Comments 350

Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Has Been Updated To Ver. 1.1.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Hwatt

@Jeronan The Switch 2 version includes a code to upgrade the game. This is no different than Nintendo charging for upgrades like Tears of the Kingdom or Breath of the Wild. That's why it's 10$ more.

I personally prefer to have a version I can pop into my Switch 1 or Switch 2. I also believe it will help with resale (there are a lot of Switch 1 owners still out there) if you're not happy with the game. It also helps purchasers who are buying this game as a gift. As either the Switch 1 box or Switch 2 box will work with either system.

We can wait for MP4 Switch 1 technical reviews but I don't believe this game needs the speed of a Switch 2 cart. I have a strong feeling the game is extremely well optimized and the difference between loading from a SW1 cart / SW2 cart / internal storage will be minimal on a Switch 2 system*

Re: Opinion: 20 Years Later, Need For Speed: Most Wanted Is Still The Series' Best Outing

Hwatt

I started with NFS 2 on PC. I got hooked with NFS 3: Hot Pursuit on PS1. NFS: MW was one of the first games I bought for Xbox 360 back when it launched because… the GOAT made me hyped for it.

That is… NFS: U2. The world… the customization. The controls. It was unmatched. Now, I love the campaign of MW more than U2, but the overall package of U2 was sublime. Riders on the storm > Blackbetty. ECU tuning > No ECU tuning. Underground street vibes > rural and day time city vibes.

I know it’s all subjective but U2 was a cultural moment that defined the series.

Re: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Demo Now Available At Switch 2 Kiosks (US)

Hwatt

That’s pretty cool. Hopefully it appeals to some new players.

I think Nintendo knows that Metroid is pretty niche when compared to their other franchises. All the Nintendo nerds like myself will jump in early. If a demo dropped today on the eshop. I’d avoid it. Just to avoid spoiling that first playthrough / first boot

Re: Poll: Have You Had Issues With The Ethernet Port On Switch 2's Dock?

Hwatt

I haven’t used it.

I’m a PC / Nintendo gamer and the vast majority of games I play on Switch / Switch 2 don’t have online multiplayer. So I never felt the need for low latency network on the system. From the casual online games I would play, like Smash Ultimate or Mario Kart, wi-fi has been fine.

Re: Nintendo Is "Acting To Protect The Industry" With Switch 2 Game Key Cards, Says Ex-Capcom Composer

Hwatt

Nintendo isn’t leading here. I feel they’re just catching up. PC games years ago featured Steam Codes in boxes. If something happened to your account, you still have they key in the box and customer support will generally help you out.

Xbox and Playstation games typically don’t have the full game available and they’re merely a DRM check for the user to download, install the game.

I don’t mind these options but they all still rely on the game being able to be downloaded from a server. Options are good and I don’t believe exclusively physical or digital libraries are the way to go.

It only stings more with Nintendo because they’ve always have been more traditional and offer physical versions of nearly all their games. It’s the one console where I want to have physical copies since they tend to hold their value and it’s a better UX in my opinion. Plug n’ play, just get into the fun.

Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 For Switch?

Hwatt

I need more convincing. I pre-ordered 3D All-Stars for Switch and regretted it once I understood the games were emulated.

Luckily the game was easily to sell and I got all my money back, but I won’t make the same mistake again.

I would like to know if the games run natively on the hardware and play without issues. I have Galaxy 1 on Wii but I’ve never played 2. I’d likely just go for the digital version of 2 in the future IF it plays well on both Switch 1 & 2.

Re: UFO 50 Gets A Surprise Shadow Drop On Switch Today

Hwatt

I have this on Steam and while I’ve only played approx. 10 games, a few really stood out to me.

Ninpek is probably my favourite. It’s essentially an old school side scroller like Ninja Gaiden on NES. It doesn’t try to do anything super unique or revolutionary, but the execution is done so well. It’s tough but not cheap.

On the opposite spectrum, Party House is quite unique and isn’t akin to any NES game I’ve played. It’s more roguelike/ deck builder and it’s quite deep.

