Klingenlied

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.