Nintendo Direct 9/13/22

[eclipse]

20 minutes ago, Sidereal Wraith said:

How is stating some issues that I can see with the game “whining”? By that standard there are a few other posts here that could easily be seen as “whining”, such as:

Well. . .

20 minutes ago, Sidereal Wraith said:

- That will be the first main Fire Emblem game I won't buy/play. If this game can be considered a main game, to be honest...

You've stated that you won't buy it, which is perfectly fair.  Yet you continue to post here, despite having no stated interest in buying the game.  Which leads to the question of why.  As in, why would you hang out in the discussion of a game that you said that you aren't going to buy?

[Sidereal Wraith]

37 minutes ago, eclipse said:

You've stated that you won't buy it, which is perfectly fair.  Yet you continue to post here, despite having no stated interest in buying the game.  Which leads to the question of why.  As in, why would you hang out in the discussion of a game that you said that you aren't going to buy?

Actually that was compteSecpurs who stated he won’t buy the game, not me. I was just using his statement as an example.

4 hours ago, CompteSecours said:

That will be the first main Fire Emblem game I won't buy/play.

If this game can be considered a main game, to be honest...

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Sidereal Wraith

[eclipse]

6 minutes ago, Sidereal Wraith said:

Actually that was compteSecpurs who stated he won’t buy the game, not me. I was just using his statement as an example.

Then I don't expect them to come back to say much else.  Unless they change their mind or something.

Regardless, you still haven't answered my question regarding why you want to be here.

[Sidereal Wraith]

Just now, eclipse said:

Regardless, you still haven't answered my question regarding why you want to be here.

To bring up issues that I have about the game which others had posted about before I even sent down one word on this thread?

[eclipse]

2 minutes ago, Sidereal Wraith said:

To bring up issues that I have about the game which others had posted about before I even sent down one word on this thread?

There's a difference between pointing out issues with the game and coming in here only to complain.  I'm okay with the former but not okay with the latter.  Do you understand the distinction?

[vanguard333]

6 minutes ago, DefyingFates said:

I... just got that and... wow xD

I'm afraid I didn't think Zelda would ever be playable in a game by "What would Link do?"-Nintendo, but there's a tiny part of me that still wishes I'm wrong too...

I didn't notice it at first either; someone else pointed out the poor timing of the name to me after I saw the trailer.

They made Zelda playable in Spirit Tracks, so there is always the possibility as there is precedent. It would be a real shame if it didn't happen for this game, as Breath of the Wild ended on Link and Zelda finally being reunited after 100 years and setting out together, so having them immediately be separated in the sequel would feel like a disservice to how BOTW ended. I know this because Nintendo has done it before: Wind Waker ended on Link and Tetra setting out together, then Phantom Hourglass immediately sidelined Tetra and had her spend much of the game as a statue, and I remember that getting more complaints than anything else in Phantom Hourglass (which is saying a lot considering how many complaints the touchscreen controls and the temple of the ocean king received).

[DefyingFates]

2 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

They made Zelda playable in Spirit Tracks, so there is always the possibility as there is precedent.

True, but she was a ghost possessing a skeleton, she didn't get the "full" treatment Link always gets (mobility, agency, items, etc)... which is exactly what people wanted from Nintendo.

3 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Wind Waker ended on Link and Tetra setting out together, then Phantom Hourglass immediately sidelined Tetra and had her spend much of the game as a statue, and I remember that getting more complaints than anything else in Phantom Hourglass

They make great games, but Nintendo is simply terrible at listening to feedback, especially from the West - though that's true of a lot of Japanese companies, since they all seem to have a mentality of "we always know what's best so we'll do what we've always done". But that's getting into the whole collectivist vs individualist society thing that I probably shouldn't get into. Funny that I was actually thinking about it earlier today actually: on one hand, that kind of arrogance is probably why Nintendo puts out games that feel unique, but it's also why they don't really shake things up as a company or in anything that isn't about new gameplay systems.

[Armchair General]

37 minutes ago, DefyingFates said:

True, but she was a ghost possessing a skeleton,

Technically, it's an suit of armor and it was the main gimmick for that Tower you kept going back to. 

 

But...

39 minutes ago, DefyingFates said:

she didn't get the "full" treatment Link always gets (mobility, agency, items, etc)... which is exactly what people wanted from Nintendo

Given how often she gets forced out of spotlight in other games, Spirit Tracks might be one of the few games where she retains an major role. Aside from Wind Waker and the Warriors games.

[Fabulously Olivier]

2 hours ago, ciphertul said:

I'm really worried about the cast size in Engage as we get to see an outfit select for one girl and I don't see everyone in the game getting 6+ outfits unless they are super generic.

