Klingenlied

I am already 10 hours+ in a fresh playthrough. The game feels miles better now and looks good in handheld and on a 4k screen. To me, what they have done in terms of improvements feels like a small wonder - from a fuzzy, artifact ridden picture that struggled to deliver 30 frames (and thus actually felt bad to play, frame drops when at a 30fps target are cruel), to a mostly stable 60 and clean presentation. That's absolutely good enough for me.

@MK73DS Well, we have to keep in mind that, when presented with the choice, most player will go for 60fps even if visual clarity suffers. So I personally would be surprised if the new Xenoblade would be 30fps gameplay. I'd assume 30fps for cut scenes, 60 for gameplay. But at this time, no one really knows.
Besides, we might even get the best of both worlds - a choice between graphics and performance modes. Metroid did a good showing on this (well, it was 60 or 120 FPS), with both modes working flawlessly.

@larryisaman I think sales on Switch 2 will only be "solid", simply due Playstation 5 being in the hands of way more people at this point in time. Switch 2 pretty young still.

Wonder how it will do in Germany. Kinda get the feeling most Germans stick to XBox / Playstation / PC, even for their kids. Not much people having a Switch 2.

I just so much enjoy it .. everything but a 10, outstanding, would be dishonest. Not saying the game is perfect .. it might have some weaknesses. But to me, all I see is simple joy. So it is for others to point out those imperfections.

@Krlozgod Ah I see. Well, due to me not playing too many games at a time (and having very fast internet), I needn't have everything installed on my console.

And .. kinda thanks to my Switch 2, I am more and more leaving the big live service games behind. Thus .. yea, its mostly about story games for me. And with those, when you are done, you can pretty much move on.

Thanks for correcting me I just checked, your are right, its the older Standart that goes up to 2 gigs. Kinda surprising oO But maybe it is due the fear that people would not buy those products?
I personally use a Samsung 512 gig card that I managed to get for 70-something EUR and .. yea, I still manage somewhat fine. But I love getting myself physical releases as well, so it still works for me.

@LexKitteh Personally, I played through the original Xenoblade and Xenoblade Chronicles X both in their enhanced editions. And .. it really worked for me, I did enjoy the presentation and how everything managed to hold up no matter the distance. Better textures really help in improving overall image quality, especially if we get the better resolutions. And while Xenoblade Chronicles X textures .. were debatable at times, the same wasn't true for Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition. Here, textures were fine. The only tech issue was with loading those textures sometimes, but .. well, no Biggie.

@Krlozgod To my knowledge, you can buy those. The pricing though ...

Splatoon Raiders got its claws in me. Hard to put down, some real fun! Absolutely loving every minute of it while being 10+ hours in. Some looter shooters should take note on how well designed this game is, building and experimenting is incredible fun in Raiders.

Well, there is Nintendo optimization, and there is third party optimization. Sometimes third parties really put in some effort, but often, it is just what is needed to get the game on the platform :/ Kinda sad. Because this kinda game, you don't want to play at 30 FPS. Not only because 2d games have a certain choppiness to them, but also because of the added input lag. It just rarely is a good experience.

@Xenolife I ain't your mate. Or should I write "ain't your mate, dude"?

And yes, really! While I share the generally opinion here in that I love this game and think it is actually perfect for what it is, I love that people do post diverging opinions. Because I prefer being in a diverse community of players instead of just an echo chamber.

Furthermore, he has all the right to even say he did not like the game. Having had cancer does nothing in terms of how you are to judge his works. I can't even think about a single creative, me included, who would enjoy being judged under the conditions of my work. The only thing I and very likely most other creatives want to be judged by is the end result of what they created - how it resonates with the community, what people love about it, what they don't, maybe even what they hate. Because that is the only way you continue growing as an artist. Keep honest critique away and improvement just became so much harder.

So yea, please accept that this is a place where we are not talking religion or politics, but games. Happily, yet, those are still works of human creativity and thus will be judged as subjectively as it gets.

