Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

Top 5 2023 games for me so far would probably be:
1. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
2. MK8 Deluxe DLC waves 4-6
3. XC3 DLC waves 3-4
4. Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp
5. Pikmin 4

Though it could be very different by the end of the year as October - December is packed and there's some 2023 games I want to finish this year that I already own. I'd say Sonic Superstars (currently playing), SMB Wonder, Super Mario RPG and Batman Arkham Trilogy has the best chance of making a big change to the list.

Theatrythm Final Bar Line is probably the best experience I've had this year.

But I'm a FF mark, so take that with a grain of salt.

I haven't really played.... anything from 2023 itself outside of one game and a couple bits of DLC so I'm just going to list my top 5 favourite games that I played for the first time this year XD

5. Slay the Spire
4. Metroid Fusion
3. Katamari Damacy Reroll
2. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
1. Ghost Trick Phantom Detective (to the shock of absolutely no-one XD)

I like spending my gaming years catching up on older titles for the most part and that means a lot of stuff gets lost in the shuffle as a result (this year especially so given how fixated I became on my old Wii/PS3). However, I've already got a bunch of titles lined up for next year (Another Code Recollection, Apollo Justice Trilogy, Paper Mario TTYD, etc.) and I'll most likely catch up on a ton of 2023's releases next year as well (already got Pikmin 1+2/4 lined up alongside Mario Bros Wonder, Mario RPG, Advance Wars and Fire Emblem Engage just to name a few) so I'll definitely catch up. It's just....gonna take a while XD

So far, my top 5 of 2023 is as follows:

1: Metroid Prime Remastered (One of my favorite games of all time and this is a near-perfect remaster)
2: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 + Future Redeemed (Still have yet to fully post my thoughts on this game but it's the best RPG I've ever played)
3: Tears of the Kingdom (A massive improvement over BOTW)
4: Pikmin 4 (This game absolutely hooked me and I seriously no-lifed it for an entire weekend)
5: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Definitely one of Takumi's best games)

This has been one of the strongest gaming years for me in a really long time, and it's not even over yet with Wonder right around the corner.

I didn't play too much new games this year because I have an awful backlog problem, but I will say that I definitely liked Tears of the Kingdom, even though I still haven't finished it yet. This year saw me play a ton of Splatoon 3. Mostly the online modes of course, but I did finish the story mode as well, which I also liked. I'm definitely looking forward to SMB Wonder tomorrow.

@Fizza I couldn't get much of a list from new 2023 games I actually bought either, so I was including great demos I played and NSO games. 😝

@Grumblevolcano I forgot Theatrhythm Final Bar Line was this year! I am still waiting for a good sale, but I loved the demo and watched a lot of gameplay. Seems like a great game.

Like most of my gaming years, 2023 has felt pretty bitty for me and I struggle to remember exactly what I've played.

Don't think I've 'beaten' a single game and have a lot of games half-played: started with Pokémon Violet and was enjoying that, then got distracted by Bayonetta Origins and was really enjoying that, then got distracted by Tears of the Kingdom and was enjoying that, played about 80 hours but was feeling a bit disappointed in all the clutter and spoilt environment, so decided to take a little break until I felt a strong urge to resume... and haven't touched it since. But will.

Then... then I think I opted for something lighter and made a start on Yoshi's Crafted World, having only played the demo previously. Enjoyed, but plenty more of that to play.

Chipped away a bit more at Kirby Forgotten Land, which is a delight, but the overworld doesn't really do it for me - too much choice at once, and all those hidden bits... dunno, just give me the next level bruh.

Then the summer came and I decided to make Mega Man 11 my summer holiday game, and was loving it, exactly what I was wanting from a holiday game - dying a gazillion times over but always wanting to have another go. Only beat two bosses before the relentlessness forced a break from it, but definitely got to go back and beat that game.

Work has taken over a little bit since then and I've not really sunk into any one particular game all that much - dabbled in Animal Crossing, Splatoon 3, Tetris 99, Pikmin 4 Demo (not started the full game yet)... I've continued buying games though, don't worry about that, so my backlog isn't going anywhere apart from 'outwards', just need to reach a certain milestone at work before I'll feel like relaxing a little more.

Played a little bit of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle which... so far hasn't impressed me as much as its reputation led me to believe it would. I love the animations whenever a character leap frogs another etc. but the battles have been a bit dull so far, and the overworld really frustrates me because it's set in this lush world that I can't really look at properly because of the lack of a free camera.

The one game I've tried and not enjoyed was Vampire Survivors. That just seems like a cynical attempt at making an addictive loop without any redeeming features - **** graphics, basic-as-**** gameplay - so I'm glad that only cost about £1. I saw through that thing immediately and noped out of it ASAP cos that did not seem like a worthwhile time investment to me.

Couple of other games I've put some solid time into of note since the summer: Story of Seasons - Friends of Mineral Town (nice, but not sure its pull is enough to keep me on it when I've got so much else to play), and No Man's Sky, which I was really enjoying before work got in the way, other distractions etc...

The games I'm playing currently are FIFA 23 (cos I bought it on sale so finally have a digital FIFA on my Switch - too dangerous) and Detective Pikachu on 3DS (spurred on by the release of its sequel), which is fun cos it's basically an excuse to have Pikachu getting horny over every female character in the game, who all happen to be slim, late-20s attractive women - a sentiment I can get behind.

