Nintendo Switch

[AOS-]

Yo SubSpace is back!

I laughed out loud at some of the escape attempts they made when the lasers came blasting through.

 

[Com Fox]

Saddened that 2 of my 3 mains pretty much doomed others. Fox lead nearly everyone to their deaths, and Sonic slowed down for Pikachu because Pikachu was too slow

As for Yoshi, he wasn't on screen but I bet yah he also lead someone to their death.

 

[Brend]

Yeah, World of Light alone makes this a day one buy for me.

And just when I thought the theme of this game couldn’t get better, they add singing to it.

I dont know why but since I wasn’t expecting vocals, it really took me offguard and I teared up a bit

Game looks phenomenal, I see loads of people disappointed since it doesnt meet expectations that were made up from fake leaks.

 

[Com Fox]

I never really play anyone outside of Fox, Yoshi or Pikachu so new characters doesn't excite me enough to be disappointed.

 

[Com Fox]

We had a menu tour around Smash Ultimate:

• There is no Stadium modes
• There is no Stage Builder
• Aside from the Spirits, Customs seems to be locked to only Miis and Amiibos
• We also have a look at Classic Mode for Ryu and Isabelle. Ryu Classic Mode is 1 on 1 Stamina Battles in Omega Stages, while Isabelle Classic Mode is multiple battle royals against female characters.

 

[Wolfe]

I'm a little disappointed by the new additions to the roster, but Spirits are an understandable and appreciable consolation (and a nice pun ). Based on how they addressed Rex and Xenoblade 2, I think Elma could be a shoo-in for DLC. The highlight for me was World of Light -- a shame it doesn't appear to involve any platforming levels, but it ought to serve nicely for singleplayer content.

 

[Com Fox]

I was low-key hoping for a FAST RMX based stage (perhaps Zvil Raceway because swinging platforms isn't normally done), but wasn't likely to happy so not bummed

As for Spirits, I hope it doesn't pull a Mario & Rabbids on me, and locks Pikachu, Fox or Yoshi until near the end of the game. Especially Pikachu, I want to unlock Pikachu before I fight to save Sonic. The fact Yoshi doesn't get unlocked until near the the end of rabbids was a minor reason why I didn't get the game (yes I am a bit picky like that). Kirby is nice to start but I think I'd just play as Kirby or Pichu if the characters I want are unlocked in the end

 

[Wolfe]

Somehow I missed that there's a public preview build of Hazelnut Bastille to go with its Kickstarter. I gave it a go and I'm very impressed. I recommend it for anyone with a half-okay PC or Mac (i5-6200U 2.3GHz, 8.0GB, integrated Intel HD 520 here).

The core of the gameplay is a little more retro than its art style suggests; it felt a bit clunky until I started getting used to my available abilities. TLoZ: A Link to the Past is the chief inspiration here, with 8-way movement and 4-way attacks, not to mention the similarities in spritework, but your basic sword stab and the enemy patterns are more like The Legend of Zelda. Of course, there are modern ideas and extra abilities layered on top of that foundation.

The music is good, with instrument samples and effects styled after the SNES's SPC chip, except with a cleaner sound since there's no need for lossy compression. The team even collaborated with Hiroki Kikuta (Secret of Mana) on some of the soundtrack.

The overworld and dungeon included in the preview (apparently exclusive to this preview, which is nifty) demonstrate a strong grasp of gameplay design, doing a smart job of introducing and building upon concepts. I had a couple fair head-scratcher moments in the dungeon, which puts its key item to good use, and a couple deaths while learning enemy patterns. The difficulty level is forgiving enough but punishes carelessness, and incentivizes gathering for trading/crafting but not to the point of grinding.

Throughout the artwork, music, and gameplay, it's evident the team really did their homework, balancing an authentic 16-bit homage with modern refinements. Definitely looking forward to the finished product. 👍 👍

 

[Com Fox]

Looking at the characters in Smash Ultimate, does anyone else feel off with how Legend of Zelda is represented?

I'm not a fan of Zelda, the only Zelda game I brought was Wind Waker HD and it just made me realized that Adventure games with Puzzles are not my kind of games but being one of Nintendos big IPs, seems to go in all directions with Smash.

