The poor performance on Switch is a shame but also not unexpected. I've played a whole heap of games from the series on Switch over the last several years but this one I'll be getting on PC.
June has been my guess since the Direct was announced. Would love it to launch as early as May but that seems less likely. Really hope no longer than June or early July though, feels like I've already been waiting forever for this thing. I think we would have heard more about upcoming filler games for Switch 1 by now if Switch 2 launch was going to be later in the year.
@Metazoxan I more meant the games in general rather than each version of the same game, just couldn't be bothered specifying that in my original post. Never even played the 3DS port myself, having already played the Wii version.
Pretty sure I'll just stick with Switch 2 and Steam Deck for handheld play personally regardless of what Microsoft do. I can see it having some niche appeal for those already heavy into the Xbox ecosystem and/or who use Game Pass to play a lot of their games but that's not for me.
@Ralizah Even if they got get a shoddy port of Wilds running on Switch 2, I'd still much rather a game build specifically for the system from the Rise team. While Rise isn't exactly my favourite Monster Hunter game, I do like it a lot more than both World and Wilds.
@Duncanballs The game runs pretty terribly on most systems and isn't playable at all on the Steam Deck. Obviously we don't know everything about the Switch 2 yet but I can't see this game running on it at all acceptable standard. What I'm hoping for is that we get a new game from the Rise team built specifically with the Switch 2 in mind.
I'm glad they made it cross-play so I can just buy it on Steam and not have to worry about not being able to play with my other Switch friends.
Really not a fan of the whole early access for an additional cost thing though. Feels like a really scummy practice in general and even worse that it's not even an option on every platform.
Mario Strikers: Battle League getting a 9/10 remains one of the most ridiculous review scores I've seen on this site. It deserves its place near the bottom of this list.
@beartown I'm one of those people where anything over 60fps looks basically the same as far as I can tell but yeah, the difference in colours between LCD and OLED are pretty noticeable.
@Mirastrix I tried running the benchmark on my Steam Deck just out of curiosity. It looked like a blurry mess, ran at about 15fps and then crashed half way through.
I can't imagine Monster Hunter Wilds possibly running on the Switch 2 in a playable state given how poorly it seems to run in general. I'm just hoping for a new game from the Rise team built especially for the hardware.
I've been of the opinion that a February general Direct wouldn't make a lot of sense and this random announcement certainly doesn't convince me otherwise.
Hopefully everyone who wants one at launch is able to get one but I still don't want to take any chances. I'm gonna try to be ready to get my preorder in as soon as they go live.
I already finished the game before the patch hit Steam the other day but I'm very glad they've fixed the rats for anyone who picks the game up. They were completely overpowered and unfair at launch. On hard difficulty, I had to just run for my life past them all to get to the next respite as they'd just kill me if I tried to fight them. The rest of the game felt very fair and balanced aside from that one huge difficulty spike.
Decided to try out Genshin Impact on PC so playing a little bit of that. Still not a fan of the free-to-play mobile game elements but aside from that it's fun enough.
Also started Hades over on PC the other day. Been a long time since I played a ton of it on Switch and wanted to give it another playthrough before the full release of Hades 2.
Started Hello Kitty: Island Adventure on my Steam Deck last as a chill game to casually play while I watch Youtube or whatever. Also doing the occasional Binding of Isaac run, win streak up to 46 at the moment.
My poor Switch is mostly collecting dust these days as I wait for the Switch 2 and/or any interesting games that aren't also on PC. Probably for the best though as it's kinda on its last legs anyway after being used so much.
Ender Lilies became my new favourite Metroidvania when I played it a few years ago so I was looking forward to this one and finished it the other day. Absolutely loved it.
@Paulo Yeah I agree that the general gameplay is fine but it's pretty pointless if there's nothing to do or any reason to play. The single player content being a step back from Charged was one thing but the crazy thing is that the online multiplayer was too. Battle League is basically just a full retail price demo.
I'm in the middle of playing through Ender Magnolia which I'm really loving so far. Also been playing a little Emberward which is pretty fun and well polished for an early access game and just the occasional Binding of Isaac run as usual.
I'm not buying into the rumours but I'd love to see an Astral Chain sequel one day, ideally with a bit more story to go with the great gameplay next time.
