Many moons ago, back in 2011, I went on a journey to try and find a real rally game to dive into and spend some time with. Seven years ago, my quest to find a rally game that I could really enjoy ending up taking me back to 1996 and the classic, Network Q RAC Rally Championship, complete with the classic 36 miler, Pundershaw. We have come a long way since the dark days of 2011 where the only rally games worth looking at on the market were DiRT 3 and that year’s officially licenced World Rally Championship game. Neither were much good, either for being a rally game, or presenting this motorsport discipline as it deserves. We are fortunate now to have a much better choice of racers to dive into. …
Something has worried me ever since the Nintendo Switch was announced. It is this. Nintendo will find it hard to convince me that paying £49 for a game on their system represents good value. “Oh!” You shriek, “Just because it is a console that can be played on the go doesn’t mean it is less valuable to the consumer or the industry. You’re prolly just a AAA snob.”
(comparison chart from TechRadar)
Here’s an analogy… Let’s say that you work in the car industry. Your company makes great software for braking systems and you sell that software to G-Wiz to put in their brand new low horse-powered micro car. Unfortunately, the G-Wiz can not get to a high enough speed to justify the use of your new brake system, but the McLaren F1 can make full use of it so you sell it to the high powered McLaren at the same price. The owners of the G-wiz are getting the same software, but will never be able to use it at the same level as the McLaren. Nintendo are trying to sell their games for the Switch as if they are running on a McLaren but they’re not, they are the G-Wiz.
It appears to me that any games being sold on the Switch that were released on other platforms will never be at the same level of performance that they reached on the consoles or PC’s they were originally designed to be played. So, why are people expected to pay the same price for them? You may argue, that the Nintendo Switch is a console first and a handheld second and that “The portability it provides will make up for the shortfall on technical proficiency.” That is possibly correct. However, shouldn’t that be factored into the price of the console itself and not individual software sales?
Let’s look at the price, £279. At £279 it is more expensive than the basic PS4 and basic Xbox One consoles. MORE EXPENSIVE while being technically inferior in every measurable way. Yes, the PS4 and Xbox One are sold “at a loss” but they make that money back on the software sales. Nintendo Switch isn’t being sold at a loss and is still the same price as thesetechnologically superior consoles despite having inferior hardware.
Nintendo, in classic Nintendo form, are trying to have their cake and eat it and I believe that this has hurt it.
A Nintendo currant cake. Not being eaten, currently
Games developed in-house and exclusive to the Switch will have no comparative yardstick on which to measure other consoles. Those games will have extra pressure on them to prove that Nintendo can still create great games. Since Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 is being pre-purchased at £49 they will have to pull out all the stops to convince the world that £49 for a game on a technically inferior device is worth it.
What I am saying is, If Nintendo chooses to release Skyrim, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, Setsuna and all other multiplatform games at the same price as other console and PC versions with very little or no improvements on previous releases, why would I buy it on a Switch? Just to be able to play it on a bus? Not me.
The last time I wrote anything here on The Reticule, was nigh on three months ago when I delivered my Verdict on Rainbow Six: Siege. Even in the weeks before I wrote about Ubisoft’s hardcore shooter, my writing output had been limited. There’s no singular reason that I can put my finger on for why I haven’t written as much as I used it, but part of the reason is because I am a dinosaur. You read that right, I believe that I am something of a dinosaur of the gaming world these days, and by being stuck in the past, I’m losing touch with the current trends. …
Things have come a long way since August when I last wrote about Destiny as I’ve reached Level 40 and completed the bulk of the main story missions across both year one expansions, and of course, The Taken King. You know what? Despite some ups and downs, overall, I’ve enjoyed it. A hell of a lot. …
Destiny’ latest expansion, The Taken King lands in September along with updates for the core game. Is this Destiny 2.0? Will The Taken King be good? Chris muses on what is happening after the break.…
Take a pinch of the multitudinous number of activities found in Burnout Paradise, a slice of story (a rarity for driving games) like Driver: San Francisco and a dollop of open-world antics from Fuel. Mix those elements all together and finish off with a topping of Test Drive Unlimited and classic Ubisoft open-world traits and you are left with The Crew. …
In a normal week, I struggle these days to devote heaps of time to playing games. Between work, spending time with my girlfriend, socialising and watching some of the great TV that’s out there at the moment, there really isn’t enough time in the day. But these past three weeks have been even more challenging for finding gaming time. …
When I reviewed Football Manager 2015way back last November, I came away without being drawn in like usual. That was largely down to the poor match engine, but the tinkering around the edges hadn’t capture the imagination. But recently I’ve been delving back in… …
I picked up Splatoon on launch weekend, and I’ve been coming back to it for a quick blast of inky action most days since then. It is a very well crafted game, not a surprise as it comes from the Nintendo EAD team that created the Wii’s major hit, Wii Sports, and one of the few Wii U titles to really make use of the GamePad, Nintendo Land.
It really is a wonderful slice of new IP from one of Nintendo’s best internal teams, but there are a few things I wouldn’t mind seeing from it. I don’t normally write lists like this, but here we go… …
I haven’t played any games at all for just over a week now, you can blame the long hard slog of turning 27 for that. Visiting friends and catching up on a TV backlog has taken me away from my gaming time, but in the midst of the celebrations, I only received one game as a birthday present. And that isn’t a bad thing. …