Topic: Favourite Switch game and why?

@COVIDberry Yeah I only played a demo, and would like to experience the entire game, but it's too expensive, and the recent review here didn't make it seem like it's interesting enough further in to pay anything but a cheap price for it. And given my budget, cheap for me is most people's "gold coins" eshop impulse purchase territory.

When people use the words Belgian and forest in the same sentence, I tend to get sarcastic as well. When they call the place I live "true nature" I always need to take a break and remind myself to see it from their perspective first. But I'll still tell them it isn't. Thought about moving to the Ardennes often, it's not far and definitely nicer. The people here are also very conservative, and while they always seem to go along and almost fully understand when I talk to them in person, I know there's a lot of talking behind my back as well, because some people have come over to admit it to me and apologise for it.

Personally I grew up with a skyline of both cities and trees, and saw it turning into cities alone. The forest and fields where we played as kids, are now big apartment buildings, or construction sites where they're building even more of those. Flanders is a sinking ship, and I'm not going to drown with it while the captains are drunk and the rowers are drowning each other over the last breath of air.

When I still lived in the city, there was a "nature" park "nearby", a two hour walk through suburban areas. I lost all energy I got from spending a day there during my walk back. But now I wouldn't go live in the city in the first place.

I also learned that most people who do live in greener areas don't really appreciate that (and I understand that, I've lived here a couple of years, and I only still appreciate it because I know where I come from). As for winter and cold, when I woke up this morning it was 6°C inside, freezing outside. But as long as I sleep among the dogs (two of them are husky X white shepherd), I never feel cold. I do long for spring and summer though (one of the dogs is called "Lente", which is Dutch for spring. When adopting them I changed their names, and she made me feel like springtime).

Haha yeah you're doing a good job explaining how the country is in general, positive AND negative, so far what I thought of when thinking of Canada, was South Park's depiction of it, and that the people are supposed to be very nice in general. And while South Park is a good source of entertainment and great critique on society, I doubt that their depiction of Canadians is THAT accurate more a way of showing how people always seek someone else to blame. Literally, as the song "blame Canada" is playing in my head right now.

Bayonetta 2 for me big time. Console quality graphics on a portable unit. I’ve seen PS4 games that didn’t look nearly as good. The game plays well too. Best game in my collection.

It's a toss-up between Breath of the Wild and Hollow Knight, with Hollow Knight perhaps inching ahead on the strength of its art style and atmosphere, which are some of the most immersive I've experienced. Both massive, involving games.

I'm not sure whether to mention the original Doom games. They shook up my world last year — but, well, it's Doom. It runs on a toaster, so it'd be weird to think of it as a "Switch game." Still, I did play Doom, Doom 2, and Doom 64 on the Switch, and that was quite the trip. (I can't warm up to Doom 3's linear level design and constant jump scares, and haven't been able to finish it. Like many early 2000 shooters, it tries to do Half Life, but fails at it. Valve get away with linear level design because they know how to pace their journeys and keep things fresh, which their imitators aren't always good at. As for the new Dooms, which I've still to try, they seem far too focused on constant combat, from what I've heard. I like the moments of relatively calm exploration in the originals, especially in Doom and Doom 64. Doom 2 kicked up the enemy count, not always to its benefit.)

I bought many games day one, Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii, 2010) which came with a red Wii Classic Controller Pro, was one of them. I eventually got the collector's coins from Nintendo for buying the rainfall trilogy. I thought it was great enough, to follow it up with Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U, 2015) which came with a free download of the Wii original and all DLC included from the Japanese version, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch, 2017), Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country (Switch, 2018) and Xenoblade Chronicles - Definitive Edition (Switch, 2020). The newest game is the only one I didn't buy day one because I completed it 10 years ago. However, I bought it in November, and since then completed it more than ever before. I just completed Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connection and loved it.

My favourite RPGs of the last decade are the whole Xenoblade series, especially Chronicles X, the mindblowing Undertale (Switch, 2018) and The Last Story (Wii, 2011) which I found very atmospheric and mature.

I also love Smash Bros. and Ultimate is my favourite fighting game ever. Have a Shulk amiibo, Ness, Ike, Lucas, 50 others, mostly from Smash.

Well, I don't wanna go back earlier than 2010, I've a long history of gaming behind me. And I can't decide for just one best game.

There are too many masterpieces even if you just focus on Switch: I think exclusives like Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Maker 2, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Yoshi, Hyrule Warriors, and probably some I forget are among the best games in their series or even genre.

