Nintendo's Control Problems

Drifting. In the medium that is video games, it is such a cool term. Two of my favorite racing series, Mario Kart and Ridge Racer thrive on the mechanic that is drifting to aid you in taking sharp turns and getting micro speed boosts. Lately, however, the term drifting carries some pretty negative connotations, especially when it comes to the Switch.

After the failure that was the Wii U, I think anything that was even marginally better would have been seen as a win. The Switch isn't just better than the Wii U. It is a very hot seller that has not only restored consumer faith in Nintendo but third party publishers as well. Indies are also loving the Switch as Nintendo has done regular Nindies Directs and indy games get more time in the spotlight on the system since there is better quality control on it as opposed to Steam.

While Nintendo may be killing it with the Switch, everything is not sunny in paradise. The Joy-Cons, controllers that come with every Switch unit sold, have a very nasty design flaw that can cause the analog sticks to drift, that is to read movement even when you did no type of input. When I first heard of this, I'd thought that it was an isolated occurrence like the bent and or scratched screen issues that popped up shortly after the launch of the Switch over two years ago. Turns out Joy-Con drift is, much like the Xbox 360 red ring of death, a pretty wide spread problem.

I got my nieces and nephew a Switch for Christmas 2017. My nephew told me that his Joy-Cons were't working properly. When I took a look at his Switch to examine the problem, it looked an awful lot like the dreaded drift issues I'd heard about. At first I thought he was just being a bit rough with the Joy-Cons. You know how kids can be. Dropping electronic devices, tripping over things. Heck, even adults are prone to the two aforementioned. Stuff happens. But I had never seen such anything like this. I constantly had to readjust the left Joy-Con analog stick because it just wouldn't stay in any desired location unless I'd held it there. I don't know how bad the drift is from person to person but my nephew's Joy-Con's are so bad that he just uses mine whenever he comes over and brings his Switch. Sadly, my Joy-Cons have also hopped aboard the drift train. It isn't as bad as my nephew's Joy-Cons but it happens often enough to be more than a mild annoyance.

I have been gaming on Nintendo systems ever since I was a kid. From the NES to the Wii U. I have never had a problem with my controllers on any of their systems. Even when I rotated that N64 analog stick for numerous mini games on the first Mario Party, those suckers still worked. So why is it that with the Switch, a system doing so tremendously well, that quality control on the controller front is a major issue? There was talk shortly after the Switch launch that Nintendo rushed the system to the market. From the hasty termination of Miiverse to other actions, one gets the strong feeling that Nintendo wants us to forget about the flop that was the Wii U. Was Nintendo in such a rush to get the Switch out and make up for their failure that they created another one with the Joy-Con's faulty manufacturing?

Worse still is the fact that Nintendo has not come out and publicly addressed the drift issue. So people have either had to pay to have their Joy-Cons repaired or buy new ones because the warranty expired. And Joy-Cons are not cheap. A set of new Joy-Cons will wet you back $70. With that money you could buy Astral Chain or some other new upcoming Switch title. It wasn't until the word "lawsuit" came up that a leaked memo came out stating that Nintendo would fix Joy-Con drift free of charge. Those of us that frequent gaming news are aware of this but little Tommy's parents are probably out at Walmart shopping for a new pair of Joy-Cons that retain that pesky design flaw.

It isn't just the Joy-Cons that have problems. The Pro Controller, one of the best controllers I've ever gamed on, has a very finicky directional pad. You can press left or right on the pad but because it doesn't want to read inputs correctly, well, let's just say, I've had tetriminos dropped where I didn't want them dropped in Tetris 99 and I ground pounded when I had no intention of doing so in Super Mario Maker 2.

These control issues are very unlike Nintendo. Nintendo is a company renowned for their high quality products. The Big N may be making plenty of smart moves with the Switch but that doesn't excuse them for how poorly they've handled the Joy-Con drift and Pro Controller's directional pad.