I should be getting Super Mario Bros. Wonder today, which I'd love to dive straight into but am in two minds as I was intending to save it a few weeks and play with the kids for a family birthday, so I might resort to Super Mario Maker 2 for now, as I only ever got about half way through the campaign in that.

So, 2023... unquestionably a great year I've under-explored so far, but the same can be said for every year in this legendary Nintendo generation. And I've not even got round to playing the last couple of MK8D dlc waves yet!

Edit: I have beaten a game in 2023! My first full run through Portal - how did I forget that!?

Edit 2: There was another game I played and didn't enjoy actually - Florence - got sucked in by the quirky art style but it's a really tedious experience - avoid.

So, turns out I've had a pretty busy gaming year so far, but let's see if I can beat one or two more before the year's over.

Cripes, this has turned into quite the self-indulgent blog entry. Sorry y'all ☺

Anywho, still lovin' ma Switch and don't need this generation to ever end.

Anyone here have any experience with ShopTo? I've just discovered the site myself fairly recently and it seems almost too good to be true; physical Switch games for insanely good prices that also deliver directly to Ireland? That's absolutely insane given how few physical options we have here in Ireland. Been thinking about picking up Pikmin 1+2 in particular since it's currently a whopping FIFTEEN EURO CHEAPER compared to the average RRP in most stores like Smyths.

Only thing really stopping me from biting the bullet on it immediately is my lack of experience with the site, which makes me feel a bit uneasy from buying anything from them until I have a second opinion. If anyone here has used them in the past and could let me know how things went, please let me know!

@Fizza yeah Shopto is fine, I’ve used them in the past.

@jump Cool, I'll get Pikmin 1+2 from them then given how insane the price drops are (I just hope they'll stay like until my birthday rolls around XD)

Yeah me too - they're v good !

Claiming NSO icons is SO tedious, and needs to be fixed. Sometimes I want half, or most, of what's offered, but claiming them one by one is so ----ing painful. I lost my patience with the Mario Wonder icons, of which there are 25 icons this time. That's the largest drop of icons I've seen, I think. A bit ridiculous. Come on Nintendo!

@WoomyNNYes honestly that's why I stopped months ago. Unless there's something retro looking that'll hit me in the feels like zelda from nes/snes, I pass on nearly all of them now. It's too cumbersome.

@JaxonH Nintendo is having one of it strongest years, it will be hard to top 2023, nearly outdone 2017

Dude...

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is one of the finest racing video games I've ever played, bar freaking none.

This game is exceptional! The first game had all the elements that could make a masterpiece, but this game refines it and nails it!

The movement no longer feels clunky. It's responsive and fun steering. The drifting is top notch. You can JUMP now! Yes, you can JUMP over obstacles. You even have a side ram for left and right like F-Zero GX where you can attack enemy racers and try to bash them into a wall or off the track.

Speaking of which, the tracks! They're so well made. And the boost bar which also drains for other actions like JUMP and bash... it's so F-Zero like...

I was NOT expecting this but... Hot Wheels 2 might be in the running for my favorite racing game of all time. Like... EVER. Shoulder to shoulder with F-Zero GX, Cruise'n Blast, SanFrancisco Rush, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Forza Horizon 5...

Regardless of how one ultimately ranks it, the bottom line takeaway here is, you should be playing this game

I watched the gameplay of Super Mario Wonder from YouTube and it was indeed beautiful and different from previous New Super Mario Bros games style.
I saw some progression from 2D Mario games, but at the same time I already have agenda to get some hard to find old games as my main priority currently so I will get Super Mario Wonder very late unless I found somebody have the secondhanded on sale.
My agenda on this year is pretty much build the PS3, PS4, PS5 games and PS2 games are surprisingly get supported once I found the seller have rare PS2 games on sale and I can buy them from my country rather than getting from Ebay.

@JaxonH Wait what? did I read that right? Hot wheels? I mean I’m just surprised, I might need to try it for myself if it really is that smooth.

@Snatcher
Yes! HOT WHEELS 2... It's straight 🔥 🔥 🔥

Also, I can't believe it. In addition to LRG doing physical Switch versions for Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden, including steelbook in the Deluxe version and a massive $200 CE, they're actually.partnering to release this!

A Persona 4 Golden Nitro Deck

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS??!!!

IT MEANS THIS BLASTED WALLET OF MINE DOES'NT WORK

It's taken me just over half the month to notice it, but I wonder where the monthly NSO drop is? Usually it'd be either released at the start of the month (NES/SNES/GB + MD) or announced at this point with a release date scheduled for the end of the month (N64 + GBA). To have absolutely nothing since the end of September (with Kirby & The Amazing Mirror) when there's still games from the schedule still outstanding (1080, Mario Party 3, F-Zero Maximum Velocity and Golden Sun) alongside no news regarding NSO-adjacent releases (MK8D Wave 6) seems really bizarre, especially when there's only 2 and a bit months left in the year to release them all 🤔

@BobTheBunkerGuy
Ikr?

It takes me back 10 years to when Persona 4 Golden released on Vita, and I passed on the special collector edition that's now selling for $500+ sealed. I don't even have a used copy. Just the normal edition of the game.

I'm getting the steelbook editions of both Persona 3 and Persona 4 (can't afford that mammoth $200 edition) and the NitroDeck

If they included the NitroDeck in the $200 edition it would be a no brainer, but of course they didn't