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[Feel Like I'm On 42]

When I first booted it up in handheld I was very disappointed by the visuals of that tutorial area. Game looks way better on a 4k tv though. I wish there wasn't such a big discrepancy between playing games in handheld versus docked. I dont know why it feels so stark, must be the lack of Oled.

I'm finding some games to look dull in handheld which I wasn't expecting considering its a 1080p screen and has HDR.....like the two open world Zeldas for instance dont look or feel like 1080p in handheld for some reason and the colors aren't popping ... yet the 2d Zelda games (lines awakening and exhoes of wisdom) with 1080p and hdr look amazing ...

I think it has to do with the oled slightly but just as much the lack of decent AF and AA combined with the more muted palette. Bonanza looks pretty good in handheld while MK World is another that looks dull in most levels in hamdheld

I can't get over Nintendos laziness though with graphics on Switch 2. Like Tears and Botw should look amazing on a 1080p screen had they bothered to optomize just a couple settings. We haven't seen anti aliasing from a Nintendo game on Switch 2! Not an exclusive or a Switch 2 upgrade! Lol fml

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

This definitely seems like the type of game where you have to spend 5+ hours really learning the mechanics and intricacies, and then it's incredibly rewarding and enjoyable after that.

But that also means it's kind of a horrible game to put a demo out for. I bet this demo is doing more harm than good.

Either way, I'm gonna give it an honest effort when it opens up in 5 minutes. We'll see if it ends up clicking for me. The GameCube one never did, but maybe this will.

I don't think the curve is as steep as you think. Did you do the tutorial missions? Sure, playing it a lot you'll get better but it's all laid out in that tutorial and it controls really well. I can tell this is a great Kart racer but that $70 price is just insane for this type of game.

 

[bender]

No Contest.
Total Champion!

 

[kevboard]

I'm saying it based on my opinion after playing both games, mkw which I've put a ton of hours into, which I'm 1000% entitled to do

All the mechanics are pretty brainless, especially compared to this games mechanic like having to manually level out, which reminds me of playing Skate. This would be liking having to balance on a rail while grinding in Mario kart. In Mario kart you auto stick to the wall and rails. Mario kart is not a difficult game dude I've put hundreds of hours in it and the mechanics are pretty damn simple. It's made for kids afterall.

It doesn't help that these systems are further complicated by the fact that they're not inherently intuitive. I mean just from the start it feels different, you will automatically accelerate and you have to hit B to break which is actually how you actually speed up because it's the same way you boost, but that system is also linked to drifting.

This is actually why I love Mario kart. I can just turn it on and turn off my brain and relax

I haven't played it yet, but leveling your car before hitting the road isn't all that great of an example, as it isn't really adding depth... it's just a skill check. you have to do it. it's in principle a QTE if you think about it.

it's not even on the level of depth the manual and grind balance in THPS add, because those get harder the longer you do them, and only reset after you finished a combo. meaning you have to take that into account as you chain your combo. if you did too many manuals already your balance for those will be harder to control, so you might route your combo chain to get to a grind instead as that balance isn't as bad yet.

depth in a game comes from choices and mechanical knowledge to execute the choices, not from skill checks that aren't a choice but a thing you just have to do each time.
it gives a game a higher skill ceiling, sure, but not depth.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I haven't played it yet, but leveling your car before hitting the road isn't all that great of an example, as it isn't really adding depth... it's just a skill check. you have to do it. it's in principle a QTE if you think about it.

it's not even on the level of depth the manual and grind balance in THPS add, because those get harder the longer you do them, and only reset after you finished a combo. meaning you have to take that into account as you chain your combo. if you did too many manuals already your balance for those will be harder to control, so you might route your combo chain to get to a grind instead as that balance isn't as bad yet.

depth in a game comes from choices and mechanical knowledge to execute the choices, not from skill checks that aren't a choice but a thing you just have to do each time.
it gives a game a higher skill ceiling, sure, but not depth.

I think we are arguing semantics at this point. If a mechanic creates meaningful differentiation between novice and expert performance, then it adds depth — because depth describes the space of possible player expression and improvement over time. A skill check that can be performed with varying levels of consistency, precision, or optimization expands that space.

A higher skill ceiling correlates to depth, because depth in game design is not just about variety of choices, but about how much room there is to improve through mastery. Not to mention there's greater variety of systems here as well. So you have more systems with greater skill checks.

We're just arguing different definitions for the word depth.

 

[kevboard]

I think we are arguing semantics at this point. If a mechanic creates meaningful differentiation between novice and expert performance, then it adds depth — because depth describes the space of possible player expression and improvement over time. A skill check that can be performed with varying levels of consistency, precision, or optimization expands that space.

