Category General Gaming

The NL Inklings return to Splatoon 2!

NL Inklings Community: Our September 2018 Tournament Schedule!

Sean Alexander

It’s a new month which means new a new tournament! Well…three!

First up, last month was excellent with participation in our Splatoon 2 Tournament, but we had some issues regarding length and missing players. The October season is currently up in the air, or ARMS (HA!), so stay tuned for that info in September. But for now…

The structure of two tournaments per month remains, but with one more due to how the calendar worked out. The first will always be Splatoon 2, and two weeks later we will hold a tournament for a different game.

In this case, we have the returning Splatoon 2 tournament…and a popular eSports title…AND a classic party favourite!

 

Splatoon 2 – NL Inklings: Special Showdown! (September 1st 2018)!

The NL Inklings return to Splatoon 2!

The Special Showdown Tourney!

Organised by Golden, NinjaAceTrainer and newcomer to the team Agent Quinkling, we have the Special Showdown!

This tournament will see teams limited to one special weapon per team. That’s right, your whole crew only gets to use weapons with a specific special! The teams are Inkjet, Splashdown, Bomb Launcher and Baller!

This will be a standard Round-Robin tournament with one match played per mode, duking it out across all 5 modes. How teams are decided however…is a little different.

The highest ranked players who sign up will be assigned as team captains, and then get to enter a bidding war for other entrants to join their team! Each additional entrant will get a chance to make themselves seem appealing beforehand, so don’t worry if you feel you won’t be picked!

These teams can then synergise and work out what weapons and gear they wish to use, while keeping to their special restriction!

 

This tournament takes place on September 1st at 5pm BST sharp!

Sign ups open TODAY, August 20th!

Rules will be published TODAY!

Sign ups will be live until Wednesday August 29th!

The Auction will be held on August 30th!

 

Rocket League – NL Inklings: Rocket League of Legends! (September 15 2018)!

Another special tournament from the NL Inklings!

Rocket League of Legends!

Thanks to Shani and Nick for organising this one! A game we are quite fond of! This popular game is going to be the subject of our second tournament!

Full details will be worked out leading to the event, regarding modes and team sizes as well as format, but this will all be revealed once the Special Showdown tournament has concluded!

A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE IS THAT DUE TO SONY’S CROSS PLATFORM PLAY POLICIES IN EFFECT AT THIS TIME, PS4 USERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE! Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch users will be fine.

 

This tournament takes place on September 15th at 5pm sharp!

Sign Ups will go live on September 5th!

Rules will be published on September 8th!

Sign Ups will close on September 12th!

 

 

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – NL Inklings: Fall Brawl! (September 29 2018)!

We will give Smash 4 a true send off!

The Smash Bros. Fall Brawl!

Organised by Haruki and Nicolai, we are bringing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U to the forefront one final time before Ultimate releases this holiday!

What better way to ring in the Fall season than by smacking around the entire Fire Emblem cast? Oh, and some other guys are here too!

Full details will be worked out closer to the event, and the full reveal will be right after the Rocket League tournament!

This tournament takes place on September 29th at 5pm sharp!

Sign Ups will go live on September 19th!

Rules will be published on September 22nd!

Sign Ups will close on September 26th!

 

 

That’s all for now. See you on the Splattlefield, the pitch, or in battle! NL Inklings out, Happy Gaming!

We discuss Xbox Scarlett, Streaming, Ys VIII and more!

Behind The Game Podcast – Ys VIII, Xbox Scarlett and more!

Sean Alexander

Our fifth podcast is now live! This edition includes the rumoured Xbox Scarlett!

Thoughts on comments from Nihon Falcom and reports on Xbox Scarlett being a streaming service! Mega Man X and Sonic Mania Plus! How many Nindies per week?!

Plus, hear what we have been playing this week. Then our thoughts on Octopath Traveler Sales and Ys VIII and more Nintendo Labo?!

Check it out below, and Happy Gaming! Remember to check up with us on Twitter and Discord!

Brand Finale is the latest NLI Tournament!

