaked earlier, we know that Zelda and Link failed the first time against Calamity Ganon and that four divine beasts rose with a mechanical army to defeat him. This fractured Ganons power and sealed him away, but the frightful king and his people also banished the Sheikah, which were responsible for the four beasts, from the lands. So we have four beasts and (possibly) four dungeons and four races. I think you can catch my drift here. To me it sounds like after the King send the Sheika away distrust grew amongst the races of Hyrule and the Kingdom fractured. Meanwhile Ganon started corrupting the mechanical beasts and guardians and plotted his return. During the Trailers we saw those huge mechanical creatures, which are the divine beasts, either powered by blue or red energy. As we know the red energy is Ganon's malice, so it's clear that he was successful in corrupting the beasts and Link has to cleanse them. Together with the information we got from the Dungeon section, we now can figure out that Link will have to enter these four divine beasts and cleanse them from the inside.

I think the dungeon Game Informer got to play was the huge Bird seen in earlier trailers.

The Beast is constantly moving around and the boss Wind Blight Ganon certainly fits the dungeon. This is also probably the dungeon connected to the Orni. And from a map shown during the Treehouse stream several weeks ago, we also know the other beasts/dungeons.

The camel is linked to the Gerudos. We already saw Link and the Gerudo Girl/Sage during the last trailer looking at the beast from afar. And the death mountain robot is clearly linked to the Gorons. Which leaves the elephant as the Zora dungeon, which is an interesting choice. So the quest seems clear. Link has to travel to the home of the four races with Zelda, unite them and cleanse the divine mechanical beasts from within. He has to defeat the four fragments of Ganon corrupting the beasts and in the process weaken Clamatiy Ganon. Or he can head straight to him, defeat him without all that and probably get a different ending.

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The last interesting point in the overworld section is the fact that there are no “invincible” weapons. Does this mean that the Master Sword can break? Or that you don't get the Master Sword at all? My guess would be that you only get the Master Sword for your last fight against Clamity Ganon. Or maybe you only get the sword, after you completed the four main dungeons. After all it seems that the different important characters from the different races are this games Sages. At the beginning of Breath of the Wild the Master swords seems to be resting next to the Deku Tree and has gotten quite rusty. So after saving the Zoras, Gorons, Orni and Gerudo and recruiting the four sages from those tribes Link and Zelda can restore the Master Sword to full power to battle Calamity Ganon. Or once again you could ignore all this and beat him with a Bokoblin Club.

So even after all this information you see there is a lot to speculate about. What are your thoughts on all of this? Do you agree with my theories? Or do you have some of your own? Let me know in the comments.

And as always

thanks for reading

The Switch is here (almost)

So how did you like the presentation?
Overall I think it was good, not outstanding or perfect, but still very good. It gave a clear view of the vision they have with the Switch and even though there could have been more, it showed us some games to look forward to. And if you didn't expect crazy things it was hardly a disappointing event. So far Nintendo never has shared the hardware specifics of their consoles before launch, so I didn't expect them to do it now. Generally the biggest ''problem'' of the presentation was the rumors preceding it. I saw some reactions of disappointed people about the rumored RabbidsXMario RPG, which wasn't shown (and probably never was real). So people are disappointed that something that didn't actually exist wasn't shown. But I digress.

Another, albeit smaller, problem was the location. I know Japan is the home of Nintendo and with the concept of the Switch probably the most important market, but the Japenese are very reserved people. And it showed during the event. The audience hardly generated any Hype and Hype is what sells consoles these days. Just take a look at the PlayStation 4 and it's launch line-up.

But before I rumble on to long about this presentation, let us take a look a the information we got.

The Console:

The Nintendo Switch will launch on the 3^rd of March Worldwide for a suggested retail price of 299.99$. For us in europe this will most likely mean that it'll cost 299.99€. The purchase will include the Switch Console, a TV Docking station, the left and right Joy-Con Controller, an HDMI-Cable, and AC-Adapter to load and the Joy-Con Strips for better grip. It will also launch in two versions with different colored Joy-Cons.

The Vision for the Nintendo Switch is for it to be a Home Console Gaming System that gives you complete freedom of choice on how you want to play. You can play in TV-Mode or just take it with you as a handheld. Or us the build in stand to put in on a table and combine both worlds.

And while we didn't get any technical details we at least got the information that there will be no region lock and that the battery life will differ between two and a half and six and a half hours, depending on which game you play. For example while playing Breath of the Wild the Battery is expected to last three hours. Also we got the confirmation that you can load the Switch via the AC-Adapter while you play. Something that was a given honestly.

Now for the first damper of the presentation. The Nintendo Switch will be the console were free Online Gaming ends for Nintendo customers. Just like with the competition Online Services will cost you a fee for the Nintendo Switch. After a trial period this will start in Fall 2017. But of course it will also offer you several perks, which weren't shared during the presentation. Instead the unveiled them on their website.

