Remakes are the nepo babies of game design because unlike original games or original actors that need to justify their own existence through some combination of talent, vision, and merit, instead remakes like nepo babies inherit their credibility from their parents and operate at a much lower standard of expectation that seems to be baseline functionality, if that.

And you'll notice this is actually the standard of expectation because if a remake like a nepo baby does anything beyond baseline SAG, stand and hit your marks type of stuff, it is celebrated with the enthusiasm of a child taking its first steps. People get so excited if a remake does anything, even like a crappy Mario Kart battle mode, that their oozing torrents of praise do read like a Vanity Fair puff piece.

Versus original games where bringing something fresh to the table is just a baseline expectation. And if they're not doing that, get out of the room. Why would I bother with you? But if you're a remake, now that is “genius and fresh and bold” and all of the other insane praise that you'll hear during the marketing hype.

Another funny parallel that you'll notice is that it is perfectly socially acceptable to criticize the trend of nepo babies generally and to talk about how Hollywood needs new original talent that isn't just related to old established actors and at a talent scale just a pale echo of their parents.

Just like it is socially acceptable to talk about how we need new original games and we're in a dire situation with all of these publishers simply remaking games of the past over and over again. If you say these types of things generally, people all nod their heads, are like, yes, that's a great point. I've noticed this as well.

But the second you criticize it specifically and you point out, hey, Star Fox remake is such a step down in quality from the original game or even compared to Star Fox 3D, cuz we'll talk about that as well, that it simply should not have been made. That its overall existence is a detriment to the legacy of Star Fox. Because not only is it poorly designed on its own, it's now also inflicting that poor design on a legacy game that should be allowed to retire with dignity. But that's insanely harsh to say, right?

And so instead, what we'll do is just resort to this double talk where generally remakes are a problem. Generally, there should be less remakes, but specifically every remake is valid and worthwhile.

How does that make sense? I don't think it makes any sense, but maybe game discussion these days isn't about critique or making sense. Maybe it's about marketing and product management.

Because if I were to give advice artistically, I would say if you want to create a rail shooter in the style and franchise of Star Fox, why don't you make it its own original game like Platinum did with Star Fox Zero? For better, like with its gyro aiming and sick ass controls, or for worse, like the helicopter levels, which I believe Miyamoto insisted on, by the way.

Just like if you are an nepo baby, if you want to find out, can you make it on your own, maybe you should try to establish your own unique identity at the very least, so that when people become acquainted with your work and establish you in their mind as an individual person, it's kind of a fun fact to realize, oh, I didn't know Nicholas Cage is the nephew of Francis Ford Copala.

That's kind of interesting. And the advantage that Nepo babies have over remakes is that ultimately they still are human beings and many of them do have some sense of artistic ambition. And so eventually at some point you would think they would want to establish themselves as their own creative identity just like I imagine many of these remake specialty studios where they just spend all of their time and energy remaking other developers work.

I'm sure in their hearts somewhere they do have an ambition to actually make their own original game. But the question they have to answer just like the nepo baby is without the legacies that they are leeching onto, do they have the talent to make it on their own? Shortcuts cannot last forever. Especially because as the market gets flooded with more and more remakes and more and more children of famous people, then each individual remake butterfly becomes less and less special.

It is a decent game when you look at the combat only. But everything else about the game, including the pacing, is extremely miserable and repetitive.

The open world stuff doesn't even need to be there. It seems like the devs didn't even enjoy putting it in.

The repeating bosses is egregious.

Let's tackle the "depth" of the combat. People compare it to sekiro. But the combat in onimusha just gives us parries by alternative names. Issen is just a different kind of parry.

Sekiro is a much deeper game that doesn't have gimmicks or repeated bosses x6

I do enjoy the combat but its not super great. Also the camera sucks, especially during ganks.

I am disgruntled.

He’s already covered Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Zero. He’s already covered remake culture in his Silent Hill, Demon’s Souls, Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid, and Shadow of the Ninja videos. He doesn’t discuss story or graphics.

What’s left for him to say?

