Krull

Poor old Obsidian. Release not one but two well-rated RPGs this year - and nobody can even remember the first one.

I’ve spent most of the year on Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 edition - I’m not throwing stones here. Been a good year for interesting games. Dispatch, Blue Prince, Seance of Blake Manor, Ball X Pit - lots of less typical experiences. But also Ghost of Yotei, the most generically AAA game you can imagine (though I’m sure it’s also good).

Love the golden age comic book feel of the American cover. Clear winner for me, this week.

The EU one is probably the worst - but it does also have a very British comic book feel, like Eagle or something. Would be quite cool if it weren’t for the massive blue border. Didn’t have the strength of their convictions there.

Pretty sure this ran just fine on my iPhone 6 back in the day. Or was it the 4S? Either way, there’s barely anything to run - but the voice acting and writing are excellent.

As has been the case pretty much since I got my Switch 2 at launch, I’m still making my way slowly through Tears of the Kingdom. After 100 or so hours, I’ve got all four sages unlocked, have the master sword and probably done about 100 shrines, but still have chunks of overworld where I haven’t even set foot yet. I’m in no hurry to hit Hyrule Castle next. Still think it’s a slower burn than BotW, and the vast underground area is less interesting, but overall I think it’s every bit as good.

If I have time, I might do a few more battles on Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (3DS). Just unlocked fusions, so I’m very early into the game, but it’s great.

Finally, I might kill a few minutes here and there with a few levels of Cato: Buttered Cat - a great game to dip and out of.

The face-off was actually a pretty good list. Can’t remember exactly what my top ten was when I did it, but had Breath of the Wild top, then games like The World Ends With You, Ghost Trick, Fire Emblem Awakening, Super Mario Odyssey, Link to the Past, Tears of the Kingdom, Super Metroid and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow in there, with Xenoblade Chronicles in 10th. Phoenix Wright and 999 were just outside the top ten, I think.

As Miyamoto once said: a delayed game might be rubbish but a good game will eventually be delayed. Something like that, right? Or one good delay is worth two in the bush. Saves nine. Makes light work.

Look, I haven’t even picked up Silksong or Hades II yet - last thing I need is another must-own indie right now! I will get all three once I winnow down the backlog. Too many must-have indies spoil the broth, as Eiji Aonuma probably once said.

I loved Hollow Knight - it’s a top ten all-timer for me. But Silksong isn’t going anywhere. And it’s bound to be, like, 80 hours long. No rush. Will get it when my backlog is a bit tidier.

Who decided that the first and third big first-party releases for Switch 2 would both be racing games? Nintendo has sent this game out to fail. Only thing in its favour is that it has almost the entire Switch 2 lifespan to pick up sales piecemeal. But I suspect most new Switch 2 buyers by about year three won’t even be aware of its existence.

Hope everyone enjoys it, though! I know it’s not for me, but don’t begrudge the fans.

Genuinely one of the best Indie Worlds in years. Just the opening four games alone were more interesting than anything in the Partners showcase: Mina the Hollower, Well Dweller, Neverway and Herdling all looked great or at least really interesting. Is This Seat Taken? looks like a cute puzzler. Throw in Caves of Qud and UFO 50 for the hardcore, and this was easily a 9/10 for me. Demon School sneaking in on the Japanese presentation is the cherry on top.

Already can’t remember anything from the July showcase. Had to go refresh my memory. Adventures of Elliot was the only new maybe on that list. Star Wars I might get, but we already knew about. Prefer P3P to Reload. Sigh…

Yeah, this looks cool. Not big on farm sims or horror games, but this might just have the right blend. One of the highlights for me in a very good Indie World.

@Alcea What are you talking about? As Squenix points out, Nier is clearly playable on Switch 2 - and now comes with new graphical effects, like a disappearing 2B and weird screen glitching to improve your immersion.
/s obviously. Glad I finally got around to playing Nier on the OG Switch at the start of the year. Otoh, regretting I didn’t wait a bit longer to play Neo: TWEWY. Decent game, but the Switch load times are frequent and just a bit too long.

@Timpis Did you really find DQXIS unplayable on the OG Switch? I thought it was absolutely fine. Pretty game too.

More Tears of the Kingom Switch 2 edition for me, to recreate the 2017 experience of playing a seminal Zelda title on Nintendo’s new handheld hybrid. Early impressions are that it seems to be leaning harder on story than BotW, and the Ultrahand power slows down the pace of the game a bit. Honestly might like BotW more, but TotK is still a 10/10 experience. I’ve really missed this world.

