Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In today's article, editor Dom delves into the vast ocean of ports on Nintendo Switch and argues that bringing older games to the platform can relight the fire for games that stumbled the first time around...
I know what you’re thinking. I can hear your knee-jerk reaction as it bangs off the underside of your desk from here. “Ports? A good thing? Have you gone mad, man?” And I get the reaction, I really do. Back in a past life where I worked on an official mag for a certain other platform where a certain other console with the number ‘4’ in its name was only a few months old, ports were a real issue. For its first 12 months or so, that platform was awash with ports from the previous generation. The ‘HD collection’ craze from the PS3/360 era had migrated to new hardware, and it got old real fast.
On Nintendo Switch, we’re experiencing something relatively similar - as we pointed out late last year. Here we are, over 11 months into the console’s life cycle, and we’re still up to our guts in ported titles. There are Neo Geo ports as far as they eye can see. There are indie ports at every turn. And even older triple-A that were once the flavour of the month have been retooled for the world of game cards, Joy-Cons and HD Rumble. For some it’s a problem, and given that the number of non-exclusive ports is rapidly outweighing original software there may be some who are less than pleased with this situation - but for me, especially in the case of the latter, it’s a chance for a game to enjoy a new lease of life.
And yes, I can detect you rolling your eyes from here, but this is a soapbox, so quit your eyeball acrobatics.
We've already had the likes of L.A. Noire, RiME and DOOM, but the ports keep on coming - and will do for some time, if Panic Button is to be believed. Take the upcoming co-op shooter Payday 2 as a prime example of what I’m talking about. Back in 2013 and 2015 - that’s when the game originally launched and when it was re-released as the Crimewave Edition on PS4, Xbox One and PC - Payday 2 wasn’t the biggest of hits and ultimately calcified into a cult smash with a small yet loyal fanbase of players. But on Switch, with its ever-growing audience and still modest set of Triple-A and Double-A games, Overkill’s co-op shooter has another chance to enjoy renewed success on a platform that isn’t swamped with Call Of Duty entries and other myriad FPS franchises.
Sure, being in handheld form is a unique selling point all in itself, but so is every other game on Switch by the sheer fact of being on the platform. The difference here is certain games can benefit from the lack of competition. If you’re a shmup or a pixel art platformer, you might get lost in the mix, but a shooter? There’s plenty of room for an experience such as Payday 2 to flex its muscles and benefit from the co-op-friendly ethos Switch has exuded so well thus far.
It’s a foundation that’s also helping Bayonetta 2 secure the kind of exposure and mainstream acceptance that it was only partially afforded on Wii U. Sure, the early sales of PlatinumGames’ seminal masterpiece didn’t quite meet the opening sales of the original version, but Wii U’s audience remained tiny throughout its lifespan while Switch continues to grow and expand with each passing month. With so many positive reviews, and a strong response on social media, that second chance at redemption seems a real possibility for Bayo and co’s sophomore outing.
Being ported to Switch helped give the aforementioned DOOM - a brilliant yet perhaps forgotten shooter on other platforms - a new sense of relevancy, even despite the technical sacrifices that were made to make it happen. In fact, that Panic Button managed to make it run so well (including recent changes to introduce motion controls) means that those sacrifices were actually a selling point. No other platform ultimately could support a technically inferior version of a year-old game and still manage to elevate that game's media profile and extend the remit of its audience.
Not every port on Nintendo Switch is justified - and some are just an easy and convenient way to improve a game’s potential success - but there’s a real argument for Nintendo Switch providing a last chance saloon for games that never quite achieved their true potential the first time around. It doesn’t work for every game in this scenario, but even if a game only manages to partially make good on its potential, that’s surely a worthwhile justification for a second life on Switch? Perhaps you feel differently, and you're getting sick of the stream of ports when exclusive titles appear to be drying up somewhat. As ever, you can make your own thoughts known below.
What do you think about the number of ports coming to Switch? (294 votes)
- I love it, I want to play these games again in portable form
- I'm all for it as I missed a lot of these games the first time around
- I'm not really too bothered either way, as long as the console gets software
- I'm getting a bit sick of all these ports, the Switch needs more exclusive titles in 2018
Please login to vote in this poll.
Comments 104
"Ports can be a good thing"
Too much of a "good" thing can be bad too. And it's not just that they're ports, they(including Nintendo) very often slap a €60 price tag on a game that's years old and has had very little if anything added to it. The upcoming port of DKC: Tropical Freeze is a notable example. They added in Funky Kong kind of like the white Tanooki suit in SM3DW when people die a lot and they do as it's a tough game but that's it. The game is less than €20 on Wii U but Nintendo are going to charge Switch owners €60 for it.
All the ports wouldn't be so bad if there were a load of new games coming out all the time as well. It's a bit like Metroid. Nintendo released Federation Force when people wanted a proper Metroid game. Had that game released before or just after a main entry, the backlash wouldn't have been so bad. Metroid Pinball didn't get the hate because we got proper Metroid games back then also.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE True - it's why I'm so sore at the moment and my eyesight is failing.
Ports are truly a good thing for a new console to build a library fast. And a good answer to all those "why not on Switch" fanboys.
It's impossible to pass judgement on ports as a whole, it really varies from case to case. Bayonetta 1 & 2? Awesome. Doom? Fantastic. Payday 2? Eh, not so good.
I'm all for it if the port is well-handled and presents decent value for money. Some are great, but some of them are stinkers - and for every good one we're quite likely to end up with two of the latter.
It might seem like heresy to say so but I think Nintendo's own ports are some of the trickier ones too, as their first party titles tend to cost more money. But again, it's case-by-case.
Ports are not such a bad thing as the portability of the Switch is a good novelty.. the price gouging is an all together different issue £40 for Bayonetta 2, yeah good luck with that.
I'm all for ports Nintendo didn't get the first time around. One not mentioned above: the sublime Sky Force Reloaded. A shmup with a career mode of sorts, amazing.
