Comments 457

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…

Re: Furukawa's Defence Of Game-Key Cards Ain't All That Convincing

Hwatt

@kmtrain83

I don’t need everything instantly playable, but at these costs (higher console price, higher game prices), I do expect to have more storage. Especially when, generally speaking, cost for storage continues to decrease.

It’s not sustainable for everything to get so expensive without some additional value.

I suspect demand for 3rd party key cards games sold at retail will stay low at these prices. The market must react accordingly. Why would I buy Yakuza 0 for $80 CAD+, effectively digitally, when I can buy it on Steam for ~$10? General consumers aren’t stupid and only the few niche users who don’t have access to other platforms will be buying old games at full retail price. The outliers will be the Cyberpunks. The developers who put in extra effort and try to get the consumer who is interested in physical (niche) with all the bells and whistles will come out on top, because they understand their customers.

I also expect express SD cards will slowly drop in price by this time next year. Some publishers will react and avoid exclusively publishing key cards (physical). They won’t go away but it surely won’t be the only option at the store. I also expect physical game prices to eventually separate from digital / key cards. It just makes sense with more consumers going digital than ever before. Otherwise, there is very little incentive to buy a key card.

Re: Furukawa's Defence Of Game-Key Cards Ain't All That Convincing

Hwatt

@The_Spanner

No thanks. Nintendo games rarely go on sale and the ones that do only go down 30%.

BotW, Smash Ultimate, Odyssey… I all bought physical and used. Lower price and no tax.

I like buying physical games for the Switch and I like selling games. I don’t buy games exclusively physical and I predominantly play on PC where my entire library is essentially digital but expandable storage is dirt cheap. I’m not spending $200+ CAD for a proprietary SD card today, so I’ll wait a while before considering adding more storage to my Switch 2, which will push me to avoid buying large games digitally.

Re: Donkey Kong Bananza Direct: Every Announcement - How Would You Rate It?

Hwatt

Great! It seems a bit too much like Mario Odyssey, but that’s not a bad thing.

Odyssey was my favourite Switch game but I feel it won’t hit the same. 100% I am going to pick it up and I hope it plays even better than Odyssey.

I love all the banana hype, banana puns, Pauline, I think the DK flair is 100% on point, and I love the music!!

Re: Review: Split Fiction (Switch 2) - Peerless, Visually Stunning Co-op Adventure With Boundless Variety

Hwatt

70GB is ~30% of the system storage. While it’s manageable, I feel it’s a missed opportunity. This should have been a game card and I am surprised that is even at that file size for Switch port.

I may still buy it in the future (digital) when it’s on sale but then I will probably just opt for PC since it’s digital anyway. If it was all on the cart, I’d definitely consider full price on Switch 2…

Re: Random: Watch The Moment A Delivery Man Apparently Chucks A Switch 2 Up A Customer's Path

Hwatt

What a pickle head.

I don’t know about other Canadians but mine came through Purolator. They arrived at 9am! I was already at work, they called, and they refused to leave it at the door (signature required). Whilst I was disappointed I couldn’t get it launch day, I was relieved it was safe and the delivery driver was super nice on the phone.

They came back the next day before 9am, it was packed well too and it came with a generous trial for a meal box program (11 free meals).

Re: Review: Nintendo Switch 2 Carry Case - The Official Option Is A Solid One

Hwatt

Personally, I love the Nintendo first party accessories. For Switch 2, I’ll wait until there are some unique cases.

I have the Super Mario Odyssey case (red) I picked up of local ads for $20 CAD. If I can nab a Metroid Prime 4, DK Bananza, or [Insert new Mario] themed case, sign me
up!

The original Switch case only held 6 carts as well, but the little mesh patch would also hold more carts. So I kept my top 6 in the cart sleeves and whatever else I thought I might play, in the sleeve. Truth is I never swapped that many games in a long commute, like an overseas flight. But it’s nice to have a large variety of games on hand for any occasion!

Re: Review: Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour - Surprising, Delightful, And You Know Where It Belongs

Hwatt

8 is too generous in my opinion considering what you can buy for $10, and diminishes the weight of the rating scale from Nintendolife. I’m extremely skeptical this game at this cost really deserves an 8 when there are so many better games out there for a similar price or less.

I’m not in the camp that this 100% needs to be free to be good, but I believe even at $10 it’s over priced. Max I would pay is $5 CAD ($3 USD) for the novelty and even then I’d hesitate.

The biggest issue I have is the mini game quality is too low for this to be a Nintendo game sold at cost. With so much basic and fun info about the console presented in an inventive way, this really should be free.

Re: Switch 2 eShop "Top-Selling" Games At Launch Revealed

Hwatt

I got the MKW bundle, so I am not sure if my activation counts.