@Princess_Lilly Mechanically it still has a lot of the elements that made Rune Factory 4 good but it's just too lacking in overall polish. The game looks pretty terrible and runs poorly. I still had fun with it but it could have been much better.
Rune Factory 4 and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin are my two favourite farming sim games ever so that's a pretty fun crossover to see. Rune Factory 5 was a bit disappointing but this one has a lot of promise.
Atelier games are always an insta-buy for me so I was already sold when it got announced. I find it kinda impressive how they're able to release games as frequently as they do while still changing up the gameplay a fair bit each time. This one feels particularly ambitious so hopefully it all comes together well. Looking forward to it.
@Dee123 There seems to be a lot of people who will complain about literally anything they can find when it comes to Nintendo but ultimately the engagement and publicity that comes from it probably works in Nintendo's favour anyway.
@WhiteTrashGuy Hopefully that it's significantly higher than 75%. I get stuff like Labo or Ring Fit that have accessories made for the original Switch/Joy-Con or the few games that actually used the IR sensor (I assume that's gone?) not being playable on the Switch 2 but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to play the rest of my Switch backlog on Switch 2.
@VoidofLight I got well over a year of heavy use out of my white pair before they needed replacing but they still look just as white as the day I got them.
One of my favourite things from recent Directs is the part where everyone gets excited for Silksong only for there to be no Silksong so hopefully this is no different.
Would take me a couple of hours on public transport to get there from where I am now so doesn't feel worth the effort when I more or less know what I'm getting from the console already.
Pretty good trailer but at the same time not super exciting when it was just basically confirming all the leaked info. Much more interested in the April Direct, wish it were a little closer.
I never had any doubts that it would be otherwise but it's nice to have official confirmation I suppose. I'm pretty much done playing my Switch at this point but there's still a ton of games left in my backlog that I might be more tempted to get back to working through once the Switch 2 comes out.
I've always been against a potential Kid Icarus: Uprising port/remake despite it being one of my all time favourite games as I don't think the Switch's control scheme would do the game justice but maybe this could be a way to potentially make it happen if it works well.
@garfreek Plus now that the basic design is out in the open, there's less chance of mixed reactions to how similar it looks to the original Switch overshadowing the hype for the new games and features.
@BaldB3lper78 I don't think that's likely to be an issue. A lot of people are going to get pretty sick of the leak stuff, especially with sites like this milking them for all they're worth, but hype should still go back into overload as soon as Nintendo makes an announcement.
@Wordbonder There's not really any reason for them to change their plan unless they were worried about stuff like the first party game lineup, price and launch date and all the other details also getting leaks. We've gotten a lot over the last few days but I don't think any of it will really take much away from the official reveal when it comes. If anything it's just free publicity until then.
The only thing that gives me a bit of trouble with the Steam Deck is how far the sticks are away from the edges but the size itself is fine. I expect the Switch 2 to be perfectly comforable for me, much like the first Switch was.
@FishyS Same two that I'm interested in out of these. Actually grabbed Ender Magnolia on Steam the other day to take advantage of the Early Access price before it goes up.
I think it's probably a good thing that the whole "it just looks like the first Switch" thing is out in the open ahead of the official reveal, as that's not exactly going to spark a lot of excitement anyway. They just need to kill it with the software lineup.
Good choice. I had Animal Well in my top three games of last year, behind Unicorn Overlord and Metaphor: ReFantasio. Nova Drift was really fun as well.
I can't say that I've ever really wished my Joy-Con had a different button layout in my time with the Switch. As long as they never do something dumb like putting the left stick down the bottom, I'm good.
Comments 7,321
Re: Review: Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist Of Memories & The Envisioned Land (Switch) - A Bold New Direction That Strains The Switch
The poor performance on Switch is a shame but also not unexpected. I've played a whole heap of games from the series on Switch over the last several years but this one I'll be getting on PC.
