re: the forced shared islands topic being resurrected... my position is still that it shouldn't be an issue. It being doable or manageable isn't an excuse. It's an unnecessary hoop for consumers to jump through. Mandating that they own not only another copy of the game, but another literal entire console, is ridiculous. I will forever stand by that position. It's just Nintendo being Nintendo. Meaning, unnecessarily restrictive and anachronistic, and anti-industry standard consumer expectations. No built in voice chat without an app, no friends lists without codes, etc. etc. The island issue is just one more example of Nintendo being Nintendo. I love them, I'll always love them, but there's no excuse imo.

Anyway...

Hope this is true:

And some XC Definitive Edition Q&A:

 

If this is true, it eliminates one of my biggest critiques of the previous two Paper Mario entries. That, plus the more straightforward use of items apparently being back, makes this a lot more appealing to me. If confirmed.

 

Ouch. Do they make more durable ones?

 

I don't think there is a more durable one. As in, I think there's literally no alternative. I remember hearing that all the replacements are actually the same "off the shelf" part made by the same company (not sure how accurate that is). It's supposedly pretty much the only one on the market small enough to fit the Joycon form factor.

Maybe someone can correct me if that's wrong, but that's what I've read somewhere in the past.

 

Thanks. I guess that makes sense. I've noticed that sort of thing before with different sellers selling what appear to be the same thing.

 

Yeah, I just can’t be bothered sharing the island. It seems like a daunting process. I’d rather just play the game by myself and have my own island. It’s a shame Nintendo didn’t add more than one island per player.

 

As I said before, if the partners thing is real, then I appreciate that the creators admit that they were wrong (if taking small steps).

 

More info.

 

Totally agree. To me it's more that just Nintendo being Nintendo. Is there some historical reason for the one island limitation? Is there any other game that only allows one save per console? I'm not aware of any.

Great news on Pikmin 3 port appearing to be imminent. That's a preorder for me for sure.

 

From my understanding, the autosave feature, as well as the one island per console (therefore the game saving to the console and not the gamecard), was to prevent players abusing the game.

As in, a way to further prevent time travelling, item duplication between multiple saves and etc. Also to strengthen the shared island feature, Nintendo really wants players/families to share games and bond over them. I have no idea if someone in development was worried about kids spending more time on the island celebrating holidays instead of their parents or what though.

I understand many players grow tire of the real-life time constraints of the game, the thing is though the developers are also very serious about Animal Crossing maintaining its premise. A casual, real-time, life simulator. Its suppose to be life and therefore, no time-travel or resets like Mr. Resetti says. This is also why many events and features are patched into the game around the time they should appear, instead of players time-travelling forward and having a year's worth of content in a month.

The crappy thing is, item duplication and time-travelling are still possible. So it only makes players more salty towards these decisions because at the end of the day it hinders many players from playing it fully how they want to. Including having multiple towns/islands to look after.

I love the game, but it does suck that even on a console like the Switch the game can't/won't handle multiple saves. There is tons of town ideas I'd like to create, but unless I get another Switch and game (or wait 10 years for the next one) I can't do it. Also if 8 players can potentially take up spots on the island, it would've been great that villagers could take up those optional spaces.

 

Yes.

The rationale just doesn't wash because, as pointed out, the things it's intended to prevent are still possible. Not a day goes by that I don't see people talking about time travel and various other exploits. Meanwhile, people who have no interest in using those exploits at all, but simply want to have their own island, in their own copy of the game, while also allowing family members in the same household, on the same system - on a system Nintendo encourages people to create shared family accounts with multiple profiles for via pricing incentives - to have their own islands as well... simply can't do that.

Nothing about being able to do it would compromise the developers' vision for the premise of the game, that isn't already compromised by those who want to use exploits bad enough. And the ones who most want multiple saves/islands aren't even the ones who would use the exploits. It's literally a needless inconvenience.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. If another game of this sort had this sort of restriction, e.g. if Stardew Valley restricted owners to a single save per system, people would rightly be livid. Or simply wouldn't buy the game. The only reason it flies in this case is because it's Nintendo and it's Animal Crossing, and the experience is that distinctive and compelling, that people are willing to put up with it for the sake of the pleasure of playing the game (I'm one of them obviously so... More the fool me, lol.)

