Doctor-Moo

@MrDocena Actually, I played most of the RF and HM games before Stardew, and I was still absolutely delighted by it. Barone really understood what made those games great, and doubled down on the two things I love most about them: the farming and the social interaction.

In terms of farming, Stardew easily beats every HM/SoS/RF game. There’s an open-endedness to how you can develop your farm, but at the same time, every crop and animal feels perfectly well-balanced.

As for social interaction, Rune Factory 3 and 4 come close, but I still found the characters in Stardew more interesting. It has way more dialogue than either of those games, which makes the characters feel more alive.

I think of Stardew as a Harvest Moon fan game that grew into something so huge and wonderful that it surpassed its influences and became the best game in the genre.

Polygon is one of my favorite gaming news sites, so this is really sad news. Best of luck to those who’ve lost their jobs.

I’m not happy about this trend and I worry about game preservation, but these do offer the #1 most important feature of physical games, which is resellability. If I spend $80 on a game, I want the ability to get back some of that money later if I decide to.

@MTMike87 That’s actually a hilarious silver lining — you don’t have to pay an EXTRA $10 to upgrade the DLC to Switch 2 Edition DLC.

@JayJ I didn't realize that about Wii U backward compatibility. I never had one myself.

@Jack_Goetz I don’t think this is a Wii U situation at all. Because of the backward compatibility, Switch 2 consoles will eventually replace people’s current Switch consoles. And in the short term, hype will sell units.

It’ll be over by the time I wake up! So I guess I’ll have some good watching to go with my morning cup of tea. (I’m in the PDT time zone.)

@Switch_Pro I'm still on Cold Steel 3! And man, that game is long.

As others here have said, I think waiting for Switch 2 is the way to go. That’s what I’ll be doing.

If ever there was a game that doesn't need a remake, it's CT. Don't mess with perfection. We need a pixel-perfect port of the DS version.

@Tyranexx I’m currently playing through all the Trails games available on Switch and I’m loving the series. What I did is watch YouTube story summaries of the missing games (Sky trilogy, Cold Steel 1&2). Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything because I know all the characters and main plot points. I highly recommend this approach. Don’t wait years to enjoy these great games. Just dive in!

They should have included a “classic” mode to play the original versions unaltered.

If we’re fantasizing about Virtual Console, why not just go a step further: What we need is compilations of classic games on a cartridge!

I’ve been waiting over 2 years for Ray’z on Switch. I would never preorder from this company again and I strongly suggest others avoid it as well.

Looks like fun, but it’s time to retire the term “action RPG.” It can mean almost anything at this point, from Diablo to Horizon. It tells us almost nothing about the game.

I played it on Vita and was disappointed. It was sort of bland and lacked the excitement of Ys 7. Actually Ys 7 is my favourite in the series, and I hope they bring it to Switch 1/2 eventually.

Unpopular take I'm sure, but I'm happy with the excellent port collections and don't feel we need new entries. We already have a treasure trove of fantastic games.

I'm playing through all the games available on Switch, and filling in the gaps by watching Youtube story recaps. I highly recommend this approach. I'm currently on Cold Steel 3 and loving it. If you like JRPGs, don't miss this fantastic series.

Yes! I’m currently playing Sea of Stars with my kid and we’re having a blast.

@Rykdrew I agree, this is a major problem for Forza and other racing games. I was really hoping Switch 2 would have analog triggers.

@MasterGraveheart Yeah, Stardew took the basic formula of Harvest Moon and perfected it. None of the HM or SoS games can compare.

Have you played Rune Factory 3 and 4? Those are really great and have a laid back pace. After Stardew, those are my favourite farming sims.

Disappointing that there are no analog triggers. As a fan of racing games, this is pretty unfortunate.

I’m not a big Ubi fan, but I am excited for lots of ports. To me, being able to play the best PS4-era games on the go is a huge draw.

@Vivianeat Same (though my backlog is about 30 games, not 200), but I'm hoping publishers will be able to update their Switch games to perform better on Switch 2. That would be great for the backlog.

