Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@kkslider5552000
It's true- it is just more Mario Rabbids, but no more than Bayonetta 3 is more Bayonetta, Zelda BotW 2 is more Zelda, or Splatoon 3 is more Splatoon. It's a full fledged sequel with new maps, new combat tactics, new changes and tweaks... it's no different than any other sequel, really.

Well I think Bayonetta showcased itself well enough with a focus on big kaiju battles to stand out from previous games, and BOTW already has a focus on being in the sky, making it even more novel in the entire open world action adventure area of gaming. There's a thing they showed that is there to tell you "oh this is why its something new", whereas Mario + Rabbids big "hey look a new thing" has merely been characters and Splatoon 3 has been um...the backgrounds tbh. There might be technically new things but if you just watch random trailers there's not much that screams "hey here's something that changes things, get excited".

Actually bringing up Bayonetta is perfect, because I am in fact more excited for Bayonetta 3, but am still probably going to like Splatoon 3 more.

Most of the Mario RPGs are pretty great so I'd highly recommend them.

@kkslider5552000
I think that's selling these games short.

Splatoon 3 for example has a ton of changes. Be it new maps, different returning maps from Splatoon 1, new fashion, new skills, new weapons, new specials, new subs, new moves like squid jump and the wall dash thing, new flair like tags and banners, new lobby system and a complete overhaul of online, Salmon Run open 24/7 with new maps, new mechanics (egg throwing, egg cannon), new Boss Salmonid mechanic, new Turf War rules with three teams and three way Turf War, new single player mode with new buddy, lockers with customization options and seasonal catalog to order from, custom win/loss animations, new modes like Anarchy... the game is well deserving as a sequel, especially to a game that released half a decade ago.

Mario Rabbids is the same way. New characters, new strategy mechanics, free camera, new world, new story, new maps, new enemies, new weapons... and we don't even have all the details yet. Like, what more could someone possibly want from a sequel, which again, is to a game from half a decade ago?

If you're looking for radical departures that scream things, that sounds like wanting a different franchise entirely or a spinoff. Sequels are by default intended to follow the blueprint of the series thus far. Some changes are small, some large, many in between. First glance impressions are skin deep- anyone forming a genuine analysis of a game isn't just judging it off radical departures that stick out like a sore thumb. Seemingly minor changes can have drastic impact on the gameplay experience.

DKC Tropical Freeze is a perfect example of how a sequel can make virtually no radical changes and yet still be one of the most hype, incredible must have games on a platform. Aside from short, quick 3D barrel segments, you could essentially say nothing different changes. The blowing mechanic became the pull mechanic. OK. But aside from that, it was different stages and different enemies (oh, they added Dixie and Cranky too, lest I forget). Doesn't sound like much on paper. And yet, the game is its own experience and the single greatest 2D platformer of all time. Which I think is a sterling example of why judging sequels based on how much of a radical departure they make is ill advised. Look at God of War Ragnarok and all the hype behind that. It's literally a copy-paste of the first game but set in a different area with different story and enemies. Nothing about it screams anything except "more of the same". And yet, that's enough for most ppl who enjoyed the first.

@JaxonH And then you still go through the normal process of actually joining a friend lobby anyway. It's mostly pointless.

@DarthNocturnal @kkslider5552000 The big difference, aside from the changes to movement during battles, is that in the original game, you were going through scripted battles on fairly linear maps. The new one seems to feature a heavier emphasis on exploration and battles with enemies that you need to initiate on the map, like in a Mario RPG.

There also appear to be sidequests now.

Literally just as much an RPG as the older Paper Mario games. And, IMO, looks like far more of an evolution over its predecessor than Bayonetta 3.

@Ralizah
Sure. But that's super easy and only takes a sec. As long as it notifies you someone is hunting and wants you to join them, and gives you a quick way to do so, seems sufficient to me. I suppose they could add an option that takes you directly into the lobby- I'd be down for that. But not having that feels rather trivial to me given how fast joining is.

Ok to be fair, I only half paid attention to the more recent news on Mario + Rabbids. Especially since its been weirdly absent from Nintendo's own events.

