The Nintendo Switch

[Mog]

I wouldn’t go so far as to call Battlecry a dumpster fire.  A middling game with some annoyingly crap levels?  Yes.  But nowhere near dumpster fire levels.

Now, Robotech:  Invasion?  Yeah, that’s definitely a smoking, steaming poop, 5 alarm, Grade A dumpster fire.

[Seto Kaiba]

2 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

This surely is as surprise:

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/03/robotech_the_macross_saga_hd_edition_just_stealth-dropped_on_the_nintendo_switch_eshop

What's the surprise?  That HG is trying to find water in a dry well again?

None of the Robotech video games sold all that well, that's why they stopped developing them after the Invasion underwhelmed so thoroughly.

 

34 minutes ago, Keith said:

Was that any better than the dumpster fire that was Battlecry?

I'm guessing you played the Gamecube release and found its hundred and one soft-lock glitches?

[Convectuoso]

1 hour ago, Seto Kaiba said:

What's the surprise?  That HG is trying to find water in a dry well again?

Because I guess no one was expecting it.

@Seto Kaiba wasn't Australia one of the countries where BG had regained the rights to the Macross brand? What implications could this have?

[kajnrig]

Just watched fifteen seconds of the original. Not worth a gander; it's about as low-rent as low-rent can be. If I want to play a decent shmup, I'll just emulate Einhander or Gradius V, or hit up whatever I have in my Steam library, thanks.

 

[Seto Kaiba]

1 hour ago, Convectuoso said:

Because I guess no one was expecting it.

@Seto Kaiba wasn't Australia one of the countries where BG had regained the rights to the Macross brand? What implications could this have?

Nah, the UK, EU, and China were the ones where Big West has taken back the Macross trademarks or is in the process of doing so.

Australia's probably not on the radar, since its anime distribution industry is pretty minimal and AFAIK mostly focuses on sub-licensing stuff from distributors in the US or UK.

 

25 minutes ago, kajnrig said:

Just watched fifteen seconds of the original. Not worth a gander; it's about as low-rent as low-rent can be. If I want to play a decent shmup, I'll just emulate Einhander or Gradius V, or hit up whatever I have in my Steam library, thanks.

 

All told, for a GBA game it doesn't look that bad... but from the video here the gameplay definitely looks pretty spartan.  

I guess it's just another fine addition to the Nintendo eShop's shovelware collection.

[pengbuzz]

5 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

What's the surprise?  That HG is trying to find water in a dry well again?

None of the Robotech video games sold all that well, that's why they stopped developing them after the Invasion underwhelmed so thoroughly.

 

I'm guessing you played the Gamecube release and found its hundred and one soft-lock glitches?

HG trying to squeeze the last droplets of money out of a franchise is about as predictable as the Cookie Monster looking for a good chocolate-chip cookie.

As for Battlecry: I truly hate that game. Had the PS2 version and half the time, Gerwalk/ "Guardian" mode would get me killed. Not that fighter or Battroid mode were anything to scream home about, but any level that needed Gerwalk? You may as well put in Metal Gear Solid and enjoy that instead.

[Keith]

Yup, for a game where you're constantly flying, it sure had a low invisible ceiling.

[Seto Kaiba]

1 hour ago, Keith said:

Yup, for a game where you're constantly flying, it sure had a low invisible ceiling.

It did, at that.  I suspect a lot of the game's issues were caused by the cel shader they used consuming more resources than anticipated.

Kinda surprised they haven't attempted to port Battlecry to a newer system, since that was the only one of their video games that got at least vaguely positive reviews and it wouldn't stretch the Switch's hardware at all given how simple it was for the time.  Porting the GBA Macross Saga game feels almost self-defeating.  You don't normally re-release a game which was in the running for "Most Disappointing Game" for its console with reviewers.

 

[Mog]

33 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Kinda surprised they haven't attempted to port Battlecry to a newer system, since that was the only one of their video games that got at least vaguely positive reviews and it wouldn't stretch the Switch's hardware at all given how simple it was for the time. 

 

They tried to send the game’s code to Nintendo using a Cat’s Eye transport.  But the Zent’s kept blowing the plane up.

[azrael]

An HD re-release of a GBA game I have no plan on getting for my Switch. M.E.H.

[Einherjar]

There’s a Nikki Basara clone in Robotech now.  An old video game can’t undo a humiliating development like that.

[jenius]

Guys, HG isn't a video game company, they have nothing to do with video games except the nickel they earn when someone else makes a game for the license. They have nothing to do with any of these decisions.

[Old_Nash]

On 3/1/2021 at 4:27 PM, Keith said:

Was that any better than the dumpster fire that was Battlecry?

Battlecry was good.

Tried to make a good side-story of Macross. And did in some parts, but in anothers was bad some others.

But thats a good game.

Invasion, for other side, was not much ... terrible.

 

[azrael]

In more hardware-related news this week...

Nintendo Plans Switch Model With Bigger Samsung OLED Display (Bloomberg)

New Nintendo Switch production to begin in June, will be 4K when docked (Ars Technica)

 

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, azrael said:

In more hardware-related news this week...

Nintendo Plans Switch Model With Bigger Samsung OLED Display (Bloomberg)

New Nintendo Switch production to begin in June, will be 4K when docked (Ars Technica)

 

I mean, cool if true, but this rumor has been going around so long that I'll believe it when pre-orders go up.