A higher skill ceiling correlates to depth, because depth in game design is not just about variety of choices, but about how much room there is to improve through mastery.

We're just arguing different definitions for the word depth.

depth and skill ceiling are absolutely 2 different concepts

Clone Hero (a open source guitar hero clone) for example has basically zero depth. there's 1 way to play it perfectly and 1 way only.
BUT it has an insanely high skill ceiling.
there is no player expression at all... you just hit the buttons at the right time and try to never miss. no startegy, no options, no depth.

on the other end, imagine a turn based RPGs with insanely deep mechanics and character build options. this would require absolutely no skill whatsoever, and only rely on knowledge. it's pure mechanics knowledge and lots of depth due to all the options you have to consider, all of which have pros and cons and open/close different strategies.

so 1 game with 0% depth and 100% skill,
and 1 game with 100% depth and 0% skill.

most games are somewhere in the middle.
a light gun shooter would be another game with very little to no depth but potentially a high skill ceiling.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

depth and skill ceiling are absolutely 2 different concepts

Clone Hero (a open source guitar hero clone) for example has basically zero depth. there's 1 way to play it perfectly and 1 way only.
BUT it has an insanely high skill ceiling.
there is no player expression at all... you just hit the buttons at the right time and try to never miss. no startegy, no options, no depth.

on the other end, imagine a turn based RPGs with insanely deep mechanics and character build options. this would require absolutely no skill whatsoever, and only rely on knowledge. it's pure mechanics knowledge and lots of depth due to all the options you have to consider, all of which have pros and cons and open/close different strategies.

so 1 game with 0% depth and 100% skill,
and 1 game with 100% depth and 0% skill.

most games are somewhere in the middle.
a light gun shooter would be another game with very little to no depth but potentially a high skill ceiling.

Again, we are arguing semantics, since there's no universal definition of "depth." You're using it to mean strategic or choice-based variety, but I'm using it to also include a range of meaningful player expression and mastery. From that angle, a high skill ceiling is related to depth, it's executional rather than strategic. Clone Hero might have little decision-making depth (idk I've never heard of the game) but it sounds like it mechanical depth in timing, consistency, and endurance. Both types expand the space of player skill, just in different ways.

I also added to my previous post before after you responded, but this game has several more different systems on top of the skill checks. So not only are there more skill checks, but there's actually more unique systems that involve skill checks, and there is interplay with each other. Under my definition, more systems and the complexity of systems also adds more depth. It should under yours as well because these systems inherently rely on strategy (eg when you should do a spin attack versus spit attack, when to switch crafts mid game… you can actually steal peoples crafts or get off yours and find others in the middle of the game, etc)

You should honestly play the game instead of arguing which game has more depth. Actually playing the game would help

Mario kart is probably one of the simplest easiest game I play. In my definition it lack any depth whatsoever on any level really. I have friends who don't play any video games, but can manage to get by in Mario kart very well whenever they come over. Those "crazy"shortcut videos are really pretty brainless to do. I don't know if you've actually tried it, but you just need to touch the polls and you automatically do a trick off them. You could probably replicate any of those shortcuts after trying a few times. This is why if you look at the top time records, you'll see that there's 1 trillion people who were only off seconds

We just have very different definitions of depth, and mine does include thinks like skill checks and is generally more broad. I agree with you though that Kirby also requires more skill. Half the mkw thread is people complaining about how little skill is involved in mkw, so that's nothing new

 

[Sgt.Asher]

City trial is just as fun, which was the main draw for me in the OG.

 

[DreamcastSkies]

When I saw how many tutorials there were, I definitely had a feeling of "naaah". A game like this shouldn't be this complicated. It was quite jarring. I thought it would be a simple and fun game. That's what I want out of kart-like racers.

It's interesting because wasn't extreme simplicity (only button that was used was the A button) the selling point of the original game? I'm not insulting this new game, I just thought the core of the original game was simplicity and I'm surprised this one doesn't seem to follow that.

 

[bender]

Even though I've done the tutorial, playing the game is basically this:

For Air Ride mode, it does seem like the rider and vehicle do make a ton of difference. After I switched from the default combo and played around with Wing Star, I didn't finish first in two races even with default AI. It does kind of feel like picking a top speed combo is hard to overcome. The spectacle of Waveflow Waters and Mount Amberfalls is something to behold, especially after the rather dull Floria Fields. I can't say I love the mode, but it might just me trying to come to gripes with auto-acceleration which feels very counterintuitive.

