Comments on the SNES Classic

I wrote about the NES Classic when it was still being called the Mini NES. Since that time we've seen the device launch with too few units produced to artificially drive up demand then get cancelled before it ever could. I once wrote about how this was a brillaint tactic with the launch of the Wii but it's one that you can't use too often. Nintendo has gone from gaining up-sells off a killer app to, with the endless supply blocks the Amiibo line had, a basic part of their business approach.

Nintendo markets itself on being fun for the whole family while surreptitiously appealing to obsessive collectors. As a result, intentionally under-supplying key products has moved from making more appealing products to children to instead giving power to the secondary market. That is, people who grab up the few available stocks then re-sell them at a hefty markup. This makes children sad, parents frustrated, fans despondent and all around it hurts the brand. Nintendo really needs to stop doing this.

It's all the more important they stop doing this as they're releasing another pesudo-console. This time based on the SNES.

Questionable Moments in Game Design: Metal Slug and Scoring

 Don't worry. I'll talk about something that isn't a 2D platformer next time.

Words by Someone Else On: Pokemon Go

My last post was much more about sociological and thematic elements rather than the usual analysis of pure mechanics I do. If you want to know more about them and how the game works in spite of its systems rather than because of them, read this.

Cool Moments in Game Design: Pokemon Go and Cosmopolitanism

No video for this post. I'm sure as hell not recording footage from this darn newfangled smartphone I've wound up with.

Pokemon Go is a smartphone game where players catch digital creatures and can sometimes use them to battle other digital creatures in certain locations. The trick is that the locations of these creatures and combat areas are places in the real world. The game uses the GPS access of smartphones to track where players are and expects them to walk over to the appropriate places.

Comments on the Mini NES

Nintendo just announced the Mini NES.It's basically a small flash drive with HDMI output and a couple of controller ports that holds 30 NES games. I  strongly suspect it's made out of repurposed Wii and WiiU parts. There isn't really much to say about the device itself. I think that as a way to purchase a pile of computer games to introduce to younger generations it's a good deal.

I would however like to talk a bit about the included games. Access to third party titles was apparentally something all the big publishers were okay with, so it has real potential to tell the whole story of the NES and showcase some highlights of a generation. For the most part, it does so. There's a few adjustments I'd like to make, as well as comments on the games I am okay with. The list is in alphabetical order, so let's just follow that!

Cool Game Design Moments: That Haunted Armour in Castlevania's Second Stage

Here's the video. Text version is after the jump.

Cool Game Design Moments: Kirby Wii 1-2

Quite often when I write a post, there's people who ask for it in a video form as they can't be bothered reading text. I could make some nasty comments about such an attitude, but they're probably the sorts of folk who would get the most out of what's been written in the first place. As a result, I'm going to be experimenting with some video content when I think it's appropriate. If you would prefer the regular text format of this blog, the video's script is below the jump.