Friday, May 13, 2016

Nintendo News: 09.05.2016 - 13.05.2016

Hello and Welcome to Dillians Nintendo News Recap.

It was a good week. Some good news, some bad news and merchandise.


New Releases:


  • Color Symphony 2 – Wii-U Download-Software
  • Super Meat Boy – Wii-U Download-Software
  • Words Up! Academy – Nintendo 3DS Download-Software
  • Contra 3 The Alien Wars – Virtual Console (New Nintendo 3DS)
  • Mario Strikers Charged Football – Wii Download Version (Wii-U)
  • Pixel Slime U – Wii-U Download-Software

Well let's get real here. If you wanted Super Meat Boy you probably have gotten it already three years ago. Nonetheless it's nice to have it on the Wii-U now. And because it looks like we won't get another Mario Strikers any time soon, Charged is a great addition to the Wii download offerings. They just should have made it possible to play online.
As for the two Indie games for the Wii-U, while Pixel slime doesn't look to interesting, Color Symphony 2 has an interesting graphical style. It utilizes different background colors and the switch between them to make obstacles appear/disappear, like several other games have done before. Still if you like challenging puzzle platformers you can give it a try.



Splatoon:



Splatoon is a huge success. I know I start each post like this, but it can't be said enough. The Japanese just love the little squid girls and boys. And if this sounds strange, then mission accomplished. Nintendo would be absolutely stupid not further capitalize on that. As many of your probably are aware Nintendo produced play cards in it's early days. In the last years they rekindled that old passion by selling Hanafuda Cards with a Mario Design.
And what series will receive such an honor next? Of course it's Splatoon. Nintendo announced that soon three card sets will be sold throughout Japan. Each set contains several cards and will cost 1.080 Yen, which is roughly 9€ or 10 Dollars.
The three sets will be a standard set, which contains symbols from the game, a second set, which contains Ingame screenshots showing Inklings wearing different clothes, and a final set, which contains Weapon designs.





Well that's the danger when you release your Nintendo News a little bit early. Just half an hour later some new Splatoon News are announced. The big Japanese Video Game Magazine CoroCoro, which most of you proabably know because of the Pokemon News always posted there, announced that they would design special items for Splatoon. These Items include the CoroCoro Splat Roller. It features the CoroCoro Logo on the side and also comes with different side arms than a regular Splat Roller. 
It uses the Splash Wall instead of the Suction Bomb and the Inkzooka instead of the Killer Wail. 
There will also be a CoroCoro Cap (Main Power: Power Up) and a CoroCoro Parker (Main Power: Cold blooded). Both will feature the magazines logo and it's signature orange colour. 
The Items will release this summer as part of an Update which contains Sheldons Picks No. 2.



Tokyo Mirage Session#FE:



Censorship ****. This bears repeating because this week we got some information about the DLCs of Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE heading to the West. These DLCs include three dungeons. One to quickly acquire rare Items, one to improve your weapons and one to increase your level faster. The other batch of DLCs include new costumes for your heroes. While the costume DLCs are OK, and the dungeons suck, because they allow you to cheese the game in exchange for money, the true Outrage lies with one of the costume DLCs. The Hotspring DLC, which provided beachwear for the male and female characters as well as four commercials set at a hotsrping, won't be coming to the West. Just like it was speculated weeks earlier and feared by me. Well this truly sucks, because it doesn't make sense. If you'd like to read my thoughts on this matter you can do it here: http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2016/05/censorship.html
Or just scroll down.



Hyrule Warriors Legends:



Hyrule Warriors Legends will receive four download packs across the entire year. This week Nintendo revealed the first one, which will launch on 19th of May. It will include new costumes for your fairy companions, the Wind Waker adventure map and Wind Waker themed costumes for several characters.
Also, like it was announced in the last Nintendo Direct, Medli will launch alongside it as a free character for both, the Wii-U and 3DS, version.
Check out the Trailer here:




Nintendo:



Nintendo gave us some (small) information about their upcoming Smartphone games set in the Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing Franchise. Both of these games will have a Free to play concept with ways to spent real money Ingame. It will be interesting how Nintendo will incorporate this concept into these series and if they manage to avoid the pay to win trap.