@Xenolife Isn't he just stating an opinion on something maximal personal as in reception as a game? How can this be disrespectful? We all enjoy different things and those things we enjoy we often enjoy differently. Treating a person as "disprespectful" for offering a diverging opionion on a creative work is what I would deam a massive disrespect. If we would not be allowed to have diverging opinions on creative works, we could not have creative works - because what we would get would be that "one" thing that would be "good" for "all". And I guess one can easily see the issue here ..

I'll be definitely be back for this :3 Until then, I enjoy some Splatoon Raiders. What a time to have a Switch 2!

Love this team and especially the Xenoblade Series - but overall really appreciate how they make sure Nintendo first party titles perform and look their best.

I think the reality of it all is that its just all overblown. Because there is the "YouTube bubble reality", where people assume what YouTuber xy says is commonly agreed upon, and there is the millions of players that just don't care. But negativity generates Klicks and views, thus we see so much of it.

And while I absolutely would not want to fully brush of industry consequences - especially those at Microsoft are just real - I don't see much of an effect on Sony or Nintendo right now. Does Switch 2 suddenly sell like hot cakes? No. Do Switch 2 physical games break any records? Nope. So .. yea, its way smaller then we might assume when we look at the picture the media tries to paint for us.

@Dee123 Exactly that. Those companies never chose the tarrifs, they were forced upon them. So thank Mr Orange or its Voters.

Somewhat surprising, actually. And less in regards to Sony (digital PS5 exists), but in regards to Nintendo. If you buy physical, you can get yourself a new game every month - and a year later, you might have just payed roughly 60 bucks - because you could have resold bought games. With digital, that ain't possible.

With no cross progression, there is / was no reason to start anew for me on Switch 2. Thus I just play on my PS5 Pro instead. The game however would be one I highly recommend, you can easily invest hundrets of hours in it, it is just so much the fun. The way they designed those fights .. in some way, it is way cooler then Monster Hunter ever was.

Up to this day, there is no single mobile game on my phone. PC is for work. Phone is for communication and work. Console is for gaming. And this won't be changing :3 But I hardly noticed launch day, I guess in my region, the game wasn't big anyway.

By now, this is an older game. Buying this will be stupid for everyone who wants to "own" it. Because, lets face it - UbiSoft games are not forever and this one will very likely shut down - maybe sooner than later even.

As for the game key card complains: I would hope those stopped at some point. It's just stupid. The game is supposed to be really big, like 100gig kinda size. It is like 1:1 the equivalent to a modern game on a disc. Disc and game key card need their download, so to me they are the same. Full game on cartridge is simply a luxury that won't be there for every game. And especially with UbiSoft games, those are real bad in retaining value due to their deep sales. And if you get it digital for 10 bucks, the physical would drop too. But - if there were 100 gig cartridges - the cardridge alone would likely be around 30-40 bugs in cost alone. So .. yea, start to get real guys :/

I think Nintendo was very smart, including the use of key cards. While I love to have the full version on a disc, I understand that this is pricy and that some giant games just can't fit those. And while my library is hybrid (physical + digital), I really hope Nintendo keeps physical for the forseeable future.
As for Playstation: I don't care. My PS5 collection is digital only since PS4. Cartridges are genius, discs .. less so. From PS4 onward, discs were less convenient then downloads because you downloaded anyway.

The price! Just get a Switch 2 Pro Controller. Its lovely, relatively cheap (in EU) and gets you all the features you need for Switch 2.

Crazy how healthy Switch 2 is for the industry. Optimization is crazy important in my opinion. And I am a sucker for 4k60 content. And I mean I don't need native 4k. I just need an image that is "good enough" to not look like a blur on a 4k screen and solid enough in handheld. And it is crazy how I am enjoying the old Xenoblade with the current update. Feels like a new game.

I am very sure this is a nice game and it does appeal to me. But at the current price in Europe, I wait for it to go on sale. Its not that I am "out of games".

