Tag: Switch

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Geekscape 486: We Preview E3 2018 And All Those Video Games!

by JonathanJune 8, 2018

E3 2018 is NEXT WEEK and there are so many anticipated video games and potential announcements to talk about! Luckily, Geekscape Games co-host Josh Jackson is on the show to talk through all of them with me! Is Nintendo phasing out their super successful 3DS? Can Microsoft and the XBox One earn back fans’ good will? What surprises does Sony have in store for the rest of the PS4 lifetime? How will the Let’s Go Pokemon games play out? How will the Overleague compete against Twitch viewership and what does it mean for EVO and competitive gaming? Is crossplatforming the future? Will we see anticipated titles like a new Metroid, Last of Us 2, a new Bethesda title or a Switch Animal Crossing? And this isn’t HALF of it! Thanks to our friends at Fan Guru for being a part of this episode and our E3 experience! Definitely go check them out!

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The Definitive Newcomer List For ‘Super Smash Bros.’ For Switch

by Josh JacksonApril 1, 2018

With the recent announcement of Super Smash Bros. for the Switch, debates have broken out all across the Internet over which characters should be added to the next iteration of Nintendo’s acclaimed brawler. Legendary figures from gaming’s past and present will be meeting for the fifth time, meaning that only the most influential characters will be able to move the needle this time. By building off of the success of past games, we were inclined to throw our hat in the ring, compiling the definitive list of newcomers that can take the game to new heights.

Lyn

As a game severely lacking in anime sword wielders, Lyn is a great place to start. As the most popular female in the series based on the Fire Emblem Heroes character poll, there’s no reason why the wanderer of the plains shouldn’t be upgraded from her two time assist trophy status. As we know, the many fantastic sword users that fill the Smash Bros roster are a huge part of its success. Such a legendary fighting game can only be improved with the ability to control Fire Emblem’s top tier waifu.

Tharja

I’ll give you two reasons why Tharja should be in Smash Bros. Namely her powerful spells and her sadistic personality. But while the dark mage has plenty of obvious assets to make her a valuable fighter on the battlefield, the seductive Awakening mage will always be welcomed on the roster as far as I’m concerned.

Marth (Mystery of the Emblem)

The last time Marth was introduced in Smash Bros, we got what would become a multi-million selling franchise shared with the West after Japan tried to horde this gem for itself. Knowing that, the game can only become more successful if we debut another Marth, right? Which is why the more powerful, more seasoned, and just as androgynous prince from his second game, Mystery of the Emblem, should be included. Who knows, maybe this will lead to people remembering that Codename: S.T.E.A.M. exists or something.

Masked Marth

If there was one thing that made the Wii U version of Smash Bros. great, it was all the Fire Emblem characters and all the clones. Masked Marth combines both to create the first ever clone of a clone. Lucina is bae after all, so why not improve on the amount of Lucina in the game by having her pretend to be Marth for a two-in-one spot on the roster? Talk about efficiency!

Bride Lucina

If there is one thing that Lucina fans would rather do than play Smash Bros. as her, it would be marry her. By making Bride Lucina her own character, players will get to do both. Smash players could only be so lucky, since Fire Emblem Warriors could only witness their beautiful, blushing bride by forking over real money to buy the game’s season pass. Watch both game and body pillow sales soar as Bride Lucina begins to dominate tournaments because of the player’s sheer desire to protect their fictional girlfriend.

Brave Lucina

A small minority of the Smash Bros. fanbase feels like there might be a few too many clones in the game. As an attempt to cater to these players, Lucina can usher in a brand new wave of lance users as her brave form from Fire Emblem Heroes mixes up the sword trend, as exciting as it is. Imagine the reach, the power, and the presence that a perfect soldier such as Lucina in new armor can bring.

Celica

Fire Emblem Warriors had it right when they took the priestess from Fire Emblem Echoes and stripped her of her magic in favor of turning her into a Marth clone. As we’ve established, cloning Marth repeatedly is a formula for success. But what sets Celica apart from the Marth’s and Lucina’s is that she’s so much more adorable that I can’t see Smash continuing as a series without her. As the superior Marth, we might even see some of her magic return. Then again, Robin doesn’t have a clone yet, so that could be another interesting take on Mila’s favorite follower.