It's already kind of weird that we haven't had a new Zelda character since Brawl (which was just a clone), it's even more weirder that we now have more Fire Emblem characters than Legend of Zelda characters.

Though the thing I find off is how their designs are based all over the place instead on a single game (not including Toon Link), at least when Fox jumped from 64 to Zero, Falco and Wolf joined him and it was consistent. No one joined Link when he jumped to BotW, Zelda goes completely other way and into Link Between Worlds?, and Ganondorf goes all the way back to Ocarina of Time. Twilight Princess might've been outdated but it made the Zelda characters in it consistent, I think they all should've jumped into Breath of the Wild style (or at least with Ganondorf a look-like) instead of looking like a complete mess when bundled up together.

 

[Wolfe]

I see what you mean, but I think in the case of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, people tend to envision those characters according to their favorite (the most popular) version, individually. Breath of the Wild's Link is popular now; BotW Zelda not so much. Ocarina of Time's Ganondorf is popular; OoT Link and Zelda not so much.

As for Zelda, I suppose it makes sense with how popular the 3DS is, but I can't say I've noticed adoration for that version of the character.

I'm not a fan of Zelda, the only Zelda game I brought was Wind Waker HD and it just made me realized that Adventure games with Puzzles are not my kind of games but being one of Nintendos big IPs, seems to go in all directions with Smash.

It's worth mentioning that the series has changed around a lot. I found Wind Waker to be a weak entry in the series, more than even Skyward Sword (which was fun to play in between its annoyances). I wasn't enthused by Majora's Mask, and I never even bothered with Twilight Princess. Although I like Ocarina of Time, in my opinion it represents the turning point when the series picked up bad habits and mixed up its priorities.

That's why Breath of the Wild was such a big deal. It is by far the most well-realized 3D Zelda for someone like me who grew up with the NES games and A Link to the Past, and evidently I was not alone.

Aside from BotW, I highly recommend A Link to the Past if you ever consider giving another series entry a try. 👍

 

[Com Fox]

I see what you mean, but I think in the case of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, people tend to envision those characters according to their favorite (the most popular) version, individually. Breath of the Wild's Link is popular now; BotW Zelda not so much. Ocarina of Time's Ganondorf is popular; OoT Link and Zelda not so much.

As for Zelda, I suppose it makes sense with how popular the 3DS is, but I can't say I've noticed adoration for that version of the character.


It's worth mentioning that the series has changed around a lot. I found Wind Waker to be a weak entry in the series, more than even Skyward Sword (which was fun to play in between its annoyances). I wasn't enthused by Majora's Mask, and I never even bothered with Twilight Princess. Although I like Ocarina of Time, in my opinion it represents the turning point when the series picked up bad habits and mixed up its priorities.

That's why Breath of the Wild was such a big deal. It is by far the most well-realized 3D Zelda for someone like me who grew up with the NES games and A Link to the Past, and evidently I was not alone.

Aside from BotW, I highly recommend A Link to the Past if you ever consider giving another series entry a try. 👍

I do get that, though I just think it doesn't work when you look at the Zelda characters collectively. Its a weird mess when it comes to representin the series though like you said, individually it supports each game so I guess it depends on how you look at it.

The problem I had with Wind Waker wasn't the bad habits Ocarina of Time started. It's more my lack of ability to figure stuff out, I haven't gone through a single Zelda Dungeon in Wind Waker without looking up the guide in Zelda Dungeon at least twice. I just have no clue what to do next at times to progress. I'm having similar issues with Star Fox Adventures (as I wanted to get into Star Fox ever since playing the characters in Smash so I started with the weakest entry thats not like the others XD) even though Adventures is more simple and even has Slippy tell you what to do. I just get frustratingly stuck with these kinds of games, Id rather more simpler and more aggro gameplay.

 

[Wolfe]

@RESHIRAM5 -- I understand. Across all the Zelda games, they aren't always very good at even nudging you in the right direction for what to do next.

 

[Brend]

Hard to believe we're on the verge of a new Pokemon game. The LG hype seems pretty much non-existant but I'm still reasonably looking forward to the game as long as there is a way of shiny hunting/pokechaining to keep me busy. Plus, probably my best shout at filling a Pokedex for the first time ever.


