BustedUpBiker

@Bunkerneath Right underneath the QR code is an option to enter it manually. If you're using Google authenticator on the device you access the website on it is automatic when you click on the link given under the code.

Works like a charm. Instructions are nice and clear. If you already have the Google authenticator app installed and do this on your phone, it takes a minute or so. I recommend 2FA with every service that allows it.

My ageing PC uses a 30fps lock when rendering a 1080p output (internally scaled down to 80% or an effective 864p) at a mixture of low/medium settings. It is my compromise between sharp image quality and playable framerate. The temporal AA is magnificent and makes a world of difference on my 42" telly.

Performance is a solid 30 in outdoor scenes and depending on how busy it is indoors can ramp all the way up to 60, but ~45 is typical. The transition between these is smooth in the excellent engine but I tend to lock it at 30fps anyway. Loading times are VERY long between levels, but they aren't too frequent. And yes, that controller stick does get hammered mercilessly for the glory kills.

So, particularly with regards to playability I'm optimistic that they will deliver a very enjoyable version of Doom on Switch. I love playing it on PC even with the above limitations 🤘

Lovely.

With this, the thanks message in the Pro controller, the embedded message in the NES Mini code, and the hidden breakout game on 3DS, Nintendo are really adding that heartfelt and personal touch.

Makes Switch seem even more special to me.

@Tibob I'd say BotW was years in development and Nintendo are known for their refined releases. Playgrounds and Bomberman were considerably less ambitious IMHO.

This is a huge game, with features on a parity with every other platform. It seems rough around the edges, but from what I know the core gameplay is great. Personally I'd class it as an experiment for 2K - they're testing the waters here - and such a complex project no doubt had their Switch team working long hours to meet the release date at all.

I for one understand the score pending situation, but only at this particular time. A fine line needs to be walked here. Devs are effectively in uncharted waters with Switch, especially with big AAA franchises like this one. I would like to encourage them to look positively to the future, rather than having the bean counters decide it isn't worth the hassle and merely give us warmed over mobile games like RBI.

It's like praising a child for what they have done right, explaining to them what they have done wrong, and having the leniency and patience to let them correct themselves and improve. For me the content of the review does all of this.

Having said that, this pending score policy is acceptable to me in these early days, but as the system matures it should not continue. You can only give them so much rope, after all.

What I can't get my head around is how games like Zelda on Switch or big Bethesda games on PC like Skyrim and Fallout 4, with all their hundreds of variables to be contained in a save file, each come in at up to 1/4 of a GB. What on earth is the 5GB reserve for? Per user no less?

Nice to see Nintendo continuing their excellent track record of attractive games with reasonable storage requirements.

@Damo Nice image 😀

5GB for a save file? That's gigaBYTES?!? What are we saving, the players' iCloud accounts?

Fingers crossed for Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings or Super Mega Baseball 2 when it is released. This is disappointing. Seems like a cynical (non) effort.

@Snakesglowcaps Ha ha, thanks, tough crowd tonight

@lemonjellydude
@Baker1000
£6.29 on the eShop. Listed as Hamster.

Aesthetically it's very interesting. Found the demo quite difficult as the warrior when I got to the first boss opponent. Yet to try out the private dancer.

So when you open one of the Zelda item chests, will it go Fus-Ro-Dah-Dah-Dah-Daaaaaaaah?

I thought I'd fallen asleep and YouTube had autoplayed another video. Genuine jaw dropping moment. This will stretch Switch to breaking point and I'm sure Digital Foundry are already planning their content. However even on my archaic PC this is the dogs.

This is unbelievably great news for Switch, and will hopefully encourage other publishers to invest time and money in the platform.

Wow, that pop in at such short range is just crazy.

@Captain_Gonru I think it depends on the surface. Snow and sand have little to no degradation, grass does (less when wet).

When farming lizalfos in the desert, shield surfing is the only way to get around, even without a sand seal. Doesn't degrade the shield either AFAIK.

You can also leave the shield strapped to your feet when paragliding - great for shredding mountain descents in snowy regions.

Lovely read, bang on.

The flexibility is a winner here. It's a joyful little machine and I appreciate it every single time I use it.

Another stand out feature for me is the near instantaneous switch on and play. Missus answers the phone and I'm dishing out a pasting with Garou's Kim Dong Hwan in no time at all. Before Eastenders is cued up on the Sky+ I'm already on horseback in Hyrule.