EA Isn't Bringing Much Games to the Switch? Sounds Good to Me

Horrific events have occurred lately. There was a shooting in El Paso, Texas and right after that, there was a shooting in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio. I recently moved back to Ohio and I recalled that I worked in the Oregon District before moving to Virginia almost 10 years ago. For the umpteenth time, the blame for these shooting is being placed at the feet of video games, violent ones in particular. I have no intention of defending my favorite hobby from a group of morons that wish to point the finger at a medium when these same rush-to-condemning folks have yet to come up with any proof that video games cause people to kill. I watched the latest Jimquisition and I do agree that blaming video games for the El Paso and Dayton shootings is not only stupid but a distraction. As awful as the shootings were, they do shine some of the light away from the evils plaguing the video game industry, something I'm sure scum suckers like EA appreciate. This is an editorial I've wanted to have up for about a week now so it is past time I've hopped to it.

One look on the eShop shows that the EA hasn't been going all in on Switch support like other companies have. Given how the Wii U turned out, it was understandable that lots of third parties looked at the Switch with caution or took a wait and see approach. Once the Switch started selling like crazy everyone and their mother flocked to support the Switch. Well, everyone except EA. It turns out EA feels that gamers don't appreciate the games they offer on the Switch, which is why the selection of games is currently four. 

EA not publishing many games on the Switch?

Yeah, I'm not seeing that as a bad thing and if any good can come from more EA games on the Switch you will have a very hard time convincing myself and I suspect, many, many others what good that could possibly be.

Less games from EA on the Switch is a blessing as far as I'm concerned. Less games without grindy gameplay to enforce microstransations? They should pass a law to keep EA from publishing games on the Switch. But I don't want any of my fellow gamers to feel let out on this. PS4 owners, XBO players, PC gamers, where you at? I'm pretty sure that a good chunk of you wouldn't lose any sleep if EA published less games on those platforms.

Let's be real here, EA does not publish games. They publish trash thinly disguised as games. This is a company that cannot go without stuffing a game with microtransactions because they can never make enough money to be satisfied. Same goes for Activision. Classy move, slipping Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled with microtransactions after the game released to positive reviews. Some players would smell it before it was dealt but even as someone that has yet to pick the game up, it really grinds my gears. 

I personally do not appreciate EA's Switch offerings or the company at all for that matter. The Switch is doing just fine without much support from EA. The system has a wealth of third party support and indie developers love the hybrid. There's also Nintendo's insane first party goods, which rarely disappoint. 

It cannot be understated that EA is a terrible, terrible company. Every single negative word in every language wouldn't even come close to summing up what a crappy company Electronic Arts is. Oh and since I didn't get around to making an editorial on the subject when it arose, yes, EA, you are the bad guys. You've always been the bad guys. You buy out developers and destroy them and in turn, ruin great franchises. You struggle with perception of being seen as a vile cooperation? Touch rocks. Your awful reputation is going to stick to you like white on rice on a paper plate in a snow storm. 

Impressions of a Hero

Did you have fun trying to get Hero from the eShop only to fail time and again because the servers were getting destroyed? Well, chump, I'd like to say I feel your pain but I don't, because I was working when Hero went live. I've also got the Fighter Pass so I just download the fighters via update as they become available. Sucks to be you. In all seriousness,

My excitement for Hero grew as I saw Daddy Sakurai demonstrating what the character could do. His forward Smash, while slow, is insanely powerful and being a player that loves to spam Smash attacks, I've already gotten so much fun out of sending fools into the blast zone with it.

Can we talk about Hero's Down B? We're gonna talk about Hero's Down B. This brings up a random menu of four out of 32 spells. My favorites are Bounce, the reflector that stays activated for a good while and is the only character that can move with the ability. Snooze, which can put opponents to sleep in mid-air, which is going to be all kinds of shenanigans for gimping someone's recovery. Kamikaze is also gonna grind some people's gears, especially in free-for-alls. 2 or more opponents in the lead and they happen to be in the red? Blow blow 'em up and take the lead! Zoom is a spell that probably shouldn't be legal for anything since it lets you recovery from anywhere on the stage. I can already see someone at a tournament flipping a table when Hero returns to the stage with 138% from a Zoom spell to win the game.

Hero's crazy RNG is going to really upset Ultimate's competitive scene. I can already hear people crying out for him to be nerfed. This is a character that can get random critical hits, has the possibility of Thwack killing you at 0% or getting a free Super Mushroom to land big damage. And he is crazy fun to use. I've only played several games with him and he's one of my favorite new additions to Ultimate. Could Hero be banned? Possibly. Meta Knight was banned from Brawl for how crazy busted he was. As broken as Bayonetta was from Smash 4, I'm surprised she didn't get banned as it would have been the easy solution but I also believe player should learn match ups before demanding nerfs. Whether Hero gets to stay or go in competitive Smash, time or salty tears will decide.