My Switch has barely been getting used in the past month (no fault of its own, I've just been playing a ton of Rocket League and NHL on PS4/Xbox) but I did pick up GRIP last week. A pretty good old school anti-grav racer that is a bit rough around the edges.

 

[Com Fox]

LG idea just doesn't seem to be working, the idea is solid to bridge Pokemon Go players to the main series for the games later but with all the tone downs, it isn't really gonna make them better Pokemon players ready, they are still going to get hit by the same learning curve. Not to mention I don't see much hype from Pokemon Go players either, so when you drive the core fanbase away without gaining enough interest from your target to back it up, it gets a bit hard. Not to mention Smash hype earlier this month was a really terrible move, at least for Pokemon Let's Go, they've been overshadowed so bad once World of Light came in.

This is the first time I'm not excited for a Pokemon game, still going to get it out of obligation to the franchise, but interest is low...

 

[Wolfe]

When I heard there will finally be a mainline Pokémon RPG for a home console, I perked up for the first time since I played Blue and Yellow on my GB Color as a kid -- the GB Color that I seldom used after beating the Elite Four, which taught me that I don't really play games on the go, and I don't want to play on a little handheld when I'm at home. Cheers again to the Switch for bridging that divide in Nintendo's software library!

I first thought the Let's Go games were supposed to be that RPG, but they're clearly not, and Nintendo clarified that the RPG is coming later. So while I'm interested in trying Pokémon again, I'm just patiently waiting for the full-fledged RPG.

 

[Tired Tyres]

I watched a stream of this Pokémon title on YouTube last evening and as soon as Professor Oak opened his mouth and there was no voice acting, just text, I stopped watching.

Strange what expectations being on a home console bring.

Update. I've bought a Pokemon Lets go Pickachu Switch.

 

[Brend]

I watched a stream of this Pokémon title on YouTube last evening and as soon as Professor Oak opened his mouth and there was no voice acting, just text, I stopped watching.

Strange what expectations being on a home console bring.

Update. I've bought a Pokemon Lets go Pickachu Switch.

Life comes at you fast.


But yeah...I’m eating major crow on this one. What an enjoyable game thus far. I absolutely adore the new catching mechanic more than I expected to. The soundtrack didnt wow me at first but theres some really good remixes in here and the music suits the cutesy artstyle perfectly.

It’s far from perfect but a lot better than I expected.

 

[Lain]

Not gonna be able to pick Let's Go up anytime soon, but I've been fairly positive about it... so I'm glad it's being received warmly. I'd totally be ok with some of its concepts being folded back into the mainline games, like how finding and catching wild Pokes work (It honestly doesn't make much sense that beating wild Pokes to a bloody pulp is how you get them to be your pals, though it's acceptable for Legendaries who might respect such a show of strength)... but I think battling wild Pokes should still be an option, for EXP.

My biggest concern with the Let's Go games is the apparent lack of Pro Controller support, basically forcing you to play in handheld mode if you don't want to use motion controls. Not that I loathe motion controls or anything, but the lack of Pro Controller support still might honestly be a deal breaker for me.

 

[Liquid]

Civ VI is out and apparently it's a good port.

I don't know if my wallet can handle it this month but the temptation is real; world domination literally in the palm of my hands.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Life comes at you fast.


But yeah...I’m eating major crow on this one. What an enjoyable game thus far. I absolutely adore the new catching mechanic more than I expected to. The soundtrack didnt wow me at first but theres some really good remixes in here and the music suits the cutesy artstyle perfectly.

It’s far from perfect but a lot better than I expected.

I had my doubts as well but I'm playing Pokémon. On my TV. It's just bloody great fun - even if Pikachu is an overpowered monster. She blasted the fire gym apart without taking even one point damage.

I'd rather have button control but the throw mechanism works well enough.

 

[Aphelion]

So ive had a switch for a little while now. The only game ive had on it was Mario Odessey, which is brilliant, but I got bored of it once id finished the main challenges. So its been sitting in my room for months now doing nothing, so I decided to go buy Mario Kart 8 for it. This is where I first discovered the magic of the switch.