The portability is great, but I really wish Wii U classics remained Wii U classics and not lesser editions of shiny new Switch ports. The brilliant but misunderstood Wii U is going to be relegated to a slot just above the Virtual Boy in the annals of Nintendo console history.
Depends. I rather have new good games but i am all for really good old polished games like Dark Souls remastered and Skyrim. Games like that are always welcome.
"There’s plenty of room for an experience such as Payday 2 to flex its muscles and benefit from the co-op-friendly ethos Switch has exuded so well thus far."
Oh really? With no option to write text messages to friends nor to invite them to a match, how it could anything benefit from disservice?
And Bayonetta deserves to bomb hard, they can't be serious selling it full price while other companies give these ports the budget price treatment, even SotC is priced lower than a new game.
And so DKTF, Nintendo must learn that its prices politics are nonsense, it's not Mario Kart every time.
And now Payday 2, 20€ on PS4, 50€ on Switch...
Bring the ports. In 10 years time, I want to be able to play as many classics spanning over as many generations as I can on the console (granted, I am hoping they have released a Switch Pro by then with bc)
Bring on the ports!
Ports are a great thing. They pad out libraries and people love playing older games (we are creatures of habit and many people have staples they go back to on the regular). That is why VC worked, why collections that release every gen work, and why systems with weak initial libraries dont go on life support (HD Twins first 2 years were port city) while we wait for devs to figure out how to dev for new hardware.
It allows for exposure to games that might do better with a different audience, it allows for those coming into the space new (or with better income as they are now adults) to catch up on things they missed. It also can offer cheaper value for a budget gamer that may have to cherry pick what they buy and had to skip a game upon original release/console lifetime. It also gives smaller teams something safe to cut their teeth on and often allows for a revenue stream that doesn't involve pulling your main team off of something. It is very expensive to make games so the people that want 5-6 new games a month are being unrealistic. Some ports even breathe new life and allow for director's cuts, remasters, or new modes and balancing.
Most gamers treat gaming like car ownership. New one comes out, trade in the old. Not everybody has a room full of old consoles (I DO, before anybody wants to chime in with that one) hooked up and ready to go. Not eveyone has the library of games wall to wall to play at any time. People just like to complain because negativity is easy and Nintendoomed.
Honestly I’m a sucker for the portability. I like the fact it’s older games as well because I have either not played them or haven’t played them for ages.
Ports are not a bad thing but really old ports are. Games like Payday 2 a game that you can buy cheaper on PS4 and Xbox one but they charge you 50 dollars on the switch is a crime. Games like Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze on the switch cost 60 dollars. You can buy the same game on the Wii U 20 dollars. Most of the ports coming to the Switch that many us play on other consoles.
I don't mine the switch have some remasters like dark souls but in between it need new games. Many nintendo fans said Xbox one and PS4 have ports of old games. Yes it does but also they have new games like monster hunter world, Dragonball fighter z and etc.
Switch really need new games. So far this year the switch is very disappointment
Hmm. I don’t care but saying it was a problem on ps4 or psvita etc but it’s great on Switch is downright fanboy level.
A good game is a good game. Switch is getting alot of them. And yes 90% of the Seitch releases are ports
Don’t mind these old ports of games off other systems cos I ain’t played any of them.
Nothing wrong with ports. If the game is good, and I haven't played it or am desperate to play it again, then I will be interested. Bayonetta, Dark Souls, Ys VIII, DOOM - all are welcome. Even the bad ones or the ones in genres I have no interest in are fine - nobody is making us buy them. Bring them all. The market will decide whether or not the publishers should have bothered. If it's no good, it won't sell.
In the long run, ports won't stop original games also coming to the Switch, especially as the market continues to grow. It'll do fine.
So far 75% people in favour of more ports ? I love the results of this poll !
Of course ports are a good thing. That's why every system ever has a library chock full of them. You can't deny gaming history.
It’s still less then a year old, and people are upset about it getting ports. Well, I wonder if ps4 players are complaining about 3 years in, getting dark souls port. Because the way I see it, great games are met to be played and if switch is a port machine with some indies and 1st party Nintendo releases, then great. It’s less then a year old and it has ports of previous years game of the year games. I’m more then fine. Skyrim, doom, LA noire, Bayonetta, dark souls, payday, wolfenstein are all great games that I love having on my switch. Keep them coming. My PS4 might be getting some exclusives, but I don’t see why it’s ok for shadow of collusses to be ported again but dark souls being on a Nintendo console for 1st time it’s not ok.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I feel like the low price for Tropical Freeze on Wii U is more of a “thank you” to those who bought the system. I wouldn’t expect a port of a game to only be $20 on Switch.
Until Bioshock, Portal, Half-life, Okami, Killer 7, Viewtiful Joe, or any Mortal Kombat, Injustice or Marvel vs game (to name a few) comes to Switch, it will not have enough ports. Keep em' coming!
I mean, unless the ports are replacing original titles (and I don't really see why this should be the case) then at the very least they're harmless, and at best give people more options.
Aside from MK8D, haven't bought any ports so far, but I'm not exactly angry at them either. In the same way I don't get angry at all the fruit in the fruit isle that I don't end up buying.
I haven't bought a pomelo in a while, but I'm perfectly happy for pomelos to be there for people who want to buy pomelos.
@AwokenLink A thank you from Nintendo to Wii U owners? Ha, ya, good one.
Don’t like the ports. I didn’t buy a switch to play PS3 games.
Hey, bring on the ports. I'll just vote with my wallet and pick and choose which ports I want.
Even an ideal world where we'd be showered with new games everywhere, ports help introduce old games to a new audience that missed the game first time around. I passed on Xenoblade 1 when it first came out since I fell out of console gaming and back into handheld games and MMOs, but when it was rereleased for the Wii U Virtual Console, I picked up the game and quickly fell in love with it.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Yeah, I’m serious. Wii U didn’t have many games so at least you can get the great games that it did have for cheap.
