Excalibur_120

I am also waiting for La-Mulana 1&2 reviews. These games are hard as hell, so I think the testers will have to spend some more days and nights playing it through to collect information for a review

What is the point of paying $20 per year for having access to a dusty collection of games (that most of us already played on older consoles) that I won't even own after the subscription period? The only way for Nintendo to convince me to give it a try is to have at least half of the selection of retro games available as on the Virtual Console on the old Nintendo Wii.

Not gonna buy it. After having watched the demo, I can't help but feel that 3D shooters and Contra simply don't fit each other... I wish they would rather have made an extension to Contra 3 to add some new levels. Just my personal opinion...

Guys, it looks like a new update came out for the package (v1.1.0). Not only does it offer the Japanese versions of some other Contra games, but it also offers customizable controls. I'm having fun now. You should too, so go ahead and download the update!

I have played some of the games from the package, but the controls - or rather the lack of customizable button mapping options - sucks when using the Joycons. I for one am used to push the B button for jumping and the Y button for shooting. When I play the NES games, you need to press A for jumping and B for shooting, which is awkward. Same thing with Hard Corps. Things are better with the SNES version, but why did they not let us use the ZR and ZL buttons for forcing the characters to stand while shooting? The L and R buttons are more difficult to target, and in a game that requires fast reaction, it is essential to have perfect controls. Right now this is ruining my fun.

My problem with a digital-only approach is that you have no control over the availability of the online service in the long-run. Say, if I buy a game online, will I be able to access my account and download the same game in 20 years if my console breaks and I buy a "new" used one? It has been a little over 10 years since the console release when Nintendo closed their Wii eShop, so any games you bought for your VC can no longer be downloaded. It is understandable that Nintendo has discontinued the eShop due to economic aspects. However, if I own a physical copy, I am not dependent of the economics of the eShop, but can play a game any time as long as the cartridge is in good physical shape.

At $450, I can buy as many as eight or nine physical games for the Switch without the need to worry about storage space. The micro SD card in question offers no games at all, and the download versions of most big games are more expensive than physical copies, so this is a no-brainer for me.

The NES games that are released for the online subscription service are mostly the ones that I haven't even heard of... To me, it borders on atrocity that Nintendo has only been focusing on NES games given the power potential of Switch. I still have my Wii VC, and at this rate, the assortment of retro games on Nintendo Switch will never attain that level even when it reaches retirement. Nintendo should focus on publishing GC games first, followed by N64 and then going down the generations. Or I would rather prefer having one game per week released for each console instead of three for NES.

Nintendo has a chance to offer a great selection of retro games on Switch and make it the best VC ever for a console that has become so popular and well-selling. But the company is missing that chance badly, very badly. The biggest appeal of playing retro games on Switch is the option to play either in portable mode or on TV - something that Nintendo Wii, WiiU and 3DS will never offer. That's too bad - I will pass the subscription that only offers lousy NES games. If at least there were games available for other consoles...

Will the updated play time tracker only display the total hours played, or will it allow me to keep track of my daily play hours of each game, like the Activity Log in Nintendo 3DS does?

I am still waiting for the VC, and I am disappointed that there is very little information about it almost one year after the release of Switch. Come on, Nintendo, is it really that hard to port a few already existing games into Switch?

Bravo! I have never owned a WiiU (count me in for contributing to low sales of that console), and DK Tropical Freeze is one of very few games that I wanted to play but couldn't. Now with that game coming to Switch, I will get a chance to play it as I like (whether at home or on the go) without needing to buy a WiiU.

@MatthewHindmarsh Yes, I also couldn't help but end up with the impression that the overworld is so large, yet mostly so empty. The only incentive to visit those empty places is to collect Korok seeds, but the lack of proper reward makes it feel like a waste of time and a pointless task. Let me give you a comparison: In Super Mario Odyssey, you have a ton of power moons to collect, but at least it unlocks new costumes and new areas, which motivates me to continue playing and keep collecting. And what do you get in BotW for collecting the seeds? Only some extra slots for weapon/shield in the inventory, nothing more. (And you can max this out before collecting the 500th seed, after that, it becomes really pointless).

Oh, and before I forget, here is another reason why the argument about long times spent in traditional dungeons doesn't matter a big deal: Unlike with previous consoles, where you had to save your game and start from the beginning of the dungeon next time, you can just put the Switch in sleep mode and continue next time where you left off.

To me, having big, traditional dungeons with a variety of themes, items and puzzles is what gives a Zelda game its signature. And here is where BotW came up short. The idea of shrines is good, but apart from a few interesting ones, they tend to be repetitive (hearing the monk after entering became annoying at some point). The divine beasts, except of the one in the desert, felt rather short. I am not sold on the argument that traditional dungeons are too long; for a game that requires 100+ hours to complete with most quests solved, spending 3 hours in one dungeon should not be a big deal, but it would make for great variety. I wish they would have made the overworld smaller in exchange for traditional dungeons. Just think back of some ingenious dungeons from past Zelda games, like the Forest Temple in OOT, Snow Temple in TP or the Stone Tower Temple in MM.