The game is really fun for a start, feels great, looks great, heaps of stuff to do. But later in the day my girlfreind decided to pick it up and start messing around with it in handheld mode. It was quite funny because shes never played a video game in her life so she had no clue what to do. I was watching and thinking about how fun it would be if I could join in and then I remembered that I can legitimately do that intantly. Im so used to having to own two controllers or two seperate consoles amd two game copies to play with freinds that I just forgot that the swtch just does that out of the box. And super easily too. Two cables and a small gray box. It was just so awesome.

It is for this reason that the switch actually feels like a nex generation console, more than the other two ever did to me.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee are officially the fastest selling games in Switch history.

https://metro.co.uk/2018/11/22/poke...-is-fastest-selling-switch-game-ever-8166107/

 

[Com Fox]

Haven't finished Let's Go yet but overall thoughts so far. It hits the standard for a Pokemon game for me which is high but not B/W levels which I didn't expect so not disappointed.

Difficulty is ridiculously which is expect but even wheb you try making it harder on yourself. Its still really easy. I beat Lt. Surge with a bunch of Lv. 19s and only used a Ground type on his first Pokemon.

The Go mechanics are a mixed bag. Like Exp. Share makes grinding easier but during later portions, you are relying on RNG just to grind and that is frustrating.

What I do really like were the updates to the Kanto story. Won't spoil but love the nods to later titles throughout, as well as giving existing stuff new dynamics. I am getting tired of going through Kanto the exact same way but can't exactly complain about it since that was its goal for newcomers.

 

[Frizbe]

Alright so I got a switch for LGPE and some games including Pokken, Mario Party, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong. Any other must have games for the Switch? I'm finding the eShop quite a pain to use to try and find new stuff.

Also within 3 hours of getting our LGPE edition switch my wife wanted another one so we ended up getting the Smash Bros Switch as well so we each have our own Switch now

 

[Tired Tyres]

Haven't finished Let's Go yet but overall thoughts so far. It hits the standard for a Pokemon game for me which is high but not B/W levels which I didn't expect so not disappointed.

Difficulty is ridiculously which is expect but even wheb you try making it harder on yourself. Its still really easy. I beat Lt. Surge with a bunch of Lv. 19s and only used a Ground type on his first Pokemon.

The Go mechanics are a mixed bag. Like Exp. Share makes grinding easier but during later portions, you are relying on RNG just to grind and that is frustrating.

What I do really like were the updates to the Kanto story. Won't spoil but love the nods to later titles throughout, as well as giving existing stuff new dynamics. I am getting tired of going through Kanto the exact same way but can't exactly complain about it since that was its goal for newcomers.

I started a new game on a different user account.

Rules.

1. Bank starter as soon as you catch your first Pokémon.

2. Never catch another Pokémon unless it is new to your Pokédex.

I got hammered by the water gym leader. All my Pokémon are poison types. And her first Pokémon smashed my whole team with confusion.

Second attempt with my electric starter matching levels her Starmie still kicked my butt.

There is challenge here. It just takes some finding.

 

[Com Fox]

I started a new game on a different user account.

Rules.

1. Bank starter as soon as you catch your first Pokémon.

2. Never catch another Pokémon unless it is new to your Pokédex.

I got hammered by the water gym leader. All my Pokémon are poison types. And her first Pokémon smashed my whole team with confusion.

Second attempt with my electric starter matching levels her Starmie still kicked my butt.

There is challenge here. It just takes some finding.

I'm actually going by similar rules (only exception is that I only grind if a Pokemon in my team is seriously underleveled compared to others and need fulfill my level OCD) in fact 3 of my Pokemon are Poison types . Also I'm stuck with my team, I never, ever rotate them.

Still not getting any challenge that I desired, I haven't even bought any items yet from the Poke Mart. Hardest battle so far is Blues first battle and that's only because of the uneven amount of Poison types on my team.

 

[Brend]

Alright so I got a switch for LGPE and some games including Pokken, Mario Party, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong. Any other must have games for the Switch? I'm finding the eShop quite a pain to use to try and find new stuff.

