Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

I just think ports of games from a failed system aren't the way to "hit the ground running." Even ports of GameCube titles would be a better move in my opinion. Who wouldn't want Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros Melee, Double Dash, Chibi Robo HD ports?

Splatoon is the weirdest one in my opinion. Not that it is a bad choice, probably the best choice for a port out of all the games we have heard about, but a weird choice. The game is very Multiplayer heavy, specifically Online Multiplayer. With a Portable system you will be lucky to have a stable internet connection 50% of the time (and again probably no ethernet port on the Switch) and that is if you are within range of a compatible Wi-Fi source. However, it is a new IP and had one of the best marketing campaigns this generation. It is a break out hit that a lot of people didn't play, since the Split Screen wasn't much fun, people were unlikely to show it off to their friends that way. Splatoon getting a better Split Screen mode could help for the show off value, but that won't matter much to the people who were already sold on the first game. It is a weird choice, not a bad choice, just weird.

They did ok with it during early Wii U days, but going into the Switch all we have heard about it Mario X Rabbids??? Are there other partnerships that I am forgetting for the Switch? Companies have said they are interested in the Switch or they plan to support it but just looking at titles, do we have anything more than that 1 Ubisoft partnership title?

@DefHalan Don't think people actually care whether it's a GameCube game or Wii U game. They care about that fact that it's a ''new'' game for a new system. Whether it's actually a new game or an enhanced port of a previous game doesn't really matter. Yes, people on here will complain for years to come, but the general public? They don't know the difference.

@Octane I just think ports of some of the more niche titles might create better word of mouth, especially Melee. People have been begging for an updated Melee for a long time. Smash 4 for Switch, I don't think would generate as much buzz. Double Dash, with the unique feature of Switching between racers during a race could generate some buzz. Luigi's Mansion is an awesome game and they tried a portable version, they could bundle them together in some way for the Switch version, that could generate some buzz. Chibi Robo was just thrown in to A) give that series another real chance and B) because I wanted something that was even lesser known than Luigi's Mansion lol

@MarcelRguez But those just sound like 3rd Party support, not partnerships. Sorry if I was confusing. I was more looking for partnerships on the level of Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, Star Fox Zero.

@BiasedSonyFan It depends on how these ports are handled but who is demanding for these ports? The small group of people that wanted to play these games but not enough to buy a Wii U but enough to buy a Switch? That has got to be a small base. Is Nintendo going to sell these ports to people that already own the games? Those people don't need to buy a new system to play those games, they already have it. So Nintendo is going to sell these games to the audience that didn't want a Wii U. Why would Nintendo want to try to sell Wii U games to people who didn't want the Wii U? This is why I am so confused about this move. They aren't hard to find games. They aren't "classics" being remade. Where is the demand for these games, because it isn't current or else people would be picking up a console to play them (the Wii U)

EDIT: I don't believe people saying "I would rather have this than nothing" really fits that demand. These ports will be better than nothing. I just wonder what is going on, the Wii U has had nothing for a long time now, where are all those games Nintendo was supposed to be working on all that time?

@DefHalan I think you're overestimating the amount of people that actually want a new Melee. It wouldn't be a system seller. The only reason it would sell it because it's Smash, not because it's Melee.

The question is whether Nintendo will market these games as Wii U ports, I don't think they will. They TV ads won't start with ''You can now play Wii U port on the Switch!''. My best bet is that these games will be called Mario Kart Switch, Smash Bros. Switch or something like that. They're reusing all the assets, but as long as they implement enough new features, add (or even replace) some of the tracks with new ones, I think that they can get away with calling it a new game. And I'd be fine with that. I take a good port or an updated/enhanced version of a good game over a half-arsed tech demo Star Fox Zero: amiibo Festival Ultra Smash at any time.

I get that people want new games, but see it as a ''necessary evil'' if you will. These games will get the Switch going. And enhanced ports or whatever you want to call them require far less development time than completely new games, meaning we can actually get new games alongside some of the Wii U ports.

Here's a question that I'd like you to answer; If the Switch gets just as many, if not more, new games during its first year as the Wii U got on average in a year, in addition to the ports, would that be a problem?

@Octane If there are new games coming out in the first 6 months then I would question the point of these ports. Without new games I question what Nintendo has been working on while not releasing games on the Wii U. This is one of the problems I have with Nintendo waiting so long to talk about their software. They give us nothing to look forward to except these leaks which may or may not be the full picture. I have to assume there is nothing more than what is leaked, as more leaks occur then the number of "known" products will grow, because I can't assume what the games are we don't know about are games that will interest me, or even interest general public. So just by looking at what is "known" can we speculate on how well the Switch will do. All this speculation could mean nothing once Nintendo announces titles, but that won't stop me from expressing my opinion based on the current "known" products

@DefHalan You could also do the same as I do, assume that we don't know the exact Switch line-up yet and that it can still go either way. No reason to get upset about anything yet. Until we know more, I'm indifferent towards all of it.

I don't disagree with your second point. It would be disappointed if the software line-up isn't stellar, considering how they pulled a lot of resources from the Wii U. However, I do think there's a point in releasing ports or enhanced editions of older games. First off, more games means that more people will be interested in the system, and that's a good thing. Not everyone buys a console for just one game. If they're not a Zelda fan and don't want to buy the Switch for Pikmin 4 alone? Maybe Mario Kart or Splatoon can convince them. Secondly, and most importantly, it means that they can get the system sellers out early. They arrived too late for the Wii U and developing new games from scratch would net the same result.