Tiki

Nintendo has always prided itself on being a platform for both children and adults. When Fire Emblem debuted in 1990, it took Nintendo’s appreciation for children to uncharted territory when Japan fell in love with Tiki, the centuries old dragon in a 10 year old’s body. After hopping that legal loophole, the next logical leap is an appearance in Smash, which is lacking in both dragon and underage representation. But if little girls aren’t your thing, there’s always…

Adult Tiki

Strictly for the high and mighty players who can’t appreciate the young ones, adult Tiki can’t be solely contained to Awakening. She can do everything Tiki can do, except she does it taller and curvier with a deeper voice. It worked for Link and Young Link, right?

Anna

Aside from Marth, Anna is the most prominent character across the Fire Emblem franchise, appearing in more games than any other warrior. So what if the large majority of those appearances were as an unplayable merchant? The bottom line is that she has a history of selling DLC, helping Nintendo make a lot of money. Her hard work should be rewarded with a Smash Bros appearance, even if we might have to make up how she fights as we go. Will it be with an axe? A dagger? A bow? Does it matter? All I know is that she’s a consistent presence in one of Nintendo’s largest cash cows.

Rowan and Liana

The overwhelmingly charismatic leads of Fire Emblem Warriors can’t be contained to just one game. They hit all of the checkmarks that come with being a playable Smash character, including fighting with giant swords that transform into beams and essentially being gender swaps of each other to artificially add more female characters. But most importantly, for all the people complaining that there are too many sword users in the game, they bring variety to the table by using a sword AND shield. Joining the ranks of legendary warriors like Link, it’s only a matter of time before the twins overtake the Hero of Time as the most iconic shield users in gaming history.

The Hoshido and Nohr Royals

Fire Emblem Warriors proved that if you’re going to add one Royal from the Fates series, you have to add all of them. A larger roster is always better when it comes to fighting games, so imagine our joy when we open up the main menu and are greeted by the pinnacle of Nintendo greatness with characters like Ryoma, Xander, Takumi and Camilla on our screens. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get the retainers as DLC! Oh, and speaking of Camilla…

Easter Camilla

One Camilla is pretty great, but Easter Camilla is too good to pass up. This mage offshoot of the wyvern rider is a perfect representation of Heroes, mostly because of her incredibly popular costume. But aside from that, we’re left with… not much else! But if people were willing to dump hundreds of dollars for the chance to randomly pull her on their phones, it will surely result in more game sales for the Switch, right?

Dragon Corrin

As one of the most universally loved characters in Smash Bros history, Corrin was a representation of the best parts of both games. Corrin could be both male and female, had a charge beam, had wings, and of course, a sword. But while normal Corrin could only transform into a dragon during certain moves, this form deserves more love. Let’s just go all the way and have Dragon Corrin as its own character! I can’t think of a dragon that deserves the honor more, especially not Ridley.

The Summoner

After making it to the end of this list, it’s clear that there’s a severe lack of Fire Emblem representation in Smash Bros. with a mere six characters. Even with the previous 14 characters, we’re just scratching the surface of what Nintendo’s greatest franchise has to offer. That’s where the summoner comes in.

Essentially “you” in Fire Emblem Heroes, the summoner’s only power is to summon other Fire Emblem characters. Are you worried about your favorite character not making the cut? Well worry no more, because now you’ll be able to flood the screen with a random assortment of soldiers at your disposal. Now if Nintendo can find a way to make each summon cost real money just like in the mobile game, then we’d be able to fund future Smash Bros. games for years to come.

Well, that’s it! Our definitive, objective list of the character’s we’re hoping to see in Smash Bros. for Switch. Were any of your favorites missing that you want to add, such as Chrom, Eliwood or Micaiah? Let us know in the comments and help make the best game even better.

Geekscape 468: The Geekscape State Of The Union With Zack Haddad!

by JonathanJanuary 22, 2018

Geekscapists! It’s 2018 and a lot has happened over the past 12 months! To celebrate, this is the Geekscape State of the Union podcast in which Zack Haddad joins me to talk about the last year, both personally and as far as Geekscape is concerned and hash out some big news! Along the way, we talk about the new Nintendo LABO announcement, lay praise on the Switch and Breath of the Wild, talk to God, catch you up on things in Zack’s life and how Geekscape helped turn around a bad situation and basically try and catch you up on all of the good things going on! This one is a fun hour plus of hanging with an old friend so listen up and enjoy!

