Hey, everybody! Hope you all had a good start into 2015!
So today, NOA have released a new Nintendo Direct with the newest announcements and previews of things to come. Here are my notes after first view:
Two games really stand out of the bunch in my book:
So today, NOA have released a new Nintendo Direct with the newest announcements and previews of things to come. Here are my notes after first view:
Two games really stand out of the bunch in my book:
- Kirby and the Rainbow Curse: The “claymation” aesthetics are pretty spot-on, charming and atmospheric. Qualities I've been largely missing in Nintendo/HAL games for some 13 years now. Definitely want to give this a try!
- Xenoblade Chronicles X: Simply stunning. A fantastic example how extreme detail and high production values do not need to equal noisy ostentation. Possibly the most “next-gen” looking game of ALL of this gen so far, PS4 included (“Destiny”? Don't make me laugh!). The only weak point of the presentation is the game's party character design, which is your typical androgynous Nu-JRPG-JPop-Fashion-Manequin fare (ugh).
Speaking of weak presentation though: The Mario franchise at this point I'm really starting to write off. With every new installment, the franchise looks more and more formulaic, further reducing its palette, further relying on recycled, crudely formalized elements. A mere stale mimicry of its former glory. It's like what happened to art when Europe entered the Middle Ages. :sigh:
On a brighter note, it's incredible how awesome those Sega arcade classics like Afterburner II and Out Run keep looking.
And, speaking of neat rehashes, the new footage has sparked my appetite for Majora's Mask 3D. =)
p.s.: Also check out this detailed MM3D gameplay footage feat. Eiji Aonuma himself, posted by NCL (“Nintendo of Japan”) today! What do you think? I find it odd that Grezzo – the contractor production company responsible – hasn't bothered to model the individual stairs at Clocktown Plaza. (Then again, it wouldn't be their first inexplicable omission, creating these 3D N64 remakes for Nintendo.) Also, turns out there's still loading breaks between the Clocktown areas. Bummer.