Re: Rumour: Nintendo May Have Already Shipped A Boatload Of Switch 2 Units To North America
June has been my guess since the Direct was announced. Would love it to launch as early as May but that seems less likely. Really hope no longer than June or early July though, feels like I've already been waiting forever for this thing. I think we would have heard more about upcoming filler games for Switch 1 by now if Switch 2 launch was going to be later in the year.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Xenoblade Game? Rate Your Favourite For Our Upcoming Ranking
@Metazoxan I more meant the games in general rather than each version of the same game, just couldn't be bothered specifying that in my original post. Never even played the 3DS port myself, having already played the Wii version.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Xenoblade Game? Rate Your Favourite For Our Upcoming Ranking
All easily 10/10 except for X.
Re: Rumour: Xbox Expected To Join Switch 2 With A New Handheld This Year
Pretty sure I'll just stick with Switch 2 and Steam Deck for handheld play personally regardless of what Microsoft do. I can see it having some niche appeal for those already heavy into the Xbox ecosystem and/or who use Game Pass to play a lot of their games but that's not for me.
Re: Japanese Charts: Monster Hunter Wilds Gives The PS5 The Boost It Really Needs
@Ralizah Even if they got get a shoddy port of Wilds running on Switch 2, I'd still much rather a game build specifically for the system from the Rise team. While Rise isn't exactly my favourite Monster Hunter game, I do like it a lot more than both World and Wilds.
Re: UK Charts: Mario Kart 8 Grabs Silver As Monster Hunter Wilds Makes Its Debut
@Duncanballs The game runs pretty terribly on most systems and isn't playable at all on the Steam Deck. Obviously we don't know everything about the Switch 2 yet but I can't see this game running on it at all acceptable standard. What I'm hoping for is that we get a new game from the Rise team built specifically with the Switch 2 in mind.
Re: How Would You Rate The Pokémon Presents Showcase For February 2025?
I stopped watching these completely a while back and that list of annoucements is a good example as to why.
Re: All Aboard! Acclaimed Deckbuilder 'Monster Train' Is Getting A Switch Sequel This Year
First game was excellent so I'm keen. Hopefully it doesn't release too close to Slay the Spire 2.
Re: Opinion: Scrapping Gold Points Makes Sense For Nintendo, But It's A Bitter Pill For Loyal Fans
I'm reserving my disappointment until we have all the Switch 2 details.
Re: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Finally Lands New May Release Date
I'm glad they made it cross-play so I can just buy it on Steam and not have to worry about not being able to play with my other Switch friends.
Really not a fan of the whole early access for an additional cost thing though. Feels like a really scummy practice in general and even worse that it's not even an option on every platform.
Re: Best Mario Sports Games Of All Time
Mario Strikers: Battle League getting a 9/10 remains one of the most ridiculous review scores I've seen on this site. It deserves its place near the bottom of this list.
Re: Talking Point: Why An LCD Screen Isn't The End Of The World For Switch 2
@beartown I'm one of those people where anything over 60fps looks basically the same as far as I can tell but yeah, the difference in colours between LCD and OLED are pretty noticeable.
Re: Nope, Monster Hunter Wilds Producer Still Won't Spill The Beans On A Switch 2 Port
@Mirastrix I tried running the benchmark on my Steam Deck just out of curiosity. It looked like a blurry mess, ran at about 15fps and then crashed half way through.
Re: Nope, Monster Hunter Wilds Producer Still Won't Spill The Beans On A Switch 2 Port
I can't imagine Monster Hunter Wilds possibly running on the Switch 2 in a playable state given how poorly it seems to run in general. I'm just hoping for a new game from the Rise team built especially for the hardware.
Re: Sony Does What Nintendon't By Removing A Bunch Of 'eSlop' Titles
@Ogbert They'll care about it getting removed though so they'll probably be looking at ways to get past the barriers too.
Re: Nintendo Confirms Timings For The Switch 2 Direct In April
I've been of the opinion that a February general Direct wouldn't make a lot of sense and this random announcement certainly doesn't convince me otherwise.
Re: Nintendo Taking "All Possible Measures" To Combat Switch 2 Scalpers
Hopefully everyone who wants one at launch is able to get one but I still don't want to take any chances. I'm gonna try to be ready to get my preorder in as soon as they go live.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Life eShop Selects (January 2025)
I'm having fun with Hello Kitty: Island Adventure at the moment but Ender Magnolia is the clear #1 for me.