@NewAdvent Agreed.
All I want is older console ports and collections. Batman collection, mass effect collection, bioshock trilogy. So much portable goodness.
@therealgamer Tropical Freeze was $49.99 at launch. Not saying that it's much cheaper, but at least be right when you talk about ridiculous pricing.
Waaaaaaaaay too many ports! Like, 95% of all (released and upcoming) Switch games are ports.
The Switch should get its own exclusive games.
I look at Switch now like I did when 3DS launched, we're getting portable versions of games that weren't on handhelds before (save for Hyrule Warriors, which ran poorly on 3DS). I'm okay with that, and frankly, won't be surprised when we see more ports from older consoles later on. Nobody will care about the first year in year 3 because if history about Nintendo handhelds tells us anything, Switch will end up having a hell of a lineup by the end of its lifespan. Then there will be NL articles on keeping the Switch going forever.
port is alright. it just suck that the price is so damn high not too different than a brand new game
Nothing wrong with ports. I think it's such a wasted conversation cause in the end, people will buy what they want. They are big boys and girls and can decide for themselves if they want to rebuy something they've had in the past. If the demand is there, can you blame companies for porting?
Ports are bad! Stop releasing five and ten year old titles, release Virtual Console with twenty-five year old titles instead!... wait.
Honestly, even listing Doom or RiME as ports with the tone of derision as some do is silly - both games are barely several months old! But that's beside the point. Older ports are welcome on Switch in any numbers for the same two big reasons:
1) portability. Not everyone's necessity but can be worth its weight in gold for those who need it, sometimes making the difference in how often you happen to play games at all. The ability to play console games on the go was turning enough heads even during Gameboy era despite THOSE hardware limitations; what to say of a hybrid powerhouse (yes, a powerhouse in its form; if you want a portable tablet-sized PS4 Pro in 2018, just buy a portable cooking panel directly)? Not to mention its increasing significance as 3DS and Vita are in the autumn of their lives and Sony has no current plans to shoot hardware ideas at portable gaming again in the near future.
2) backwards compatibility... or rather, lack of it. Not just Wii U - before it, a good chunk of Generation 7 got left behind with the exception of what XBox One can handle. I often reiterate that Switch could build a plausible third party library out of PS3 ports alone - there are a lot of notable and classic games from the period that you can barely access on new and still supported console hardware nowadays. Switch? It offers them in all its flexibility of use to boot.
Bring it on. Between younger newcomers to the world of gaming and those who ended up missing out on two or three generations, all these ports are no less topical than Virtual Console for others. Switch is bound to have a fair share of new games anyway as more and more developers take it into account when making plans now.
Thanks Dom for having a poll, so that it puts to rest that most people here think ports are a good thing.
I can see why some don’t. But in an ideal world for me every good game ever made would be on the Switch, so there is as much choice as possible.
With a young family I don’t get time to play games on the tv, I don’t own a non Nintendo console (since ps2), I also skipped the Wii U - so I’m picking up a lot of these ports. And I’m really hopeful for Okami, MvC etc.
Re the comments about £40 for Bayonetta being too pricey. I thought that was great by Nintendo’s standards. £40 for 2 awesome games at release.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE could be worse, could be too much of a bad thing. Like the WiiU was and your toxic attitude at time.
Get bored of it so easily these days because it’s gotten to the point where I see an article and think “should I even bother clicking, becase the miserable one will only be complaining”.
Last gen games on a console that can barely run them. Where's the complaint?
No problem with ports, they are great to have as options but the issue arises if that's all that's on the horizon.
The last mini direct was almost entirely ports, some of those are great but hard to build excitement for.
Ports. There are so many good games i missout in the past due to so many choices. Gaming in the last ten years has been amazing.
So if they a game that being ported that i missout on first time around. Its great to have the option buy on the "switch".
Also i never owned a Nintendo console since n64, until the switch. Including handhelds. So if the best old Nintendo comes to switch if great to have the option to buy. I love mk8, and it was the first mario kart game i have played since the n64
Ports are fine, the more choice of games the better. However, I'm unlikely to buy them. If it's a game that I'm interested in but haven't played, then chances are it's cheaper elsewhere.
ill tell ya what Payday 2 will get a hard pass from me cause I got the steam version with all dlc free! so I advise any PC owners go Get that free copy and skip this.
It's funny that the same people that complained about ports or retro games are the same ones that want a VC so badly. Listen, a lot of people are complaining about prices. the drawback with these prices is that these games are on the cartridge cost more vs games on the disc. Some of these ports are enhanced with dlc that you didn't have to pay extra for. If you have a wii u, and you buy a cheaper game, if it has dlc, you still will pay for the dlc. with ports coming on the new system that has dlc, you pay for everything with one price. Even if I still had the wii u, I would just trade the games that I have for ports on the switch, because I can take it with me. Portability is important.
I'm okay with them as long as they are being used to fill out a release calendar but when they are the calendar that is a problem. Some of them I've missed and do not mind picking them up but I would like to see the pricing reflect that it is an older game. Doesn't have to be free but the $40 range is better suited for some of these.
I'm fine with ports on principle. What I'm not ok with is the pricing, often being priced the same as when the game first came out years ago, with no (or negligible) improvement. Lazy and greedy.
The prices of ports in general are too high. Except that, ports are always welcome.
I think if you're going to do ports, do things that haven't been ported, such as Tengai Makyou, that one Phantasy Star Online game, Mother 3 (officially, for the West), or games that were canceled.
The other option that really pleases the crowd, multiple games on one disc/cart (cough..Bayo 2+1..cough..).
Sorry, was too busy playing Bayonetta on the Switch. What were you saying?