Also Nintendo of America revealed a new slogan for their commercials this week. It was introduced at the end of a commercial announcing a price cut for the Nintendo 2DS. However there hasn't been any official response from NoA towards the new slogan, so they may test the waters here. And in related news. The Nintendo 2DS got a price cut in America and is now sold at a suggested retail price of 79.99 Dollars. Here's the commercial:




Next up is Nintendo Minute. This is a charming little format by Nintendo of America, starring Kit and Krysta. And while the title is a blatant lie because none of the episodes last only a minute (They are much longer), it's a lot of fun. This week the Nintendo Minute Team started a new series within their series called Backlog Buster, where they finish some unfinished business and bust through their backlog. Take a look at the first episode, featuring Earthbound, here:


Hmm that reminds me that I also haven't played Earthbound so far. SHAME!



Culdcept Revolt:



While we in the West have yet to wait for another Nintendo Direct our friends in Japan were lucky. On 11th of May they got a entire direct for one game. Culdcept Revolt, which signals the return of this franchise after nearly 10 years of hiatus. Culdcept is a mixture of a classic board game and a card game with strong fantasy elements. The game looks pretty interesting. Let's hope it comes to the West someday. Anyways here is the entire Direct. Sadly it hasn't been translated so far.




Minecraft:



You may ask yourself why a franchise owned by Microsoft and found on all platforms is mentoined here on the Nintendo News Recap. Well the reason is simple. Since it's launch on the Wii-U Minecraft has been a constant Top Seller on the E-Shop. To celebrate this Mojang and Nintendo will be releasing the Super Mario Mash Up Pack on the 18th of May. And that for absolutely free. The Pack includes several skin for your playable character as well as a preset world with Super Mario Elements. You'd best take a look at the trailer here:




The Legend of Zelda:



As we all know Zelda has some amazing musical scores. To celebrate the 30th anniversary and probably to cope with the delay of Zelda U the British composer Rebecca Trip decided to create an orchestral arrangement for Twilight Princess.


If you liked what you heard then be sure to give her other arrangements a listen too. She has done some great video game related work, but also some beautiful original work. Be sure to pay her Youtube Channel a visit.



Super Mario Maker:



Yesterday a new costume was release for our favorite Torment creator. While they may have no more room in Smash Bros. we gladly welcome the Ice Climbers into the Mushroom Kingdom.




Fire Emblem:



While the newest entrance into the Fire Emblem Series, Fates, was rightfully criticized for a lackluster translation and stupid censorship, let's forget all about that for now. Rena Strober is the talented voice actress, which gives the games female protagonist. Anyways here is her version of the games title track ''Lost in thoughts all alone''. Enjoy.




Pokemon:



And finally Pokemon. This week we got the first real trailer for the newest Pokemon Adventures Sun and Moon, which will launch worldwide on 18 of November 2016. I did a Trailer Watch on it to cover all the Information and you can read it here: http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2016/05/trailer-watch-pokemon-sunmoon_10.html


And that was it for this week. Enjoy your games and enjoy the weekend.

And as always
thanks for reading  
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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Censorship *****


As we all know Censorship sucks. So let's talk about it.

Personally I am against any form of Censorship. Not only because it devalues the work of the original creator, but also because it often doesn't make sense. I will explain later what I mean with that statement, but for now let's evaluate about what kind of Censorship I'm talking.


Censorship:


Censorship is the suppresion of speech, public communication or other information which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by governments, media outlets, authorities or other groups or institutions. (Censorship – Definition and More from the FreeMerriam-Webster Dictionary)

The source of Censorship is always from the outside. Even if the so called Self-Censorship is only done to appeal to a specific target demographic. One of these outside influences can be the law. In Germany and Austria any depiction of symbols from the National Socialist Party, especially the Swastika, is forbidden. As a consequence Wolfenstein had to be censored for a release here. The Nazis in the game were renamed into the Regime and any Swastikas were changed. And even if I'm also against this form of censorship, I at least can understand it because of our history.
I think that a grown up medium can deal with the depiction of controversial themes. Especially if these themes aren't glorified.

