I’d argue that using that aesthetic alone is enough to get PR since the homage is obvious. Undertale did just fine, after all.

Nintendo’s protection of their IP is well known. The previous Mother fan project changed its name because they were so excited about their work they didn’t want to risk it getting shut down. There’s no way this group isn’t aware of either of those things.

> “The dev team are all Mother fans at heart, the games really mean a lot to us, so we thought it’d be fun to make a ‘what if’ fourth entry. Think of it as an elaborate piece of fan art.”

Kotaku used to be better than clickbait headlines, but it seems to be becoming more common lately and that’s a shame. This instance is especially egregious since Ari even acknowledges that the criteria “based on cumulative hours played across the playerbase” isn’t measuring popularity at all. Yet the headline…

Thank you! This continues a shameful trend on this site of terrible clickbait headlines. 

...says someone who ignored my context and is clearly taking a silly portmanteau way too seriously themselves.

> It’s not cynical, it’s just true.

Did I not say: “I’m not trying to lionize how things were Back In The Day—god knows I wouldn’t wish og Gen I on anyone”? .

Yup.

I’m happy you read a select few lines from my post.

The Zelda cycle has met its match.

For real tho!

I have to imagine that those who defend the core games’ stagnation with “It’s for kids!” didn’t grow up with Gens I and II. Which is ironic, because if they had, they’d know many fans first met Pokemon as kids and had to deal with the non-linear progression, almost zero hand-holding, and early-series jank (who can…

I agree with your premise but would say BW is a better example. 

Absolutely. “Grown up” is a strawman and misnomer. I just want a return to an Exp. Share toggle and a map as varied as those of Gens I and II. Is that so much to ask?

This headline is kinda misleading and clickbaity. There is no link between the generic corporate speak of “we will continue to improve and expand” and the backlash the latest update received.

I just beat all of Control and it may be my most impactful gaming experience of the year. What a game. I just can’t get it out of my head.

Yup! Especially in OoT, the 3DS character models look like the official art, and that art was how they were supposed to look back then (but didn’t at all). Our brains filled in that gap for us. When you actually compare the versions the contrast is actually quite stark.

This makes pulling the Mario collection even more cynical. “Let’s make this set of games limited edition so we can stick an inferior version on our buggy online service!” Just, wow.

“Generic Globetrotting Action Movie”, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.