Nintendo’s Expectations for Amiibo Were “Smashed”
Since their announcement, Nintendo's NFC Amiibo figurines have become a popular commodity with collectors and fans. So popular, in fact, that it's surprised Nintendo and exceeded the interest they initially expected.
"Right from the outset we hoped that Amiibo would be strong, but even our expectations have been smashed,” Nintendo UK's James Honeywell told MCV. “With a unique line-up of iconic characters that are loved by so many people, it really has been unprecedented."
“We hope to do a better job of satisfying these needs in the future with more stock, and, while there are always going to be some times when we can’t on certain characters, I suspect that is also part of the appeal."
I Am Bread Review
I can't tell whether it's a complaint or not that my first thought upon completing my first stage in I Am Bread was, "I don't know if I would eat any bread that naturally sticks to the wall."
Never mind that this was after six minutes of rubbing the slice on a pile of jelly and broken glass, throwing it on a skateboard, letting ants crawl on it, and dragging it bare across a kitchen counter. Just something about the sticking to the wall pressed the wrong button. We all have standards, right?
But these are the kinds of thoughts that permeate the first chuckle-filled hour or two of playing I Am Bread, that magical period of a game like this, Bossa's own Surgeon Simulator, or Soda Drinker Pro where the joke is fresh and still overshadows the proper game found under the joke. The honeymoon period does eventually fade. And when the laughing stops, the white-knuckled aggravation begins.
But before that, there is the joke: the fact that I Am Bread is exactly what is advertised. In every level, you play as a sentient slice of bread who sets out on a Sisyphean quest to cross a room and to become golden brown, delicious toast by any means necessary. You do this by inching yourself across a surface or flipping yourself over and over to cover more distance and climbing the walls by sticking yourself to them. The goal could be a toaster. It could be a broken, burning TV. It could be an iron that somebody carelessly didn't unplug. Anything that provides enough heat to get yourself toasty can potentially finish the level for you. But time is of the essence, edibility is of the essence, and deliciousness is of the essence. No, really, the more jelly you can get on yourself before you cook, the better. But make no mistake: you must become toast.
Unlike most games of this ilk, I Am Bread comes more from a nice baseline of competent game design. It's certainly more visually appealing than normal, with a kitschy 1950s homemaker environment with a strong dose of food-affecting grossness to give it a contrast. The score has a bouncy, Ben Folds vibe, and though the tunes themselves are short and repetitive, they help sell the pleasant times.
Using a gamepad (and I would highly recommend the gamepad, as a mouse/keyboard is staggering in its uselessness here) and moving around as bread is slow but has a clear logic to it. Just pressing the left stick in a particular direction allows you to inch little by little in the chosen direction. Holding one of the shoulder buttons, each corresponding to a corner of the bread slice, allows you to clutch any surface while you turn the bread off the anchor point you're holding. If a manipulable object is in range, toggling a face button allows you to hold onto it while you do your thing. It's actually easy and logical in context, and it makes the early stages easy to work with.
It doesn't take long for an evil spike of a learning curve to present itself, however. By stage three, there are fewer flat surfaces to work with and more hellish climbs up walls, bending the slice around corners, and hoping that the finicky physics engine decides not to screw you over if you land in just the right way where you bounce off your destination. You could end up in a freefall where you think you have a shot at grasping a surface to avoid hitting the dirty floor but don't (dirtiness affects edibility, and inedible bread is dead bread.) If you manage to get into a groove with movement, though, it's possible to cartwheel your slice across virtually anything, and that's around when the slew of bugs start to make their presence known. Many have been reported and supposedly fixed by the game's most recent update. For my part, aside from a few physics issues where a bread slice falls through an object it's supposed to lean on, one big one cropped up more than any other: a camera issue where the point of view will tilt straight up, at random, for no reason at all. When sitting on flat surfaces, it's annoying but acceptable. During a grueling climb, however, in a section that's already taken 10-15 minutes to traverse, it can mean the difference between becoming toast and becoming...er...toast. And messing up a stage where you've already spent a half hour just to get within a breath of a hot place, only for the game's physics to throw you for just enough of a loop to fail and send you back to the start, is an infuriating place to be.
The joke does have a punchline it's building to: an ongoing story of the guy whose apartment you're making a mess of in your toasty quest for enlightenment, who's being diagnosed by a therapist because no one believes that sentient bread is to blame. That ultimate punchline is funny, but the game has the same problem that all these joke titles have in that the effort required to hear the joke through to its conclusion renders said joke inert. The game fares better with its bonuses: a demolition mode in which you play a destructive baguette that can be tossed around to wreck a kitchen, a bagel race, and the ability to play stages in zero gravity, with each slice of bread equipped with tiny boosters. The game fares better with these because they can be accessed, futzed around with for 10-15 minutes, and left alone. And yet, the ability to access them requires beating each stage, which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour each, and that's with no guarantee that you'll be successful.
