Nintendo Switch Online Needs MAJOR Improvements

*Sigh* Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo. Why do you have to be so prehistoric? Outdated? Out of touch? There are million words I could use to describe how Nintendo can be.  The company makes many an outstanding game, but when it comes to the issue of online gaming, they are one seriously odd duck.

In this case, I am of course, talking about Nintendo Switch Online. It is in two words (shocker), not great. In a few more words, one wouldn't even consider it good. Hoo boy, everyone under the sun has had something to say about Nintendo Switch Online. Negative Nancy's are out in full force, but their negativity here is completely justified. I was raring to go to talk about this but as last week went on, I saw so many recommended videos pop up on Nintendo Switch Online on YouTube, that my enthusiasm to discuss the matter was sucked right out of me. Watching only a few of them had given me more than my fill. That isn't to say I think gamers expressing their frustration over Nintendo Switch Online is wrong, but the amount of videos that more or less said the exact same thing did inspire me to come at it from a different angle. Make no mistake, I agree with everyone else out there that Nintendo Switch Online is a joke but rather than just go on and on about why it sucks, I think it would be better to talk about what Nintendo could to improve it as well as the very few positives.

The one good thing Nintendo has over it's competitors is the price. No matter how you slice it, you pay less for Nintendo's online service. $20 for a year's subscription versus the $60 Sony and Microsoft are asking. Even the 3 month plan is cheaper than the other guys at $8 compared to the $25 you'd pay for to game online with the PS4 and XBO. If the posts in Splatoon 2 are any indication, more people are annoyed by the fact that they have to pay to play Switch games with online features online than they are the shoddy service itself. Microsoft was the first to offer a paid online subscription service and Sony followed suit with the PS4. It was only a matter of time until Nintendo jumped on the pay to play online console games online bandwagon. There's plenty to gripe about when it comes to Nintendo Switch Online. The all around cheap price, however, isn't something I feel warrants griping about.

NES games. We've seen these time and again, but it is a nice bonus for signing up for Nintendo's Online service. More are to be added in the future so I hope we get some of those games that Nintendo has seldom given any time in the spot light. For the 60 plus games that were released on the Wii's Virtual Console, there were a plethora of games that didn't make it. The NES version of Contra being omitted from all forms of the Virtual Console service made absolutely no sense. I expect the Castlevania trilogy to show up at some point as well as Super C so it would be cool if Konami could get their crap together and give us the NES version of Contra.

There are currently 20 NES games on the Nintendo Switch Online
with more on the way.

Do I think the NES games on this online service makes up for killing off the Virtual Console on the Switch? No way. And while everyone is jumping the gun over the latest data findings, getting their hopes up that a Virtual Console service is coming to the Switch, a lot of these eager people are quick to forget that Nintendo themselves said that there will be no Virtual Console on the Switch. As much as we want it, Nintendo has stated that it is a no go. If Nintendo is planning to bring their classic games to the Switch through Nintendo Switch Online, they better keep those games rolling out at a steady pace. The drip feed release for Virtual Console games on the Wii as well as the Wii U was unbearable to anyone that was there at the beginning so I find it amazing that we got 20 NES games right off the bat, even though some of them (Baseball, Soccer, Tennis) are just plain bad. I think some are still waiting for Nintendo to roll out the SNES games on this thing as well as N64 titles and if Nintendo wants to really make it worth our while, more than the usual suspects need to show up. Both the NES and SNES libraries are far too deep to stick to everything we've seen before. On the Nintendo front, they could bring us games that were never released outside of Japan such as Joy Mecha Fight and Marvelous: Another Treasure Island or the unreleased 8 and 16-bit Fire Emblem games. In recent years we've had games that were Japan only make it outside of the Land of the Rising Sun with English translations (Monster World IV) so Nintendo really has no excuse. If Nintendo is set on keeping the Virtual Console dead on the Switch then they had better bring us games from their old catalog by the truckloads. 

