If you're referring to the fact that I'm credited in the article, it's very clear that it's specific to the pre-order link. I suspect that isn't the case though. There really isn't a negative tone in the article beyond that, but let's be honest...it's not a good look. Yes, it's placeholder art, but the stark difference between the iOS and Android pages is near mind-blowing. Also, this needs be said: Whoever wants to stay away from TA can very well stay away. Show me one place that even matches the app discovery on TouchArcade (beyond the incredible work NOEN does on SnappAttack). The weekly Reddit New Release posts pathetically credit TouchArcade (instead of just linking all the hard work the forum members and @Boardumb do on a weekly basis) and certain folks that...unwrap...apps for a living wouldn't know how to how to score review codes without all the news Mikhail drives for the site. But whatever...
Yeah, I read that statement the same way you did, metal — as a reference to discovering the unannounced pre order page. There are some sites that focus on Korean and Chinese game releases, but in general TA and PocketGamer are the most up to date resources for mobile releases. I think sometimes we take our time with forum threads, but that’s on the community and not the editorial team.
That he didn’t get get the credit he though he deserved for breaking the news about Bloodstain on mobile, basically.
I really hope that isn't the case. nyanpass is someone I hold in high regard when it comes to how great these forums are for app discovery, and I would hate that there'd be some sort of grudge toward me because of this. Still, I will absolutely bask in the glory of discovering that app link. There was no announcement, no press release and absolutely nothing out there when I found it (on the App Store, on my phone, manually) and shared it here (and with Mikhail). Maybe the article needs to link directly to my post, rather than the whole thread? I dunno. This is all so weird. I thought we were all in the together. I've never posted a thread or news on the forum with any intention other than to give the games attention...not my ****ing self.
I feel the same way, too (about nyanpass and about getting credit). I can see him feeling annoyed if he read that line as giving someone else credit for discovering that the port existed. But clearly that was not the intent.
Nyan's post here (Oct 24th) was definitely before we posted about the port (Oct 26th) but this forum isn't where we learned about the port for that story, it was from their own PR email. The story about the pre-orders from today was most definitely due to Metalcasket finding the link and private messaging it to Mikhail, and in fact we sat on it for more than a day because we weren't totally sure it was legit due to the wonky icon and stuff. However, their PR also emailed us about pre-orders this morning, thus confirming everything was legit which is why we finally posted about it. Mikhail linking to Gematsu is more just a formality due to a bunch of weirdos on Reddit and elsewhere losing their shit at us when Forager for iOS was delayed. Basically Forager's publisher Humble emailed us at the beginning of September with a release date listed for Forager on iOS, so we posted about it, as we do. Then the night before that release date someone from Humble's PR sent us another email saying the iOS version was delayed until 2021. So we posted about that too. HOWEVER, according to Forager's community manager, the game's original developer HopFrog and the third party hired to do the iOS port were apparently completely unaware of Humble's release date plans, and in fact the iOS version wasn't finished by the time that release date rolled around. Hence the "delay." But because nobody was aware of Humble announcing this date to media, the community manager accused TouchArcade of just making the whole thing up out of thin air, and naturally all of Forager's fans came after us frothing at the mouth. It didn't matter that we posted screen grabs of the entire email Humble sent to us (and many other outlets, I'd imagine) that very clearly showed the Sept 24th release date, because we didn't list a source that could be checked we failed to "uphold the absolute bare minimum of journalistic standards" according to one particularly fired up weirdo. So anyway, despite that whole episode being the product of an official statement from the publisher of the game itself, we're now trying to link to actual sources for news that is generally just emailed to us. Which sucks because 99% of the stories we post on TA are from things people email to us. It's kind of how the entire industry has worked for basically forever. I don't personally care if weirdos want to get their panties in a bunch over nothing, but I imagine that's why Mikhail is making sure to link to sources for stuff like that. BONUS FUN FACT: Humble again emailed us this week to say that Forager on iOS was actually launching… today! Friday, November 6th. At 9AM PST to be exact. Except it didn't launch then. Who even knows what happened this time, but there was NO WAY I was going to touch that news with a 50 foot pole until I was absolutely positively sure it was actually released (which it did just moments ago, actually).
Touch Arcade is a cool website where lots of users share their thoughts, news, and gaming experiences. Furthermore, the site itself has also made a huge contribution to mobile gaming. I understand that you guys are working with a love for Touch Arcade and that also the news here is based on factual evidence overall, but sometimes only one side or one contributor's story is shown. It's really frustrating, especially when it leads to all my efforts of writing up news and factual reports in vain. For example, one of the hottest games at Toucharcade in 2018 was Dungeon Maker, a game that I put my utmost passion and effort into reporting and making an article for Touch Arcade users, but in the end it wasn't even on the 2018 Toucharcade Top 100 games list at all. You can check it here as well : https://toucharcade.com/community/threads/dungeon-maker-touch-arcade-2018-best-ios-game-list.374902/ It's no different either when it comes to the story regarding "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Mobile". If the source of this news was from an unknown publisher, it would have been treated as a rumor. If it really was, then it wouldn't have been a problem. However the publisher NetEase is a publicly well-known company, and press-kit materials have already begun to be distributed to some influencers. When it's actually announced, the situation that the user who was basically cynical about my news and the NetEase itself (he said like that : "...scared. NetEase? *gulps*") was listed as the source credit makes me frustrated again considering the above. The article certainly deals with content based upon factual evidence, but it raises skepticism about whether it's really "fair" that only a single person's story or viewpoint is shown when there are many differing opinions depending on the evidence and research gathered by others, making no article truly identical. That is my point. To be honest, I think that if Touch Arcade editors acknowledge a user's contribution, it's fair to mention all relevant users. Otherwise, it would be wise not to mention anyone at all in the first place.