Re: Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist Receives A New Update
@rvcolem1 It game out like a week and a half ago.
Re: Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist Receives A New Update
I already finished the game before the patch hit Steam the other day but I'm very glad they've fixed the rats for anyone who picks the game up. They were completely overpowered and unfair at launch. On hard difficulty, I had to just run for my life past them all to get to the next respite as they'd just kill me if I tried to fight them. The rest of the game felt very fair and balanced aside from that one huge difficulty spike.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (1st February)
Decided to try out Genshin Impact on PC so playing a little bit of that. Still not a fan of the free-to-play mobile game elements but aside from that it's fun enough.
Also started Hades over on PC the other day. Been a long time since I played a ton of it on Switch and wanted to give it another playthrough before the full release of Hades 2.
Started Hello Kitty: Island Adventure on my Steam Deck last as a chill game to casually play while I watch Youtube or whatever. Also doing the occasional Binding of Isaac run, win streak up to 46 at the moment.
My poor Switch is mostly collecting dust these days as I wait for the Switch 2 and/or any interesting games that aren't also on PC. Probably for the best though as it's kinda on its last legs anyway after being used so much.
Re: Review: ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom In The Mist (Switch) - An Incredibly Polished, Downbeat Metroidvania
Ender Lilies became my new favourite Metroidvania when I played it a few years ago so I was looking forward to this one and finished it the other day. Absolutely loved it.
Re: Random: Xbox Gets Its Own Shameful 'Mario Strikers' Knock-Off
@Paulo Yeah I agree that the general gameplay is fine but it's pretty pointless if there's nothing to do or any reason to play. The single player content being a step back from Charged was one thing but the crazy thing is that the online multiplayer was too. Battle League is basically just a full retail price demo.
Re: Random: Xbox Gets Its Own Shameful 'Mario Strikers' Knock-Off
It looks like a pretty terrible game. They copied that from Battle League too.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (25th January)
I'm in the middle of playing through Ender Magnolia which I'm really loving so far. Also been playing a little Emberward which is pretty fun and well polished for an early access game and just the occasional Binding of Isaac run as usual.
Re: Astral Chain Director Seemingly Forms New Studio After Leaving PlatinumGames
I'm not buying into the rumours but I'd love to see an Astral Chain sequel one day, ideally with a bit more story to go with the great gameplay next time.
Re: Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma Announces Sakuna: Of Rice And Ruin DLC
@Princess_Lilly Mechanically it still has a lot of the elements that made Rune Factory 4 good but it's just too lacking in overall polish. The game looks pretty terrible and runs poorly. I still had fun with it but it could have been much better.
Re: Rune Factory: Guardians Of Azuma Announces Sakuna: Of Rice And Ruin DLC
Rune Factory 4 and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin are my two favourite farming sim games ever so that's a pretty fun crossover to see. Rune Factory 5 was a bit disappointing but this one has a lot of promise.
Re: Atelier Yumia Dives Into Motorbike Riding And Base Building In New Trailer
Atelier games are always an insta-buy for me so I was already sold when it got announced. I find it kinda impressive how they're able to release games as frequently as they do while still changing up the gameplay a fair bit each time. This one feels particularly ambitious so hopefully it all comes together well. Looking forward to it.
Re: Random: Donkey Kong Country's Artist Reacts To Nintendo's Redesign
@Dee123 There seems to be a lot of people who will complain about literally anything they can find when it comes to Nintendo but ultimately the engagement and publicity that comes from it probably works in Nintendo's favour anyway.
Re: Switch 2 Supply Chain Figures Reportedly Revealed Ahead Of 2025 Launch
@WhiteTrashGuy Hopefully that it's significantly higher than 75%. I get stuff like Labo or Ring Fit that have accessories made for the original Switch/Joy-Con or the few games that actually used the IR sensor (I assume that's gone?) not being playable on the Switch 2 but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to play the rest of my Switch backlog on Switch 2.
Re: Switch 2 Supply Chain Figures Reportedly Revealed Ahead Of 2025 Launch
@VoidofLight I got well over a year of heavy use out of my white pair before they needed replacing but they still look just as white as the day I got them.