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Geekscape Games Podcast: Level 137 – ‘2017 in Review!’

by Courtney DossettJanuary 14, 2018

Join Courtney, Derek, Josh and Shane as they discuss the last week in video games!

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This Week:

We talk about our highlights of the year!

Geekscape Games Theme Song: Winter Frosts – MmcM

I Don’t Know How To Play Video Games, But Here’s What I Thought Of ‘Super Mario Odyssey’

by Mikaela MaxwellNovember 7, 2017

Geekscape has been a part of my life for about three years now (as has my Fiancé Derek). Turns out that Derek comes with Geekscape, and Geekscape comes with Derek, and the two are pretty much inseparable.

It’s been pretty neat watching Derek be a part of this community that shares so many interests – interests in topics that were for the most part so (sooooo) foreign to me. Through Derek I have learned a lot (and then learned again and again and again when I forget and ask for the millionth time) about a lot of these things.

Derek and this site have opened a door to a whole range of ideas that are so intricate and involved; I really do feel like I am learning about a whole new culture when trying to understand the ins and outs of this ‘Geek culture’. I still feel like I am just scratching the surface of understanding things like role playing games, graphic novels, comic books, superheroes, anime, and of course video games (just to name a few). That being said, I’ve also discovered that I quite enjoy most of this stuff!

And so here we are – I’m writing, and you’re reading, about my experience playing a video game. Who would have ever thought this would be a thing!?

In my head, it seems like everybody’s first video game memory should be of something Mario related… in truth mine is not. Now I could be totally mixing things up, but if Mortal Kombat on Sega Genesis is a thing that existed, it’s definitely my first video game memory. I definitely remember sitting in my Dad’s living room button mashing the shit outta the controller and, according to these rose coloured memories, annihilating the competition using one of those wicked lady fighters as my weapon of choice. I also favoured Duck Hunt in my youth… and continue to long for its return all these years later (but unfortunately don’t have a TV that it would work on). Later in my teen years, my Mom’s house became equipped with a new-to-us N64 and a few games, including Diddy Kong racing, which quickly became a family favourite. That pretty much sums up my video game experience during the Pre-Derek Era.

https://youtu.be/GcoTSYSuoO0

The other day I started playing Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch, and I was pretty much instantly hooked! As a person who didn’t really embrace video games until much later in life it can sometimes be super difficult and overwhelming to get into a new game. This has not been the case with Super Mario Odyssey… except that it was literally difficult because I couldn’t exactly remember how to go about getting into a game on the Switch, or how to get into the game under my own profile (Derek, unwittingly, narrowly escaped me ruining his gamer cred by assuming his Mario identity). Luckily for him, through patience, perseverance, and a fair bit of swearing, I finally entered into the realm of Super Mario Odyssey.

One of the things that I really liked about this game is it doesn’t overwhelm you with controls. You start in a place (a level I guess… maybe a world!?) that does a good job of holding your hand through learning approximately five basic controls. Some of it is intuitive, and mostly it becomes intuitive pretty quickly, but at no point is it overwhelming to remember how to function on a basic level. It seems also that as you move through the game, and through the levels or worlds, you are kind of taught what you need to know as you need to know it. This was re-emphasized to me when I got to a more challenging area of the game and died like 10 times before deciding I should just move on to a different area, where I then learned the skills and acquire the equipment I needed to be able to complete the previously murderous task without difficulty.

That being said, I have become very grateful for the ‘Action Guide’ menu option (when I remember it’s there). As much as I appreciate the simplicity of the basic movements and my ability to function with that as my baseline, I still have a lot of difficulty remembering what the more advanced functions are. I’m sure that if I were to play multiple hours a day, many days in a row, it would be a lot easier to remember how to, for example, roll, which would make getting around so much faster.