The Hero is a mighty fine addition to Ultimate's beefy roster and I'm looking forward to getting better with him. Welp, I'm off to learn more of those insane spells. Happy Smashing.

Favorite Tunes #269: Summer Madnesss

I've been away for a while. The blog went on hiatus because I've moved back to my home state. We just got the internet up and running yesterday and I'm happy to resume blogging. Give yourself a cookie if you can guess the band behind this week's subtitle.

Hotel Delfino - Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

Not my favorite Super Mario game by a long shot. Sunshine suffers from some of the very same problems people love to slam the early 3D Sonic titles for: glitches, lousy voice acting and just plain bad game design in numerous instances. Be that as it may, I still wouldn't label Sunshine a bad game. I love the tropical setting and the soundtrack is just perfect for anyone craving some sounds of summer.

On the Open Seas - Super Adventure Island II (SNES)

Though I've only played the first SNES entry and thus and more familiar with the former's soundtrack, from my understanding, Super Adventure Island II was the better game. Though when it comes to the music, I'd have to give the nod to the first game. Still, the music from the second entry is serviceable.

Green Hill Zone Act 2 - Sonic Mania (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

Yes, yes, we're all tired of Green Hill Zone. Sonic Team has overexposed the heck out of the very first area in the original Sonic the Hedgehog but band it, that music is still the bee's knee. Tee Lopes did an outstanding job remixing the old Sonic jams and I'm looking forward to hearing his new material in Team Sonic Racing.

Welcome to Crocodile Isle - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

Often viewed as the pinnacle of the SNES DKC trilogy and to that I say, well, you'll get no argument from me. On top of introducing Dixie, arguably the greatest blonde in all of platformers, DKC2 improved upon the original in every aspect. David Wise was the only composer to return to score the music for this 1995 hit and he freaking nailed it.

To the South - Goof Troop (SNES)

One of my favorite cartoons to watch in the afternoon when I was a lad, I was thrilled when I found out that Goof and Max were coming to the SNES. Capcom rarely turned in a licensed dud in those days and Goof Troop did not disappoint. No doubt even more gamers are more away of this game thanks to the Game Grumps and for that, they have my thanks.

Launch Octopus Stage - Mega Man X (SNES)

If (for some strange reason) you haven't played Mega Man X, grab the Mega Man X Legacy Collection ASAP. The game is a heavy contender for the greatest Mega Man game, yes, even topping 2 and 3. When I was working on this Favorite Tunes, I realized that Launch Octopus' sea/aquatic level fits the summer them perfectly.

Favorite Tunes Database

What I Learned from Super Mario Maker

It feels like we're beating a dead horse at this point, but for the gazillionth time, the Wii U was a huge failure for Nintendo. It was poorly advertised and was lacking in third party support to name a few of the issues the system had. But even so, the Wii U was home to some incredible games such as the breakout IP, Splatoon, which just recently hit its 4th anniversary. Another huge title for the system was Super Mario Maker. Despite the Wii U's small install base, the game was massively popular and continues to be played by streamers and YouTubers to this day. The only thing that will put Super Mario Maker to rest is Super Mario Maker 2. With the sequel to what is arguably the greatest level creation game of all time landing on Friday, I'd like to take this time to reflect on the things I've learned from my time playing the original Super Mario Maker.

I was beyond stoked for the original Super Mario Maker. Finally, a Super Mario game that let the players design their own stages. And what did I do when I first got the game? Stare at the blank canvas before me all the while feeling that I could never match the plethora of outstanding courses that were already posted. I never thought I would feel pressured in a Super Mario game, but when you're tossed in the creator's seat, those sweat bullets start droppin'.

The very first course I designed for Super Mario Maker ended up being a simple one that relied heavily on the skill for which Mario is most famous, jumping. Using the New Super Mario U layout, the course I designed had only one type of power-up, the Super Mushroom and not too much in the way of enemies. Some tricky wall jumping was presented near the end but it wasn't anything most would struggle with much. To ease players into some of the more troubling sections, I used coins as a guide My intent wasn't to give players a hard time with my first level. I just wanted to get my name out there.

