Miles is here to have an important discussion with Scott; what’s it like being an old man? Old men are important to video games, ever since the one in the cave told us it was dangerous to go alone. Miles will share his insight into being an old hero.
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Nintendo
Super Mario Cereal – Worth the Hype?
Super Mario Cereal is a real deal! Initially leaked on the Internet, Nintendo has now come out and officially confirmed the partnership with Kellogg’s that’s going to bring us our new favorite bowl of flavor. Oh, and it’s an amiibo!
“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Which Games are “Perfect for the Switch”? Scott's Thoughts
“That game is perfect for Switch!”
I’ve heard that phrase every day since the system launched. But what does it mean?
What makes a game perfect for Switch? I started getting a little confused when I heard it simultaneously applied to games like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Picross. Two completely different, polar opposite experiences.
- Is the Switch perfect for long, single-player adventures because you can chip away at them whenever you have time, on the go?
- Is the Switch perfect for bite-sized games that you can boot up and score a quick-win in a couple minutes?
- Is Nintendo’s new console a match made in heaven for single player games that you can hold up close and personal?
- Or is it perfect for multiplayer, competitive games in a LAN setting?
The answer, of course, is yes. Yes to all of the above. Nintendo seems to have caught lightning in a bottle and created a piece of kit that’s begging to have every new release, multiplatform game, indie title, and definitive edition developed for or ported to it.
There has never been a home console or portable that draws games toward it with such a magnetic force, attracting a diverse collection of titles at that.
A new phenomenon has started to happen where multiplatform announcements are discussed as “coming to Switch and other platforms.”
Retail Vs. Digital Pricing Scott’s Thoughts
There is a discrepancy.
When you walk into a store and purchase a new video game, you get more in return: a display case, a printed cover and (sometimes) instruction manual, a cartridge housing the game’s data, the ability to lend the copy to a friend, and the option of selling the copy when you’re done with it.
Downloadable versions provide none of the above benefits (though you could definitely argue for the convenience factor). They cost the same as a physical version, but take up more space on your hard drive or memory card, and are far cheaper for the publisher to distribute.
With digital games, creators don’t pay for printing discs or cartridges, packaging, shipping, or shelf-space at stores. They also don’t split any profit with retailers.
You would almost think the downloadable version should be cheaper.
Further confusing the matter are stores like Best Buy and Amazon, where you can actually get retail releases at a steep discount. It feels backward.
The reason Nintendo and its competitors are afraid to cut gamers a deal on digital versions is that it would make retailers upset. Their relationships with WalMart, Target and others would be severely damaged as gamers flocked to online offerings to get the lowest price.
Why doesn’t Nintendo just cut its retail ties and only offer their games digitally?
They’re not ready yet. The majority of sales still take place in brick and mortar, but that is starting to change.
Someday, a Nintendo console might not come equipped with a cartridge slot. And just maybe, downloadable games will be a little cheaper.
(Or not because of inflation, the rising cost of development, server infrastructure, and Nintendo being a business trying to make money. But one can dream.)
Adventures in Earthbound
Our patrons voted that we should try out Earthbound for the SNES Classic Edition, and their wish is our command! This quirky RPG is sure to be weird, if nothing else. Should be entertaining!
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Now You’re Pronouncing with Power!
We dare you not to laugh as Simeon and Scott attempt to change the way you pronounce Nintendo words, forever! The premise of this episode is simple; we say words as wrongly as possible and you enjoy the funny results. Comment your favorite!
“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Does This Game Bring me Joy? Scott's Thoughts
After multiple articles on downsizing your dusty gaming collection, you’ve probably gotten rid of a bunch of junk, right?
No?
Today’s thought is a simple one, and it can bring you a surprising amount of clarity.
When trying to decide what to keep, throw away, sell, or even what to play next… ask yourself one question:
Does this game bring me joy?
If yes, keep. If no, bye bye.
(Psst… this principal works on movies, clothes, books, pretty much everything. Except living human beings.) Here’s to decluttering!
2017 New Years Gaming Resolutions
We are so gonna Smash these goals! Welcome to 2017 everybody!
Goodbye 2016, hello 2017! We did pretty good on our goals from last year, so it’s time to set some all new resolutions for the coming year. And we’re gamers at the core, so each one of our goals is related to bettering ourselves as video game players and Nintendo fans during the next 365 days. We Have recently started playing over watch which is a great game, we even found this website for Overwatch boosting to help make our gaming experience more fun. Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions? What did you think of ours? Let us know in the comments below.
