@Purgatorium It is a bit silly they're taking so many unnecessary risks with the biggest IP they own. I realize it's just a movie and not a new game, but still - why change so much?
Why take an iconic character voiced by Charles Martinet since 1992 and suddenly replace his voice with a movie actor who just ends up talking and acting like his normal self?
I have to assume it's just to draw attention to the film. We've already seen so many articles about Chris Pratt alone, but it's still pretty risky I think.
It would be like if Mickey Mouse suddenly started talking just like Tom Cruise. I would only hear Tom Cruise, not Mickey.
In the same way here, I only hear Chris Pratt talking, not Mario.
It's clear to me no one wants to acknowledge this issue so I'll just stop trying. If @PJOReilly can't be bothered to add a simple warning in this review that people are at least reporting issues, there's no reason for me to continue trying to help warn people.
@Anti-Matter I hear you there, but I think it just depends on what you grew up with. I only ever had a PS1 and my friends all had N64, so I only got to play those games in short sessions, usually co-op only. I don't remember much about those games.
My childhood memories are filled with Ape Escape, Medieval, and Crash Bandicoot, but that doesn't mean Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and Mario games still weren't really fun to play at the time.
Still no update or even mention that this content causes performance issues?
This isn't just a handful of people complaining, I've seen at least 5 threads about it on Reddit alone with loads of comments agreeing, this is really something that needs to be mentioned in the review.
I don't normally reply to a comment months later, but I watched a video that reminded me of this conversation and wanted provide you with corrected info since you may still be relying on that article you mentioned, which is unfortunately false.
The article you referenced stated only 100k Steam Deck units had been shipped as of June 2022.
@PJOReilly I know I'm probably bugging you at this point, but I have to share I did a fresh install just to play this content yesterday and it didn't make a difference.
I purchased the Anniversary Edition add-on, then re-installed Skyrim from the store page and it downloaded everything, including the new content. The only additional thing I did was re-download my cloud saves. Installed it fresh and I still got crashes and performance issues.
Have you tried going to Bleak Falls Barrow with a new character with survival mode enabled? Multiple people report this is a common area of crashes since the update on Switch.
Edit: This will be my final update, becoming chilly seems to cause the crashes about 1/2 the time, and this is only possible when survival mode is enabled. Getting chilly doesn't always cause crashes, but becoming freezing has a 100% rate of crash in my testing.
If you use a carriage to fast travel to a city in a cold area, such as Windhelm or Winterhold, it is very likely crash before the location even loads on screen because fast travel adds hours of time you were exposed to the cold and puts you in "freezing" status instantly.
TL;DR: If you freeze in the game, you freeze in real life.
@Moonlessky Yeah, I saw some of it myself last night, but others seem to be reporting even worse experiences.
Multiple people report starting a new save with survival mode enabled and then going to Black Falls Barrow will get consistent crashes. Some report just standing in front of Bleak Falls Barrow for more than a minute will crash the game for them.
Either the game is borked on Switch forever or Bethesda will clean up their mess eventually. Fingers crossed they do something about this soon.
@Moonlessky Thank you for mentioning this, I wasn't aware. All these items costed money initially, so it's cool they added the most popular ones as a free update.
This furthers my suspicion Survival Mode is the cause of performance issues and crashing, which is a shame because some people will experience this without buying the Anniversary Edition, they just update their game, see the issues, and there's nothing they can do about it.
Anyone that downloads the free update won't be able to roll back to the previous version that didn't have performance issues. This would be pretty frustrating if it was my only way to play the game.
@russell-marlow It has nothing like that. It's basically just items and cosmetic stuff that can make the game fun to play in new ways.
To simplify the list of content, it has:
1. New Armor: New sets of armor for almost all materials (iron, steel, etc.) and new unique armor.
2. New Accessories: New items like Backpacks that let you carry more stuff
3. New Generic Weapons: New magic-infused arrows, crossbows, and gauntlets that make it viable to play with fists only
4. New Unique Artifacts: Several artifacts from previous games such as Cowl of Nocturnal and Staff of Sheogorath with unique enchantments
5. New quests: These quests are typically how to access the unique content, but they're all driven by notes and letters, nothing is voiced and it's pretty generic
6.New Player Homes: There are a few, but these too feel pretty generic
7. Fishing Mini game: Pretty cool in my opinion, but since you could just grab fish from the water or even shout at them, it's nothing special
8. New creatures: Some can be pets, some are new enemies
9. Survival Mode: Overhauls the entire game so each area has a temperature and you need to maintain sleep, hunger, and warmth. This also modifies clothing to have a "warmth" rating and food to have a "hunger" rating.
I may have missed some stuff like new dungeons, but I think those are the most notable pieces included.
@nimnio If I may, you have options that avoid the tinkering.
I've been modding Skyrim since it launched, and I think playing for the first time should always be done without mods. That way, you have a baseline for what the vanilla game offers, which is actually quite a lot. If you already own it on PC, I suggest giving it another crack without mods.
Then, once you're ready to mod, you can still avoid tinkering by using pre-made mod lists made by others. The benefit being other people spent hours and hours crafting and testing it so you don't have to. Also, modding on Xbox is fairly easy compared to PC if that's an option for you, but you still have to deal with managing load orders and you can still get mods that cause issues.