@therealgamer
the wiiu version of tropical freeze would cost me Game + WiiU so how's that cheaper?
and i wouldn't call shadow of the colossus (3rd release) good either. monster hunter is niche as all get out so DBZ is the ONLY new game out now on the PC clones imo.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Excellent points. I think a problem for Nintendo is that people equate "quantity" of games with "quality" of the system. Since the perception is that Nintendo is a "kiddy system" any games that go against that and offer "adult entertainment" (i.e., shooting and blood) is probably a good thing, at this point.
I sure as heck won't be buying it. I'm still waiting for Wolfenstein!
I'm sick of this OVERPRICED ports.
You can easily find them under 10€ on pc (I bet on other consoles too), payday2 was totally FREE for a long time and now, an old version of it, is sold for about 50€ just because they made a port?
Prices are not honest at all.
Well Dom, no need to defend your point to me, because I was already in favor of ports, like any logical person should be...
WARNING:
Massive wall of text ahead, so read at your own peril...
Scroll down to the excellent video I found on the topic, if you're of the TL;DR kind, or do both, I dare you...
(There's SO much logic in that video. I hope certain individuals pick up on some of the irrefutable truths in it)
The undeniable truth is that ports ARE a good thing, there is virtually nothing bad about them, regardless of what the whiners say.
The only, and I do mean the ONLY thing that is somewhat debatable, is indeed the price point that Nintendo puts on it. It's partially understandable because of the need to put it on cartridges and of course also the cost to port it to the Switch, but most of these costs should rightfully be put on the shoulders of the companies, not the consumers, since Nintendo could easily earn the investment back by the number of sales, since the Switch is doing so well already.
But that's only in an Utopian world, and that is, unfortunately for us, not the one we're actually living in...
So, besides the price point debate, which I can understand and agree with to a point, the whole whining about ports being bad has to go, because it is immensely shortsighted and illogical. PERIOD.
It is also highly annoying to see people bring up reasons that aren't even valid or remotely close to the truth, such as the whole nonsensical and false belief that ports are taking away too much time, money and manpower from new titles that a company "should rather focus on making instead of all this old crap".
That's such a BIG misunderstanding that I can't even begin to fathom how the hell people can actually believe such a load of BS, nor do I have the slightest inkling of hope that the majority of these individuals might ever understand how incorrect this belief is, because often times they simply stick to what they believe is true, regardless of how much logic and evidence you throw their way.
Another point related to this is all the Wii U remasters on the Switch:
First off, people need to realize that they aren't alone on this world, so the fact that YOU have already played this game on the Wii U, isn't of any relevancy in the bigger picture, which is the frame of thought that companies use. So, YOU obviously aren't the target audience here. People need to understand that, if they REALLY want to know or understand the reason why.
And besides that, thinking only of yourself is highly egotistical, and so is thinking that a company is burning you personally because they want to re-release games that you just happened to have played already...
And, as we all know, the Wii U was hardly a big success, so the amount of time and money that Nintendo has spent and invested in it and its games would have been all but lost to them, if it wasn't for the now immensely successful Switch and the possibility to re-release these games to a much larger audience, finally giving these games the chance to truly shine, and not just for those 13 million Wii U owners...
And that is also provided that any of those titles was even bought by the majority of all those owners, which more than likely isn't the case, so you can easily imagine how low some of these sales were, resulting in narrow profit margins at best.
NOT a good thing for a company that is in the video game business.....
So, needless to say, most of these games actually NEED a re-release, because they DESERVE a much bigger audience than they had on the Wii U, and why not also let other people have the chance to get acquainted with all those great games that you and I already enjoyed (or are still enjoying) on the Wii U?
And of course, you don't HAVE to buy any of these re-releases. Nobody is holding a gun to your head, so skip titles to your heart's content, and look forward to what's coming that actually IS interesting to you, because that's coming as well, regardless of how many ports are released or not.
In closing, here's that excellent video that I promised at the beginning of this wall of text:
Safe to say @ThanosReXXX has nailed it here. Not much to add except given how many people seemingly hate ports on this site, it's going to be a bloodbath if Nintendo ever announce a Virtual Console for Switch. Unenhanced overpriced ports already available on multiple systems? Ouch.
Seeing older games get reinvigorated on the HD portable hybrid can only be a good thing in my eyes. If the Switch was a standard HD system like the Wii U (sort of) was, I wouldn't really care but I love the Switch's versatility. I see great things for its future.
If all these ports weren't all sold at full price vs the heavily discounted ones on every other platform, then I doubt there would be much to complain about.
I think that what the article said is true though, that games like Payday 2 have a chance to thrive on the platform due to lack of competition.
@electrolite77 Why, thank you.
Good point you brought up as well. And that is the weird thing with a lot of these complainers: they don't want ports of games that are still relatively new/modern, but you better beware if Nintendo has the audacity to not put some kind of VC on the Switch.
I can almost already see them gathering up their torches and pitchforks...
I'm cool with every game ever being ported to the Switch. Buy what you want and be happy for all the options. Myself, I've bought:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Fast RMX, I am Setsuna, Shantae Half Genie Hero, Blossom Tales, Enter the Gungeon, Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, Bayonetta 1+2, Ultra Street Fighter II, Metal Slug, X, 3, Aerofighters 2, Shock Troopers, Double Dragon, Strikers 1945, Gunbird, Hammerwatch, Lego City Undercover, Binding of Isaac, Pinball FX3, and Stern Pinball. I didn't own ANY of these games portably and very few on other systems. Metal Slug on PS2 and Street Fighter II variants 4 other times.
I'm looking forward to Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition own WiiU version, The Megaman Legacy Collections own 1-7 in several formats, but not 8-10, Megaman X collections own X1-X3, and hopefully Smash, either a port or new one, I'm happy either way and own Smash on WiiU. Waiting for the virtual console and appreciating the gems that launched on Switch so far: LoZ BoTW, Super Mario Odyssey, Mighty Gunvolt Burst, Mario+Rabbids, Sonic Mania, and looking forward to Kirby Star Allies, Pokemon Switch, Starlink, and whatever other goodies come my way.