In any case, that is not my life story, and as with most games, when I go back to playing I rely heavily on this type of menu to remind me of all the other magical things I am capable of in this world! I’m hoping that as I play this game more I will actually be able to remember some of these moves, and until then I will definitely remember how to get to that Action Guide (which is actually really straight forward, yay!).

I’m not sure what the proper term is, but I tend to struggle with games where I have to use two separate sticks to look and to move at the same time. In other games this has led to a lot of getting stuck in corners and shooting the ground while enemies kill me quickly. This is another point in the win column for this game –not only is the pace totally dictated by me, but when I’m trying to figure out how to move straight enough to get from point A to point B Mario spreads his arms out and looks like a dizzy little kid trying to fly and it’s basically the cutest. It’s also super helpful that randomly swinging the Joy Cons around makes you throw your hat, because when I am being attacked by anything swatting my hands while trying to run away is a pretty automatic (and somewhat effective) reaction!

As a not-quite-gamer I appreciate the non-pressure of knowing that I can set the pace without any negative repercussions in this game. That being said, as a not-quite-gamer when I am struggling to remember/figure out how to function/not die, everything takes For. Fucking. Ever. I cannot wait util the day where I can easily and quickly get through at least the simple tasks of this/any video game without my character failing 40 times first! (except for Stardew Valley, I got that on lock already)!

I often will also struggle with nausea due to motion sickness in games where I am having to use both sticks to move and look, mostly because my character is wandering around like a drunken sailor and so I end up feeling like one. As I have put more hours into this game I am starting to notice the sea sickness, but this is another area where I am hoping practice will make perfect and hopefully I will be able to rectify the nausea while also becoming more efficient at not falling of ledges or running into things.

Moving around as Mario is one thing, but you also get to throw your hat onto different characters or objects and become them for a period of time. This is a great mechanic, which I am really enjoying when I remember to clue into using it. So far, my favourite was stomping around as a big ol’ T-Rex, though that flying Bullet Bill guy was pretty fun too. I can’t wait to figure out how to become the bird that flies just out of reach in the desert world; it’s loud, and sparkly, and seems to go anywhere, basically it seems like the ultimate do everything character to takeover (I’m casually going to pretend I didn’t spend a solid 5 minutes bouncing hopelessly on a flower waiting for, then failing to catch the bird, and not even realizing until way later that the flower throws you way higher if you actually open it before bouncing…)

I also became a cactus at one point, but could not for the life of me figure out what I was supposed to do while cactusing.

One thing I have come to love about video games is the incredible variation of beautiful art in so many different art styles, and Super Mario Odyssey did not disappoint in this category! The worlds that you are immersed in are breathtaking, and all of them are different, with different types of creatures and layouts to explore. The place where I am right now is a desert that’s been frozen, so there are all these neat Frozen crystals throughout the landscape (super pretty). Inversely, the previous world was full of lush grass and a giant water fall with dinosaurs and vicious ball-and-chains (of the not spousal variety). I am super looking forward to seeing what the next worlds have in store!

It’s always interesting for me to play a game, and then to watch Derek play the same game. It’s crazy how we can be playing the same title but end up playing totally different games. On a basic level, he has way more experience using the various video game moving around mechanics, and so that part he just doesn’t have to think about. So, in a place where it takes me a full minute to creep around an edge and collect coins without falling off, he has scooped those coins in all of 10 seconds! But also, once he got through the first real open playing area and had reached the goal (collecting enough moons to power a ship) that allowed you to move on, where I had launched on to the next world, he took the opportunity to go back and keep exploring. This is when we discovered Super Mario Odyssey has soooo many hidden treasures to be found and goals to be accomplished! After completing the main task of that world/level we discovered new paths and entrances to secret tunnels, as well as new characters to interact with, and just so many more things to do. In a world where I was stoked to have collected 5 moons when only 4 were required, Derek discovered there was actually potential for 25 moons to be obtained! What this tells me is that Nintendo was really thinking ahead, and delivering a quality product to all of its customers; not only is this game totally accessible to young or new gamers, but it is also super rewarding for people who like more of a challenge to their games!

To sum it all up, I am totally digging this game. Like so many other interests, I feel like I have just scratched the surface of it, and I am super looking forward to digging deeper. I want all of the moons. All of them. I am also super looking forward to dying less.