Not really surprised that major third parties consider it as a portable though, as that is the key differentiation between this and the breeze block consoles.

Hopefully the Pro Controller gyro aiming works like the handheld mode. The BotW aiming mechanic is sweet. Needs mod support as well, if only to iron out the game breaking bugs with the unofficial patch.

Love the thought of it on Switch, might mean I actually see it through to the end this time, but the price is a bit ridiculous. However I was spoiled by picking it up the GOTY edition on Steam for a fiver yonks ago (got ~20 hours in before GTA V took over), and by the generous free upgrade to the remastered version (~35 hours in before Fallout 4 took over).

It is an entertaining, immersive and absolutely massive game though and I really should get back to it. After Master Mode. After Mario Odyssey. After... oh you get the picture.

Edit: I'll miss messing with the tilde activated dev console commands as well.

Best of their series so far. Fantastic on Android and will be even better with a controller. Take it on its own merits and a good time can be had. Bring it on!

@G0dlike Definitely time to insert coin and continue with these IPs

@timson72 That's great to hear of a return to form. I've missed out on the big sims, having an older PC and no current console. I'll catch up one day, feeling like a boy in a sweet shop no doubt.

MXGP was fun, different but fun. The ranch stages in the VR46 game are pretty good as well. Great news it's coming to Switch - hopefully the upcoming Ride TT game will follow suit.

@timson72 Always best with a wheel. I used to use a LogItech MOMO Racing with force feedback on PC. Far superior to any pad. Great for Simbin games as well as the more arcadey Codies titles. When I had to ditch the huge desk I used to clamp it on to I started using a 360 pad - what a downgrade. Having had no choice but to adjust I've managed fine though.

Can't comment on how the latest iteration plays, though I've heard it's pretty good, but the last F1 game I really sunk hours into (2011 I think, oh do I feel old right now) was fine when I calibrated the advanced controls accordingly.

I love the Milestone bike racers now, from SBK through MotoGP and Ride. I play them on realistic AI and full physics with no aids out of the box. The 360 pad holds up really well with these, and those games need a deft touch the way I play them.

I'm of course disappointed that I'm doomed to micro-presses of the triggers in any racing game on Switch that has aspirations of realism, but the console is so good that I can overlook it. MK8D on 200cc is scratching my racing itch right now.

@timson72 The Android version of F1 2016 is playable, if not perfectly, with tap controls and tilt steering. Obviously not as good as with analogue triggers but it's doable even with traction control turned off.

Glad I picked it up dirt cheap though. It doesn't seem finished at all. Audio bugs, no visual options, questionable season mode and seriously choppy performance on an S7. It's a bit pants really.

I'd love to see the Codies return to form, some of their racing games were very enjoyable (Colin McRae, BTCC, TOCA, Grid, Dirt and F1 - but for the latter 3 only certain releases) but I'd prefer remakes of older Micro Machines to the new one.

@In_Ex_Fan That cushion is there to stop her blowing away if the window is open

@zyn Don't know about iOS, but Final Freeway 2R on Android scratches my itch. Also Super Hang On is ace on 3DS.

Truck simulator is one of my guilty pleasures. Very zen. Farming simulators are fantastic for teaching kids about where the food on the supermarket shelves comes from. Great for playing with the young 'uns.

Looks like they're taking a lot of pride in it as well.

Credit where it's due - they didn't have to support Switch when deciding to remaster for console.

Even without any visual upgrades, the original can look way ahead of its time (on Steam anyway) and should run well enough.

I'll echo the call for the first RDR and GTA V. If the PS3 can pull them off it should be doable.

Nice sub header

I was hoping to ovoid the scramble to fill the thread with egg yolks, should've known better

I've asked Netflix to change their brand name to Stability, so we might actually end up with it next time. I'll let you know what they say.

@MarioPhD All sounds very plausible. Even empty boxes on shelves draw the punters in. If the base game takes up anywhere near 25GB or over then that would explain the friendly warning. I suspect a missed opportunity for texture compression etc. here as well.

Perhaps they missed a trick here. A bundled, subsidised SD card of reasonable capacity could have resulted in more of a positive PR spin. Bonus side effect of effectively ending up with an NBA 2K18 physical copy of sorts after all.

@MarioPhD If true, that really would take the pea and ham. Don't personally see the point in this.

Always wondered how certain third party devs were going to address their gargantuan day one patches. Now I know. Balls to this.