Edit: Whoops! Forgot to mention that I also started Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked on 3DS. Literally just getting through the opening scenes atm, but seems like a fun jam.

Just like when I got my OG Switch, I’m playing the latest 3D Zelda. It’s finally time to start Tears of the Kingdom. Boosted my subscription to get the Switch 2 upgrade as well, so may dip into Soulcalibur too at some point.

I’m getting shades of that Office meme: corporate needs you to find the differences between these two pictures.

I’m sure there are stutters, but nothing ever broke my immersion while playing the Link’s Awakening remake on the OG Switch. That said, I’ll play Echoes on my Switch 2 anyway, since I haven’t started it yet.

Guys, we need to pick the cover stars for the NA release of Marvel vs Capcom 2. Who best represents Capcom?

Has to be Ryu. He’s been in Street Fighter since the start. He’s like the face of Capcom.

Ryu? How do you spell that? Sounds awfully…

(Sighs) Ken? He’s American.

Why’s he in pyjamas?

Fine. Guile. He’s really American. Wears combat gear.

Perfect! Who we got for Marvel?

Wolverine. Easily the most recognisable character.

Cool. Is she hot?

What? No. He’s like this grizzled old guy.

(Stares)

Fine. Here’s a list of Marvel characters. Who do you like?

(Flicks through the papers) Her. Use her.

Psylocke? Honestly, she’s hardly the face of the franchise.

Who cares about her face?

(Sighs)

Looks like it’s still available on the App Store, so would recommend anyone to get it there. Short, sweet, very inventive and has a banger of a song that brilliantly channels We’re Through by the Hollies. Or wait for the Switch version, because why not?

Many in the Persona 4 Golden cast are probably too busy (and well-paid) with Critical Role to be available for a remake - but would be good to see them back.

Not that P4 needs a remake - it’s absolutely perfect the way it is.

@Minako-Meleph Yeah, my tablet won’t even run Crunchyroll any more! Stupid iOS updates. So it’s phone or Switch for Crunchyroll on the move for me.

@N8tiveT3ch I don’t disagree, but it’s nice to carry fewer devices around with me. And a Switch 2 screen is far better than my phone. But you’re right - it’s just a missing convenience, not a travesty.

No Crunchyroll?! Dagnammit! Would have enjoyed the bigger screen for handheld viewing.

I don’t know. I feel like every game site is telling me that not enough people are talking about how good The Hundred Line is! Think the real problem is it’s a niche genre.

I’m sure I’ll get it, just not yet. Backlog and imminent Switch 2 means I’m trying not to buy too much right now.

Make this happen. Please. You’ve got about 21 days. Oh no, the timer is counting down…

This goes to show that good word of mouth and critical acclaim do actually make a difference. Not often a game debuts at No4, then moves up to No1 the following week. Really hope Clair Obscur comes to Switch 2!

Ecco. A game in which you spend your whole time panicking about finding your next breath. This is the time for a reboot? 😂

I was also really happy to see Outlaws come to Switch 2. My last Assassins Creed was 2. Basically, I’m not as burnt out on the Ubisoft open world formula as many people are. Just whacking a Star Wars skin on it also automatically makes it more interesting than one of the older AC games ported to the OG Switch. I won’t get Outlaws and AC Shadows, but honestly this seems more fun - and less bogged down by AC lore. Though Shadows does look cool.

So excited about those Joycon straps. I’m buying five.

Actually, I have ordered the standard case, screen protector and a memory card from Nintendo. Looking forward to 2032 when SD express cards are about a tenner per terabyte. And the Switch 3 is announced as using something else more expensive.

Still not played Danganronpa, after getting it for a steal on sale. Great to hear this maintains the critical acclaim. One for the wish list now, though, till my backlog dies down.

Star Wars and turn-based tactics? This is the peanut butter and chocolate combo I didn’t know I wanted! Respawn’s involvement gives me hope that this could be worthwhile. Interested.

NA for me. The title font in the circle is cool, the kid looks more lost and alone and, the clincher, there’s a monkey on his head. Sold. I am now more interested in this reboot too!

Taken my 3DS for a short holiday, so seemed a perfect time to start Metroid: Samus Returns. Beautifully animated, and enjoying the parry system. Very happy the 3Ds got such a good late game.

When I get home, I also hope to carry on with Ni no Kumi: Wrath of the White Witch - it’s really great.