• A new dedicated smart device app will allow you to connect your phone to the switch, set up lobbys and voice chat and invite your friends to play with you.
• You can download one NES or SNES game each month and they will have added Online Play.
• Special discounts and offers for digital games and content.

So all in all Nintendo will offer a similar package to the PS+ and X-Box Live services. Personally I would have preferred if the service would've been optional, but sadly it will be mandatory if you want to play online. Anyways so far the have stated nothing about the price, so hopefully it won't be too high.

Something that's going to be free however is local multiplayer. If you so desire, and have enough friends, you'll be able to connect up to eight Switch consoles for local matches.

Joy-Cons:

Now let us talk about the real star of the Show. The Joy-Con controllers. Everything they shown about them sounds amazing and has really sold me on the Switch. Even more so than the ''Main''- Concept of playing however and wherever you want. Being able to attach and detach the Joy-Cons to suit your gaming needs is awesome.

The Joy-Cons will come in two varieties with distinct features.

The Right Joy-Con will feature the well known Y/X/B/A set of buttons as well as a home button. Both Joy-Cons also will have a control stick, as well as two shoulder buttons. What differentiates the right from the left is the NFC Reader build into the right controller. So you'll still be able to use your Amiibo with the Switch.

The thing to get excited about, however, is the build in motion tracker camera. The right Joy-Con features a sensor, which can detect shapes and distances. For example it can differentiate between Rock/Paper/Scissors. This offers some cool new possibilities and hopefully, as opposed to the Wii-U Gamepad, they're going to use them.

The left Joy-Con isn't as exciting. It will also feature the same amount of buttons as the right, but instead of a Home - there will be a Share button.

Both Joy-Cons can be used as a fully functional controller separately. The Joy Con Strap helps with that because it increases the size a little, as well as gives them prominent shoulder buttons.

Now for the last exciting Joy Con feature. Rumble HD and Motion Control. Yes Motion Controls are back with a vengeance. As someone, who quite enjoyed them on the Wii, I don't have a problem with that. But I also acknowledge that it could be a hassle. Luckily with the Joy-Cons you don't have to use it. You can use them as regular controllers, but some games will be designed elusively with Motion Controls in mind. But it doesn't have to be forced into each and every game.

The new Rumble HD feature allows for much more precise feelings. In the presentation the explained it as such. The Joy-Cons can emulate the feeling of a Glass filled with ice cubes. You can even feel how many ice cubes are in the glass or if water is poured into it.

And lastly there will be different colors of Joy-Cons available.

Games:

Now let us head to the most exciting, and for some most disappointing part of the presentation. Games. There weren't a ton of exclusive games shown and the launch window is still pretty much without confirmed launch, but Nintendo stated that there are already 80+ Games in development for the Switch. And it seems at least the Japanese Deves are fully behind the console. But first let us take a look at Nintendos own games.

First up we have the Wii Sports of the Switch, which is called 1,2 Switch. This game will launch alongside the console and I wouldn't be surprised if it is included with every console.

It is a two player dueling game utilizing the Joy-Cons. Judging on the trailer there will be several ways to duel. From a classic Wild West Shootout to Fencing to Magic Duels all the way to a Rock Out.

One thing they put a lot of emphasis on was the fact that for this game you don't have to look at the screen. Instead you're focused on your opponent. This could (and should) increase the social component.

This game gives me the vibe of a Warior Ware style experience focused on multiplayer. Lots of quick and easy to grasp minigames, which don't take longer than a couple of seconds to play. I think tht game has some potential to be a Party Hit. At least you can use it to quickly get smashed if the loser always has to take a shot.

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The next game was described with having depth, challenge and replayability. Arms.

Arms is a fighting sports game, which provides a unique mix between boxing and shooting. Your characters have extensible Arms. So it's a boxing match with a lot more reach.

Arms is controlled with one Joy-Con in each hand. It works similar to boxing in Wii-Sports, but the Joy-Cons are much more precise, so it allows for more varied Gameplay. Also your character is truly mobile. You can use Dashs and Jumps for unique maneuvers.

Arms will feature local and online multiplayer battles against friends and strangers.

Playing more will unlock higher level techniques, so you'll have some long term goals.

I'm not sure if Arms will truly take off, but it looks like a quick an fun multiplayer game and it will launch in Spring 2017.

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Now let's start with the big ones. Like I speculated (and hoped after the initial Switch trailer) the game shown there wasn't an enhanced Splatoon Port, but instead Splatoon 2. It was pretty clear that after the huge success of the first one Nintendo would quickly want to develop a second installment.

Judging from the trailer and the News we got so far it seems to be a consequent Sequel.

Turf War is still the number One sport in Inkopolis and as such will be the center piece of the game once more. It will feature new Stages, Weapons, Special Weapons and Clothes. Also the Inkling customization has been extended as well.

