Nintendo Switch (was: Nintendo NX)

[DelSolMan]

I hear rumors about a second direct coming soon to announce their A games. So far, I'm really excited about tennis. I think it'll be a great local multiplayer game.

[GreatScawt]

Yeah, Polygon was reporting about it... it seems like there is possibly a new accessory. Quoted from the article: "new interactive experience".

[GreatScawt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Bd3HUMkyU

[DelSolMan]

Xbox: 4k gaming yo

PS: VR experience yo

Nintendo: Look cardboard!

[Rare White Ape]

Some of that looks really awesome. Giant robot? Sign me the heck up!

[DelSolMan]

https://i.imgur.com/NKKktr8.jpg

[Rare White Ape]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTxxNmEX0AANfLF.jpg

[Rare White Ape]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4612/27982164339_f6d2b7cc05_o.gif

[novicius]

:lol:

[Rare White Ape]

I’ve just seen this (https://www.vooks.net/nintendo-holding-labo-camp-tokyo-osaka/).

I’m not the son af a US AIR FORCE PILOT, nor am I the grandson of an Australian soldier who was held in a Japanese POW camp during WWII, but it’s still something that could’ve taken 0.5 seconds of consideration before using it as a name…

https://www.vooks.net/img/2018/01/labocamp-1000x562.jpg

[Jason]

I thought it was referencing a "boot camp" not an "internment camp", personally.

[Blerpa]

I thought it was referencing a "boot camp" not an "internment camp", personally.

Same, honestly.

[Fiat500]

Not a labo(r) camp?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_camp?wprov=sfla1

[Rare White Ape]

The tag line for Labo Camp is “Spielen Macht Frei”

[Rare White Ape]

It’s official: Switch has outsold Wii U and it only took nine months.

Also official: the paid online service will start this September.

[Kchrpm]

https://kotaku.com/the-switch-joy-con-s-infrared-sensor-is-cooler-than-we-1822669059

The IR camera streaming its captured image to the Switch, even in a heat vision mode.

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--tfzWMv8J--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/nojnwfz7xmtbdbroaeml.jpg

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--_mhr6PN5--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ruy3wut2ezy5rgwisakd.jpg

[Rare White Ape]

I bought Bayonetta 1+2 for Switch, started playing with the first game. It’s a fun sassy romp with excellent combat and some hilarious moments. The visuals are terrible, though. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s an ugly mid-gen X360 game from the era when everything was hopelessly brown and taupe. And I wish the story was more fleshed out, however that’s not the point of the game.

The point is its engrossing two-button hack ‘n’ slash gameplay. I’ve just earned the short sword and using it feels fucking amazing - the roots of NieR:Automata’s combat are truly on show here. That jump followed by a down-attack, or the dodge button and the manoeuvres that follow… I love it all to bits!

I’ll have Bayo 1 finished within the next few weeks, then I can get stuck in to its sequel. The games are truly good value if you can pick up the physical Bayo 2 with the bonus download code for Bayo 1 at a good price.

[Rare White Ape]

<3

http://scontent.fbne3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/28378246_10155949758040792_5616261572247241796_n.j pg?oh=c7f6657441fb6a88f28724bf5f8c961a&oe=5B03B9B2&dl=1

[Rare White Ape]

S-s-s-s-s-suuuuuuuuuperrrrrrrrrrrr
Smash
Broooooooooos.!!!!!!!!

Has just been announced for Nintendo Switch, with a 2018 release date, during this morning’s Direct, which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/OCCIlO8FR_o

I haven’t seen any info on whether this is a new title or a port of the Wii U game; I hope it’s a new one because the franchise is worth it.

[Rare White Ape]

In other news, this is somewhat lost on me, but I am sure that some gaming fans will appreciate this:

http://images.eurogamer.net/2018/articles/2018-03-08-22-24/slack_imgs.jpg/EG11/resize/480x-1/quality/80/format/jpg

[Drachen596]

Someone on Reddit was reporting BOTW Link in the Smash Bros promo prompting their thought that its not a port but a sequel/new game.

[Rare White Ape]

Switch firmware version 5.0 has been released, and the bug from last week which seemed to erase play time data for games in our library has been fixed.

So breathe a sigh of relief as our Zelda histories show ridiculous hours again.

There are other features too but this was the most important one.

Oh, and there's another important one in which the controllers screen in the system menu now shows coloured Pro Controller icons to match coloured controllers, like the Splatoon one.

[Kchrpm]

Some other details: https://www.polygon.com/2018/3/13/17113620/nintendo-switch-system-update-500-play-time-activity-fix-joy-con-de-syncing

[Rare White Ape]

Nintendo has announced about 20 new games today as part of their Nindies showcase which you’ll find on YouTube.

Most importantly, Hyper Light Drifter is coming to Switch. This makes me so happy that I’m ready to pretty much suck the knob right off the person who made this happen. Game Maker, the engine that HLD runs on, was ported to Switch a few weeks ago, so we might see more games in the pipeline. I’m hoping for Hotline Miami, personally.

Nidhogg was announced as well. It’s a funny little slapstick sword waggling multiplayer game. There’s heaps more, expertly cut & pasted below:

Mark of the Ninja Remastered - fall
Fantasy Strike - summer
Just Shapes and Beats - summer, first on Switch
Garage - spring, first on Switch
Pool Panic - 2018, exclusive to Switch
Bomb Chicken - summer, first on Switch
Lumines Remastered - spring
Reigns: Kings and Queens - spring
Lightfall - spring, first on Switch
West of Loathing - spring, console exclusive to Switch
Pode - spring
The Messenger - summer
Bad North - summer, first on Switch
Banner Saga 1 and 2 - "soon"
Banner Saga 3 - summer

[Rare White Ape]

In July Hori is releasing a fully licensed 3rd party left JoyCon with a proper d-pad for retro gaming and fighting games.

It’s designed to be used only in handheld mode while connected to the console, with no wireless, no rumble, no NFC, no gyro/acceleration, and no SL/SR buttons. It’ll be something like half the price of a regular official JoyCon.

http://hori.jp/image/2018/03/01_2018.jpg

[Jason]

I'm tempted, but I might hold out for a fully featured one.

Not in a rush until virtual console* games come out.

*Or whatever they call classic games this time around

[Rare White Ape]

Gooooooood news:

https://www.vooks.net/sega-ages-announced-for-the-nintendo-switch-sonic-phantasy-star-and-more/

…which is either a) a good accompaniment to all of those NEO GEO classics that you see on the Switch eShop, or b) Sega getting annoyed with waiting for the Virtual Console to open up and going it alone.

Either way, original Sonic the Hedgehog, Thunder Force IV and Phantasy Star emulated on Switch. Possibly the grown-up consoles as well but who cares because everyone wants everything on Switch and this is the best news EV4R!

[Rare White Ape]

https://youtu.be/4m6N_uMfCsw

[Kchrpm]

It's funny going back and looking at this, questioning what Nintendo might do and then, when the actual idea and details leaked, being highly doubtful of its potential success. I remember seeing that they wanted to be prepared to manufacture 20 million in the first year and thought that they were insane.

Turns out they sold about 18 million in the first year. :D

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html

[dodint]

:up:

[Rare White Ape]

That is a ridiculous number of units sold. Absolutely nuts. The first year rode on a wave of standard releases (for Nintendo) with Zelda, MK8, Splatoon, Mario+Rabbids, Odyssey and a sense of coolness and practicality.

The first half of year two has given us an array of ports and Labo. The big Christmas release is going to be Smash 5, and we know for sure that we have Pokemon and Metroid waiting in the wings, but they’re a way off. I’m just wondering if there is anything coming that will fill the gap between Labo and Smash and really keep the momentum going. Could we be getting an E3 surprise with a big Pokemon blowout for a 2018 release?

[TheBenior]

Hell, it got me to buy a Nintendo system for the first time since the SNES.

One upside of that is that I don't mind that a lot of the games are Wii U ports, since I missed out on them the first time. My wife pre-ordered Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and I pre-ordered Hyrule Warriors. I've played some Dynasty Warriors games before, but not since the PS2 era.

[Kchrpm]

I'm looking forward to Hyrule Warriors, and I just gifted my parents my Wii U, so the more ports the merrier!

Seriously, I would love to get my Disney Infinity on. #ainthappening

[TheBenior]

I got a Pro Controller so we can do local co-op Hyrule Warriors.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/

Online Play
Battle it out or cooperate with players around the world in compatible games like Splatoon™ 2, ARMS™, Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe, Mario Tennis™ Aces, and Sushi Striker™: The Way of Sushido.

Nintendo Entertainment System™ – Nintendo Switch Online (https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/nes/)
Enjoy 20 NES games with added online play for the first time ever, and more games added regularly.
Soccer | Tennis | Donkey Kong | Mario Bros. | Super Mario Bros. | Balloon Fight | Ice Climber | Dr. Mario | The Legend of Zelda | Super Mario Bros. 3
With online play added to every classic game, you can compete (or cooperate) online with friends, share your screen, or pass the controller, depending on the game. With the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app, you can also voice chat during your play sessions.