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
#NotMyNintendo Scott’s Thoughts
Nintendo’s reward program has evolved and devolved over the years. There was a really nice sweet-spot during the Wii era, where lots of great games earned you points and those points could be redeemed for awesome physical prizes. I enjoyed that period and collected a lot of exclusive merch that made me feel like a part of the—well—club.
Things are different with today’s program, My Nintendo. The approach pivoted from rewarding surveys to gameplay accomplishments and task completed instead, which is a sensible exchange. However, with the new program, we’ve firmly waved goodbye to physical goodies like tote bags and hanafuda cards, left to spend our Gold and Platinum coins on in-game outfits, themes, and digital wallpapers.
Turns out, it’s no replacement. I was excited at the onset of My Nintendo, as a few games were offered for redemption: WarioWare Touched!, a DS title, and a Zelda-themed Picross game exclusive to the loyalty service.
Eager for more rewards like this, I quickly became disappointed when I found nothing worthwhile to spend my coins on.
Worse, the digital currency was a ticking time-bomb. Expiration dates loomed over my Nintendo piggy-bank, which threatened to disappear if I didn’t hurry up and spend it on a bunch of themes I would never use.
I don’t feel particularly rewarded by Nintendo, which is a problem when you consider that I’m their best customer: a day-one early adopter, a collector, a completionist, and a brand ambassador dedicating my life to working for them free of charge.
If their customer loyalty program isn’t for me, then who is it for?
Super Mario Odyssey – Co-op Exploration!
It’s Simeon’s first time going hands-on with Super Mario Odyssey, and Scott’s beaten the game! In an effort to not be too spoilery, we’re just hunting for moons in an early world (the Cascade Kingdom) and not wearing any costumes that are TOO amazing! We have a blast and we get rich on purple coins and moons!
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Game Giving Gift Guide
Christmas is nearly upon us! I’m not sure where you live, but the Two Button Crew homebase is covered in snow and ice. It’s a good thing we have the Holidays to look forward to: quality time spent with family and friends, along with the exchanging of gifts.
Before you dash out the door to go Christmas shopping for your friend, make sure you’ve got the right game-plan in place!
Do!
1. Get something you can enjoy together.
You can give something more valuable than your money or another possession this Christmas; an experience. Your time is worth more than anything you could put in wrapping paper. Try to find a game that can instantly be started up and played together – especially cooperatively! This is how memories are made that can last a lifetime.
2. Go in as a group.
There is power in numbers. Sometimes, the best way to get your bestie something special is to gather a bunch of friends and pool your money. Instead of 4 separate games, maybe you give 1 console and make it a Christmas to remember! Or with your combined resources, maybe you can plan a PAX or Comic-Con trip for your lucky friend and cover everything. Together, you can expand your creativity and buy something more substantial.
3. Consider an accessory.
Your friend might be the kind of person who buys all the games they want. It can be difficult to shop for that person. But don’t forget about accessories! These “nice-to-have” upgrades like a carrying case, extra battery pack, console skin, or even an extra controller can help your friend get a lot more mileage out of the games and hardware they already have. Accessories don’t seen essential, so they can be hard to buy for yourself. But as a gift, they suddenly feel invaluable!
4. Ask them what they want.
Enough guess-work! Everyone has a Christmas wish-list, whether it’s on paper or simply unspoken. Ditch the risk of spending money on something that they don’t truly want by hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth… what would they like to receive? It isn’t lame to order something right off of your pal’s list; how happy would you be to get just what you want?
Don’t!
1. Don’t find the cheapest deal available.
I’ve been guilty of swooping down upon a deal. Retailers are all trying to offload their product as soon as Thanksgiving Day rolls around, so you’re going to see some pretty cheap games, guides, and gaming goodies galore.
Don’t fall for it! It’s a trap. It’s the easy way out. Besides, it’s on sale. If your friend really wants it, they’ll pick it up.
2. Don’t buy them a game you already have.
Yeah yeah, you have awesome taste in games. You buy the most exciting, most fun titles. That doesn’t mean you should look at your collection and get your friend one step closer to matching it. The reason is simple: you can lend that stuff out. Instead of allowing things collect dust on your shelf, let a friend borrow some games and get them something unique.
3. Don’t get them to finally try something.
You’ve been telling your buddy to try this new game; just to try it! But they’re not easy to convince. Christmas seems like the perfect opportunity to push them over the ledge and provide them with that sweet new experience.
I wouldn’t do this. Speaking from experience, there’s probably a good reason that friend has been reluctant to take your advice. They haven’t sprung for the new game because it just looks like it’s not for them.
Oh well—you tried! Instead, give a gift that they’re more interested in.
