Nintendo Switch Online

Nintendo recently updated their Switch website to have a more recent page for the Nintendo Switch's online play format. Here's what we've learned:

• Nintendo's new online format isn't coming until 2018
• The price for the online play and connected smartphone app will be $20/year
• The classic games collection, previously thought to be only playable for one month will actually be playable as long as the user maintains their Nintendo Online subscription

Great news, all around, except for the delay.

$20/year is chump change and is considerably less than either Sony or Microsoft.

The collection being for the lifetime of the subscription is huge news, as this was probably my biggest concern about the new approach.

Nintendo's still got a lot to figure out in the world of online gaming, but hopefully they can figure it out. Although all signs point to 'not anytime soon'

Until next time, kcduckling out.

Mario + Rabbids

Usually, I don't look that much into rumors, but in this case, the rumor has so much backing it that it almost certainly has to be true.
A little while ago, someone said that Ubisoft was working with Nintendo on an RPG for the Switch that featured eight characters: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Peach, alongside four Rabbids dressed like the four aforementioned heroes. The game would be lighthearted and feature the crew wielding laser guns and other wacky weapons. Well now, this image has surfaced among a few others.

I mean, holy crap, right? This could be fun, right?
Hopefully E3 will showcase this game so we all have a better idea of what the gameplay will look and play like, but I'm pretty excited already. It's gonna be a good E3 this year.

Until next time, kcduckling out.

E3 Expectations

E3 is about a month away, and I can't help but wonder what kind of show each company will put on this year to hype fans for their upcoming releases. Reggie has already promised a big E3 this year and Microsoft is going to unveil their Scorpio console, so it should be an exciting one. Here is what I am anticipating and hoping to see.

Excited to see:

Super Mario Odyssey - Nintendo's gargantuan announcement when the Switch was first revealed was this new 3D Mario game to follow in the footsteps of Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario 64 before it. I am even more excited for this game than I was for Breath of the Wild. This is huge and I cannot wait to see more of this incredible game.

Spiderman on PS4 - Another game that has me very excited, even though I don't own a PS4. The developers of Ratchet and Clank are hard at work on this and the result should be very promising considering the success of Ratchet and Clank and also, who doesn't love Spiderman?

Hoping to see:

Halo 6 - Halo 4 was announced in 2011. Halo 5 was announced in 2014. See a pattern here? This year should mark the debut of the final installment of the second trilogy of Chief's story. Expect a teaser for the story mode but not much else, any news will do so long as the fans know the game is on the way.

Pikmin 4 - Miyamoto said back in 2015 that Pikmin 4 was nearing completion, and I don't think Hey! Piknin is the game he was talking about (expect a post on Hey! Pikmin in the near future). We can only hope that the Pikmin of which Miyamoto spoke of is indeed a full fledged, true Pikmin game for the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo's Big Twist - Nintendo just released a new console and have already supplied two wildly successful IPs in Legend of Zelda and Mario Kart. We know that Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey are on the way. Four big games in one year is a good year, but fans will be wanting something for next year as well. Expect Nintendo to debut a new Nintendo title during this year's broadcast and expect yourself to not see it coming. Nintendo loves coming out of nowhere and announcing some crazy shit.

That's really all I'm hoping for, I'll check back after the event for a little follow-up of sorts and in the meantime, I'm gonna get a few more posts out, so be checking back here soon. Until then, kcduckling out.

Mario Kart 8. Deluxe, indeed

So after my most recent update that my copy of MK8 Deluxe had been lost in the mail, I finally received it today. However, because I am impatient and was really itching to get going in Mario Kart again, I bought the game digitally before the package arrived and have played it for a few hours now. Here's what I think:

Everything I said about the game last time I reviewed it stands. But now that this has been released, a few problems have been addressed.
Firstly, item balance has been tweaked indirectly by creating a second item slot for the player so they can effectively cycle items so that you are never stranded with just a coin during a race. This is an awesome and very welcome addition to the game, and although you cannot switch the order of the two items you have, (like in Double Dash!!) the extra slot still adds another element to the game.
Another problem that has been addressed is the character roster. I am not exaggerating when I say that Mario Kart 8's original character roster was the worst in the series. The later DLC would add some more characters and now Deluxe adds a few more to the mix. Bowser Jr., King Boo, and Dry Bones were all left out of both the original game and the DLC and have now finally made it into the game. Additionally, the Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl from Splatoon have also made it into the game. The roster design team will never be forgiven for adding Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach, but it is nice to see an effort made to try to outweigh the shit with some fun characters. Oh yeah, still no Diddy because fuck him, I guess.
The biggest new addition to the game is the revamped battle mode. Now, I personally have never been a huge fan of battle mode in Mario Kart, as I prefer straightforward racing, but the battle mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an absolute blast to play. Across all modes, I still find Coin Runners, Bob-omb Blast, and Balloon Battle a little dull, but the return of Shine Thief is triumphant and the brand new mode Renegade Roundup is ridiculously fun. Shine Thief on Frantic Mode is the absolute most crazy, insane good time I have ever had with a Mario Kart battle mode.
A few other new additions were added:
Ultra mini-turbo adds a level of drifting beyond the blue sparks and beyond the orange sparks as well. Creating purple sparks, this level of boost grants a significant speed boost after performing it.
Two new features for beginners or low-level players are the auto-accelerate feature and the smart steering feature. These two new additions allow newcomers to stay competitive without granting them invincibility or making things too easy. This is also great for people trying to eat a sandwich with their right hand while steering with their left hand while the game accelerates for them.
The new Boo item adds something fresh to competitive racing while the Feather item adds a little craziness to battle mode.