Got fed up waiting, thought I’d missed out, so snapped up a preorder on Argos. Literally went to my inbox to check my Argos order and the Nintendo invitation had arrived. Ah well. Argos it is.

@MK73DS @Lightgazer Thanks for the answers. I feel moderately encouraged. Maybe Tears of the Kingdom, base version, will be my Switch 2 launch game, as I haven’t actually started it yet. A rock-solid 30fps is all the enhancement I need, really. Maybe I saved it for this reason?

What I want to know is, will these Switch games run better on Switch 2 even without paying for the upgraded edition? Is there any native boost to performance from the hardware, or is it going to be bottlenecked by the OG Switch emulation?

This is my day one title, so far. Might not even get Mario Kart World.

Although, TBH, my backlog is big enough that I could get a Switch 2 and not buy any games for it for a few years.

Still (slowly) making my way through Ni No Kuni. Great comfort gaming. I know people compare it to Pokemon, but the series it reminds me most of, so far, is Dragon Quest. Still very early, though. Just moving out of the first area.

@Zuljaras Bravo! Thanks for that.

And for all those saying they might as well get a SteamDeck instead - did I miss something? Is Valve doing physical media now? Are Zelda, Mario, Smash etc coming to the Deck? (Do see the point on slightly superior Steam sales, admittedly)

@Ryu_Niiyama That’s like me with FFVII Remake! Still in shrink wrap after six months, and now I think I’d rather wait for the Switch 2 version.

Cyberpunk was one of my top hopes for S2. That it’s a launch title is more than I’d thought possible.

This was my favourite announcement too. Hadn’t realised that Naoto’s design from Persona 4 was such a callback to Raidou. Pretty excited about this

Felt it was time for a proper RPG, and time to take a huge chunk of gigabytes off my memory card, so it’s Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. So far it’s basically just a lovely Studio Ghibli cut scene - yet to reach any gameplay - but the production values are stellar.

Getting pretty deep into Tunic now. Must admit, didn’t love the first hour or so, but it gets better and better the further you go. Still clearly missing some abilities to open up things, but there’s no shortage of new areas to explore or bosses to kill (or be killed by). It’s great.

Just me, or is this a weaker list than last time around? Metroid and Elite failed to make the cut then, and I reckon both would stroll past the competition here. (Still can’t believe Elite didn’t make it.)

Honestly, I’d pick Angry Birds here, for impact as one of the first real blockbusters on mobile, then Frogger and Goldeneye or Quake (not both). I don’t even like Frogger.

I’m playing Crimson Shroud, of course. The hot new 3DS exclusive. It’s a real treat. Like playing one of those role-playing game books, but with a more video game-style battle system.

OK, I admit, I might be a bit late to the party on this one. But I’m enjoying it. Glad I picked it up before the 3DS shop died.

Give us the 3DS games the West never got, you cowards! Like Beyond the Labyrinth and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3!

Failing that, Kid Icarus: Uprising is dying for some better controls.

Beat both the GG Shinobis multiple, multiple times back in the day, and remember dying in about 30 seconds whenever I played the arcade game when I was a kid. Don’t really remember puzzles featuring as part of the series. Or health bars on enemies. To me this looks more like a totally different game series wearing a Shinobi mask.

Still looks cool, though. And I like Lizardcube. So I’m interested regardless.

Just started playing Thimbleweed Park last week! It’s pretty good. Not sure I like it more than Broken Age, but probably only about halfway through, so we’ll see.

Day of the Tentacle, otoh, still owns.

Playing Portal for the first time. It’s great! Not sure how long it’s going to be, but feels very breezy for the first 16 or so missions that I’ve done.

Playing Nier Automata atm. There’s a good sidequest where you’re trying to help an android find out who murdered her friend by hacking the body’s memory. It’s a good one.

Other than that, The Witcher III is, as said, absolutely stuffed with memorable sidequests. The werewolf, the village of pigs, the Gwent tournament… I am very much looking forward to playing Cyberpunk on the Switch 2!

Not a lot of obvious USP in there - but backwards compatibility was always my first demand. Looking forward to see what the launch line-up will be. Really don’t care about Mario Kart - yes, I know I’m in the minority!

@Luffymcduck Yes, I noted that too! TBF, while Tove Jansson was Finnish, she wrote in Swedish. So all the Swedish Moomin names are the originals

What a great year for indies on Switch. Animal Well, Arco, Balatro, Crow Country, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, 1000xResist. Great games, well priced. Wonder how many made the top 30 … what?!