[azrael]

13 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

I mean, cool if true, but this rumor has been going around so long that I'll believe it when pre-orders go up.

It's probably a matter of "when", not "if". 4K output? Sure, but what's the framerate? Probably 30fps(?). I imagine they're going to push the low-point of battery life to somewhere in the 6-hour range.

[Scyla]

On 3/5/2021 at 6:12 PM, mikeszekely said:

I mean, cool if true, but this rumor has been going around so long that I'll believe it when pre-orders go up.

And then you can’t buy it because of a chip shortage. 
 

[edit:] The only thing I want from a Switch successor is a flip out stand that doesn’t suck. It is the one thing I loathe on that system. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by Scyla

[Mommar]

On 3/5/2021 at 10:45 AM, azrael said:

It's probably a matter of "when", not "if". 4K output? Sure, but what's the framerate? Probably 30fps(?). I imagine they're going to push the low-point of battery life to somewhere in the 6-hour range.

New Nvidia chips do an upscale conversion at output for practically zero cost to processing on the hardware.  They'll probably implement that so on board it will still be 1080p and you'll get the same frame rate.

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, Scyla said:

And then you can’t buy it because of a chip shortage. 
 

[edit:] The only thing I want from a Switch successor is a flip out stand that doesn’t suck. It is the one thing I loathe on that system. 

I know I'm probably hoping against hope, but I do hope they won't be too hard to get.  I wouldn't mind getting something with a bigger screen for portable mode and 4K for my TVs, plus my daughter's getting to an age where she's starting to show some interest.  I was thinking that instead of selling my current Switch to upgrade like I normally would I'd just let my daughter have my old one.

[fifbeat]

Has anyone posted this Trailer anywhere? If so, I couldn't find it, so here we go: 

 

 

[jenius]

Well it definitely looks improved from my little table top arcade game... fair warning for anyone taking the first dive, the destroid levels are AWFUL. The rest is pretty standard side scrolling shooter.

[fifbeat]

12 minutes ago, jenius said:

Well it definitely looks improved from my little table top arcade game... fair warning for anyone taking the first dive, the destroid levels are AWFUL. The rest is pretty standard side scrolling shooter.

So it basically feels and plays like the GBA/Table Top version, but with better graphics (and music from the TV series)? 

[Old_Nash]

On 3/13/2021 at 4:22 AM, fifbeat said:

Has anyone posted this Trailer anywhere? If so, I couldn't find it, so here we go: 

 

 

Still slow for a shooter.

But the graphics are ok.

I hope Zamuse or Big West can release a HD version of Scramble Valkyrie.

Or some Psp Macross for Switch

Edited March 21, 2021 by Old_Nash

[Hikuro]

That to me is a hell of a lot sharper looking than what it was long ago seeing how they were SD sorta looking. I may end up just getting this just for the hell of it since I enjoy side scrollers, and I do like the new graphics.

[Keith]

So... Why is there a rooster/turkey?

[Old_Nash]

The rooster was the mascot of the developer of game, the Lucky Chicken Games

 

[Tking22]

Any Monster Hunter fans here? Monster Hunter Rise comes out very soon, I'm excited. I've put thousands of hours into this series and I'm ready for more, I just hit 1700 hours on World/Iceborne, go Gunlance.

[mikeszekely]

2 hours ago, Tking22 said:

Any Monster Hunter fans here? Monster Hunter Rise comes out very soon, I'm excited. I've put thousands of hours into this series and I'm ready for more, I just hit 1700 hours on World/Iceborne, go Gunlance.

I tried one a few years back on the 3DS. Couldn't get into it. I heard it's better with multiplayer, but multiplayer isn't my thing, so I've stayed away since. Been tempted to try World on Steam, though.

Right now, though, I've got Bravely Default II and Persona 5 Strikers to keep me busy until the SMT3 Nocturne remake comes out.

[kanedaestes]

I’m a hardcore fan and I’m always ready for the hunt

[mikeszekely]

On 3/23/2021 at 7:19 PM, mikeszekely said:

Been tempted to try World on Steam, though.

Actually, I finally got my hands on a PS5, and there's a bunch of games PS Plus members can claim for free on PS5 listed as "PlayStation Essentials." World (sans Iceborne) is one of them, so I might as well check it out there.

[Black Valkyrie]

 

 

 

[Mommar]

Talk about a blast from sixteen years in the past.  Dread was seriously a rumored sequel back in 2005.

[mikeszekely]

Yeah, E3 was pretty chill for me until the Nintendo Direct.  I mean, there was stuff I was excited for that I already knew about (Far Cry 6) and new stuff I'll play but I'm not super excited about (Forza Horizon 5), but Nintendo was basically giving me a checklist of stuff I need... Zelda, Metroid, Fatal Frame, Warioware, and Shin Megami Tensei.

[UN Spacy]

Anyone able to nab a special edition of Metroid 5?

[DYRL VF-1S]

On 3/13/2021 at 2:32 AM, jenius said:

Well it definitely looks improved from my little table top arcade game... fair warning for anyone taking the first dive, the destroid levels are AWFUL. The rest is pretty standard side scrolling shooter.

I've enjoyed it a ton and more importantly my 7 year old loves it. He's been a bit too young to enjoy Robotech (or Macross) so the game does a sweet job of introducing it and why I like collecting Valks.