Another source for Censorship is pressure from media outlets, twitter, etc. This often happens to eastern video games, especially those who have a large amount of Fanservice.

The third source is the company itself, when the so called Self-Censorship happens. This mostly is done to protect a certain image of a company or to broaden the games audience.

About these last two sources I want to talk today, and why it doesn't make sense to listen to them. For this we'll take a look at Japanese Games coming to the west (or not), which were censored.


Dead or Alive Xtreme 3:


Picture Source: Dualshockers

Some of you may have followed the Shitstorm surrounding this game. When Koei Tecmo announced the release of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 for the PlayStation 4 and Vita, they also announced that the game would not come to the West, citing cultural differences. They would, however, release an English version in Asia. Of course this was met with a backlash by many gamers lambasting Koei Tecmo for caving in to Social Justice Warriors. Play Asia, an import shop, announced that the Game broke their record for highest Pre-Orders for any product ever and later on also broke their internal sales record.
This proved one thing. True Fans are willing to go a long way to get an uncensored and authentic version of their game.
And for the record, yes Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is an extremely shallow game that has little to offer except jiggling tits, but so what? It's brainless fun and if you're so horny that you'll spend 60 dollars to get off then more power to you. To find this game disgusting you need to have a very sex negative attitude. It's stupid yes... so what?


Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE:


Image Soucre: GameIdealist

I talked about the censorship of this game last week. (Read it here:http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2016/05/tokyo-mirage-sessionsfe-hidden-boobs.html ) 
This case of censorship is, in my eyes, even more problematic than the non release of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. Because of the Region Lock on the Wii-U and the fact that there won't be an uncensored English version, the only way to experience the game, as the developers intended, is importing a Japanese Wii-U, the Japanese Version of the Game and learning Japanese. I also stated that the censorship of outfits cuts deeply into the idol world of the game and robs it of authenticity. And I will use this game as an example, why Censorship often doesn't make sense.


It doesn't make sense:


Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE is a niche game. It was a niche game in Japan and it will be a niche game here. It sold 50 thousand copies there and I don't think it will sell much more here. Especially after the censorship. Because that is the case with such games. Many of them are niche games in the west for a very specific audience. A very specific, and often well informed, audience. So things like changes, censorship and bad translation don't go by unnoticed. That's why the censorship of such game is often so baffling. They cut their own flesh with such moves. ''Normal'' Gamers won't buy a game about magical teenage Popstars, which fight strange looking unicorn Ladies, while riding a cyborg Pegasus even if the tits are censored.


And that is the baffling part. By censoring parts of their game they don't open it up to a new audience, but only alienate the original one.

By caving in to backlash they don't create thousands of new buyers. We have seen that times and times again. Many of the people calling things problematic aren't even fans of the product they criticize. And the worst part, at least for me, is that the creators devalue their own artistic vision and integrity with such moves. Where is the pride to stand up for your product?

Even if there are cultural differences don't change the game. Some players may buy the game for exactly that reason. To experience a different viewpoint than the ones they are shown in western games, as a way of cultural exchange.
Of course it's often just because of the boobies, but who cares. Let the boobs be free I say. They are just boobs and, as we all know, asses are far superior.

What I'm trying to say is that Censorship is always more harm- then helpful. It angers the informed fans and it won't appease the critics. I doesn't bring in new fans, but only alienates old ones. And in the end it robs us of stupid and sexy, but still harmless, fun.

And as always

thanks for reading
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Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Trailer Watch: Starter Pokémon for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Revealed!


First let me welcome you to this first iteration of Trailer Watch. In this format I'll take a look at some Nintendo Trailers and (hopefully) also provide some insight and details. And if I miss something be sure to point it all out. 

For starters I wasn't completely spot on with my prediction in February that the next Pokemon Region could be inspired by the Caribbean, but Hawaii is close enough. So before we start with this first iteration of Trailer Watch, let's watch the Trailers first.