Anyway, I hope you get to experience the game fully one day, it's really fantastic, even 11 years later.
@PJOReilly I hear you, I've been gaming on Steam Deck a bit recently so I figured the stuttering was just me getting used to the Switch again and I ignored it, but the crashing is another story.
It certainly isn't the first time Skyrim has crashed on Switch, but the frequency used to be maybe once every 3-4 hours and this happened once every hour so it stuck out to me as unusual. It could be I was just very unlucky last night, but it left a pretty bad lasting impression.
@PJOReilly Hmm, that is interesting. Are you playing with survival mode enabled? Also, did you start a new save or an old one?
I noticed the stutters with Survival mode enabled and disabled, but the crashes only happened when Survival was enabled and perhaps that's the culprit. I should also mention the crashing occurred when using existing saves that have explored the map a bit already, I didn't start a fresh save.
I realize this just dropped yesterday, so perhaps the reviewer didn't have much time to play test on Switch, but I had a pretty poor experience with this content last night, and I believe it introduces performance issues that didn't exist previously. Buyer beware.
I played for roughly 3 hours, and in that 3 hours I noticed new stuttering in busy areas (Riften and Solitude are pretty noticeable) and the worst of it was crashing, which occurred twice (about once per hour).
I think it should be made clear myself and others are reporting low performance/crashing after installing this content.
@sonicbooming It's certainly possible, especially since I was using a character that explored the entire map and did most main quests. Still, the only reason I bought Anniversary Edition on Switch was to re-connect with old characters I had made and play through all the content with them and if I can't do that, this was a waste of money.
This brings me back to Fallout 3 on the PS3. The game was solid at launch without crashes. Then, they released the DLCs and the game became worse and worse. By the time they released all the DLC, it would crash just about every hour no matter where you were in the game. These things can be patched on PC, but consoles just get stuck in being broken.
It's almost like a Bethesda ritual that the final DLC of their games needs to introduce crashing/stuttering that ruins the whole game.
I know I'm being a bit of a downer, I'm sorry. I'm just disappointed.
@dkxcalibur Oh no worries, I'm not so sure about Various Daylife either, it doesn't seem to have the warmth of a good life sim.
I liked doing part-time work in Persona 4 because you got to see little variations of cutscenes depending on the job you selected and they increased different stats based on what you did. There were even little side stories with each job. I wouldn't even consider Persona 4 a life sim, it's a JRPG with life sim elements, but it still did it better.
Based on the review of Various Daylife, that whole experience was reduced to selecting a job from a menu and then instantly progressing to the next day.
If the whole game is as hollow as this, I don't think it's for me.
@dkxcalibur I can only speak for myself, but the appeal of Life Sim games is the immersion.
As you just said, we play games to escape our lives a little bit, and to some, it's easier to escape when you feel like you're living the life of the character you're playing on screen. Little immersive moments like being hungry in a video game and deciding to either grab lunch at the local inn and socialize or just make some food at home and chill.
I'm not always in the mood to play action-oriented games that demand me to be on my toes all the time. I understand it's mundane to others, but it's very relaxing to those that enjoy life sims.
I played a bit more last night with my 200+ hour character and I experienced 2 crashes in a period of maybe 3 hours, both times seemed to be triggered by survival mode.
I don't know much about the technical aspects of survival mode itself, but I can see it constantly checks the area you're in for the temperature and is constantly keeping track of diminishing and replenishing hunger, fatigue, and temp stats.
The other mods included don't have nearly as much scripting, and survival mode is the only mode that touches the entirety of the game due to it needing to keep track of temperatures in every single location. I think the scripting is just too much for Switch. I'm happy we can "disable" survival mode in the settings, but that doesn't actually disable the mod being loaded in the game, and it will still impact performance. We can't disable individual components, which is a shame.
TL;DR: With Anniversary Edition installed, I crashed 2 times in only about 3 hours, which is not normal. I wouldn't buy this on Switch as it is right now unless you are very patient.
1. You strongly believe the Switch is a shameful console. 2. You frequent and comment a website made up of almost exclusively Switch owners, commenting the console is shameful.
Thank you for making it clear you're just here to troll. I wasn't sure for a minute there.
I'm not defending anything other than allowing people to enjoy what they enjoy without being shamed by others. It doesn't matter if it's Switch, PSP, Dreamcast, or whatever - if people enjoy it, let them enjoy it.
If you don't wish to be viewed as an Elitist, then don't shame people for enjoying what you consider "sub-par".
@BloodNinja Do you know what they say about making assumptions?
Also, it's "pitiable" to only own a Switch and no other console? Holy elitism Batman, just let people enjoy what brings them happiness without shaming them.
As it happens, I have Skyrim SE on Series X, PC, Switch, and Steam Deck. I mention this because I have spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours fiddling with mods on PC and XB, so I know that mods can make the game lots of fun, but I also know it can ruin the experience in the long run. You often end up spending more hours tinkering with load orders and hunting buggy mods than you do actually enjoying the game. This is never a problem with Vanilla Skyrim.
