Missed this mornings Nintendo Direct presentation? No worries, we have all of your Nintendo news here with new video from upcoming games. See below for new videos of Kid Icarus, Mario Tennis, new 3DS features, and much more.

UK presentation

See more of DarkKenjie’s work on the Pokemon Awkward deviantART page!

Sorry Snake

I’m not knocking 3D games or the current trends in gaming, but game design would be more video game-like if everything were in two dimensions.  In three, higher budget games tend to veer towards reality as much as possible (though quite a few gems still want to give the player the feel that they are playing a video game).  Call me old fashioned, but as much as I enjoy Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo, they were the new kids on the block at the time and there were still fantastic games being produced in 2D.  Yet, invention and innovation begets further innovation so superb dimension-bending games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 were created later on down the line.

You probably never complained about Castlevania's controls if you played it new, but the seemingly random AI is a different story

When I speak about video game-style game design and conventions I’m referring to the overuse of difficult, somewhat chaotic AI patterns to give the player a challenge that will take muscle memory and experience to overcome.  I’m talking about making sure the player can’t make that jump to skip half the game.  I’m talking about how sharp controls, fun gameplay, and variety in level design triumph above story (and all else) when a player comes to the decision to either stop playing the game or press on indefinitely.  These things can most definitely be done in three-dimensional games, but are far easier done with less time and money in the old-fashioned sprite-based world.

And that, my friends, means more money and more fun for everyone.

Source: Gameinformer 

Source: Sankaku Complex

So today’s topic is online game passes. So about a year ago EA games started implementing its “Project Ten Dollar”.  In their mission to combat used game sale, EA adopted a pass system for online gaming for some of their most popular titles. Games bought new come with a free pass and second hand players have to play $10 to gain online access. A number of non-EA games followed suit including Mortal Kombat and Saints Row: The Third.  Most recently, EA’s Kingdom of Amalur was criticized for its pass that locked out seven of the game’s quests.

Now I’m sure some readers might see this unfair for plenty of reason. Those who rent and buy used games may feel that your being punished for not buying new.  Online multiplayer has become an essential component in many games and increase overall longevity. In the case of Kingdom of Amalur, you’re missing game content, which changes the experience of the game, if you don’t have a pass. But I’m going to honest with you, I’m going to have to side with the developers on this one.

At the end of the day gaming is a business and publishers are profit motivated. With Kingdoms of Amalur the extra content can be purchased separately making it more like DLC. With all the content in the game already, seven missions shouldn’t break anything. In the case of the online multiplayer, server space for each gamer cost the developer no matter how the consumer purchase the game. How do the developers benefit from treating second hand players the same as original owners? They don’t see the profit on used games and have to provide free online support. It’s simply unfair to the developers who have spent time and money to create the game.

So, my advice is for games that you feel are worth it just buy it new. If you don’t have the money just wait for a good sale.  With EA reporting 15 million in new revenue, online passes are not going anywhere soon. Besides in the all downloadable world of the future, this won’t even be an issue.