NL Inklings Community: Our August 2018 Tournament Schedule!

Sean Alexander

It’s a new month which means new a new tournament! Well…two!

First up, last month was excellent with participation in our Splatoon 2 Tournament, but we are streamlining the process for making tournaments going forward. We are already working on establishing the September season, but first comes August, and some summer sports, like Tennis!

The structure of two tournaments per month remains. The first will always be Splatoon 2, and two weeks later we will hold a tournament for a different game.

In this case, we have the returning Splatoon 2 tournament…and a tournament for a popular but somewhat divisive title…

 

Splatoon 2 – NL Inklings: Brand Finale! (August 4 2018)!

Brand Finale is the latest NLI Tournament!

The NL Inklings: Brand Finale!

Organised by Shani and TheXReturns, we have the Brand Finale!

This tournament will see 4 teams sponsored by a brand from the game. You don’t need to use that brand exclusively, but you can always try!

This will be a standard tournament with teams of 4, assigned based on their ranks in the name of fairness, duking it out across all 5 modes. Bring your best weapons and gear for all 5 modes and rep your team sponsor!

This tournament takes place on August 4th at 5pm BST sharp!

Sign ups open on July 28th!

Rules will be published on July 30th!

Sign ups will be live until Wednesday August 1st!

 

Mario Tennis Aces – NL Inklings: Grand Slam! (August 18 2018)

The NLI Tournament for the end of August is Mario Tennis!

Mario Tennis Aces: Grand Slam!

Thanks to Golden for organising this one! In the works for a while, it’s Mario Tennis Aces for Nintendo Switch! This latest entry in a long running sporting spin-off series is the subject of our next tournament!

Full details will be worked out leading to the event, regarding modes and character selection, but this will all be revealed once the Brand Finale tournament has concluded!

This tournament takes place on August 18th at 5pm sharp!

Sign Ups will go live on August 6th!

Rules will be published on August 13th!

Sign Ups will close on August 15th!

 

The September Season?

 

The September tournament season will be a little different. Within the staff and organisers we will be deciding on the Splatoon 2 tournament as usual, and again, one other game. However, due to the scheduling there will be a whopping THREE tournaments!

So to help out, the Community will be deciding the two tournaments instead!

We want to start the planning phases on August 5th so get your votes in quick!

Simply vote below for your favourite!

 

That’s all for now. See you on the Splattlefield or on the court! NL Inklings out, Happy Gaming!

Crash on Switch is the de facto portable experience.

Impressions: Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy on Switch

Sean Alexander

Crash Bandicoot on Nintendo Switch is a perfectly serviceable, graphically sound port. However, it has an air of laziness around it.

 

Crash Bandicoot on Nintendo Switch is perfectly fine. These remakes of the original trilogy comes over, gameplay intact from PS4.

Naturally the resolution is lower at 720p when docked, and lower in handheld mode. With this comes graphical downgrades. Some expected, like shadows and the fur textures being limited or removed. Some however, like reflective surfaces, are omitted entirely.

These missing aspects certainly stand out, even compared to the PS1 originals. It’s no deal breaker, but in certain stages like the future themed areas from Warped, lot of charm is lost. This was clearly in the name of smooth performance, as the game maintains a fairly constant 30fps.

Reflective surfaces are missing...for some reason.

Reflective surfaces are completely missing in the Crash Trilogy.

 

So What’s In The Box?

 

Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy is a collective remake of the original Crash titles. With this comes various improvements, notably to Crash Bandicoot (The Original), such as better game design choices. This includes making Gems easier to get, forgoing the No Deaths requirement outside of Colour Gems.

Not all changes are positive. The use of one unified physics scheme across all 3 games (Based on Crash 3) leads to conflict with level design in Crash 1 and 2. This is simply due to level design in a platformer being built around what the character can do, with Crash 1 and 2 at times simply not being built for Crash 3 controls.

Additionally, some vehicles control with unusual weight and slow turning that limits mobility, adding frustration to Crash 3.

Further, the DLC stages Stormy Ascent and Future Tense are included as standard alongside various Quality Improvements made since the initial PS4 release.

