HOLD R2 (GOD OF WAR)

God of War has always been a power fantasy, a series that focuses on visceral, brutal combat, and replacing Kratos’ chained blades with an axe did nothing to change that. Perhaps the attack that is the most fun to use in the new God of War is the charged heavy attack. As Kratos brings the axe up and gathers all his strength to bring it down in one heavy blow to cleave through his enemy, you can feel the controller vibrating in your hand with immense power- it’s immensely satisfying. Maybe even the the single most satisfying move in the entire game.

]]> https://gamingbolt.com/15-attacking-moves-in-games-you-shamelessly-used-over-and-over-again/feed 0 380560 https://gamingbolt.com/9-times-sony-ripped-off-nintendo https://gamingbolt.com/9-times-sony-ripped-off-nintendo#respond Wed, 28 Nov 2018 18:22:44 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=364269 Modern console gaming owes a lot to Nintendo, and it goes without saying that much of what we see in today’s hardware (and even software) has its roots in things that were pioneered and/or perfected by the Japanese behemoth. Iteration evolution is, of course, very important in this industry (or any industry, for that matter), but Sony in particular have almost had a habit over the years of “borrowing” many of the Big N’s ideas. Not to cast aspersions on the huge successes Sony has achieved with a lot of what it’s done, but this is a pattern that has been noticed by countless people for over two decades. In a lot of these cases, Sony, to their credit, actually improved heavily upon what they were “copying”, but, well- copy they did. In this feature, we’re going to take a look at ten times when Sony was, let’s say “heavily inspired” by stuff Nintendo had already done.

PLAYSTATION CLASSIC

Let’s kick thing off with the most recent example. While Microsoft has been making strides with backwards compatibility, other leaders in the hardware market ave instead chosen to release classic versions of older consoles. Nintendo kicked off this trend with the NES Classic and the SNES Classic, mini, portable-sized versions of the pieces of hardware that came pre-installed with a library of some of their best games. Quite recently, Sony announced its own take on the concept- except it wasn’t really their own take. From the name to the general core ideas to even the images that were used to promote its announcement, the PlayStation Classic is a hilariously obvious replica of what Nintendo has been doing for a few years now.

Note: There are spoilers ahead for every game we talk about. If you see us beginning to talk about a game you don’t want spoiled, skip ahead to the next entry.

THE STRANGER (GOD OF WAR)

Kratos is a man who’s killed everything that can be killed. He’s killed hydras and krakens and gigantic minotaurs, he’s killed the Colossus of Rhodes and the mythical Medusa. He’s killed the likes of Zeus, Ares, and Poseidon in their ethereal forms. Flipping hell, he even killed Cronos, a character so big, the screen could literally not fit his entire body, and Kratos looked like little more than a pixel in comparison. There isn’t much – or anything – that you look at and think to yourself, “maybe Kratos will have trouble killing this thing/person”. Especially not when, at the beginning of God of War (2018), this lanky dude with tattoos walks up to Kratos’ front door, and then proceeds to hurl insults at him, provoke him, hit him, threaten him and his son. All the while, you’re thinking, “this dude is asking for trouble. Kratos is going to turn him inside out and wear him like a coat”. And then the Stranger goes full Super Saiyan, and turns out to be more than just a thorn in Kratos’ side.

Nintendo has set an ambitious goal of selling 20 million units of the Nintendo Switch for this fiscal year- that is, between April 1 2018 and March 31 2019. It’s a hugely ambitious aim- and one that Nintendo should be able to meet, given their lineup for the back half of the year.

However, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter doesn’t seem to think Nintendo will manage it, or at least, not without a price cut. Speaking during yesterday’s YouTube Live at E3 2018, Pachter said that the only way Nintendo will hit its target is if it cuts the price of the Switch, by at least $50, and preferably $100. Citing sales in April, he said Nintendo needs a price cut for the console to do well this year.

Which is a bit ridiculous- Switch sales haven’t slowed down, it’s just that the PS4 has been doing (deservedly) well off the back of great exclusives. Nintendo Switch has in fact held steady without any major exclusive launches for the year. Plus, for the back half, Nintendo has several high profile games such as Fire Emblem, Super Smash Bros., and Pokemon lined up- does anyone really believe that the system with Smash and Pokemon won’t sell well?

Nintendo will be bringing the E3 festivities to New York, via its Nintendo NY Store. Nintendo has announced an “E3 Experience at Nintendo NY,” a five day long event that will bring the hustle and bustle of the world’s most popular game show to New Yorkers, and others on the east coast who may find the trek to New York more palatable.

This will include a livestream of Nintendo’s E3 Direct (which the store does with every Direct, admittedly), as well as all of Nintendo’s other events, including the Splatoon Invitational, the Smash Invitational, and also the Treehouse streams. Apart from that, those who manage to get into the store for the festivities will also get the chance to demo Super Smash Bros. (as well as the upcoming Mario Tennis Aces).