There is a new set of weapons, which you can Dual wield, increasing your mobility, but most likely decreasing your accuracy.

You can connect up to eight Switches for local multiplayer or play online from the comfort of your own home.

Just like with the first Splatoon after its release in Summer 2017 Splatoon 2 will get free Weapon and Stage Updates as well as online events. Yes Splatfests return (most likely).

Expect a Trailer watch over the course of the Weekend.

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And now for the even bigger one. It looks strange and it proves that Mario truly has no limits. Super Mario Odyssey takes the worlds most well known Plumber on a Journey to unknown Worlds. While the Sprixie Kingdom in Super Mario 3D World was far away from the Mushroom Kingdom, but still recognizable, some of these truly look outlandish in a Mario Game. Who would have every thought of seeing Mario in a big, somewhat realistic looking city?

Super Mario Odyssey will the first time sine Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine that you'll be able to explore big, open courses in a Mario game. And it looks really awesome.

Also it seems your side kick this time will be your own hat, which comes to live. In the trailer we already see some unique use of it, and I'm sure there is a lot more to come.

Super Mario Odyssey will launch during Holiday Season 2017.

And I hope I'll get the trailer Watch for this ready by today.

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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 seems to be a direct successor to the original Xenoblade Chronicles. As much as it pains me that we most likely will never get the answers to Xenoblade Chronicles Xs cliffhanger, I can't help but to get excited for this game. The strong anime style of the characters may need some time getting used to however.

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Just like many speculated, and was the logical choice, we'll get a Fire Emblem Warriors on the Switch. Nothing so far information wise, but the Fire Emblem Series offers enough characters and possibilities for this, so I'm looking forward to it.

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And now for a quick overview of the third parties. Like I said the Japanese developers seem to be fully on board with the Switch. Square Enix will be bringing Dragon Quest 10 and 11 to the console. As well as Dragon Quest Heroes 1 and 2. There will also be a new IP called Project Octopath Traveler, which sports a pretty unique presentation and has me quite intrigued.

No word so far on Final Fantasy However.

Atlus will be bringing a new Shin Megami Tensai to the Switch, but development has just begun, so it may take a while. Also we in the Wet will have to wait even longer for localization I'm sure.

Sega will support Switch and the new Sonic game will be coming to it.

Suda 51 announced that Travis Touchdown, the protagonist of the No More Heroes series, will return on the Switch. This got me pretty excited because the two No More Heroes games rank among my favorites on the Wii. Also the translator during this part of the presentation was hilariously overwhelmed.

On the western side we finally got the confirmation that The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is going to launch on the Nintendo Switch. Also EA is supporting the console (for now) and the next Fifa will launch on the Switch.

Overall there seem to be many ports and new games in the works for the Switch, as illustrated by the overview video during the presentation. Altough we don't have definitive release dates for all of those yet. 

Now the last to games are Nintendo exclusives again. First let us start with a game that wasn't shown during the initial presentation, but got a trailer afterward. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an enhanced port of the excellent Wii-U Game. It features new Characters and a completely overhauled battle mode with new Items. I'm a little bit surprised that it won't be available at release but instead launch on the 28^th of April, but it seems Nintendo wants to stretch out its game releases across the year.

However or me, who already owns the game on the Wii-U, they have to show some new course if they want me to buy it again.

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And now finally we can talk about Zelda. Albeit very briefly. The game will launch on the 3^rd of March as a Nintendo Switch launch title. Als Nintendo confirmed that the Wii-U version will launch at the same day. We also got a new, absolutely breathtaking trailer, which I will of course produce a Trailer Watch for, so I hope you'll look forward to it.

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The Verdict:

As I initially said the Nintendo Switch presentation was good. Not overwhelmingly great, but not bad either. It gave us a overlook of the console and if you took a look back of other console unveils by Nintendo, you also weren’t disappointed. So far they have never shared information about the power of their products, and there was no indication that this time would be any different.

But the online reactions did show the problems of Rumors, which I talked about in last weeks Thoughtpiece. People had expectations of something that wasn't real to begin with, and now because Nintendo didn't show off those imaginary things, they are disappointed.

But even though it was a good presentation and we got a lot of information, it was still lacking in some departments. Only providing information about the paid online services on their homepage is a stupid move and the launch looks pretty lackluster right now. It's Nintendos job now to give us more information about the launch games in the coming days because as of now we only have 1,2 Switch and Breath of the Wild confirmed.

Still I'm very much looking forward to the Switch and hopefully my financial situation will allow me to buy it on Day 1.

What are your thoughts about the Nintendo Switch and it's games? Were you satisfied with the presentation or did you find it lacking?

Let me know your opinion in the comments.

And as always

thanks for reading.

Sources: Nintendo Switch Presentation

Nintendo Switch Homepage