The sales numbers simply tell me that Nintendo Switch is a more successful console than WiiU was, and it goes to show that efforts by Nintendo to create an innovative and flexible console in combination with the announcement of good games earn consumers' attention and literally pay off! As simple as that.

I got a message to the article: The Switch has a bigger problem, and it's that it has no Virtual Console after even more than 6 months from the release.

Thank you for the article that sheds a more sober light on BotW. After having finished this game, I feel like it has been a little bit overrated from the very beginning. Sure, it has a very huge open world and nice graphics, but the lack of traditional dungeons and items and the weak, optional story leave a lot to be missed and do not warrant countless perfect 10/10's scores that were given prior to the release of the game. I have spent 150 hours playing it, but after I had replayed Zelda Skyward Sword a few months later, only spending 30 hours, I felt that I had experienced the same amount of "adventure", but with a more impressive story. In BotW, the world is massive and diverse, but you end up getting Korok seeds and weapons as a reward that wear out quickly most of the times. As for the puzzles, Oracle of Seasons has given me more challenge recently than some divine beasts in BotW. It is surely a good game, but when I think of the pleasure I had after visiting some dungeons in the past Zelda games, like Forest Dungeon or Desert Dungeon in OoT or Lakebed Temple in TP, the 120 shrines pale compared to them.

I hope that the reward for the 600 power moons will be more than just a piece of turd...

I like the Nintendo Switch as a whole, but I am disappointed by the lack of Virtual Console 6 months after release. With the ability to switch between dock mode and handheld mode, there is so much potential for VC (just imagine playing your favorite N64 games on the go), but Nintendo is very slow to materialize that potential. I expected the VC to be available from day one! In a digital age, it is not too much to ask for.

@HalBailman You are spot on. I was very excited when I purchased MK8D (I hadn't owned MK8), but I soon realized that all tracks were unlocked by default and that there was little to earn or unlock in the single player mode (except new karts and parts). After having raced all tracks a few times, I now see little motivation to continue playing, which is disappointing. Yes, the graphics may be great, but I miss the mission mode. I even had more fun with Mario Kart Super Circuit for GBA back then because of the challenge.

To me personally, because of the mission mode, Mario Kart DS has been the best Mario Kart overall in the series. Not even Mario Kart 8 Deluxe can beat the DS version in that regard.

I personally found the beginning trials harder than the intermediate trials, because you stay almost naked and defenseless to the very end.

I am getting sick of waiting for the VC on Nintendo Switch. More than 3 months after its release, there is still no information on when the first games will be released and what they will be. It can't take that much effort to release games that have already been "uploaded" for other consoles' VC, can it?

While I am not opposed to an "open world", I find that the story in BotW fell victim to this concept. When I started the game, I was quite impressed by the story and expected much more to come. Further into the game, I became disappointed that the story didn't evolve at all (besides the memory collections). I think it is very hard or nearly impossible to bring together a great story with the freedom to visit any dungeon at any time. In this regard, I rather prefer more linearity and a greater story than the other way around. After all, what is the big deal of not being able to visit some remote region at the beginning of the game yet? If I see that I can't get into a region, it tells me that I don't have the needed item yet. This actually makes me more excited to visit the region once I have the needed item in hand.

I have found a scratch on the left and right bottom on the bezel of my unit, too - at least I thought it was a scratch. Then I licked my finger, touched the scratch with it to make it wet and then gently rubbed on it with a Kleenex tissue. The scratch went away! (So in my case, it was rather a mark than a scratch. Try it out - it may help!)

@MimoDX2
Thanks for the screenshot! If changing the output resolution from 1080p to 720p does not provide any benefit to the smoothness, then there is little point in reducing the output resolution unless the screen can handle the lower resolution better.

Does anyone know if it's possible to have the docked mode output a 720p signal as opposed to 1080p (effectively 900p)? I have a screen that handles only 720p, so if I could trade pixels for fluidity, it would be a good thing.

Oh yes, now that someone has mentioned regional locking of Nintendo games, I am so happy that it will be a thing of the past with Nintendo Switch. I have been traveling regularly between Europe and the US. While I 'somewhat' accept regional locking of home consoles, having it for Nintendo 3DS is the stupidest thing Nintendo has ever come up with. I mean, for a mobile console that you want to take with you on your (national or international) travels? Not only that, with some games (such as Zelda Triforce Heroes), you can't even play online with players who own a 3DS from a different region (though it works with Mario Kart 7). I am looking forward not to worry any longer about regions.

I should mention that I have never owned a WiiU (only Wii and 3DS XL). There weren't any games that convinced me to buy this console. Now with the approach of the new Zelda, i don't think it's smart for passionate Zelda fans NOT to jump on Nintendo Switch, which is a more future proof console than the WiiU. I would not have stated this if the WiiU would be much less expensive than the Switch, but it's not. Now I will wait until the release date of the Switch to be able to check it out in a store to determine whether to get the set with the brown Joycons or the colored ones.

I have pre-ordered Zelda Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch, but I have not pre-ordered the console. I want to wait for more information on the online functionality and VC implementation. The price might also change until the release. I plan to buy the console after the release date if things go right.