Save Data Cloud Backup
Save your data online for easy access. Details about this feature will be available before the paid service launches in September.

Nintendo Switch Online app (https://www.nintendo.com/switch/online-service/app/)
Enhance your online experience for compatible games with this smartphone app.*

Special Offers
Stay tuned for news on special deals and offers for members.

[Kchrpm]

Individual membership (One per each Nintendo Account holder.)

1 Month
$3.99 USD

3 Months
$7.99 USD

12 months
$19.99 USD

Family membership (A Nintendo Account holder may invite up to seven others to join a family group; all members of the group will have access to Nintendo Switch Online.)

12 Months
$34.99 USD

[TheBenior]

The wife is enjoying Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze thus far.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/5/9/17338314/nintendo-switch-kickstand-replacement-charging-dock

https://www.nintendo.com/switch/etRgxnAu0zRX4bmWnt9K628wG7YQUI6t/images/switch/buy-now/charging-stand.jpg


The Adjustable Charging Stand is what it sounds like: a charging dock with a kickstand of its own that can be set to various angles. You can plug the Switch's regular AC adapter into the stand for power; there's no HDMI output, mind, so this isn't a full replacement for the TV dock. Really, though, at $19.99 it might be worth picking up just to have a better kickstand. It'll be available on July 13th.

[Rare White Ape]

^ commenters on news pages seem to be really confused about what that dock is for. People think it’s an overpriced replacement for the included dock, while others are afraid that it might brick their consoles like the unlicensed Nyko mini docks sometimes did. Nope. It’s just a stand with a USB-C pass through.

Meanwhile, has anyone tried this?

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-05-02-steam-now-officially-supports-the-nintendo-switch-pro-controller

I have and it works great. I tried it with Portal 2, and it includes full stick+gyro aiming like in Breath of the Wild. Though I wish there was an easy way to smooth out or reduce the gyro sensitivity, as it is very jittery and twitchy. And did you know, that if you pair the Switch controller with a PC, there’s a blue light around the home button? I’ve never seen it before!

[Rare White Ape]

I don’t even know what this is but I want it.


https://youtu.be/lDG_siAbPQE

It looks like it has cloned all the great genres: Wave Race, Pilotwings, Wii Sports, Beetle Adventure Racing, Air Boarder 64, Chopper Attack, Splatoon and, erm, Abzū. Being a Wii port from its shovelware days, it should be cheap.

[Rare White Ape]

Yep that’s right. My winter Switch game purchases will be Go Vacation and Dark Souls.

[Rare White Ape]

Heaps of Pokémon news fresh out of the oven today.

Just announced; the rumoured Pokémon games Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, complete with two-way integration with Pokémon GO and it’s own special Poké Ball controller. It looks pretty exciting! November release.


https://youtu.be/q9xb-DCHXUM

Also announced: an all-new core Pokémon RPG for Switch coming in 2019, and a new non-core free-to-play RPG for Switch and smartphones.

[Jason]

I'm pretty into almost everything I saw on that video except two things... no wild pokemon battles, which means experience has to come some other way, and it also looks like it's motion controls only. Depending on what they do with experience/evolution (if it requires candy like PoGo, I'm out), and if there's an option for conventional controls, determines if I'll be buying this or not.

[Rare White Ape]

Heck yeah!


https://youtu.be/jFyPy6fUaCs

[Rare White Ape]

DOOM Eternal is coming to Switch!

https://www.vooks.net/doom-eternal-is-coming-to-switch/

[Rare White Ape]

Nindies news!

Hyper Light Drifter!
Undertale!
Untitled Goose Game!
Level Head (it’s like Super Mario Maker but with couch multiplayer OMG)!
King of the Hat, where you get to play as a washing machine!

HLD makes me particularly happy because I’ve been waiting for this one and it comes out next week :D

Get on board!


https://youtu.be/UHzsecqX-zU

[Jason]

Nothing for me, really, sadly. Last two Indie games I got a decent amount of play time out of have been Sleep Tight (dual stick shooter/fort builder), and Golf Story (Golf RPG).

[DelSolMan]

Into The Breach is a great game. It works well on TV and portable mode. It has that calculated chess-RPG style kinda like Final Fantasy Tactics or Advanced Wars.

[Rare White Ape]

This could be expensive if you were serious about collecting.


https://youtu.be/dwQT3CLWCHM

There’s two versions. The hardware is identical, but one has Let’s Go Pikachu pre-installed and one has Let’s Go Eevee pre-installed. And of course this means the packaging is different.

I’m lucky that I’m not that serious about collecting every Switch variant.

*twitch*

[Rare White Ape]

The delayed Nintendo Direct landed today. Main announcements:

New Animal Crossing
Luigi’s Mansion 3
A big archive of Final Fantasy games from 7 up to 12 (but not 8 or 11)
Port of New Super Mario Bros. U, including the standalone Luigi U free-of-charge

And this:

https://cdn.gamer-network.net/2018/articles/2018-09-14-00-07/nes.jpg

…but only for Switch Online subscribers.

[Jason]

Things I'll probably get/already purchased:

Final Fantasy X/X-2
Final Fantasy XII
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 expansion
NBA 2K19
Starfox Starlink
Mario Party

Maybe:

New Super Mario Bros
Yoshi
Daemon X Machina
Pokemon Let's Go

A lot of interesting things coming, even if they aren't all huge titles :up:

[Rare White Ape]

I’m all-in for:

SSB:Ultimate
NSMBU
Let’s Go Eevee
Daemon X Machina

Plus more.

This will be an expensive Christmas.

[Rare White Ape]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DnAvkliWsAALJEV?format=jpg

[Rare White Ape]

Undertale is out
Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle is out
FFXV Pocket Edition is out (40% off at the moment)
Cities Skylines is out
Surgeon Simulator is out

That’s just this week. About 20% good stuff buried in the avalanche of shovel ware on eShop.

Today I bought Dead Cells and last week Hyper Light Drifter.

And they say there’s nothing to play on Switch.

[Jason]

C:S has been a perfect Switch @ work game. Build a couple things, adjust a couple things, let it run while I work, etc. :up:

[DelSolMan]

Got Nintendo Online. Got bored of the NES games pretty quickly other than a handful of titles. They're pretty dated and nostalgia only goes so far. I hope Nintendo does more with this or else it's not really worth it. Come on SNES.

[Rare White Ape]

Come on N64, GameCube, Wii!

There is only about 5 NES games that I’d be playing, and I’ve already tried two of them. That’s SMB and Zelda.

I’d just die if 20 of the best N64 games were released on it. Gimme more of that Ocarina!

[Kchrpm]

I'm going to have to dive into the baseball game.

[Jason]

Yeah, I'm not going to care much for Nintendo Online emulation until SNES comes. Dunno why, I don't really care all that much about NES games, even though it was one of my first video game systems.

[Yw-slayer]

I bought one, along with Odyssey and Overcooked 2. For esports research, of course.

[Rare White Ape]

Welcome to the fold!

[Yw-slayer]

Man, my wife sucks bad at Overcooked 2.

[Kchrpm]

Having played Overcooked and watched videos of Overcooked 2, it seems like they upped the difficulty from the outset on a game that is already a bit confusing.

[DelSolMan]

My best tip for playing OC with the mrs. is to find the most common ingredient(s) that requires cooking and to just focus on that while I run around and do everything else. Usually, she's on burger duties.

[Yw-slayer]

Thanks, Bros. Will try.

[Rare White Ape]

Wait till she’s good at it, then smash her with some blue shells in Mario Kart.

Then when she’s good at that, Smash her in Smash Bros.

Always keep moving the goal posts.

[Yw-slayer]

Or, smash her in...

[Kchrpm]

To anyone else that sees the Drift Legends game on the eShop and is interested, just read a review that pointed out some important bits: it's a not-bad mobile game, which has also been ported to Steam, but doesn't have any of its online elements, and doesn't support the Pro controller or JoyCon grip. You either have to play with the controllers attached, or with a single JoyCon.

Also, the button layout cannot be changed, and it uses Y for gas and B for brake.

[Rare White Ape]

Sounds like lazy mobile port shovelware.

[Jason]

FWIW there's a bunch of solid titles on sale on the eShop right now. :up:

[Rare White Ape]

Good call Jason. It’s worth sharing this mega list. The prices are Australian but it should count world wide.

https://www.vooks.net/nintendo-download-updates-22-10-28-10-breezy/

[DelSolMan]

Things I didn't know I wanted until it's announced. Smash Bros character #70 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sZsk8VHY2g)

[Rare White Ape]

Tellingly, the likes/dislikes and comments are turned off for that video, presumably to head off the tide of “Wahhhh it’s not Waluigi!” that’s coming their way.

