Smash Bros. has never had very good online connectivity or modes. It’s time that Nintendo stepped it up and made an experience more comparable to their competitors. Let’s do this! Smash 5 is coming out this year. Let’s get it right, Sakurai.
“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Online
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.
Nintendo’s Job ≠ Parents’ Job Scott's Thoughts
I grew up with three parents: Mom, Dad, and Nintendo.
My mother and father were great—kept me out of trouble, let me earn trust, and gave me some slack on the leash.
Nintendo, on the other hand, has always been the stereotypical helicopter parent.
And still is.
When I moved out of my Mom and Dad’s house, I took my Nintendo games with me. Along with them, I brought some overbearing restrictions along for the ride.
I got my own place to live, my own car to ride, and my own job to cover my bills. That’s what we call “adulting.” Unfortunately, I still feel like a kid when I try to play online and use the limited internet services built into Nintendo systems.
This company from Japan thinks it’s their job to raise me. It’s not, and it never was.
If Nintendo wants to provide a parental control app—great. The one for Switch has some neat features. That needs to be the end of their responsibilities, so parents can do the rest.
It would sure be nice to talk to my friends… or even my competitors if I want to!
Splatoon 2 Global Testfire Impressions
At least this is one game that we can say Nintendo gave us early access to! Har har.
Did you enjoy the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire? We sure did! It’s kind of crazy that the game is already in a fully playable state so far ahead of launch. Hopefully Nintendo used this opportunity to spot any hiccups or shortcomings with servers, but our experience was very smooth! In this video we’ll talk about the stages, weapons, and controls of the surprising squid sequel to the Wii U hit original.
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
What do we Still Not Know about Switch?
We won’t be satisfied until we know about every screw and strip of adhesive in the console! Oh, and, details on digital purchases carrying over would be awesome too.
We Nintendo fans have been described by Reggie as “insatiable” before, and that title still holds true for us today. Less than a week ago, Nintendo spent an entire weekend informing us about their new Switch console and giving press members hands-on time with the system, yet we STILL want to know more. There are still some burning questions that we must have answered before the home/portable hybrid releases on March 3rd!
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/