Ultimately, it's a game for the same folks who still cackle with glee whenever there is a new Sharknado, or that still watch Snakes on a Plane. The joke is in the premise, in the title, and it won't stop winking and snickering with you for hours on end. But all it takes is one moment of clarity, one second-guess "why was I laughing" for the whole thing to fall apart. And in this game's case, all it has to do is remind you of how irksome it can be and often is to go from being a goofy joke to a serious headache in a flash.
I Am Bread Review
I can't tell whether it's a complaint or not that my first thought upon completing my first stage in I Am Bread was, "I don't know if I would eat any bread that naturally sticks to the wall."
Never mind that this was after six minutes of rubbing the slice on a pile of jelly and broken glass, throwing it on a skateboard, letting ants crawl on it, and dragging it bare across a kitchen counter. Just something about the sticking to the wall pressed the wrong button. We all have standards, right?
But these are the kinds of thoughts that permeate the first chuckle-filled hour or two of playing I Am Bread, that magical period of a game like this, Bossa's own Surgeon Simulator, or Soda Drinker Pro where the joke is fresh and still overshadows the proper game found under the joke. The honeymoon period does eventually fade. And when the laughing stops, the white-knuckled aggravation begins.
But before that, there is the joke: the fact that I Am Bread is exactly what is advertised. In every level, you play as a sentient slice of bread who sets out on a Sisyphean quest to cross a room and to become golden brown, delicious toast by any means necessary. You do this by inching yourself across a surface or flipping yourself over and over to cover more distance and climbing the walls by sticking yourself to them. The goal could be a toaster. It could be a broken, burning TV. It could be an iron that somebody carelessly didn't unplug. Anything that provides enough heat to get yourself toasty can potentially finish the level for you. But time is of the essence, edibility is of the essence, and deliciousness is of the essence. No, really, the more jelly you can get on yourself before you cook, the better. But make no mistake: you must become toast.
Unlike most games of this ilk, I Am Bread comes more from a nice baseline of competent game design. It's certainly more visually appealing than normal, with a kitschy 1950s homemaker environment with a strong dose of food-affecting grossness to give it a contrast. The score has a bouncy, Ben Folds vibe, and though the tunes themselves are short and repetitive, they help sell the pleasant times.
Using a gamepad (and I would highly recommend the gamepad, as a mouse/keyboard is staggering in its uselessness here) and moving around as bread is slow but has a clear logic to it. Just pressing the left stick in a particular direction allows you to inch little by little in the chosen direction. Holding one of the shoulder buttons, each corresponding to a corner of the bread slice, allows you to clutch any surface while you turn the bread off the anchor point you're holding. If a manipulable object is in range, toggling a face button allows you to hold onto it while you do your thing. It's actually easy and logical in context, and it makes the early stages easy to work with.
It doesn't take long for an evil spike of a learning curve to present itself, however. By stage three, there are fewer flat surfaces to work with and more hellish climbs up walls, bending the slice around corners, and hoping that the finicky physics engine decides not to screw you over if you land in just the right way where you bounce off your destination. You could end up in a freefall where you think you have a shot at grasping a surface to avoid hitting the dirty floor but don't (dirtiness affects edibility, and inedible bread is dead bread.) If you manage to get into a groove with movement, though, it's possible to cartwheel your slice across virtually anything, and that's around when the slew of bugs start to make their presence known. Many have been reported and supposedly fixed by the game's most recent update. For my part, aside from a few physics issues where a bread slice falls through an object it's supposed to lean on, one big one cropped up more than any other: a camera issue where the point of view will tilt straight up, at random, for no reason at all. When sitting on flat surfaces, it's annoying but acceptable. During a grueling climb, however, in a section that's already taken 10-15 minutes to traverse, it can mean the difference between becoming toast and becoming...er...toast. And messing up a stage where you've already spent a half hour just to get within a breath of a hot place, only for the game's physics to throw you for just enough of a loop to fail and send you back to the start, is an infuriating place to be.
