Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

@Eagly
I know all about Elden Ring. I've played it.

My point wasn't that the only games, ever, that get praise are cinematic ones. Merely that a bias exists toward such games. Same for AAA. Same for any game that has the megabudget marketing hype machine behind it (which Elden Ring certainly did). That's why PS exclusives tend to check all those boxes, because they know those are the types that will be favored. Doesn't mean every game ever will be AAA, and certainly doesn't mean every game, ever, which they favor is cinematic, or the recipient of massive marketing hype. But it does mean the more boxes checked the more advantage such games have.

Yeah, I'm going to treat TGA like the Academy Awards: go to bed, and look at the internet to see if anything vaguely interesting or surprising happened or was announced the next day. Keighley's show drags on WAY too long as is.

That said, I don't mind From Software potentially sweeping the awards this year. They just had their BotW moment, and while I don't enjoy Elden Ring as much as Nintendo's generation-defining modern classic, they did tap into a very similar exploratory vein, and did a great job of evolving beyond traditional Soulsborne game design.

QFT. I've been an extremely happy Switch owner this year, and, while games like GoW and GT don't get my blood pumping, it was a clearly great year for modern first-party Playstation franchises.

A bit ashamed of myself that I still haven't played Forbidden West, though. I loved the original enough to play through it twice and get the Platinum trophy. I need to get on it.

I suspect you're right that it'll be snubbed, though. The parallels to 2017 are def there. It'll be a "Horizon Zero Awards" situation all over again. And I'll be right there with you, mourning the lack of any real recognition for Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

@Ralizah
At least Forbidden West has Gyro aiming, meaning no need to wait for a Steam release. Unfortunately Sony is horrible at implementing gyro- its not 1:1 mouse like, it's got weird acceleration curves where the faster you move the fast it goes, to a point, then the slower it goes. It's messed up. Usable if you find a middle ground setting but still doesn't compare to good ol' Steam gyro.

They actually borked the gyro in the Steam release of Uncharted 4 as well, applying that silly acceleration curve to mouse input. I hear they addressed it in a recent patch, but haven't tried it for myself.

I couldn't play GoW without gyro. Aiming the axe sucks with analog. And of course, PC release borked the gyro on that too by not allowing mouse and controller input simultaneously, requiring mouse-like joystick. The best I was able to get was playing PS4 version on PS5 with XIM Nexus.

@Eagly Exact same thing happened in 2017 with BotW, lol. It's becoming a running joke online at this point.

@JaxonH Yeah, I'm curious to see how I feel about Forbidden West's gyro implementation. Using analog to aim the axe in GoW didn't end up being a big deal for me, though. It'd be better with robust gyro, obviously, but the combat in that was mostly melee.

It's the same reason playing MH Rise with the SPP isn't a big deal for me. It took me a bit to adjust to not using the gyro controls for wirebug aiming, but, by and large, it hasn't damaged my ability to enjoy the game.

That might change if I ever try out the gunner class again, though.

@Ralizah
Oh I couldn't do Monster Hunter Rise without gyro. Aiming the wirebug upward is just so easy with gyro- instantly in microseconds, whereas trying to aim the cursor precisely with the analog is a nightmare, especially when you're trying to aim for a hole in the wall or something.

Granted, you could probably use ZL+X to upward 45° and get by most of the time, but I'm so accustomed to precisely aiming where I want, I'd throw a fit having to go back to analog. I can't even play World without gyro now for the slinger and clutch claw.

@Ralizah I likely would have been as well if I had more time and let myself play the Switch a lot more than I did after buying one. The only game I actually completed on it was Xenoblade Chronicles, but between Triangle Strategy, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 someday, and other catchup games, it probably would have been for me as well.

I still like my more "traditional" gaming though, so I still played my PS5 a lot more. Between Horizon Forbidden West, the PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077, Life is Strange: True Colors, hopefully God of War Ragnarok (haven't played it yet), The Last of Us Part 1, along with upcoming games like the PS5 version of Ys VIII and The Callisto Protocol, there just isn't much time for the Switch for me.

I just got to Chapter 10 in Bayonetta 3. Got a save file started in Tactics Ogre Reborn but only played one map. No time. And Rogue Legacy 2, haven't played more than those initial few runs. Same for SIFU.

I did manage to make a UK account and redeem the exclusive weapon skins from buying the Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope figures sold exclusively on Amazon UK, so that's cool. Keep an extra JP account on my system anyways for JP shmup downloads like the M2 ShotTriggers releases, so what's one more.

Whats next on the list?

Pokemon I don't think I'm really excited for after hearing some previews. I'm sure it'll be great for Pokemon fans, but I've learned my lesson this generation. Traditional Pokemon isn't for me. I loved Arceus, and I loved Let's Go. Both of which had gyro-integrated catching mechanics. But Sword/Shield was... OK. This new one definitely looks better than that, but without the catching mechanics of Arcues, Idk. Just not that hyped.

This week isnt just Pokemon though. Wednesday is the reveal for Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Title 3 update (and MH updates arent like most other games where its just a balance patch or a tiny mode or something... no- they're MASSIVE content drops that very well could be $20 expansion DLC in their own right, except they're free, and there's like, almost half a dozen of them). So that's awesome..

And in December there is Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core, which, the Switch version is looking to be amazing. These are the types of games that shine brightest on the OLED hybrid. Games that aren't pushing 9th gen graphics so they can actually run, but they do look good enough to take full advantage of Switch's power. Game looks dang near identical across all versions, and at a glance doesn't look much different than FFVII Remake. Thank goodness this one is on Switch, where I'll actually play it.