Great piece here, @Dom.
I agree 100%. The ports are fine. Especially considering most of them have never appeared on Nintendo console before, so these are new to the Nintendo audience(myself included). People will complain "too many ports..Already bought this on muh PS4/Xbox" but they fail to understand that people haven't played the game or are willing to double dip for the portability.
I have an issue with ports when they $60 and are headlining a Month. I never notice them on PC or PS4 because they a 19.99/39.99 side story.
When you get an old game at $50/$60 dollars and that is the platform "killer game" for the montH you have a problem.. That it is "portable" is irrelevant - that just means I won't want to play it at home or on the train. No idea how that makes it "better"
And 3rd party are not stupid. If they see they can just cash in by dumping $50 old games on the Switch that is exactly what they will do.
@Ryu_Niiyama And equally do Switch gamers clamour for the impossible, and wield eyecaps like they're glasses, demanding everything on account of some games being possible (DOOM).
This knife cuts both ways.
@Agramonte "That it is "portable" is irrelevant - that just means I won't want to play it at home or on the train. No idea how that makes it "better"
And 3rd party are not stupid. If they see they can just cash in by dumping $50 old games on the Switch that is exactly what they will do."
And yet people herald these prices with open arms, and ignore anything wrong on the very account of that portability. It will only get worse from here on out, as the majority of Switch owners have proven not to care.
As @KryptoKrunch proves, portability is the sole factor of purchase for many of these: "are willing to double dip for the portability." And people fault me for seeing the Switch as only a handheld. The delusion is with those who don't.
didn't buy Payday 2 for 19$ on steam, why in hell should I buy it for switch for 50$ ?
I'm all for Wii U ports cause I didn't have it - and select few outside, Skyrim and doom.
Well I don't mind ports, in fact I think it's neat that you can take Doom and Bayonetta 1&2 on the go. That novelty of taking any console game anywhere is a real nice selling point.
For example I felt the same way about the PS Vita. The fact that I could play PS2 collections like Sly Cooper, Jak & Daxter and God ofWar as well as almost all PS1 classics anywhere really sold me on it.
Sure I already own most of these games but having them on the go makes it worth rebuying them.
@MFD I see the handheld aspect as a great bonus tbh.
@MFD yep - it is illogical.
I can eat a bologna sandwich at home and on the bus. So what? It is still a bologna sandwich that I could care less about. A change in geographic location does not change the content.
And they actually trying to train people that these games are a big deal. A 5 year old straight ports is not news - it is a $11 ebay (or steam sale) impulse buy.
@GrailUK A bonus? The docked part is the bonus. The portability is the sole reason why many of these ports even happen!
@Agramonte And yet I don't see this changing any-time soon. People will continue excusing how games run/content/price because of portability.
Interesting to see comparisons with other systems. Metacritic for the world's current best selling games console tells an interesting story re.number of ports, number of multiplats, number of exclusives....
http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/ps4/filtered?year_selected=2013
http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/ps4/filtered?year_selected=2014
Indeed, the top 20 games on PS4 in 2015 includes a mighty 2 exclusives, one of which is a compilation of ports
http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/ps4/filtered?year_selected=2015
Maybe the memory plays tricks but the Switch is not suffering in comparison. In fact with Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade 2, Arms, Snipperclips, Mario v Rabbids and Golf Story it compares very well.
Ports and multiplats have dominated every system released in the last 30 years, and third-party exclusives are getting more and more scarce due to how much game development costs. Anybody who thinks the Switch is entitled to an avalanche of third-party exclusives when other systems with bigger current userbases don't have many is deluded
I love port! And gin..and vodka....yeah il drink anything whilst gaming on my switch.
@MFD I suppose it's down to how I use my Switch dude. There is no right or wrong answer with it. I'm sure some see the dock as a bonus. For me I play mostly docked and being able to play in bed or on the train is just awesome!
@electrolite77 first PS4 came out at end of 2013 so "year 1" stretched all the way into 2014.
It is not about exclusive. There is a massive difference between getting a new multiplatform game and an old 5 year old port. By Christmas 2014 PS4 already had just about every big 3rd party property. What SONY did, old ports and indies were extra.
@MFD
You don't find any attraction in portability. Others do. Millions, judging by how portables sell. Of course they will accept the compromises inherent in a portable system if they use it a lot as a portable system.
@Agramonte
And what if that time on the bus is a person's only time to eat anything? Or the majority of their time to eat anything. You may be have the time to cook a 4-course meal from scratch for yourself but not everybody with a job, partner, kids etc. does. In fact, judging by how portables sell, millions don't.
FAO anyone surprised by portability being attractive to a lot of people. Seriously. We've had portable gaming consoles for nearly 30 years now and hundreds of millions of them have sold. What will it take for you to grasp how significant portable gaming is? Apparently 118 million Gameboys, 82 million PSPs and 81 million GBAs didn't get the point across. Even 150 million DS sales, 77 million 3DS sales (and counting) and the rise of mobile gaming (how much are Tencent worth?) didnt. You're still convinced sitting in front of a TV with a Control Pad is the only true way, can't understand why anyone would do anything else and actually believe it's because others are being 'trained ' to think and act differently. Come on now. It's 2018. Get with the times.
@MFD
Well, I didn't say portability was the sole reason. Regardless of how you see the Switch, it's definitely an advantage over the competition.
@Agramonte
The lead games for PS4 in its first year were The Last of Us and GTA V. Remasters of PS3 games. I bought my PS4 in 2014 but I knew the attraction was playing the same games at higher-res, with the occasional exclusive or multiplat where the tech actually improved the game (Shadows of Mordor, PES 2015), and future proofing.
The PS4 library was and is dominated by ports and multiplats, for a long time to the disquiet of many online. I've no problem with that, it's true of every games system. But it seems some do and even expect the Switch to be different for some reason.