4. Don’t give them store credit.
Sure, everybody likes money… but it’s not exciting to open. It’s definitely not personal, and might suggest that you don’t know the recipient well enough. That’s not what you want to communicate on Christmas. Besides, the value on the eShop card is obvious and apparent, placing a pricetag on your friendship.
Got the Four ‘Do’s and Four ‘Don’t’s of the Game Giving Gift Guide?
Good! Go and give some great games.
Super Castlevia IV – Let’s Whip Some Tail
A pattern is emerging… each week, our Patrons get to vote on which games we stream live. Each week, they pick the hardest ones possible. On this edition of Let’s Play Classics, Simeon and Scott are tasked with conquering the first few levels of Super Castlevania IV on the SNES Classic Edition. Will they abuse the rewind feature? Will they throw their beautiful new controllers in frustration? Find out, and enjoy the show!
“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Online Infrastructure Scott's Thoughts
Forget my two front teeth. All I want for Christmas is a solid online infrastructure for Nintendo Switch!
Add Friends
Can friend codes please go die in a deep, dark, flaming, sulfury smelling hole? Thanks.
There’s no reason that friend codes should still exist. They’re long, impersonal, impractical, and not used in any other modern technological setting.
See Friends
Nintendo has historically been all about the “couch multiplayer” experience, but it’s time those sensibilities were extended to online play. Their preferences don’t excuse them for providing trash solutions over the Internet. When my friend comes online to play a game, I get a little pop-up in the top left corner of my screen… but that’s it! I can’t tap on it, can’t spectate their session, can’t send them a message… nothing. Nintendo could also bring competitive leaderboard features to the forefront by notifying me when my scores are broken by a friend, even before I pop the cartridge in!
Join Friends
It should be easy to play online with my friends, no matter which mode. It should also be painless to make sure we’re on the same Splatoon team, rather than randomly being pitted against each other. Nintendo has always brought friends together, so let’s write the extra lines of code necessary to facilitate that when we aren’t in the same room.
Talk to Friends
Tools. That’s all we need! We just require the tools to speak to our friends, the tools to monitor or restrict that usage for our children, and the ability to use our own equipment. You won’t catch me dead with that horrid squid dongle with a web of cables running every which way… keep it simple.
It shouldn’t matter if we’re playing the same game, either. System-wide party chat has been solved for a couple console generations, so the Big N needs to jump on the bandwagon.
I’m not being too demanding because Nintendo’s competitors have all of this covered already. This is nothing new.
Nintendo starts charging for online play in 2018, and the ramp-up hasn’t looked very promising with how they’ve handled their mobile app and voice chat so far. For crying out loud, Discord has even gone on record saying that Nintendo could contract them to handle this whole infrastructure! There are no more excuses. They have to get this right if they think fans will subscribe to their service.
2017: One of the Best Gaming Years in History?
Fall is already upon us. Leaves are changing, the air is becoming cool and crisp, and good games are seemingly being released left and right. Alas, this blog is not about the season, but about 2017 as a whole. Yes, we have a few more months before it wraps up, but in less than a week, Nintendo’s juggernaut, Super Mario Odyssey will finally be released. I for one cannot wait to sink my teeth into this game. Having already received a perfect score, I think we are in for a fun ride. That being said, I want to focus on what has already been released, and why I think 2017 has been one of the most glorious years for gaming in recent history.
Nintendo is a company that fans expect a lot of. They always seem to set the bar of quality game design higher and higher. Take Breath of the Wild for instance. This game takes the best aspects of the franchise and capitalizes on what makes it great. I felt no greater sense of adventure since I was a young kid playing Super Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time for the first time. This is undoubtedly special, and why so far Breath of the Wild is currently* game of the year for me.
*subject to change
A franchise that was essentially brought back from the dead this year is Metroid. Samus Returns does everything that I was hoping it would. Appealing visuals and tight controls, along with the new melee addition, make for a really addictive journey. I would love to see the developer have free reigns and make a brand-new Metroid game.
This year in particular, smaller, more tightly knit developers are also getting more attention. Sonic Mania is living proof that sometimes, fans know exactly what is best for a franchise. The game was made by only a handful of inspired and passionate people, and look what resulted. The same can be said for the recently released Cuphead. Though not on a Nintendo platform, I couldn’t pass this one up. The 1930’s art style is one that I have never seen before in a game, and pushing through the brutally hard difficulty is so worth it only to experience more. My point is, gamers are starting to appreciate the hand crafted, quality approach, and developers are responding.
