Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Grumblevolcano I would personally argue that SV is more of a single player/multiplayer hybrid (like most other Pokemon games besides Legends Arceus) but with the new open world angle it's taking, it definitely seems to be leaning heavily towards it's single player angle (again like PLA) but with a bigger multiplayer addition in simultaneous map exploration with up to 4 players (so excited for that btw). I still don't know where September is still considered summer (it's the second month of August if you ask me) but Splatoon coming out right in the middle of two big single player games (XC3 in July and Mario+Rabbids in October) is absolutely perfect timing. I want to play it so bad......

@Fizza #TeamSlime for SV!!!

@Fizza I see mainline Pokemon more as primarily single player and secondary multiplayer given you have to progress in the single player to get the multiplayer functions (and beat it in the case of more competitive stuff).

Scarlet/Violet is changing things up somewhat though the news drought means the full extent is less clear. Will it be like Splatoon where you have the initial setup and then can go straight into multiplayer or will you need to get some badges first for example? We'll find out at some point in the next few months.

September 9th is technically still summer but the February Direct showed XC3 release in September so Splatoon 3 looked originally set for July/August.

@Ralizah
I haven't played much docked or paid attention to cutscenes, but they looked fine to me in handheld mode. All I know is, if XC2 and XC1 had looked like this in handheld mode I don't think there ever would have been controversy. I'm happy.

I also like that the environments are more reminiscent of XCX (my favorite Xenoblade game for world design). Maybe now we'll finally see XCX ported over next year, and the series will be complete. Then again we have the expansion story coming, so any XCX port may be on hold til after that.

@Fizza
Summer is June 21st - Sept 20th

Ppl just have a warped perception of what constitutes summer. There are 3 weeks of summer in September vs just 1 week of summer in June, yet for some reason ppl associate June more with summer in their mind. Fall doesn't start until the last week before October, basically.

@JaxonH
I think what you mean to say is Summer is December/January/February

@skywake @JaxonH

Nods in agreement

Stop this blasphemy right now! You don't know what you're unleashing!

You're going to confuse Santa

Santa visits us first.

@JaxonH Certain cutscenes near the beginning looked quite blurry, especially when docked, but the overall image quality isn't bad at all on the OLED. It's obviously lower res, but not to the extent that it becomes distracting, and with the more vibrant colors on the tablet, I actually found myself taking the device off the dock quite a bit, including during the entirety of the large action sequence where the main cast members finally meet 3+ hours in.

But, again, I don't think I'll be able to get a good sense of how good it actually looks until I get to whatever this game's equivalent of Gaur Plain is, as that was the point where the resolution aggressively dropped in both previous games.

@JaxonH Thanks, and thanks for the list.

I would love to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but I will be going with the trilogy in order. I'm not sure if they're really connected, but I figure I might as well since I want to play all 3 regardless, and playing a series in age order is a good thing sometimes. Not that any of them would feel dated probably, but I'm sure you get the point.

As for the rest, I plan on playing most of them at some point. Bayonetta 1 & 2 before 3 though as I have yet to play either of them. Triangle Strategy is high on the list, but it will probably be a while since I will have played two big JRPGs before it. I'm less enthusiastic about Breath of the Wild and Metroid Dread than you would think, but that's because watching gameplay of it makes me feel like I could get pretty frustrated with both at times (climbing being complicated in Zelda and the EMMI portions in Metroid). Mario and Donkey Kong are obvious, it's just a matter of when.

Astral Chain, all 5 of the Shantae games (skipped them on PlayStation since I'm still waiting for them all to be released there), Ys VIII, Dragon Quest XI, Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes after I play Three Houses, and recently released Severed Steel are all on my list that come to mind at the moment.

@KilloWertz
I think the Emmi portions weren't too difficult. They definitely instill the sense of Dread intended, but they're very short, and progressively become more difficult through the game. If you die, you immediately start outside the EMMI zone again so it doesn't feel like any real time was lost. Keeps it from being frustrating and feels more intense and engaging.

