Switch 2's First Warhammer 40,000 Game Isn't The One You Might Expect

Turn-based tactical RPG sounds great! I had this one on my wishlist on Steam. Wasn't this one you can play co-op as well? If it's possible to play couch co-op I might get it on Switch 2 instead!

I'm actually way more interested in this than I would be in Space Marine 2. Gives Pillars of Eternity vibes.

I can play Space Marine 2 on Xbox or PC, but I'd honestly rather play it on NS2. This is still decent news as the game is apparently very good.

@Pillowpants co-op is online only

Oh hey I was thinking of getting this one on PC not long ago, def on the Switch list

This has been on my STEAM wishlist since release, guess I made the right choice to hold out. Switch 2 it is!

Space Marine II has WAY to higher CPU demands for Switch 2. A stable 30 fps is - based on the current code - just infeasible. This game runs so badly on PS5 and Xbox Series X, I wouldn’t touch it there.

Heard of it, and looking at it on steam it seems alright actually, might be well worth a go on release

@Max_the_German I've seen a little bit of footage, but what I did see with Tyranids everywhere, I'd be surprised if Switch 2 could handle that much on screen at one time without a port looking too compromised

@Sylamp too bad, but perhaps not as big an issue as it should be. I have friends who are likely to like this game too! So they might get it too, if it's good!

Bought Rogue Trader in a Steam sale earlier this year though I haven't got around to paying it yet (some other new games machine has been taking up my time). Not sure if I want to double-dip. A cross-save option might decide it for me.

Awesome news. So this is sort of like Baldurs Gate 3 meets Warhammer? I wonder if mouse-mode will be taken advantage of. Delighted to see this

I have it on PC. It is a very solid CRPG with a great tactical turned based combat system (similar to XCOM 2).

Not sure how much fan base can collect on Nintendo system, but a top game in his category for sure.

Space Marine 2, already struggles on PS5 and Xbox, so don't get too excited for a Switch 2 port. It's VERY demanding on the CPU, which sadly is a weak point on Switch 2.

Although I'd love Space Marine 2 to come as well, I'm more excited about this. Heard it's baso Baldur's Gate in Warhammer 40k.

@Exerion76 If it runs on Series S, there's a very good chance it would run on Switch 2 as well.

Had fun with this one on the steam deck… there’s lots to sink your teeth into lore-wise. It can be confusing for those who don’t know lots of 4k lore but you’ll be fine with just YouTube videos. There’s also an encyclopaedia for words that may be unfamiliar. The gameplay was very fun and the battles were long if not a bit repetitive but I didn’t mind at all.

Yeah they can keep that

@AStupidID Series S has a better CPU than the Switch 2, and the game is already capped at 30FPS and dynamic 1080P with a lot of cut back compared to the Series X/PS5. Sure they could probably get it running considering that they at least have made a lot improvements since release to at least get the game playable on a Steam Deck, but it going to be heavily compromised.

I got a friend who extolls this game's virtues pretty frequently. Might be time to give it a look.

@AverageGamer Respectfully disagree. Porting games is not as simple as runs on x means will or won't run on y.

XSS is not a direct comparison and never will be, Switch 2 is a console that has benefits in place over the Series S and in some parts it's got some downsides, it's up to developers to optimize games properly to take advantage of it.

Outlaws is a CPU heavy modern title and we know how that runs. Pretty much every game is possible on Switch 2 at this point. We don't need to keep making comments like these, they are assumptions that have been disproven multiple times now. I swear every article has a comment mentioning Series S, it's NL's own fault for featuring uneducated opinions from Digital Foundry and making janky comparisons themselves using the Series S to demo how games 'should look' if ported to Switch 2. It's simply not a valid comparison as a lot more goes into developing for different architecture. This isn't a PC. Cyberpunk had half of the code rewritten to make their engine take advantage of the hardware on Switch 2, for god's sake.

There are game developers that have already spoken on this, multiple actually, way more educated on this topic than DF or NL because they actually develop on the system. Has been said multiple times now that modern games can run on this machine, just depends if the dev cares enough to put in the time and resources to port.