So let's dive right in. Our first view at the protagonist shows us nothing to exciting. You start in your room, as always, but one thing that did catch my eye during the whole trailer is that the Chibi Form from X/Y is seemingly gone. Just take a look at the protagonist from X/Y exploring the land and then at the protagonist from Sun/Moon.

The new Alola region is pretty obviously based on the pacific island of Hawaii. Even the name Alola is derived from the term Aloha, a Hawaiian term for hello.
Generally it seems that the World has gotten even more threedimensional with the new adventures. This time your protagonist explores the world in all his polygonal glory. This is great because I quite like this style and prefer it over the chibi form from previous games.

If we take a look at this overview shoot we can see many of the locations shown later (and earlier) in the trailer.


At the top we see a small group of houses encircling a structure. Later on in the trailer we see that this is a wooden ring and this is in fact the place where we'll get our starter Pokemon and have our first battle against our rival. 


What is interesting about this place is the entrance to, what seems, a forest at the backside of it. Maybe this is a shortcut to the next city, seen on the overview picture on the left upper corner, or an alternate path altogether. 


The entrance is marked by two strange stones, which can be seen on several places along the island. On another shot we can see that the stones have faces on them, which are similar to Tiki Statues. Maybe these are indications for something or maybe they are only here for decoration.


For now let's take our attention to another place on the overview image. The beachhouse at the bottom right corner. I think that this may be the players starting house. The placement would certainly make sense. The bigger house slightly north may be the house of our Rival.

Now for some more interesting things. Pretty much in the center of the overview we can see what seems to be a Pokemon center. If you take a look at one of the pictures from the Sun/Moon reveal in February it's pretty obvious. The red roof matches perfectly. 


The more interesting building is the green one to the left. I think that this will probably be the laboratory of the new Pokemon Professor.

To the left of our (presumed) home we have a pretty big crater, and what is even more interesting is the fact that you can probably enter it. If you look closely on the side that faces our house you can spot a brown patch that seemingly leads into a cave. Also on the Japanese announcement trailer we see a similar crater in the real world, which contains some houses. Maybe it's the same here. I wouldn't be the first time in the Pokemon universe that a city is build inside a crater (Sootopolis City in Ruby/Saphire/Emerald).


Next on to the big town on the left side of the picture. There is nothing to interesting there so far, except for the big port like building at the leftmost side of the picture and the small building with the blue roof next to the skyskrapper. I think this will be a Pokemon market. A nice detail is that the people on the streets seem to react to you passing them. 


Anyways it's interesting that there will be such a huge city early on in the game. Also the lack of tall grass in the shown footage got me thinking. My guess is that the overview picture we were shown is only the starting area of the game. Similar to pallet town in the original, which would make Sun/Moon the biggest Pokemon Game to date. A pretty exciting outlook. 


As for the mysterious women looking into the distance from a balcony. I think that this will probably the protagonists aunt. I think this makes the most sense because the Island is shown to us by our cousin Kukui. In a shoot in the Japanese trailer she obviously greets us, while he is standing by. This and the fact that she looks more like a native make it plausible that she is our aunt, meaning that this time the protagonist doesn't only have no father, but no mother as well. Also if we take a look at the Japanese trailer it strongly conveys the message of a new start. Make new friends and find a new home. I think this will also be strong themes in this new Pokemon adventure.


Now next up is our rival. He is quite obviously a native of the Alola region and I think the meeting of the protagonist and him is mirrored in the Japanese announcement trailer, which the two kids there. He seems to be late for the Starter Pokemon give away and by his cheerful reaction when arriving, I think that he has a very carefree and positive attitude.


And now for our protagonist. As always, since Pokemon Crystal, you'll be able to choose between a male and a female teenager. And what's even better the customization from X/Y returns, as indicated in the Japanese trailer.


Another interesting fact is that the Trainer now is present during the battle. While we only got to see our character throw the Pokeball in older entries, this time he is present in the background and gives direct commandos to his Pokemon. It's only a graphical change, but I think it adds to the liveliness of the battles.