City Trial is a lot of fun. It seems like the maximum of any level-up you can collect is 10? I guess that balances things out. It does feel like a bit of pure chaos, but I like that you have four Monkey Ball styled games to select from at the end. I do wonder how much longevity the mode will have.

The presentation is slick and it's easy to tell this is a Sakurai game.

 

[Dacvak]

This game is so fucking stupid. I'm glad they gave us a demo, because I would have otherwise paid $70 on this piece of shit game.

I'm so mad that Sakurai spent his time making this stupid garbage instead of working on the next Smash Bros.

I played this trash for 3 hours, and it has gotten progressively worse the more I play it. I hate this game so much.

Playing City Trial might be the largest waste of time I've ever spent on gaming, and I've put like 20 hours into Clicker Heroes. I have no idea what Sakurai was thinking with this game, but I'm not on the same autistic wavelength as him, and I can guarantee this game will fail. I'll be shocked if it sells more than a million units.

I genuinely can't remember the last time I've disliked a 1st-party Nintendo game this much.

 

[The Wheel of Fortune]

Fucking hell, what a gem! I love this, I'll just stop, jump back on Arc Raiders and wait for this wonderful game to come out properly. It's so close now!

 

[touchfuzzy]

This game is so fucking stupid. I'm glad they gave us a demo, because I would have otherwise paid $70 on this piece of shit game.

I'm so mad that Sakurai spent his time making this stupid garbage instead of working on the next Smash Bros.

I played this trash for 3 hours, and it has gotten progressively worse the more I play it. I hate this game so much.

Playing City Trial might be the largest waste of time I've ever spent on gaming, and I've put like 20 hours into Clicker Heroes. I have no idea what Sakurai was thinking with this game, but I'm not on the same autistic wavelength as him, and I can guarantee this game will fail. I'll be shocked if it sells more than a million units.

I genuinely can't remember the last time I've disliked a 1st-party Nintendo game this much.

Yeah it's not very good. It's just utter chaos for 5 minutes and then try to win the minigame you somehow randomly got enough points to have an advantage in. Not particularly fun. Wiggling the stick all the time to attack is dumb and imprecise. High level of polish to everything but it's just not a great game running underneath.

I too would probably bought it without a demo, but passing now.

 

[Dacvak]

Yeah it's not very good. It's just utter chaos for 5 minutes and then try to win the minigame you somehow randomly got enough points to have an advantage in. Not particularly fun. Wiggling the stick all the time to attack is dumb and imprecise. High level of polish to everything but it's just not a great game running underneath.

I too would probably bought it without a demo, but passing now.

Completely agree. I'm genuinely shocked at how bad of an impression it made on me.

I've watched every single YouTube Sakurai game development video, and I feel like that series of videos is the holy grail of understanding good game design. So it's such a wild contrast to play a game that feels so antithetical to those principles, coming from the same guy.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

 

[bender]

Wiggling the stick all the time to attack is dumb and imprecise.

It's a bit of a weird decision and I just see it as an obsession with wanting to keep it a "one-button game" with the reality that it's a two-button game that should utilize other free buttons. The good news is that is something that could easily be patched in.

I'm in the same boat in that the Global Test has probably unsold me on the game. I'm higher than City Trial than you or Dacvak , but I do think the mode will get old rather quickly and, if I understand the upgrade paths correctly, while I understand why they'd limit any stat upgrade to +10 for balancing reasons, I think it would be more interesting if that limitation weren't there. And the final games in that mode remind me a bit of the party games in Super Monkey Ball.

Air Ride is where most of my disappointment lies and that's with thinking two of the three courses in the test were really impressive. It's obvious they want to invert a lot of the tropes found in the genre with auto-acceleration and hitting enemies speeding you up instead of slowing them down, I just don't think the boost charge/dash and drifting mechanics feel all that good. Maybe it just takes more time to accept those mechanics and inversions, but I'd rather just paly Mario Kart which is kind of a bummer because of those aforementioned tracks.

I do want to spend some more time with the next test, but it really feels like a game that I want to wait for a deep discount on and with Nintendo games, that might end up being never.

 

[Robb]

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my experience. And I remember enjoying the first game a ton, but that was 22 years ago..

This is honestly one of the most 'I'm too old for this shit' games I've ever played. Way too hectic for me.

I'll hold out for Metroid Prime 4.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

This game is so fucking stupid. I'm glad they gave us a demo, because I would have otherwise paid $70 on this piece of shit game.

I'm so mad that Sakurai spent his time making this stupid garbage instead of working on the next Smash Bros.

I played this trash for 3 hours, and it has gotten progressively worse the more I play it. I hate this game so much.