It still rubs me the wrong way that cloud saves are not supported by all games, especially a title like Splatoon 2, a game that is a pretty huge deal. You've got people that have invested hundreds, if not, thousands of hours into that game and Nintendo doesn't want Splatoon 2 to have cloud save support because of cheaters? Hey, Nintendo, cheaters are still going to be doing their business with games that support cloud save. To punish an entire player base over the wrongful actions of a few is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen and I've seen Nintendo do a lot of dumb things. Nintendo, you gotta find a better solution to dealing with cheaters because this one freaking sucks.

On the plus side of the cloud save issue, Nintendo is going to let us recover our saved data if our subscription expires. The Big N is going to give us up to six months to resubscribe to their service to get cloud saves back. Why on Earth this information didn't reach us on day one is puzzling. This would have helped diminish some of the backlash over Nintendo Switch Online. I have no idea what sort of miscommunication at Nintendo caused this, but that was a fairly big blunder on their part.

Perhaps more than anything, Nintendo Switch Online needs dedicated servers. Right now, we use peer to peer online play and nothing is worse than running into a laggy player. During the Retro vs Modern Splatoon 2 Splatfest, I splatted a roller and after he was taken out, his roller was still going and I was splatted! Nintendo is having us pay to play their games online now so we should have dedicated servers for more optimal online playing experiences.

If you want a recommendation from me as if you should or shouldn't get Nintendo Switch Online, I honestly don't have an answer for you. In the end, you are the only one who can decide if you feel you should pull the trigger on this or not. As for myself, I love playing Splatoon 2 online and I had a blast playing Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U and I want to do it again on the Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so I already dropped my twenty bones last week. I do like the NES games but I still feel the overall service is shoddy at best and Nintendo really needs to work at making it better. When, if they do, maybe so many gamers will stop looking at the company with their arms folded in annoyance and anger.

Favorite Tunes #241: Comfort Zone

Have you ever found yourself trying to balance too many games at once? That's the situation I'm currently in. I'm greatly enjoying every game I'm playing but making time for all of them is a bit difficult. Still, its hard to feel too bad when you've got so many great titles to choose from. Anyway, just a bit of real game talk for ya. Enjoy the tunes.

Dirtmouth - Hollow Knight (PC, NS)

First released on the PC in 2017, Hollow Knight hit the Switch in 2018 and I have been loving this game. The soundtrack has a very, mostly quite, tranquil vibe and I find that can make exploring the ruined land feel quite peaceful. If you're looking for some more relaxed gaming music, Hollow Knight has you covered.

Menu - Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle (NS, PS4, XBO, PC)

The Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle has scratched an itch I've had for some time now. The genre has been on my brain and I was thinking about popping in Capcom Classics Collection Volume 1 and 2 to get a fix and then, this beauty of a compilation gets revealed during the September 13th Nintendo Direct. The Menu them is pretty dang awesome and gets you pumped to walk right and punch people in the face.

Museum - Captain Commando (ARC)

Speaking of the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle, here's a track from Captain Commando. The first time I played this game was on Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2. I didn't play it as much as I did Final Fight or Knights of the Round, but I do remember enjoying my time with this one. I played it again after picking up the Beat 'Em Up Bundle and this game is absurd and as fun as ever.

Industrial Area - Final Fight (ARC)

This the last Capcom beat 'em up I'll feature in Favorite Tunes this week. Promise. I plan to make a list of my favorite beat 'em ups one of these days and you can bet that Final Fight will be near the top of the top of the list. The game offers some of the best two button action you can find even if it can be very cheap when it swarms you with enemies. The soundtrack is among the best of Capcom's CPS I arcade board. Some of the composers for Final Fight's soundtrack include Maname Matsume and Yasuaki Fujita, both known for the contributions to the classic Mega Man series.

Broforce Theme Song - Broforce (PC, PS4, NS)

If you want to play an over the top run 'n gun action game where everything can be destroyed, check out Broforce. The game was originally released on PC in 2015 and then the PS4 in 2016 and hit the Switch earlier this month. The game went by yours truly unnoticed until a fellow forum member started discussing his play through of it on the Switch. So I checked out the trailer and couldn't help but smile as this themed played.