Edit: Let's tread a little carefully here folks. While this is far from an example of best practice, isn't this going to be a fully featured game i.e. content parity with other consoles? If we don't temper the backlash we may well start putting some devs off and end up with a load of cheapo "portable" versions of games.

Cheap at twice the price. Grandparents will need bigger pensions to afford them.

If this is indeed patent trolling, Nintendo should take a leaf out of this book:

https://eugene.kaspersky.com/2017/08/30/the-best-defense-is-attack-and-that-now-includes-when-fighting-patent-trolls/

@SLIGEACH_EIRE When you do go outside, don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out

In the original I don't remember stopping once, but had the trigger mashed down to sprint, trying to beat the par times. If it is an auto runner it might not be much of a stretch from the frantic pace and insta-restart style of the original.

I'm in. The passion is contagious!

Reminds me of Shank but looks like a lot more fun.

Love a good racing game. Fingers crossed it turns out well. Plays like a dream on my S7.

Played this on mobile since it was first announced for Switch. It is good fun, with a nice difficulty curve, massive roster, regular multiplayer challenges and tournaments and regular content updates (tracks and vehicles).

For me, it's a worthy alternative to Real Racing 3's cynical IAP model - I've played a large portion of the game so far without spending one penny or watching one ad, and it has never felt like a grind due to the vast amount of races available. It is a generous package.

Only gripe is that the deceleration when you graze a wall or barrier seems disproportionate to the contact made, especially for an arcade style racer. Can typically cost you a close race.

Oh, and it'll be micro-press city with no traction control and no analogue triggers. Hope ol' ZR is up to it.

Pew pew pew pew pew pew pew...

Tried the beta on PC, which can usually keep up with Xbox One settings (ish), and it ran like a dog. Glad they're putting in the effort though, they'll want to keep the positive momentum going as Mario Rabbids is being so well received.

Cool. Anyone know the language used?

Don't see VR happening this time around. If the next Switch is 1080p native, quite a bit more powerful e.g. X2 based or similar, and crucially has head tracking built into the console, it could be brilliant.

Great review, informative, clear and relatable. Looking forward to adding this to my library.

Personally, I prefer the clean sharp look of first party games to the slightly blurry, shader-tastic look on offer here. It can make screenshots look better than the game in motion. However it's also nice to see the devs dancing on the razor's edge of the Switch's performance.

Also, is there meant to be a season pass on the way?

Excellent. Fingers crossed for the new Ride TT game as well. Going to struggle a bit with digital triggers though. You live or die in Milestone bike games by your fine throttle control, unless you play it on arcade settings.

Nice to see Switch being recognised as a hybrid by a AAA dev, and not just a portable or home console. It suggests they developed this game without narrowing the scope.

If the art style might not be for everyone, it's an ideal opportunity to put a demo on the Switch eShop...

In the absence of Wave Race and 1080° I'd still hold off. Vector Unit's Beach Buggy Racing has already seen a port. If they bring Riptide: Renegade to Switch I'd be more interested.

@k8sMum Bang on, it is all relative. But it is also accessible. I personally have next to no disposable income at the moment, haven't really for a while and probably won't for a while either.

Thing is, over the years when I didn't have to spread the butter far too thin on my bread, I picked a few things up. A Wii for the kids, a second hand 3DS. A PC 8 years ago that can almost handle a current multiplatform title if it's well optimised. I was lucky enough to be handed down a PS3 and a Vita. And my family, knowing how much gaming means to me both as a hobby and also socially with a sibling, blew me away by clubbing together and I am so fortunate to have a Switch as a result. I have Zelda, Mario Kart and Neo Geo golf. I'm one happy chappy.

And let's not forget mobile. Love it or loathe it, it's made gamers of more of us, the likelihood is that if you're reading this site you have access to a smartphone, and there are hundreds of good, free games out there. Humble Bundle and GOG get very honourable mentions as well.

Many of us may have had a relative lot of toys at one time or another. The trick is to look after them (I could still dig out my Megadrive or N64), keep a keen eye out for Steam sales etc. and above all, and this is key, be content with what you do have.

Brilliant read, thanks.

It isn't just about which games are best, but what is available and how it works. Every generation could consider itself golden, it's all relative. We are lucky to have almost the entirety of gaming history, warts and all, at our fingertips, and we don't have to wait for cassette tapes and 2x CD drives any more.

Wonder what's around the corner? At least some of it will be in the conversation for what makes a golden era.