Fucking hell, what a gem! I love this, I'll just stop, jump back on Arc Raiders and wait for this wonderful game to come out properly. It's so close now!

 

[bender]

I was wrong about City Trial maxing out at 10 pickups. I had 17 Top Speed pickups.

2nd place finished at 34 seconds.

 

[RoboFu]

It's so simple in theory but very difficult in practice. I did all the lessons and still it's hard as everything gets thrown at you so quickly. Good looking game but might be a little too twitchy for these old hands.

 

[krumble]

So I was pretty flat on city trial from last weekend, but really thought I'd give it a proper go this weekend and I've tried across all 3 play test periods..
It doesn't click with me.. I don't get the run around for 5 minutes grabbing power ups and changing machines that may or may not be helpful for the next round where you play a random mi I game for less than 1 minute and ur graded on that..wow… so gripping, addictive and worthwhile… /s
Good for the people that do enjoy it but just not for me, from the slow as ass matchmaking at the start where the lineup only fills out during the last few seconds of countdown through to the lack of any sort of feeling of winning or achievement that the mini games give ..
I do like the air ride part of the game and the single player part looks like a better use of the mini games?
I get you can unlock things through city trial, but the gameplay loop just doesn't grab me, disappointed, i didn't really get the whole hype around city trial from the directs and nothing different in the actual game…
Feels like there should be a 3rd section after the mini games or something

 

[Krathoon]

I used some cash back on my Amazon card and ordered it. Not too keen on those Nintendo prices. Highway robbery.

 

[krumble]

I used some cash back on my Amazon card and ordered it. Not too keen on those Nintendo prices. Highway robbery.

Yeah if I pick it up will be Japanese Eshop version via Amazon.jp it's the cheapest way by a long long shot, in fact just preordered it £36

 

[DenchDeckard]

What the actual batshit insanity did I just play.

 

[bender]

I really like City Trial. I just get Monkey Ball mini game vibes from it. I think enough so that I'll buy the game, plus I get to support Sakurai.

 

[mèx]

I used some cash back on my Amazon card and ordered it. Not too keen on those Nintendo prices. Highway robbery.

I really miss the eShop coupons. That's how I bought all Nintendo games during the Switch 1 generation. By buying eShop credit on key sites for cheaper + using the coupon program, it was pretty cheap buy Nintendo games all things considered.

Now we have to shell out the fat 70 euro/dollars.

 

[Krathoon]

What the actual batshit insanity did I just play.

That is what is great about it. The game is just crazy chaos.

 

[krumble]

I really miss the eShop coupons. That's how I bought all Nintendo games during the Switch 1 generation. By buying eShop credit on key sites for cheaper + using the coupon program, it was pretty cheap buy Nintendo games all things considered.

Now we have to shell out the fat 70 euro/dollars.

Japanese Eshop is your friend via Amazon.co.jp you need to have the digital region on your Amazon Japan account set to Japan but then can buy digital eshop codes for the games with a non Japan credit card, but you do also need to register a Japanese address on the Amazon Japan account for that too. It's fairly simple, some people needed to contact Amazon Japan support to get it cleared when they put their cc on (I didn't when I set the digital region) then u are good to go…bought galaxy 2 and the pikmin 1&2 package that way recently

Amazon.co.jp: カービィのエアライダー|オンラインコード版 : Video Games

Amazon.co.jp: カービィのエアライダー|オンラインコード版 : Video Games

www.amazon.co.jp

I've seen some people then redeeming the codes by changing their switch main account region to Japan and redeeming the code, personally I run separate digital accounts for Psn and eshop for uk USA and Japan and have just redeemed the code on the relevant account

Even with switch discount vouchers and then getting further discounts on eshop credit rarely got as cheap as buying this way in all the years I was doing that

Kirby air ride Japanese codes go live on Amazon Japan 19th .. pretty sure they are ahead by quite a few hours too

 

[diffusionx]

I tried the demo and yea this isn't for me.

Looks great though.

 

[krumble]

Got the email telling me my download code was available yesterday, downloaded which was 26GB and just waiting for it to unlock now.. Japan are about 9 hours ahead of uk so sometime after lunch today the game should unlock

 

[schaft0620]

Yeah it's not very good. It's just utter chaos for 5 minutes and then try to win the minigame you somehow randomly got enough points to have an advantage in. Not particularly fun. Wiggling the stick all the time to attack is dumb and imprecise. High level of polish to everything but it's just not a great game running underneath.

I too would probably bought it without a demo, but passing now.

I totally agree. Hades 2 is physically out on the same day, easy choice but I will buy both.

Air Riders is Super Smash Bros meets Mario Kart but like incomplete parts of each.