I had a lot of fun exploring and tinkering with mods, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day, I often have the most rewarding experiences playing good old vanilla Skyrim on Switch.
I roamed around the open map and couldn't find any new lag spots, so I tried the major cities instead.
Riften and Solitude were already the most laggy cities in the vanilla game across all platforms, but it's a little more noticeable now with the Anniversary Edition content. I didn't notice any lag in any other cities or any other areas I traveled so far, but the lag was worse when using an old save with 200+ hours versus a fresh character, which is expected in any Bethesda game.
It's not so bad you'll hit the attack button and completely miss your target because of lag, but it will probably be noticed by most compared to the locked 30 FPS everywhere else you go in the game. I don't have an FPS counter, but I'd guess it drops to about 20-ish in those two cities when I tested to give a better idea.
As @Would_you_kindly mentioned, Bethesda games aren't known for solid framerates, and it makes sense this would be most noticeable on the technically weakest version of the game.
When you look at the game from the perspective of re-purposing and re-releasing the same game for over 10 years, it's easy to see this as disappointing and even "too little, too late" that this content finally comes to Switch long after it released everywhere else.
However, I have yet to find a game that does what Skyrim does, especially on Switch. The Witcher 3 is fantastic, but nowhere as flexible and you always play the same person. Divinity: Original Sin II is quite similar in that you can have a unique character and race and make choices in the story, but lacks the immersive elements and freedom of Skyrim.
At the end of the day, one of the best open world sandbox games on Switch just got a butt load of content for just $20 more.
I get Bethesda is greedy for milking this poor old cow, but I'm selfish and I'll take good content with a smile when it comes on Switch.
Perhaps I'm being influenced by the narrator's "baby talk" cadence, but the trailer makes this look kind of like a children's game. DQ Monsters Joker 1 + 2 were really fun and I'd love to see an entry on the Switch, but I'm not sure this is it.
I'm sure it's a quality game, just doesn't look appealing at the moment, I hope I'm wrong after it releases.
Looks pretty silly and over the top, which is good news for fans of the genre.
I never played this one personally, but it reminds me of Duke Nukem, Saints Row, and other ridiculous action-oriented games that tend to not take themselves very seriously. I think this is an admirable quality and not so common these days.
@rushiosan The cynic in me wants to say disguising 1 full game as 3 separate games is a great way to charge $90 for a full game (not including all the DLCs).
But the optimist in me recognizes some gamers enjoy more episodic/shorter gaming experiences spread out over multiple titles and the smaller price is certainly more attractive for those who may be afraid of committing to a full game.
Similar to Dragon Quest Builders 1/2, these seem like well-polished games based on other games that popularized the genre, except that was block building and this is card battles. Nothing wrong with that, it happens every time a genre gets overly popular (remember parkour being in every game like a decade ago?).
It is a bit odd to forcefully push a new franchise by launching 2 games in under a year even though both games have average meta scores in the mid to high 70s. This isn't to say Metacritic is the only measure of quality, but consumers just barely heard of the franchise and the 3rd game is already coming.
It may be best to let consumers develop a craving for a franchise before you decide to mass produce one title each year.
@tatchy One of the Switch's greatest aspects is how easy it is to jump right into a game with no hassle.
The reason I got a Switch back when it launched was actually to get rid of the hassle of constant updates, audio issues, graphical issues, and generally issues that don't even happen on consoles.
Thankfully, time has passed and the Steam Deck is like a hybrid PC-Console, in that the UI can work like any other console, but with such a massive library, you're bound to run into a game you need to actually tinker with.
I'm used to this though, because I was a PC gamer before and can appreciate that this experience is way less tedious than managing a Windows gaming PC. It makes sense most people would be frustrated if they downloaded a game and had to configure it first before playing. Switch definitely has mass appeal because of this.
@tatchy Isn't it a little bleak to say any portable console that attempts to surpass Switch's performance is a failure because more power = more battery while also saying owning a console will be a thing of the past and that Cloud gaming is the future?
Is there no room for technological advances like, say, more efficient hardware or more capacious batteries? Switch may be using old hardware, but the technology we have today in modern consoles and PCs isn't going to just stop advancing.
A great benefit of PC games is you have total control over graphics/performance settings, which is often absent in console games. The Steam Deck allows you to cap FPS at 30, 60, or unlimited and even change the refresh rate right in the middle of playing a game, which has a very large impact on improving battery life.
I hope this knowledge improves your outlook towards the future of gaming. I don't want to live in a world where Cloud gaming is all there is.
For those concerned about Steam Deck's battery life - I can say as an owner, they provide so many options to stretch game time it's a non-issue for me.
You can either play a highly demanding game with ultra graphics at 60FPS for 1.5 hours or you can lower FPS to 30, lower graphical settings and possible internal Deck settings (like FSR) to stretch the same game to 3+ hours. Most of the games I play are PS3-era games like Elder Scrolls Oblivion, and I average about 4-5 hours of battery with those kinds of games.
The great thing about the small screen is that even with lower graphical settings, all you have to do is boost sharpness with FSR (built into Steam Deck) and it still looks gorgeous because it's not stretched across a big TV or monitor. Some people even use tiny resolutions under 720 in portable mode and say they can't notice a difference visually, but lower resolution increases performance.