And I think that’s awesome :lol:

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fccgHnBQ0YM

Pre-ordered with the Fighter's Pass :up:

[Rare White Ape]

https://twitter.com/mnmtwinz/status/1058082836769636357?s=20

[DelSolMan]

https://twitter.com/mnmtwinz/status/1058082836769636357?s=20

:lol:

[Rare White Ape]

Rumours abound that Switch is getting a YouTube app as of this week or something. Hooray!

[Kchrpm]

A French Nintendo fan Twitter account posted saying that it showed up under suggested apps on Nintendo.com, with a November 8 release date. Others are reporting based on that, and others saying that they saw it, too. This kind of thing is incredibly easy to fake, and also easy for Nintendo to fix, and another game was apparently leaked in this fashion previously.

I don't even get suggestions to come up anywhere on the site.

[dodint]

The fact that it didn't launch with something as simple as Youtube is pretty staggering. Does it have a web browser?

[Yw-slayer]

No. But given the horrific battery life it's probably better to watch YT etc. on your phone anyway.

[Rare White Ape]

It does have a web browser, all the eShop and Facebook/Twitter interaction is driven by it. I’ve even used it to browse this very website. I posted a photo of it ages ago.

And Nintendo has stated in the past that getting a YouTube app onto the device is not up to them, but the third party itself, which in this case is YouTube. If Nintendo felt that YouTube was a priority then they would’ve done it themselves and paid to have one developed on YT’s behalf. Obviously it wasn’t because they see Switch as a gaming device first, and other forms of entertainment come a distant second, and its runaway success driven purely by games shows that they’re on the money.

As for its battery life, well, I’ve never had it run dry, even after hours-long BotW sessions away from the TV. I have had Pokémon GO destroy my iPhone X’s battery in a matter of hours. The Switch actually has a much bigger battery, it’s just how it used and how efficient each individual app is.

[Jason]

Personally, I don't really care if the Switch has video/internet apps. It's not much bigger than a phone, and tablets make much better large touch screen devices at the moment. That being said, the internet masses (whether they like the system or not) seem to care a lot, so Nintendo should probably work on getting those features, just so it can check those "feature" boxes off. The thing I've long liked about Switch OS vs Xbox's for example, is how clean and fast it is, because it's very light on features. No ads everywhere, no dynamic icons, automatically streaming video, etc. Nothing in the background sucking down resources and causing overall performance drops, just find your game and play.

Picked up a few games recently:

- StarFoxLink - Very enjoyable, yet repetitive. Has some fun elements from a variety of game styles. Exploration ala NMS, RPG elements in terms of levels, item equips, missions, etc, and a very very minimal Risk type territory control. Have about 30 hours into it, probably about 2/3 through. Taking my time, was worth the money for my style of gaming, but I could see those who want a super fleshed out single player campaign would be left wanting. Controls and flying around are enjoyable, solid... but nothing amazing.

- NBA Playgrounds 2 - Figured I'd give it a shot since I enjoyed the first one. They improved the gameplay and presentation, so that's good. BUT they replaced the tournament with a "season" so the single player mode is actually less fun compared to the first imo. I probably should have waited on a sale so I could buy the the "unlock players" $10 DLC and just call it a day.

- Child of Light - haven't played it on Switch yet, but wanted to support the game because I really like the art and music direction. Played it on Wii U, but never got around to finishing it. Gorgeous 2D platform/RPG hybrid, I'll be getting to it shortly.

- Diablo III - never played a Diablo game before so wasn't fully sure what to expect. But it sounded like something I'd enjoy in that it's a dungeon crawler/grind fest. Will be good time waster I think. Everything seems solid, but my expectations were "OMG ITS THE MOST AMAZING GAME EVER" going into it, so I'm left a little "this is it?". Performance is good, everything seems "good", but I'm not blown away by it.

Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 really spoiled me on big expansive games for the Switch. Everything else since then has been a little less impressive. Not to say I haven't had good games and a lot of hours spent since, but it was just a high bar to meet for me.

[dodint]

The Kindle Firestick lost the ability to have a dedicated Youtube app so they took their own web-browser and made a dedicated skin for it that looks exactly like Youtube, the only difference is the color of the icon you click on to open it. There was a customer need and they responded to it immediately; different corporate culture/ethos in play.

[Jason]

The whole Youtube rumor brought up an interesting "thought" around the internet... Hulu came out about a year ago, so people are thinking if video apps start popping up on Switch here soon, it could have been Hulu had some sort of exclusive (which would be so stupid).

[Kchrpm]

The Switch at the beginning was, I think, purposefully avoiding direct comparison to other tablets. They didn't want to have a web browser which they then needed to keep competitive and add parental controls to. They didn't want to make streaming services a priority or even mandatory.

When it comes to what Switch fans have been asking Nintendo for, it's been first party/virtual console games, online save backup, and Bluetooth/voice chat support directly on the device. Maybe the people that are on the fence about buying the system feel differently, or the people that were never going to buy it anyway, but from owners the streaming services seem to be further down the line.

It might be because there's not really much chance for it to be a better experience than what most people already have. It won't have 4K support, there's no available remote control, there's no voice control support, there's no cellular data, there will be no multitasking or picture in picture support. I'll be glad that it's added, but I don't foresee myself using it much. And I watch a lot of YouTube.

[Jason]

I installed Hulu at launch a year ago.

I never once used it on the Switch, even though I'm a subscriber, ended up clearing it off my Switch to make as much room as possible for a game install. When I'm at home, I have Hulu through my TV, Chromecast, and Xbox, all run it better than the Switch does when hooked to a TV (4k capable, Switch is not). When I'm mobile, I'd rather use my laptop, tablet, or phone. All have better screens and better battery life, and a more comfortable form factor for watching things.

So yeah, in practice, I don't really understand the "need" for streaming media and web browsers on the Switch. But in terms of features, sales, internet points, etc... Nintendo should probably make them available to users, so it's one less thing hurting them in the gaming landscape.

[dodint]

My Kindle Paperwhite has a web browser on it. It's just one of those things, like power windows in cars, where it is weird not to have it.

[Rare White Ape]

In line with Jason’s post, here’s some more games I recommend:

I’m currently playing The Gardens Between. It’s Aussie-developed and has a neat time-based mechanic for navigating each stage. Beautiful art design. Perfect for Gen-Xers because it’s based on the notion of childhood memories and all the props are straight out of the 80s & 90s.

Dark Souls needs no introduction so I won’t. Killing and being killed (a lot) by the undead while on the go is great fun.

Lumines for all the puzzle nerds out there. I haven’t ‘clicked’ with the game yet but I have read that once you do, it becomes an amazingly zen experience and you start to play it almost without thinking. It has taken up more of my Switch time than I feel comfortable admitting. But so has the demo for Puyo Puyo Tetris. Ugh.

I bought Dead Cells thinking it’s going to be yet another cut ‘n’ paste Roguevania but it’s surprisingly deep and satisfying to play. The idea is that you get one life, and each time you die you’re transported back to the start. However, you would have gained a new piece of equipment or more health, which is available to you on your next run, thus making you a bit stronger and more able to deal with your enemies. I was sold on the back-of-the-box quote that it has responsive controls, and they ARE responsive. Hack and slash!

Membrane is a janky looking puzzle-platformer, but it’s cheap, so buy it. I think it’s a story about navigating the brain of someone deep in the middle of an LSD trip.

And finally Gorogoa is well worth your time. It’s probably going to go down as the best mobile game this year, and it’s cheaper if you buy it on iOS, but I bought it on Switch just to support the platform a little more. It’s a ridiculously clever point ‘n’ click adventure that uses touchscreen controls, and it’s short-and-sweet length of about 5 hours is the perfect thing for those who fly across the country.

[Rare White Ape]

YouTube?

More like YEEEWWWTube, amirite?

It’s out now on Switch and it works pretty well. It’s the same app as the smart TV and console YouTube app, just ported to Switch. It’ll pull down a 1080/60 feed for display on a big screen. I noticed that the Switch display is a bit bluer and more of a crispy white than the warmer tone of my iPhone’s OLED screen.

Straight away I found the limit of the Switch’s built-in speakers - the sound quality is terrible! For some reason the dialogue sounds like it has come through a plastic tube. I’ve never really noticed it before while playing games, so I guess it’s the different purpose of sounds for different media that highlights this weakness. Oh well. Headphones will fix that.

As it stands, the app is harder to use than the iOS version, it sounds worse, the screen is a lower resolution than basically every modern device, it won’t push videos to a TV app, nor will it receive videos from a mobile app.

Buuuuut, it’s YouTube on Switch and my built-in Nintendo bias is happy, plus all of those people can now shut up* about Switch not having basic functionality because it’s the sort of thing that they’d expect the machine to feature in 2017.




* I guess this just means that they’ll move on to complaining that it’s not as good as other ways to access YouTube.

