Very polished but also very last gen and clearly designed around the Switch 1. I would have expected Retro to have implemented some more geometric density on Switch 2, covering those ground surfaces with foliage instead of raw, flat textures. I would have expected volumetrics added into the lighting engine, and I would have expected more movement in the lighting. It's all very baked, very static.
As John said performance is of course rock solid, but still, this feels like a game which spent 95% of its dev time on Switch 1 hardware.
@Stauf1515 I know the N64 has its fans. I imported one from Japan at launch and thought Mario 64 was the future of gaming as it made PSX stuff look so bad. Then I got Pilotwings and thought, okay, it's a blurry mess and the frame rate is catastrauphic. Then I got Wace Race and thought it plays well but oh boy, that frame rate.
And so it went on. A console with image quality and frame rates so bad it made even the PSX look good.
It's a shame really as from a hardware standpoint it's an interesting piece of kit. Perspective correct texturing, mip mapping, a proper alpha channel and a z-buffer. Way ahead of its competition. But also a terrible fill rate and a microscopic amount of RAM, and then of course, the tiny little cartridges in an era of CDs.
At the time I was super into J-RPGs so the PSX was my go-to. I do wish I had bought a JP Saturn at the time too as I'm sure I'd have liked it. I did try a UK Saturn and thought it was a joke, but that's what playing the likes of Daytona and Virtua Fighter does to you when you've been used to Ridge Racer and Tekken. Had I seen the Saturn's library of 2D arcade ports things would have been different.
As for the N64. it sat there gathering dust throughout that generation for me. I bought the ocassional game but nothing impressed me. I just saw blur, awful frame rates, and I had to endure the N64's farty sound chip's attempt at music. I'd struggle to think of a console that has aged more badly than the N64.
Looks like another lovely bit of kit, it's too bad it's "emulating" a console with so few good games you can count them on the fingers of one hand. Sorry N64 fans, it's a bad console. Yes it had Mario 64, Wave Race, and Ocarina (although that ran absolutely horribly), but not much else.
I'd love to see Analogue revisit their previous consoles, the NES, SNES, and MD and give them the 4K CRT goodness. The MD would also very much benefit from a CD drive and added Mega CD support. (dare I say it, there are more good MCD games than good N64 games)
Next I really hope they target the Saturn. I doubt they will, as it's another niche system, but it's one with a far better library than the N4.
Comments 3
Re: Review: Metroid Prime 4 Proves Retro Studios' Prowess On Switch 2
Very polished but also very last gen and clearly designed around the Switch 1. I would have expected Retro to have implemented some more geometric density on Switch 2, covering those ground surfaces with foliage instead of raw, flat textures. I would have expected volumetrics added into the lighting engine, and I would have expected more movement in the lighting. It's all very baked, very static.
As John said performance is of course rock solid, but still, this feels like a game which spent 95% of its dev time on Switch 1 hardware.
Re: Review: Analogue 3D overclocks the N64 in stellar fashion
@Stauf1515 I know the N64 has its fans. I imported one from Japan at launch and thought Mario 64 was the future of gaming as it made PSX stuff look so bad. Then I got Pilotwings and thought, okay, it's a blurry mess and the frame rate is catastrauphic. Then I got Wace Race and thought it plays well but oh boy, that frame rate.
And so it went on. A console with image quality and frame rates so bad it made even the PSX look good.
It's a shame really as from a hardware standpoint it's an interesting piece of kit. Perspective correct texturing, mip mapping, a proper alpha channel and a z-buffer. Way ahead of its competition. But also a terrible fill rate and a microscopic amount of RAM, and then of course, the tiny little cartridges in an era of CDs.
At the time I was super into J-RPGs so the PSX was my go-to. I do wish I had bought a JP Saturn at the time too as I'm sure I'd have liked it. I did try a UK Saturn and thought it was a joke, but that's what playing the likes of Daytona and Virtua Fighter does to you when you've been used to Ridge Racer and Tekken. Had I seen the Saturn's library of 2D arcade ports things would have been different.
As for the N64. it sat there gathering dust throughout that generation for me. I bought the ocassional game but nothing impressed me. I just saw blur, awful frame rates, and I had to endure the N64's farty sound chip's attempt at music. I'd struggle to think of a console that has aged more badly than the N64.
Re: Review: Analogue 3D overclocks the N64 in stellar fashion
Looks like another lovely bit of kit, it's too bad it's "emulating" a console with so few good games you can count them on the fingers of one hand. Sorry N64 fans, it's a bad console. Yes it had Mario 64, Wave Race, and Ocarina (although that ran absolutely horribly), but not much else.
I'd love to see Analogue revisit their previous consoles, the NES, SNES, and MD and give them the 4K CRT goodness. The MD would also very much benefit from a CD drive and added Mega CD support. (dare I say it, there are more good MCD games than good N64 games)
Next I really hope they target the Saturn. I doubt they will, as it's another niche system, but it's one with a far better library than the N4.