Would have loved to have seen Space Hulk Ascension on Switch. I’m sure it was once listed for Switch but it just never appeared.

It's probably better news than getting Space Marine II (which is great, really hyped for the third one). Next best thing after Baldur's Gate III

@Varkster I never said porting games is as simple as runs on x means will or won't run on y. My comment supports your “ up to developers to optimize games properly to take advantage of it.” by the fact they have made a lot of optimization improvements since release. My comment was simply is it worth porting it if it gonna be heavily compromised aka massively cut down swarm counts.

“ Outlaws is a CPU heavy modern title and we know how that runs”

And Star Wars outlaw had to make a big cut back to NPC density and other CPU intensive things. And still had frame drops in certain places. But the difference is… Star Wars Outlaws NPC density isn’t it selling point. Space Marines selling point was swam density. Where can they make the cuts when a good base to start is already showing issues?

“ NL's own fault for featuring uneducated opinions from Digital Foundry and making janky comparisons themselves using the Series S to demo how games 'should look' if ported to Switch 2. It's simply not a valid comparison as a lot more goes into developing for different architecture”

First of all it not just NL and Digital foundry making these comments. Multiple very well known studios and PORTING studios have made these comparison to Series S. Even using the Series S as a baseline for porting.

It also not a matter of whether or not modern games can run on it… Hell, anything could have ran on the Switch if developers wanted it to. It a matter of “optimization” aka cut backs. One simple cut back has been cutting frame rate. A lot of game we have seen be 60FPS on the bigger consoles are now 30FPS on switch 2

This is better than Space Marine 2!

@AverageGamer I think my statement is very similar to what you're saying, yes, except I believe the concept and outcome we're talking about is different.

Space Marines 2 has high asset density, the GFX chip on the Switch 2 is actually plenty capable and there have been many techniques implemented in recent engines that allow developers to offload the CPU heavy tasks to the GPU, Nvidia cards have been exceptionally good at this and I'm very confident the Switch 2 dev kits absolutely guide developers on implementing this into their games.

My main problem here is not with your statement, by the way, but the often-seen comparison here "if it runs on x, it should/not run on y" because it's counterproductive and doesn't actually prove anything.

Digital Foundry have openly stated that Outlaws will be insanely compromised, it will look and run awful and will not support ray tracing. They went on record to say this multiple times and gloat about it in podcasts, we then saw the result, Outlaws turned out not just good but great, runs at 30FPS but the game actually looks incredible, even on a TV display. I have a 65" OLED 4K and can attest to this fact.

The only comparison to Series S I can think of from developers is Koei Tecmo, specifically their Nobunaga's Ambition studio, where they didn't even say they could confidently compare the console, which further adds to my point.

Every time I look at a thread where a game is proposed to be ported to the Switch 2, I'm reliving the experience where every page on this site for Switch 1 ports was "I don't think this can run" which is annoying to see at the start of a generation where we haven't even seen what this new console can do apart from some outstanding work for early third party ports. This is no longer a Switch 1 situation; it's a lot more interesting and involved than that when it comes to developers optimizing their games for this system, the hardware capabilities are still very much unknowns, there is no perfect science to it. It all depends on far too many variables in the game's engine, code and the developers' capabilities to be certain whether something could run and/if it would be heavily compromised as opposed to another version. Also, a significant question here would be what is 'heavily compromised' to you? Outlaws is certainly not fitting that description for me by any means, I have had a 4080 PC and have the comparisons I can make side to side, but playing Outlaws on the Switch does not make me feel I am playing a lesser experience.

Essentially, my point is this, you think Space Marines 2 cannot release on Switch 2 and look visually outstanding, that is what I'm disagreeing with, and yet neither of us can really prove it, the only people that can prove either of us wrong is the developers if they ever think to bring the game over. Some people on this site disguise comments like what you have said as fact, as if they're experts in game development and the hardware built into the Switch 2 which is disingenuous. I just decided to respond to you because I figured you seem to at least be up to conversation on the subject.