A helpful tip for anyone getting into this great game: Purple water is not water. Do not try to swim in it. You will die. Every time. Immediately.

Keep an eye out for more from me, If I ever manage to stop playing this game, maybe I’ll write a bit about my next new (or new to me) game experience!

https://youtu.be/g4xW9aCg2zY

Geekscape Games Podcast Level 133 – ‘Hey Look, It’s Robert Rodriguez!’

by Shane O'HareNovember 7, 2017

Join Courtney, Derek, Josh, Mika and Shane as they discuss the last week in video games!

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This Week:

We talk all about Blizzcon and the tremendous news coming out of the weekend. New Overwatch character Moira is pretty freaking awesome. Nintendo is loving Super Mario Odyssey sales figures.

Geekscape Games Theme Song: Winter Frosts – MmcM

10 New Amiibo Released This Week. We Unbox All Of Them

by Josh JacksonJuly 28, 2017

The past seven days have been big for amiibo collectors out there. After over a year of anticipation, the Super Smash Bros line is finally complete with the release of Cloud, Corrin and Bayonetta. If that wasn’t enough, three new Inklings hit the scene day and date with Splatoon 2, while the Pikmin themselves made their solo debut in plastic form today, lining up with the release of Hey! Pikmin on the 3DS.

As if the addiction wasn’t apparent enough, we’ve gathered all ten and have unboxed them for your viewing pleasure. Check out the video below to see them up close, and let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments! Don’t forget to subscribe!

E3 2017: ‘Fifa 18’ On Switch Might Dodge The Pitfalls Of Ports Past

by Josh JacksonJuly 18, 2017

As an avid Wii U fan, there was little more frustrating than the “third party support” the system failed to enjoy. Not so much because of the lack of it, but because what we did get was usually low effort, overpriced, and flat out better on other platforms. When I read that Fifa 18 for the Switch was going to release without the story mode and the Frostbite engine that have both become highlights of the game for the Xbox One and PS4, I figured EA was going to continue down this path that leaves Nintendo gamers in the dust. But after playing it for myself at E3, utilizing the Switch’s strengths give this version a good chance of avoiding the pitfalls that the Wii U was filled with.

Game play wise, if you’ve played Fifa in the past, then there’s not much to point out here. As the premiere worldwide soccer simulator, two players pick their favorite international teams and jock for position to create tense, exciting back and forth matches where one small opening can lead to that game winning goal, or that heartbreaking block.

Where the Switch version stand out however, is its portability. The DS family and Sony’s handhelds have had their shots, but they always felt like the expected lesser versions, sacrificing quality for the ability to play it on the go. This wasn’t the case when playing the Switch version, because while the visuals weren’t at Frostbite levels, the portable screen ran the game so well that it was barely noticeable. For the first time, a full console quality Fifa game could be played on the road, and I can see this being a big hit with the game’s worldwide fanbase.

It’s disappointing that a major feature had to be cut out at all, but considering most people buy Fifa for the multiplayer, the Switch’s inherent ability to have out of the box two player matches with the joycons make it an inexpensive way to keep the rivalries going away from home without compromising quality. Now, rather than gamers having to choose what platform they want the game for, I can see the most hardcore players buying one for home and one for the road. I’ve said in the past that third party versions on Nintendo consoles are at their best when they highlight the unique features of the system rather than trying to keep up with the competitor’s consoles, and this looks exactly like what Fifa is doing.

What say you, futbol fans? Can you see yourself picking up an extra portable copy, or will the Switch version be your only copy? Is the portability enough to forsake the story mode and Frostbite engine? Let us know in the comments!

‘Splatoon 2’ Focused Nintendo Direct Airing Later This Week!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 3, 2017

Briefly: I’ve been so busy getting my assed kicked at ARMS that I almost forgot just how close we are to Splatoon 2‘s anticipated release.

Nintendo has revealed that this Thursday, July 6th at 10AM Eastern / 7AM Pacific, they will be broadcasting a Splatoon 2 focussed Nintendo Direct presentation, marking a “re-FRESH-er on some of the new features, weapons, and styles” that the game will contain.