Consoles like Switch provide a more stable yet less flexible experience whereas Steam Deck provides a bunch of customization and tinkering options that some console gamers may not understand or enjoy because it's still a PC and these are PC games.
I wouldn't recommend it to a casual console gamer that has no experience with PC unless they're excited to tinker.
@Takoda The more chatter we get going about X, the better!
I realize it's probably one of the most difficult Wii U games to port to the Switch because of the sheer vastness of the world and Switch's limited portable hardware, but it's absolutely worth the effort to bring it to new audiences that couldn't play it on Wii U or emulators (like myself).
It's the only Xenoblade game I know of that lets you pilot mechs and explore the world, it's also the only one I know of that allows character customization. Some may argue it feels more like an MMO compared to the mainline games, but that's why it isn't a mainline game.
We have all 3 XC games on Switch, it's now time to bring XCX!
@westman98 Your words become useless if they lack conviction.
Here you are insisting the Steam Deck isn't even a threat while simultaneously reciting the same made up figures and talking points from a news outlet that is clearly pandering to Nintendo fans scared of any competition.
When you see that the way I do, maybe you'll have a laugh about it
You referenced an article that was admittedly guessing the numbers because they don't actually know and they relied on a survey that has (again, admittedly) incomplete data.
The referenced article also includes an entire section dedicated to assuring readers the Switch isn't being impacted and their baby is safe. It's a pandering article, isn't this exactly what a Nintendo Switch fan would want to hear about their competitor portable console?
I'm sorry you relied on this article as if it were factual in any way.
Someone said "Twin Peaks" and that happens to be my summoning phrase, so here I am.
I didn't see a blonde woman wrapped in plastic in the trailer, so I'm not sure how peak-sy this game is, but I'll keep my eye on it.
I would be impressed if they subvert the player with the cutesy graphics and actually deliver a dark/wtf-esqe experience like the show Twin Peaks, but I have to keep expectations low.
Comments 951
Re: Poll: So, What Do You Think Of Mario's New Look?
@Purgatorium It is a bit silly they're taking so many unnecessary risks with the biggest IP they own. I realize it's just a movie and not a new game, but still - why change so much?
Why take an iconic character voiced by Charles Martinet since 1992 and suddenly replace his voice with a movie actor who just ends up talking and acting like his normal self?
I have to assume it's just to draw attention to the film. We've already seen so many articles about Chris Pratt alone, but it's still pretty risky I think.
It would be like if Mickey Mouse suddenly started talking just like Tom Cruise. I would only hear Tom Cruise, not Mickey.
In the same way here, I only hear Chris Pratt talking, not Mario.
Re: Poll: So, What Do You Think Of Mario's New Look?
@Chips07 Did Ubisoft change Mario's design at all in the Rabbids games? He looks the same as any other game to my eyes.
You're also comparing a 3rd party developed spin-off video game to a full production film based on the main series, which are very different.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@Phon Good for you, you're one of the lucky ones.
There are, however, many many others who are actually affected:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/xsebhw/dont_buy_skyrim_anniversary_edition_on_switch/
https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/xt05hb/skyrim_anniversary_switch_performance_test/
https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/comments/xqyk56/switch_anniversary_edition_is_out_on_switch/
It's clear to me no one wants to acknowledge this issue so I'll just stop trying. If @PJOReilly can't be bothered to add a simple warning in this review that people are at least reporting issues, there's no reason for me to continue trying to help warn people.
Re: Exclusive: SunnySide Teams Up With Epic Gardening To Make Their Game More Realistic
@Cronodoug
Social/Life Sim > Farm Sim
Re: The N64 Encyclopedia Offers Nintendo Fans An Exhaustive Overview Of The 64-Bit Era
@Anti-Matter I hear you there, but I think it just depends on what you grew up with. I only ever had a PS1 and my friends all had N64, so I only got to play those games in short sessions, usually co-op only. I don't remember much about those games.
My childhood memories are filled with Ape Escape, Medieval, and Crash Bandicoot, but that doesn't mean Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and Mario games still weren't really fun to play at the time.
Only rich kids had both systems lol
Re: Exclusive: SunnySide Teams Up With Epic Gardening To Make Their Game More Realistic
These farm sims are really cropping up, huh?
In seriousness, it doesn't bother me. That just means those into the genre have plenty of options.
Want to farm in a colorful post apocalypse? My Time at Portia
Want to farm in a JRPG setting? Rune Factory 4 or 5
Want to farm in a weird 2D version of the show Twin Peaks? Gleaner Heights
We got options a plenty! Some would say too many.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
Still no update or even mention that this content causes performance issues?
This isn't just a handful of people complaining, I've seen at least 5 threads about it on Reddit alone with loads of comments agreeing, this is really something that needs to be mentioned in the review.
I'll just leave this here: https://help.bethesda.net/#en/answer/57181
Re: Backlog Club: Portal 2 Made Me Feel Clever, Despite My Minor Case Of Serious Brain Damage
"Despite My Minor Case Of Serious Brain Damage"
Well which is it, Minor or Serious??