Re: Silksong Fans Think They've Narrowed Down The Big Announcement
One of my favourite things from recent Directs is the part where everyone gets excited for Silksong only for there to be no Silksong so hopefully this is no different.
Re: Registration For The 'Nintendo Switch 2 Experience' Begins Soon
Would take me a couple of hours on public transport to get there from where I am now so doesn't feel worth the effort when I more or less know what I'm getting from the console already.
Re: Poll: So, What Did You Think Of The Switch 2 Reveal?
Pretty good trailer but at the same time not super exciting when it was just basically confirming all the leaked info. Much more interested in the April Direct, wish it were a little closer.
Re: Switch 2 Will Be Backwards Compatible With Physical And Digital 'Switch 1' Games
I never had any doubts that it would be otherwise but it's nice to have official confirmation I suppose. I'm pretty much done playing my Switch at this point but there's still a ton of games left in my backlog that I might be more tempted to get back to working through once the Switch 2 comes out.
Re: Joy-Con Mouse Functionality Seemingly Confirmed In Switch 2 Trailer
I've always been against a potential Kid Icarus: Uprising port/remake despite it being one of my all time favourite games as I don't think the Switch's control scheme would do the game justice but maybe this could be a way to potentially make it happen if it works well.
Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal Trailer Gives First Official Look At The New Console
Still just waiting for the game lineup. April is a fair wait but oh well. Hopefully it doesn't get ruined by leakers before then.
Re: Nintendo Is "Very Upset" About The Switch 2 Leaks, It's Claimed
@USWITCH64 Thankfully they're not dumb enough to actually do that.
Re: Retro Staff Credits Removed From Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, Forever Entertainment Confirmed As Devs
@JohnnyMind It's pretty easy to find them online so no need to boot up the original.
Re: So, Have You Pre-Ordered Donkey Kong Country Returns HD For Switch?
Played it on the Wii. It was pretty fun but it's not something I have any real desire to buy and play again.
Re: Nintendo Breaks Silence On 'Switch 2' Image And Video Leaks
@garfreek Plus now that the basic design is out in the open, there's less chance of mixed reactions to how similar it looks to the original Switch overshadowing the hype for the new games and features.
@BaldB3lper78 I don't think that's likely to be an issue. A lot of people are going to get pretty sick of the leak stuff, especially with sites like this milking them for all they're worth, but hype should still go back into overload as soon as Nintendo makes an announcement.
Re: Nintendo Breaks Silence On 'Switch 2' Image And Video Leaks
@Wordbonder There's not really any reason for them to change their plan unless they were worried about stuff like the first party game lineup, price and launch date and all the other details also getting leaks. We've gotten a lot over the last few days but I don't think any of it will really take much away from the official reveal when it comes. If anything it's just free publicity until then.
Re: Talking Point: Is The Switch 2 Going To Be Too Big?
The only thing that gives me a bit of trouble with the Steam Deck is how far the sticks are away from the edges but the size itself is fine. I expect the Switch 2 to be perfectly comforable for me, much like the first Switch was.
Re: Switch 2 'Indentations' Make It Incompatible With Original Switch Dock, Says Genki
I knew the old docks wouldn't be compatible but it's still a bit of a pain when I have three docks set up currently.
Re: Video: 15 Exciting New Games Coming To Nintendo Switch In January 2025
@FishyS Same two that I'm interested in out of these. Actually grabbed Ender Magnolia on Steam the other day to take advantage of the Early Access price before it goes up.
Re: Talking Point: Everyone Else Is Busy Revealing Switch 2 - What Gives, Nintendo?
I think it's probably a good thing that the whole "it just looks like the first Switch" thing is out in the open ahead of the official reveal, as that's not exactly going to spark a lot of excitement anyway. They just need to kill it with the software lineup.
Re: Random: Balatro Dev Spreads Some Indie Love In His List Of 2024 Highlights
Good choice. I had Animal Well in my top three games of last year, behind Unicorn Overlord and Metaphor: ReFantasio. Nova Drift was really fun as well.
Re: Nintendo Should Copy This Feature For Switch 2, But It Probably Won't
I can't say that I've ever really wished my Joy-Con had a different button layout in my time with the Switch. As long as they never do something dumb like putting the left stick down the bottom, I'm good.