I'm just glad for oufit select so Alear doesn't have to look like Bozo the Clown.

 

This is what 4th graders think looks cool.

[Sunwoo]

Hmm ... I'm really not into the whole idea of "all the FE characters and worlds have either existed in the same world at one point, or exist as stories told in all the worlds" angle. It was bearable in games like Heroes (which has a format that doesn't work for serious storytelling and is a gacha first and foremost) or Warriors (basically non-canon and not part of the main universe), but if this one is meant to be a main level entry ... yeah, I don't think that's my thing.

I'll probably follow the news to see what exactly this is supposed to be about and how it's going to be, but after the massive burnout from 3H I'm kind of wary of FE in general.

[Bylift]

I agree with a lot of the hesitation and critiques about the campy and childish cinematic scenes, over the top fan-service female characters, and all that.

But I mean, look. It's a reveal trailer, and you had to really pause and look frame by frame to see much of the gameplay. So I'm cautiously optimistic.

End of the day I love the strategy and gameplay of FE. The story always seems to be wanting, but if I can skip cut scenes? I'm good. Just let me load out my units and clear the map.

Hoping we get more gameplay trailers or first looks soon.

EMBLEM - ENGAGE!! (lol)

[DefyingFates]

34 minutes ago, Armchair General said:

Technically, it's an suit of armor and it was the main gimmick for that Tower you kept going back to.

I... don't know how I managed to type "skeleton" instead of armor there, wow...

35 minutes ago, Armchair General said:

Given how often she gets forced out of spotlight in other games, Spirit Tracks might be one of the few games where she retains an major role. Aside from Wind Waker and the Warriors games.

Yeah, and she got kidnapped as soon as she was revealed to be Zelda in WW and the Warriors games were made by another studio, so it's really not a good look for her in Nintendo's hands, huh?

11 minutes ago, Sunwoo said:

"all the FE characters and worlds have either existed in the same world at one point, or exist as stories told in all the worlds"

Eh, the outrealms were a thing in Awakening before Fates ruined them with the whole "babyrealm" thing, and as long as it doesn't cheapen the individual stories I don't mind all the entries being part of a multiverse - particularly if only Elyos and Askr can even access it reliably.

8 minutes ago, Bylift said:

EMBLEM - ENGAGE!! (lol)

Yeah, that was... a bit cheesy. But again, as long as the Emblems are fleshed out, I'll be happy.

[Lord_Brand]

Glad to have a subtitle for the BotW sequel. Kinda sad that Zelda looks to be sitting it out again. The least they can do is give us some DLC for her or something this time...

[Sunwoo]

6 minutes ago, DefyingFates said:

Eh, the outrealms were a thing in Awakening before Fates ruined them with the whole "babyrealm" thing, and as long as it doesn't cheapen the individual stories I don't mind all the entries being part of a multiverse - particularly if only Elyos and Askr can even access it reliably.

I wasn't too big on the outrealms in Awakening tbh and the less said about the babyrealms the better, but it was tolerable because characters whom existed prior to Awakening weren't a part of the plot and just optional DLC. This one looks like it's baked into the plot though.

[Armchair General]

5 minutes ago, DefyingFates said:

so it's really not a good look for her in Nintendo's hands, huh?

That they really can't move away from their "damsel in distress" routine?

 

17 minutes ago, Bylift said:

But I mean, look. It's a reveal trailer, and you had to really pause and look frame by frame to see much of the gameplay. So I'm cautiously optimistic.

Yeah, I don't really fault you for being cautious about this one. Unless this is an development build, the enemy quality is pretty terrible if we're going by the raw damage from the special attacks.

So far I've see at least 6 different levels within that trailer and most them featured an one-sided fight. I know that at least two of them are an part of the prologue. But as for the rest, it's not exactly worth  buying, in my opinion.

[vanguard333]

1 hour ago, DefyingFates said:

True, but she was a ghost possessing a skeleton, she didn't get the "full" treatment Link always gets (mobility, agency, items, etc)... which is exactly what people wanted from Nintendo.

It was a suit of armour, not a skeleton. It's like Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist.

I don't think Zelda necessarily needs the full Link treatment; as long as she at least gets the adventuring-companion treatment (Navi, Midna, etc.), then I'm happy, and Spirit Tracks provided that and more, making her by far the most useful adventuring companion any Link has ever had.

That said, I'd love to see a spinoff title or something like that where Zelda has to save Hyrule while Link is indisposed; perhaps a title that's a lot more focused on puzzle-solving than exploration and relies on magic rather than items.