I am really enjoying Octopath Traveler 0 right now. Turned based RPG's generally are some kind of "cozy" game type for me, fits really well with the weather and some gaming on the terrace :3

Considering that is the full patched up version with the Add-on content for such a price, a 7 out of 10 seems somewhat low. I did love my time with the game on the PlayStation, and if I remember right, I had to pay more for it then people have to pay now for the Switch 2 edition. As for the flow, I had a hard time stopping playing until I was done - as with pretty much every tales game.

Update: I did check out the new Demo on my PS5 and .. dang, I am kinda disappointed when directly comparing it to the Switch 2 version. While the PS5 comes with what can be considered close to perfect image quality (very stable, very sharp, very fluid), the Switch 2 demo doesn't seem to run at stable FPS, is less sharp and suffers from very strong shimmering, especially across grass. When you consider the low amount of geometric detail, I really wonder why the Devs did not opt to optimize this game better. Because for what is on display, Switch 2 should easily handle this in a way it looks sharp without shimmering and without drops below 60. Sad :/ Won't be getting this game day 1 I guess, might wait for some optimizations. Because in the end .. I guess if possible I want my Software for the Switch. But if it really is inferior, well, I'll go with the PS5 Version.

I guess that would not surprise anyone. Besides, I personally assume that Nintendo is done in terms of evolution - like in regards to console innovation. They have kinda dug out their niche - a pretty darn big one at that btw - and likely will settle in there. The "gaming" future I see, will be Nintendo, as the kids and mobile gaming centered ecosystem, Sony, as the premier home console for the "older" audience and Valve dominating some futuristic kind of PC market. I mean VR might come to us at some point, but as of now, it feels far away. And all the other possible innovations one could think about have already arrived.
I just hope that in roughly 10 years from now, gaming will once again be a hobby that can be enjoyed more easily.

Couldn't care less for Elden Ring personally (was a real good time, will stay in my memory, but no need for a 2nd run on weaker hardware), but I am really looking forward to Duskbloods. Bloodborne has had the coolest atmosphere for a souls game yet in my opinion, so anything that comes close resembling it is something I just have to try.

It just ain't for me. There is a lot of good games out right now with more on the way - good games that fit my taste. And while the price isn't terrible, it likely will not be a game you spend a lot of time with either. And if a game is 50 bucks, I would like my 50 hours out of it - and gladly take more. So yea, it wouldn't be a fit in terms of value proposition either.

30 FPS "only". Hmm. Well, will be fine with most content and in big cities you only run between NPC's or chat some.
However, this will put you at some disadvantage for the very hardest of content. Not saying it is impossible to clear Ultimates with just 30 FPS, but this kind of content demands perfection in execution. A smooth 60 FPS simply makes things easier to read. And while this may be a deal-breaker for some, I think a generally locked 30 FPS for this kind of game will be fine.

Still happy with my Savage Raven case & grip. Fits a strong Powerbank as well as the Switch 2, so it makes for a really good travel companion. Outside of travel .. well, my Switch is docked anyway, so I can hardly see any reason for this kinda overpriced gadget.

@Manah A lot! I'd wager min 50 Gigs, likely (way) more. But maybe - just maybe - we get a version with reduced / adjuster texture resolutions. That could shrink the game somewhat. But it is freakishly big nowadays - and only posed to grow even bigger.
And you might want to install it on the internal drive for faster access, because you simply don't want to load in last. So .. yea, will be interesting.

@VoidofLight I agree that it "should" be included. But I also see how Nintendo wants a "bigger" part of the cake. They are the last that comes to the party. Thus a lot of players will have running subs, so Nintendo might have the smallest number of individual subscribers. To counteract this, if you want to play mobile, you HAVE to subscribe extra. Thus, Nintendo will get a few bucks extra per sub.

Though .. if you think about it, you will have to purchase the full version of the game again anyhow. Won't be a cheap endeavour.

@Splash_Woman You are in for a game that spans hundreds to thousands of hours of playtime. FFXIV is an old MMO. And I absolutely don't wont to encourage or discourage here - this may be a big plus or a big minus, absolutely dependent on the player. But simply put: FFXIV might be the biggest game on Switch 2 and it could be on of the biggest games "overall" in terms of content. When thinking about it .. I guess hardly anything will be able to beat those "old MMORPG's" in regards to content, simply due to the fact of those games having received Updates for so long now ...