[dodint]

I suppose we expect it because you can play the Switch on a TV. I have twelve year old hardware (PS3) running Youtube apps in my house right now. I also have a phone in my pocket that runs it. Not much of leap to expect a gaming system you play on a TV to be able to play other media.

[Kchrpm]

nor will it receive videos from a mobile app.

I figured out that you can do this by linking your device with a code. Under Settings, go to Link with TV code. It has the instructions and the code you need to do it.

[Rare White Ape]

Oh sweet. Thanks Keef :up:

[Rare White Ape]

I bought the new Pokemon game for Switch. I opted for the Eevee version, and it came with the Pokeball Plus.

It’s okay. I’ve never played the originals (or any main series Pokemon game, for that matter) so I’ve got no grounding or nostalgia for Kanto. I’ve made it to Cerulean City, and so far the map feels like some loosely connected hubs joined by linear paths through the wilderness. It’s much smaller than I expected, so I fear some backtracking may be involved.

The combat is somewhat repetitive but I haven’t met any difficult opponents yet, so we’ll see. Battling gym bosses and Team Rocket is fun, though. It’s a bit more involved when you’re battling multiple Pomemen and trying to find the right critter to do the best damage, or have the best resistance to certain type attacks. And catching borrows the mechanic from Pokemon Go, so it’s super easy. It takes up a lot of time though, so thankfully they’ve made the mons visible while you’re adventuring so you can just avoid them.

The Pokeball Plus comes with a Mew inside. I’ve read that it’s too OP for early game battles, but it’s no more powerful than my starter Eevee. Right now that Eevee is Lvl.16, and I’m going up against trainers who are sporting Lvl.9 Rattata. Yeah… nah. The Pokeball is a neat curio. It’s part Joy-Con, part Pokemon Go Plus. You can put one of your Pokemon inside and carry it in your pocket; the device’s internal motion sensor will track your footsteps and deal out wads of Exp when you bring it back to your Switch. While out and about the ball can spin Pokestops and catch for you with the press of a button.
If you tap or wobble the ball when you’ve got a mon inside it’ll vibrate and play sound effects for that Pokémon. It’s cute. Syrupy, sugary cute.

The biggest draw to the game for me is it’s ability to connect with Pokemon Go, but unfortunately I haven’t unlocked that part yet. The Go Park replaces the original Safari Zone and that’s all the way down in Fucshia City, a bit of a trek from where I am. It looks like you can only send mons to the park, where you can catch them and add them to your team, but you can’t send mons back to Pokémon Go, which is a huge shame. It’s understandable, given that you don’t want to give Go players an advantage, plus there are a tonne of shiny variants that haven’t made it into Go yet. I’d love to bring my shiny Charizard to the Go Park and muck with it for a while, but it’s sadly a one-way trip. At least it’ll help fill out the Dex since I don’t have to trade with anyone to get em all.

[Jason]

If this had the ability to completely turn off motion controls, and supported the Pro Controller (in the same way setup that portable mode is), then I'd be all over this. But it feels silly to buy a $60 game where I'm going to actively not want to play it on my TV. :|

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah that’s one of the game’s biggest drawbacks. It’s fine to have motion controls as a gimmick, but for the love of Bob give people alternatives in the name of accessibility. THAT is one of 2018’s talking points, in light of Microsoft’s awesome effort to help disabled players with the accessibility controller.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RohG-JzXiM

[Rare White Ape]

Did anyone get Smash today?

[Kchrpm]

Yes.

Mortal Kombat 11 was announced with a prerendered trailer and is coming to Switch. April 23.

[Rare White Ape]

Fuck! Everywhere is completely sold out of GameCube controller adapters, and Nintendo has discontinued the item.

I shoulda bought one on Friday when I picked up Smash Bros.

[Yw-slayer]

Get the 8bitdo adapter?

[Rare White Ape]

Amazon has them but ship within 1-2 months, plus from what I can gather they only take one controller at a time. I’ve ordered the genuine Nintendo one but it has the same shipping lead time. It’ll come from the US so it’s another 3 weeks to get here. So, maybe March?

The other option is to go to eBay and buy one at price-gouge rates, so I might just buy a knock-off one of questionable quality and use it until the genuine one arrives.

[Jason]

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181218005282/en/Nintendo-Switch-Fastest-Selling-Video-Game-System-Generation


Nintendo Switch has become the fastest-selling video game system of this hardware generation through 21 months, according to The NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. From its launch in March 2017 through November 2018, Nintendo Switch has sold more than 8.7 million units, outpacing U.S. sales of all other current-generation systems at the same point in their life cycles.

Nintendo is also the overall top-selling U.S. software publisher so far for 2018, according to NPD data through November.

This is before Smash launched, and only a couple weeks of Pokemon... not a bad rebound for Nintendo :up:

[Rare White Ape]

That’s impressive. Can it topple PlayStation 4?

I doubt it, but I like seeing it try.

Though, as I say from time-to-time, the Pokemon factor is huge. Once that new standalone title hits in the next 18-24 months, it’ll be game on.

[DelSolMan]

Smash Ultimate is pretty fun. I disabled directional-up for jump and it seems to help my fighting. I'm currently using Kirby as main but I might be switching over to Meta Knight soon.

I really like the feature where you can save preset rules/levels. I made a Street Fighter template where they're stamina matches (emulates a power bar with points), lowered gravity, no items, stages with no platforms. You can also enable a power bar that charges for a special attack.

[Rare White Ape]

I want to set up a Pokémon-only ruleset. Pokémon stages, characters and Pokéballs-only. That’s be fun, I just have to unlock everyone first…

Speaking of unlocking (and character mains) I think I’m having the best success with Yoshi so far. His low powered-but-fast attacks seem to help me get on top of stronger characters. For example, I’ve tried and failed about five times to beat Solid Snake with a range of characters. My old favourite Link, allegedly OP Bayonetta, all-rounder Mario… then I used Yoshi and minced him real quick.

It led me to think that Snake would be a powerful fighter, but when I gave him a go I hated it! The smash attacks are just too slow for me to get a hang of. Maybe only a true Smash master can play him properly. Yoshi is great fun to play.

[DelSolMan]

It's dirty and boring but my method of unlocking characters is to Kirby fly and down+B into a brick until they're dead.

[Kchrpm]

Nintendo Direct scheduled for Wednesday February 13, 5 PM EST. 35 minutes long, haven't seen what it will be about.

[Kchrpm]

According to Polygon, there's a short press release that says it will be "information on upcoming Nintendo Switch titles, including details on Fire Emblem: Three Houses.”

Fingers crossed for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 information.

[Kchrpm]

The whole thing:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCME2yPJKWk

A playlist so you can watch specific trailers/info: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2JiZAV5BmDWIclOks7NkYp8YCWgkIqAY

Arguably the biggest news: Super Mario Maker 2


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjJWzJC8Kfk

That for which I have the most excitement: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order - online co-op confirmed, team-up moves, releasing in the summer.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A41xrnrppKc

This just looked fucking bonkers: Astral Chain


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brmmV3g4qqo

The finishing move: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Original gameplay, new graphics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U-_XfDGgDw

[Rare White Ape]

I’m turgid with excitement for Zelda, of course. Even if it’s a remake and I’ve already bought it on Game Boy and I could play it right now on any emulator.

But I may be slightly turgider for Astral Chain. That looks like it’s right up my alley!

[GreatScawt]

Astral Chain looks very good. I like the environments.

I'm all over Mario Maker 2 and Zelda. Awesome Direct.

[Rare White Ape]

OK so now Microsoft-published Hellblade, FFVIII and a surprise sequel to Hollow Knight have been confirmed for Switch in the coming months.

Hellblade, strangely among few game titles, is best experienced in an environment well and truly isolated from the outside world, so doesn’t fit the Switch ecosystem. But good on them for porting it anyway.

FFVIII we’ve known about for a while. Final Fantasy fans will be excited about this. It’s available right now.

Hollow Knight is a new one. It wasn’t in the Direct. The developer was making an expansion but it expanded so much that it’s a full-blown game now. Here’s the catch: it’s PC and Switch only for now. The game is so popular that it deserves a wider release, so… wow! What a boon for Nintendo’s little console.

[Rare White Ape]

Guys, there’s a Daemon X Machina demo out on the eShop.

[Rare White Ape]

Assetto Corsa VR Switch confirmed !!!!!1!1!1!1

https://kotaku.com/nintendo-announces-labo-vr-kit-for-switch-1833111898?IR=T

[DelSolMan]

im so excited for pokemon shield/sword :cool:

[M4FFU]

I'm so exited...to get Yoshi's Crafted World tomorrow - any one else getting it? Demo was good fun :)

[Tom Servo]

I was debating picking up a Switch, we have this reward-your-fellow-employees thing at work that you can use to buy amazon gift cards, and I've got enough at this point to pay for one. However, it sounds like there might be an updated version coming later this year with beefier hardware. Anybody know anything about that, trying to figure out if it's worth waiting for it.

