Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@BruceCM I didn't despite preordering the standard edition (got the poster but not the keyring), I guess they must have run out of keyrings to give to digital preorders. Had a situation where I couldn't get the special edition so I preorder the standard edition and then after it was dispatched the special edition became available so I got that too.

I noticed similar things happening with other games like for Mario Maker 2 last year if I picked up my preorder from my local GAME store a few minutes later than I did I wouldn't have gotten the steelbook because my local store weren't given enough steelbooks for preorders and I got the last one.

How is the performance for xcom 2? I think that will be my next purchase but wanted some hands on impressions first.

Well, I pre-ordered the game as soon as they put it up, @Grumblevolcano.... I noticed when I was checking some other games there a couple of weeks ago that it didn't say anything about the keyring for it, though

@Tyranexx so ive got about an hour and a half of bio under my belt. It's a FPS but it has some of doom 3 vibes or even a left for dead vibe( based on what i remember playing a LONG time ago).

It's hard to describe, it's not quite like resident evil but it does feel like an offshoot of that series. There are some wierd creatures and enemies to take down that come out of nowhere and fast at times.

It definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. My eyes typically water and burn after sessions, which like RE, happens because your eyes are literally glued to the screen just in case something pops out.

@Ryu_Niiyama

https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/xcom_2_fo...

Jax has been posting his impressions of XCOM 2 in that thread. Sounds great.

@Ryu_Niiyama
Not perfect, but dang good for what it is. There’s some brief hiccups I’ve noticed here and there from the little I’ve played. But overall, it’s pretty good. It feels good to play. From what I’ve heard, from those who also played on consoles when it first released, its actually as good if not better than that. Of course, a lot of people complainEd about bad performance when it released on other consoles, but they were also expecting a perfect 60 frames whereas on handheld, the expectations are a little different. A few noticeable dips here and there are within reason for a game like this on Switch. Feels better than Witcher 3, to give a comparison. And that satisfaction translates with a multiplier given the turn based nature of the game.

It also looks pretty impressive. Handheld mode especially. It looks better in handheld than I was expecting to see docked. It looks higher resolution than it probably is. They’ve used some good filtering or something but it looks pretty sharp. Screenshot from handheld mode is posted in the XCOM 2 thread.

Overall, an overwhelming stamp of approval. It’s not perfect (I don’t think anyone was expecting perfection for this beast of a game) but it’s really impressive. Looks and runs way better than it has any right to. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

@JaxonH @Ralizah Works for me, thanks y'all! I uninstalled my PC copy ages ago so it will be nice to have this on hand. (My 1TB microsd is starting to beg for mercy. I'll have to start buying more physical games again.)

@NintendoByNature Sounds like a heart pounder that requires quite a bit of focus, then. Can't say I've played any of the other games you mentioned, but BioShock is sounding more and more like something I'd enjoy. At least in terms of atmosphere and story.

I have to repost from the Xenoblade thread because, well, this game is just so good I can hardly contain my enthusiasm:

Xenoblade just keeps getting better and better. It’s unreal how good this freaking game is.
My mind is like... it’s just blown. I was expecting a good Xenoblade game like all the others. But this is something else entirely. Masterpiece.
This might be my new favorite Switch game. Heck, this might be my new favorite GAME.

@NintendoByNature
Yes, Bioshock is a little nerve racking sometimes 😊 Not Super nerve racking like a horror game but... it definitely keeps tension in the air. And I’ve died a fair few times. But I like how quick you’re right back at the last Vita Chamber you passed.

@JaxonH yea for sure. And there's quick saves which are nice. Since i don't always find chambers, i save often, and load the last save to make it less of a time waster.

@Tyranexx yea you might like it, and each game is a budget release at least at 20 a pop. So thats good.