However, I immediately bought the TotK upgrade. I first booted it up before the upgrade (default SW1 performance), bought it / downloaded the upgrade, and have yet to boot it up. Excited to see it run at 60fps on my LG OLED tv.

Not sure if I should start a new play-through. I stopped after 30hrs on SWOLED and eager to get back at it!

Re: US Retailers Are Playing With Fire With More Switch 2 Cancellations

Hwatt

I haven’t been paying attention closely enough, but I don’t believe Canadian retailers have cancelled pre-orders like these reports from the UK (GAME) or US.

My Best Buy Canada order shows it’s “in progress” for the past week or so. The page also indicates who will be the shipping provider. No charge on my CC yet.

We’ll find out soon enough…

Re: Poll: With One Week To Go, What Are Your Switch 2 Launch-Day Plans?

Hwatt

I have excess vacation days. I should probably book off an extra long weekend. Thanks Nintendolife, for helping me with my life! XD

I’m optimistic it will be delivered by Friday June 6th and hopefully it, along side Mario Kart, will make for a good time.

Oddly enough, I just bought Skyrim on Switch since it was on sale. I would love to see it run at 60fps and load faster, and to the point, be pleasantly surprised by past games simply running better

Re: Anniversary: Perfect Dark, Another N64 Rare Classic, Turns 25

Hwatt

@Zufolobelisk

Goldeneye paved the way, so it’s not as discussed. However, back in the day, I recall all the hype on the school yard when Perfect Dark came out. Especially if you consider that The World Is Not Enough, the James Bond game after Goldeneye was just… OK.

I got an N64 fairly late but it was one of my first games. The scope of the game and benefits for the N64 expansion pack made it clear to us at the time it was a culmination of N64 games. I don’t think there is a game that matches it in scope and replay-ability.

It also has the laptop gun. A gun you can throw at the wall and turn into a sentry gun to grind up bots in multiplayer.

Re: Anniversary: Perfect Dark, Another N64 Rare Classic, Turns 25

Hwatt

I love, love, love Perfect Dark. It’s arguably my favourite N64 game, or tied for top 3.

It’s plays so well, it has more content than Goldeneye, it’s more refined, all the challenges, the co-op modes, and multiplayer modes with a large variety of bots types…. it’s just fantastic.

I was and remain so happy that they made Xbox 360 Arcade version at 1080p, 60fps, with modern controls and online multiplayer. In fact, Perfect Dark Zero is THE reason why I got a Xbox 360 at launch.

Thank you, Perfect Dark, for all the great memories!

Re: Here's A Look At The Size And Inside Of Switch 2 Game Cases

Hwatt

@Lizuka

A missed opportunity in my opinion, have one inside panel matte coral and the other matte turquoise, with the outside being a neutral colour.

I do believe the red accent is good on the exterior, especially in terms of simplicity for the average consumer. Blue = Playstation, Green = Xbox, Red = Nintendo. But I also agree, why eye bleeding red?

Re: Nintendo Apologises For "Error" With Mention Of Switch 2 VRR TV Support

Hwatt

At least the silver lining if it’s a hardware revision, it should only be a swap of the dock.

Even though I play mobile almost exclusively, this is still disappointing news.

Overpromised and under delivered. I sincerely hope they can provide some good updates out soon because this launch has been a very mixed bag.

From unrelenting leaks, lawyers scaling up their “defences”, new features advertised like 120hz / VRR, a solid launch lineup, an exclusive by FromSoft, a slightly higher than expected console price and confusing pricing, the rather honest experience of the game chat feature shown, and pre-orders getting paused right after the announcement, and VRR dock support disappearing from their websites…

Just typing some of those points is giving me a headache and I am sure I missed some key points

Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware Chip Was Potentially Finalised As Early As 2021

Hwatt

@ZonaiResearcher

That’s a valid point. Ultimately we don’t know the context beyond the articles shared. It would be unprecedented, to my knowledge, that developers would have access to development kits 4 years in advance of a launch.

There could be a truth in between, where a Switch 2 was being readied for a much earlier release date. Like 2023.

If the rumours were true, for discussions sake, a Switch Pro with the T239, it wouldn’t take long for Nintendo to realize at that point a successor on future hardware for a launch in 2025-2027 would be significantly more expensive for more advanced hardware. As 5nm wafers from TSMC are significantly more expensive than wafers from Samsungs 8nm, let alone the march to 3nm next year. I also find it extremely difficult to believe that the Switch 2 as we know it today was the target for a Pro version in 2021/2022. Cross compatibility would be extremely difficult with the differences between memory and storage speeds.

