[Vindictus]

It's basically what all the reviews said: a modernised mario kart that is just as fun to play as the predecessors. The game looks absolutely great, for me it's worth the cash alone to see MK64 and Double Dash maps remastered in 1080p. It doesn't use the gamepad much, it basically just moves the placings, map and a secondary camera on to it in case the TV is taken. Each of those can be enlarged on the gamepad to encompass the entire screen, which is kinda useful but I don't find myself glancing at it often. The anti-gravity stuff doesn't really add anything to the game except a few extra routes on some tracks, and motorbikes seem slightly overpowered (or maybe just easier to pick up). I haven't played online yet so I can't say how shit that is, although it's supposed to be annoying to play with/against friends.

tl;dr hold A to win every race, mario kart 8 worst thing since dark souls. 8/10

Also downloading Wind Waker HD right now, so I'll have that and MK8 to suck up my time.

[Snupes]

It's basically what all the reviews said: a modernised mario kart that is just as fun to play as the predecessors. The game looks absolutely great, for me it's worth the cash alone to see MK64 and Double Dash maps remastered in 1080p. It doesn't use the gamepad much, it basically just moves the placings, map and a secondary camera on to it in case the TV is taken. Each of those can be enlarged on the gamepad to encompass the entire screen, which is kinda useful but I don't find myself glancing at it often. The anti-gravity stuff doesn't really add anything to the game except a few extra routes on some tracks, and motorbikes seem slightly overpowered (or maybe just easier to pick up). I haven't played online yet so I can't say how shit that is, although it's supposed to be annoying to play with/against friends.

tl;dr hold A to win every race, mario kart 8 worst thing since dark souls. 8/10

Also downloading Wind Waker HD right now, so I'll have that and MK8 to suck up my time.

Yaaaay. I should be getting it this weekend. And tell us what you think of Wind Waker! One of the kids here is playing it right now, he's been begging me all month.

[Vindictus]

I should've downloaded Wonderful 101. I found Wind Waker HD for $52 used at EB games. I knew that would happen with one of them the second I downloaded the other

[Ghost of V]

Take time to get the Speed Sail in Wind Waker HD. It makes traveling less tedious and the game more enjoyable in the long run.

[Vindictus]

Will do. I'll enjoy walking around in Wind Waker, the game looks absolutely fantastic.

[Ghost of V]

Yeah. The artstyle is timeless. Wind Waker and Okami are great examples of games that don't need super realistic water and grass and huge pixel counts to look beautiful.

[Ghost of V]

That's what I meant. I don't think it'll be what I'd call a "good game", but I'll still enjoy the mindlessness of playing as Zelda characters in that scenario.

What would you consider a good game? Is that not subjective? The main objective when creating a game is that it will be fun, and I can see Hyrule Warriors being extremely fun. Which means it will probably be a good game. If it's Dynasty Warriors + Zelda then I don't see how that could go wrong other than the devs making a glitchy mess, which won't happen.

[EnigmaZV]

I haven't liked a Mario Kart since the original for the SNES. I think non-random items is a terrible idea. I think AI catch up and lag is a terrible idea. I think the blue turtle shell is the worst idea of all time. If they could fix those three things, then they would be wonderfully enjoyable games.

[Ghost of V]

I haven't liked a Mario Kart since the original for the SNES. I think non-random items is a terrible idea. I think AI catch up and lag is a terrible idea. I think the blue turtle shell is the worst idea of all time. If they could fix those three things, then they would be wonderfully enjoyable games.

B-but they've added anti-gravity.... 

[EnigmaZV]

I haven't liked a Mario Kart since the original for the SNES. I think non-random items is a terrible idea. I think AI catch up and lag is a terrible idea. I think the blue turtle shell is the worst idea of all time. If they could fix those three things, then they would be wonderfully enjoyable games.

B-but they've added anti-gravity.... 

It sounds like a neat feature. I just don't like that I'm not really penalized for falling off the edge of the map. All the AI slows down, and I'm given a starman, a blue shell, and a bullet as my next three items, which puts me back in first place before the end of the lap. Only flawless driving, and a lot of luck should allow me to do that. Also, it seems impossible to lap the AI characters unless there is a second player who sucks. Furthermore, at least for Mario Kart Wii, saving a bullet for when you get back into first place is useless, as it seems that the duration of the bullet decreases the farther up you are. I think it only lasted one second.

[Ghost of V]

I haven't liked a Mario Kart since the original for the SNES. I think non-random items is a terrible idea. I think AI catch up and lag is a terrible idea. I think the blue turtle shell is the worst idea of all time. If they could fix those three things, then they would be wonderfully enjoyable games.

B-but they've added anti-gravity.... 

It sounds like a neat feature. I just don't like that I'm not really penalized for falling off the edge of the map. All the AI slows down, and I'm given a starman, a blue shell, and a bullet as my next three items, which puts me back in first place before the end of the lap. Only flawless driving, and a lot of luck should allow me to do that. Also, it seems impossible to lap the AI characters unless there is a second player who sucks. Furthermore, at least for Mario Kart Wii, saving a bullet for when you get back into first place is useless, as it seems that the duration of the bullet decreases the farther up you are. I think it only lasted one second.

I don't like the karting genre either, but for other reasons. It sounds like you want a more competitive racing game, maybe you should stick with Gran Turismo? Mario Kart tends to be aimed at a younger audience (hence all the hand-holding), but has a somewhat (keyword) competitive edge that appeals to some adults as well.