Re: Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Sports Knocks Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Off The Top Spot
Hello @westman98
I don't normally reply to a comment months later, but I watched a video that reminded me of this conversation and wanted provide you with corrected info since you may still be relying on that article you mentioned, which is unfortunately false.
The article you referenced stated only 100k Steam Deck units had been shipped as of June 2022.
However, KDE recently confirmed Steam Deck has shipped more than 1 million units, per this article with included video: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2022/10/kde-steam-deck-akademy-2022/
This isn't an "I told you so" or anything of that nature, it's just sharing correct information to prevent the spread of misinformation.
I hope it helps!
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@Arkay I tell you what, I'll pray at your shrine and we'll see what happens.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@PJOReilly I know I'm probably bugging you at this point, but I have to share I did a fresh install just to play this content yesterday and it didn't make a difference.
I purchased the Anniversary Edition add-on, then re-installed Skyrim from the store page and it downloaded everything, including the new content. The only additional thing I did was re-download my cloud saves. Installed it fresh and I still got crashes and performance issues.
Have you tried going to Bleak Falls Barrow with a new character with survival mode enabled? Multiple people report this is a common area of crashes since the update on Switch.
Edit: This will be my final update, becoming chilly seems to cause the crashes about 1/2 the time, and this is only possible when survival mode is enabled. Getting chilly doesn't always cause crashes, but becoming freezing has a 100% rate of crash in my testing.
If you use a carriage to fast travel to a city in a cold area, such as Windhelm or Winterhold, it is very likely crash before the location even loads on screen because fast travel adds hours of time you were exposed to the cold and puts you in "freezing" status instantly.
TL;DR: If you freeze in the game, you freeze in real life.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@Moonlessky Yeah, I saw some of it myself last night, but others seem to be reporting even worse experiences.
Multiple people report starting a new save with survival mode enabled and then going to Black Falls Barrow will get consistent crashes. Some report just standing in front of Bleak Falls Barrow for more than a minute will crash the game for them.
Either the game is borked on Switch forever or Bethesda will clean up their mess eventually. Fingers crossed they do something about this soon.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@Moonlessky Thank you for mentioning this, I wasn't aware. All these items costed money initially, so it's cool they added the most popular ones as a free update.
That being said, it's also being reported the free content update is causing crashes, as evidenced here: https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/comments/xqyk56/switch_anniversary_edition_is_out_on_switch/
This furthers my suspicion Survival Mode is the cause of performance issues and crashing, which is a shame because some people will experience this without buying the Anniversary Edition, they just update their game, see the issues, and there's nothing they can do about it.
Anyone that downloads the free update won't be able to roll back to the previous version that didn't have performance issues. This would be pretty frustrating if it was my only way to play the game.
Re: Best Time Loop Games On Nintendo Switch
Thank you for the reminder I need to keep playing Gnosia.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@russell-marlow It has nothing like that. It's basically just items and cosmetic stuff that can make the game fun to play in new ways.
To simplify the list of content, it has:
1. New Armor: New sets of armor for almost all materials (iron, steel, etc.) and new unique armor.
2. New Accessories: New items like Backpacks that let you carry more stuff
3. New Generic Weapons: New magic-infused arrows, crossbows, and gauntlets that make it viable to play with fists only
4. New Unique Artifacts: Several artifacts from previous games such as Cowl of Nocturnal and Staff of Sheogorath with unique enchantments
5. New quests: These quests are typically how to access the unique content, but they're all driven by notes and letters, nothing is voiced and it's pretty generic
6.New Player Homes: There are a few, but these too feel pretty generic
7. Fishing Mini game: Pretty cool in my opinion, but since you could just grab fish from the water or even shout at them, it's nothing special
8. New creatures: Some can be pets, some are new enemies
9. Survival Mode: Overhauls the entire game so each area has a temperature and you need to maintain sleep, hunger, and warmth. This also modifies clothing to have a "warmth" rating and food to have a "hunger" rating.
I may have missed some stuff like new dungeons, but I think those are the most notable pieces included.
Re: Assassin's Creed Anniversary 'Mega Bundle' Includes Six Games, Out Now On Switch
That's a lot of very large games, what does all that add up to, like 100GB of file space?
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@nimnio If I may, you have options that avoid the tinkering.
I've been modding Skyrim since it launched, and I think playing for the first time should always be done without mods. That way, you have a baseline for what the vanilla game offers, which is actually quite a lot. If you already own it on PC, I suggest giving it another crack without mods.
Then, once you're ready to mod, you can still avoid tinkering by using pre-made mod lists made by others. The benefit being other people spent hours and hours crafting and testing it so you don't have to. Also, modding on Xbox is fairly easy compared to PC if that's an option for you, but you still have to deal with managing load orders and you can still get mods that cause issues.
Anyway, I hope you get to experience the game fully one day, it's really fantastic, even 11 years later.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@PJOReilly I hear you, I've been gaming on Steam Deck a bit recently so I figured the stuttering was just me getting used to the Switch again and I ignored it, but the crashing is another story.