 

1 hour ago, DefyingFates said:

They make great games, but Nintendo is simply terrible at listening to feedback, especially from the West - though that's true of a lot of Japanese companies, since they all seem to have a mentality of "we always know what's best so we'll do what we've always done". But that's getting into the whole collectivist vs individualist society thing that I probably shouldn't get into. Funny that I was actually thinking about it earlier today actually: on one hand, that kind of arrogance is probably why Nintendo puts out games that feel unique, but it's also why they don't really shake things up as a company or in anything that isn't about new gameplay systems.

That's true with Nintendo in general, but it was usually not the case with The Legend of Zelda. With The Legend of Zelda, they used to be extremely quick to respond to feedback, usually to the point of overcorrecting. Majora's Mask and Wind Waker were initially criticized by an incorrect portion of the fanbase for being too different from Ocarina of Time, with that fan base going as far as to condemn Wind Waker for being too "cartoony" in their eyes, so along came Twilight Princess: a game that tried too hard to be like Ocarina of Time and was otherwise basically one big response to the complaints about Wind Waker in particular. Spirit Tracks similarly was basically one big response to all the criticisms of Phantom Hourglass, but in a way that benefitted Spirit Tracks. And let's not forget that the complaints that the series was gradually getting too linear, with Skyward Sword having been the breaking point for many, that led to the Zelda team reassessing things and making more open games like A Link Between Worlds and Breath of the Wild.

But, something happened, and now their willing to completely ignore various criticisms of the Zelda games. Many complained about Link being right-handed in Skyward Sword without an optional left-handed setting for left-handed players (or for any players who prefer left-handed Link because he's always been left-handed), and Nintendo decided to make Link right-handed in Breath of the Wild despite that game's complete lack of 1:1 motion controls whatsoever.

 

48 minutes ago, Armchair General said:

Given how often she gets forced out of spotlight in other games, Spirit Tracks might be one of the few games where she retains an major role. Aside from Wind Waker and the Warriors games.

To be fair, Zelda does usually have a major role at least since A Link to the Past; in more recent years, games like Phantom Hourglass that sideline Zelda are more the exception.

 

12 minutes ago, DefyingFates said:

Yeah, and she got kidnapped as soon as she was revealed to be Zelda in WW

And then she helped Link slay Ganondorf using the light arrows to stun him; that counts for something.

[MagicCanonBalls]

Octopath get a mobile game (still not available in my country...) AND a sequel, looks like they are planning to make this into a series. I like the character design a lot more than the previous one. Not a fan of Day & Night system by the looks of it. I can barely memorize how those gimmick works for each character when I'm playing last time, and now they going to add more.

Surprised to see DLC info for XC3 just for a new character and some challenge battles, still halfway from completing the main story myself but this doesn't make me feel like purchasing the DLC packs until the story pack comes out. On that note, was really hoping for 3 Hopes DLC. I am saving Blue Lion's run for it.

As for FE Engage

• Actual brawling is here. As a combat-focus guy this is the most hype thing for me.
• I don't like how the skill at 2:34 changes your position after, and that we starts from at least 2 tiles away. This might makes me sounds gatekeeping but the whole combat doesn't feel FE to me.
• So it seems like they need diff lords to wield non-sword weapon so that it's more balanced for the main Engage casts, but it's again on bare minimum level. Only one Axe and one bow lord still (ugh, can't believe I have to deal with Ike again). For FE8, Eirika also has brave outfit that wields lance. The Sacae girl also has more bow alts in Heroes than sword. If Sigurd, Ike, and Lucina can not wield their famous swords then why all these other sword lords have to.
• Why is Legendary Lucina masked here? 
• The combat scenes look too clean and polished for me. It's too much sunshine and white clouds. 
• Seems like durability is not present here and that's really good.
• Alear is listed as Dragon child so I'm assuming Corrin (I can't tell if it's male or female corrin from the mural) wielding dragonstone means they probably might be important  as well. I personally welcome to see Corrin as their own character but knowing the fandom it's gonna be controversial if that were the case. 
• Small nitpick, what's up with those skill names. Divinely Inspiring sounds really awkward to say, wouldn't divine inspiration sounds better. It's not even the same translation from the Japanese trailer, which is either divine dragon's end or divine dragon's binding.
• The name in Japanese video is also straight up Fire Emblem Engage, not Japanese title and no kanji, that worrying.
• The female lord from the leak looks better than Alear in the trailer here. I think the characters design looks great but that's not my focus anyway.

