http://podcast.grouvee.com/episodes/64570-grouvee-s-grouvcast-ep008-3-30-20178
We came back for another round of the Grouvcast! Give us your thoughts!
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I think Dragon Age: Inquisition takes about 120 hours for 100% quest and story completion. Andromeda is supposed to have more content. So 150 hours? (update: looks like I could be wrong, HLTB says 111 hours for a completionist. I suppose my 120 total for DA:I includes the three story based DLC. So I suspect ME:A will be longer than 120 after DLC) (second update: I was way off. I completed it in 85 hours, and that includes my fiddling about with specs and re-specs and all side quests. So the game is long, but not DA:I long).
The Andromeda Initiative left the Milky Way slightly before Mass Effect 3, some time during or just after Mass Effect 2. (update: The Andromeda Initiative left in 2185, which is one year before the Arrival DLC for ME2 occurs in 2186. So within the story timeline of ME2. This fact becomes increasingly narratively clear in ME:A, via various conversations, i.e. everyone still thinks the Geth attacked the Citadel and so on)
For those interested, the Arks and The Nexus have FTL drives that are based on mass effect relay technology.
Custom Ryder does not have the weird facial animations.
I’m not experiencing many glitches either, other than the one Architect that wouldn’t trigger its third phase until I reloaded a couple times.
Andromeda graphics are definitely vastly better than ME3, if we consider environmentals only. As for the characters, there is some wonkiness with humans but there was that kind of wonkiness from ME to ME3.
Thank you Jess for pointing out that decisions in ME and in Andromeda don’t/won’t have an effect until the follow up game. There are many things I’ve encountered that will clearly matter in later games.
I’m glad it’s a Mass Effect game because it pulls from its world and lore. And also because of theories I have about how this new series will tie in with the old series (which I won’t share to spare people from spoilers).
@Peter, if you like Dragon Age Inquisition you’ll like Andromeda 
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Apologies now, but Mass Effect is my geek out game subject 
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You don’t say!
We should have had you on so you and @Jess could have talked about it. I could have just spilled my beer in silence while listening!
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P.S. your Switch needs Blaster Master Zero (I’m going to keep banging the Blaster Master drum).
I think that Breath of the Wild looks quite good, and that’s on my Wii U which is lower res. And my TV is a Samsung OLED. So maybe there is something to what @Torgo said about the colour.
Apparently the scratching is due to docks that are angled wrong. I’ve seen some shots of docks that are clearly bent at an angle that is not the same as other docks.
I’m willing to bet that Nintendo is focusing on the Switch and ramping up production on that instead of splitting manufacturing efforts. I’m also in the camp that believes a SNES classic is coming.
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The Duke!
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They’ve been releasing stock of the Switch here and there in America. I actually snagged one for a buddy on Amazon yesterday. Best Buy had them in stock for about 45 seconds the other day too. Gamestop seems like they’re getting some in here in a couple of weeks, but they’re making you buy their stupid bundles.
The NES Classic thing is still driving me nuts. Best Buy got some in during that 45 seconds they had the Switch in as well, but that’s the first time in a long time I remember seeing them in stock anywhere. I’m sure you’re right that a SNES classic is coming, it’s easy money at this point I would think.
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Apparently Nintendo doubled Switch production, so we should see more soon. Also sales of the Switch in Japan has doubled from last to this week, so it seems to be doing well. I think shortages will (hopefully) start to be less of a problem.
I do think that @Torgo might be right, that the NES Classic was a way to garner public buzz around the Nintendo name immediately before the Switch release. Whether they handled stock levels well or not (clearly not) they got people talking which was likely a positive regardless. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me if, eventually, the NES Classic stock levels stabilize a they are a bit easier to get. Especially once Nintnedo is comfortable with their Switch manufacturing output.
P.S. relevant to your discussion of Breath of the Wild on the Grouvcast, have you seen this?
Zelda: Breath of the Wild patch improves frame rates
I’ll also be honest with you, I don’t think I have any issues like those in the first half of that video with the Wii U copy. I guess that whatever Nintendo did to lower the texture quality, object placement density or resolution clearly made for a pretty smooth game on the Wii U. I know that would likely be annoying for people who need the best graphics, but it hasn’t bothered me or affected my enjoyment of the game. Regardless, it looks like you might have a smoother time playing now when docked.
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Now that you came back, can you come back again?
You need to make the contractors listen to the podcast.
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We have one coming out tomorrow morning. Special guest @bmo joined us this week!
Who are the contractors?
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Haha, I just realized you meant the contractors in my house. I don’t think video games are quite in their wheelhouse Maybe I’ll just put it on for relaxing background noise while they install the floors tomorrow.
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Tell them you won’t pay until they listen to every episode, including gouvless.
I cried a bit for the spilled beer 
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Well @peter, here is your answer regarding the NES Classic:
Nintendo Discontinues The NES Classic
A representative for Nintendo added to IGN: “NES Classic Edition wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product. However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans.
I now firmly believe the theory that the NES Classic was just designed to generate buzz around the Nintendo name prior to the Switch release.
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Makes sense. Maybe they’ll actually make 50 of them instead of the 10 they made last time.
It would also be pretty sweet if they would include all of the NES games on it too.
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You know they will only make five, right?
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Well, I wanted the NES classic, I’d like a SNES classic. But after the NES shortage people will obviously be buying up every SNES they can get expecting Nintendo to pull the same crap. So, it’ll be even harder to get than the NES classic. I’m not even going to bother trying.
And despite the NES classic’s success, you know Nintendo will release about the same amount of SNES classics. Because Nintendo never learns/does it on purpose.
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Mostly likely true.
A tiny part of me hopes that the NES Classic was a test run to see how well it would sell and to gauge what works and doesn’t. Also as a proof of concept to parade in front of companies like Square Enix, demonstrating that there is a market for this type of thing, in order to secure games like Chrono and FF6 for the SNES Classic. The NES Classic could have been the proverbial toe in the water and the SNES Classic will be the full cannonball. At least that’s my hope.
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“we will see you in a week or two” xD
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Since this thread contained a brief discussion of a potential SNES classic, and in the interest of highlighting this news:
Nintendo has announced a SNES classic:
The SNES Classic Edition is coming Sept. 29, Nintendo of America announced. The box will include 21 games on it for $79.99, giving it a smaller library than the discontinued NES Classic for $10 more — perhaps because there’s an extra controller in the box.
The system ships with two wired SNES Classic controllers, as well as an HDMI cable, USB charging cable and AC adapter. The two controllers are to make the Classic Edition’s multiplayer games playable right out of the box. (The NES Classic Edition’s special controllers retailed for $10 each, accounting for the price markup.)
Of the games included on the SNES Classic Edition — EarthBound, Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past among them — there’s one never-before-released title in the mix. Star Fox 2, which has been widely available as a ROM, never actually made it out onto the Super Nintendo. It was canceled before its official release.
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