This is really big. I think this is the first fully fledged MMO on Switch 2. And being able to play such a big title "mobile" - that's pretty crazy actually.

Funny Guy. Na, critics did right. If their opinion doesn't suit you, it may be unlucky, you might brought something where the audience wasn't ready yet, or .. well, it just wasn't up to snuff. And I too deem the movie absolutely mediocre, with the kids not really having been "wow'ed" by it. Considering prices for cinema, this was a waste.

@Pillowpants Soccer is so incredibly strong, pretty much every in the EU. Personally, I don't get the appeal, but it still is what it is.

Cool games, but nothing new? Not sure if there is anything worth getting on Switch when the alternative is PS5 Pro for most titles that are not yet released.

Dunno about others, but racing on a Nintendo Console is .. playing Mario Cart :3 That's the one series everyone enjoy and has fun with. And for the very simple reason that Mario Cart for myself is not a game that I play on a real regular base, but with my wife or with friends or family, it has a very special role.
Now take away all those characters and everything that makes such a game fun .. and you arrive at a boring looking F1 Arcade Sim? Definatly neither for me nor for the kids xD Those all love cute characters and nice animations. Really weird to hear that there are people that have "trouble connecting with cute characters". I mean there are many people out there, but .. still a weird thing to say in my opinion.

Anyway, on the aesthetics question - I kinda don't care if I enjoy the final art style. However, I do enjoy good animations, well made UI's and assets that show they are modelled carefully. And this kinda racer .. just looks as bland as it gets.

The one thing that interestests me the most is very much how this kind of movie will do in todays times. Depending on where it might stream, I might even watch it :3 But .. na, ain't be going to the Cinema anytime soon.

Might be a real lovely movie for kids though

If I only played on Switch, dunno, might not be too happy right now, maybe? But as I play on PS5 as well, I kinda don't care? Combining two ecosystems makes for more games than enough games to play. And it can be pretty much any ecosystem next to Nintendo.

On a more critical note though: I do enjoy a few Indies, but I am overall not too fond of "all" of them. Nowadays, there is soo much crap labeled "indie".
I really enjoy quality, and while some games do provide said quality, quiet some don't. And thus, some delays might be just right. And thus, into the Switch 2 catalogue .. it kinda starts to lack?

We move into February of 2026, while already January will bring Code Vein 2, with the start of February delivering Nioh 2 - and that's just about the soul-likes. There is a lot more coming on other platforms. Switch 2? We get Mario Tennis with story mode being baby characters only for triple A pricing. Quiet a bummer.

While I believe an OLED model is underway, I guess it will take time to arrive. A new product code, as already said, could mean anything. My personal bet would be a "refresh" with maybe a different RAM supplier or the likes, maybe some really, really minor revisions on the hardware.

I personally believe VR will be niche for at least another decade. The install base likely doesn't justify development costs, thus the industry is going to "wait it out".

@WhiteTrashGuy Na, Metroid just runs fixed 60 or 120 FPS. There is no need to run VRR when you manage a fixed frame rate. And the 120 FPS work on any output, docked or mobile. Would wish for a dock supporting VRR though.

I actually really enjoyed the game. A 120 FPS experience with actually incredible HDR implementation made it feel like a real nice trip out into the Metroid world. It was absolutely different from what I remember. And its just impossible to get back the same feeling that I had when playing my first Metroid as a Kid on the GameBoy. But that's fine, it's not that games get worse or anything, it is just that we got way more experiences and our Standarts .. are high on a level where we might sometimes actually ask ourselves: Can we really demand all that much from any developer?

In my opinion, creating a good game is good enough. If the stars align, we will get a few more legendary titles. But .. that's highly subjective too 2025's GOTY is one that I consider heavily influenced by my personal favourite Final Fantasy game - and thus have a really hard time to value it as highly as other players do. Doesn't make the game any worse or better - its just that our perception, depending on the games we have enjoyed, maybe even on the books we have read, can be really different.