I don’t think I’ll double dip but if I had the choice today, I’d opt for Switch over Steam.

Re: Nintendo Sends Out Second Game-Key Card & Physical Game Survey

Hwatt

Physical

Pros:

  • Game can be easily resold
  • Game can be easily playable offline in most circumstances,
  • Game does not use significant internal / external storage
  • Games can be purchased used or on sale at various retailers vs. platform locked store
  • Not tied to a user account (can be shared easily)

Cons:

  • Usually requires a day-one patch or if multiplayer, a constant online connection to play
  • Additional time, effort to swap games
  • Games carts can get lost or damaged
  • Load times can be slower vs. digital on internal storage
  • Requires travel or delivery to purchase (carbon footprint, fuel, time)
  • Some game cards don’t contain significant content on card, and require large downloads for assets

Digital

Pros:

  • Can be pre-loaded or downloaded immediately upon release
  • Easily swap between multiple games on one account and/or console
  • Load times may be faster vs. physical version if installed on internal storage

Cons:

  • Requires network connection at minimum to initially install or play
  • Cannot be resold
  • Cannot be easily shared between accounts or friends
  • Possibility access to the game could be lost or revoked if servers go offline, preventing downloads

Both physical and digital have their place but when we’re talking key cards… I just see more cons than pros.

Still requires additional storage, still requires a connection to download, still a possibility, albeit low today, you would not be able to download it if servers go down etc. At least they can be resold or bought used, which is their one saving grace.

If they were, let’s say $5 or $10 USD cheaper than a physical cart with the game installed on it, like CP2077, the conversation would be different.

I’m not 100% against them but I’d rather go digital than key cart if those were my only two options and if they're the same price. Just for the convenience.

Re: UK Charts: No Prizes For Guessing Who Overtook Donkey Kong Bananza This Week

Hwatt

@SBandy1 I appreciate the reply and I agree it’s best not to necessarily worry about it, but I do like to be aware of what a company is doing before buying their products.

Personally, if I see a trend towards practices I don’t support, I’ll certainly vote with my wallet.

It’s no different than Microsoft. I’ve had a Series X for a few years (Diablo IV bundle that was on sale). I barely boot the console and have no desire to buy games for it or have Gamepass given all of their shenanigans. Hardware price increases, layoffs, trying to follow Nintendo with $80 game prices, extremely disturbing behaviour (military contracts), and probably the most unclear vision I have ever seen from a company. Those are just a few examples this past year…

Re: UK Charts: No Prizes For Guessing Who Overtook Donkey Kong Bananza This Week

Hwatt

Anyone else catch how Mario Kart 8 still beat a new release?

This is particularly why I am critical of Nintendo’s strategy with Switch 2. More concretely, understanding they’re in a financially, excellent position, it makes me more critical of: game pricing, NSO offerings (example: vaulted Wind Waker HD), price increases like the one Canada is scheduled to receive in a few days etc., adoption of advertised technology like VRR and Nvidia DLSS, on going legal battles, patents, and more.

I have suspicion that the Switch 2 generation won’t be as competitive (corporation fighting for value for the consumer) in comparison to the Switch 1. Just a gut feeling…

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (26th July)

Hwatt

🎶 DK - DONKEY KONG 🎶

I’ve just made it to SL400 last night. Approx 10 hours in.

I have about 150 bananas, which seems absurd this early in the game. I’m not actively trying to clear each surface level (SL). I’m just finding myself wanting to explore and in doing so, I end up collecting majority of the collectables.

On average I’ve noted I’ve grabbed about 80% of the items before I moved on, and it was all natural. I am curious what the post game will be like.

P.S. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing “BA NA NA”

Re: Rumoured Plants vs. Zombies Remaster Potentially Releasing On Switch This Year

Hwatt

I’m good with my original versions. If this rumour is true, I really don’t see why this should be $20 in 2025.