Ultimately, this is the definitive way to experience all 3 games. As the de facto portable experience, this release is excellent.

Crash on Switch is the de facto portable experience.

This is a very feature rich package!

 

It’s Not All Sunshine in Wumpa Island…

 

So let’s address the downsides of this port. First, as noted, it doesn’t look as good. I feel as though some cutbacks aren’t necessary but if it’s in the name of smooth performance, it’s agreeable.

Now we know this port only exists because of a sole engineer proving the game would run, on their own time. 

This lack of interest in even attempting to get the game running by the development staff hints at corporate apathy. There are Switch specific issues that hint at a lack of care on various parties.

Firstly, using any controller other than Joy-Con while docked, before undocking the system, leads to the game being unable to recognise the Joy-Con in Handheld mode. This means using a Pro Controller on your TV before swapping to handheld mode, means you need to reboot the game.

Further, swapping which wireless controller you are using, at least when undocked, leads to the same problem. The game doesn’t respond to swapping controllers or modes unless you use the Joy-Con.

Who holds responsibility for this we will never know. Is it Nintendo for not performing adequate checks during the Lotcheck process? Is it Toys For Bob, the team behind the port? We may never know, but Crash Bandicoot on Switch doesn’t support these basic aspects of the system.

 

So What Do We Think?

 

I am extremely mixed on this release. On one hand, the game is smooth, responsive and absolutely worth a purchase for fans. If you have another console, this becomes a tougher sell, but for a portable Crash experience, this is fantastic.

The catch is some cutbacks feel extreme, and the lack of Switch functionality including screen recording (though this may be tied to CPU usage by the game) and controller swapping leaves a sour taste.

This feels like the most basic of ports. Its solid, it’s a great game, but it doesn’t react to the basic functionality of the system. As noted, it’s like the port was rushed and not intended.

But that doesn’t deter that this is a great way to experience the game. If you can overlook the cutbacks and system specific issues, this is an absolute must for platformer fans.

 

That’s all for this Impressions piece! Crash is back (Again!) and we hope you have fun wumping from islands and through time. Let us know what you think on social media, and Happy Gaming!

This is a standard NL Inklings Tournament for Splatoon 2!

NL Inklings Community: Our July 2018 Tournament Schedule!

Sean Alexander

It’s a new month which means new a new tournament! Well…two!

First up, last month was excellent with participation in our Splatoon 2 Tournament. The next one is already planned and sign ups are underway on Discord right now!

Of course, we want to keep going and creating bigger and better events. The structure of two tournaments per month remains. The first will always be Splatoon 2, and two weeks later we will hold a tournament for a different game.

In this case, we have the returning Splatoon 2 tournament…and a tournament for a title by popular demand!

 

Splatoon 2 – NL Inklings: Splashdown! (July 7 2018)!

This is a standard NL Inklings Tournament for Splatoon 2!

The NL Inklings July 2018 Splashdown!

Like the name? I just made it up on the spot!

This will be a standard tournament with teams of 4, assigned based on their ranks in the name of fairness, duking it out across all 5 modes. Bring your best weapons and gear for all 5 modes and make a big Splashdown!

This tournament takes place on July 7th at 5pm BST sharp!

Sign ups will be live until Wednesday July 4th!

 

ARMS – NL Inklings: Spring Into The Ring! (July 21 2018)

 

It's an ARMS tournament by popular demand!

ARMS: Spring Into The Ring Tournament!

That’s right! By sheer popular demand, it’s ARMS for Nintendo Switch! This small but lovable fighting game get’s its chance to shine in the NL Inklings sphere this month!

Full details will be worked out over the coming fortnight, but rest assured all control styles will be allowed.

This tournament takes place on July 21st at 5pm sharp!

Sign Ups will go live on Saturday July 7th and end on Wednesday July 18th!

 

That’s all for now. See you on the battlefield or in the ring! NL Inklings out, Happy Gaming!

Can Mario Tennis Aces take the top spot?