[GreatScawt]

https://twitch.amazon.com/prime/loot/nintendo?ref_=NSO1
Free Nintendo online if you have Twitch Prime

[Rare White Ape]

Tom if you’re on the fence then it may be best to wait and see if the rumours come true.

But if you’re excited just buy one now.

The rumours say there’s a 3DS-style refresh coming, with a beefed-up version and an el-cheapo version, akin to the dual New 3DS/2DS options.

I personally predict:

Any faster Switch would have slightly higher clock speeds that could allow games like BotW to reach a locked 1080/30 while docked (currently it tops out at 900p) and a 4K video output to handle upscaling and perhaps HDR for newer TVs and stream 4K video from YouTube. Maybe even some sort of exclusivity with regards to opening up a catalogue of retro games from N64/GameCube like they did with SNES games on New 3DS models.

A cheaper Switch would have a smaller screen and fixed non-detachable JoyCons to lean into the portable side of things, but still be fully compatible with all accessories so you can have docked and detached JoyCon play, along with efficiency improvements that allow a smaller battery to maintain a similar runtime as the original model.

Both models would ship without a dock (they already sell them like this in Japan), and Nintendo would separately release an optional mini dock (which also doubles as a play stand) that all Switch models can use, with new ones of course being compatible with original docks.

Introducing new models will create the prospect of current owners wanting to upgrade, so they would have to allow backup and transfer of save files to SD card, which would be ace.

That’s just all speculation on my part but I think it seems reasonable. The only sticking point is how stubborn they would be with GameCube games because Nintendo is Nintendo. We will know more at E3, if you can wait that long.

[Tom Servo]

I've been hemming and hawing on whether I'm going to get one for a couple of months now, so what's a couple more months until there's some news.

[Rare White Ape]

I’m posting this here and in the VR thread because, you know…

The two subjects seemed like they’d never cross.

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1113969503459663873?s=20

But here we are.

[Tom Servo]

That's kinda neat, though do you have to hold the controllers next to your head?

[Kchrpm]

They haven't shown yet. My guess/hope is that you leave the controllers on the system, and use a second set or a Pro controller to play the game.

[Kchrpm]

Whelp, I was wrong.

https://www-theverge-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/4/5/18297176/nintendo-labo-vr-breath-of-the-wild-mario-odyssey?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2019%2F4 %2F5%2F18297176%2Fnintendo-labo-vr-breath-of-the-wild-mario-odyssey


“During VR play, the Joy-Con controllers are attached to the Nintendo Switch system and accessible on either side of the Toy-Con VR Goggles, allowing players to simply hold the system up to their face and control the game as normal.”

[Rare White Ape]

As if wearing VR wasn’t dorky enough already!

I just hope they nail the sense of scale you get in proper VR. I’m kinda interested in Mario but I’m dying to play BotW.

[Rare White Ape]

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2019/April/Discover-how-The-Legend-of-Zelda-Breath-of-the-Wild-works-in-VR-with-Nintendo-Labo--1547803.html

So here are a couple of screen shots of BotW VR. If you open them on your phone and hold it about a foot from your face, but then divert your gaze to look 'through' the screen, you will be able to line the images up as a single stereo image.

It's like a weeny little VR world!

Of course, the lenses on the Labo VR goggles should expand that out properly and fill your field of view. Same (maybe) if you've got a Google Cardboard-like device.

The Nintendo engineer interviewed in that blog post says that there will be no changes to the way BotW works - it's identical between standard and VR versions. You just turn it on at any time with a simple toggle in the options menu. Plus you can choose to have motion aiming on or off. Their intention was to allow players to turn it on if they saw something neat, or play the whole game like that. To them it doesn't matter, and they preferred to do this rather than walling off the VR functionality to just limited areas of the game.

I'm pumped that Nintendo is doing this, even if I may not end up buying a Labo VR kit in the near future.

[Tom Servo]

Since all the rumors now seem to be pointing at a more inexpensive Switch this year and a "modestly" upgraded one in 2020, I pulled the trigger on a Switch. It'll be here tomorrow, and looking forward to having it on my flight to Mexico City next week. I know Zelda is a must have, what else do I need to get?

[Rare White Ape]

Congrats Swervo! Welcome to the team.

Must-haves:

Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Mario Odyssey
Sonic Mania
Lumines
Mario Kart 8
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Bayonetta 1 & 2
Tetris 99 (free with online subscription)
NES Classics (ditto)

If you're into indie games get these:

Celeste
Hyper Light Drifter
Shovel Knight
Jydge
Dead Cells

Others to consider, depending on your preference for their genres:

Pokemon Let's Go
Octopath Traveler
Dark Souls
Splatoon 2
Kamiko
Okami HD
Yoshi's Crafted World
Donkey King Tropical Freeze

Good games coming out this year:

Super Mario Maker 2
Astral Chain
Pokemon Sword and Shield

That should get you started ;)

[GreatScawt]

FWIW, If you have Amazon Prime, you get Twitch Prime free, and you get a year of Nintendo online with it as a freebie.

[Tom Servo]

That is a solid protip.

[Yw-slayer]

For Americans, yes. For everyone else it's a bit of a faff.

[Tom Servo]

Man, that is an extended set up/sign in process...

The sheer amount of times I'm being asked for passwords is really making me regret using a password safe that makes 20 character randomly generated passwords.

[Tom Servo]

Only played through a short bit of Zelda so far, and the system is mostly what I hoped for - a badass Gameboy. I find myself really wishing I could find a way to play Simon's Quest on it, for some reason.

[Rare White Ape]

You’re in luck Tom, Konami is releasing a Castlevania Anniversary collection on May 18th. It’ll be included :up:

Anyway, here’s another thing that can be done:


https://youtu.be/A6Xg8GPJmqs

I got it working briefly but it keeps cutting out after five minutes, and I have no sound. But the view in Zelda is quite incredible. The visuals are sharp and clear (or as much as they can be via PSVR) and the tiny console is legit rendering a proper VR view.

But, no head tracking makes it super weird to use, and the 30fps frame rate is a real actual bummer. I keep wanting to turn my head but the viewpoint doesn’t change and it makes my head spin.

Although, climb a mountain, look across a plain, peer into a chasm, then jump off and use your glider… it’s a hell of a rush.

Considering the progress being made in the emulation scene with the WiiU version of the game, being able to play it in 4K and 120fps, I’m dying to see what the Yuzu people can do with the VR update for the Switch version.

[Jason]

Welcome to the Switch club!

Must haves vary significantly depending on the user. My favorite games are Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. But the latter is very divisive, either people hate it or love it.

[Tom Servo]

omg Katamari Damacy I am beyond excited why did nobody tell me Katamari was on the Switch?

[Tom Servo]

Huh, I mostly see positive reviews for Xenoblade. Since I got the console for free I took that as free reign to spend too much on games and picked up a few of the listed must haves. I have, however, spent the vast majority of my time with Katamari. I missed that game.

[Rare White Ape]

My #1 most played Switch game is BotW, of course. But my #2 is Lumines.

Of all the amazing games the system has, the second most played game I have is Lumines, a remaster of an old PSP game :lol:

Also don't forget that the system is region-free, so you can buy physical games from all over the world and play them. I bought Okami HD this way; it got a physical release in Japan so I imported it and it straight-up plays in English on my console. Apparently signing up for a foreign eShop account is pretty easy as well. Sega's classic landmark arcade racing title Virtua Racing is out now in Japan, but yet to find a release in the west.

[Tom Servo]

I've got Lumines on Steam (though I've never actually played it). I'm trying to think of how well Virtua Racing would control.

[Rare White Ape]

:cool:


https://youtu.be/uEbmTfSxt9Q

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCCsArRicCI

[Tom Servo]

I've been really enjoying River City Ransom and Metroid on Switch Online, and started to think that there's something about the portable/gameboy like form factor that just makes retro gaming more fun, as every time I try to go the emulator route I almost immediately lose interest.

Then I picked up the Castlevania collection, came across the Medusa heads, and realized that maybe it's just I keep remembering some games as way more fun than they actually are. At least the music in Simon's Quest still rules.

[GreatScawt]

Tetris 99 has an event this weekend to get the classic Gameboy theme. The theme is SO GOOD.
You need to get 100 event points to get the theme. I've gotten anywhere from 4 points (70th place or so), to 20 points (10th and 5th place). I'm pretty sure you get loads more if you get a podium. But it doesn't take too long, even if you get 4 pts / game.

[Tom Servo]

It's definitely faithful to the original, brought back a lot of memories.

[Rare White Ape]

Tom, linky-poo for you mate.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-05-20-the-castlevania-anniversary-collection-isnt-perfect-but-it-shows-there-are-signs-of-life-within-konami

[Tom Servo]

linky-poo

I feel like I need to call an adult.