On a more positive note, Peggle / Zuma / PvZ… a really good time on 360 arcade. I really loved that age when indies were just getting the spot light and prime real-estate on the Xbox store. Limbo, Braid, Rez HD, Pacman Championship DX, Fez, Hexic HD, Undertow, Shadow Complex etc. I could go on all evening

Re: Zelda: BOTW & TOTK Are "Transformative" On Switch 2, Says Digital Foundry

Hwatt

@sixrings I believe NL, and most media sites, will write articles to encourage engagement, clicks, discussions. Doesn’t mean that they’re “clickbait” as some may state but the previous article about DK was written, in my view, out of context. The full video from DF demonstrated a lot of praise for the game.

Either way, it’s best we [the community] avoid generalizing. I don’t believe the community actually flip flops that hard, and the vocal minority rarely represents how most feel. Why NL rushed that article is beyond me, but it reminds me to take its best to check multiple sources to help form an opinion.

I watched the video and refrained from commenting on that article. I also went to buy the game after watching that DF video…

Re: Zelda: BOTW & TOTK Are "Transformative" On Switch 2, Says Digital Foundry

Hwatt

Short story warning: I didn’t have NSO before Switch 2. I was conflicted if I should buy it with or without the expansion pass, to get these upgrades.

I realized I will probably rarely, if ever use majority of the features in the expansion. The only thing I was immediately interested were these upgrades and I know I play Zelda over years at a time. So I opted for NSO (basic) and the TotK upgrade. I booted it up first without the patch download for some context, then I immediately exited, downloaded, and jumped in and the difference was huge!

I think it ultimately was too expensive because it tacked on features I don’t care about, but the performance and resolution uplift made it feel like a substantial upgrade over the original Switch version.

I’ll eventually get the BotW upgrade, but since I didn’t finish TotK on Switch 1, I am excited to finish the back half of my adventure in Switch 2 glory.

No surprise DF gave it a positive review. The proof is in the pudding!

Re: Borderlands 4 On Switch 2 Will "Mostly" Run At 30fps

Hwatt

Maybe my bar is low but Borderlands 1 & 2 on 360 ran at 30fps, and had dips when you were launching missiles into crowds of flesh, with tears on screen because variable refresh didn’t exist.

30 fps is not something I will advocate for but it’s not the end of the world either, especially for a hybrid console. I do think a 40fps mode would be ideal but Nintendo needs to ensure 3rd parties can enable 120hz for VRR. It’s becoming increasingly worrying that we are not seeing good VRR implementation.

RE: Storage, it’s beating a dead horse at this rate. If there are physical copies without any content on the cart, people will skip. No I am not a purist and need to have this game 100% playable without a patch. I'm simply asking to not allocate 60gb+ of my internal storage when I spend $70 on a physical game. I don’t believe that’s an unreasonable ask.

At the end of the day, I still think this game could be a good fit for the Switch but I am more inclined just to get it on PC if my options are digital or key cart.

Re: Poll: Has Donkey Kong Bananza Made You Feel Ill?

Hwatt

The intro level is very small and forces the camera to break. I found it only went into “underground” mode (camera shades background brown) and provides some distance between the frame and DK consistently when I got to the first world (Lagoon).

When the camera isn’t working correctly, not in underground mode, it’s very tight to DK, and it results in very rapid movement. Which causes me to feel disoriented. I won’t get into my exact eye condition, but I am more susceptible to motion sickness than probably the average person. I play FPS’ just fine and prefer to drive, rather than be a passenger in a car. If that context helps…

I certainly felt it in the intro level and I was a bit nervous to proceed, thinking this game might not be for me. Lucky, once I played more than an hour and got to stretch my legs and found the bigger levels, everything clicked, and I felt fine.

I’ve played the intro level and some of the lagoon world on a 55” C9 OLED. I played the rest on handheld mode. A total of 3-4 hrs of total playtime over two days. I don’t think the handheld screen / slow pixel response is the cause and I am curious how the camera affects others in the intro level…

Re: Mini Review: WaterField Designs Magnetic Case For Switch 2 - Simple, But Brilliant

Hwatt

@Alienfanatic

Agreed. The price pushes it out of reach for me too.

