Why I'm Grateful Mighty No. 9 Was Delayed Again

Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter contributors, you have my sympathies. Producer Keiji Inafune’s crowdfunded nod to his popular 20th century Mega Man running-and-gunning robot series has been pushed back from February 9 to “spring.”

The reason? “[To] resolve any network issues and porting work necessary to publish Mighty No. 9 on the various platforms,” says Inafune on the game’s Kickstarter page. This latest delay follows a series of others reaching all the way back to the sidescroller’s original release timeframe of April 2015.

This would typically be cause for naysayers to pounce. But take a look at everything else on deck. Jonathan Blow’s The Witness is out tomorrow, then PC gamers get XCOM 2 on February 5. And come next Tuesday, the day Mighty No. 9 was supposed to arrive, you have Firewatch, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime and Unravel all jammed into the limelight. Game sites with lots of bloggers can divvy that stuff up, but I have to choose.

These Are the Best Looking Video Games of 2015

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Design Process: "We took inspiration from various cultures and places. No Man’s Land, one of the biggest areas to explore in the game, is very Slavic at its heart – it’s filled with ancient secrets, murky swamps and dense, dark forests." - Jose Teixeira, Senior Visual Effects Artist, CD Projekt RED

CD Projekt RED

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Design Process: "This cut scene is expressed as a technique called SSS (Sub-Surface Scattering). The soft shadow is scattered on his skin from the light to convey a certain mood." - Kojima Productions

Kojima Productions

Rise of the Tomb Raider Design Process: "...the world is an enemy. We strive to build environments which deliver harsh survival conditions, as well as treacherous traversal. This supports our premise that the secrets of history are protected by the most beautiful, yet hostile environments on Earth" - Crystal Dynamics

Crystal Dynamics

Alto's Adventure Design Process: "We wanted the world to have a lighthearted charm, while also feeling grounded in it’s own reality – to immerse the players in an environment that captures the essence of what it means to be alone in the wilderness." - Snowman

Snowman

Star Wars Battlefront Design Process: "We wanted to build a game that was faithful to the Star Wars we love, using a combination of the latest technology, with talented artists who could put it together in a way that feels immersive and inviting." - Johannes Soderqvist, Art Director, Star Wars Battlefront

Josh Raab for TIME

Bloodborne Design Process: "Bloodborne is set in a dark and secluded city called Yharnam, a gothic cityscape filled with Victorian motifs and shrouded in prejudice and mystery. The processing power of the PlayStation 4 allowed us to bring to life the gritty and horrifying gothic Victorian architecture and décor..." - FromSoftware

FromSoftware

SOMA Design Process: "First and foremost, we wanted to create spaces that felt real and functional. Environments rich in detail, and full of the clutter that you'd expect in that sort of space, to always keep the player immersed." - Frictional Games

Frictional Games

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Design Process: "We’re most proud when our technology enables gameplay or player expression, such as battling through the dynamic water or creating unique weapon skins." - Mark Gordon, VP of Development & CTO, Treyarch

Activision

Forza Motorsport 6 Design Process: "The team did a fantastic job of creating wet-weather conditions in stunning realism, highlighting the danger and intensity at the heart of racing in the rain. In our recreation of rain, players struggle for traction and tires aquaplane across fully-simulated and accurately-placed puddles." - Turn 10 Studios

Turn 10 Studios

Prune Design Process: "I was really drawn to the minimalist philosophy of East Asian ink wash paintings, where every brush stroke matters. This essentially became the game's central theme, deeply affecting everything from the game design to the art." - Joel Mcdonald

Joel Mcdonald

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