Comfort Zone (Main Menu) - Sonic Mania (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

The team behind Sonic Mania wowed many of us and while I'm still not ready to say it is the best Sonic game ever (sorry, GameSpot but you need more than a few days to make such a wild claim), it is nonetheless, an outstanding title, thanks in no small part to Tee Lopes amazing soundtrack. I know the level themes tend to get the most love (for good reason) but the menu tracks are pretty awesome in their own right.

Favorite Tunes Database

Remix of the Week: Blue Resort (Bomberman 64)

This week's is a remix of one of my favorite songs from Bomberman 64, Blue Resort. The arrangement is from one of the best groups of remixers on YouTube, The Consouls, who specialize in jazz works. They more than did this great song justice.

Favorite Tunes #240: Turning Over a New Leaf

If you are in one of the areas that was called for evacuation for Hurricane Florence, I hope you're staying safe. We managed to get quite fortunate and have the storm pass over us here in Virginia. Anyway, for this week, there's a selection of tracks that reflects a few of the titles I'm currently playing and a few that I'm really looking forward to.

Home (Not) Sweet Home - 2064: Read Only Memories (PC, PS4, PSV, XBO, NS)

Do you like cyber punk? Do you like text based games? Do you like knowledgable, adorable robots with dome-shaped heads? If you answered yes to all of those questions, you should take 2064: Read Only Memories for a spin. I haven't played many games in this genre, but the pixel graphics and cyber punk setting were enough to stir my interest. It has an intriguing story, some wonderful characters and a really good soundtrack. This is far from the last time you'll see music from this game popping up.

Block Man Stage - Mega Man 11 (NS, PS4, XBO, PC)

If you've played the Mega Man 11 Demo, you've been exposed to Block Man's challenging stage. It keeps with the spirit of classic Mega Man with tough, but fair level design. It wasn't long before I was bobbing my head to the square one's level theme. True to most Mega Man songs, this one is pretty catchy.

Dwelling of Doom - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)

Perhaps it is because Halloween is coming up. Maybe it is because I've been listening to the Pixel Mixers latest release. Or maybe it could be that I'm stoked that the Belmont boys are in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. OK, its all three. Castlevania II is the black sheep of the NES trilogy with gameplay being a huge departure from the first, result in a highly cryptic title, one that is impossible to play without a guide. If any Castlevania game needs a remake, it is definitely this one. Music is aces, though.

#12 awake - Splatoon 2 (NS)

You do you need more annoyance in your life? Do you want to smash the nearest thing after the umpteenth attempt at a mission to end in failure? Well look no further than Splatoon 2's Octo  Expansion DLC. For a low price of $20 you can experience what it is like to lose your sanity trying to obtain a Golden Hairpin. Frustration aside, the Octo Expansion DLC is a very nice addition to what is already an outstanding game. The lore of Splatoon is expanded and you can get exclusive gear to use in the multiplayer matches. The sound team even went ham and gave us an entirely new soundtrack for this DLC.

Your Contract Has Expired - A Hat in Time (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

I've been wanting to feature music from A Hat in Time here on Favorite Tunes but I haven't played the game yet, though I have been spoiled about some plot points thanks to a catch a videos on YouTube. This song came up in my recommended section and with the amount of views it had, I figured it was worth a listen. Rock on, Hat in Time. Rock on.

Town Hall - Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

This past Thursday's Nintendo Direct was either a roaring success or a huge disappointment. I feel like some people have insanely high exceptions for these directs and if/when they don't get what they wanted, they come out disappointed. Seriously, if you couldn't find anything to get excited about among all that stuff that was revealed, the hype gene may not be in you. There were a lot of good annoucements in the direct two of them being that not only is Isabelle gonna be a playable character in Smash, but a new console Animal Crossing is finally on the way.

Favorite Tunes Database

2K Begs & EA's Shameless Defiance

Oh, Belgium. When it comes to the fight against loot boxes, you guys are my heroes. So far Belgium is the only country to declare loot boxes are a form of gambling. As a result, 2K has been forced to remove them from NBA 2K19, at least in Belgium. Everywhere else the game is sold those crummy loot boxes are still stinking up the place. Even though NBA 2K19 will contain loot boxes on every other corner of the world, 2K still wants to have that gambling, predatory practice pie. They've stooped so low as to actually beg gamers to contact their government so they can be allowed to keep loot boxes in their game. 