But my point is more on marketing sequels to look exciting and to have an immediate hook. The most consistent thing I've heard about Mario + Rabbids was based on the new characters in it, not anything else. I think of Splatoon 3 as another Splatoon, and I'm far from alone with that. I mean the first thing they showed was the interesting and jarring change in location, which excited people. Bayonetta 3 instantly in my mind is the kaiju one and BOTW2 is instantly the sky one, and they stick out for that. Obviously you don't have to sell your game on that or even make your sequel like that, but I feel like it would help. This is why I was originally against Nintendo abandoning their big E3 shows for Directs, because when the Wii U was already struggling, it felt so weird to present it as...not an exciting event with people cheering for how cool your video game looked. Controversial opinion: They should do the best job possible selling people on games I like instead of a worse job to the point that even I am fairly clueless about any details about this Mario game and I just hear about Rosalina rabbid forever.

A more general point about 3rd party releases but I think Partner Showcase vs. general Direct is a factor that will have affected the vast majority of the Partner Showcase announcements.

Capcom heavily promoted Sunbreak (it even started a showcase heavily focused on Resident Evil) so it got loads of attention anyway, Portal was a shadow drop so you could see it on the eshop and P3P/P4G/P5R were in the Xbox Showcase so a lot of people already knew that Persona was finally free from PS exclusivity.

Everything else in the Partner Showcase probably suffered from the Partner Showcase being a Partner Showcase and not a general Direct. Many more people watch general Directs because of 2 factors:
1. Big 1st party reveals like more Zelda
2. Livestream (the social side of being able to watch a Nintendo event with a community, the only Partner Showcase which got livestreamed was September 2020)

Partner Showcase still has the stigma of "not a real Direct" that formed when the infamous Partner Showcase that re-revealed SMTV happened.

I love Nintendo games

@Kermit1
Casual animated murder is tight.

@JaxonH It would bypass the need to coordinate with people for passwords. And, yeah, joining a lobby is quick-ish, but it's silly that you don't have the option to immediate join someone's lobby when they invite you.

The way they designed it is suboptimal. That's all I'm saying.

@Grumblevolcano It's literally called a "partner showcase." Atlus was a Nintendo partner, and we got information on a notable exclusive for the system. The problem is with people who expect every Nintendo-related stream to drop news about first-party games. Usually because that's all they, personally, care about.

@kkslider5552000 I'm also surprised Nintendo isn't pushing harder with a game that literally utilizes their most famous IP.

With that said, I don't have any issue with Ubisoft's marketing for the game. The reveal showcased the game's space theme and introduced the basic premise. Subsequent streams and trailers have talked about differences in gameplay, including the option to ditch the grid from the original.

I know they don't have Nintendo's talent at marketing, but the generally... ah... subdued reaction to the game online seems bizarre. Especially given how excellent the original was.

People want an ambitious Mario-themed RPG? Here you go. Even more RPG-ish than the original, from the look of it.

Ooblets has been announced the physical release on Switch according to play-asia.
Still cross my fingers for PS4 version release.

@Ralizah
Come to think of it, it is odd it requires a password still even if you invite a friend. There should be an option which lets you set a password, but friends/invites bypass it.

Ya know what just came to mind- the Mario & Luigi series. Those games always seemed to get more attention than this new Mario Rabbids, despite not being anywhere near the level of high quality AAA polish.

Perhaps it's because Sept/Oct/Nov is so packed, with Splatoon 3, Diofield Chronicle, Bayonetta 3, Mario Rabbids, Persona 5 Royal, Nier Automata, No Mans Sky, Harvestella, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, Tactics Ogre... and that's 3 strategy games in those 3 months as well. Granted, the other 2 are more niche, but still. Every game has its audience and spreads people thinner.

Even so, Mario Rabbids is non-negotiable for me. But there's a lot of non-negotiable games in that lineup. It may be people just can't get them all, and figure Splatoon, Pokémon and Bayonetta are their big 3 games for those 3 months (and Persona 5 Royal and Nier Automata- those are two games ppl have been desperately waiting for on Switch for years- I'm quite sure they'll be at the top of many gamers' shopping lists).

