Looking forward to "NX"? (aka The Switch Thread)

[Sumez]

Odyssey is on the shortlist. Will pick it up some time, it just keeps being expensive, like every other Mario game ever.
Pretty much all the Wii U games that are coming out for Switch, I already have on Wii U. :\

Gotta say though, maybe my expectations were a bit low due to all the complaining I've heard, but I really don't have any issues with the controller(s). It's not the best, but it works fine for me. The analog sticks are a bit weird, but I think it's just a matter of getting used to them.

[BryanM]

So I just got a Switch, and I can't think of one single thing to get for it. Why did society push me into purchasing this trash?

The switch is a Disgaea 5 machine. If you have no interest in Disgaea, or any portable to kill time while waiting around in hospitals, what reason could one have had to get it?

[Sumez]

I'm kinda behind on the Disgaea series. Haven't started on the first one yet.

I noticed this on the eshop today: http://www.alpha-unit.ne.jp/content/whip/top_en.html

Looks like a throwback to earlier bubble bobble games; it even has one of the Zuntata guys doing the music. Never heard of Alpha Unit before, anyone else have thoughts on this?

This looks really cool, but I can't see any coverage of the game at all, and it's not in the Switch eShop either. But according to the website it was supposed to have come out in June?

[BrianC]

I'm kinda behind on the Disgaea series. Haven't started on the first one yet.

I noticed this on the eshop today: http://www.alpha-unit.ne.jp/content/whip/top_en.html

Looks like a throwback to earlier bubble bobble games; it even has one of the Zuntata guys doing the music. Never heard of Alpha Unit before, anyone else have thoughts on this?

This looks really cool, but I can't see any coverage of the game at all, and it's not in the Switch eShop either. But according to the website it was supposed to have come out in June?

It's on the US eShop.

[Marc]

Luigi's Mansion 3! Really excited for this, actually considering picking up a 3DS just to play the remake of the original. That Capcom fighting pack sounds mighty nice as well. Still no F-Zero makes me sad though.

[TransatlanticFoe]

That Capcom collection, damn. Also seems to be all formats now too. Understandable but still a shame there's no Alien vs. Predator, great to see Battle Circuit finally getting a run out though. Captain Commando and Knights of the Round were both occasional rotations at my town's pizza place when I was a kid, genuinely looking forward to this and hoping it's not going to be really shoddy emulation.

More quickie WiiU ports too, hopefully we'll get Mario 3D World/Land (whichever isn't the 3DS one!) and Xenoblade X at some point too, then I'll not have cause to track down a WiiU for just a couple of titles!

[Shelcoof]

I feel like I'm the only one that didn't care much for this Nintendo direct

[ZellSF]

I liked it, because they announced that Katamari Damacy is getting a remaster for PC.

I have no idea why they're remastering the 2D Mario games over Super Mario 3D World. Maybe they don't want to eat into Super Mario Odyssey's sales yet. It's all I need to replace my Wii U with a Switch.

They announced ports of all the easily portable Final Fantasy games (VII, IX, X, X-2, XII). Which is going to be nice for Switch owners, but if they don't improve the VII port from the PS4 version then I have to warn people it's sort of a bad port. Part of it due to music issues and part of it due to pretty poor scaling, so I'm not optimistic about a 720p port. The others should be fine though, they're not definitive editions either, but I feel they're not as broken as VII.

Also more bad online handling by Nintendo. Cloud saves are optional (for developers), they won't keep cloud saves for a short grace period after your subscription runs out and if you want to play those NES games your subscription entitles you to, you have to check in with Nintendo weekly.

[JBC]

This has become my favorite modern console. I would say it's my favorite to come along since the Sega Saturn.

We still need a StarFox & a Pikmin but they will probably come.

Cap'd off Mario Odyssey yesterday & have been playing a bit of Captain Toad today. I had Captain Toad on the WiiU but traded it towards the new version since it's priced well. Seems to look & run a bit smoother. Such a fun game.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Can you invert the y axis in Captain Toad? I enjoyed the demo but there weren't any camera options so was fighting the camera the whole time because of 20 odd years playing with inverted y axis.

[JBC]

Can you invert the y axis in Captain Toad? I enjoyed the demo but there weren't any camera options so was fighting the camera the whole time because of 20 odd years playing with inverted y axis.

I just checked & you can.

[Vexorg]

I think I'd be more interested in seeing a remake of Super Mario Galaxy, but can imagine that would be tough due to it being pretty tied to the Wiimote controls.