And last, but certainly not least, the new Pokemon. I'm quite pleased with the new Starters. Even the goofy looking Popplio has at least the potential to evolve into something better. And we finally get a new Owl Pokemon, celebrating one of, if not the, best birds in the world. Yeah.


As for the legendary Pokemon they are fine. I personally am drawn more towards the Moonbat because of it's truly outlandish design. Unsurprisingly the Lion is encountered during the day, while the Bat attacks at night. I'm wondering if the time has any significant effects on the gameplay, like different Pokemon to encounter, People who are only out a night, some events that can only be triggered during the day/night.


Generally it was a pretty good Trailer and a nice introduction to the newest Pokemon adventure. What are your thoughts? Are you excited? Let down? Did you spot something I missed?

And as always
Thanks for reading

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Friday, May 6, 2016

Nintendo News: 02.05.2016 - 06.05.2016

Hello and Welcome to Dillians Nintendo News Recap.

This week was mostly depressing. Apart from the bad news about Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE ther was nothing interesting and the new releases this week are just... well take a look yourself.


New Releases:


  • Pentapuzzle – Wii-U Download-Software
  • Reptilian Rebellion – Wii-U Download-Software
  • Pocket Card Jockey – 3DS Download-Software
  • Sweetest Thing – Wii-U Download-Software

This is just plain bad. No denying that. None of these games look appealing. Pocket Card Jockey is a game from Game Freak, yes the guys who make Pokemon, but it looks and plays like handy game. Still some reviews of the game make I sound surprisingly entertaining, so maybe some of you will give it a try.



E3:



After the investor meeting last week, which disappointed many fans, Nintendo now officially revealed their E3 plans for this week. It is basically what we already knew (and feared) since last week. There won't be a Digital Event or any kind of press conference. There also won't be a Nintendo World Championship or Smash Bros. Tournament like the last two years. It seems that this things have sadly died together with Satoru Iwata.

This year there will be only a presentation of the new Zelda via Nintendo Treehouse Live, which is not bad, but certainly a step down from the previous years, where Nintendo showed how a good E3 is done. (Not so much in terms of games in case of 2015, but their live presentation over the course of 3 days was always top notch and a joy to watch).

Apart from that Nintendo will also host an exclusive E3 presentation for their business partners to highlight their plans for holiday 2016. Nothing that normal people will be able to watch, but I guess we'll get the information from that event within a day.



Pokemon:



This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon Franchise and the pinnacle of this celebration will certainly be the launch of Pokemon Sun/Moon in the fall. But after the announcement of the new games we had to wait a long time for new information. Luckily the wait is now over. On the 10th of May we'll finally get a first glimpse at the newest Pokemon adventure.


If you signed up for the Pokemon Trainer Club Newsletter I have good news for you. Keep an eye on your inbox, because soon you'll get three codes to download the three legendary birds from Generation One onto one of your Editions of Pokemon X/Y or OR/AS.




Miitomo:



Nintendos first smartphone app still I is a huge success. But one of the most glaring shortcomings of it was the difficulty to add new friends. Well soon this won't be a problem any more, because Nintendo announced that an update for Miitomo will allow players to add friends via E-mail and other services. The update is scheduled to release soon.



Splatoon:



As one of Nintendos biggest hits on the Wii-U Splatoon was already used several times to cross promote other products via Splatfests. The last saw players battle for Team Patrick or Team Spongebob because of a collaboration with Nickelodeon. This time the product promoted comes from inside Nintendo, Miitomo. The question this time is, do you prefer a stylish gala or a cool costume party?



But that is not all, because we also got a first look at the Squid Sister Amiibos, which will launch in Europe on the 7th of July. They both look awesome and if you have a hard time deciding between them, as I do, then there is good news. There will be a bundle available, which contains both of them. Also there will be a limited release of the old Splatoon Amiibos with new color variations. The prices for the Amiibo will be the same as for others, with 14,99€ for the single figures and 29,99€ for the Squid Sisters set, which is strange because it means that the set costs 1 Cent moe than buying both separately.