It certainly isn't the first time Skyrim has crashed on Switch, but the frequency used to be maybe once every 3-4 hours and this happened once every hour so it stuck out to me as unusual. It could be I was just very unlucky last night, but it left a pretty bad lasting impression.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@PJOReilly I appreciate you.
Be sure to grab plenty of cooked meat!
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
@PJOReilly Hmm, that is interesting. Are you playing with survival mode enabled? Also, did you start a new save or an old one?
I noticed the stutters with Survival mode enabled and disabled, but the crashes only happened when Survival was enabled and perhaps that's the culprit. I should also mention the crashing occurred when using existing saves that have explored the map a bit already, I didn't start a fresh save.
Re: Mini Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition - And Another One!
I realize this just dropped yesterday, so perhaps the reviewer didn't have much time to play test on Switch, but I had a pretty poor experience with this content last night, and I believe it introduces performance issues that didn't exist previously. Buyer beware.
I played for roughly 3 hours, and in that 3 hours I noticed new stuttering in busy areas (Riften and Solitude are pretty noticeable) and the worst of it was crashing, which occurred twice (about once per hour).
I think it should be made clear myself and others are reporting low performance/crashing after installing this content.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@sonicbooming It's certainly possible, especially since I was using a character that explored the entire map and did most main quests. Still, the only reason I bought Anniversary Edition on Switch was to re-connect with old characters I had made and play through all the content with them and if I can't do that, this was a waste of money.
This brings me back to Fallout 3 on the PS3. The game was solid at launch without crashes. Then, they released the DLCs and the game became worse and worse. By the time they released all the DLC, it would crash just about every hour no matter where you were in the game. These things can be patched on PC, but consoles just get stuck in being broken.
It's almost like a Bethesda ritual that the final DLC of their games needs to introduce crashing/stuttering that ruins the whole game.
I know I'm being a bit of a downer, I'm sorry. I'm just disappointed.
Re: Review: Various Daylife - A Simple Yet Repetitive JRPG Best For Bite-Sized Sessions
@dkxcalibur Oh no worries, I'm not so sure about Various Daylife either, it doesn't seem to have the warmth of a good life sim.
I liked doing part-time work in Persona 4 because you got to see little variations of cutscenes depending on the job you selected and they increased different stats based on what you did. There were even little side stories with each job. I wouldn't even consider Persona 4 a life sim, it's a JRPG with life sim elements, but it still did it better.
Based on the review of Various Daylife, that whole experience was reduced to selecting a job from a menu and then instantly progressing to the next day.
If the whole game is as hollow as this, I don't think it's for me.
Re: Review: Various Daylife - A Simple Yet Repetitive JRPG Best For Bite-Sized Sessions
@dkxcalibur I can only speak for myself, but the appeal of Life Sim games is the immersion.
As you just said, we play games to escape our lives a little bit, and to some, it's easier to escape when you feel like you're living the life of the character you're playing on screen. Little immersive moments like being hungry in a video game and deciding to either grab lunch at the local inn and socialize or just make some food at home and chill.
I'm not always in the mood to play action-oriented games that demand me to be on my toes all the time. I understand it's mundane to others, but it's very relaxing to those that enjoy life sims.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@locky-mavo Well this is going to be awkward ...
I played a bit more last night with my 200+ hour character and I experienced 2 crashes in a period of maybe 3 hours, both times seemed to be triggered by survival mode.
I don't know much about the technical aspects of survival mode itself, but I can see it constantly checks the area you're in for the temperature and is constantly keeping track of diminishing and replenishing hunger, fatigue, and temp stats.
The other mods included don't have nearly as much scripting, and survival mode is the only mode that touches the entirety of the game due to it needing to keep track of temperatures in every single location. I think the scripting is just too much for Switch. I'm happy we can "disable" survival mode in the settings, but that doesn't actually disable the mod being loaded in the game, and it will still impact performance. We can't disable individual components, which is a shame.
TL;DR: With Anniversary Edition installed, I crashed 2 times in only about 3 hours, which is not normal. I wouldn't buy this on Switch as it is right now unless you are very patient.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@BloodNinja
Let me put this into perspective:
1. You strongly believe the Switch is a shameful console.
2. You frequent and comment a website made up of almost exclusively Switch owners, commenting the console is shameful.
Thank you for making it clear you're just here to troll. I wasn't sure for a minute there.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@BloodNinja No offense taken whatsoever.
I'm not defending anything other than allowing people to enjoy what they enjoy without being shamed by others. It doesn't matter if it's Switch, PSP, Dreamcast, or whatever - if people enjoy it, let them enjoy it.
If you don't wish to be viewed as an Elitist, then don't shame people for enjoying what you consider "sub-par".
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@BloodNinja
Elitism isn't buying things you enjoy because you can afford them or can budget to afford them.
Elitism is insisting others are "pitiable" because they enjoy what you consider to be beneath you.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@BloodNinja Do you know what they say about making assumptions?
Also, it's "pitiable" to only own a Switch and no other console? Holy elitism Batman, just let people enjoy what brings them happiness without shaming them.