[Jotari]

39 minutes ago, MagicCanonBalls said:

The name in Japanese video is also straight up Fire Emblem Engage, not Japanese title and no kanji, that worrying.

Why's that worrying? It's not exactly unprecedented for the series, Fates and Shadows of Valentia had English in their titles too, though Fates English title they changed because, idk grammar? And Shadows of Valentia used English for the Echoes part of the title. But even if those two games didn't do anything like that, I'm not sure what would be worrying about a title with no Japanese.

[Lord_Brand]

1 hour ago, Armchair General said:

That they really can't move away from their "damsel in distress" routine?

I mean, I like rescuing damsels myself, but that doesn't mean I want them to be flat, one-dimensional characters with no personality or role beyond being rescued. There are a couple ways to make the trope more engaging and interesting, at least one of which Nintendo has used before.

The first is to have the damsel help her rescuer from behind enemy lines, so to speak. We've seen this in the first two Paper Mario games, where Peach sneaks around, gathers intel, and even sends Mario items to help him. The one thing they could have done better in this scenario is to make Peach more active in the side battle against Kammy Koopa during the game's climax; I feel like Twink should have been helping her defeat Kammy, rather than the other way around. Assuming Zelda isn't heavily tied up, encased in crystal, put into enchanted sleep, or otherwise impeded from moving and taking action, she could in theory do the same for Link, like in my proposed scenario where she evades Ganoncorpse in the underground while solving puzzles and maybe finding ways to help Link in the surface world. She can't stop Ganon by herself, but she isn't completely helpless, either.

The second is to treat the damsel as an unlockable character or otherwise tie her in to some kind of gameplay feature. Remember how we rescued Zelda early in ALttP, and she accompanied us to Sanctuary? What if she had become a permanent ally from then on? Even if she got captured and needed rescuing again later, she could resume being a proactive player after the fact. Also consider characters like a merchant who got captured by goblins, or a mage who was blamed for a town's recent problems and locked up to stand trial. These characters have a role to play beyond being helpless souls in need of rescue. The merchant can sell you items (allegedly for a discount as thanks for saving them) and the mage could potentially become a party member or playable character in their own right.

I know this is a controversial idea, but the damsel in distress trope is not inherently bad any more than it is inherently good; like any trope, it's a tool, and like any tool, how effective it is depends on how proficient you are at using it. I would rather use the DID trope as a dynamic than as a goal, so to speak; a way of introducing characters to each other, or of developing their relationship through their actions. In other words, I like dynamic DIDs who develop through the trope moreso than shallow, static DIDs who exist purely for the sake of the trope. So, though I don't want Nintendo to abandon the trope outright, I agree that they need to evolve how they use the trope, to keep it interesting and make the game more satisfying.

Saving the princess doesn't have to be the end of the adventure; it can be the beginning of an adventure, made better by her presence.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Lord_Brand

[Alexmender]

I was stuck at college all day so only now I can comment about the Direct. 

• So the leak was real and we're getting Crest-kun/chan as the lord in Fire Emblem Engage. First impressions say that this game will end up similar to Fates in the story department, I can only hope to be wrong or that it'll make up for it by having Conquest tier gameplay (although I'm not too keen on CQ and it's annoying Ninja corridors of death). As everyone has been memeing, the MC's hair looks like toothpaste, although I do like Mika Pikazo's vibrant artstyle and the other characters look pretty nice even if the girls are a little same face-y. The summoning rings gimmick is reminiscent of FEH, but it seems to also include a fusion mechanic ala TMS, or rather Tales of Zestiria if the rings aren't character exclusive. If the game has good map variety and a nice soundtrack I'll be satisfied. 
• BoTW2 gets a title change and a release date, and that's about it. The little gameplay footage didn't show anything they hadn't mentioned before so it wasn't very exciting for me. 
• Octopath II looks interesting, if the developers listened to the feedback and make all the characters interact with each other rather than act totally isolated then there's a good chance this game will be great. 
• I may have imagined things but I saw a lot of Rune Factory/Animal Crossing type of games during the Direct. There's the RF3 remake, that farming RPG from Square Enix, one that focused on house decorating ala AC, and probably another one that I'm forgetting. Out of all of those I'll keep an eye out for the RF3 remake and the one from SQ. 
• I also noticed the Crisis Core remake coming to Switch but I'm going to get that on Playstation, so the reveal does nothing for me. 
• The Xenoblade 3 dlc serves as a reminder that I need to finish X2+Torna and then buy X3. I'm pretty busy nowadays so I'll take my time doing that. 