@electrolite77 And you think that every person who owns a portable has that lifestyle? That is just self serving. For everyone like that there is another that use their device for their work commute or business trip. They come home to their girl and kids, Have weekends off, have time after 9/10PM. Playing a game for a few hrs is like watching Johnny Carson for their parents.
And that time is not limited to the Handheld device they use on the bus that morning. It will be the best experience available to them. Just like I do not watch Netflix on my iPhone when I am home.
@electrolite77
yeah i don't get it. that and the switch has only been out a year(ish) so were devs supposed to have big games lined up?
the wiiU ports are perfect imo. many of us saw the crapshow N was trying to pass off and skipped it after the dreadful wii. at least N got it kinda right with the switch.
i think the big issue here is that:
1. publishers are lazy and cheap so if they can crap out a multiplat with very little work they will. so here we are; easy peasy pc/ps4/xb. why spend the money porting to the switch which can't come close and takes money/time?
2. look at how well the ds/3ds did. the switch should get there as N's sole portable but it's going to be different. the ds and 3ds are so underpowered as to make games cheap to build. now you have a portable that's up to say ps3 level. those games WEREN'T cheap and the switch will have the same issue especially with a limited market. sell 50 million and the exclusives will come.
@electrolite77 "or multiplat where the tech actually improved the game (Shadows of Mordor, PES 2015), and future proofing"
Ok, but doing that does not dilute the value of the software or the entertainment it provides. ZBOTW is not any less a "new" game on the Switch because there was a WiiU version. My point is that a multiplat game is different than a remastered or straight port of old games.
The Wii U ports are a bit annoying. Id imagine most people who owned a Wii U bought a switch. If you had a Wii U you've played those games to death cos there was nothing else.
I'd welcome some 3rd party open world game ports though
@KryptoKrunch @GrailUK @electrolite77 I'll leave you all with a thought.
Those people, from Nintendo's survey that use both modes, are the only thing keeping their, heh, if you can even call it that, foray into the home-console market alive. If they should for any reason move on, then Nintendo will only have handhelds.
Many are the games that are brought to Switch on account of portability, none are the reasons why it's brought for docked. It's merely there to sucker people in. Those that buy a Switch for docked mode, do so because they have no choice when it comes to Nintendo's IP, and those people are but a minority that don't matter in the face of money.
Dock's days are numbered, it's a matter of waiting until it disappears, and then we'll no longer have a choice.
It does seem wii u owners are being shortchanged. I already own Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and Bayonetta so I,m not getting them again. I see no reason why wii u owners couldn,t have been offered a Switch upgrade for each title like a tenner - this was done on some PS3 to PS4 titles, you'd have the game disc in at the tim of the upgrade. Nintendo is even being shown up by other game publishers.Hyrule Warriors - all the DLC plus the3DS levels, new characters -man if only Nintendo made this much effort.
WHOAH! A quality, classic game? Benefits from local multiplayer? Extra content? Finances Nintendo efficiently and Thus giving us better gaming lives?
BRING ON THE PORTS! 😊
I've made this statement before here, and I'll say it again:
I missed some of these games (a lot , really), so as long as new content comes as well, bring on the ports! I'm all for it.
Let me be clear [said in Obama voice]
I love ports. No, let me be even more clear. I LOVE ports. More so than new games, actually. There, I said it. Now to explain why.
A game is a game. And being a ported game doesn't mean it's any lesser than. It simply means that at some point in time in the history of mankind, the game existed on another computer graphics platform. The previous existence of said game on another computer graphics platform does not somehow lessen my enjoyment of the game.
With new games, at least 50% of them are either mediocre or straight up crap. Every new game is a roll of the dice. It's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates- you never know what you're gonna get. With ports, only the best is typically brought over. Only the games that are actually good. The games they think have the best chance of selling. And why do they think they have the best chance of selling? Because they are among the top tier pool of games and they know good games sell better than bad games. Sometimes you get some mediocre ports, sure. But I guarantee you, if you averaged the Metacritic scores of ported games and compared it against the average Metacritic scores of new games, you would see a huge disparity between the two.
Ports are basically posterity's all star collection of the classics. All the best games from all the best platforms consolidated in one place, on a single platform, often with improved graphics and performance and features and gameplay and included DLC... they are not only typically great games, they are quite often the best versions of those games as well.
To add to that, we can get 4-5 ports for the development cost of 1 single new game, just based on the sheer resources and manpower required to do the job. And, that's one single new game that has a 50% chance of not even being worth buying anyways. Even if I've played half the ports- so let's say 2 of them I've already played- that still leaves 2-3 other games that I have not played. And not only have I not yet played them, they're probably really good games, hence why they were chosen to be ported in the first place. And the 2 I have played, in the specific case of Switch, I'm still getting a handheld version of two excellent games that I love. And not just any handheld version... an HD handheld version. And not just an HD handheld version, but a console version too. And portable console version too. And cross save between all 3 versions baked right in to each and every game.
Now don't take me wrong- I love new games. But gosh dang it, if I had to choose between the two... I would choose ports every time. If I had to choose 6 new games- some of which might not turn out to be that great, or 4-5x as many ported games (so 30 ported games, half of which I never played and will be just as "new" as a new game, and most of them of terrific games at that) I know which one of those offers more value to me.
TLDR
I praised all the ports on PS4 back in 2013-2014, and I'm praising all the ports on Switch now. I love ports... I love em. Cause a great game is a great game, you can get way more of them for the development cost of one single new game, the vast majority are excellent versus the unsurity of new releases, half of em I haven't played anyways so they're just as new to me as a brand new title, and the other half offer the first-ever tribrid handheld HD version of some of my all-time favorites...
I say load em up, and load em up by the metric ton. I'll take em all.