Nintendo Switch eShop – UK Sales Charts (24/06/2018)

Sean Alexander

With Mario Tennis out now, and the winding down of E3 sales, how are the UK Charts this week?

Numbers in brackets are previous positions based on: 17/06/2018 (Unless they haven’t moved) in the UK eShop

Can Mario Tennis Aces take the top spot?

Mario Tennis Aces debuted this week!

 

All Games Charts (Including Retail Releases)

 

1: Minecraft (NEW) – £19.99
2: Hollow Knight (NEW) (Down from 2nd) – £10.99
3: Mario Tennis Aces (NEW) – £49.99
4: Splatoon 2 (Up from 6th) – £49.99
5: Astro Bears Party (Down from 2nd) (80% OFF) – £0.89 (Usually £4.49)
6: Golf Story – £13.49
7: FIFA 18 (Down from 3rd) (67% OFF) – £18.14 (Usually £54.99)
8: Overcooked: Special Edition (Up from 10th) – £17.99
9: Rocket League (Down from 9th) – £15.00
10: Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong (Up from 14th) (NEW) – £6.29
11: Stardew Valley (Down from 4th) – £10.99
12: Paladins: Founder’s Pack (Down from 9th) (NEW) – £24.99
13: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Up from 21st) – £59.99
14: Ultra Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengerss (Up from not Charting!) – £34.99
15: Football Manager Touch 2018 (Up from 17th) (33% OFF) – £20.09 (Usually £29.99)

16: Darkest Dungeon (Up from 23rd) – £17.99
17: Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (Down from 5th) – £17.99
18: Arcade Archives: Vs Super Mario Bros (Down from 15th) – £6.29
19: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Down from 13th) – £8.99
20: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Up from 22nd) – £49.99
21: Resident Evil Revelations (Up from 26th) – £15.99
22: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Down from 19th) – £49.99
23: The Sexy Brutale (Down from 18th) – £17.99
24: Sonic Mania (Up from 28th!) – £15.99
25: Wizard of Legend (Down from 16th) – £13.99
26: Robonauts (Up from not Charting!) (80% OFF) – £2.69 (Usually £13.49)
27: Super Mario Odyssey (Up from not Charting!) – £49.99
28: Violett (Up from not Charting!) (80% OFF) – £1.79 (Usually £8.99)
29: Resident Evil Revelations 2 (Up from not Charting!) – £19.99
30: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Up from not Charting!) – £49.99

 

Download Exclusive Charts

 

1: Hollow Knight (NEW) – £10.99
2: Astro Bears Party (80% OFF) – £0.89 (Usually £4.49)
3: Golf Story (Up from 5th) – £13.49
4: Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong (NEW) – £6.29
5: Stardew Valley (Down from 3rd) – £10.99
6: Paladins: Founders Pack (NEW) – £24.99
7: Football Manager Touch 2018 (Up from 12th) (33% OFF) – £20.09 (Usually £29.99)
8: Darkest Dungeon (Up from 15th) – £17.99
9: Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (Down from 4th) – £17.99
10: Arcade Archives: Vs Super Mario Bros – £6.29
11:Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Down from 8th) – £8.99
12: Resident Evil: Revelations (Up from 17th) – £15.99
13: The Sexy Brutale – £17.99
14: Sonic Mania (Up from 19th) – £15.99
15: Wizard of Legend (Down from 11th)– £13.99

16: Robonauts (Up from 21st) (80% OFF) – £2.69 (Usually £13.49)
17: Violett (Up from not Charting!) (80% OFF) – £1.79 (Usually £8.99)
18: Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (Up from 24th) – £19.99
19: Celeste (Up from 20th) – £17.99
20: The Sparkle 2 Evo (Up from not Charting!) (80% OFF) – £0.89 (Usually £4.49)
21: West of Loathing (Down from 16th) – £9.00
22: Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! (Up from 27th) – £17.99
23: Uno (Up from not Charting!) (30% OFF) – £5.59 (Usually £7.99)
24: Nine Parchments (Up from 30th) – £17.99
25: Subsurface Circular (Up from 28th) (20% OFF) – £3.83 (Usually £4.79)
26: Jackbox Party Pack 3 (Up from not Charting!) – £20.03
27: Ikaruga (Down from 18th) – £13.49
28: I Am Setsuna (Up from not Charting!) (50% OFF) – £14.99 (Usually £29.99)
29: OwlBoy (Up from not Charting!) (30% OFF) – £13.29 (Usually £18.99)
30: Kamiko (Up from not Charting!) (40% OFF) – £2.69 (Usually £4.49)