I mean and I hope I don't burst a few bubbles here or anything but even if Nintendo just re-released Mario Kart 8, SSB4, Splatoon and Xenoblade Chronicles X on this new system without any noticeable enhancements whatsoever even then they are not doing anything unheard of or committing a sacrilege against launch software expectations. Ports, remasters, cross gen games are the norm and anyone arguing against this is just not aware of the reality. Of course it helps that we have insiders saying that they have "50 percent old content 50 percent new", and "they might as well be sequels" among other rumblings about them but the reality is what is is. They will live or die (hate using such dramatic vocabulary for this sorta thing but there you go) by this decision especially if they rely on these ports but it shouldn't even be anywhere near controversial, not least leading to the 'Nintendo go 3rd party brigade' already...

And again reality and statistics are there in plain sight that approximately 10 years ago there were 100 million people who were interested in an attractive Nintendo console enough to buy it and 35 million who bought the most successful game on the system. You can be utterly confident in Nintendo's capabilities to attract those numbers again and even try to downplay the Wii numbers as much as you want (the people buying 3 Wiis is a new one I must say usually it's 90 million were collecting dust in closets or soccer moms bought them so they don't count or some such nonsense) but I can't believe you're being reasonable if you think Nintendo are above porting games from one system to another lest they risk the casual consumer wondering why Super Smash Bros Switch plays very similarly to Super Smash Bros for Wii U.

You know, the console they didn't buy. They'll be puzzled and puzzled for days those brain dead casuals who bought a Wii, then a Wii U, then Mario Kart 8, SSB4 and Splatoon and now want to buy a Switch with those games.

And by 'they' I mean all 4 of them.

@Octane I am not getting upset, I am just trying to find some logic in this plan. I am disappointed by the current "known" titles but I have also said before that the Software needs to sell me on the system. So a lack of software news just feeds disappointment.

I really hope 5 ports, a New Mario game, and Breath of the Wild (also releasing on Wii U) isn't Nintendo's full plan for Switch launch, unless 3rd party support is going to be so on point that Nintendo can't fit anymore games in there lol

Is BotW being delayed again?

@DefHalan yeah sounds like its not going to be ready for switch launch day. new rumors say June.

@DefHalan It's not "Delayed". People need to get that conception that the game was slated for March out of their heads. We were told 2017, nothing more, nothing less. We just all assumed March because we can dream right? In reality, it's still on track for that projected window.

2017. It's a year, not a month.

(Might belong in the unpopular opinions thread but...)

I honestly wouldn't mind if publishers just said "it's coming" rather than giving targets that they may not even reach. Then again I'm not really one to get overly hyped about a game until the week it's out, so...

To be more on topic, I can honestly wait for BotW, but mostly be disappointed if it's not a Switch launch title. That would've been an excellent opportunity to make a day 1 impact.

I know some recent "leaks" have said it is coming within the first 6 months, and that is the time frame I am expecting. How much later can they release a Wii U game?

@MarcelRguez I can relate to that. There's something quite exciting about a company throwing a curve-ball and telling you about a game that is just around the corner.

This is the rumored 1st year lineup for the Switch as we know right now (meaning it's incomplete):

Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Xenoblade X (single sourced), Mario RPG: Invasion of the Rabbids, a new IP, and whatever Retro is working on.

To the average consumer, that's a KILLER 1st year lineup. Period. Having Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon in year one alone makes it a great year.

Point is, those ports help the lineup, not hurt it.

@IceClimbers

If that's all first 6 months, and padded with a good number of 3rd party titles, I'd agree. I can see buying at least 4 of those myself. And I'm sure we'll be getting more than the rumours suggest, at least by the end of the first year (when has someone ever leaked a full years lineup of games?)

The one other thing I'd ask from Nintendo is a decent Virtual Console selection at launch. N64 games on the go?

It looks Killer when listed like that, but when you add some detail

New 3D Mario
Zelda: Breath of the Wild (that Wii U game we are still working on... still kinda a big deal)
Pokemon Stars (the 3rd version of Sun & Moon)
Smash Bros 4 (port)
Mario Kart 8 (port)
Splatoon (port)
Super Mario Maker (port)
Xenoblade Chronicles X (port)
Rabbids RPG crossed over with Mario
New IP (hopefully Switch Fit, right guys???)
Retro's game (could be the new IP or it could be Donkey Kong COuntry Returns 3, get HYPED!!!)

So in total we have 5 ports, a game that has been over promised and will most likely under deliver, an Ubisoft RPG with Mario thrown in, and two games we have no information on... kinda takes some wind out of the sail...

@MarcelRguez I think it depends on what approach they take with Zelda. Another Breath of the Wild? Probably not going to happen for another 5+ years. But another A Link Between Worlds -type game? Probably possible a few years into the Switch.

Edit: Then again, in developing BotW, they could have set themselves up for producing more open-world HD Zeldas more rapidly in the future. They certainly will have more experience with such games.

As for BotW...it's hard for me to get excited for the new Zelda when there's always a new Zelda coming, as much as I love Zelda haha. But yeah, if we were told in January than an old IP was being revived in March...