Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@HunterLeon nice! Glad you ended up liking it. I loved it last year, accept that dang final boss which took forever

I hope you mean the extra, optional, one, @NintendoByNature....

@BruceCM oh no I mean the last one in two forms( the 2nd form really). I suck is all there is to it lol. I didn't level up enough at first haha.

Lols, then good luck with the optional extra one that's difficult if you manage to level up quite a lot more than required for that one, @NintendoByNature

@BruceCM eh I think chalk that one up as a 1 time every 10 years game 😜. With that said, ill just replay the original and it'll all feel new again lol

@Ralizah

Insert Boromir meme here

"One does not simply fault Monster Hunter in any way to JaxonH... It is folly".

What can I say, the series has transcended the opinions of mere mortals. We can only stand in reverent awe

Though it may seem otherwise, I've got plenty of complaints with each MH title, I just don't think those particular criticisms are either valid, or if valid, detrimental as portrayed. The addition of optional styles/arts only adds to the experience... never subtracts. The real issues are mostly QoL stuff that were addressed partially in MHGU and then the rest of the way in MHW. But the core gameplay is so good, it's mostly just small nitpicks by comparison. The biggest flaw in MHGU is the lack of direction for key quests, compounded by excessive gathering quests early game. But again, this is why the tall order of 2 full pages of free item DLC is such a game changer, along with the basic knowledge of following a key quest list to avoid the doldrums of early game gathering grind. One is directly addressed by the game, the other is easily addressed with a little foresight on part of the player.

I would also agree the lack of focus on story is a mark against it, if evaluating pound for pound, I just don't think the mark is that big, given the story of other games is so light anyways. The only difference between games like MH3U/MHGU and MH4U is a small handful of additional forced dialog elaborating on the threat to the village (the same threat present in all games). After playing MH World, where the story is significantly more pronounced, it makes all previous games seem roughly equivalent in lack of story by comparison (and even World is pretty light on story, which speaks volumes about how little it featured in earlier games, even MH4U).

Also, the styles are such a great addition- they really helped MHGU elevate itself beyond MH4U, such as the aerial style allowing for mounts in any environment. And contrary to the argument provided, it wasn't overpowered by any means. Mounts develop tolerance so that each mount requires a higher damage threshold. You can only pull off so many mounts before it stops working. And the damage done isn't too excessive. It also wastes time in the air when you could be on the ground doing hard damage. Like the insect glaive, bouncing all over the place and missing the moster 75% of the time because they're so fast and it's very easy to misjudge. That's what I love about post-MH4U games though- you no longer need to waste time climbing on walls and ledges just to attempt a single shot at a mount (which often requires 2-3 aerial attacks before the threshold is breached, which for MH4U, resulted in excessive time wasted trying to mount, time that is drastically reduced by leveraging weapons and styles designed for aerial attacks).

I'd also say holding A to gather/carve/speed craft made a huge improvement to playability. It didn't go all the way- we wouldn't see a full transition of gather while running (at least for SOME items) until MHW, but the patience required to gather/carve/craft in MH4U and previous entries, having to watch the entire animation play out each and every time- bend down, watch a digging animation, wait for the jingle, stand up, rinse and repeat, was impressive. MHGU really doesn't get enough credit.

@JaxonH Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll wait to see if that rumored Switch-exclusive MH game actually materializes soon.

Although I don't necessarily agree that just piling on systems and mechanics is always an additive thing. I think there's something to be said for a tighter experience that allows for the full manipulation of its mechanics as opposed to something stuffed to the gills with various options. Especially if you design the gameplay around a core set of small additions as opposed to piling everything together in a jumble and stuffing that mass into the game. There's an element of messiness to the approach that doesn't sit well with me.

It's probably one reason why Etrian Odyssey Nexus was my least favorite game in the series. It shares some startling similarities to MH Generations insofar as it's a sort of anniversary title that brings back tons of old classes, dungeons from previous games, etc. A big focus of the game was how many options it gave players for party builds, considering you had a ton of classes that had never been in the same game to date. But, IMO, it was too much. It lacked the focus and identity of previous entries.

I'm of the firm belief that the negative space left by what's not included in a game is just as important to the holistic experience of it as what's deliberately included in the first place.

@Slowdive Nice. I'm betting we'll hear more about remasters of the first two games in the next "partner showcase." What I imagine is that each showcase will combine tiny announcements with something more substantial at the end. We got the hugely satisfying announcements of Nocturne HD and SMT V's release window in the last one. Remasters of NMH 1+2 combined with a release date window for the third game could be coming next.

If they're reasonably priced, I might even bite and try my hand at the series.

Heh, you do expect the big boss of the story to be difficult, @NintendoByNature .... I thought her 1st form was quite difficult, with being so fast but the 2nd version was really quite easy, so overall, almost disappointing But the optional extra one is certainly rather hard!

@Ralizah
I think theres merit to what you said. MHGU could have done with a little more focus story wise. But... at the end of the day it accomplishes what it sets out to do. Give you tons of monsters to hunt and diversify the gameplay from getting too stale.

