Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@JaxonH If 13 Sentinels is making the leap, I wouldn't be surprised to see a port of Sakura Wars announced. I really thought Vanillaware would be the longest holdout. And Sakura Wars has appeared on a Nintendo handheld before, so there's precedent.

Anyway, Sega support gets a big boost from them owning Atlus. Even if they're not pumping out masterpieces twice a year like they did on 3DS, support from them has still heated up these last couple of years.

I would love for vanillaware to dip into its ps2 rpgs and bring them forward. But I would do something silly for muramasa rebirth.

I'm not expecting Metroid Prime remaster at this direct, for two reasons. First, it's too soon after Dread. Second,the game won't slot into the first half of the year, which is what this Direct is focusing on. I expect Metroid Prime remaster to be an e3 reveal with a Sept/Oct release, similar to Samus Returns (announced at e3, released Sept) and Dread (announced at e3, released Oct).

I do, however, expect Fire Emblem. It's been 3 years. It's time. I'd peg a July release same as Three Houses.

I also expect Xenoblade this year, but I'm not sure if it'll be announced in this Direct. Feels like a holiday title. Unless it's a XCX port, in which case, it could release this summer.

And, just to prepare everyone mentally... it seems there's gonna be a 3-4 Switch (or whatever the heck they decide to call it). Just... fair warning- don't want anyone to be devastated when they see it. So... ya. Expect it. Feels like a May release.

Splatoon 3, that feels like a late June or early July title, which would allow them to hype it one more time at e3 just before release (which is the approach they took for Splatoon 2 in 2017).

This would allow August to be Mario Rabbids, and Advance Wars to slot into April.

I also expect Batman Arkham Collection, and maybe Alan Wake Remastered as well on the 3rd party side.

Also, more info on Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak. More info on Triangle Strategy. More info on Kirby. I don't see Zelda at this Direct. I don't see Bayonetta at this Direct. Oh, and IF Goldeneye is coming to Switch Online, this Direct will likely showcase it.

@JaxonH Oh yeah, Sunbreak and Mario + Rabbids 2 wouldn't surprise me either. This year is stacked.

@Ryu_Niiyama While I probably won't get it myself (already own it on Vita), Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir would be a great port for the Switch.

@Ralizah
And Rune Factory 5. I forgot about that one. It's almost certainly going to get a mention with it's release just around the corner.

Speaking of Atlus, we could see Persona 4 Arena Climax, too. I'm not expecting Persona 4 Golden at the Direct, as that may take the wind out of Arena's sails (and sales), and Atlus has their own scheduled timings for Persona announcements. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Persona 4 Golden announced around e3 with a release later in the year.

I'd buy Odin Sphere on Switch. I also have it on Vita, but I don't really use Vita anymore, and prefer consolidating all my titles on Switch if possible. Honestly I'd buy any Vanillaware titles on Switch. But they're slooooow. If 13 Sentinels is April, I'm not expecting anything else from them for at least 6-9 months after.

BTW, I ordered that XIM NEXUS controller. I had to. As a gyro aficionado, how could I not? I gotta at least try it.

@JaxonH

Good call on the Alan Wake Remaster, I forgot about that one.

Although now that makes me want a Max Payne collection on Switch.

Too bad TakeTwo still own the rights.

@Ralizah odin sphere is a gimmie but my mind was on GrimGrimorie when I posted. I just look at my ps2 like “please don’t die, please don’t die”. So many rpgs locked on the PS2 actually. Since Nier is popular now Drakenguard would be nice to bring back. Even though I am certain I need therapy after playing those games.

@JaxonH That moment when you realize that despite the age of FE3H (and as a day 1 buyer) and that it is one of your favorite FE games… you still haven’t beaten a route. I feel so ashamed.

@JaxonH
On the contrary I see an announcement of Golden actually helping sales of Ultimax rather than harming it.

@Ryu_Niiyama My PS2 slim's laser died years ago, but I was thankfully able to acquire a working fat model from a local source. I mostly emulate my PS2 games now at higher resolutions, but I still like to keep it available for that more authentic experience when I play on my CRT.

Never played a Drakenguard games! In terms of experiences that still exclusive to it, I'm amazed the original .hack quadrilogy was never ported anywhere. The Xenosaga trilogy as well.

PS1 and PS2 are still the gold standard in terms of JRPG support on a home console.

@JaxonH Neat. Definitely interested to hear your impressions of it. The price is off-putting, but if it's good enough, it might be worth the investment.

So is anyone else’s Minecraft being really weird after that update. I legit can’t sign into my account and lost 30 dollars worth of skins and worlds.

@Ralizah I thought .hack is coming in march? I never played them so I don’t know if it is a different series.

Xenosaga/xenogears should have been remastered by now. With a director’s cut.

Admittedly I wasn’t a sony girl growing up but I feel the snes is the JRPG standard personally. But I do enjoy ps2 JRPGs.

@Ryu_Niiyama That's the .hack G.U. trilogy. Different storyline.

Xenogears would've benefited dramatically from a full remake that allowed the developers to actually dramatize the second half of the story. It's an amazing game with a severely compromised presentation as it goes on.