I don't see the NSO situation as a good option. I would be thrilled with VC, or even better, compilations of classic games on physical Switch cartridges.

@-wc- I wish all of these remakes/remasters included a "Classic mode" so you could experience the original if you want.

I’ve been gaming for over 40 years and this is the game I’ve put the most hours into. Absolutely amazing. Can’t wait for his next game.

@Ulysses Yeah, same, though I played the Switch version for a few hours and it actually looks really good, even in handheld. They did a great job with the port.

@GameOtaku As far as I know the physical release with DQ1-3 doesn't have the original NES versions. They're remastered too, but in 2D, and they look even worse than the new version.

A must-buy for me. Hoping for a physical version. Sure, a comprehensive collection would be great, but I'm sold because it's Digital Eclipse and I think I can get a lot of hours of fun out of all the variations.

I have to say, I don't understand what's so "gorgeous" about the visuals. The 3D environments look generic to me. I'll give the game a chance because I'm a DQ fan, but the visual style is not impressing me so far.

@Bizzyb I actually didn't know that! I'll check them out.

@msvt I would love a proper D-pad too, but I don't see how it's possible. It doesn't really work with the multiplayer-focused detachable joy-con design.

I'm a fan of the series, so I'm in, but I'm a little concerned about Switch performance. This looks like it will have large, visually detailed areas. I'm hoping they do a good job optimizing the Switch version.

@Lightsiyd I needed a good reason to try Monstrum after being disappointed by Lacrimosa, but the visual design really didn't look great to me. If the reviews had been glowing, I probably would have played it, but they weren't.

What did you think of Monstrum?

I loved some of the earlier games in the series, but Lacrimosa of Dana really didn't work for me. I found the story pacing way to slow, the base-defense battles completely unnecessary, and the maps almost impossible to navigate. I skipped Monstrum Nox. But this one looks promising.

I saw the headline and photo and thought “Really? They named her Boats?”

Took me a minute.

I'm really surprised he never ported The Witness to Switch. That's an amazing game and could have sold well if it had come to Switch a few years ago.

As others have mentioned, it's the unbelievable sluggishness that keeps me from using the eshop. When I want to browse, I use Dekudeals.

Guys, I have to be honest. I’m so focused on getting through my backlog that I haven’t played a single 2024 game yet.

Best games I’ve played in 2024: Inscryption, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Pikmin 1 & 2.

@Lizuka Agreed. I don’t understand why everyone says this looks good. Octopath 1 and 2 were a perfect marriage of 2D and 3D, but this is not. The 3D assets are so generic.

@Krull Yes, it's one of my favourite games ever, and if they treat it right, I'd be happy to play it on Switch. But I agree, the upscaling they did on Tactics Ogre looks terrible.

The iOS/Android port of FFT WotL actually looks great. The backgrounds are rendered at a high resolution but they haven't messed with the original assets. I wish they would just port over that version, but I doubt they will.

If ever there was a classic games that DOESN’T need a remake/remaster, it’s Chrono Trigger. It’s already a perfect game, and has aged brilliantly.

Looks like there might not be any farming. Very disappointing.

I think people exaggerate how important it is to play all the games. I’m playing through the five games available on Switch and using YouTube summaries to fill in the gaps.

Can anyone comment on how it runs on Switch? I’ve heard it’s buggy and laggy.

Personally, I’m in no hurry. My Switch backlog is still massive. I need more time before I’m willing to invest in new hardware.

@Chaotic_Neutral So you’re hopeful as long as they don’t cast any non-white actors. Got it.

I replayed Pikmin 1 & 2 recently for the first time in many years and the game they reminded me of more than anything was Dark Souls - the sense of mystery and wonder, combined with the feeling that something dangerous and horrible is around every corner. And some of your Pikmin will definitely die. Pikmin is a horror game.

@KateGray I’ve heard that Super Mario Party isn’t as good as Superstars, but I’ve only played Superstars. Do you have a preference between the two?

Great article, by the way. I grew up in Montreal and miss it a lot.