That is freaking hilarious to me. Every time I think about this story, I double over in laughter. Like, 2K wants us to to ask our government officials to make it OK to keep implementing crappy game mechanics and pay to progress tactics. The audacity of these fools is, if nothing else, quite comical.

For all of EA's horrendous business practices (as a cancer on the medium, there are many), I am a firm believer in giving credit where it is due. If they hadn't went ahead with loot boxes in Star Wars: Battlefront II, the whole issue with loot boxes wouldn't have become as widespread as it is. They aren't anything new in fact they have been in a several of EA's sports titles such as FIFA and politicians didn't so much as bat an eye, that is until EA crammed them into Battlefront II. Star Wars is such a mega popular franchise that it is known to everyone around the world, regardless of age. So when you place a form of gambling into a Star Wars game and the backlash is so enormous  that it reaches political ears, that's when you've well and truly effed up. So thanks, EA. Thanks for being so caught up in your never ending pursuit to nickle and dime us that some companies are thinking twice about putting loot boxes into their games in Belgium. Some, companies, that is.

EA being EA has decided that they are still going to push forward with loot boxes on Belgium soil despite the legal ramifications that come with refusal to comply with the country laws. Now the evil monster corporation is under criminal investigation for such shameless defiance. Hey, EA, Belgium doesn't care how much money you have or what your interpretation of loot boxes are. Your refusal to comply with their laws could very well lead to a court case and I'm hoping they win, chew you up and spit you out.

It isn't hard to make a compelling game and make bank off of it. We've had enormousness releases from 2017 and 2018 that were well received by gamers. Super Mario Odyssey, God of War, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Sonic Mania, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spider-Man and other titles managed to turn a high profit. Of course all of those games did so without resorting to the much loathed implementation of loot boxes and that is where the problem lies for companies like EA and 2K. They have zero interest in making or publishing compelling games. Yes, everyone in the business of making and publishing games wants to make money. The issue with EA and 2K is that they don't just want to make money, they want to make all of the money and they are perfectly willing to use gambling and prey on those with nasty gambling habits to get it. Why make a game that is fun when you can just go after the gambling crowd and lock speedy progression behind a paywall? Thing is, as much as many of us despise loot boxes, there are those out there that buy into them. And as long as the gambling addicts keep buying them, greedy game companies will still resort to them. These trolls keep getting fed, so they don't die out.

EA and 2K games have become so dependent on loot boxes that they cannot help themselves. These guys need to use loot boxes like their need air to breathe. Gamers are nothing more than walking wads of cash for them to exploit, which is why games from both companies are built with short sighted the loot box formula in mind. The so called "grind" in these games only exists because they've been designed that way. When you make a game where you encourage the player to pay not to play it, something is seriously wrong.

Belgium's strong stance against loot boxes had made me the most proud of politicians that I have ever been. I only hope other countries follow in their footsteps. As it stands, the battle against loot boxes is only beginning and from here on out, it looks like things are gonna get pretty interesting. Here's hoping EA gets roasted like chicken.

I Cannot Wait to Play Mega Man 11 (Mostly) Blind

Did you know that the Mega Man 11 Demo actually has a game over screen? Well, it does. I've seen it. More times, than I'd care to admit.

Originally, I didn't plan on touching Mega Man 11 until the release date of October 2nd, which is fast approaching. But I noticed one of my friends online was playing the Mega Man 11 Demo, something I didn't even know was a thing. Normally, I skip demos of games I'm looking forward to but I just couldn't help myself this time. Mega Man 11 is the first new Mega Man game in years so I guess I couldn't wait until October to try a slice.

Oh, and demo impressions. I have them.

I dig Mega Man's abilities that let him temporarily speed up and slow down time, though they will take some getting used to. I do like Mega Man's look in this game. He's always had a simple, yet appealing design. The extra lining on his upper body and boots is a very nice tough and reminds me of his Super Smash Bros. model. As much as I enjoy 8-bit Mega Man, I'm glad to see Capcom once again take the character out of that era as far as looks go. His movement animation looks very stiff and I suspect this was to keep it more in line with the 8-bit games. The last time Mega Man was given more fluid movement (Mega Man 8), people complained. The Blue Bomber looks pretty dang good in HD and having Rush Coil on call at the press of a button is the best thing ever.