This… makes me jealous. I wish Nintendo would bring some of the fun over to Toronto too! We’re just a few hours north, Nintendo…

Nintendo’s big game this E3 will be the fifth installment of Super Smash Bros., which has already been announced for the Nintendo Switch later in the year, and it looks like Nintendo plans on showing off a lot of it at the convention. A lot of the showing will come as Smash competitive players from around the world play the title live in a casual tournament, giving everyone a real time look at the new game and how it plays.

Four of those players are veterans of Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the other four from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. According to Nintendo’s Bill Trinen, that was a deliberate choice, because Nintendo wanted both “passionate” sides of the Smash community to see the new game- which may be hinting that the new game is meant as an olive branch and a bridge between the Smash community, which has long had a rift within it.

However, the tournament itself will not be competitive- given that its purpose is to show off the game, it will be showing off a lot of things, including items and stage hazards, that typically wouldn’t pass muster in a competitive tournament.

“The tournament is going to be designed to show quite a bit of the game in terms of modes, characters and items, but obviously we won’t show everything and we’re keeping a few surprises for later in the year,” he said to Hollywood Reporter.

Whether or not the game turns out to heal the chasm in the Smash community remains to be seen, but it should be a jolly good time for everyone regardless. Super Smash Bros. is due out exclusively on the Nintendo Switch later this year.

Masahiro Sakurai, the absolute genius (and maniac) behind the Super Smash Bros. series, has confirmed that he will be making his return to Nintendo Direct for the first time in a very long time this E3- he has confirmed that he will be appearing in Nintendo’s E3 Direct to present… something. Three guesses what that something might be (though you won’t get any prizes for guessing correctly).

Sakurai is the man who has single handedly helmed the four Super Smash Bros. games so far (owing to his insane work ethic, he ends up personally working on and overseeing every aspect of his games); it’s unclear what the extent of his involvement with the new, upcoming Switch Super Smash Bros. is, though we know he is involved. It is, of course, possible he is heading it up again (I can’t imagine him working on a game and not directing it, to be honest).

So, I suppose- Sakurai will be back, presenting Super Smash Bros. in his element. It should be pretty good, and hypeworthy.

もちろん、何かご紹介しますよ。こういうの、久しぶり…。 https://t.co/VP0KTdoAjx

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) June 5, 2018

For the last two years, Nintendo’s games have been the most popular at E3, causing literal stampedes as games media rushes to play them beyond all other games. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild caused hours-long lines and waits, while Super Mario Odyssey repeated the same stunt last year.

Possibly to head off a similar kind of mad rush with Super Smash Bros., which is announced to be the center piece of Nintendo’s E3 showings this year, the publisher has confirmed that anyone wishing to play it will need to register for it for free beforehand- anyone who doesn’t won’t be able to play it.

As far as registrations themselves go, they will either let you play “For Fun” (non-competitively) or “For Glory” (competitively, with items turned off, and so on). It’s a good idea, because it means no one will be waiting in line and then get an experience incongruous with their expectations, too.

Super Smash Bros. is due to launch exclusively for the Nintendo Switch later this year.

It seems like the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game’s development duties may be handled by Bandai Namco, if this latest set of developments is accurate. Yesterday evening, Bandai Namco developer Tiago Sonobe tweeted that the rendering engine that Smash 5 uses was developed by him- shortly afterwards, the tweet, and the very account that the poor guy used, was deleted. It may be possible that he ended up revealing information that he wasn’t supposed to, yet, and that Namco are the folks behind the new Smash.

Of course, Namco has previously been extensively involved with Smash Bros.– they developed Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS as well. Apart from that, they have also assisted Nintendo, variously, in development of games such as Mario Kart 8, Pokken Tournament, and Xenoblade 2– so this doesn’t seem all that unlikely at all.

Whatever the case is, I am sure we will find out more soon enough. Smash Bros. is going to be the centerpiece of Nintendo’s E3 festivities, so we should learn more about it in a month. Super Smash Bros. is due out on Nintendo Switch exclusively this Fall.

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https://twitter.com/IceDoesntHelp/status/994397923277443073

Nintendo has finally confirmed its plans for E3 this year, announcing that its video presentation will be held on June 12 at 9am PT/12pm ET (the traditional time slot for the company’s press events). The presentation, and indeed, Nintendo’s E3 presence in general, will largely be focused on Super Smash Bros.. That apart, Nintendo will be looking at other games for 2018 in its event, with games coming beyond 2018 to be tackled on “a later date”.

Apart from the video presentation, Nintendo will also have the previously announced invitational tournaments for Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon 2; Nintendo will also be hosting Treehouse Live, with developers playing through the games that are announced in broadcast livestreams, from June 12-14.

The festivities seem curiously muted for this year- is Super Smash Bros. going to be all that they focus on? Will 2018 games be all that they focus on? As of right now, Nintendo’s 2018 lineup doesn’t appear to be too special- is this where that changes? And where in the world is Pokemon?

Join us during #E32018 for tournament coverage, gameplay with Treehouse | Live, and a video presentation focusing on #NintendoSwitch games coming this year, including Super #SmashBros! https://t.co/7Kiz5KkcW5 pic.twitter.com/2vpvUsHhIr

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 27, 2018