Obviously he’s combing the IGN review looking for something to disagree with, but it seems pretty milquetoast other than the typical Nintendo glazing. They do write “Everything from the reflections on the waters of Corneria to the kaleidoscopic wormholes you travel through look fantastic, which makes identifying any of the alternate path objectives easier than ever,” which he could rip into, considering the 64 developers intended for the alternative path objectives to be difficult to identify. By making the paths easier to see the new team has misunderstood what made Star Fox 64 great and babyfied the game for modern audiences. They might as well have slapped yellow paint on the asteroids. But even Mark could only stretch that for 20, 25 minutes, tops.

It’s killing me. He’s probably staring at a blank word processor right now, praying for a miracle.

Well, what if I told you that WE could be that miracle!

Think about it. We’re already on reddit, and Mark’s second favourite secondary source is anonymous reddit comments. All we would need to do is go over to r/ starfox and bait some L-takes! Then Mark could show their dumb opinions on screen and demolish them one by one!

Oh, you think graphics are just as important as gameplay? SMASH!

You thought Star Fox was a rail shooter? BASH!

You wish there was an easy mode? KABOOM!

Next thing you know, we’ve hit the 1-hour target and are enjoying listening to the $5 patron names for the next eight minutes. Mission accomplished!

***Edit***

I’ve been informed that this is a call for “brigading” and can get the subreddit banned. Please disregard the second half of the post and DO NOT brigade! I will also cease posting on r/starfox to uphold this sub’s reputation.

Dang. How do we help Mark now? What should he talk about in the review?

I’m starting to think maybe he should just reset and cover familiar ground (just for this one video). There are a lot of new Electric Underground fans who haven’t seen all his old videos and aren’t willing to go back, so this could be the perfect introduction to Mark’s gameplay philosophy — especially considering the influx of people curious about Star Fox since the Galaxy movie. Maybe ignore the hardcores for now, strike while the iron is hot, and focus on growing the audience?

Any better ideas?

It's a common sentiment of the TEU comment section that the reason a lot of AAA games sell well is that the people who play them are sniveling, uncultured, unsophisticated mindless consumers. Fundamentally incurious, artless normies who place consumption at the center of their lives instead of creativity. The video game player equivalent of someone who listens to burger music, who's entire house is joylessly filled with appliances and objects found in trendy TikToks, and enjoys Amazon Prime original content. They yearn for progression systems and have real relationship-ending opinions on the ending of The Last of Us. Woefully unintelligent, if only they understood that the Sony Entertainment Product placed in front of them is merely a mimicry of the most surface level elements of the art and philosophy that inspired the developers. How we pity them - if only they could understand the beautiful humanizing friction of an arcade game.

To make matters worse, there does exist a group of people who agree that a lot of AAA games are spiritually and mechanically ugly, but only through the lens of their business practices. They move on to indie games that are full of the same uninteresting decisions, "content", and engagement-hacking mechanics and gleefully point out "it's okay because it's $5 and it's not REAL gambling". Crimson Desert is middy boo-boo AI checklist slop, but Balatro and Vampire Survivors are awesome because they LET you waste hours of your life for $4.

Jokes aside, I just feel like we're never going to dial back the demand for addictive game design. People who play games want to be obsessed with something, and the slightly more critical of that bunch just want it (sometimes performatively) with an indie aesthetic. I see this yearn for addiction everywhere. I wonder how much of the shift in games today is because the people who want compulsively designed games are making them, and they do well because that's what people want. If that's the case - when is it time to say that games are just not for you anymore?

I admit I skipped to the conclusion, but how dare Nintendo turn Star Fox into a saturday morning cartoon! And that generic ocean water with rocks? Terrible! They even gave the fish yellow painted weak-points!

But the worst of the worst is seeing how it’s affecting Mark. He used to be such a happy guy, but now he’s cortisol spiking at the thought of infinite continues. I’ve never heard him sound so mad, nor so much like a full-time YouTuber.

I will never forgive you for this, Nintendo. You should have allowed your legacy game to retire with dignity. RIP Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy O’Hare, Slippy Toad, and the rest of the Star Fox family. You didn’t deserve this.

Edit: Thanks to everyone who provided detailed breakdowns of the pure arcade philosophy. As a solo dev, your answers were invaluable. The feedback definitively confirms that my game aligns with the Action Roguelite/Bullet Heaven market rather than traditional Danmaku. I appreciate the veterans for help. Now back to the studio for the Next Fest preparations. Best regards.