 

 

UK eShop Analysis

So this has become a bit of a mess to read. First of note – Mario Tennis came in behind Hollow Knight and the new update for Minecraft.

Secondly, most movements are simply readjustments based on sales. The stories are the return of Mario + Rabbids and Mario Odyssey, alongside some games on sales in the lower ends of the charts. Interesting, Ultra Street Fighter 2 has reappeared despite a better value Street Fighter Collection being available.

In the Download Exclusives charts, things remain mostly the same in order, minus retail titles, until the lower ends, as usual. Here we see resurgence from Kamiko, OwlBoy and I Am Setsuna, all on sale.

The real story is the domination of sales once again, with new sales filling the lower charts and old sales leaving lingering effects.

 

Next week we will see the three-way battle between Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy! Happy Gaming!

E3 2018 is a wrap and of course in our podcast we get to talk about it all, including Smash!

Behind The Game Podcast – E3 2018, Fortnite, Cross Play and More!

Sean Alexander

Our fourth podcast is now live! This edition includes the reveal of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!

Thoughts on Fortnite! Cross-Platform Play shenanigans and Mega Man 11 absolutely not coming to Europe at retail too! Everyone is Here in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!

Plus, hear what we have been playing this week. Then our thoughts on E3 2018 and Sony does….what to your Epic Games account?!

Check it out below, and Happy Gaming! Remember to check up with us on Twitter and Discord!

 

The UK Charts received a slew of new games over E3.

Nintendo Switch eShop – UK Sales Charts (17/06/2018)

Sean Alexander

With E3 now over, games like Hollow Knight released and a whole plethora of sales, how are the UK Charts this week?

Numbers in brackets are previous positions based on: 03/06/2018 (Unless they haven’t moved) in the UK eShop

The UK Charts received a slew of new games over E3.

Fortnite: Battle Royale launched on Nintendo Switch this week.

Note, the charts now have TWO categories: Games also at retail, and eShop exclusives. Both will be covered here, and there are now 30 games per list. However, as the Download Exclusives chart is new, there will be no chart placement shifts this week.

 

All Games Charts (Including Retail Releases)

 

1: Hollow Knight (NEW) – £10.99
2: Astro Bears Party (Up from not Charting!) (80% OFF) – £0.89 (Usually £4.49)
3: FIFA 18 (Down from 1st) (67% OFF) – £18.14 (Usually £54.99)
4: Stardew Valley (Down from 2nd) – £10.99
5: Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (NEW) – £17.99
6: Splatoon 2 (Up from not Charting!) (33% OFF) – £33.49 (Usually £49.99)
7: Golf Story (Up from not Charting) (34% OFF) – £8.90 (Usually £13.49)
8: Rocket League (Up from 11th) (25% OFF) – £11.25 (Usually £15.00)
9: Paladins: Founders Pack (NEW) – £24.99
10: Overcooked: Special Edition (Up from not Charting!) (40% OFF) – £10.79 (Usually £17.99)
11: Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (Down from 6th) – £19.99
12: Mario Tennis Aces (Pre-Order) – £49.99
13: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Down from 3rd) – £8.99
14: Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong (NEW) – £6.29
15: Arcade Archives: Vs Super Mario Bros (Down from 12th) – £6.29

