Cool! I’m sure they didn’t want the game loop to be able to devolve into “lure and trap”, but considering that’s how some people hunt in real life (think fishing vs. harpooning whales), it would have been interesting to build complex lure and camouflage equipment (and techniques) to go along with the weapon…

Gameological is a different place, which is why I wasn’t afraid to post that here, and despite the random Kinja/Kotaku folks that appeared to have loved my comment enough to make a new account in order to disparage it, I actually made this week’s Keyboard Geniuses!

Ha! Definitely. Thanks. It’s very weird that I can do games like Breath of the Wild, where monsters, at least at first, are necessary targets for violence, almost farming them for resources, yet I’ll still have a bit of a hard time taking down the regular animals. It’s just easier that they go from “healthy” to…

...for the record, are you referring to Super Mario 3D Land (for 3DS) or Super Mario 3D World (for Wii U)? I agree that playing even in 2D on 3DS is still wonderful. They made sure to allow for that so it wouldn’t be too disorienting, but I also love how some of the more joyful illusion-based surprises can come when…

Ah! ...Sorry. I supposed you were British, both for your interest in such a very British game and the use of what would be the self-deprecating epithet of “limey”. Then again, I could have further supposed the “lost” referred to you being an expat as well...

Certainly, some of the animals are probably not so disturbing to kill - like so many mosquitoes or spiders - but beating others, even to trap them. would be decidedly more difficult, though I can imagine seeing them back at the hub relaxed and safe might be rewarding...

Some day...SOME DAY I will join you in Elite: Dangerous and we can fly...and now we can explore on planet surfaces together! Look up CMDR Daniel Louks, and we can look to meet up sometime. (I figure weekends where our time difference isn’t so much of a detriment, if you’re in the UK...)

Congratulations on the dog! What breed? We have a papillon, so we’re almost 9 years into a 16-year-ish program. My advice: remember that the dog never needs training - the owner does. The dog has the brain the size of a walnut and, like an Arduino, can be programmed effectively if you know the language and syntax and…

One of my first games when I finally knuckle down and buy a Switch will be Rocket League, a game I’ve already established with my nephews that I’m not exactly good at playing, but still want to love. Maybe we can team up via the Discord* and eke out a one-point victory against some random 8-year-olds!

Your “short” looks like some of the longest I’ve written in months - work has been taking its toll lately on both playing and writing about games, and the light I see in this tunnel is most definitely an oncoming train.

I tried Secret of Mana for the first time on the Super NES Classic, and I gave up when I got three different definitions and usages of Mana. Nostalgia keeps me coming back to things probably equally silly, so it’s a shame I lose out without that benefit.

The Fall is even on Wii U, and I enjoyed what I was able to play of it. Funny this comes up, as I was just comparing it this week to the idea of an Autopilot Tesla pulling up to an emergency room entrance and honking the horn because the driver was unconscious inside...

If they were all bugs or snakes, then it might be easier (can a snake limp?), but the Demo was one where they asked you to go to the nest of a big quasi-dinosaur looking creature and simply attack it for existing, under the premise they terrorized the village or something, an act of which I had to simply trust…

That’s a very interesting approach... The idea of being another animal (a fact of which we try so hard to overcome), is something that this game may treat more uniquely over not only the main series, but especially the demo, which was intended to get you experiencing the main game play loop in the most efficient way…

I feel that way, mostly, in Xenoblade Chronicles X; the creatures are repetitive and prolific, diminishing the impact of defeating them as a resource rather than a creature, but I still feel guilty grinding any particular one for experience.

I think that “orderly chaos [of nature]” sounds fun in theory, but I’m still on the fence about the concept of hunting these animals. When it comes to most games, I don’t really take killing of creatures or enemies deeply to heart, but I’ve tried a demo of MH4U, and I really didn’t care for it. It was the presentation…

I’m very much with you. Online games these days rely on private servers, managed networking, and massive server farms for operation - it’s not like the days of Quake and Unreal Tournament, where anyone could host a match! Centralized online will lead us to a “dark age” of games that will simply disappear. Some games,…

Hooray! Welcome back, everyone! Thanks, Matt, for also adding all the “external” community programs we have. It means a lot that you support our endeavors that don’t directly feed back into ad revenue for the site, but indirectly keep us coming back for your great springboards into thought.

Are the “interstitial” portions of KRZ available when you buy the game? I’m looking forward to getting it when I get a Switch, but curious if these pieces are part of the experience, as they seem to add to the overall narrative. Can’t wait to play it from start to finish later this year!

I’ll second that. Contribution, when done with the level of respect you do, is always welcome and appropriate! My teenage nephews have Fortnite, but it was my brother (their father) that was just telling me about it last week, so it’s always nice to see it in action before I go play it! Thanks for posting!