Fortunately the game remains awesome in and of itself, but come oooon Nintendo you're killing me.   It's especially frustrating when this is 2020 and Switch has all the makings of one of the most flawless platform launches (already achieved,) shelf lives (looks like it'll be a staple for a lot longer than most consoles,) and libraries (already more than well on its way to achieving this, in many eyes already has) of all time. But the typically Nintendo underlying featureset and all its idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies, as always, is still there.

It's like being presented with the best meal you've ever had, with all your favorite foods included, with all the trimmings and fixings you could ever want, with beautiful placement and presentation, and all at a fantastic price... and then being given a tiny spork, no knife, no fork, and a bowl not quite large enough for the meal, and being told, "Sorry, I know, I know, but you can't deny the food is exquisite!"  

It's still delicious, but, just... why?

 

Grab NBA 2K20 On Sale For Just £2.49 On The European Switch eShop

NBA 2K20 is on sale, and has a 95% discount, now costing £2.49. That's a bargain!

 

I bought NBA 2K19 last year when that had a similar sale. I kind of regret spending $3 because I’m just not that good at this game! So, I defiantly won’t pick up 2K20 on the Switch. Now here’s me being stupid. Looks like the Xbox has that sale too. I haven’t bought a game for that console since Forza Horizon 4 in 2018. If that NBA 2K20 sale comes to the US, I might give my Xbox a little love and spend $3 on it. Who knows, maybe I’ll gain some skill playing on an XBox controller vs the Joycons.

 

The sale is also available on Xbox One, PS4 and Stadia, which makes me regret getting on the Switch, since I didn’t know the offer was available on other platforms. Still, I’ll at least have the option to play it on that platform.

I can’t confirm if this offer is available outside of Europe though.

 

Yeah, I don't think the sale is up for the US yet. How are you enjoying the game so far?

I seriously wanted to love the game. I had NBA 2K and NBA 2K1 on the Dreamcast and enjoyed them a lot. My first game of 2K19 on the Switch had me playing the Allstar Spurs vs the Cavs. The Cavs were destroying me by half time and I had to call the mercy rule on myself.

 

I've not had the chance to play it yet, because I'm currently download it. And I primarily got it not because I'm into basketball (the only other NBA game I have was 2K16 because of PlayStation Plus), but because it gives me and my friends and family another option when it comes to split screen or multiplayer.

However, given how this career mode has famous actors, such as Idris Elba, I might be more invested in the game than I initially thought, so I'll be sure to give that a go...provided I'm good enough at the game.

Also, have you tried to play the game with a Pro Controller or a third party controller that is based on an Xbox One for the Switch? It might make the experience much easier, and be a more comfortable experience than using the Joy Cons.

 

I bought 2K19 too. And last 2K game I played was 2K1. I had issues with the "new" controls and eventually gave up lol.

I would buy 2K20 if it was 95% off too. In case I want to try it again and try to learn how to play.

 

Yeah, I think the game definitely needs a pro controller, But I never got one. I do almost all of my Switch gaming in portable mode. I honestly don't remember trying out NBA 2K19 on the TV. Maybe that was another problem. I just like portable mode a lot more. I just got done with my first playthough of Trails of Mana, and it never saw the TV the whole time. Come to think about it, I haven't played Forza Horizon 4 on my Xbox in a while too. The Xbox One is just a box with Disney+ and my daughter uses it to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. When I get Xenoblade Chronicles: DE, I think I'm going to make sure to play at least the opening scenes on TV.

 

Nabbed MONSTER HUNTER Gen Ultimate for $19.99, seemed too good to pass considering all the content.

 

Lego ninjango movie game for the last few days has been free on every system! Even ps4 and xbox! The full game! But switch says screw you. It's the only system it's not free on. Shame on you Nintendo.