I believe (no facts to back this) that prior to Switch OLED announcement, we had rumours mixed together for both the OLED and the successor. It’s quite possible that the Switch 2, rumoured as a Pro, was simply delayed due to the market conditions at the tail end of the pandemic.

Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware Chip Was Potentially Finalised As Early As 2021

Hwatt

If the console was a Pro, it wouldn’t have fast storage and additional memory.

Nintendo sourced this chip simply due to cost efficiencies and flexibility for mobile use.

If this GPU was included in a Switch Pro, you would not be able to play CP2077. The other Switch hardware would still bottleneck it.

Switch Pro rumours were simply misinformation, speculated based on limited info. Likely mixed with the development of the Switch OLED.

Re: Opinion: Nintendo's Forgotten The Game With The Most 'Switch 2 Edition' Potential

Hwatt

Agree 100% with this op-ed.

A lot of potential with Pikmin 4 on Switch 2.

Maybe we’ll see Pikmin 5 come out swinging but the opportunity for mouse controls and HDR sounds really enticing.

Ultimately, I think it will be Super Mario Maker 3 if and when it’s released that makes the mouse and mouse like features fundamental to the gameplay. I’m also looking forward to some weird instalments or twists on franchises. Wario Ware, a non-mainline Zelda…

Re: Another Switch 2 "Code-In-Box" Physical Release Appears Online

Hwatt

When they started to remove manuals from the retail boxes, I thought we hit rock bottom. I was wrong.

I know most kids aren’t playing CIV but the idea of buying, or rather even just explaining to someone wanting to buy a Switch 2 game as a gift for someone else just got a lot more complicated.

Re: Former Rockstar Dev Throws Shade At Mario Kart World, Says New GTA Will Be Worth The Price

Hwatt

Imagine waiting 13 years to play the same game in the same location as a prequel from 23 years ago? See how easy it is to tear down other people’s work?

I think it takes a bit more… integrity to highlight and respect what others are doing in the industry to continue to drive it forward.

I’m really not a big GTA or Mario Kart fan, but I think both are doing unique things within their respective sandboxes. Mario Kart is clearly iterating on their formula, adding an open world and new mechanics. We don’t know enough about GTA VI and the moment to moment gameplay but the level of realism from rendering to animations and details in the game world will be unparalleled. It’s likely safe to say the world will be more dense than ever before. Will the gameplay innovate? Can I do things in GTA VI that simply was not possible in past games? Time will tell.

In the end, both games are really simply trying to push further at what they do best and it’s up to the consumer to deem what they value most when they spend their time and money on entertainment. No need for throwing shade in my honest opinion.

Re: Talking Point: With Prices Rising, Are Your Gaming Habits Changing?

Hwatt

@Joekun

Beyond my comment above, I agree, and I am similar player. I play maybe 10-20hrs per month at best. I mainly discuss, read about games more than playing them these days.

Oblivion remastered and Blue Prince dragged me back into gaming early April but the past couple weeks I have not booted any games.

It comes in waves, based on my free time and weather… Nice sunny days, I won’t be gaming.

Re: Talking Point: With Prices Rising, Are Your Gaming Habits Changing?

Hwatt

I predominantly play on PC for over the past decade and Nintendo is my secondary source of gaming. Only during the 360 era did that console take the primary spot. Since then, I stick to PC where to the surprise of many, it’s actually cheaper (long term).

Game sales and a perpetual, digital library following me wherever I go with cloud saves since… Steam introduced them back in the late 2000’s was a life changer. I recently checked my cumulative spend on Steam and it’s around $2,000 USD for 15+ years of account history and 320+ titles.

I only jumped back into console gaming just before the pandemic when I picked up the Switch (used). Most of the games I have purchased used too via local classifieds. BotW, Odyssey, Smash… all used.

I’ll certainly stay with the Switch platform long term since the games on Nintendo consoles greatly appeal to me and PC handhelds seem too cumbersome and heavy to be viable for portable use. Which is how I predominantly play my Switch.

I also have a Series X but it’s essentially a device for improved backwards compatibility with my 360 library. It’s typically collecting dust…

All this to say, I don’t see my spending habits changing all that much. PC hardware is stagnating, meaning my hardware will stretch farther and I’ll pick up the big Nintendo games or few indies on the Switch 2 as I see fit.

Re: ICYMI: 12 Switch Games Will Receive Free Switch 2 Upgrades

Hwatt

Bring mouse support to Super Mario Maker 2! Smash Ultimate should get a 4K / 60 or 1080p / 120hz mode.

Where are Metroid Prime, Dread upgrades?

Nothing for Super Mario Wonder? Pikmin 4 or the Pikmin ports?

Nothing… nothing at all for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Animal Crossing? Seems a bit silly to delay the roll out of upgrades for key games for the system.