Grumblevolcano

@Wexter There were rumours of FFVII Remake coming to Switch Pro in 2021 and Nintendo confirmed in the Switch 2 “Ask the Developer” interview that Switch Pro was real so we may never truly know whether FFVII Remake trilogy on Switch 2 is part of the Square Enix 2024 multiplatform strategy or just a natural result of Switch 2 being powerful enough to run the games.

Decided to focus on MK8 Deluxe until the next Direct as I want to replay Prime 2 and 3 before Prime 4 of which the next Direct feels like the last chance for Prime 2+3 Switch port. Legends Z-A being in October instead of the usual November Pokemon slot makes me think Prime 4 could be as early as August.

Sounds like either an AI error or something connected to how Xbox socials got hacked with Crypto scams.

While Nintendo may go down the PC route if Switch 2 does badly like the mobile strategy caused by the Wii U’s commercial failure, I don’t see Nintendo sabotaging Switch 2’s launch by announcing PC ports.

@Misima Maybe they’re talking about the decrease over time, for example:

• 2000s had GCN, PS2, Xbox, GBA, DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PSP
• 2010s had 3DS, PS Vita, Wii U, PS4, XB1, Switch
• 2020s has so far PS5, Series X|S, Switch 2

PS5 and Series X|S launches were also impacted by the pandemic so the last normal launch of a console was Switch 1 in March 2017. Looking to the future, Sony has indirectly confirmed the existence of PS6 but who knows about Xbox considering their chaotic pivoting nature.

Continue playing Switch 1 as well as watching the summer events like Summer Game Fest and the Xbox Showcase.

My guess is something like Mario Kart World ads or a Switch 2 giveaway, not to the extent of the Steam Deck giveaways in the past but more like the Super Nintendo World giveaway.

@Ks123 The UK My Nintendo Store revealed that the Switch 2 Edition is £10 more expensive than the Switch 1 version. Though it does say “from £59.99” and “from £49.99” so it may be like the other Switch 2 games where physical is more expensive than digital in the UK.

Wow, that’s earlier than expected. Maybe Nintendo’s leaving November solely to 3rd parties like they did in 2017 for Switch?

As for the game itself, I’m excited to play the Switch 1 version day 1.

Nice to see that it has a release date now.

Does anyone know what happened to the physical version of Front Mission 2 remake? I held off buying the digital version because the physical version was announced but there hasn’t been a general retail release yet (they did one for Front Mission 1st remake).

While it’s nice that there’s no leaks because of this, the aura of Switch 2 does feel like the reincarnation of Don Mattrick’s vision of the XB1.

Nice to see a release date, 5 months is more than enough time for me to play through DQ3 remake. I will be picking up the Switch 1 physical.

Not surprising considering Bravely Default but it’s still extremely disappointing that Square Enix continues to use Key Cards for Switch 2. FFVII Remake will likely be the same.

Whenever the next Direct ends up being it’ll be interesting to see how Switch 1 is in the mix. Will they do what they did with the 3DS/Switch transition and have the first segment be Switch 1 meanwhile the 2nd segment is Switch 2 or will it be more of a mixture. I’d be very surprised if Nintendo avoided talking about Switch 1 completely considering DQ1+2 remake (a Switch 1 game) is such a gigantic release.

@Anakin The second hand market has not been kind to Gamecube games. It’s so grim that with the money it costs to get the initial batch of GCN NSO games physically for the original console nowadays you could easily get a Switch 2, physical versions of MK World + DK Bananza and 3 years of NSO Expansion Pack for cheaper.

Path of Radiance + Pokémon XD + Chibi-Robo alone is already over £500.

MK8 Deluxe is by far the best Mario Kart when considering the entire franchise, it's just that amazing. 96 tracks still makes the game feel very fresh even though the original MK8 was 11 years ago.

Continuing with Onimusha 2 which I started yesterday and then onto DQ3 remake. Onimusha Warlords was short enough that I figured it made more sense to wait until I beat Onimusha 2 before starting DQ3 remake.

@StewdaMegaManNerd Base game price ceiling means the maximum price set for the base version of games. So like if Rockstar charges $100 for the base version of GTA6, the base game price ceiling increases from $80 because of Mario Kart World to $100 because of GTA6.

@DonkeyKongBigBoy That's not true, Nintendo set a new price ceiling for base games with World which is grim. Prior to World, the base game price ceiling was £70/$70 set by Sony in 2020 (Demon's Souls remake).

I'm glad that them choosing to move World over to Switch 2 resulted in the Booster Course Pass happening, MK8 Deluxe feels like the definitive Mario Kart.

Cyberpunk will be the most interesting launch game to watch regarding these charts. Hopefully it does well and helps spread the message that Key Cards are abominations.

I could see the Gamescom booth be heavily focused on Mario Kart World and DK Bananza. Didn't they do something similar at Gamescom 2023 where you couldn't play the upcoming games like SMB Wonder and Mario RPG remake on the showfloor but you could play already released games like TotK and Pikmin 4?