16: Wizard of Legend (Down from 4th) – £13.99
17: Football Manager Touch 2018 (Up from not Charting!) (33% OFF) – £20.09 (Usually £29.99)
18: The Sexy Brutale (Up from not Charting!) (50% OFF) – £8.99 (Usually £17.99)
19: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Down from 9th) – £49.99
20: Mecho Tales (Up from not Charting!) – £7.49
21: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Up from not Charting!) (25% OFF) – £44.99 (Usually £59.99)
22: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Up from not Charting!) – £49.99
23: Darkest Dungeon (Up from not Charting!) (25% OFF) – £13.49 (Usually £17.99)
24: West of Loathing (Up from not Charting!) – £9.00
25: Yoku’s Island Express (Up from not Charting!) – £15.99
26: Resident Evil: Revelations (Up from not Charting!) (25% OFF) – £11.99 (Usually £15.99)
27: Ikaruga (Down from 10th) – £13.49
28: Sonic Mania (Up from not Charting!) – £15.99
29: Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Down from 8th) – £49.99
30: Celeste (Up from not Charting!) – £17.99

 

Download Exclusive Charts

 

1: Hollow Knight (NEW) – £10.99
2: Astro Bears Party (80% OFF) – £0.89 (Usually £4.49)
3: Stardew Valley – £18.14 (Usually £54.99)
4: Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (NEW) – £17.99
5: Golf Story (34% OFF) – £8.90 (Usually £13.49)
6: Paladins: Founders Pack (NEW) – £24.99
7: Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition – £19.99
8: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon – £8.99
9: Arcade Archives: Donkey Kong (NEW) – £6.29
10: Arcade Archives: Vs Super Mario Bros – £6.29
11: Wizard of Legend – £13.99
12: Football Manager Touch 2018 (33% OFF) – £20.09 (Usually £29.99)
13: The Sexy Brutale (50% OFF) – £8.99 (Usually £17.99)
14: Mecho Tales – £7.49
15: Darkest Dungeon (25% OFF) – £13.49 (Usually £17.99)

16: West of Loathing – £9.00
17: Resident Evil: Revelations (25% OFF) – £11.99 (Usually £15.99)
18: Ikaruga – £13.49
19: Sonic Mania – £15.99
20: Celeste – £17.99
21: Robonauts (80% OFF) – £2.69 (Usually £13.49)
22: ICEY – £7.59
23: Plague Road – £11.99
24: Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (28% OFF) – £14.39 (Usually £19.99)
25: Legendary Eleven (NEW) (11% OFF) – £7.99 (Usually £8.99)
26: Hollow – £17.99
27: Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! – £17.99
28: Subsurface Circular (20% OFF) – £3.83 (Usually £4.79)
29: SteamWorld Dig 2 – £14.99
30: Nine Parchments (50% OFF) – £8.99 (Usually £17.99)

 

 

UK eShop Analysis

So this has become a bit of a mess to read. First of note – Sushi Striker is nowhere to be seen.

Secondly, E3 sales have propelled games right up the charts, disrupting the usual flow. Paladins has had a successful launch and due to the new nature of the charts we can see many first party titles filling out lower areas of the charts.

Interestingly, the pre-load for Mario Tennis Aces is charting. Indie gem Hollow Knight has taken the top spot.

In the Download Exclusives charts, things remain mostly the same in order, minus retail titles, until the lower ends, where Snipperclips, Hollow, and more reside. This added exposure will likely help sales along in future.

The real story is the domination of sales though. Interesting, Free To Play titles like Pokemon Quest, Fortnite and Fallout Shelter aren’t included here.

 

Next week we will see if Mario Tennis Aces can prove a hit, and if any other classics reappear in sudden sales or pre-loads! Happy Gaming!

Sony, Sony please stop being hostile.

Sony Is “For The Players”, and Now Incredibly Hostile!

Sean Alexander

Sony has become a bit of a standout in the industry, with a new display of hostility towards developers bringing fresh outrage…

Sony, Sony please stop being hostile.

Time to bring this up again…

Sony has a history of pro-consumerism. The PS4 is built upon this logic. Just like I have noted in the past however, it’s not holding up. It only took a few years to break down into hostility.

Cross Platform What?

Hostility prevents the PS4 from joining in

This is the future?

Hop back to E3 2017 for a moment.

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.