For all my struggling with Block Man's stage (as of this writing, I still haven't finished it), it is a pretty enjoyable level that incorporates a block gimmick quite well. Falling blocks over bottomless pits force you to time your jumps carefully, conveyor bets in horizontal as well as vertical sections further server to spice things up and the very unexpected return of one of my most hated enemies from the original Mega Man, the Flying Shell, make for a pretty challenging level. This was the level that was shown off during the reveal trailer  but demo was still the most I'd seen of it. Beyond the demo, however, I don't know much about Mega Man 11 and that's the way I wanna keep it until October.

When Mega Man 9 and 10 released, I knew pretty much everything about those games before I even played them. I knew what each level was like, what Robot Master was weak to what weapons, what the entire soundtrack was like for both games. I made the mistake of watching playthroughs for both games on YouTube thus spoiling myself of discovering the games on my own. Sure, playing a game is different from watching someone play it, but that whole sense of discovering the games on my own was completely lost. This (for the most part) was not the case when I played Mega Man 1-6 as a kid and 7 and 8 as  a teenager.

The first Mega Man game I ever played was Mega Man 2 and if I was a cocky kid that that he was hot stuff back in 1989, that game would have served as massive ego check. Time and time again, Mega Man 2 would wreck me. I didn't know what Robot Master I should go to first, who was weak against what. Heck, I didn't even know you could switch to a Robot Master's weapon after you beat him! It was a real learning experience for me and while I got wrecked over and over, I had a lot of fun (at least until I reached Boobeam Trap. That boss sucks). When I got Mega Man 3 the following year, I had to learn to get good all over again. This time, I had Nintendo Power to help with the Robot Master weakness, but that did me little good when I couldn't even get to less than half of the bosses. Like a shonen character that keeps getting knocked down, I kept rising back up for more. Having gotten so much better at Mega Man 3 and having played the game for years, it is now my favorite game of the entire franchise.

With Mega Man 11, I have a chance to experience a Mega Man game as if I were a kid again. I have been avoiding info like the plague. The only Robot Masters I know of are Block Man and Torch Man. The only stage I've seen is Block Man's and I haven't even seen all of it because I keep dying on the second mini boss.What's the rest of the soundtrack like? What are the other weapons? I don't have a clue and that has me grinning like an idiot that just got a kiss from his crush. Mega Man 11 is my chance to play a Mega Man game (mostly) blind for the first time in a very long time. I'm going to find out who is weak to what on my own. I'm going to pick my own path to Dr. Wily. And arguably most important of all, I'm gonna find out just how sick the beats are of Mega Man 11 through gameplay and not someone's YouTube playthrough. Block Man's theme is a banger and I'm drooling over the thought of what the rest of the music sounds like.

If Mega Man 11 is going to be your first Meg Man game, I'm very happy for you. The best advice I could give you is to play the game on your own for a while with no help. Self discovery is one of the most gratifying things about a Mega Man game and video games in general. October 2nd is gonna rock. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go off and lick my wounds because my failure to beat the Mega Man 11 demo still haunts me.

Remix of the Week: The Day of Fate ~Spirit VS Spirit~ (Dragon Ball Z)

I've been behind on episodes of Dragon Ball Z Abridged but when episode 60, Part 1, dropped, I figured I would give it a watch because the Cell Game episodes of DBZ are among my favorite. I was curious as to how TeamFourStar would handle Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 transformation and to my surprise, they tossed parody to the curb and treated the scene with every bit of seriousness as the original source material. From Gohan's raged inducing scream and even better, an outstanding cover of The Day of Fate ~Spirit VS Spirit~ which is my favorite vocal track from DBZ's original Japanese vocals. The song is sung in English this was actually the first time I've ever heard the lyrics translated. As a result, I have an even greater appreciation for the song. Thankfully. This cover can be purchased off Amazon for $1.29. I bought it and have listened to it on loop to and from work. Still not sick of it. Paolo Cuevas, Ani Djirdjirian, you guys done did real good.

Buy it on Amazon