Bayonetta:



Congratulations to one million sales worldwide. This is a well deserved success for a great Wii-U Game.



Tokyo Mirage Session#FE:



After the bad news about the censorship earlier this day (You can take a look here: http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2016/05/tokyo-mirage-sessionsfe-hidden-boobs.html) we also got some new gameplay material. And while it won't make the censorship forgotten, it sill looks like a crazy fun and very japanese game.




Nintendo:



After the line of Pokomen lingerie from several weeks ago Nintendo has once again revealed a collaboration for a clothing line. This time however it's something more fitting (not that I think the Pokemon lingerie wasn't awesome). Nintendo and Vans have announced a series of themed footwear, and I must admit that some of them even look wearable. Of course I'm talking about the Princess Peach version.




And that was it for this week. Enjoy your games and enjoy the weekend.

And as always

thanks for reading  
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Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE The hidden Boobs Saga


Several weeks ago we learned that the localization of Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE will be handled by Atlus. Many fans sighed in relief after learning that, but sadly it seems that this relief was unfounded. While Atlus may be handling the bulk of the translation, Nintendos Treehouse still has the role of an overseer. Nintendo still acts as publisher and because of that they still suggest changes, if they deem them necessary. And we all know that Nintendo likes to go overboard in that regard. So after Fire Emblem Fates got ruined for a lot of people because of the lackluster translation and the rampant censorship, will Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE meet the same fate?

After watching the playable Demo at PAX East two weeks ago the definitive answer could net be given, but the prospect wasn't too promising. This week some more gameplay material surfaced, and while I'm still reluctant to give a final answer it does look like the game will be majorly censored in the west. Let's take a look at the videos and then talk about what it could mean for the game.


Censorship in Action:



Ok first let's start this with a positive outlook. Maybe this isn't a case of censorship, but a case of ''Choosing your costume.'' The game is very idol driven, and you have many different costumes and outfits to choose from. Maybe it's the case that the player in the English version just choose/equipped another outfit and this decision was obviously also shown in the cutscene. This is probably just wishful thinking, and the much more realistic and depressing answer is that the bikini outfit was censored, which doesn't make sense. The game is taking place in the Japanese Idol world. Sexy vibes lie in the very nature of this field of work.


While it could be debated if there was censorship in the first video here the case is crystal clear. This is censorship in its most blatant and lazy form. They didn't even design a new outfit for the boss, just covered up her boobs with black mist, which ironically makes it look as if she is not wearing anything underneath. The worst thing is that it doesn't make sense. The heroine shows just as much cleavage in this scene. Were is the logic in that?


Why are boobs bad?


Seriously? What's with that sex negative attitude, not only from Nintendo, but a big part of the American gaming press? Yes the depiction of women in games is often superficial, but so is the depiction of men. But I don't want to delve to deep into this topic for now, but focus on the censorship at hand, and what it means for this game.

First of all let me say again that I absolutely am against any form of censorship. Also this kind of censorship doesn't make sense. Not a shred. Removing bikini outfits from serious medieval fantasy games may have a tiny amount of ground, but this game revolves around the Idol world. A field of work which is inherently sexy. And yes I know I repeat myself.

The Censorship of Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE does not only rob players of some fan service, but damages the core of the game. It robs the game world of it's immersion.

This sex negative censorship is nothing new for Nintendo. The removal of the breast slider in Xenoblade Chronicles X robbed women with a bigger or smaller bust size of the possibility to create an avatar in their image.
Well at least it seems the translation will be handled properly this time and not butchered like Fire Emblem Fates.

But what does this mean for the game? As for now I would anyone advise to not preorder the game or cancel your preorder. It's an unnecessary practice, especially if you only plan on buying the standard version of the game. Let's wait an see what is revealed in the upcoming weeks. And if you really want to play the game, but don't want to support Nintendo and their censorship, then consider waiting a month longer and getting a used copy of it.

So what is your take on this censorship? Does it bother you?