@Varkster “there have been many techniques implemented in recent engines that allow developers to offload the CPU heavy tasks to the GPU”

Offloading CPU processing to the GPU due has generally tried to be a thing for the last two generations, and it has ultimate not has been as successful as you think it. The PS4 was supposed to be very big on this, and the CPU still ended up being the achilles heel for the system and that generation. Games has still ultimately been CPU bound as most tasked were still limited to the CPU.

“ Digital Foundry have openly stated that Outlaws will be insanely compromised, it will look and run awful and will not support ray tracing.”

Do you have any video examples of them saying this? Cause too many people often very much twist their words, or take the option of one person and say the entire DF team said that. So I don’t personally don’t trust what you have to say on this matter.

“ The only comparison to Series S I can think of from developers is Koei Tecmo, specifically their Nobunaga's Ambition studio, where they didn't even say they could confidently compare the console, which further adds to my point.”

That not even the biggest one, the biggest statement has been made by Virtuos.

Eoin O’ Grady, technical director at Virtuos subsidiary Black Shamrock: “Any game shipping at 60 FPS on the Series S should easily port to the Switch 2. Likewise, a 30 FPS Series S game that’s GPU-bound should also port well. Games with complex physics, animations, or other CPU-intensive elements might incur additional challenges in reaching 30 or 60 FPS or require extra optimization during porting.”

They have work on so many Switch port. They are almost a panic button level porting studio for the Switch. If there was any one I would believe. It would be someone from that studio as they probably already have switch 2 dev kit to assist with getting game ported.

And they have been absolutely correct on their statement. Switch 2 has seen nothing but cut back to 30FPS with games that run at 60FPS on Series S, and further optimization for games that run at 30FPS case in point outlaws. The two biggest ones cut back recently being FIFA and Dynasty Warriors. Dynasty Warriors is the good comparison to Space Marines: “The Switch 2 version will be fixed to 30 fps, and we are developing it with a priority on stable operations. It's good hardware, and if we reduced the number of soldiers to about the same amount as prior Warriors series entries, we could have gotten it running at 60 fps. Since this game will show a few thousands of characters, I think it would be better if you can play here with a stable 30 fps.”
Ultimately they are CPU bound.

@Varkster “ Also, a significant question here would be what is 'heavily compromised' to you? Outlaws is certainly not fitting that description for me by any means, I have had a 4080 PC and have the comparisons I can make side to side,”
Okay. You having a PC is impressive. I have a 4090, and currently have an 5090 in a box waiting to installed. I can make the same comparison on the same 4k TV since my PC is in the same room 5ft apart.
Outlaw has cut buck in:

• Shadows are blurrier and blockier with hair and clothing lacking self shadows in cutscenes (granted this may been improved since I finished and there been a new patch)
• The resolution of the RT reflections takes a hit compared to other system
• RTGI is present but shows more noise in lighting coverage compared to Series S
• Noise is present on all consoles but Switch 2 is more coarser than the others
• Volumetric lighting and fog is cut back compared to other systems too
  There also the cut back in geometry detail and NPC density.
  Sure the RT in places look better than Series S… But that cause Nvidia’s RT is better than AMD.
  “you think Space Marines 2 cannot release on Switch 2 and look visually outstanding“
  I never said that it couldn’t look visually outstanding. Outlaws looks great even with it heavy compromises. I feel that if Space Marines 2 have to make cut back to swarm density then it wasn’t worth porting to Switch 2 as it ruins the main appeal of the game.

Besides being buggy this is a damn good game. Glad y'all are getting it

The Emperor protects (not against bugs)

@CJD87 I would say it's more like Wasteland or XCOM meets BG3

@AverageGamer I feel like our comments are getting a bit too bloated so I'll cut down on it otherwise it just becomes tough to reply. I wasn't trying to pull a competition for who has the best gaming PC just fyi, I was just trying to attest to the fact that I am a tech enthusiast and am not just speaking from the point of view of a Switch 2 owner who games portably and nothing else.