Overall, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is indeed a deluxe version of the original masterpiece for the Wii U. If you did not own the Wii U version, there is no excuse in the world to keep you from buying this game, it is hands down the best Mario Kart ever made. If you did make the purchase for Wii U, I still do believe that there is enough here to justify buying it again. Most importantly, this is the first big game that can truly demonstrate the on-the-go multiplayer fun of the Nintendo Switch. If you still are weary about paying 65 bucks for this, head over to amazon.com and you can get this game for about 52 bucks.
I'll be back soon to give an updated list of the best courses in Mario Kart 8 and keep getting some articles out. Until next time, kcduckling out.

Quick Update

Hey there people, been a little busy of late picking up some extra hours at my work so I haven't had much time for extra stuff, including new posts. Just thought I'd pop in to give a quick little update on what I've got going on right now.
First of all, my copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which I had ordered through Amazon, was lost in the mail at some point so I still do not have my copy of that, but once I do, expect some article on what I think about the new additions and if the game justifies the "deluxe" moniker.
Secondly, E3 is coming up pretty soon, so I will also have a post at some point before that going over what I'm really hoping to see from that.
Lastly, expect some more opinion articles in the near future covering Splatoon, Call of Duty, and Pikmin.
Until then, kcduckling out.

Breath of the Wild - the Final Chapter

Well, I've finally done it. The Calamity Ganon is no more and Link has once again saved Hyrule from its demise. Now that I have completed the game and explored the wilds and far reaches of Hyrule to my satisfaction, I can safely say that this is the best Legend of Zelda game that has ever been created. Hands down. I might have said that before, but seriously, this game is ridiculously good and at the end of it all, I had vested 120 hours into this bad boy.
The game itself though was not without its flaws. Here are a few observations:

1. Final boss is a cake walk. The look is fine, but he is way easier than I come to expect from this series. This comes with a disclaimer that I had maxed out my hearts, tamed all four divine beasts, cooked up level 3 attack booster meals, and had the Master Sword and Hylian Shield.
2. Hyrule Castle is the only satisfactory 'dungeon' area of this entire game. The Divine Beasts are really underwhelming, puzzle-wise

I'm sure there's more stuff but I can't think of it right now. 

Weapon durability is not a problem to me and frankly never bothered me. Weapon breakage encourages resourcefulness and the utilization of your runes. This is a good game mechanic, not a bad one.

As for what the future holds, the upcoming Breath of the Wild DLC comes out this summer and that is supposed to give us a hard mode, a map feature, and a "Cave of Trials" challenge. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is out in a month and Splatoon 2 will also be hitting this summer.  Look forward to some more tasty game thoughts and until next time, kcduckling out.

Breath of the Wild - Week 4

Alrighty. This is probably the penultimate installment of my Breath of the Wild updates as I have pretty much completed the game. Check out my progress:

kcduckling's Breath of the Wild adventure

Shrines cleared: 120/120

Korok seeds discovered: 115ish

Divine Beasts tamed: 4/4

Memories recovered: 12/12

Deaths died: too many

Biggest headache: upgrading my stupid armor sets

A couple things to note here. 

No, I have no intention to uncover every Korok seed puzzle and I never had that intention. I had made this decision before I found out what the prize was and I stand firm with that decision. I love completing games but I simply don't care enough to track down all 900 of those suckers. When I see one, I do it. Otherwise, I'm not going out of my way for them.

I finally completed all of the shrines and the reward is worth it. SPOILERS: I was a little upset that the classic Link garb would only be available to Amiibo users, but this reward is soooo worth the shrines. Also the gift of all of the hearts and stamina is nice too.

No, I don't want to go track down 15 Energetic Rhino Beetles but I'm going to anyway because my armor sets require them. This is a bit of a hassle and is for sure the most tedious the game has felt this far. However, it is totally optional so it isn't that big of a drawback. Stupid armor sets.

Anyhoo, as soon as I complete upgrading my armor sets so that all of them have the set bonus established, I'm going to go fight the Calamity Ganon. Hopefully, by this time next week, I will be wrapping up my fantastic visit to Hyrule and head back into Halo 5 for a bit. As for what the future holds, I just secured my preorder of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so one month from now, you'll catch me tearing around online.

Until next time, kcduckling out.