@Tyranexx hey bioshock isn’t a horror in the corridor murder survival sense. The first one is heavily influenced by Ann Rand’s Atlus Shrugged or at least the clif notes version of it (Levine misses the point a bit in his desire to prove his) but it is set in a proposed utopia that rots from the inside out due to its people. So there is a great deal of hyper focus on the results of human greed. As we technically see that everyday in the form of war and everyday hatred, bioshock leans on its bosses, the atmosphere and audio files to show the individual impact of such greed (the final boss is a bit on the nose though). It also uses its lighting and atmosphere and some carefully positioned cutscenes to draw some of the isolated, trapped feeling that the system shock series invoked. However much of the sense of fear you will trick yourself into as a result of this combination as the game isn’t designed to put you in mortal danger beyond the gameplay mechanic of it being an fps as the player character is needed by the setting to tell its story. By saying that I mean that yes you can die because its a game but unlike games where you are are the enemy to be eradicated like say a war game the character whose story you play is intertwined with that of all the actors including the location itself.

Bioshock 1 and 3 are usually the most lauded. I enjoyed them and still find the bioshock series to be the only fps I enjoy (I don’t even like metroid prime despite my love for Nintendo to give you a benchmark) but I think 2 tried to build a story rather than a play as 1 and 3 did. 3 as much as I enjoyed it (I played start to finish with no sleep and had to call out sick the next day) both overstayed it’s welcome and after a point somewhat forgot what it was trying to say. My opinion of course.

Either way all three are beautiful atmospherically and contain interesting actors throughout. I know this sounds negative but I can still say this series is the only fps I have enjoyed.

@Ryu_Niiyama Perhaps 3 might not have overstayed its welcome had you... you know... had some sleep 😲🤯🤪😵🥴😴

@gcunit ? That had nothing to do with it. I've played it again since and still feel the same way. Obviously I enjoyed it for what it was if I played it non stop the first time.

I don't understand what you are getting at.

@Ryu_Niiyama Sorry, just jesting. Sleep deprivation can shorten people's patience etc. so I figured breaking the game up into sessions and having a fresh mind each time, rather than slogging through it in one go which could bring on the will for it to be over quicker because the mind really wants to rest, might have resulted in a slightly different perspective on it. But I'm pretty sure you know you better than I do so I'll just get my coat.

@NintendoByNature I've debated about picking BioShock up either in pieces or via the whole collection. I think I'll just nab the whole collection down the line. Can't complain about the pricing at any rate!

@Ryu_Niiyama Don't worry, I wasn't quite equating the series to survival horror in general, just that it seems to share some elements with the other SH games mentioned. Sounds like there are a lot of story parallels to issues in RL as well, which definitely helps with understanding and relatability in my opinion. Well-done atmosphere in just about any game is a plus in my book, too.

Your feedback, if anything, has made me more interested. Thanks!

@gcunit Ah. Ok, yeah so it would take more than a day to burn me out on a narrative. (I called out sick because staying up that late impacts my vision and I'm not driving blurry) I'm the trifecta of not sleeping: Trained in/still doing work in Astrophysics, Multiple jobs and insomniac. I'm very critical of most narratives in general, which is why I try not to give impressions about games that I play (because I have derailed threads in the past). But don't get your coat!

@Tyranexx good to hear! It's a nice series. I try to be critical and not negative but sometimes I'm misunderstood.

@Ryu_Niiyama Too, BioShock has, for a long time, been on my invisible list of "Game Series I Need To Play, But Haven't". It's one of those series that I've heard quite a bit about but just have never been able to get around to. I don't mind well-worded, constructive criticism about a series either; I welcome it. Most (if not all) games have some sort of flaw, whether large or small. I like learning about what people like and dislike. Just as long as it isn't nitpicky, poorly worded, and toxic like some corners of fandoms like to be.

UPS has finally arrived.

Eight individual games altogether, all some of the highest rated among their respective genres and most of which are stacked to the hilt with meaty expansions and truckloads of DLC. Chef’s kiss 💋

My copy of Xenoblade arrived today, but I'll be waiting until tomorrow morning to dig into it. Still have a few things to do tonight, so I wouldn't have time to properly dig into it.

@BruceCM I remember now, must have missed the keyring by a few minutes.