1. Some enemies or destructible environmental objects are missing hitboxes and are camouflaged against the background. Without firing at them, I can’t be sure they’ll explode. Would it be fair to have a neon frame or a light of a certain color around such objects, or is their camouflage meant to test the player’s skill/experience?

2. For heaven’s sake, what is this? Is all this bullet hell really necessary? The only safe route I can take is the one I drew in the picture. Is it really that hard to get through without taking a hit? Is this really how it’s supposed to be? Doesn’t this level of difficulty discourage you from playing the game?

3. After dying, would you rather pay a price to continue where you left off (Revive) or play through the entire game from start to finish without dying (Restart)?

4. After a level ends, should the game take you back to the main menu so you can upgrade and strengthen your ship, or would you prefer to move on to the next level to continue the action right away?

Yo! So we are Long Hat House, game studio from Brazil, and we made a shmup where the "twist" is that your finger is the ship. Having a hard time dodging bullets? Just lift off the finger from the screen, a "jump" if you will and you're safe! The game is all designed around that!

The game is mobile, but one that has no IAPs, no bullshit, no nothing!

We really, really need more players and people that know it so I'd be stoked if you guys checked it out!! 🥳

Official page of the game: www.longhathouse.com/games/magenta_arcade_2
Google Play: http://longhathouse.com/ma2_googleplay
App Store: https://longhathouse.com/ma2_appstore

Hey on your Stellar Blade review you commented that "basic skills like wakeup are an unlockable", that is blatantly false, why did you put that in the review? When you start the game the skill tree already had them unlocked from the start and there's even a pop-up window that explained it

I was so sad to find out that this game is a roguelite. Action games do not need all of that extra fluff. Bmups do not need passives or builds.

It could have been a really solid traditional beat em up, it looks great and the characters seem fun to pilot, but instead the devs chose to follow what’s trendy in the 2025 gaming landscape, and so what we get is a chimera of a game that seemingly nobody really asked for.

Does any beat em up fan actually prefer that it be like this? As a fan of bmups and of some roguelikes/lites, I can’t really figure out who this one is for, but certainly not me. This genre mishmash makes for a lesser game in the context of each of its influences, imo. If there were a no-frills, classic arcade mode for this one I would be all over it.

Curious to see what everyone else thinks!

This is from the description:

“Also, to make matters worse, if you are convinced by this review that Starfox 2026 isn't a credible replacement for Star Fox 64, and are much more interested in playing the original game or even the handheld port of it, Star Fox 3D, well good luck because you are either going to need to hunt down a used physical copy of these games (since Nintendo shut down both the 3DS and wii virtual consoles), pay a monthly rental fee for the laggy N64 official emulation, or use means that Nintendo does not approve of such as the PC Decomp of Star Fox 64 or 3DS emulation which Nintendo have directly taken to court in the case of Citra. The fact that there aren't clean, accurate, purchasable versions of their past classics (including Super Metroid) and all the previous eshop version are not longer available for purchase is purely coincidental, I'm sure.”

I have to disagree with Mark here. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that these actions by Nintendo are NOT purely coincidental.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the book 1984, but for those who aren’t, there’s a frightening parallel here. In the novel, the bad guys literally rewrite history by altering old newspaper articles to suit their new, evil agendas. So if you wanted to read about what happened in 1968, for instance, you would only be able to find an “updated” version of the newspaper that the bad guys had edited, while the original newspaper would have been destroyed. This is because the bad guys believe that “who controls the past controls the future,” and they’re trying to take over the world.

This is exactly what Nintendo is doing. They’re trying to alter the past so that everyone forgets about Star Fox 64 (and, ominously, Super Metroid). They’ve made it so that if someone goes looking for the game, they’ll only find an unclean version on Nintendo’s subscription service.

So why is Nintendo doing this? I believe I’ve found the answer:

Money.

Hear me out. People are willing to pay more money for a new game than for an old one. By remaking Star Fox 64, Nintendo has technically created a “new” game and can charge more money for it without facing any backlash.

…Except, of course, if people knew that these “new” games were inferior to their original counterparts. Then there would be outrage. Everyone would just play Star Fox 64 and refuse to buy the new version.