Wii was definitely the best of the 3. 12 player online, bikes and a really good track selection. Tournaments were pretty cool too.

I do think Double Dash's All Cup Tour and DS' Mission Mode were cool additions to their respective games. The former would be a really good addition to World where you start at 1 course (e.g. Mario Bros. Circuit) and end at another (e.g. Rainbow Road) but the route you take through all the remaining courses is completely random.

A bit of MK8 Deluxe while I decide what my next single player game is. Undecided between DQ3 remake and Onimusha Warlords, leaning towards the latter though whichever order I choose I'll pick the other afterwards.

So that leaves Conker's Bad Fur Day as the final N64 game in Rare Replay which isn't in NSO yet.

I've been playing around the same which is a lot, XCX is such a fantastic game and I just finished a few days ago. Though I will still be playing Switch 1 plenty after Switch 2 launch as I'm not getting the Switch 2 at launch.

@OctolingKing13 I've seen it reported that no-one's getting a Switch 2 for review which is odd.

This reminds me of XB1. There was a snap feature in the early days of the console which allowed you to play games while watching TV, video calling on Skype, etc. and then Microsoft removed the feature later in the console's lifespan to make games run better.

I think it's odd that despite all this, the Switch 2 version is the only version without a release date.

I'd much rather games that could be remastered got remastered instead of appearing on NSO so for GCN NSO I'd like to see more of the deep cuts that have no chance of remaster like how N64 got Extreme-G and Iggy's Reckin' Balls.

I'd have to go for Super Circuit as the best out of those 3 as it has the most tracks including all 20 from Super Mario Kart as bonus tracks. Mario Kart 64 does have the best handling of the 3 and it's got interesting tracks but 16 isn't enough.

More XCX, focus on the story and then clear up a bunch of segment recon while trying to level up enough for some side quests. I think I missed some limited time segments so 100% looks to be impossible.

Oh, I thought the tease to pay attention to May 8th was going to lead into an actual announcement like a reveal trailer for an unannounced Switch 1 game or an announcement of a Direct happening in the future.

It's a shame that the Switch standard edition is a numbered release. Was really hoping for a general release outside of LRG.

Hopefully the games get real physical versions though I'm not optimistic considering even Bravely Default is a Key Card.

More XCX, about to start chapter 12.

I prefer the old system to be honest. While it did have a problem with shovelware, there were plenty of times when the charts reminded me of a general publisher sale going on. For example whenever Square Enix had a sale on, you'd always see the original FFVII enter the charts. The old system was also good for new releases.

@Lizuka I'm thinking they release Age of Imprisonment in February to act as the 40th anniversary game.

Go all out with bringing back the long lost franchises. Star Fox, 3D F-Zero, Wario Land, etc.

The franchises they've brought back during the Switch 1 era as well as DK being prioritized over Mario in the Switch 2 launch window is very promising that this could be a reality.

@Galaxy2IsTheGOAT I think Legends Z-A is acting as the gigantic holiday title and they use the free Switch 2 patch for Scarlet/Violet earlier on in the year to convince people that Switch 2 is a good platform for Pokemon.

More XCX, working on side quests before starting chapter 12.

I think the announcement tomorrow will just be for PS5/PC/Series X|S. Considering how silent things have been post-April 2nd for Switch 2 game announcements, it feels like Nintendo has 3rd parties under embargo so if it was to come to Switch 2 it would be announced in a Direct instead.

Would've much preferred the other rumour to be true where Switch got a load of pre-PS4 games to be honest but 3rd parties focusing all in on the new stuff always seemed the more likely rumour.

Focused again on XCX but also having a look at the upgrades in the Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered patch. I may choose to replay Last Revelation and Chronicles again over the summer aiming for an all secrets playthrough while waiting for Patapon 1+2 and Soul Reaver 1+2 to come out (both release on July 11th).

With how many 3rd parties are choosing to go with Key Cards instead of proper physical versions, I don't think even a 1TB microSD Express card is anywhere near enough storage.

@GrailUK You also need to register your phone number with Nintendo if you want to use GameChat.

I think the Direct was disappointing, 4/10. It was pretty much a recap of the Switch 2 Direct, Treehouse Live and the hands-on previews meanwhile game specific Directs in the past have had surprise announcements.

@GrailUK A general Direct in May could also explain why the Switch 2 Direct didn't open the floodgates for 3rd party announcements.

That sounds a bit short, Splatoon 3's Direct was 32 minutes. Maybe there's a May general Direct which has more info?

Galaxy 2 got name dropped in that video, if only Nintendo would release it for Switch.

This seems to be Sony's next stage in their plan for killing off physical games. Make the digital PS5 the same price as the disc PS5 bundle + Astro Bot so people buy the disc bundle instead. Then when the disc PS5 bundle runs out of stock, they don't restock leaving just the price hiked digital PS5.

Between this and Nintendo's "Key Card" nonsense for Switch 2, the future of physical is very grim.

Continuing on with XCX but also making room for Splatoon 3 to play SpringFest.

I went with Wii because of Twilight Princess and Wii Sports. I really miss the days when linear Zelda games existed.