Ultimately I think we both agree on the same points, I'm just more enthusiastic on any potential game hitting the Switch 2 and developers finding ways to cut back not detrimental to the overall experience. I was also going to bring up DW: Origins as that is a very massive scale game with huge NPC density which I'm sure will be running well (at 30) on the Switch 2. Glad you also thought of that comparison.

On Digital Foundry I'll say this, there are plenty of YouTube videos you can look up where there are examples of DF giggling like school girls about the Switch and being very wrong about every prediction and statement. They were on record saying the Switch 2 will not hold up to the Steam Deck, which at this point we know S2 slams the Deck into the ground. They did say Outlaws was too big for the Switch 2 and the compromises were going to not be worth the experience. They have recently gone on record in a podcast to say if RDR2 comes to the Switch 2 it'll look worse than the Xbox One X version based on just assumptions and nothing else for an unannounced game. It's clear they have favouritism to anything Sony because when they discussed the rumor that their handheld was going to be on par with a PS5 they ate it up. It would be fine if they were a Sony focused channel but they aren't. They reported more on Switch than they did anything else in the past few years.

I would recommend just looking some videos up, it's not really hard to find, and there is normally video evidence of this. I know Doctre81 has been on their ass about it for a long time so I'm sure there is footage of that on his channel. I don't exactly watch his channel so I don't know if he keeps the videos up but they were there last I checked.

Digital Foundry get a lot of blind praise despite them being entirely wrong and not owning up to that a few too many times for my liking. I like transparency and DF do not have that on their checklist. I won't try to convince you that they are a bad source, neither will I try to convince myself otherwise. It just is how it is.

First ever W40k RPG. At least, proper RPG. And a good one.

Rogue Trader is the better game, Space Marine II comes third, after Rogue Trader and Mechanicus

@Anikitos space marine 2 > Boltgun > rogue trader > the rest imo

That actually is the one I’d expect

@JohnnyMind
yeah while im not a warhammer player (my brother is so i have seen a few aspects of the universe through him playing a couple of the games) this one did seem like the most interesting of the recent games ive seen, looking like a classic CRPG so feels like it could make good use of the franchise setting, though unsure if its one of those games which makes a great intro to the universe or if its one of those which assumes familiarity with elements (lore etc)

Exactly the one I'd expect, and the one I hoped for!

Regarding performance comparisons between different consoles, I think there is an aspect people overlook when focusing on technical possibility: amount of effort. Which is to say. . . does relatively poor performance on high powered consoles indicate that its technically impossible to port a game to Switch 2? No, or at least not with any degree of certainty. However, it very likely is a useful indicator of how likely a developer is to spend the effort to do a good port. If a developer doesn't care to put in the effort to make their game run "well" on PS5, that probably correlates with them not being willing to put in the effort to make their game run "well" on Switch 2.

( All else being equal, natch, which is not the same as "definitely". Its possible a developer may settle for unimpressive performance on one platform, because its easier and good enough; whereas they value "actually hitting salable levels of performance" on the Switch or Switch 2 enough for the added market, and if that means more work they'll pay for more work. )

Tried playing this one after hearing it compared to Baldur's Gate 3, which was a game I loved. It lacks the mechanical depth of BG3 while also being about twice as confusing somehow, there's nowhere near the same amount of interaction with the world in general.

I also found the story and what was happening very difficult to follow, partly by my ADHD brain I would assume, it makes the wall-of-text text boxes exceedingly difficult to parse through with all the character expressions and whatnot also being written in text form instead of being acted out, I had zero problem following the BG3 writing in comparison. I managed to drudge through the game for a bit but once the cumbersome space combat/exploration aspect became more prominent I just lost all interest.

Maybe it's just BG3 being so masterfully crafted that even someone who usually cannot get into CRPG type deals could enjoy that one and more run-of-the-mill offering just don't do it for me in the same way.