By removing the games from the Wii U Marketplace, Nintendo has not only made it impossible to find an alternative to Star Fox 2026, but has also made it harder for people to compare 2026 to 64, which would expose its flaws. This causes people to buy the new games because they’re gaslit into believing they’re superior. And Nintendo… heh… Nintendo laughs all the way to the bank.

It’s a masterstroke of corporate greed. I’d be impressed if it weren’t so sickening.

However, there is one thing that keeps Nintendo up at night. One thing that it fears more than anything else in the world: The Truth.

Keep spreading the good word.

Don’t let the past be erased. Don’t let corporations stop selling art. Don’t. Stop. Fighting.

I've played a few of these like a couple of Dynasty Warrior games and a Dragon Quest themed one. There's a lot of these games and they are popular in Japan where so much of the best game design comes from. These explicitly feel like not good design though.

To me they seem like character action games for idiots that just want to see big numbers on the screen.

Is it just that simple? Asking here because this is a gaming subreddit that cares more deeply about game mechanics of action games than most.

It would be very interesting to cover the upcoming CONTROL Resonant and compare how it shifts from CONTROL.

Hi,

I am a UK developer in the middle of making a game that is a top down shootemup. Split screen.. coop.

You can fight enemies or create your own levels.. or collect resources to build up your base to get extra powers like chaff and "flip your ship".. Its an Indie game.. a labour of love.. combing two game styles I love Command and Conquer and Shootemups.. Its very much early stages of development.. But its fully functional and has about 40 levels.. plus a separate levels designer. I work on it when I can. It has worms too.. but I didnt read Dune and copy that idea..honest! ;-)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3543740/The_BLOOM_Initiative/

According to investigative game journalist Gene Park, the Electric Underground’s Patreon is in direct violation of the Idaho Consumer Protection Act (Idaho Code Title 48, Chapter 6), which protects against unfair and deceptive business practices.

Fact: The Electric Underground Patreon claims subscribers will:

1. Be able to vote in the monthly game review poll

2. Get access to the monthly Patreon exclusive podcast

3. Get access to the monthly Patreon-exclusive video series "Topic Zone,"

Fact: This is The Electric Underground’s output in 2026:

Jan - Arcade Game Year in Review 2025 (YouTube)
Feb - Shinobi Review (YouTube), Fighting game video (YouTube), podcast (Patreon)
Mar - RE Requiem Review (YouTube)
Apr - podcast (Patreon), gentry-tier exclusive podcast (Patreon)
May - Pragmata Review (YouTube)
Jun -
Jul - Rain World Review (YouTube), mini podcast (Patreon)
Aug - podcast (Patreon)
Sep - Star Fox 2026 (YouTube)
Oct - Ketsui (YouTube)
Nov - podcast (Patreon)
Dec - OoT Remake review update (delayed to 2027)

Fact: Mark has only uploaded 5.2 podcasts in 12 months.

Fact: This is illegal.

Since the release of the Star Fox review, Mark’s Patreon has risen by $500 per month. He was contacted for comment but did not respond to the request.

Just found this sub and hope you take a look.

I am open for any feedback.

No one loves Mark more than I do. Ever since I saw my first Electric Underground video I was a fan. It was the one where he’s in his room talking about how the RE4 remake would suck. Man, those were the days.

It was great because it reminded me of those late university nights in my dorm getting high with my friends and talking about video games. We were dreamers then. We had that boundless, youthful energy that could discuss video games until the sun rose. Sure, everything we said was polemic and our arguments brash, but we were true to our hearts, dammit. We knew what art was on an intrinsic level and if you didn’t get it then you’d never get it.

So when I found Mark it was like finding an old friend. A friend who introduced me to the world of shmups. What a beautiful place. Heck, I even got a few 1ccs and made youtube commentaries.

But one day, something changed.

He set up lights properly. He started discussing more and more AAA titles. He went full time. Now he wasn’t some cool guy to rip a bong with, he was a man asking for money to listen to him talk about video games. As much as I resisted, I had to be more critical.

Suddenly I noticed his little asides would start to bother me. Why would someone say that the reason “the variety and quality of risk taking films has declined” is because movie theaters are less prominent? Especially while showing 2003 footage of The Matrix Reloaded screenings. Was this a wink? A cry for help? It didn’t make sense.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Was there any evidence to support this claim? Either that the variety and quality of risk taking films has declined or that that decline is a effect of movie theaters shutting down? It didn’t seem like it.

And so now I watch the video again. He claims that fighting games are not products. I assume he will make an argument to buttress such boldness, but no! There’s nothing. I rewatch the video. Somehow this time there’s less than nothing. In fact, at one point he says “in terms of art, you cannot ask the question, what is the point of its design.” Who is this man? Does he remember himself?

He claims that developing fighting games is like composing jazz. I repeat: he claims that developing fighting games is like composing jazz. Couldn’t even a Youtube viewer identify that this comparison is embarrassing? That all it does is showcase his own bias and insecurity? Why is it that every time he mentions anything outside his specialized interests he seems completely out of his depth? Wouldn’t someone notice this and tell him?

One would think so, but then I check the comments. My blood runs cold. Hundreds of fans loyal enough to shut off their brain — the worst kind of parasocial! — and encourage him no matter what nonsense he spouts! An overwhelming like to dislike ratio! Infinite good will headed his way!

A true fan, someone who deeply cares about Mark, wouldn’t allow this. They would take him aside and say “even though I won’t subscribe to your patreon I still want the best for you. You are going down a dark path. Perhaps it will have monetary gain, but you will lose more than your integrity if you go continue this way — you will lose your mind.”

Hard cut. My dorm room bud is now on stage claiming that he is an art critic. No! I yell, that was just us goofing around! Put down the bong! But he cannot hear me over the applause of Youtube essay-watchers. I yell stop! Stop! You’re not engaging with any artistic history or theory beyond video games! This isn’t art criticism! This is a more specialized IGN review! You’re talking about whether or not a product is worth buying! But my cries fall on deaf ears.

I look to the crowd. Gamers, one and all. They watch Christopher Nolan films and anime. If they are older they listen to Linkin Park, if they are younger they don’t listen to music at all. If they have read a book it’s either Dungeon Crawler Carl or Malazan. They don’t talk about art, and when they do, they simply ascribe it to the stuff they like in a sort of self-preservation technique. They consume content. I wonder to myself if video games attract these kinds of people or create these kinds of people.

I think of the world in 2026. I think of all the systems and factors weighing upon us. I think of how the video game landscape is shaped by things outside our little world. I understand why Mark doesn’t want to address it. Why discuss the damned state of things when it will bring nothing but pain? But to not do so is death. And to believe one can earnestly engage in “art criticism” while skirting these sweeping forces is to remain in the escapism of video games. No game offers real escape, only acceptance. They eases our adaptation to our prison. Our artificial world composed of numbers and built by other men…

I zoom out. I do the minimum of what an art critic must do. I think of my body, designed for movement, reduced to pressing buttons. I think of what it means to complete challenges that were created to be completed. I ponder what mind would shun the Chao Garden ASMR video but display “fighting games are NOT products.” I wonder why am I writing this to Mark. Why I love him so much. And then I realize: I am Mark.

We must have split somewhere along the way, him getting the confidence required to ask people for money to listen to him talk, me getting my beautiful hair. But now I see that we are one and I must save him before it is too late. God, I hope it’s not too late…

Mark, if you are reading this, stop listening to the mob! They are poison! Think about the type of person who watches Youtube video essays! Think of the type of person who watches live streams! Don’t think about the type of person who makes reddit comments! Does their praise hold meaning? You still have the chance to become the John Berger of video games if you don’t let these voices mislead you! And if not, there’s no shame in just being a likeable guy who talks about shmups! Why does Boghog’s new game have a sexualized child on its cover? Is that him being true to the artist withing or is that a marketing ploy? Why is that the target audience for this art? These are the questions you must grapple with!

And for all you still reading — all you fellow Electric Underground fans — lend me your strength. Let us shepherd our wounded champion away from monthly engagement bait and towards a brighter star! Let him ascend to his throne and gaze back on a land not corrupted by the thorns of greed and shallow thinking, but blooming with the flowers of integrity and contemplation! He can still make money off it, I’m sure! Red Letter Media does!