Something is definitely lost in translation here. @nyanpass, this has nothing to do with my opinion AT ALL, and that opinion is in no way, shape or form in any front-page article. That article is about THIS post: Still, I am absolutely free to voice my opinion....and regardless of whether or not NetEase is a known company, I can be cynical about hearing that a company known for Free to Play titles is launching one of my favorite games ever on mobile. I was proven wrong (in that it's actually a premium title [SEE THIS POST: Yeah, came across that on the front-page. Very exciting news. I certainly hope it'll retain the ability to enter your backer number. ]) and that was that. Regardless of everything: I am still the source of the pre-order link and release date! ...even though calling myself a source is stupid. I just discovered them. Christ, what is this drama for!?
Aaaaaaaanyways. No ones concerned about the touch controls? The touch controls were absolutely shocking on Symphony of the Night. Like game-breakingly bad. Yes, That bad. And they didn’t even have any customizability. Tells you a little bit about the quality of that port. The attack button was tiny and you needed precise touch on it or you’ll miss. Which in a game like this means that dreaded “GAME OVER MUHAHAHAHA” screen. Sounds like it’s a different dev this time? so hopefully they tighten the controls right up. But for mine, the screens available on the pre-order show buttons that look mighty like the SotN ones. But thank god it looks like they’ve moved the pause / stats and inventory screen away from being in the TOP dead CENTRE of the screen on a game that has you use your thumbs on left and right SIDES. ...I sort of can’t believe I haven’t seen anyone mention/concerned about controls given what SotN was like.
I think a lot of the folks excited about this are planning to play with a controller. The way I see it, the only reason to have someone like Netease handle the port is to leverage their experience with touch controls. And if Grimvalor can work with touch controls, I see no reason why Bloodstain couldn’t.
Wow, I've never heard anyone have that bad a time with the SotN controls. It's definitely wonky on occasion as expected but I wouldn't call it game-breakingly bad at all. In fact @metalcasket 100%'d the entire game exclusively using touch controls. Curious if you tried it on iPhone or iPad as I've never played it on iPad but heard it's not good. Anyway, there's zero connection between Konami and Bloodstained so I wouldn't use the SotN port to gauge how the Bloodstained port will be in terms of UI, controls, etc. I do agree however that SotN really should have some sort of control customization options, and I'm hoping Bloodstained will have those.
We all know that metalcasket is superhuman. Well I had super problems with the controls. The RHS action buttons are tiny, just take a look, and it really does feel like their response boxes could even be smaller than the icon itself. I played on an Xs Max and have skinny fingers so touch is usually my ideal. And that you couldn’t adjust anything, I thought was poor. There’s plenty of reviews in the AppStore (at least mine anyway), that comment specifically on the poor controls. And now if you compare a screenshot of SotN to the ones shown now for Bloodstained, you’ll see the control scheme looks very, very similar. So that’s why I’m concerned. Im just talking from my experience with the SotN game, not based on anyone else’s experience or superhuman abilities. Just expressing a concern is all. I had issues with it, as this game requires responsive controls or you can get one shotted to the game over screen which is frustrating. The controls, IMO were not at all ideal. That’s my opinion.
Grimvalor has the best touch control, and I didn't feel the need to use controllers. Some other games are not there, and controllers support will make a difference. Let's see how Netease handles the port
I think you’re mistaking me with Andy C83. I’ve just been been playing mobile games with touch controls for a decade, and don’t have any intention of ever linking up any controllers to my phone, because I love the convenience. I’ll deal with good controls, and bad controls alike, but IMO, I think beyond customizable controls, the controls in Symphony are bloody fantastic...and it’s totally fine that you don’t feel that way. Like Jared said though, even though they might look similar (and IGA, of course), Bloodstained has nothing to do with SotN. Port, or otherwise. Don’t come into this with any preconceived notions. Plus, we’re talking about a $10 premium port of a modern game versus a 2 or 3 dollar port of a game that’s 20 years old. I’m sure NetEase will do this justice. (See, nyan...I CAN actually NOT be cynical!)
Fair points. Reading back my comments, I don’t mean it to sound so harsh. The controls are serviceable, I just thought and hope they might be better this time round, I dunno, more responsive(?), I dunno, perhaps just the choice of being able to adjustment them, might fix things right up. you’ve got me back to optimism now on bloodstained but I’ll probably wait for reviews. Thanks.
@squarezero Just checked the video on the App Store page as well, it didn't look 60fps to me imho. Let's hope that I'm wrong tho!