The joke does have a punchline it's building to: an ongoing story of the guy whose apartment you're making a mess of in your toasty quest for enlightenment, who's being diagnosed by a therapist because no one believes that sentient bread is to blame. That ultimate punchline is funny, but the game has the same problem that all these joke titles have in that the effort required to hear the joke through to its conclusion renders said joke inert. The game fares better with its bonuses: a demolition mode in which you play a destructive baguette that can be tossed around to wreck a kitchen, a bagel race, and the ability to play stages in zero gravity, with each slice of bread equipped with tiny boosters. The game fares better with these because they can be accessed, futzed around with for 10-15 minutes, and left alone. And yet, the ability to access them requires beating each stage, which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour each, and that's with no guarantee that you'll be successful.
Ultimately, it's a game for the same folks who still cackle with glee whenever there is a new Sharknado, or that still watch Snakes on a Plane. The joke is in the premise, in the title, and it won't stop winking and snickering with you for hours on end. But all it takes is one moment of clarity, one second-guess "why was I laughing" for the whole thing to fall apart. And in this game's case, all it has to do is remind you of how irksome it can be and often is to go from being a goofy joke to a serious headache in a flash.
Final Fantasy 4: The After Years Coming to Steam
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is heading to Steam on May 12.
Square Enix is bringing the direct sequel to Final Fantasy IV to PC with a full 3D makeover, similar to the iPhone and Android versions of the title. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is set 17 years after the original game and initially came out for Japanese cellphones in 2008.
Along with the 3D makeover, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years on PC features a new opening movie by Visual Works as well as Steam trading cards and achievements. The RPG is available to pre-order on the service for a 10-percent discount off the regular price of $16 USD.
For more on Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, check out what IGN thought of the pixelated version of the RPG when it came to WiiWare in 2009.
Fox Showcases Fantastic 4, Hitman: Agent 47 & More
20th Century Fox gave attendees at CinemaCon on Thursday a look at their forthcoming Fantastic Four reboot.
Actors Miles Teller (Reed Richards), Kate Mara (Susan Storm), Michael B. Jordan (Johnny Storm), and Jamie Bell (Ben Grimm) were on hand to promote the film. Unfortunately, Fox didn't show any new footage from the superhero film, which is currently in post-production. They only showed the trailer seen below.
Fox also showed off footage from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig's action comedy Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, and Jude Law. 50 Cent and a pre-recorded message from McCarthy introduced Byrne, Statham and Law to the stage to show the attendees the trailer (seen below).
EA Adds Apple Watch Support to Real Racing 3
EA has added Apple Watch functionality to its free-to-play mobile racer, Real Racing 3, ahead of the device's release on April 24.
From your wrist, you'll be able to earn rewards and progress your career by sending your driver to various race events, thanks to the new Team Driver mode.
The update also includes some new content for mobile players. German race track Nürburgring has been added to the game, along with two new Renault vehicles. Additionally, you'll now be able to join Race Teams, allowing you to chat and compete with other players for large amounts of gold.
IGN gave Real Racing 3 a 9.1 in its review, calling it "the best racing game available on mobile devices."
Whedon Made More Money on Dr. Horrible Than Avengers
Joss Whedon has revealed that he made more money on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog than directing Marvel's The Avengers.
The Avengers: Age of Ultron director revealed the revelation with The Wall Street Journal, which chronicled Disney and Marvel's unique, budget-focused hiring practice for their superhero films. "They are in the business of hiring the guy who hasn’t had a big success, because they don’t have to pay that guy very much,” said Whedon.
What's surprising about that is the fact the first Avengers cost $230 million USD to produce and made around $1.5 billion USD worldwide. Even so, Whedon claims his self-produced Dr. Horrible series was more successful financially for him.
Daily Deals: Massive PS4 Bundle, Xbox One With Two Controllers, Shadow of Mordor $20
It's backordered, but you can lock in a $20 price tag on a game that scored a 9.3.
PlayStation 4 With The Last Of Us Remastered, Headset, 3 Months of PS Plus and $100 Gift Card
Rory McIlroy PGA Tour Trailer Shows New Gameplay Details
The latest trailer for Rory McIlroy PGA Tour shows off the three control styles players will be able to choose from in the game: arcade, classic, and Tour.
Arcade style uses the left stick to control power and accuracy and gives players the ability to add spin to the ball while it's in the air. Classic controls eschew the thumbsticks completely and are reminiscent of earlier EA golf games, where a 3-click system determines power and accuracy.
The Tour style controls are the most simulation-heavy of the three control schemes, with the length of backswing and speed of follow-through determining power and the club path through the ball being the most important factor in determining accuracy.
App Store Update: April 23
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Bouncy Bits – (Free)
Cutesy graphics pair up with fiendish difficulty in Bouncy Bits, an endless "bouncer" game that tilts the camera to give an angled view of its constant hopping: