A fantastic read, thank you TE. Personally I'm an MK64 diehard and don't really love any other entry in the series, but there's more than enough in this hack to pique my interest and give it a much longer go on the SNES.

One key question I was hoping might have been covered in here so apologies if it was and I missed it: Does Ernie Hudson know that he's been added back into the game?

Thanks for sharing the interview and great work all round!

"some of the participants in this conversation were adamant that.."

"That simply doesn't match my personal experience"

That's social media, folks!

@NoirConceit Did they actually say that? I only read that the dev wants it released legally and that that might mean the publisher gets the money from it. But I stand to be corrected.

OUTRUN 3 CONFIRMED! 😍

A huge amount of cynicism here, most of it seemingly unjustified. The guy's only released it for free so far and has openly said he doesn't care about the money. I hope it happens, the world needs more projects made with passion.

An example of a well-received project that doesn't have any apparent complaints about bugs even though it partially used AI.

Note: Far from all AI-assisted projects are like this.

"The version supplied by Antstream described the third stage as '3D Algorithm'. We changed that caption to '3D Render'."

So Antstream at an absolute minimum told them it wasn't fully human authored and they changed the wording to further obfuscate it? That sounds like someone being thrown under the bus to me.

@Tankov Time on this earth is a precious gift and I will give you some back: I don't care enough about your opinion to explain the nuance of what I actually said and you don't care enough about mine to want to change yours. This is the internet and that is fine. I wish you happiness.

"You people are naive to think that just because the tool will get better mean everything will be solved."

No-one said that. Thank you for sharing more of your opinions.

@Tankov That's a.. very long post but none of it has changed what I said the first time. The genie is out of the box and it will only get better, whether you like it or not.

@breach187 I think, with respect, that's a short-sighted position. There's slop making the news because it's slop. AI-assisted or AI-coded (I refuse to call it "vibe coding") products that have been well-tested and well-programmed won't do so as much.

Whether we like it or not, it is actually pretty incredible that AI can write what it has here. Sure there are bugs - but it's very clear that the majority of the game is there and that AI has come a long way in just a very, very short space of time. Those bugs, alongside more thorough testing, won't be there for long.

@Ruka That is, of course, an entirely reasonable position. Hopefully you also understand that not everyone else feels that way and other people want to play recomps for the reasons mentioned?

An absolutely beautiful tribute in itself and a wonderful counterbalance to many of the other, often negative, things that gaming culture puts out there into the world. Thanks for sharing this TE.

"One of the great white whales of the emulation world has long been Sega's Star Wars Trilogy Arcade"

I think this has been playable for quite a few years now iirc, but apologies if I'm misunderstanding the context here.

@roguetrooper There are tons of original new games being launched every single year. It's like when people say Hollywood has run out of ideas. It's not remotely true. It's just the familiarity with any old IP that gets reused instantly has more mental commodity whenever it pops up.

I loved SW Racer but, even with legal considerations, the name was generic AF. Could they not have come up with something more exciting?!

3D0hdear, amirite?

@Xerox1919 Previous response applies.

@Xerox1919 Make sure you go outside at least once today. What you're talking about is not remotely as important as you think it is. Said with genuine care for a stranger, even if you're unlikely to take it that way.

@Xerox1919 Holy hell. What did OP do to make you that aggressive? Even then, Nintendo's lawyers were hardly going to lose any sleep if you hadn't just sprung to their defence here dude (and they're not going to come round your house with a free Switch 2 now that you have).

@KommissarNance If you come back and read your comment 30 minutes later, how do you feel about it now? Are you proud of it? Or do you think there might have been a healthier, more productive version of it for everyone involved - both for you as the person who shared it, and for everyone else who had to read it?

@Shaw_Brothers Seeing Fruit Ninja didn't exactly inspire me with confidence, which is really disappointing as I love the concept - just not the subscription and games quality.

@mjparker77 Hey everyone, we can shut down development of the DSpico now. This guy has a modded 3DS, so absolutely no-one else in the world has a use case. Throw all those DS consoles in the bin, go round his house and take turns on his one device. But ask nicely. It's all about him!

@RupeeClock To be clear, I only meant that I don't think it's a fair critique in general for anyone who wants to have a program created but can't code. In this specific case of RPCS3 I am fully in agreement with the team here and you too. Standards absolutely do matter. Apologies for any confusion created there.

@Blast16 I think just because it makes it sound better than what it really is. It's PR.

