The Week in Gaming for 29th October 2021

Nintendo Switch Online- Expansion Pass 64 Emulator Has Problems

Nintendo has faced criticism after the new Expansion Pass tier has not met fans expectations.

The issues being reported are as followed:

1.       Inability to button map

The N64 Switch app maps 'a' and 'b' to the same buttons on the Joycons however, their positions are reversed when compared to the Nintendo 64 controller. Additionally, the C buttons have been mapped to the right stick and the Z button is only on the ZL Button.

2.       Issues rendering fog

Many Nintendo 64 games use fog to hide draw distance and build atmosphere. Ocarina of Time in particular seems to struggle when emulating fog. In particular, a tweet by StopSkeletons shows the room in the Water Temple where Dark Link is fought and the emulator struggles to render both the fog and water.

3.       Latency Issues

Some players are reporting slow input times using the N64 app.

A few YouTubers have done tests to verify this. GameXplain found that it took Link an average of 11 frames to react on the original N64 whilst on Switch it takes 13 frames. The test was done using 60fps video capture and the game is locked to 20fps so this may be imperceivable to most players in regular gameplay if the tests are accurate.

MVG found similar results. His test involved jumping in Super Mario 64 using both the Nintendo Switch Online app and the Super Mario 3D All-Stars version and found there was a 2 frame delay using the former.

André from Game Explain and MVG both stress they are not experts on frame counting.

4.       Online gameplay

Some users have had issues whilst playing Nintendo 64 games online. The reason for the delay seems to be that the emulators try to sync all the games together frame by frame. If one user is experiencing a weak connection it will bring the rest of the player's games to a halt as this user's game catches up.

5.       Controller Pak saving issues

Most Nintendo 64 games saved game data to the cartridge, however a few games needed to save onto a Controller Pak which was essentially a memory card for an N64 controller. One of these games is WinBack and another is Mario Kart 64 ghosts’ data. Consequently, WinBack can only be saved using save states and Mario Kart 64 is unable to save ghost data. 

The new tier launched on the 26^th of October for £34.99/$49.99/€39.99. I recently wrote my own opinion piece about the service and its handling of retro games.

Warner Bros. Is Rumoured to Be Creating Their Own Platform Fighting Game.

If the reports on Reddit are true, among the fighters there will be Batman and Gandalf as well as Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. It is rumoured to be inspired by Super Smash Bros. and in development at NetherRealm Studios. The new IP may have characters from across Warner Bros. franchises including Harry Potter, The Flinstones and Mad Max.

Jeff Grubb collaborated the claim but said the game was not in development from NetherRealm studios

Furthermore, Gamerdude50002 tweeted a picture potentially showing a character select screen featuring:

• Stephen Universe
• Batman
• Harley Quinn
• Adventure Time
• Superman
• Wonderwoman
• Tom and Jerry
• Bugs Bunny
• Rick from Rick and Morty
• Gandalf

I was a big fan of the PS2 game Tom and Jerry: War of the Whiskers so I am glad to maybe see these characters in more fighting games.

PS Plus and Games with Gold Titles Confirmed for November

PlayStation Plus members will be able to enjoy Knockout City, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning and First Class Trouble when they come to the service next month. All of these games are available on PS4 with updated PS5 versions available for Knockout City and First Class Trouble.

Additionally, there will be three bonus VR titles for PlayStation VR’s 5^th anniversary. These are The Walking Dead: Saints& Sinners, The Persistence and Until you Fall.

Additionally, as reported by TechRadar, multiple Asian territories will have Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning replaced with The Sexy Brutale.

For Xbox Live subscribers the free games for this month are as follows: 

• Moving Out will be available on Xbox One from November 1st- November 30th. 
• Dead Lands on Xbox One is available to download between November 16th- December 15th. 
• Rocket Knight on Xbox 360 will be downloadable between November 1st- November 15th. 
• Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is available on Xbox 360 between November 16th- November 30th. 

PlayStation Form a New Publishing Label for Their PC Ports

As reported by VGC, Sony has registered the ‘PlayStation PC’ label to bring their titles to computers. This was noticed on Steam when Sony’s titles switched their publisher from ‘PlayStation Mobile’ to ‘PlayStation PC LLC.’

VGC also follow up and say that according to CorporationWiki, Sony Interactive Entertainment registered the PlayStation PC back in April of this year.

This follows on from Death Stranding, Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone all receiving PC ports. With Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves and God of War both upcoming to PC, it is further indication that the console manufacturer is looking to support PC further.