In Response To The "Could Get It Cheaper Elsewhere" Argument
For the record, I don't care if you could get DKC Tropical Freeze on Wii U for $20 or not. Nor do I care if you could get DOOM on PS4 for $20. Price isn't the only thing that matters, but you do get what you pay for. You could buy the game for $20 on Wii U, but it would cost you in other ways. You forfeit the handheld version and you forfeit the portable console version (valued even at $20 each, that makes up the difference right there). You sacrifice the new mode- a mode which will be particularly entertaining for those who have played the game and downright crucial for those who aren't in the top skill bracket for platformers. You also have to dig out the old Wii U and designate an HDMI port for it, and find space for it on the entertainment shelf. And if you don't own one, you can tack $200 on to that "$20 purchase". You're also limited to playing it on a clunky gamepad that doesn't even have anything showing on the screen, or a Pro Controller, instead of the array of options like handheld/pro controller/Joycon grip/split Joycon/sideways Joycon. You also forfeit the ability to play co-op on demand anywhere, which is of course stemming from the fact you forfeit playing it anywhere as previously mentioned. You're also going to forfeit video uploads for time trials that are no longer stored on the servers. You are going to forfeit easy screenshots, and you're going to forfeit video capture.
In the end... you're paying a lot more for the Wii U version and getting a lot less. Dollars isn't the only price you pay.
My last consoles were the PS2 and Xbox 360, so every port is a brand new game for me. I love the choice, although I think the eShop needs a makeover. And prices are a premium so I tend to wait for sales.
The Switch got me back into gaming after a decade-long hiatus. It’s good to be back!
@JaxonH I'll give you kudos for the thought-out post.
Now to wonder if you've changed some opinions.
@MFD
I'm not here to change opinions. Just share my own, nothing more.
Besides, not a soul on this entire site is going to change their opinion reading anyone's post about anything. People are firmly rooted in what they believe. Especially when there's no right or wrong answer- just preference.
@JaxonH Who knows? If someone sees logic in your post, they may decide that it's a good point. Or it already aligns with their own.
I’m all for ports of games that are appearing on a Nintendo console for the first time, like DOOM and LA Noir, but Nintendo needs to back off of porting every Wii U game they can. Missed out on Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors and DKCTF? Boo-hoo. You should have bought a Wii U. You still can, in fact, and get the games for less.
Not only does Switch lack any kind of backwards compatibility but its ports of old games are more expensive than ever!
I don't mind ports as long the price for it seems reasonable. Now that I think about it, some ports seems way too overprice than it needs to be. People may say "well the portability matters." Yes and no. You have to factor in if people WANTS to buy portability in a said game versus people loving the portability aspect to not care as much about the price. It's all about preference. Same could be said with graphics limitations on the Switch versus the PC/PS4/Xbox. For me I will always get the cheaper option for the loss of portability unless there is a sale on the eShop for that game. I don't mind graphics and will always look at the Switch first as long the frame rate isn't too terrible. I wouldn't mind paying for the same price with older ports if they actually have an extra worthwhile story content in a game compared to small additions like a few characters though.
Also Bayonetta 2 looks awesome and I've only played 1 but I think the price shouldn't be that much since it came out on the WiiU before. I'll patiently wait for some sort of sale to happen before I'll buy it.
@MFD You saying portability suckered people in? Dammit, while I was playing Skyrim on my train journey it was me being played all the time. The irony!
@NewAdvent The eShop version of Cave Story is Cave Story+ from 2011, which is $14.99 on Steam. It has upgraded graphics, soundtracks and a bunch of other goodies compared to the 2004 free version, on top of official English release (the original had to be fan-patched not to be in Japanese).
It's still pricey on Switch though. It's one of the best early indies, but I wouldn't double dip on it.
As a PC gamer before the Switch I'd say the overall line of reasoning applies to Wii U games very well, since not that many people own that console (insane pricing notwithstanding). But calling DOOM "forgotten"? That's a game that does not need a "second chance", least of all on Switch. Especially with like 500 Steam/GoG Sales every year. Overall I get the feeling the author is completely ignorant of the PC market.
@Agramonte
I don't know whether every person who has a portable has that lifestyle, of course not. However I know there are countless people out there that do have that lifestyle.
I also know that portable games systems sell and have done for years, yet some people still attempt to explain away the attractiveness of that portability as if it's some sort of conspiracy. The numbers are there, yet I see people who game on home systems repeatedly struggle to look beyond their own myopic worldview and picture other people having different wants and needs from their games system. For example I'm not into spending thousands on a PC rig and tweaking it to get an extra frame here and there but I don't think others do it because they've been trained to think they enjoy that, I understand that they enjoy it. It puzzles me to be honest.
"And that time is not limited to the Handheld device they use on the bus that morning. It will be the best experience available to them."
Of course, but that doesn't necessarily mean best graphics. The best experience for some might be the Switch docked because that's all they have, or because of being able to carry on with the game they were playing in portable mode. It may be continuing with the Switch because the TV is taken up (same way I sometimes use a tablet to watch Netflix). The flexibility is the key, but again the attractiveness of that it is genuine to some people, it isn't something they've been fooled into.
@Agramonte
"My point is that a multiplat game is different than a remastered or straight port of old games."
Fair enough, but anyone who bought the Switch for current and future multiplats didn't do their research. The presence or otherwise of them isn't going to make or break the Switch, gamers who want those games are well catered for elsewhere. If they come along great but they'll be a bonus. The Switch has other USPs.
I see it as in a similar position to the GBA and other handhelds. Current-gen games are tricky because handhelds are always going to be less powerful. There's an opportunity, however, for third-parties to make money by giving older games a new lease of portable life. They can augment Nintendo's own output nicely by doing this.
@MFD
"If they should for any reason move on, then Nintendo will only have handhelds."
That's always been the most likely outcome. Their handhelds have always outsold their home Systems.
"It's merely there to sucker people in"
Again with the inability to grasp that others use cases for a games system might be different to yours.