I bought a Super Mario Odyssey case (used) from a collector who had the Mario Odyssey bundle. It’s my favourite Switch game and I love the case design, weight, and pouch. I bought it for $20 CAD ($15 USD).

I’m holding out for a similar case for my Switch 2. A yellow DK case with little bananas would be fantastic… just saying Nintendo!

Re: Mini Review: WaterField Designs Magnetic Case For Switch 2 - Simple, But Brilliant

Hwatt

@Alienfanatic

While I agree it’s a light review, I don’t think this site is prepared to do full, systematic testing and detailed analysis for all these cases.

They feel like more of a pulse check. Is it a scam or a decent product? That’s the vibe I get.

Personally, I rarely take my Switch out of the house. If I do, it’s for flight in my personal item (backpack etc.). I only need a light case to avoid scraping, scratches, and it can carry at least 3 to 5 Switch games.

I like this more mature / adult case. I just think a zipper would be nice for a better seal than this magnet approach, but it’s probably strong enough for their target customer.

Re: Opinion: Honestly, I'm So Glad We Had To Wait For Donkey Kong Bananza

Hwatt

I like the staggered releases but I think an additional first party title on launch day would reduce the urgent need to clear up ambiguity going into the fall and winter.

The context is important because a lot of people have a sizeable backlog and we’re generally not in a software drought. I just feel Nintendo is intentionally starving consumers from Switch 2 games that showcase the capabilities.

I really enjoyed my time with Mario Kart World. However, I won’t congratulate Nintendo from pushing out other titles, both first and third party to make it the only worth while title to justify the cost of a new console.

Re: Sakurai Gives An Update On 'Kirby Air Riders' And Pays Tribute To Iwata

Hwatt

I’m not planning to buy the game based on the merit of Sakurai alone. I do however believe we will see something special.

I will wait patiently and hope the game meets all of Sakurai’s goals.

Smash Ultimate, and the level of dedication to meet their goals to put EVERYONE in was a true testament of his team’s effort.

Really curious how all those learnings shape up a sequel to a game that quite genuinely wasn’t that good. It was fun with friends in one mode, but it really lacked scope and features to warrant full price back in the day.

Re: Poll: How Many Hours Have You Spent In Mario Kart World So Far?

Hwatt

10hrs+

Those hours represent +90% of my game time across all games. So it’s quite a bit for me. Personally, I really love the game. I really like how tracks connect with each other and the modifications to the formula. I am impressed with the open world but wish I could explore with randoms in a Dark Souls kind of way. Meaning players are always present and maybe you could call them in for challenges? Something more cooperative and encouraging exploring the world, together.

I think Knockout Tour is the best mode to justify an online subscription and I really like how out of control it is. The strategy to not stay in first works well there and I love how absolutely absurd it gets on the roads with items buzzing around.

I wish there were some tweaks to let me quickly change outfits and not have them change during a race but it’s a minor grievance. It also took me a while to understand how in a GP don’t typically have 3 laps. I kinda wish you could have both interconnected races and 3 laps. Or at least a hardcore mode that offers that with longer races.

I skipped MK8 / MK8 Deluxe so this entry feels fresh to me. I’d give it a great 8 / 10. If you asked me at launch, I’d give it a 9 but the hype has gone down.

Re: Switch 2 Dock Supports VRR After All, But It Doesn't Actually Work With Console

Hwatt

@Regelion1

It hasn’t been confirmed as a root cause from the chipset. If the system supports VRR and works in handheld mode, there must be more to the story.

My instinct is the Nvidia gsync component / firmware, which has a really wide range of VRR, doesn’t play nicely over USB-C.

When all the other handheld devices, which are AMD, exclusively support the more common and readily available form of VRR, free-sync.

Nvidia GPUs support both free-sync / gsync compatible and g-sync (monitor or display with an Nvidia chipset). I am not sure if this custom Tegra chipset plays the same way.

Someone will like do a deep dive and share with us an answer before Nintendo deploys a patch. Assuming they can…