The release of the Switch was also monumental, and completely necessary, to erase painful memories of the Wii U era. I love that Nintendo doesn’t feel the need to compete with competitors by powerful processing or graphics, but with intuitive design. A portable home system is something that will pave the way for years to come. When Nintendo becomes irreverent in the industry, Nintendo is at its strongest. We were also fortunate enough to get the SNES classic, so I can replay some of my favorite games of all time the way they were meant to be played.
Perhaps I consider 2017 so impressive because it made franchises relevant again. It made Nintendo relevant again. No, we didn’t get a new Animal Crossing game or a Pikmin game (at least not the type I’d want to see), but we did get a plethora of games that were not afraid to redefine themselves. When I look back on the year and reflect, I see a year of revitalization. A year of redefining what gamers actually want: quality.
Make your Gaming Time Matter Scott’s Thoughts
35 hours.
That’s how many I put into Picross S for Nintendo Switch. It was an impulse buy at $8, “cheap” by many standards, but its true expense was my time.
My days contain 24 hours, like yours, but not many are leftover for gaming. What precious little minutes remain for entertainment must be wisely spent, and I failed to do so with Picross.
Don’t get me wrong; I love the series. But this particular title didn’t offer much by way of new or exciting material. My first few hours were motivated by fun, and I played a bit longer in multiplayer, which was a worthwhile experience with friends and family.
The rest of my time was spent out of compulsion. Nintendo has successfully trained me as a collector, so earning the medals on each group of puzzles felt rewarding at first, but ultimately became a chore.
I truly noticed the problem after completing all 150 levels, then immediately setting out to do them again in Mega Picross mode. The SAME puzzles!
I wanted to be 100% done with the game so that I could move on to other, more fun titles.
Therein lies the issue: I didn’t have to complete the game to move on. I should have closed the software, let it rest, and came back in a few weeks or months.
What I endeavor to do in the future, and I encourage you to as well, is make wiser choices with your gaming time.
Maximize your fun. If a game isn’t doing the trick, sell it. If you can’t get rid of it, forget it.
Our time on this planet is short, so recreation should be used for relaxing, improving skills, and most importantly: spending time with people we care about. Whether that’s your friend or your spouse, gaming can be a great way to grow bonds.
You don’t have to prove anything to anyone by being a completionist. For goodness sake, there aren’t even achievements on your Nintendo profile! And you don’t owe it to yourself to slog through a game just because you purchased it. You wouldn’t eat every bite of a meal at a restaurant if it tasted bad, or pained you to swallow, right? The same applies here.
Rocket League & New Bundles Launching Soon!
Black Friday is almost upon us, and Nintendo is gearing up for a big holiday season! Third parties and indies are also joining in the festivities and launching a slew of games soon. Let’s look at what’s coming up!
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Pokken Tournament DX – I Choose You!
Simeon and Scott scored a copy of Pokken Tournament DX on Switch, so it’s time to battle it out and see how the updated version holds up! There are some odd choices for local multiplayer, so the Crew will test out which one is best for competitors, while showing off all the awesome new additions to the roster!
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Will Nintendo Ever Make a Pro Console? Scott’s Thoughts
Nintendo fans know the drill by now; their products are innovative and fun, but always underpowered.
Competitors are releasing impressive systems that end in “Pro” and “X,” which process teraflops like nobody’s business…
Will the Big N ever enter the computing arms race?
It would certainly make it easier for third-parties to bring their multiplatform software over. Of course, the trade-off is always price, and it seems that Nintendo is unwilling to be the most expensive option on the market.
Historically, that kind of price tag didn’t serve the PS3 well, or the Xbox One in the following generation.
Nintendo has picked their battles wisely, because they know their audience and how to reach them.
2DS and 3DS are the current entry-level offerings, while Switch is their only product on the high-end. What if another tier existed at the top (a third-pillar, so to speak) that appealed to the more spec-savvy crowd?
I’d like to have the option. Nintendo will likely sit back this generation and watch how Microsoft and Sony’s top-of-the-line hardware performs before considering an equivalent.
tldr; no—probably not.
Nine Parchments – Can We Work Together?
Simeon and Scott tackle the brand new Switch eShop game, Nine Parchments! Spoilers: It’s great for two player co-op. This is an unusual twin-stick shooter, not taking place in outer space but grounded in the world of fantasy. Check the demo out for free on Switch eShop!
“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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What does the Future of Gaming Hold?
VR and AR are certainly hot topics, and we’re discussing those as well as other future possibilities as we look at what is to come. The future of gaming could look quite different than what we’re experiencing today, so Simeon and Scott are placing some bets on what’s coming down the pipeline!
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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