Also within 3 hours of getting our LGPE edition switch my wife wanted another one so we ended up getting the Smash Bros Switch as well so we each have our own Switch now

If you're looking for a party game to play with friends or family Jackbox Party Pack 3 is absolutely fantastic. Always one of my first recommended titles. It goes off well with most audiences because you play the whole thing through your phone, no need for additional controllers etc.

There's quite a few must haves in my opinion:

-Zelda BOTW is still one of the best games ever made
-Rocket League because portable RL is pretty much like crack
-Splatoon 2 is a phenomenal fun shooter, you can lose many hours playing that.
-If you didn't have a Wii U, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze is one of the best platformers in the past decade
-Bayonetta 1/2 are sensational action games
-Snipperclips is a fun co-op game with a lot of charm
....and if you're an RPG fan of any kind, you really can't go wrong with Octopath Traveller. 👍

 

[Lain]

Alright so I got a switch for LGPE and some games including Pokken, Mario Party, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong. Any other must have games for the Switch? I'm finding the eShop quite a pain to use to try and find new stuff.

Also within 3 hours of getting our LGPE edition switch my wife wanted another one so we ended up getting the Smash Bros Switch as well so we each have our own Switch now

Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a fantastic masterpiece of an open-world adventure game. Not much else needs to be said.

Octopath Traveler is a fun and beautiful traditional JRPG with an excellent soundtrack. After a while the structure does start to feel a bit formulaic, and the storytelling is a bit mediocre and occasionally excessively long-winded (albeit nowhere near Persona 5-levels of long-windedness)... but if you're the type of person who legitimately likes JRPG gameplay and doesn't merely put up with it for the sake of enjoying a compelling narrative, there's a lot to love about Octopath.

Golf Story is a hilarious golf RPG where the various golf courses are effectively the dungeons, but also supports regular local multiplayer matches. Seriously though, I don't think any other videogame has made me laugh as much as this one.

Yodanji is a fairly traditional roguelike experience (as opposed to games like Binding of Issac that blend in other genres) that's cheap, fun and cute... and has a unlocking aspect for its roster of Yokai that you can play as, which has some appeal for fans of Pokemon. Though in practice, maybe not... I still haven't managed to unlock any additional Yokai beyond the random 3 that are unlocked from the start, the game is pretty brutal difficulty-wise.

Also, if you're the type of person who enjoys stuff that's so-bad-it's-good... don't let people scare you away from trying Vroom in the Night Sky for a laugh. Probably not worth its $10 asking price, but unlike other notoriously bad Switch games which are just broken unfun messes (such as Troll and I), Vroom actually functions surprisingly well and there's a certain charm to its badness, such as its hilariously bad Engrish translation.

 

[Wolfe]

Horizon Chase Turbo is here. Finally, the Switch has at least one worthwhile "conventional" racing game. Though not a modern one by any stretch of the imagination -- its 2D-racing-game-style cornering is more authentically retro than I actually expected the game to be. With its overt inspirations, it's the next closest thing to a lost Top Gear sequel with a 3D makeover. The developer's passion and dedication to a vision help make this something special.

I'm at 25% on the world tour now, and the difficulty ramps up promptly but fairly. My best race so far involved a final lap fuel pickup that left me still running on fumes, followed by a nitro boost past the two leading cars, out of the last corner, just before the finish line. I suspect fuel consumption will become a more prominent variable as I progress to the later races.

 

[Brend]

Horizon Chase Turbo is here. Finally, the Switch has at least one worthwhile "conventional" racing game. Though not a modern one by any stretch of the imagination -- its 2D-racing-game-style cornering is more authentically retro than I actually expected the game to be. With its overt inspirations, it's the next closest thing to a lost Top Gear sequel with a 3D makeover. The developer's passion and dedication to a vision help make this something special.

I'm at 25% on the world tour now, and the difficulty ramps up promptly but fairly. My best race so far involved a final lap fuel pickup that left me still running on fumes, followed by a nitro boost past the two leading cars, out of the last corner, just before the finish line. I suspect fuel consumption will become a more prominent variable as I progress to the later races.

GRID Autosport also got announced for the console today, so thats another racer we can add.