And as always
thanks for reading
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Wednesday, May 4, 2016

When New isn't always better


As we all now know Star Fox Zero was met with mixed reviews. While many liked the fast paced action and arcade style feeling of the title, the controls, graphics and use of the Wii-U Gamepad got lots of criticism. And while I personally enjoyed the game, I can't ignore the fact that the critics are right. The only things not working in Star Fox Zero are the new ideas. And while I'm not suggesting that there should be no change, sometimes it's better to stick to what people are familiar with.

You don't change the recipe of a tasty dish, just for the sake of change.

But that is exactly what Nintendo is doing in the past couple of years. At least when they change something and don't play it super safe. Often it works and new ideas are welcomed, but just as often the change for the sake of change idea horribly backfires.

But first let's start with taking a look at the most recent example of this.


Star Fox Zero: The Screen Wars


Star Fox games, at their core, have a simple formula. They are classic rail shooters. Yes you have the ability to move on a 2D plane to avoid enemies, but in the end you're still moving at the pace the game dictates you. The core gameplay, like with most Nintendo titles, is very basic and fast to pick up. And it still works because of that simplicity. Apart from new vehicles there isn't much you can and should change about the gameplay of Star Fox. And Star Fox Zero didn't change anything in that regard. Some even argue that it changed to little. Gameplay wise I don't agree. Why fix something that isn't broken?
The Problem in that regard lies with the Story, which showed Nintendos lack of will to move forward. But this is not the problem, that we're talking about.

Picture Source: Nintendo

Nintendo, or more specific, Miyamoto realized that there is nothing to change about the core gameplay of Star Fox. But what we now from interviews Miyamoto only considers creating a new entry for a game series, if there is something he can change. Looking at his unwillingness to tell new stories he is surprisingly ready to try out new stuff in other fields.

Star Fox Zero was born of the desire to create a game that uses the Gamepad. Not because he wanted to make a new Star Fox. Just like Project Guard and Project Giant Robot it was a tech demo for the Gamepad. Sadly in his pursuit to prove that the Gamepad works, he achieved the total opposite.

The two screens are in constant contest. None of them work 100%. While the 3rd Person perspective gives you a better overview, but fails at accurate aiming, the Gamepad screen is the opposite. The player is never sure where to look, because none of the screens fit his needs. This often creates a stressful situation, where you only concentrate on one screen and develop a kind of tunnel vision. All in all it robs the game of its enjoyment.

Star Fox Zero shows Miyamotos inability to choose when something new is an improvement and when it's not. The core problem of the title was the wish to create a better Star Fox 64 and not a new Star Fox game.

Picture Source: Nintendo


Has Miyamoto lost his Touch?


I wouldn't go as far as that, just take a look at the excellent Pikmin 3, but I think he is stuck in a standstill. His intervention ruined the story of Paper Mario: Sticker Star for many players, because of the oversimplification of the Story. And with many of the excellent games from Nintendo he hasn't been directly involved. The Problem he has, may be the same many creators face, after a lifetime in their respective industry. After creating countless classic he lacks the vision to move beyond that. Let me explain what I mean with that.

On the one hand he constantly tries to innovate with new control schemes and the like, but on the other hand his games never evolve past their incredibly simple story and core gameplay. Now don't think that I want Mario to have a grand epic Story. Far from it. Mario Jump'n'Runs are fine as they are. But even games where a deeper story would suit perfectly, never go past an extremely simple framework.

A reason for this is that Nintendo, and especially Miyamoto, often treat games as technical showcases for their Hardware. Like I pointed out earlier he hasn't thought about a new F-Zero game, because he can't come up with a new way of control.

I think this plays into Miyamotos wish, that his games should be enjoyed by anyone. A noble goal indeed, but one that is impossible to reach. That is why many of his games never move past an extremely basic story and that is way he often adds new control schemes to them.


What Miyamoto, and Nintendo, seem to forget is that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes it's enough to polish it up a little from time to time. Innovation for the sake of Innovation is never good. That is something that Nintendo has forgotten in the past couple of years and that they should remember. Because new isn't always better.

So what are your thoughts on Star Fox Zero and it's innovations?

And as always
thanks for reading



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