We’ve got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base

Everybody has to take their own decisions. We’ll do that. Like I say, we have no philosophical stance against cross-play at all.

That said, to my knowledge, there is no live conversation ongoing at the moment.

Source (Seriously read it all, it is pure gold!)

This is how Sony’s Jim Ryan responded to Eurogamer about not allowing cross-platform play with other consoles in both Rocket League and Minecraft. No one consistent answer was given.

Yeah this isn’t a good look but wait, there is now more.

This was based, we assumed, on fear, and wanting to keep their install base. A company that built a base on pro-consumer moves in the wake of the Xbox One now does the things they said they wouldn’t.

Now however, we see what it is truly based on.

 

Sony Is Acting on Pure Hostility

Fortnite is blocked to PS4. Not a good look.

Do you like Fortnite? Got some bad news…

Fortnite just released on the Nintendo Switch! This would be great news. Turns out, if your Epic Games account has ever touched a PS4, that account can now never be used on Xbox One or Nintendo Switch. No, deleting the link doesn’t work. Once it’s been there, it’s locked away forever.

The same is true in reverse. If you link an account to Switch or Xbox, it won’t work on PS4. This is a huge problem, as Fortnite links progress to your Epic account, which we should stress is a third-party account.

Many PS4 users have found this to be an issue, wanting to play on Switch. This has gone beyond simply not allowing play between systems. This is now wrestling a third-party account and wanting you to only play on PS4.

This is hostility towards other systems. They want to be the only place you ever play games, and they are doing their damnedest to keep their users to them, by inconveniencing them going elsewhere.

It Makes Business Sense…Briefly

Hostility will end the PS4's Dominance it would seem.

The Best Place to Play No Longer

So the constant lies about why they don’t want cross-platform play. The newfound hostility towards the other systems. This all stinks of what we know now as “Arrogant Sony”. Remember the PS3 launch? Top of the world, can do no wrong, and it backfired. They believed consumers had no choice in who they went to, they thought they were on top of the world. Then they fell.

Now the PS4 bounces back, pro-consumer for all of what seemed like 20 minutes. Sure, they want to keep their lead, but now, what benefit is there to playing third-party games on a PS4?

On PC, you get mods. Xbox One X, you get the best console performance. Switch, you get portability. On PS4, you get tied to the system with a brick around your ankles.

Across all of the above, except PS4 of course, you can all talk, play against or with each other in games. In Fortnite, your progress even carries over. This is the future. Developers want it. Epic Games wants it. But the dinosaur that is Sony will not let it happen.

They want control. But the power is with the players now more than ever.

 

So What Do We Do?

 

Some believe the one with the largest install base has nothing to gain. But they do. In the (Increasingly likely if you pay attention) scenario where the PS5 launches and falls behind the next Xbox, these past practices will have caused people to move away. Sure, it’s fine now, but people don’t forget. Especially now the biggest game in the world is the subject.

The answer is simple, play where you want, but remember that the noise will only grow as more and more games adopt this approach. There will be a time where they have to allow it. If not, the mantra of the PlayStation falls apart at the seems.

This is more than Microsoft taking shots at Sony. This is consumers not being treated fairly, and developers not being given the freedoms they deserve.

 

Thanks for reading, and this is an issue that now more than ever needs to be scrutinised. Perhaps the future will change things, but Sony is in a position of power to abuse now…but anyway, go boot up Fortnite and play with whoever YOU want! Happy Gaming!

Our third podcast is live, with Pokemon, Battlefield, PlayStation and a lot of E3 news!

Behind The Game Podcast – Battlefield V, Pokemon, Mega Man and more!

Sean Alexander

Our third podcast is now live! This edition includes the controversy around Battlefield!

Thoughts on Battlefield V vs Call of Duty! Pokemon Let’s Go and Mega Man 11 not coming to Europe at retail too!

Plus, hear what we have been playing this week. Then our thoughts on some pre-E3 reveals and the comments about…a new portable PlayStation?

 

Check it out below, and Happy Gaming! Remember to check up with us on Twitter and Discord!