Nintendo already has my money for this one (naturally) but I’ll definitely be tuning in. I’d love to see more on the game’s new co-operative mode, and hopefully we’ll see a few additional previously-unannounced features.

Here’s the link to the Direct, which will naturally just be a placeholder page until Thursday.

E3 2017: ‘Fate Extella: The Umbral Star’ Goes Portable On The Nintendo Switch

by Josh JacksonJune 30, 2017

Last year’s Fate Extella: The Umbral Star brought the Fate universe to current gen gaming with a Musou style hack and slash. With the release of the Nintendo Switch, Sabre and her allies will get a second chance in the spotlight with a portable version of the crowd pleasing brawler. As usual when it comes to third party Nintendo games, we come in with skepticism, wondering if any concessions were made in the transition. After playing a build of the game, it’s clear that those concerns can be put to rest.

Outside of the cast of characters, Fate Extella is similar to most Dynasty Warriors inspired games on the market. By choosing from one of many characters from the Fate series, you travel from map to map effortlessly slaying hundreds of enemies at a time while you vie for control of the map. As you progress, more powerful foes will confront you, leading to some more challenging battles. Using unique combos, special attacks, and transformations that unleash your character’s full potential, seeing these moves in action are just as exciting to watch as they were last year. This is coupled with the fact that this game moves much faster than your typical Musou game, with the map being divided into smaller regions that you can transport to in what seems like an instant. I can see this cutting down on the monotony that games of this genre can face since removing the padding of travel can only work in its favor.

When it comes to the Switch version specifically, Fate Extella didn’t make any noticeable concessions when making the transition. The hundred plus characters on screen at once didn’t affect the game’s performance during my play session, and combat felt as fluid as it did when I originally tried the game on PS4. While the initial release was far from technically taxing, Nintendo third party titles have still earned a reputation of being inferior in some way, shape or form, so it was easy to see why some would be concerned. Thankfully, everything seems to be in order, offering fans of the original something that feels like a faithful port of the original so far. Only this time, the game doesn’t have to end when you’re away from the TV.

I’m optimistic about how Fate Extella: The Umbral Star will turn out on the Switch. With no noticeable shortcomings compared to its first go around, complete with the large amount of enemies on screen at once, let’s hope that this will be a sign of things to come when dealing with third parties in Nintendo’s new system. Any reason to get reacquainted with the cast is good enough for me, so I can’t wait to see if the full version holds up.

Fate Extella: The Umbral Star is scheduled for a July 25 release.

E3 2017: Yes, ‘Super Mario Odyssey’ Will Feature Co-Op

by Derek KraneveldtJune 15, 2017

Briefly: Super Mario Odyssey remains one of the coolest-looking games that was shown off at this year’s E3. The title looks to bring a ton of new ideas to the series, and the idea of being able to play such a breathtaking Mario title on the go is beyond exciting.

Since the game’s initial announcement last year , the main question about the game on every gamer’s mind was in regards to multiplayer. The Wii U’s under appreciated Super Mario 3D World and its intense, insane four-player multiplayer led to some of the most fun times I’ve ever had playing a video game.

Revealed today on Nintendo’s Treehouse livestream, the company revealed that while the game won’t have the same frantic multiplayer mode as the last title, it will feature two player co-op.

In co-op mode, Mario no longer controls Cappy. The second player will control the newly-living hat, who can fly around, attack, and control some camera movement. He (it?) is also invincible, so you can play with a non-gamer spouse or even your kids, and they won’t be able to cramp your style too much.

According to Polygon, it sound like Nintendo may have even added a few teamwork-oriented puzzles to the game to force players to work together.

In any case, while I’d love a more in-depth multiplayer mode, I’ll take what I can get, and Super Mario Odyssey looks freaking fantastic.

Rewatch the game’s E3 trailer below, and let us know if you’ll be picking this one up on October 27!

E3 2017: Sony Offers Silly Reasoning For Being The Only Console Not Offering Cross-Platform Play

by Derek KraneveldtJune 14, 2017

Briefly: The entire internet seemed pretty disappointed with nearly every. single. publisher at this year’s E3 Expo (save for Nintendo, surprisingly). As wrong as the internet was about the convention as a whole (it was super great and I can’t wait to buy Skyrim two more times for two distinctly different reasons), every gamer on Earth rightly jumped for joy when the once pipe-dream that was Cross Platform play suddenly became a reality.