[Rare White Ape]

Well I hope you at least clicky-wickied the linky-winky and had a ready-weedy :)

[Yw-slayer]

I went nuts and bought Yoshi's Crafted World, Smash Bros, Bayonetta, and Mario x Rabbids.

[Kchrpm]

I've already used a voucher to pre-order Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (and then bought the DLC pack), and will use the second half on Link's Awakening.

But, in the meantime, I purchased Motorsport Manager for Switch and fell back into it just like I was in my phone a couple years ago. Running an endurance race team is right up my alley. I wish the endurance races were longer, though, you can easily split every race into 3 stints for your three drivers, and there's no opportunity to double stint your tires.

[GreatScawt]

Couldn't find a Super Mario Maker 2 thread... so I'll just post this here:

Maker ID: 7Y5-MBH-57G

Only have one level made so far (XQF-KFN-MVG)

[Blerpa]

Nintendo Switch Lite is official (https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/10/18693262/nintendo-switch-lite-price-release-date-features)

199 dollars, no detachable joycons, better d-pad, smaller display (5.5 vs 6.2), same resolution (720p), no more adjustable brightness, slightly better battery life, 3 colours (grey, yellow and turquoise), no compatible with kickstand, no possible to connect to a TV. Wi-fi, BT, NFC still present.

" The Nintendo Switch Lite device can play all games in the Nintendo Switch library that support handheld mode, Nintendo says, noting that “some games will have restrictions.” " Oh boy.

MEH for me, but I'm not sold about the original Switch either.

[Kchrpm]

The DS replacement! Each kid gets one!

[Rare White Ape]

I like it, but I won’t be buying one. I’ve already got a Switch! However I’m watching closely for any announcement of the previously rumoured Switch Pro.

But somewhat weirdly, if it was even smaller (iPhone plus size or smaller) I’d be more interested.

[Rare White Ape]

MEH for me, but I'm not sold about the original Switch either.

Yeah nah, if you’re not sold now you never will be.

Though I do strongly recommend you at least try Breath of the Wild on an emulator. If you like it enough then that might be worth buying a 2nd-hand Switch to play it everywhere you go.

CemU for the WiiU version, Yuzu for the Switch version.

You’ll get access to fully portable Doom, Wolfenstein and Skyrim too, don’t forget.

Just sayin.

[dodint]

Neat, a Sony PSP.

;)

[MR2 Fan]

"Hey, can you get the switch lite" ..........lights go off

"NO, not the light switch, the Switch Lite"

[Blerpa]

Yeah nah, if you’re not sold now you never will be.

Though I do strongly recommend you at least try Breath of the Wild on an emulator. If you like it enough then that might be worth buying a 2nd-hand Switch to play it everywhere you go.
CemU for the WiiU version, Yuzu for the Switch version.
You’ll get access to fully portable Doom, Wolfenstein and Skyrim too, don’t forget.
Just sayin.

I'm not just that kind of player. When I'm travelling I'm usually listening music or watching a tv series/YouTube or I'm with company, so no videogames.
And I'm not much of a mobile player either (Got sucked into Motorsport Manager 3 for almost a month, shrugged it off. Then it has been 2 weeks that I'm playing AFKarena on my phone, but getting bored as well).
When I'm at home... well, I've my gaming PC, and the old rig (till the PSU won't explode again) hooked to the 4K tv to mimic a 4K console with old games (i.e. Grid Autosport = 4K 30fps stable with same levels of details as a current gen console).

So, I've not much use for it. Also I've never been into Nintendo games with the exception of Zelda.
I've tried BotW Wii U with Cemu on my rig: it went smooth at 30fps in 1080p with enhanced stuff (new Cemu version and some fiddling fixed any lag).
It was fun, then the emulator wasn't capable of loading it anymore.
While it was fun I wasn't exactly sold on the playability of the character (compared to The Witcher 3 which I'm still playing) and on some part of the graphics: the cel shading look seems to me unfinished and unpolished, and everything seems to be smeared with some kind of misty veil of very light greyness (dunno if I'm able to explain properly the result).
So, good but not masterpiece to me.

I've played all those games: finished Doom on my rig, finished all the Wolfenstein games that ever came out (beside the latest one DLCs and the disappeared game from 2004 - that gave me continous motion sickness), Skyrim played both standard and Special Edition finishing the main quest years before deciding to finally uninstall it (The Witcher 3 surpassed Skyrim and is now my open world fantasy game to go when on PC), and I don't usually replay games.

I don't discuss the merits of the Switch (which are going to be moot on the Lite, which is just a Gameboy Advance or DS successor) but really there's no appeal to me to spend over 400 euro to get the standard console, the pro controller and a copy of BotW.
I'd be better off buying a second hand Wii U and an used copy of BotW, but then I'd rather buy an used Xbox One S (which I'm pondering to do) as a cheap 4K blu-ray player to use with my 4K tv.

And yes, Nate is right: PSP (Vita) vibes!

[Kchrpm]

The Verge: Nintendo announces updated Switch with better battery life.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/17/20697601/nintendo-switch-new-model-battery-life-improvements

The standard version of the Switch is being updated with a new chip that will greatly increase battery life. The battery range will now be 4.5-9 hours. The price and name will remain the same.

The Verge: One of Nintendo’s new Joy-Con color schemes is basically Waluigi-themed.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/17/20697700/nintendo-switch-joy-con-purple-orange-blue-yellow-waluigi

Also, new color combinations for JoyCon will be released: purple and orange (!!!), and blue and yellow.

[Rare White Ape]

Time to check the internet and see how angerrry ppl are about this new Switch.

Because they sure were angry about the Lite.

[Yw-slayer]

People love to get angry about everything.

[Rare White Ape]

I thought it was hilarious.

The people were upset about a device that’s not marketed to them.

What they really want is an Xbox One X or a PS4 Pro, but with a Nintendo badge on it. That’s simply never going to happen.

Anyway I checked Eurogamer and the comments (https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-07-17-new-nintendo-switch-version-will-have-longer-battery-life#comments) for the updated regular Switch were all about poo, so that’s restored my faith in humanity.

[Tom Servo]

I'm only slightly perturbed that I bought a little bit too early. Then again, I've had yet to have the battery give up on me, so I guess it's a moot point.

[Kchrpm]

I was really excited about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 when it was announced, and then started to get worried that, past the fan service, it was going to be simple and shallow. The first demo I played didn't help, but that's because I didn't fully understand what was going on. With the full game, and a better grasp of the full controls, I've fallen in love with the game. I have issues with some of the late game elements, but in general I think they did a fantastic job and I'm so happy that I can enjoy it in a cinematic way on my TV at home, or at lunch, or at a restaurant with a friend, or just sitting on the couch with an endurance race on the TV.

[GreatScawt]

I did a thing with my Switch... very pleased with it.

https://i.imgur.com/PDLQZh2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CazY2qf.jpg

Got it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MKTZYTP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CUGpDb3RMYEPG

Also upgraded to metal locks on the joycons, and got an extra pair of joysticks if they start to suck. The tools that came with this kit ended up being much better than what came with the shell: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R6RRF74/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_rWGpDb4CWS2V0

[Tom Servo]

Anybody else playing Astral Chain? It's pretty fun so far, and as an old man I am grateful for casual difficulty and a thorough tutorial section.

[Rare White Ape]

I’ve got it but haven’t had much of a chance to play it. Only done the first mission after the first visit to the police station so far.

[Jason]

I picked up Fire Emblem, Astral Chain, and Dragon Quest XI.... I'm good for the next few months

But if course there's a Direct today 😅

[Rare White Ape]

Overwatch
DOOM 64!!!
SNES games
AC Black Flag
Jedi Knight II and III
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Xenoblade Chronicles
Trials of Mana (bewbs)
The Return of the Obra Dinn
Deadly Premonition 2 (waaaaat?)


That was a good Direct. Switch is in a really good place right now.

And I finally spent some quality time with Astral Chain. The game has opened up and it has some sweet combat.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TVE44feo_I


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwB-45UbmVU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdoVBbZ0Z9o

[Tom Servo]

I am definitely not having the buyer's remorse, though Pilotwings sucks a lot more than I remember.

If we get to N64 games and get Wave Race, though, I am willing to bet that game is still awesome.

[Rare White Ape]

Oh yeah, it’s still awesome. I played it on an emulator recently.

But with the clock speed being as it is, it’ll run at 20fps and look terrible. Simply pushing up the frame rate would increase the game speed unfortunately.

Unless you had access to the source code… and we already know that Nintendo is extremely averse to modifying software that they’ve already published unless it’s a full remake.

[Tom Servo]

Hah, that reminds me of my first time playing Wing Commander, where what was supposed to be like a 5 minute dogfight took about 3.8 seconds and you had no idea what happened.

