themblan's blog

By now, we have learned about the termination of Alison Rapp from Nintendo of America. Other than the obvious things, I would like to write about how this has affected me personally. I remember first seeing Alison Rapp at Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 2014. She has the best laugh at the Treehouse, hands down. Eventually, I discovered Twitter and followed her. I even participated in her 24-hour Extra Life gaming-marathon charity-event and became the highest donor. It was taking a long time to receive my donation-incentive reward so I tweeted to her about it and she responded quickly. After that, she favorited a few of my tweets as well. It felt nice to be acknowledged. Her termination this past week has triggered mixed feelings about the situation. On one hand, I was sad for Alison Rapp, and indeed all NoA employees. Who knows if Erik Peterson was also terminated for similarly unjust reasons (although I suspect he was Trevelyan's source)? Chris Pranger was also terminated last...

As much as I like leaks, part of me wishes that they didn't happen. There was a new leaker in the last few days. He goes by the alias  desmotor on reddit . So assuming he's for real, why does he, and people like him (Trevelyan's source) want to spoil surprises for the rest of us? Of course, it is my prerogative to ignore the internet and not search for NX-rumors. It's my own fault, and a paradox. I want to know more, but would rather wait until Christmas-morning to open my presents; at the same time, I'm drawn to the flame like a moth. I guess they're assuming that only the hardcore fans will read reddit about NX so they're not damaging a large portion of the fanbase. I guess all I'm wishing for is a middle-ground: for leaks to happen by accident and then hastily and subsequently deleted. I'm going to guess that Erik Peterson was Trevelyan's source; I really liked him. Which leads me to the question of how do firings occur at NoA? Does the ...

Let's start with Microsoft. This generation, they are the only one to have wired data going through their controller. The Wii U Gamepad and Dual Shock 4 do not have wired data. You can plug a DS4 into a PS4 with a micro-USB cable but the cable is only providing power and the data is still transmitted through Bluetooth. Please tell me I'm wrong with links and sources. Why is wired data important? For input-lag. Combine input-lag with LCD display-lag and you have more lag than is necessary. Kudos to Microsoft. Sony has focused on the gamer from the start, whereas Nintendo wanted the casuals who bought the Wii and Microsoft banked on the Kinect. Kudos to Sony. They made the Playstation Eye optional, and did not create an expensive controller. Nintendo has put a lot of resources into creating their own games, 1) because they had to, and 2) because they have the talent to do so. Sony has had the worst first-party support, but Microsoft has done better than them. Why are first-pa...

$. Monetization. Donations. Subscriptions. There are a million Harvest Moon clones on 3DS, so why is it that the Western gaming-world treats Stardew Valley like the second coming? It's because it's very difficult to capture 3DS video. You can have your 3DS modified by someone in Japan, but it takes a long time (half a year even) and costs a lot of money (hundreds). Stardew Valley bypasses that hassle and jumps straight to where the money is at: YouTube and Twitch. I don't think people are saying Stardew Valley is better than the HM clones on 3DS, because they probably haven't played any of them. I find this very disturbing, but it's the nature of the world. From an aesthetic standpoint. SV doesn't look better than the HM clones on 3DS, nor does it look like it offers anything new, but it is simply easier to capture video of it, and stream; simple as that. I'm not hating on SV. I haven't played it, nor desire to play it. I haven't played any of ...

I would be completely satisfied if Turf War was the only mode in Splatoon. I remember when I played the Global Testfire; I played every possible second I could; it was so fun. I don't agree with capitalistic gamers thinking we need 50 million modes in every game. The devs were very smart in limiting Splatoon to two game-modes at any single time - Regular: Turf War, and Ranked: Splat Zones, Tower Control, or Rainmaker. Imagine if people could pick any mode at any time; it would take forever to find a game. Turf War is not only the best mode in Splatoon, but also one of the best modes in any online, competitive, multiplayer, team-based shooter. In other games, there is a Domination-like mode where teams fight to control key areas. The beauty of Turf War is that the entire horizontal map is the key area. It makes each little area important; you're not just rushing into certain designated areas and not paying attention to the alleys and avenues that take you there. Other games ...

There are just some immutable truths in the world. Nintendo wants to be and finds pride in being different, and Sakurai does not want Smash to be a competitive fighting-game. No matter how much we want Smash 4 to be the spiritual successor to Melee, it will never be. Of course, this much is obvious. There is no way to do advanced techniques like wavedashing and L-cancelling, and there is so much post-move and landing-lag. But beyond that, I'm starting to see how Sakurai is very much like the late Iwata. Iwata once said we would be able to play DVDs on the original Wii. Then he recanted that statement, saying that we already have several DVD-players in our homes anyway. Part of the reason DVD-playback was dropped was cost; there is some licensing fee or whatever. But another reason was that Iwata, like Sakurai and Nintendo, do not want to be like everyone else. I don't know about you, but I feel this way in certain areas of my life as well; we want to feel special. Sakurai s...

Link here I am very inclined to believe this set of rumors; it's believable. I'm more excited about NX now. A part of me, however, dislikes whoever at Nintendo keeps leaking stuff. What happened to waiting until Christmas-morning to open gifts? Of course, it is my prerogative to ignore the internet and not read articles and watch videos on NX-rumors, but I wish more people respected the element of surprise. That said, this still could all be fake. Teal Swan, the spiritual catalyst, said that the 2012 shift would be a spiritual shift toward oneness, and I believe the same holds true for the gaming-industry. We are seeing more and more unity, and less animosity and derisive competitiveness. With Microsoft, in a best-case scenario, I foresee them perfecting the "Steambox" concept. Valve will fail and Microsoft will succeed. Sony is on top of the console-world right now, but mighty kings fall hard; just ask Nintendo. VR is not the direction that will offer them financia...