"Those that buy a Switch for docked mode, do so because they have no choice when it comes to Nintendo's IP"
Or because they use it in both modes. Like the surveys say.
http://images.nintendolife.com/news/2017/10/gamers_prefer_using_switch_as_a_handheld_rather_than_docked/attachment/1/original.jpg
"Dock's days are numbered, it's a matter of waiting until it disappears, and then we'll no longer have a choice."
Your entire post is baseless conjecture but this bit especially. Nintendo's survey suggests 70% of users utilise the dock. Why would Nintendo cut them off? They don't have to develop specifically for it, I'm pretty sure selling extra docks is very profitable due to a high mark-up, they don't even have to update it. Money talks, and while the dock is helping Switch sell there's absolutely no reason for it to go anywhere.
@Bobgoblin
I 100% disagree. Those games deserve a bigger audience than the disappointing Wii U could give them and Nintendo can make money by porting them. They should bring every worthwhile Wii U game to Switch.
Nothing really I can add that’s already been said but will emphasise two very good points said by others.
1) There are already more Switch owners than there ever were Wii U owners and that gap is only gonna grow. Those that already play them have to realise that they only make up a smidgen of the potential market. It can be an affordable way to get great games out to new audiences.
2) The cost of these ports is big topic of discussion and all sorts of arguments exist; at the end of the day though its true value can only be decided by those who buy it. If sales are decent enough then the game’s monetary value was sound. If not, then a lower price was required. I paid £45 for Doom (it was a rush purchase before flying out for Christmas hols) and for me it was worth every penny. It was on a system I wanted, that I could play overseas and on flights and was on a load of fun. I couldn’t care less than the diamete of a gnat’s left gonad if it was cheaper on PC, PS4 or whatever. In clssic fashion, the market will decide the optimum price. It may just involve some patience.
@electrolite77 You're being a bit of a derp there mate, dissecting my post, and then putting pieces apart, that actually directly relate to one another.
"Your entire post is baseless conjecture but this bit especially. Nintendo's survey suggests 70% of users utilise the dock. Why would Nintendo cut them off? They don't have to develop specifically for it, I'm pretty sure selling extra docks is very profitable due to a high mark-up, they don't even have to update it. Money talks, and while the dock is helping Switch sell there's absolutely no reason for it to go anywhere."
I said, when those that used it mostly as double, MOVE ELSEWHERE, which also ties into this comment of yours.
"Or because they use it in both modes. Like the surveys say"
If those people, like with the Wii, move on to something else (and as with the Wii, there's a good chance of this) Then the Switch will be a handheld before you can take your words back. It already is severely biased towards handheld, since that's what it sells the most on, and that's what people happily defend when it comes to quality. Suggest a purely docked game for performance's sake, and watch the pathetic fools leap at your throat with "but I won't be able to play it everywhere!" or "That goes against the Switch's message and what it was meant for!" so what was it meant for? Oh right, games on the go, with an optional side mode that some, if not many HAVEN'T EVEN REMOVED FROM THE PLASTIC. That's it's defining feature, what truly matters. It's never "I want it for docked" It's "I want it because it can do both" or "I want it because it can do handheld". If that inspires hybrid confidence to you, then I've but one thing to call you: Naive.
The only thing baseless, is to think the Switch will remain a "hybrid".
@GrailUK How quaint, you just wait until that day arrives that you go out to buy Nintendo's next system, and it's a pure handheld with nothing else to it, and no home-console to buy.
@electrolite77 If people wanted to play those games they had every opportunity to. On the Wii U. I’m not saying these games should never be ported, but having so many so soon is literally a slap in the face to people who supported the U.
@NewAdvent "Don't be fooled into thinking you're paying for 'portability' you paid that price by buying the system in the first place".
Absolutely right. Plus, making a portable/hybrid game is cheaper than a home console game, not to mention that most of the Switch releases are ports and they require fewer resources.
Ports are alright but Switch ports are overpriced starting with Nintendo's own ports.
@Bobgoblin
I'm literally amazed anybody sees that as a slap in the face. Wii U owners got to play the ported games first, why does it matter if they're now ported elsewhere?
And there were plenty of reasons to avoid the Wii U that a handful of decent games couldn't counteract. Can't blame anybody for avoiding it. And I say that as a Wii U owner.
Wanting to deny others the chance to play some games, deny those games a bigger audience, and deny Nintendo revenue seems very churlish and childish.
@NewAdvent What I mean is that developing a Switch port is not as expensive as developing the original game: Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, etc. unless you remake the whole game like other companies do: Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac/Sony), The Dragon's Trap (Lizardcube), or Gears of War Ultimate Edition (Epic/Microsoft).
The other part of my comment refers to the fact that handheld (hybrid if you think of Switch) games are faster, cheaper and easier to produce than AAA console/PC games.
@MFD
Hang on, so your whole theory is based on a currently non-existent point where those who use the Switch dock abandon the machine en masse but the minority who don't stick around? And that will cause Nintendo to do something with no obvious benefit to themselves? It's conjecture.
I just don't see what's in it for Nintendo. The Dock probably adds about £20 to the systems retail cost but allows them to keep their toe in a whole separate market. I'm not saying they won't do it because bizarre business decisions are one of their specialities, but it would be shooting themselves in the foot. To throw away the systems USP, reduce their potential total customer base and cut off a revenue stream for no obvious gain would be special even by their standards
@electrolite77 Well, if home-console falls out of favour due to people's busy lives demanding they move around all the time, then I can see it disappearing.
And this 100% guarantees that they'll never invest in improving it, which is a crying damn shame.
Wii U games Bayonetta 1+2 and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze have always been on my radar so I'm glad I'll get a chance to play them when I buy a Switch. Playstation ports, I can't complain. There's something for everyone here. Wouldn't mind if Topspin 4 is ported. Would love to play Skyrim with the only caveat being time investment and the fact, at some point, I plan to be wholly invested in BotW. Planned Phoenix Wright game? It's a great time to be a gamer.
Tap here to load 104 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...