That first course, basic as it was, became one of my highest star earning courses. The name of the course? Jump Man. This would go on to be a series of levels that was followed up by Jumpman 2, Jumpman 3, you get the idea. Although I never did make it to Jumpman 5 (for reasons that I'll explain below), the Jumpman courses were something vastly different from other courses I would design. I even made it a rule in all of these courses to limit the power up to just the Super Mushroom and (mostly) stick to the Ground theme. The Jumpman courses are going to be making a comeback in Super Mario Maker 2 so I hope your jumping game is on point.

Before Super Mario Maker released, I had the idea to make some brutal, soul-crushing courses. Inspired by the course names from the Special World in Super Mario World, these devilishly hard courses had all kinds of slang names like Wicked, Gravy, and Clutch. I had a huge list of current and old slang to use for these levels. I even looked up some terms I'd never heard of before like Shaka. Not only was looking into old and new slang fun for these tough courses, designing the course was just as, if not more so fun. By no means were these levels unbeatable. They just demanded a lot from the player. Making these types of courses really pushed me and I honestly think these were some of my best levels. And I made sure they always got a Expert or Super Expert rating.

Fleek was a P-Switch run course with a twist. Not only did you have 40 seconds to complete the stage, but beating the level without the aid of the Starman scattered throughout the course was impossible. You had to be fast enough to make it to the next P-Switch AND snag the next Starman. The 40 second time limit made things tense but the sped up Starman theme made sure players were always booking it. I've always felt the the sped up Starman music was a great piece of music that just screams "HURRY UP!" I cannot wait to design another course like this one in Super Mario Maker 2!

Hammer Bros. were my go-to enemies because I loath Hammer Bros. I don't think there is anyone that enjoys dealing with these guys, so I would use them whenever I felt like making the player uncomfortable. Steps at the before a flap pole in Super Mario Bros. theme? Hammer Bros. Need a key to open the door blocking your path? Gotta take out that Hammer Bro. No doubt I'll be using them again in Super Mario Maker 2, but I will be using other enemy types to frustrate you. We've got Fire Bros. now!

Everyone has their own style when it comes to the things they do and that is something I learned for the umpteenth time when making levels in Super Mario Maker. Initially, I felt that my levels weren't on the level (no pun intended) of courses that had hundreds of thousands of stars, but I learned to embrace my own style and improve upon it. If you have even the tiniest bit of interest in level design, Super Mario Maker 2 should be on your to buy list.

Nintendo Murdered E3 2019. In a Good Way

Yes, the winners of E3 are the gamers, but let's be real here. Nintendo. MURDERED that joint. I know that I tried to refrained from picking a side for E3 winners in 2017, but if you were to ask me who the victor was then, I'd have to agree that Nintendo walked away with the crown.

The reveal of the Hero from Dragon Quest and Banjo-Kazooie might have been somewhat ruined thanks to leakers (seriously, eff leakers) but if all the reaction videos I've seen are anything to go by, many are beyond stoked that that the leak was real and some didn't even know about the leak. Either way, people are really excited for the two (three, I didn't forget you, Kazooie) new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters.

Stealth drops are always a pleasant surprise. The very day of the E3 Nintendo Direct, I was wondering when the Contra Anniversary Collection was coming out and when the game was show briefly along with the fact that it wold be available on the eShop later that day, my Contra itch was about to be scratched and then some.

Trials of Mana, what Seiken Densetsu 3 is officially going to be called outside of Japan is getting a remake. I know lots of people Didn't like the 2018 remake of Secret of Mana, but as one of the few who did like it, I'm interested to see how the Trials of Mana remake turns out in 2020. Collection of Mana was also stealth dropped, containing the first three Mana games. I have not played Final Fantasy Adventure in eons and that game was in dire need of a re-release and is a perfect fit for the Switch. The big deal about Collection of Mana is that is is the first time the original Trials of Mana has been officially translated and released outside of Japan. I've heard the soundtrack to that game, but I've never played it. I almost bought it later that day but I got word that a physical release was coming in late August and I am all about some physical games in this heavy digital age.