There's also Dragon Quest Treasures. Which... let's be real. It's Dragon Quest Monsters for Switch in all but name. It might have some different mechanics thrown in like searching for treasure, but you're still battling and recruiting monsters. Just with an extra twist this time.

And of course, January pops off hard with Persona 4 Golden and Fire Emblem Engage. Didn't mention Persona 3 Portable cause, well, frankly I think it's a bit too dated for my liking. But I'm sure many others will love it. Me though? I'm all about Persona 4 Golden. That game is the one that matters.

So we've got Pokemon this week along with Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Title Update 3 reveal (which should drop soon after), then Dragon Quest Treasures Dec. 9th, then Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core Dec. 13th, then a 1 month vacation over the holidays, and we come back strong January 19th with Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden, with Fire Emblem Engage the day after.

And February 24th is gonna slap. We get Atelier Ryza 3, Octopath Traveler II, and Kirby Return to Dreamland Deluxe all the same day. And I think Tales of Symphonia might be dropping the day prior. Can't recall for certain though.

Not bad. Especially with the insane backlog from this past month or two.

@Eagly
I played Persona 4 Golden on Vita. Not all of it, but enough. I tend to jump around with my games anyways. The odds I actually finish Persona 5 Royal and go straight into Persona 4 Golden are slim to none. Too many games

I managed to beat Xenoblade 3, and I beat Nier Automata 1st playthrough, and I'm close to beating Bayonetta 3, but still have 2 more Nier Automata playthroughs, few hundred more hours of Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, half of Triangle Strategy left, Persona 5 Royal, Trails to Zero, Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Tactics Ogre Reborn, SIFU, Rogue Legacy 2, and will soon also have Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core, DQ Treasures, Persona 4 Golden and Fire Emblem Engage all in backlog.

Only so much can get played. Probably gonna bounce from Bayonetta 3 after finishing it back to Persona 5 Royal until Final Fantasy releases, then beat that before Fire Emblem releases, then beat that and finally get some breathing room to hit the backlog. Which will continue stacking with Theatrhythm, Tales of Symponia, Kirby, Octopath II and Atelier.

But that's how I like it. Overwhelmed and constantly barraged with 10x more games than I have time for. It allows for bouncing around, trying different things and sticking with whatever grabs me most.

check out what is the best weapon/Infernal Demon to use in Bayonetta 3 and check out what is the best method to defeat Rodin in Bayonetta 3

@Giancarlothomaz
I prefer the spider/yo-yo weapon. It's got serious range, flashy combos and is crazy fun to skate around on yo-yos

@JaxonH fair, Traionetta is also a excelent weapon.

check out nominees for the Game Awards 2022

@Giancarlothomaz
Actually somewhat impressed they didn't go overboard this year giving 1-2 games 15 separate nominations. And they actually nominated XC3 for GotY (though Bayonetta 3 should have been nominated instead of Stray- that's just par for the course with TGA I suppose).

Triangle Strategy gets a nomination for RPG category but not strategy. That's just weird. Mario Rabbids got a strategy nomination, so you'd think Triangle Strategy would too. It'll lose to Elden Ring along with Xenoblade 3 in the RPG category.

I am at least pleased to see Bayonetta 3 nominated in Action. And Olli Olli World in sports/racing. And Neon White in both Indie and Debut Indie categories. Xenoblade 3 finally getting a soundtrack nomination (though XC3 soundtrack wasn't as good as XC2).

Not pleased to see Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak completely shafted. That expansion deserves recognition. They should have a "Best DLC/Expansion" award.

Still. Overall, probably the least offensive list of nominees I've seen in some time. I think they made some really good picks from all platforms. I'm genuinely impressed with the reasonable fairness on display.

Honestly quite impressed that Xenoblade Chroncles 3, from what has generally been considered a niche Japanese RPG series, was nominated for Game of the Year. That said, we've had Persona 5 and Final Fantasy VII Remake nominated before, so I guess it isn't totally unprecedented. Although I suspect each of these is still too niche to truly be in the running...except for maybe FF7R (had it not come out the same year as TLOU2...)

Nice to see some extra recognition for the genre, at least.

Edit: Hmmm, although quite disappointed in the lack of diversity across the board. The first half a dozen awards basically have the exact same set of nominees... And the fact that "GOTY" is almost identical to "Best action/adventure" is very telling...

Is it odd that Sifu is nominated in the fighting game category? I mean yes, it is a martial arts centric game in terms of theme, but it's not generally what comes to mind when you talk about "fighting games".

Unless it has a prominent versus mode? Seems like it should be in the action category otherwise, IMO.

I feel like this one of the few years where Nintendo actually has a chance at NOT winning Best Family. I could see Lego Star Wars taking it honestly.

I really enjoyed Skywalker Saga, but I really think Kirby & the Forgotten Land should take that category.

I don't even care with the game award.
The games that won the award only catered the mainstream Western audiences with a lot of games I really hate about. They are not even my gaming taste.

Skywalker Saga might be the most overrated game this year, but it will probably win over Kirby.

@JaxonH also Mario+Rabbids Sparks of Hope should have be nominated for better soundtrack, this track prove Geoff Keighly was wrong for not nominanting this game in the music category(GOTY could also be a good sugestion), in fact not only this game soundtrack should be nominated for better soundtrack, but also Bayonetta 3 e Kirby and the Forgotten Land, 2022 was of the best year for music for Nintendo games