[EnigmaZV]

Super Mario Kart came out when I was 10, and my brother was 6. There was no hand-holding in that game, and it was very enjoyable for both of us, and he became quite adept at it. Unless they're targetting the game at children younger than 6, I don't see why they would need to dumb down the AI.
As an example, I was playing Mario Kart Wii with my sister-in-law's nephew who is 10. He self-reported as having played this game constantly, and considered himself very good at it. He wanted someone to play with him, and I handily beat him, having only ever casually played the game prevoiusly. On the other hand, I have my original copy of Super Mario Kart, and there is no way I can get anywhere close to my best times now in time trial mode, than I did when I was 10 and played constantly.
My point is that there is no motivation to improve, and it's producing mediocre gamers. This particular child also enjoys the Lego series of games, which also doesn't penalize failure.

[Ghost of V]

Super Mario Kart came out when I was 10, and my brother was 6. There was no hand-holding in that game, and it was very enjoyable for both of us, and he became quite adept at it. Unless they're targetting the game at children younger than 6, I don't see why they would need to dumb down the AI.
As an example, I was playing Mario Kart Wii with my sister-in-law's nephew who is 10. He self-reported as having played this game constantly, and considered himself very good at it. He wanted someone to play with him, and I handily beat him, having only ever casually played the game prevoiusly. On the other hand, I have my original copy of Super Mario Kart, and there is no way I can get anywhere close to my best times now in time trial mode, than I did when I was 10 and played constantly.
My point is that there is no motivation to improve, and it's producing mediocre gamers. This particular child also enjoys the Lego series of games, which also doesn't penalize failure.

The original Mario Kart was made during a completely different time. "Nintendo-Hard" was still a thing back then. We can speculate on why they changed their game-making philosophy all day, but it all amounts to the same thing. As an example, let's look at Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze, both these games actually have a mode that lets the computer beat the level for you if you keep dying over and over again. That's abysmal and awful game design, in my opinion. My solution? I don't play those games.

It's a mistake that many game developers make these days actually. There is an overabundance of hand-holding in many games. The Grand Theft Auto series pretty much tells you everything you need to do to beat the game: get in your car, follow this line on the mini-map, get out of your car, shoot these people, pick up their drops, get back into the car, follow this line back to the base, drop off the stuff you picked up. GTA actually says most of this stuff on the screen, eliminating the need to think for yourself to figure things out. My solution? I don't play GTA games.



A great example against this is Mega Man X. That game is amazing in that it teaches you how to play via the level design itself, not words on the screen or tutorials. Super Metroid also does it right.

Sorry if I'm getting off topic.

[Vindictus]

Mario Kart 8 is harder than MK7, Double Dash and MK64. Mostly because of the random shells and shit that hit you in 150cc, but it is still harder. Some of the new maps are insane to navigate, with all the tight turns, anti-grav and constantly moving ground.

After playing most of the new maps, I have to say that anti-gravity is actually quite cool.

I haven't liked a Mario Kart since the original for the SNES. I think non-random items is a terrible idea. I think AI catch up and lag is a terrible idea. I think the blue turtle shell is the worst idea of all time. If they could fix those three things, then they would be wonderfully enjoyable games.

B-but they've added anti-gravity.... 

It sounds like a neat feature. I just don't like that I'm not really penalized for falling off the edge of the map. All the AI slows down, and I'm given a starman, a blue shell, and a bullet as my next three items, which puts me back in first place before the end of the lap. Only flawless driving, and a lot of luck should allow me to do that. Also, it seems impossible to lap the AI characters unless there is a second player who sucks. Furthermore, at least for Mario Kart Wii, saving a bullet for when you get back into first place is useless, as it seems that the duration of the bullet decreases the farther up you are. I think it only lasted one second.

Falling off the edge puts you last in 150cc in MK8. No two ways about it. So far I've been unable to solidify a good lead on the AI, hitting 1st for every map alone is kinda difficult. I might be a bit out of practice, but it didn't take me this long to get gud in MK7.

[Ghost of V]

New character. From Kid Icarus: Uprising.

[Blanko]

Dumping Zelda U shots from press kit:









I like the art style a lot, it's like a mix-up between WW HD and SS. Also, Link is so gender-ambiguous here that I'm half expecting him to turn out to be Zelda (and note that he's using a "magic" bow, and that he isn't carrying a sword or a shield). That would be really neat, actually.

[Ghost of V]

Was just about to post something about the direct.

Video link: http://e3.nintendo.com/videos/#/GisRY6h100U

I think the new Zelda game looks great, but I'm conflicted about Link's model. Obviously he will get the tunic, but he looks very Disney. I was hoping for a darker art style (like TP), but I was hoping for that before Skyward Sword and still looked the other way. I hope this new title doesn't become a bunch of fetch quests and item grinding, which was a gameplay trope the started with Skyward Sword (bug collecting, weapon upgrade system). Open world Zelda seems too good to be true.

I'm not a big fan of the amiibos. Why? Who asked for Skylanders tech in Smash Bros? No one.

[Blanko]

I wouldn't say it's "obvious" that he'll get his tunic. I don't think there's been a Zelda reveal before where they showed Link without it.

Regardless of what Link turns out to be, I think the teaser strongly implies some breaking of series conventions.

[Ghost of V]

Your Link being Zelda theory is interesting to say the least.  I could totally see it going that way. Although, what's magic about the bow? S/he's using bomb arrows.

Link will still be the playable character though, I think.

I dont think they will break that many conventions though. Link is the hero of Hyrule and of Legend. The hero always has a green tunic. That is staple Zelda mythos. Link will get his tunic, but it might turn out to be later In the game.

[Vindictus]

Holy damn that looks good.