It'll have legs though. Especially once it starts going on sale.

Also, now that Persona 5 Royal is coming to Switch, don't sleep on Persona 5 Strikers. There was a lot of ppl saying, "I'm not gonna play this without the mainline game being on Switch for me to play first". Well, the mainline game is about to be on Switch for you to play. And now you can add Persona 5 Strikers to the list as well. It's a fantastic game. No excuses left!

@JaxonH Speaking of Persona, I've been thinking about the announcements again recently and there's one game in particular I'm very excited for:

....and it's NOT this one (though 5 is still really cool)!

No, the game I'm most excited for.....is Person 4 Golden.

I've never played a single Persona game before in my life so when they were first announced, my general reaction was relief that the wait was finally over but my personal one was of general disinterest. However, giving them another look at them recently, 4 Golden looks exactly like what I'm looking for: engaging premise, godly RPG gameplay and a damn compelling visual novel all wrapped up together in a LOOOOOONG package. It certainly sounds like hipster bait I'm aware ('Persona 5? Pshaw! I chose Persona 4 guffaw guffaw!') but my steadily building excitement, along with the tie-in game just so happening to be a FIGHTING game, has cemented my decision on which one to go for. Best part? It'll probably come out in 2023, leaving me plenty of time to recuperate the funds that Splatoon and Pokemon will yoink out of my wallet come the end of the year. I'm honestly getting more and more excited the more and more I think about it so I'll stop here for now. Maybe Persona will be the series to hit the yearly quota of 'series I get into this year'? 2020 was Splatoon, 2021 was Ace Attorney and 2022 is Street Fighter. You never know....

@Fizza
I'm more looking forward to the Persona 3 port since I've never played that one before, and it looked like it had a nice balance of dark and light story elements like Persona 5 (the kids literally shoot themselves in the head to trigger their persona). It's just a shame they're porting the PSP version instead of FES.

@Maxenmus Probably a stupid question to ask considering the name, but I assume that P4G will be the Vita version (aka the system it originally released on)?

@Fizza
Nah, not a stupid question, and you're right, it's the Vita version since that's the Golden version.

@Fizza
I prefer Persona 4 Golden over Persona 5 Royal. And I don't think I'm the only one.

But make no mistake, if you're attracted to P4G and think you'd enjoy it, you should absolutely play Persona 5 Royal. It follows the same gameplay blueprint. They're similar in nearly all respects. If you like one, you'll like the other. And Persona 5 Royal has a ton of quality of life improvements you'll appreciate, that make it easier to get into.

@Fizza Which games have better music, story, characters, etc. is a matter of pure opinion, but I'll say this: Persona 5 Royal represents a DRAMATIC improvement over its predecessor in terms of gameplay and especially dungeon design.

Like, P4G's dungeons are randomized layouts of featureless hallways where cutscenes trigger every once in a while. No puzzles, and very little interactivity. Whereas P5R features enormous, hand-crafted dungeons with prominent puzzle elements that change up how they play throughout the game.

I'm not trying to put you off P4G. It was a good game for its time. Rather, every aspect you mention being excited about in your post is even truer of P5R, so I heavily recommend not sleeping on it.

@JaxonH I dunno about M&L getting more attention. Didn't the developer for those games fold because nobody was buying them?

The general closeness of the release to so much else is a good point, though. Especially if you're a Nintendo-only gamer. I can't even imagine trying to juggle games like NieR Automata, P5R, Mario + Rabbids, Bayonetta 3, Splatoon 3, Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, etc. at the same time.

If NieR Automata is a good port, you're in for a serious treat. The combat isn't quite as deep as in Bayonetta, but it's such a fuller package: the story is intricate and multi-layered; the music is godly; gameplay heavily involves exploration and side-questing.

@Ralizah @JaxonH I think I'm personally more interested in the smaller scale that P4 is set in (a town in the mountains compared to big city Tokyo) but both do look really interesting and I'm definitely excited to try both, it's just that P4 is the one I personally want to start with is all. Thanks for letting me know the positives of 5 though, I'll definitely give it a go if I like 4