I guess that's about it for me. The Direct had some other interesting bits like Bayonetta 3, the first Splatfest on Splatoon 3 and the Kirby remake, but I felt all the headlines dragged the whole thing down a bit. 

[Acacia Sgt]

Aw yeah, what a windfall.

... now I need a Switch...

[joevar]

3 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

I'm just glad for oufit select so Alear doesn't have to look like Bozo the Clown.

 

This is what 4th graders think looks cool.

bold of you to assume alear other outfit wont make him look like a clown. 

i expect theres more bizarre  colourful outfit for alear

3 hours ago, Sunwoo said:

all the FE characters and worlds have either existed in the same world at one point, or exist as stories told in all the worlds

more like they treat it like Marth world-story is the original world where other games is the branch. hence in-game character like in warrior, heroes, TMS, keep admiring Marth like he's the most chad accomplished of all protag. 

2 hours ago, MagicCanonBalls said:

The combat scenes look too clean and polished for me. It's too much sunshine and white clouds. 

its supposedly coming from different team which is the maker of atelier series. but then again newest Atelier ryza3  has way better and more detailed world design. kinda weird really. but i like how its not always "spacious field" like in 3H. 3H when zoomed in more like the character become miniature rather than the building/scenery become bigger.  but now it has more proper scaling imo.

-----------------------------------

now that XC3 1st DLC turns out earlier than expected date, hopefully the story dlc will be released in middle of next year instead of 31st december

[Interdimensional Observer]

7 hours ago, Punished Dayni said:

Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song Remastered (I've heard there's issues with this remake

I did see this one comment when the remaster was announced.:

"Love the SaGa series! This one is a bit difficult though. Throws away the normal convention of grinding to increase power before taking on the final boss, and replaces it with rewarding you for making it through the game as quickly, and with as few detours as possible. Basically, places greater emphasis on exploration and discovery over the course of several playthroughs, rather than a single session. This may frustrate conventional JRPG players,"

I think other comments explained that time is limited, it's impossible to do everything on a single run.

Also, in my personal opinion, and that of some others people...

Spoiler

...the chosen PS2-era pseudo-chibi style doesn't exactly look good.

7 hours ago, Punished Dayni said:

Radiant Silvergun (a shmup. which is fine for those who want that)

The Switch has become quite the console for people who like these. There aren't a lot of new ones being made nowadays, but a great many of the oldies have been dusted off and made available for modern audiences.

7 hours ago, Punished Dayni said:

Then there's a release of Kirby Return to Dreamland (Is this good? let me know

Yes, very much so.

It's an easy action-platformer, as Kirby typically is, yet it is very fun IMO. It was mainline Kirby's return to consoles after skipping the GameCube (Air Ride doesn't count). It sorta started the contemporary era of Kirby, although the Forgotten Land looks like it might be the future now. A solid title overall.

If you have NSO, Kirby Super Star (Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe) would offer a bite-sized version of similar gameplay, if you wanted something to try beforehand.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I invited a friend over to play a Pikmin 2 co-op ROM Hack and we started our day off with this Direct. We were not expecting a Pikmin 4 announcement. Though we were certainly hoping for a look at the gosh darned game. Instead we got a several minutes long gameplay showcase of the mobile thing. If Miyamoto thinks I'm done making fun of him for the "Pikmin 4 is wrapping up development" comment from 2015, he's sorely mistaken.

Lots of Harvest Moon-like games this time huh? We both laughed out loud at the name Harvestella. That's the sort of low effort name you'd imagine giving to your main character in a game like that, right? And if it's a boy you'd name him Harvey.

Kirby is great. Kirby doesn't often do Remakes, but they are all stellar. Like Kirby's Adventure and Super Star, Return to Dreamland holds up perfectly well and does not need a remake, but if they're going to load it up with tons of content, then sure why not? And I want to see what's up with that Magalor-Land in the boxart.

For me the standout trailer didn't come from the Direct itself, it was the Bayonetta gameplay trailer that they actively decided not to include in the Direct. This is "One more thing" material. Hang on what was the last reveal? ...oh. Ouch. Yeah it took me just a few hours to forget all about that one. 

Edited September 14, 2022 by Zapp Branniglenn

[joevar]

2 hours ago, Zapp Branniglenn said:

For me the standout trailer didn't come from the Direct itself, it was the Bayonetta gameplay trailer that they actively decided not to include in the Direct. This is "One more thing" material.

lets be honest here, thats the horniest game in Nintendo, no way the're gonna show too much of it in Direct. just look at the cherry-picked scene they included in direct. it has none of it while the actual trailer told you to "keep an eye on her" while she.. you already know it XD