We’ve heard a lot of talk of building walls over these past six months — but this weekend, a longstanding virtual wall humbly began to crumble, and this is a trend that I certainly hope garners even more support over time.

The wall begins to crumble, that is, unless you’re playing on Sony’s platform.

Microsoft showed off their first Cross Platform title during their Keynote on Sunday with a gorgeous new version of Minecraft. It’s trailer began by showing off the Xbox One X version’s fancy new still-very-blocky graphics and talking about massive new server upgrades, among other things, before showing off a pixellated iPad, iPhone, Nintendo Switch, and a window (for Windows, duh).

That’s right. Later this year Xbox Owners will be able to play Minecraft with their pals playing on another platform, including Nintendo’s latest console. Yep, Nintendo, that company that makes the best games, but is so conservative with online capabilities that they’re typically not even worth trying. The same Nintendo that’s never really offered any useful form of online voice chat because you shouldn’t swear at kids when they beat you at Mario Kart 8. That Nintendo.

Today, the way-more-fun-than-it-has-any-right-to-be Rocket League was revealed to be coming to the Nintendo Switch, with developer Psyonix noting that Cross-Platform play would be supported on every platform that Rocket League can be played on… again, except Playstation.

Eurogamer had the chance to speak with PlayStation global sales and marketing head Jim Ryan about cross platform play, who noted:

It’s certainly not a profound philosophical stance we have against this. We’ve done it in the past. We’re always open to conversations with any developer or publisher who wants to talk about it. Unfortunately it’s a commercial discussion between ourselves and other stakeholders, and I’m not going to get into the detail of that on this particular instance. And I can see your eyes rolling.

Sony had to have been one of the first companies to support some semblance of cross platform play, with Final Fantasy XI having PS2 and PC players playing in the same servers. Obviously I’m speculating here, but Ryan’s response almost sounds like he thinks that it’s silly that he doesn’t have a different answer to give. He mentions stakeholders specifically — could this have been shareholder led decision? In any case, I don’t think that Sony or anyone else would have guessed that Nintendo would have been announced as a cross platform partner. Maybe the Switch truly is the rebirth of the company from a core values level.

When asked about Minecraft specifically, Ryan gives a canned, classic Nintendo answer (except that he works for Sony and Sony is totally being the Nintendo in this situation):

We’ve got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base. Minecraft – the demographic playing that, you know as well as I do, it’s all ages but it’s also very young. We have a contract with the people who go online with us, that we look after them and they are within the PlayStation curated universe. Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it’s something we have to think about very carefully.

This entire debacle just seems like an extremely shortsighted move from Sony — if Sony’s decision to block cross platform gaming is a monetary one, I don’t really see how it will benefit the behemoth in the long run, especially if we begin to see cross platform multiplayer become a more regular occurrence. Naturally, I’m going to pick up the version of a game that will let me play it with the most friends, which won’t be Sony’s console in most cases. On top of that, if I’m a parent looking to buy a new console for the family, am I going to choose the one that will allow my kids to play Minecraft with their iPad touting friends, or limit them to just other Playstation owners? That’s a pretty easy decision to make.

Thankfully, while it doesn’t sound like support is being actively talked about, it doesn’t sound like it’s been completely ruled out, either. Ryan closed saying “I don’t think anything is ever a done deal. Anybody who is dogmatic in that manner is typically a fool. That said, to my knowledge, there is no live conversation ongoing at the moment.”

As a gamer whose Dualshock 4 controller has a permanent place on my coffee table: Sony, we’re disappointed in you.

Which multiplayer titles would you like to see made available on all platforms? Be sure to sound out below.

Geekscape Games Podcast: Level 112 – ‘CovfE3’

by GeekscapeStaffJune 1, 2017

Join Adam, Courtney, Derek, Josh, Juan and Shane as they discuss the last week in video games!

This Week:

We talk more about Far Cry 5 and why Shane absolutely loves it. Shane admits a deep dark secret. A lot of Nintendo prE3dictions. Overwatch has a new map and better loot boxes. Oh, and Juan’s back!