Category Archives: Original Content

Original Content

Capcom needs to get its act together on the Nintendo Switch

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The “Capcom Test” is what gamers use to describe a situation where a company will test the waters of a new console with a game that was clearly never going to perform well on the platform, be it due to quality, pricing, or inability to appeal to the console’s demographic (JRPG exclusive to Xbox). The sales of this game are then used as an indicator of how much interest gamers have in buying the company’s games on the tested console. There are also other variations of the Capcom Test that use a similar method to evaluate interest in dormant franchises. “Oh, nobody likes the new Mega Man cartoon, guess that means we shouldn’t make Mega Man Legends 3 now.” Continue reading Capcom needs to get its act together on the Nintendo Switch →

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Original Content

No, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will not damage the Mario brand

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Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will not damage the Mario brand. It can’t. Those among the embarrassingly high number of people that think it’s a legitimate possibility (go to most any gaming forum, there will be some), especially at this point in time, are being foolish. The game isn’t even officially announced, and there’s no game play footage at all. As if suggesting a game we know virtually nothing about could damage a franchise wasn’t stupid enough as is, people are actually suggesting it could hurt the Mario franchise. Continue reading No, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will not damage the Mario brand →

Original Content

Why the characters of Nintendo’s ARMS are designed to last

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Mario, Pac-Man, Link, Megaman, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Ryu are all iconic characters. Not Ubisoft iconic, but designs that have actually withstood the test of time, and still remain in the gaming public’s collective consciousness all these years later. A large part of why these characters have become such familiar faces is their visual simplicity and brilliant use of color, which makes it easy to conjure up accurate mental images of them. For that reason, among others, you can go ahead and add the cast of Nintendo’s ARMS to that list. Continue reading Why the characters of Nintendo’s ARMS are designed to last →

Original Content

Splatoon 2’s trailer reminds us that Splatoon had a great campaign

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Splatoon was a surprise hit that burst onto the multiplayer shooter scene like a giant, ink-filled balloon. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think Splatoon is going to be looked back upon as a seminal moment in the shooter genre’s history, right there with DOOM and Halo. That’s not even hyperbole, people fail to appreciate how much the ink mechanics and nonviolent aspect have brought to the genre, mostly because the Wii U was isolated from the larger market. With the Nintendo Switch finding mainstream success, these mechanics are going to find a much larger audience. Continue reading Splatoon 2’s trailer reminds us that Splatoon had a great campaign →

Original Content

From Nier: Automata to ARMS, developers are baiting fandoms

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Nier: Automata saved the Nier franchise from obscurity, introduced the greater gaming community to Yoko Taro, and bailed Platinum Games out of a tight spot. Some say this is due to Yoko Taro’s storytelling, which is on a different level than we’re used to in video games, while others say it was Platinum’s amazingly implemented gameplay and Teflon slick UI that turned an obscure niche title into a million plus seller. However, Taro’s stories never saved any of his previous games from obscurity, and Platinum’s masterful game design had yet to deliver them a mega-hit, so I must attribute this newfound success to Yoko Taro’s genius move to focus on creating a virally appealing character. Continue reading From Nier: Automata to ARMS, developers are baiting fandoms →

Original Content

ARMS is copying Splatoon’s testfire demo and free DLC approach, and that’s a good thing

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I previously said ARMS would be Nintendo’s next Splatoon-like success, and Nintendo has backed my claims with the recent ARMS Nintendo Direct: The ARMS Global Testpunch is copying the Splatoon Global Testfire, but improving on the concept by adding more dates where players can test the game out. On top of that, ARMS will receive free DLC after launch, including new fighters, stages, and weapons. Continue reading ARMS is copying Splatoon’s testfire demo and free DLC approach, and that’s a good thing →

Original Content

Why fans are justified in picking a team when it comes to video games

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I’ve previously compared gamers that choose a favorite video game platform, developer, or franchise to sports fans that pick a team and become psychologically invested in that team’s victories. After mulling it over a bit more, I have to say that it was a poor comparison: Gamers are far more justified in “picking a team” than sports fans are, because they receive a benefit more tangible than the sense of pride that comes from people they admire being really good at handling balls. Continue reading Why fans are justified in picking a team when it comes to video games →