For the longest time my favourite game was xenoblade Chronicles 2. A game I have not buy day one as I felt overwelmed by its gaming mechanics showed on directs (and I assume I did not understand until the point I had to go to YouTube videos explaining it later in the game as the tutoriais kind of suck and are not replayable) but when I emersed myself in the world and the battle mechanics I simply adored and is to this date my most played game on switch with 250h+.
However the I bought the Witcher 3 and I now have a new favourite game ever... I like open world games as much as anyone but I also prefer good storytelling in my games and Witcher has the best stories in gaming in both quantity as quality. The gameplay is enjoyable if not stellar and the pacing is "chef's Kiss"

There aren’t any games in my all-time top 10 that aren’t available on Switch. Games, imho, have never been better, and I play many games these days that feel like they were developed for me.

Number one for me is Slay the Spire. Followed by Breath of the Wild, then Dragon Quest 11.

It's still gotta be Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for me. That game pulled me in and I happily surrendered 3 months of any downtime I could possibly spare. Amazing story and the gameplay is complicated but they do such a good job introducing it and teaching you that it doesn't feel overwhelming, like some other games (like I can't figure out how to play Monster Hunter for the life of me, haha).

I think XC2 just shows that story and solid characters continue to be 2 of the most important elements in a game. In my opinion, games are simply another medium for storytelling, and story should always be at the center.

After XC2, I loved Fire Emblem Three Houses!! Def need more FH games ported over to Switch. I wanna play them all!

I feel like I should say, by default, that Breath of the Wild is my favourite Switch game - without it, I would never have returned to this hobby in 2017. When I think about how much time I've spent playing, and the fact that I have not finished BOTW, I have to say Dragon Quest Builders wins. But I find it hard to choose, and I've yet to play through some of my library, so I will say that, so far:

Action: Enter the Gungeon
Racing: Trials Rising
Rhythm: Thumper
Shoot-'em-up: Thunder Force IV
Strategy: Into the Breach

(@Shambo Hey Friendly Werewolf of Antwerp, I chose what I thought was a very old (and dead) thread to reply to you, but it seems I've actually restarted it. So, before I answer, I thought, "Maybe I'd better reply to the forum topic!", haha.)

@COVIDberry Haha, well, here's my list for Switch, since that's the topic.

Switch didn't draw me back in, so I have played many of it's greater titles before, and have many to play still.

Curently though, I'm going through the Witcher 3, never played it before because I almost exclusively play on handhelds (and therefore I'm a Nintendo fan and when I get a "main" home console, it's a Nintendo, since my PS console(s) have always turned into glorified netflix and dvd / blu ray players. Every once in a while I enjoy a good PSVR game, but I couldn't spend the amount of time I play on Switch in front of a TV.

Some of my favourites, leaving out the obvious games everyone knows about, first party games, and big budget titles, going through my games list on the system itself, are:

Carrion, Mark of the Ninja, Wargroove, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Victor Vran, Steamworld Heist, West of Loathing, Call of Juarez Gunslinger, Hard West, Superhot, Minit, The Darkside Detective, Snake Pass, Thimbleweed Park, Count Lucanor, Axiom Verge,... And many more, in many genres really, it just makes no sense to list them all. These are just some of the titles that stand out for me, but that probably most don't appreciate as much as I do, or even know, or would come across if they just got their Switch recently.

The Big(ger) budget games that I feel are criminally overlooked:

Catherine, Valkyria Chronicles (4), Tokyo Mirrage Sessions, Dragon's Dogma, LA Noire... and again, there's more, but maybe I don't feel like they're overlooked, or I overlooked them myself.

As for RPG's that pride themselves on hours of playtime and tons of content, I just think many great RPG's are overshadowed by the most famous few that look kind of similar or just have a larger audience because of their name and budget.

My favorite switch game...... probably smash. It's just so fun. There are so many characters to choose from and combos to use

Shin Megami Tensei V.

It's not even out yet but it will probably be Shin Megami Tensei V.

Oh yeah also Smash. I've probably clocked more hours into Smash at this point than Zelda

For me it's a tie between Mario Odyssey and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Everyone knows what Mario is all about, so I'll skip explaining myself on that one, but Fire Emblem is just SO GOOD. I'm on my second playthrough of it now and I'm going to play the third house that I haven't played yet right after.