Zelda climbing isn't too complicated either, imo. You have stamina and can climb so far. As you progress through the game your stamina upgrades allow you to climb higher and farther. Can always craft meals and tonics to replenish stamina if needed, too.

I think sometimes the fear of certain aspects can dwarf the actual challenge of the aspect itself. Then you play and realize oh, this isn't even half as bad as I was expecting.

Sounds like you've got quite the list cut out for you though. We take it for granted I think, but there's a TON of great games on Switch. I can only imagine how hard it is to catch up if you're just jumping in now. Not that that's a bad problem to have!

The last day of what appears to be the last Splatoon 2 tourney is currently happening right now. I do get the feeling we'll get Splatoon 3 news by August 4th at the latest.

I bought Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate last night on a eshop shopping spree and... I've never played a Monster Hunter game and I'm watching every guide I can trying to make the game easier for me and I have not even turned the game on yet lol.

@JaxonH I'll try to go in with an open mind for both Breath of the Wild and Metroid Dread whenever the time comes. It would be even easier if their games went on sale more often, but it is what it is. It'll probably be a while anyways since I've picked some lengthy games to start with.

So far so good with Xenoblade Chronicles, btw. Going from a PS5 to a Switch, I do notice the lack of clarity given that it's not 4K, but I can still tell the game when have been a pretty game if it was on more powerful hardware. Not a big deal as the game itself is what matters, and it still looks good for what it is under the blurriness. After a couple of hours with it today, I think my only complaint is that the map could be better with side quests. You make one active, but there's no marker on the map unless you happen to find them on your own by accident and the pathway (or whatever you want to call it) always just points you in the direction of story missions even if the side quest is active. It's not going to keep me from loving the game, but it is an early annoyance.

That's actually one reason why I didn't get a Switch sooner. I've been tempted in the past, but it always felt like a daunting task knowing that there's so much to catch up on. Evidently I finally said "screw it" and got one yesterday.

So I just finished the Edo Japan chapter of Live a Live. I put this chapter off until quite late into my playthrough because I heard it was predominantly stealth focused, and that's not really my vibe.

However, now I've played the chapter, I'd say it was one of the stronger ones.

Firstly... those visuals! The art direction, colours and lighting. Oh baby, chefs kiss. Like I said before I've never really been a fan of this style before, but the execution is so wonderful here, especially on that OLED screen

I also think this chapter also helped itself by being more focused. It's all set in one location as you play as an infiltrating shinobi. I think it is in these focused burst chapters Live A Live shines, Prehistory and Near Future were just such a slog by comparison.

Sadly, on the flip side, I'd say this is probably the hardest of all of the chapters. Which to you might be a positive, but to me is a negative. I tried a non lethal playthrough but later on there are some mandatory battles and my passivism just left me underlevelled and that was really frustrating as I didn't want to do the chapter all over again.

I will also say that while the Metroidvania structure of this chapter is a blessing, it can be a curse, too. There are some really obtuse puzzles in here or just times where you'll literally have no clue what you're meant to be doing. Again, how on Earth people beat these games without Google I don't know. I had to have a guide open basically the whole time as I was constantly getting lost or stuck.

My rankings would probably be:

Imperial China
Present Day
Edo Japan
Near Future
Prehistory

Gonna do the Wild West Chapter next I think, and finish on the future chapter.

@KilloWertz
It's a common sentiment from ppl who predominantly play games on other systems. But it is something you adjust to.

I have PS5, XSX, PC, etc. But I rarely play them so my expectations are more aligned with Switch games. They don't feel lacking visually to me because I just don't play games elsewhere enough to acclimate.

@JaxonH Yeah, I'm not worried about it long term. I've played Xbox 360 games on Series X in the past and they were rough graphically, so as long as the games are really good, I'll be fine in the end.

Any feedback on my initial issues with Xenoblade Chronicles that I mentioned? They are more minor annoyances, but still stood out during an otherwise solid first couple of hours with the game.