I still don't think the "learn to code" argument is fair - do people deride manual Photoshop users for not learning to paint or for not building the circuitry of the computers they're using it in? But that still doesn't mean using AI as a tool to make software is coding. It just isn't.

@81632bit 100% this. I'm not against the use of AI when used responsibly, but the term vibe "coding" is as much of a euphemism as "social" media is.

I don't know who Joe Santulli is or had even heard of his site before this article, but it's a little harsh questioning his ability to pay $42 a month. It's not a lot of money to a lot of people, but it is to some, particularly if they're having mental health challenges. I'm very sure the internet could've rallied a Patreon or similar for it, so overall it's just a sad outcome.

Jez San! What a gaming legend! I have so much respect for..

San would establish PKR, one of the UK's first online casinos [and] is currently working in the realm of gaming cryptocurrency

..oh

Articles like this are why TE is now one of my daily-visited sites. Thank you for a beautiful read and to Shiraiwa-san for taking part.

As long as whatever they do with the actual games - and very much specifically Outrun - isn't performed by AI and actually does things justice, I can live with the Twitter announcement being sub-standard.

(And it basically serves anyone right who's still using Twitter/"X" anyway)

@FesterinKadaver Which countries have funds that have outright purchased videogames companies to whitewash their reputation aside from Saudi Arabia?

You've probably missed the (logical and to date, unbeaten) argument that in an imperfect world, making the least worst option still is a positive choice.

And given that literally all videogame companies are based in a country somewhere in the world, I'm again waiting for someone to provide a better alternative than just sticking their head in the sand.

When you buy from most videogame companies today, only the taxes go to the government (unless it's also PIF-invested, and this is why it's so important to be informed). When you buy from SNK today, all of that money goes towards rehabiliating the image of a murderer.

@slider1983

I think your question most easily falls under the "slippery slope" or "false dilemma" logical fallacies.

Firstly, TE hasn't proposed that it doesn't cover SNK - it's very much covering SNK and this article is generating far more comments and attention than those on any other topic.

But more importantly, let me answer that question anyway. As a starting point, I propose this as a baseline for any company deserving additional scrutiny:

Those linked to regimes that will readily lure a man inside a consulate, dismember him with a bone saw and then has secret agents dress as him to fool CCTV while they smuggle out his remains.

What do you think? Achievable? Or is that something that every gaming CEO dabbles in from time to time?

Curious to see how those object to the SNK opinion piece feel about this one. Playdate are, after all, taking a stand.

"If you don't like it, don't buy it!"
"If you don't like articles like this, don't read them!"

Apparently, only one of these things is okay 😆

@CopyX1982 Yes I drive electric and no, I don't drive a Tesla. I also only buy energy from a green provider and only fly when necessary (i.e. work tells me I have to). Easy choices that make a difference, however small.

You also have zero basis on which to say "the vast majority don't care." It's more likely that the vast majority don't know, which is part of the reason why this article exists. You are simply speaking from your own selfish needs and assuming everyone else does or should think the same. You're entitled to do that, but please don't throw your toys out the pram when you come across anything that challenges you on that.

@X68000 Er, yes - lots of people have an issue filling their cars with petrol which is why so many (if still not a majority - unless you live in Norway) now drive electric? Politics is in everything, whether you like it or not. Since we don't live in a perfect world - not least thanks to those who just want to stick their fingers in their ears - then many of us have to make nuanced decisions. There is a strong argument that voting with your wallet for the least worst option will encourage companies chasing profit (i.e. most of them) to produce even less harmful options.

Besides, please don't be intellectually disingenuous - this isn't "moral outrage." This article is a deep, thoughtful piece and it's clear that you just want quick answers which here just isn't possible unless you're happy to stick your head in the sand.

@Bobby64 No apologies necessary, thank you for the reasoned discussion!

@Bobby64 Until a few days ago I didn't know that PIF had a stake in Nintendo, so thank you for sharing. I was actually already selling my Switch 2 as I'm disappointed with it, but this'll only accelerate it.

Nevertheless, to suggest we shouldn't make some change unless we can make all change is "all or nothing thinking" and would leave us rigid to the spot as a species. Thankfully, history proves that thinking doesn't win out. Have a great day.

Very much appreciate you highlighting that this is Saudi-backed, and please continue to do so. Those "i JuST waNNa play ma vidEogamES!!!" amongst us can absolutely do that, but there's a reason that "bread and circuses" has endured as a phrase.. and it isn't there to describe those who want the lives of each new generation to be better than the last.