Three Houses has everything I like about RPGs: great plot, great character development, interesting gear and skills, decisions that actually make a difference to the story line, combat mechanics that I never seem to get sick of, the list goes on and on. I played through Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2, Dragon Quest XI, and Breath of the Wild, and none of them hold a candle to Fire Emblem: Three Houses in my opinion.

Fist bump.

Arms does feel a little underrated/in the shadow of over games but it does so much right. It is presented well with it's music and little touches like having a commentator for a sports feel, it's simple to pick but is deep enough to prevent it being button mashing plus it's roster has personality which is something that really helps a good fighter be a great fighter.

Final Fantasy XII is a very personal favorite of mine for my Nintendo Switch Lite. I missed out on the game back then when it was released for the Playstation 2. Never had the money, time for Playstation 2 games back then

@Shambo Hey Vegan Werewolf,

So you like Carrion and LA Noire... I've been looking for another excuse to try those games after so many recommendations

I do not wish to talk your ears off about Canada and natural environments, because it seems just a bit unfair mid-pandemic, among other reasons. (I still feel like your household would love a place like British Columbia, though.) I will say that, after our conversation, I've been thinking about how I and people here "are" (exist) in nature. As North Americans we run around a lot and try to see as much as possible, but tenure and endurance are key to appreciating nature. For a long time I've felt the need to slow down when I'm outside, and I'm lucky for having choice in where and how I can do that, so, thanks for reminding me. Next time I hear the wolves howling at night when walking out of the local marsh, I'll stop and listen rather than hopping furiously away.

When I slowly returned to this hobby in 2017, I hadn't seen the state of the art in open world games since... haha, Twilight Princess? I have a geoscience background, so I am very aware of landscapes, and you might be able to guess my reaction when I first played BOTW.

I must have spent hours in the starting forest area on my first weekend with the game. A lot of people (especially older ones) still look down on video games, so I cannot exactly discuss this with too many like-minded people, but - I feel like a digital representation of an environment like a national park or a work site, with a walking, climbing avatar moving at an ordinary human pace, could be quite useful for the public and scientists alike. More than that, though, the game has a landscape ethic, or just a sense of awe at landscapes, that is unmatched. (Skyrim is fun too.) I hope we get to see more games like this!

@Shambo If you're not tired of talking to me yet, haha, I wanted to ask you about Flanders and Belgium. When you say that Flanders is a sinking ship, are you referring to abuse of the environment, or the government generally? I've also been meaning to ask - what is the reputation of Brussels like? This might sound funny to you, but I've been considering some of the multi-lingual jobs in that city (there seem to be a number for some strange reason! /s). I don't think I could live in Belgium permanently, and I've learned a lot of things about how the country is run in the last few years that bother me, but I would like your opinion. (Maybe an exchange could be arranged: they kick out one werewolf over there in exchange for kicking out one mouthy furball over here.)

Stay warm, all of you!

Celeste. It's one of the best platformers I've ever played with one of the best soundtracks, which is a lot on its own. And its one of the best thought out in terms of getting people to want to keep going through its toughest challenges without getting too annoyed by constantly dying (well, until that becomes impossible at least). But the thing that really puts it over the top is how it was able to take all that and use the basis of challenging, quick paced video game challenges and integrate that into the story seamlessly, in a way I couldn't have expected going into it.

Fire Emblem 3 Houses, followed by Splatoon 2, YS8 and then Slay the Spire. Fortnite would get a mention if it didn't run like crap on there.

FE3H...playing it nonstop until I beat it, each time I sat down, I hadn't been that excited to sit and play a game since I was a little kid. Felt like magic.

@COVIDberry Sorry for my late reply, but there's a lot going on here, and it's keeping me very busy in a very exhausting way, but I wouldn't want to write it down here, despite how I feel like everyone should know abut these things. I'd love to chat as much as possible about alternative lifestyle, slowing down, government corruption, nature,... Really. Actually really. But I'm not feeling my best right now, due to these circumstances, and I feel like this isn't the place to talk about that. Sadly there doesn't seem to be a way to send a private message here, and I don't feel like openly sharing more private contact information here either (given my often rather outspoken perspectives, and the sometimes very exhausting reactions from other people...)

If you're ever back in Antwerp, let me know, if I still live here by then (I also don't think I can remain here permanently), you're more than welcome to meet the pack, eat at my table (all vegan obviously), and talk all about anything.

Late to this thread, but I also have to go with Dragon Quest XI S.