I was already pumped for Luigi's Mansion 3 and Astral Chain but now that we've seen much more, I'm foaming at the mouth over these titles. Astral Chain looks crazy good. Plot wise, I'm not expecting an epic for the ages but as long as the gameplay is tight, and that is ineeded looking to be the case, I'm all in. Nintendo had my money for that game back in February. I cannot throw my money at them fast enough. Still no solid release date for Luigi's Mansion 3 but I'm hoping for an October date. With Dragon Quest XI and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening releasing in the same week in September, we really don't need another great game sucking up our money that month.

I know some are disappointed that Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a game that was originally promised a 2019 release was delayed to March 2020. Personally, I see this is a blessing in disguise. Mu backlog is not getting any smaller and with everything Nintendo showed during the direct, do you really need another $60 game? My wallet crawled up from the grave and thanked Nintendo for letting if live a little while longer.

Nintendo can be a very strange company with whacked out policies and still not comprehending online but one thing they know like nobody's business is games, games, and more games. Other companies are doing yawn inducing press conferences where they talk and talk. Nintendo shows what really matters: the games. Not only did Nintendo show off the games (and gameplay, not just fancy cinematics) they showed off a ton of them and that is why they won E32019.

Favorite Tunes #268: The Hero, the Bear and the Bird

So in case you haven't heard, the Hero from Dragon Quest XI is gonna be in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His alts? Heroes from other DQ games such as VIII and IV. Oh and Banjo-Kazooie are also joining the battle. It is a GREAT time to be alive.

Battle - Dragon Quest III (NES)

Originally known as Dragon Warrior in the west, with the eight installment, the series would at long last use the original Japanese name in all territories. It has been years since I've played a DQ game. The last one I played, sinking tons of hours into was DQIV on the DS. The next one will be the Switch version of DQXI. If you're curious as to what game "Goku" comes from, it would be DQIII.

Spiral Mountain - Banjo-Kazooie (N64)

A dream was at long last made reality when a Jiggy bounced across the screen during Nintendo's E3 Direct. Donkey Kong, Diddy and King K. Rool going nuts over the sight of Banjo-Kazooie? It perfectly mirrored fan reactions. I am stoked to play as this magnificent duo and the Spiral Mountain stage looks like oodles of fun. Speaking of which, I cannot believe I haven't posted more music from such an iconic N64 game. Way past time we fixed that.

Stardust Speedway G Mix US - Sonic CD (SCD)

Replaying Sonic CD over the past few years had made me come to realize that that game is not great. It suffers from some pretty bad level design that doesn't really work in the game's exploratory nature. That said, it certainly isn't terrible and the game has two awesome soundtracks. The US version tends to get a bad rap but there are a lot of songs that I really like from it. When it comes to the Future Mixes from both the JP and US scores, I tend to lean towards the B Mixes but Man, the G Mix for Stardust Speedway is a big exception.

Twinkle Snow Zone Act 1 - Sonic Advance 3 (GBA)

When people talk about the best Sonic soundtracks, you always hear about the consoles games. And the console outings (for the most part) deliver amazing Sonic jams. But let's not forgot those portable games, in this case, Sonic Advance 3, easily the best soundtrack of the Advance trilogy and really, one of the best Sonic soundtracks. The music team behind this game knocked it out of the park with this one.

Bonus Stage - Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (GEN)

I would feel sorry for anyone that had to come in and write music after Yuzo Koshiro. That man is one serious tough act to follow. Shadow Dancer: The secret of Shinobi is kinda treated like the second Shinobi game, releasing after The Revenge of Shinobi when in actuality, it is a different game from the arcade title of the same name (Shadow Dancer, that is). Obviously The Revenge has the better soundtrack of the two, but The Secret of Shinobi still has some fine beats going on. I plan on giving this soundtrack the due it deserves on this blog in future Favorite Tunes posts. Until then, enjoy this sick beat.

Don't Be Afraid - Final Fantasy VIII (PS)

Finally. FINALY Final Fantasy VIII is getting a remaster and it is coming to everything. We are long overdue for this game getting the remaster treatment it deserves. It has been years since I've played this game but I'm excited to go through it again on the Switch. That reminds me, FFVII is on sale on the Switch and I need to snag that sucker.