With SNES, only FF IV, FF VI, Earthbound, and Chrono Trigger really come to mind. Maybe that Mario RPG, too.

With PS1, great games that immediately come to mind include: Vagrant Story; Valkyrie Profile; Jade Cocoon; FF VII - IX; Chrono Cross; Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete; Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete; Parasite Eve; The Legend of Dragoon; Grandia; Suikoden I and II; Monster Rancher 1 and 2; and Xenogears.

That's not including other notable series like Star Ocean, Front Mission, and Dragon Quest where the SNES entries, for whatever reason, didn't make it out of Japan until years later, usually in remake form on other consoles. But major entries in those series were all localized on PS1.

That's presumably because Final Fantasy VII sold significantly more in America than any previous JRPG.

@kkslider5552000 Sounds about right. FFVII was the Star Wars of JRPGs. Just a monumental blockbuster of a release. It was the game that made me passionate about the medium, as I recall. The same was probably true for a lot of people.

After 3+ years of Metroid Prime Trilogy HD rumors and speculation, I hope that if Nintendo's plan is just bringing the original Metroid Prime to the Switch that they get that announcement out now for tomorrow's Direct. Don't save the disappointment for an E3 time Direct. If their plan does turn out to be the full trilogy, that announcement would be fine for E3. It wouldn't hurt to hear about that sooner than later though.

ARMS 2 would make my day tomorrow. ARMS and Ring Fit Adventure are my favorite original Nintendo games so far on the Switch, and now that Smash Ultimate is done...The time feels right to me.

@Ralizah so I am actually not a squaresoft fan (at least not FF aside from 6 and I didn’t enjoy CT). I was VERY upset by the merger actually. Like I think I may have cried. But I complained about it for years. I grew up on games like DQ 4-6, Brain Lord, Breath of Fire, EVO, Sailor Moon Another story, bahamut lagoon, 3x3 eyes, seiken densetsu3, FE, and Live A Live. (And an absurd amount of Gundam Wing endless duel) I didn’t like mario rpg (still don’t actually) either.

I realize that most of this didn’t come out in my region (I did a lot of piracy as a little girl. I still have roms and save states created in the 90s) but those are the games I loved, so I see the SNES as a stronger RPG center than I suppose the average american would. I bounced off the marketing for the PS1 (geared to teenaged boys) so I had absolutely no interest in the system. In fact the Lara Croft obsession and the way boys in my age group acted, cemented the PS1 as the “perv system” for years for me. Add to that I had a friend that was obsessed with FF8 and explained the story repeatedly so you couldn’t pay me to play a PS1 FF game back then (playing them as an adult I still don’t see the fuss but I know better than to say that around fanboys. What I played of 9 was good though ). I’m not saying the PS1 didn’t have some nice games, but that isn’t the system that comes to mind when I think JRPG machine. The games you played later on ps1 I played on SNES so I don’t associate them with the Ps1. Nothing wrong with either way, just different perspective. Ps2 was really for me the first time not just Nintendo had a satisfying RPG machine. (I had a small N64 library but was still playing snes as well) And I got it in 2004. So I still preferred games like Baten Kaitos on GCN. (Because Mario RPG did nothing for me I didn’t enjoy paper mario until it became a hybrid with super paper mario).

So as an American went to school and heard the collective interest I get what you are saying. I just don’t share it because my games played at home were different. So I still say that for me snes was the jRPG machine.

Back to switch i do hope there are a few more FE games added to NSO soon.

Olli Olli World is one of the absolute best indie games I've ever played. This game is incredible!

The visuals and art style are just superb, and looks super crisp on Switch handheld. The gameplay is precision and perfected, it honestly feels just as fun as Tony Hawk, but with a different flavor.

I can't believe how good this game is.

@JaxonH I am not a fan of the artstyle beyond allowing for character customization but is it as good as the first two, how does it innovate over 1 and 2?

@Ryu_Niiyama
I didn't think much of the art style myself until playing it. It's different in person, in motion. Looks super good.

Way better than the previous entries. Way smoother and better animations for every little trick and grab. It does 3D in a 2D plane, and you can change course along alternate routes in stages. It's more forgiving too, but still highly skill based. I love that you can customize EVERYTHING, from your character to your shirt, pants/shorts, socks, shoes, hat, hoodie, board, wheel mount, wheels, even the animations you do for tricks, idle animations, grinds, etc. And unlocking new gear and animations feels very satisfying.

It's on another level. The first two games felt like a decent budget indie. This game feels quality, like Nintendo themselves hand crafted it.

I'm definitely in the minority here but I'd really a like a new 2D Mario to be announced at the Direct.

People who call it "lazy" are judging it on how much change the series went through as it progressed (very little), which I suppose is fair but if you look at each individual game without looking at the others, they are great platformers with very few cons. I also feel it would be very easy to revive the series (even if it is harder to be creative in 2D) through several ways: maybe look at the golden age of Mario Bros 3 and World for inspiration, make it a certain theme (e.g. galaxies) or even make a 2D Bowser's Fury!