[JBC]

Prediction:

I think it's about time for a special type of remaster to begin appearing & the Switch would be a wonderful home for them. I imagine them as 'Double Development' editions of legacy titles capitalizing on nostalgia. Rather than just upscale last gen's best why not go further back into the 4:3 era? Basically like Wind Waker HD but for titles from N64 & earlier. Keep them looking like the games we know & love, but extend the viewable area for 16:9 & make revisions to accomodate for it. Then, pack the game full of new material & effectively double it's content. Priced at a budget & sold on the eShop, this type of remaster would be wildly successful. With enough new additions to pique the curiosity of old fans, surely titles like Mario 64 & Ocarina would be a huge draw. This would be especially true if previously single player experiences were suddenly adapted for multiplayer in the right ways. It could even happen for 2D titles from decades past.

[BryanM]

Expanding old games has been pretty popular with the huge blockbuster Squeenix RPG remakes, but they only do so to a very moderate degree. I don't know how much value going big has over doing a new title, like A Link Between Worlds or Mario Maker, as the same amount of work has to be done either way. And the advertising bandwidth is as finite as ever.

The Mario 64 mod scene is popular enough, that I think a Mario 64+ Maker could do very very well.

It is worth noting how much value we got from Super Mario All-Stars, which had more than half of it cut for Super Mario Deluxe for the GBC, and then how absolutely and totally ripped off we were with the GBA Mario ports. And now you can like, rent one of them for like $20 a year if you happen to also own a Switch and have an internet subscription.

... we're getting increasingly hosed, aren't we.

[BrianC]

I think I'd be more interested in seeing a remake of Super Mario Galaxy, but can imagine that would be tough due to it being pretty tied to the Wiimote controls.

The joycon are capable of similar controls, though.

[Sumez]

I think I'd be more interested in seeing a remake of Super Mario Galaxy, but can imagine that would be tough due to it being pretty tied to the Wiimote controls.

It's not really. The waggle only activates a move that would be more intuitive as a button press, and the P2 aiming stuff is a novelty that I wager most people never used anyway.

There's some gyro control thing going on with the mini-games (which are really not central to the whole game), but the Switch still has that. It could do the waggle too (Odyssey uses it for extra auto-aim on cap throws), but I'd rather be without it, as it's not pleasant in handheld mode

[JBC]

It would take a lot of work to put an old favorite back in the oven. You couldn't just throw anything new in & expect it to be well received. If you're going to advertise a new version of Mario 64 the additional content would have to be of amazing quality for fans to be satisfied.

That said, there would also be quite a few advantages to this approach over churning out a totally new title. For one, the game wouldn't tax the hardware so you would be free from most restraints. Secondly, you have a pre existing audience that's been building for decades. Critically, the titles would have to be priced low & possibly offered as digital only. I feel like the number of downloads would be staggering & justify the effort it would take to supe-up an old game, especially if an added multiplayer component caught on.

With games like Minecraft & Fortnight being so unbelievably successful I feel like we're in an era where people don't care about graphics so much anymore. Additionaly, in this day & age sometimes old is better than new. Freshening up an old favorite & making it a social experience only seems like a way to print money.

[Sumez]

Ok, but Switch is already the console that's almost exclusively getting old games (ranging from remasters, re-releases from Wii-U, or just PS4 games 1-2 years later), so I it's not really what I miss the most

[ZellSF]

Prediction:

I think it's about time for a special type of remaster to begin appearing & the Switch would be a wonderful home for them. I imagine them as 'Double Development' editions of legacy titles capitalizing on nostalgia. Rather than just upscale last gen's best why not go further back into the 4:3 era? Basically like Wind Waker HD but for titles from N64 & earlier. Keep them looking like the games we know & love, but extend the viewable area for 16:9 & make revisions to accomodate for it. Then, pack the game full of new material & effectively double it's content. Priced at a budget & sold on the eShop, this type of remaster would be wildly successful. With enough new additions to pique the curiosity of old fans, surely titles like Mario 64 & Ocarina would be a huge draw. This would be especially true if previously single player experiences were suddenly adapted for multiplayer in the right ways. It could even happen for 2D titles from decades past.

I think you're overestimating how much old games sell and how much value people think enhanced ports would add.

[Immryr]

Ok, but Switch is already the console that's almost exclusively getting old games (ranging from remasters, re-releases from Wii-U, or just PS4 games 1-2 years later), so I it's not really what I miss the most

yeah, for the switch to be interesting to me it needs new games. currently it has mario odyssey and splatoon 2.... that's insane considering it's been out a year and a half already.

[BryanM]

I think you're overestimating how much old games sell and how much value people think enhanced ports would add.