As it happens, I have Skyrim SE on Series X, PC, Switch, and Steam Deck. I mention this because I have spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours fiddling with mods on PC and XB, so I know that mods can make the game lots of fun, but I also know it can ruin the experience in the long run. You often end up spending more hours tinkering with load orders and hunting buggy mods than you do actually enjoying the game. This is never a problem with Vanilla Skyrim.
I had a lot of fun exploring and tinkering with mods, don't get me wrong, but at the end of the day, I often have the most rewarding experiences playing good old vanilla Skyrim on Switch.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@locky-mavo To add more to this:
I roamed around the open map and couldn't find any new lag spots, so I tried the major cities instead.
Riften and Solitude were already the most laggy cities in the vanilla game across all platforms, but it's a little more noticeable now with the Anniversary Edition content. I didn't notice any lag in any other cities or any other areas I traveled so far, but the lag was worse when using an old save with 200+ hours versus a fresh character, which is expected in any Bethesda game.
It's not so bad you'll hit the attack button and completely miss your target because of lag, but it will probably be noticed by most compared to the locked 30 FPS everywhere else you go in the game. I don't have an FPS counter, but I'd guess it drops to about 20-ish in those two cities when I tested to give a better idea.
As @Would_you_kindly mentioned, Bethesda games aren't known for solid framerates, and it makes sense this would be most noticeable on the technically weakest version of the game.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
@BloodNinja
When you look at the game from the perspective of re-purposing and re-releasing the same game for over 10 years, it's easy to see this as disappointing and even "too little, too late" that this content finally comes to Switch long after it released everywhere else.
However, I have yet to find a game that does what Skyrim does, especially on Switch. The Witcher 3 is fantastic, but nowhere as flexible and you always play the same person. Divinity: Original Sin II is quite similar in that you can have a unique character and race and make choices in the story, but lacks the immersive elements and freedom of Skyrim.
At the end of the day, one of the best open world sandbox games on Switch just got a butt load of content for just $20 more.
I get Bethesda is greedy for milking this poor old cow, but I'm selfish and I'll take good content with a smile when it comes on Switch.
Re: Surprise! Skyrim Anniversary Edition Is Out Now On The Switch eShop
I saw it this morning and before I knew it, it was purchased and downloaded
I didn't even have a chance to think, it just happened so fast.
Re: Dragon Quest Treasures Overview Trailer Showcases Impressive Scope
Perhaps I'm being influenced by the narrator's "baby talk" cadence, but the trailer makes this look kind of like a children's game. DQ Monsters Joker 1 + 2 were really fun and I'd love to see an entry on the Switch, but I'm not sure this is it.
I'm sure it's a quality game, just doesn't look appealing at the moment, I hope I'm wrong after it releases.
Re: Review: Easy Come Easy Golf - Everybody's Golf Spiritual Successor Scores A Birdie On Switch
I played tons of Hot Shots Golf on the PS Vita and Mario Golf just never seemed worth the full $59.99 price tag in my opinion.
Only because I just got Xenoblade 3 today, I added it to my wishlist. But for only $20, it's super tempting to just buy right now.
Re: NPD Results Show PlayStation 5 Outsold Switch In August (North America)
Well, we had a good run folks.
Time to turn off the ol' Nintendo forever.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Think Of The Harvestella Demo?
"But when the NPCs are not instructing you how to water crops, go to sleep, and wipe your bum"
Man, these farming games are getting ridiculously immersive.
Re: Wolfenstein-Inspired 'Rise Of The Triad: Ludicrous Edition' Looks... Well, Ludicrous
Looks pretty silly and over the top, which is good news for fans of the genre.
I never played this one personally, but it reminds me of Duke Nukem, Saints Row, and other ridiculous action-oriented games that tend to not take themselves very seriously. I think this is an admirable quality and not so common these days.
Re: Rumour: New Metal Gear Solid Remasters Reportedly Incoming
@Deady Climb that ladder Snake, climb that ladder.
Re: Looks Like A Third ‘Voice Of Cards’ Game From Yoko Taro Is On The Way
@rushiosan The cynic in me wants to say disguising 1 full game as 3 separate games is a great way to charge $90 for a full game (not including all the DLCs).
But the optimist in me recognizes some gamers enjoy more episodic/shorter gaming experiences spread out over multiple titles and the smaller price is certainly more attractive for those who may be afraid of committing to a full game.
Re: Looks Like A Third ‘Voice Of Cards’ Game From Yoko Taro Is On The Way
Similar to Dragon Quest Builders 1/2, these seem like well-polished games based on other games that popularized the genre, except that was block building and this is card battles. Nothing wrong with that, it happens every time a genre gets overly popular (remember parkour being in every game like a decade ago?).
It is a bit odd to forcefully push a new franchise by launching 2 games in under a year even though both games have average meta scores in the mid to high 70s. This isn't to say Metacritic is the only measure of quality, but consumers just barely heard of the franchise and the 3rd game is already coming.
It may be best to let consumers develop a craving for a franchise before you decide to mass produce one title each year.
Re: The Aya Neo Air Is A $600 Switch Lite-Sized Pocket PC
@tatchy One of the Switch's greatest aspects is how easy it is to jump right into a game with no hassle.