[Rare White Ape]

UUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1orju1NsN8

[Jason]

I've had an "expensive" September, but thank Bowser for credit card rewards, as my total out of pocket costs have been close to zero for the below:


Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Fantastic strategy RPG, with an interesting overall premise. It gets a bit bogged down by all the person stories each of the many characters have, but I imagine there's a lot of people that are interested in that. I'm part way through my second of four overall paths one can take (80ish hours). Unfortunately the first half of each path seems to be the same, from what I can tell. But the latter half is where things are different. After I get through this second path, I'll likely take a break to get to the other stuff below, then come back to this later sometime.
Astral Chain - Only played a couple hours so far, but I can tell it's quality already. Action game with RPG elements? Action RPG? I never know how to categorize things these days. Great overall style, and the fighting system is really interesting with the chained legion characters.
GRID Autosport - Possibly the first sim-ish racing game on Switch. I'm surprised to like it as much as I do. It seems to be more focused on racing vs car collecting, which is good. It looks very good in handheld, but kinda falls apart in docked mode. But that's ok, if I want to race on my TV, I have better games (imo). A little bit of a bummer that there's no analog triggers on Switch, but the dual stick setup, ala GT of years past, works pretty well.
Link's Awakening - Haven't played yet, but the original Game Boy game was one of my favorites way back when. I'm hoping by the time I get to this, there will be a performance patch, or an update that allows for the blur to be turned off... but even if not, I'm sure I'll enjoy the hell out of this.
Dragon Quest XI - Played a few hours of the demo, then set it down, because I didn't want to get too deep into it when I had other games to get through. As someone who's generally enjoyed JRPGs, I'm surprised I have never played a DQ game before. I'm so happy that I got this one though. It's wonderfully charming in almost every way, and the world looks huge. The usual turn based battle system, and options that come with it look solid as well.
Untitled Goose Game - Just played this last night with the "help" of my girlfriend, an amazing wonderful little "puzzler" where you play a goose and harass villagers to accomplish your goals. I couldn't stop laughing. Some of the little challenges were surprisingly difficult too!


Separately, I also finally played a couple hours of GRIS. An art heavy, simple/easy platformer. It's just amazing to look at, I basically bought it to support the artists behind it, I'd almost rather watch someone else play it, but the visual quality would take a hit watching a stream vs playing it myself, and that'd be a big bummer. The whole game is hand drawn, and colored in with mostly water colors for a beautiful effect.

For my tastes, and gaming availability, the Switch has easily become my favorite system of all time, it's kinda crazy considering how skeptical of it I was way back when it was rumored.

[Rare White Ape]

Link’s awakening is amazing. This might sound odd, but play it on a 5.1 system if you can. The dungeon soundscape/atmosphere is incredible.

I got the collectors edition with the art book and the GameBoy case. It’s such a wonderfully produced product.

[M4FFU]

So, who *isn't* playing AC:NH? :D

[Yw-slayer]

Me?

[dodint]

Assassins Creed New Hampshire?

[Yw-slayer]

Aggressive Coronavirus: Non-existent Healthcare?

[GreatScawt]

You're welcome

3517

[Blerpa]

Me?

[Jason]

You're welcome

3517

:Lol:

[M4FFU]

Aggressive Coronavirus: Non-existent Healthcare?

Ha.nice.

GOTY already for me. It's a beautiful game, and that's just the aquarium in the museum.

[Yw-slayer]

I have a ton of Switch games to play. I'm in love with Mario + Rabbids. I have yet to even open Bomberman and Luigi's Mansion.

Happily, I now have access to the HK Nintendo store.

Sadly, the selection there sucks bad and I can no longer buy games on the US store unless I have a US Paypal or credit card account (which I don't). Or, I think, if I buy Nintendo USA gift cards from a local vendor by braving the zombievirus, or online (both possible, I suppose).

[M4FFU]

Friiiiend coooooode!

[Jason]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/687660375336121/

[Yw-slayer]

Friiiiend coooooode!

Don't actually know where it is. Will have a look later though!

[Rare White Ape]

Home screen > click on your user icon (top left)

It’s in there somewhere.

[Tom Servo]

Just got to the day where resident services closes and I lose my streak on the Nook Shop and can't get tickets to go to islands and WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME IN MY ISOLATION TIME, ANIMAL CROSSING?!?!?

[Jason]

Your streak stays when they re-open :)

[Tom Servo]

WOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[Yw-slayer]

Home screen > click on your user icon (top left)

It’s in there somewhere.

SW-0505-2229-5222

[Rare White Ape]

I've sent ya a request. If you see the name Mick, please don't freak out. It's just me.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdTacasYF6s

I thought I had posted about this game here already, but it includes 51 different board, card, toy sports, motion-based games, and more games. This video goes into detail on a number of the games, without showing all of them like a couple of the official trailers have.

44 of the 51 games can be played online, with friends or via simple matchmaking: you select three games, and it matches you with people with an overlapping selection.

Edit: Actually, here's the video from Nintendo that shows every game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-DsOVUYxXw


Edit again: This one has even more info!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyiKE3v9P5o

[Rare White Ape]

If you scroll backwards through this thread, you'll see that I state numerous times that a new Pokemon game will drive Switch sales up over the 100-million mark.

I was wrong.

It's Animal Crossing that will drive the sales that high.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-08-06-the-latest-animal-crossing-new-horizons-sales-are-just-astonishing

[Jason]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Nintendo_Switch_video_games

They really did knock it out of the park with their first three years of releases.

Not sure what the future holds, since COVID-19 seems to have knocked them off their game, so to speak.

[Rare White Ape]

There is still Metroid Prime 4 and the BotW sequel. I feel they will be the swan song of the console when it’s time to introduce its successor.

This year we are still waiting for the announcements regarding the re-release of a bunch of Mario titles for the 35th anniversary, supposedly to happen next month!

[Rare White Ape]

And Pikmin 3 Deluxe just got announced.

[Rare White Ape]

Mario stuff announced:

Super Mario 3D Allstars: single release containing SM64, Sunshine and Galaxy 1 (but no Galaxy 2). Limited release in both physical form and digital: limited number of physical copies to be produced and digital version will be removed from sale in March next year, comes out Sept 18th.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit: A physical R/C go-kart that you drive around your house via the Switch console, with AR software that turns your living room into a Mario Kart circuit. Will be available with either a Mario or Luigi kart. Available October 16th.

Super Mario 3D World remake: classic WiiU title ported to Switch with extra Bowser's Fury chapter, for release in January.

Super Mario Bros. 35: a Tetris 99-inspired battle royale game where 35 players compete against each other. Free, via eShop-only, for online subscribers only, also limited in timing available from October 1st and will be removed in March.

Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch: a new G&W loaded with Super Mario Bros., OG Japanese SMB 2 (AKA The Lost Levels) and a few other bits of software. PRE-ORDER NOW!

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-09-03-everything-announced-in-nintendos-super-mario-bros-35th-anniversary-direct


https://youtu.be/EEtAKuIQXlU

[Kchrpm]

From Bloomberg:
Several outside game developers, speaking anonymously as the issue is private, said that Nintendo has asked them to make their games 4K-ready, suggesting a resolution upgrade is on its way.

[Kchrpm]

More info on the new Switch, confirmed by anonymous sources but no one officially.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-23/nintendo-to-use-new-nvidia-graphics-chip-in-2021-switch-upgrade

7 inch OLED screen, new chip from Nvidia that supports DLSS (AI-based resolution boosting), and a holiday 2021 release.

[Rare White Ape]

Ooooh DLSS!

I hope they patch in support for it into older games like BoTW.

I've played it in 4k on an emulator and it looks amazing.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yM3ppz0Zt8

[FaultyMario]

New 64GB OLED model announced. 10/Oct launch.

Bruno: Consoles are supposed to be bought 2 months after launch.
Me: Ok!

[Rare White Ape]

Looks cool. Not enough new features to justify it, so therefore I don’t have to buy one!

I’m sure there are scores of people erroneously expecting a 4K-enabled doodad who are coming away disappointed.

[Rare White Ape]

I consulted the internet. Can confirm: butthurt abounds.

[Yw-slayer]

Looks cool. Not enough new features to justify it, so therefore I don’t have to buy one!

I agree.

[Tom Servo]

Heck, if you have a memory card in yours to boost storage, it sounds like it will make literally no difference if you use it docked and just a minor one otherwise.

Would totally buy that one if I didn't have a Switch, but 100% not worth the upgrade. I'm actually kinda happy about that.

[Rare White Ape]

A Nintendo Direct just aired. Biggest news to most of us is that Nintendo Switch Online is being upgraded towards the end of October with a higher subscription tier, which will include Mega Drive and N64 games. And to play them, they’re releasing wireless Mega Drive and N64 controllers!

Also Wreckfest!

Smashing.