That's why styles/arts were such a brilliant addition and honestly the #1 thing I missed having in World. After 2000 hrs of MH, you've mastered the gameplay like the back of your hand. The styles provide a much needed respite from that monotony, and when combined with the various weapons create near unlimited gameplay opportunities, such as "Aerial Switch Axe" or "Brave Longsword" or "Striker Greatsword". I will truly regret it if they dont keep the system moving forward. 6 styles x 14 weapon types = 84 different gameplay styles. For veterans who've been using the same weapons for hundreds of thousands of hours, such added depth is much needed and appreciated. In terms of raw gameplay no MH title rivals the depth or breadth of MHGU. It's a great send off for the old style of games.

Btw, you got me back into 3DS now. After years of ignoring it, I remember my love for it now. That 3D effect is so awesome.

Upgraded my hacks to the latest so I could dump the last 7 or 8 games I bought, which I couldnt do before because I was on older firmware. Now I have WarioWare Gold, Mario & Luigi Bowsers Inside Story, Captain Toad, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Persona Q2, etc

So many great games to play on 3DS. Like 5 different SMT games and 2 Persona games and 4 Etrian Oddyssey games, Stella Glow, Ever Oasis, and so many countless others.

Yuuuuuus NMH 1 is (almost certainly) coming. I've only played bits and pieces of those two games, so I'm getting all 3 if they all come to Switch. Plus, this means NMH3 is probably going to get news soon. Easily one of my most wanted ports to get a shot at it (when it comes to Wii, it's that, Mad World and Red Steel II, all games I was too young for at the time)

For anyone living in the uk, there is maintenance on switch, 3ds wii u eshops. Tomorrow from 5:30 am to 9:00am.https://www.nintendo.co.jp/netinfo/en_GB/index.html. All network services will be unavailable.

@BruceCM i had an easy time throughout the game so I just wasn't expecting it to be so hard for me. Funny you struggled where I found it easy and I struggled where you found it easy lol

Eh, it happens, @NintendoByNature .... It all depends on many things! I mostly though the game was fairly well balanced, assuming you did most of the stuff along the way

What game are you two talking about?

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, @WoomyNNYes ....

lol People waiting for first-party Nintendo news are starving, angry, and desperate for a peep of what's coming in 2020, but since we have a good idea of when Ys IX, Nocturne HD, and SMT V are coming next year, I've kind of entered this weird zen state. I hope news comes for the perpetually disappointed, but I'm pretty much good at this point. Unless it's Pikmin 4 or Breath of the Wild 2, I'm not too concerned about what Nintendo is going to release.

@JaxonH Yeah, I'm defo not saying MHGU is a bad game at all. I'm sure it's quite good. And, frankly, probably even better for hardcore fans such as yourself. The importance of a campaign will be more pronounced for a casual fan such as myself who will spend 70 - 120 hours playing one of these games, only to sit it down and never touch it again. But you're one of these people who pumps thousands of hours into the games, so, yeah, I imagine all of the monsters, build variety in terms of arts/styles, etc. is a godsend. It's so chock full of stuff to do.

And, you know, when that exclusive Switch MH game doesn't materialize, I'll get desperate and end up getting into GU anyway.

Glad to hear you're giving your 3DS some love! The little thing obviously can't stand up to the HD clarity of the Switch, but, yeah, stereoscopic 3D is awesome when done right. Not every developer knows how to use it well (Atlus games, I'm sad to say, have terrible 3D implementation), but it dramatically improves a lot of stuff. If you haven't, play Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask in 3D. The sense of depth is stunning when the slider is all the way up.

@Ralizah Yeah, there's also Trails of Cold Steel IV, Inazuma Eleven and Balan Wonderworld. Plus, at some point between now and the end of 2021 we should get Rune Factory V, No More Heroes III, Digimon Survive, Disco Elysium, Doom Eternal, Gods & Monsters, KH: Memory of Melodies, Bravely Default II and Lego Star Wars, Sports Story, Axiom Verge 2 (I think...?), Hollow Knight: Silksong (probably), and Persona 5 Scramble (presumably).

So while it's too bad there's no 'big' title, I'm not exactly biting at the bit for Nintendo to put something out. Still hoping Bayonetta III will also be next year though, that alone would probably make it a good year for me personally with what's already known.

For most of this year, the Switch front for me has felt like "lucky I have a XB1". I felt the same way in January 2019 but at least the February 2019 Direct showed that June onwards was fantastic, there's been no Direct showing that the future is optimistic for Switch this year but instead more silence.

The whole Sony and Microsoft playing chicken about console prices situation is very tame compared to the state of the Switch.

I'm actually good too. I may grab a couple games In the rest of 2020, but im certainly not dying for info. I've come to terms that PM might be my last big purchase of the year, and im ok with that.

With so many games I've accumulated this year in sales, im set. I've also recently had an itch so go back and play some of the great games that were released over the last 3 years.

Lastly, I've decided at some point in the near future( once I clear my immediate backlog), im going to do a zelda run starting with LoZ all the way thru BotW. Ill definitely only do HD versions though and remakes where I can. Ive just never played them In order and would love to try it out. Just not looking forward to phantom hourglass lol. One of my least favorite zelda games.