The reason I got a Switch back when it launched was actually to get rid of the hassle of constant updates, audio issues, graphical issues, and generally issues that don't even happen on consoles.
Thankfully, time has passed and the Steam Deck is like a hybrid PC-Console, in that the UI can work like any other console, but with such a massive library, you're bound to run into a game you need to actually tinker with.
I'm used to this though, because I was a PC gamer before and can appreciate that this experience is way less tedious than managing a Windows gaming PC. It makes sense most people would be frustrated if they downloaded a game and had to configure it first before playing. Switch definitely has mass appeal because of this.
Re: The Aya Neo Air Is A $600 Switch Lite-Sized Pocket PC
@tatchy Isn't it a little bleak to say any portable console that attempts to surpass Switch's performance is a failure because more power = more battery while also saying owning a console will be a thing of the past and that Cloud gaming is the future?
Is there no room for technological advances like, say, more efficient hardware or more capacious batteries? Switch may be using old hardware, but the technology we have today in modern consoles and PCs isn't going to just stop advancing.
A great benefit of PC games is you have total control over graphics/performance settings, which is often absent in console games. The Steam Deck allows you to cap FPS at 30, 60, or unlimited and even change the refresh rate right in the middle of playing a game, which has a very large impact on improving battery life.
I hope this knowledge improves your outlook towards the future of gaming. I don't want to live in a world where Cloud gaming is all there is.
Re: Talking Point: Which Nintendo Series Would Work Best As A Free-To-Play Game?
So I just pick an existing game I want to be free-to-play forever?
Fine, I pick Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
I own it already, but the more the merrier!
Re: The Aya Neo Air Is A $600 Switch Lite-Sized Pocket PC
For those concerned about Steam Deck's battery life - I can say as an owner, they provide so many options to stretch game time it's a non-issue for me.
You can either play a highly demanding game with ultra graphics at 60FPS for 1.5 hours or you can lower FPS to 30, lower graphical settings and possible internal Deck settings (like FSR) to stretch the same game to 3+ hours. Most of the games I play are PS3-era games like Elder Scrolls Oblivion, and I average about 4-5 hours of battery with those kinds of games.
The great thing about the small screen is that even with lower graphical settings, all you have to do is boost sharpness with FSR (built into Steam Deck) and it still looks gorgeous because it's not stretched across a big TV or monitor. Some people even use tiny resolutions under 720 in portable mode and say they can't notice a difference visually, but lower resolution increases performance.
Consoles like Switch provide a more stable yet less flexible experience whereas Steam Deck provides a bunch of customization and tinkering options that some console gamers may not understand or enjoy because it's still a PC and these are PC games.
I wouldn't recommend it to a casual console gamer that has no experience with PC unless they're excited to tinker.
Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Is July's Best-Selling Switch Game In NPD Results
@Takoda The more chatter we get going about X, the better!
I realize it's probably one of the most difficult Wii U games to port to the Switch because of the sheer vastness of the world and Switch's limited portable hardware, but it's absolutely worth the effort to bring it to new audiences that couldn't play it on Wii U or emulators (like myself).
It's the only Xenoblade game I know of that lets you pilot mechs and explore the world, it's also the only one I know of that allows character customization. Some may argue it feels more like an MMO compared to the mainline games, but that's why it isn't a mainline game.
We have all 3 XC games on Switch, it's now time to bring XCX!
Re: Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Sports Knocks Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Off The Top Spot
@westman98 I'll bet the world looks much prettier behind those rose tinted glasses you're wearing.
I have said all I wanted to say to you, and would thank you to not call my name again.
Re: Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Sports Knocks Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Off The Top Spot
@westman98 Your words become useless if they lack conviction.
Here you are insisting the Steam Deck isn't even a threat while simultaneously reciting the same made up figures and talking points from a news outlet that is clearly pandering to Nintendo fans scared of any competition.
When you see that the way I do, maybe you'll have a laugh about it
Re: Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Sports Knocks Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Off The Top Spot
@westman98 It's hard to know why these made up figures would matter so much to you, especially if you say you believe the Steam Deck isn't a threat.
Oh well, here's hoping the next Nintendo console is still portable and better than the Steam Deck
Re: Japanese Charts: Nintendo Switch Sports Knocks Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Off The Top Spot
@westman98 Oh dear.
You referenced an article that was admittedly guessing the numbers because they don't actually know and they relied on a survey that has (again, admittedly) incomplete data.
The referenced article also includes an entire section dedicated to assuring readers the Switch isn't being impacted and their baby is safe. It's a pandering article, isn't this exactly what a Nintendo Switch fan would want to hear about their competitor portable console?
I'm sorry you relied on this article as if it were factual in any way.
Again, be well.
Re: Beacon Pines Combines Woodland Critters And Twin Peaks On Switch This September
Someone said "Twin Peaks" and that happens to be my summoning phrase, so here I am.
I didn't see a blonde woman wrapped in plastic in the trailer, so I'm not sure how peak-sy this game is, but I'll keep my eye on it.
I would be impressed if they subvert the player with the cutesy graphics and actually deliver a dark/wtf-esqe experience like the show Twin Peaks, but I have to keep expectations low.
I'll see you all in the Red Room.