[Kchrpm]

Playlist of trailers, but not all announcements: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2JiZAV5BmDXQ-_EzUCSZ63fk7MAh9eMf

Full direct


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG9fAtmYdlM

[Kchrpm]

The Animal Crossing update had a somewhat shocking amount of new content, both free and in paid DLC, all in-line with the franchise (so there's no new action gameplay with the sports equipment you have or anything), but still a TON of stuff to do if you want be a shopper, gatherer or designer.

IGN Article: https://www.ign.com/articles/animal-crossing-new-horizons-dlc-happy-home-paradise

YouTube Videos:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ3QC8e1_yg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNsGXJ6Cl00

[Rare White Ape]

The N64 and Mega Drive controllers went on sale yesterday but the N64 ones sold out before 11am.

I found out today :(

[Rikadyn]

SW-7567-8910-0988

[Rare White Ape]

Feels like I am in the late 90s again :)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCobD7JX0AYsvVr?format=jpg&name=large

[Rare White Ape]

Nice up-res, but heavy input lag. I’m using the console undocked with side JoyCons.

[Kchrpm]

People are also reporting audio bugs, incorrect control mapping or just mapping graphics, and Mario Kart tells you to insert an N64 memory card to save your game.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah the memory card thing is just from the games being straight ROMs loaded into the emulator without any additional emulation of memory cards (which is what PC N64 emulators have done for decades). I saw someone saying it was a problem with the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console releases, but either nobody cared back then or everyone forgot, and are now using it is a way to bash Nintendo.

Regarding controller layouts, again it's down to there being no updates to the original ROMs. If you had an N64 controller with the 6-button A/B/C layout it would be much easier. The C-buttons are now on the right joystick. The only time I've ever seen the UI for that being changed was in the Ocarina Bonus Disc on Gamecube.

Genuine issues are the input lag (which was also an issue way back with Wii VC), audio lag, and really crappy implementation of online multiplayer.

Good thing is, I have now played a bit of Starfox 64 on my 4K TV and it looks glorious. 720p scales perfectly to 4K if you multiply each axis by 3, so the pixels are unbelievably clean. A PC emu would let you scale to native 4K though...

[Kchrpm]

Nintendo has clarified/emphasized that there will be future paid updates to Animal Crossing, just no more free ones, and that got me thinking. The Animal Crossing DLC is free with the annual subscription, and the N64 emulation is hot garbage. Is the actual selling point for this annual subscription going to be that all first party DLC will be included?

Because, if it's just shitty emulation and one DLC, I'm going to continue to feel really effing stupid for getting it.

[Rare White Ape]

Hey I paid for it and I'm not... oh, wait :(

[Tom Servo]

If anybody else is still playing ACNH, the big 2.0 update came out yesterday. Lots of new stuff got added.

[Rare White Ape]

I’m pretty sure Keeeeeeeeef plays it.

[Kchrpm]

Indeed, I've been playing the update for a couple days now. Made a couple vacation homes for happy customers earlier today!

[Tom Servo]

Getting Redd a shop on Harv's Island is going to save a lot of my sanity.

[Kchrpm]

Making the vacation homes has proven to be fun just because you're given so much freedom. The clients are not picky (they give you a theme and ~3 items that must be included), and then the game makes a category for all the items it thinks fit the theme as well. You're not limited to using those things, though, and whatever you do use is completely free. It's really just an excuse to build different kinds of rooms, for free, that you can visit later.

I haven't unlocked the building/business stuff yet, but I am looking forward to actually having a work pizza place that I get to design.

[Tom Servo]

The home/island design is probably my least favorite part of the game, so I'm still passing on the paid DLC. That said, if I get bored enough with the base game, maybe that'll change.

[Jason]

I might have to check out this update, but I’m terrified at how snarky my islanders are going to be since I haven’t seen them in like a year

[Tom Servo]

Just give them some full body tights, it'll smooth things right over.

[Rare White Ape]

Old news from a week ago, Nintendo Switch has outsold the Wii: 103m - 101m

And Switch is 5 years old, still on sale in the market with years left on its life. By comparison Wii production ended after 7 years.

It still has a way to go to beat the biggest selling Nintendo device, the DS which has 154m sold, or the king, PlayStation 2 with 155m.

[Kchrpm]

BOTW2 delayed to Spring 2023

[Jason]

Just in time for the Switch 2

[Tom Servo]

It's really not much more than "Wii Sports: Remastered", but I'm really enjoying Switch Sports.

[TheBenior]

I was at Target the other day and saw that they had Animal Crossing on sale for $40, and my daughter has wanted it for a bit, so I took advantage of a rare first party Nintendo sale and bought the last copy that they had.

[Tom Servo]

I'm still playing it after two years, that'll likely give her more than your money's worth in entertainment.

[TheBenior]

I figure it can also make reading fun for her.

[Rare White Ape]

An alert for anyone on the lookout for a Switch Nintendo 64 Controller: Nintendo Australia had a restock today so if they've been long since sold out in your region they may become available again soon and you won't have to pay $200 for one on eBay.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKB3WXRWTCM

[sandydandy]

Bought TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection. Looking forward to playing tonight. I very much love the first TMNT NES game that everyone thinks is too hard. Wasn't hard for me. I'll play that game and also the original arcade game.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ9Iz7HhU-I

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMdUSVSEp7U

The highlights that I've already purchased


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYZuiFDQwQw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9OQOJC1QII

[Rare White Ape]

They nailed this one pretty well. Game Boy and GBA games hell yeah! I'm a sucker to I have pre-ordered the Zelda TotK Collector's Edition.

And I'd be interested in Metroid Prime but I never got hooked into the GameCube original.

Plenty of other stuff on offer for fans of those other things too.

[Tom Servo]

I guess one of these days I should try to actually play through BotW. I stopped playing Animal Crossing when I made a trip to Austin last October and haven't touched the Switch since.

[Rare White Ape]

It isn't explained very well at all in the game (if it is, I haven't seen it) but if you make a mistake in assembling a contraption, you can separate a part by grabbing it as you normally would, then wiggle the right stick a few times and it'll pop off.

I had to Google for that.

Just be sure not to do that to a central part, or one with many pieces attached to it, as it removes all joint connections for that piece.

Moving on...

My playthrough has been okay so far. I replayed BotW a few months ago so wasn't super juiced to play more, but I'm pleasantly surprised that things are different enough to make it intriguing. The same-but-different experience of Hyrule is really cool.

But, I'm restarting the game because I decided to fire it up on Yuzu. This amounts to a day-and-a-half of progress being lost, but the extra resolution and framerate is very much worth it.

My 2nd trip through the starting sky island went in an entirely different direction and I discovered heaps of things I missed first time, leaving me much better equipped than before. If you're not an emulator guy, I highly recommend going back up to the island and seeking out these nooks and crannies. Hint: look for the dual-rail minecart track.

[Kchrpm]

Accidentally deleted my "Happy Zelda Day" post (getting a screenshot of how one accidentally deletes a post on the mobile site), but the energy remains. I've played a lot and enjoyed it a lot. I desperately need to upgrade my armor, because even standard bokoblins are melting my current total max 11 rated armor. I found one great fairy, but she made a request that I have no idea how to progress on. I haven't gotten to the point where I want to just find a guide yet, I keep assuming I'll stumble onto the right thing as I have for so many other things.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah I am the same. I am avoiding ANY articles on stuff in the game. I like to find out for myself. I'd be posting here more but I'm conscious of spoilering it for you and others who might be doing the same.

I've found 3 fairy fountains now and interacted with 2. Yeah... got no idea.

Sadly this time round I have way less time to really dive deeply into it (I booked a week off work when that came out) so it has been a slow burn for me. I only completed the Rito sky ark temple thing yesterday. That adventure up through the floating islands and into the storm above Hebra Mountains built itself really well. Music, atmosphere... everything!

[Kchrpm]

I took a the day off work, but ended up only having the morning. I've been sneaking in 20 minutes here and there during lunch and breaks at work, and my semi-regular sim racing nights with a friend have just become we both play Zelda nights.

[Rare White Ape]

Hiiiiiiiiii

https://i.imgur.com/zGBYmKZ.png

[Kchrpm]

WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!

[Rare White Ape]

Of what?

That's not a shield. That's me.

My legs and feet may look odd, but I promise you that's really what I look like.

[Rare White Ape]

I figured out how you can replace images with other images in the save folder on PC.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/478028724378271745/1160881653766443029/Screenshot_886-1.png?ex=6536464a&is=6523d14a&hm=195f66f82dce11fc85f95fc95905dde495d691d2060c269 481763bc628c3ab30&

[Kchrpm]

A nice Direct today with a strong finish. Go to Nintendo's YouTube page for all of the trailers, and I'm dropping in a couple below. The Direct itself also has some game updates announced, like basketball in their Switch Sports game. Motion controlled basketball baby!

https://www.youtube.com/@NintendoAmerica/videos

Zelda gets her own game, in a Link's Awakening style world, coming at the end of September.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94RTrH2erPE

Metroid Prime 4 finally! Coming in 2025


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMAgmdR8jwU