In a way it could be the sort of thing a "Netflix for games" service could use - original content. But Nintendo ain't doing a Netflix for games. And it introduces the same problem they had with having a home console and portable - it splits their marketbase.

After over two decades of their mobile console being their #1 seller, it's kind of nice they've taken the hint and focused.

Who knows - maybe their experiment with Dragalia Lost is a sincere effort to get into the budget game market? I'm a bit lost why it isn't available for the Switch immediately, however. (Just Nintendo being Nintendo, right?)

Stuff like Dragalia Lost seems more likely to be successful than a subscription service anyway.

....... all I know is I really kind of wanted a Switch for Splatoon 2 + Mario Kart multiplayer, but now that's pay to play, that desire's gone away.

[Vexorg]

Breath of the Wild is a pretty strong system seller for the Switch too, although that got a simultaneous release on Wii U as well.

With the Switch and its ports I think a lot of the attraction comes from the fact that even if the games are a bit older they are often available in a portable form for the first time, which makes them a lot more accessible. In my case most of the time I have to play games these days is on the bus or train, and it's nice to be able to catch up on some of the stuff I missed previously when it gets a Switch port. PC and console games have their place, but I just don't have the time to bother with either anymore.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Can you invert the y axis in Captain Toad? I enjoyed the demo but there weren't any camera options so was fighting the camera the whole time because of 20 odd years playing with inverted y axis.

I just checked & you can.

Cheers, definitely adding this one to the list to pick up then!

[evil_ash_xero]

How is Octopath Traveler? I have it sitting here, but I have been too bogged down with Monster Hunter (finally cleared it), and now DQ XI.

How's the story? I played the demo, and the combat system seemed fun. Not sure how I feel about the blurry look of the game, though.

[BrianC]

How is Octopath Traveler? I have it sitting here, but I have been too bogged down with Monster Hunter (finally cleared it), and now DQ XI.

How's the story? I played the demo, and the combat system seemed fun. Not sure how I feel about the blurry look of the game, though.

I like it quite a bit, but the stories for each characters don't feel very connected. The only interaction between them is optional side dialog. The actual stories aren't bad on their own, though.

[JBC]

I played the demo of Octopath with a few different characters & loved the gameplay side of things. I can't speak for the story because I skipped through all the text in order to maximize my progress due to the time limit. I'm not a lore guy at all so this type of game doesn't really hold up for me, but it was so visually interesting I wanted to check it out. I can say that the forest hunter lady's Old English dialogue is an insufferable deal breaker, but from what I played the actual combat & exploration was satisfying.

[Specineff]

Alongside Sonic 1, Thunderforce IV is coming to the Switch... as "Lightening" Force. >_<

I know it's minor, but couldn't they have used the original name or correct the mis-spelling?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKK-5AwLMq8

[BrianC]

Alongside Sonic 1, Thunderforce IV is coming to the Switch... as "Lightening" Force. >_<

I know it's minor, but couldn't they have used the original name or correct the mis-spelling?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKK-5AwLMq8

It still has the Thunder Force IV version AFAIK (it should be the same, but Lightening Force didn't show up as purchased on the US eshop, though the other game I bought on the JP shop, Sonic, does), though I bought it from the JP store not knowing it was coming today.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Perhaps they're defaulting to Lightening Force for you because that's how it was released in the US? It's Thunder Force IV in the UK shop, but you can choose in game between playing that or Lightening Force. TFIV is the Japanese release, with the PAL version omitted entirely.

There's a new "kid's mode" where you never lose your power ups on death and respawn with a single shield and claws. Enemy patterns seem the same but everything's had their HP reduced to around that of regular easy mode.

Not played about with it but there's an option to remove slowdown. Standard for M2 - states it's only for where the MD hardware chokes and doesn't remove any intentionally programmed slowdown

Styx is unlockable after clearing the game (any mode, any difficulty, continues allowed) but haven't used it yet - the manual states different weapons so it might have the TFIII weapon set to compensate for no thunder sword.

Graphical options are scanlines, smoothing, and a dedicated retro CRT effect.

[BrianC]

Perhaps they're defaulting to Lightening Force for you because that's how it was released in the US? It's Thunder Force IV in the UK shop, but you can choose in game between playing that or Lightening Force. TFIV is the Japanese release, with the PAL version omitted entirely.

yeah, I have the JP version, and, oddly enough, it only lets me choose between JP TFIV and Lightening Force, despite defaulting to TFIV with an English title and not syncing with the US store version like Sonic. No real reason to play the PAL version over the JP one, though. It doesn't default to Lightening Force for me, that's just what it changes to for the "International" version.