Mogster

@Jessica286 it is the Switch's flagship game. Too pretend otherwise is just naive. Nintendo knows Zelda is the game everyone is going to be buying so why not put more effort into it?

Answer? Because they know fans give them a free pass.

@Devlind it's silly to believe that this port has only been in development for a year. Also, even if that was the case, why would that be a good excuse? Nintendo is selling you a product; they should put every effort into giving you the best value for your money and leaving out key features does not do that.

@Lizuka but you do mind paying extra for Switch because of it? If you think it seems like a distraction then vote with your wallet and don't buy the Switch.

Seeing as HD rumble has already been factored into the cost Switch it should be included with every game otherwise what's the point?

@shani Exactly! They should have used each consoles distinct features. Only problem being that doing so would increase development costs, and why would Nintendo bother when they get a free pass from their fans.

With all the delays there is no reason they couldn't have implemented HD rumble. What is the point in charging your diehard fans £280 for a new system if it's flagship game isn't going to take advantage of one of the systems new features? Lazy Nintendo at it again, ripping off their hardcore who, seemingly, don't seem to realise they are being ripped off.

@DonkeyKongBigBoy what a truly worthless comment. I assume you won't be buying a Switch, and will instead be donating the money to the starving children in Africa? Honestly some people...

@Anti-Matter there's no reason to hate the PS4 at all. Maybe you need to take a step back from gaming if you get angry about it. Games are meant to be fun.

@Anti-Matter you have to control yourself when you see PS4 selling? Why?

@Kosmo and don't you wonder what they're withholding? Why would they withhold good information?

Well, I think the Switch's success rides wholly on one thing: whether or not Pokémon Stars is actually happening. If that comes this holiday season, along with Mario, sales will explode.

@Turbo857 but does Nintendo hardware innovations benefit their software at all? There hasn't been a single one of their core franchises that have been improved by these hardware 'innovations'. Mario Galaxy only uses waggle, Skyward Sword had inconsistent controls, Kirby games are much worse off using touch controls and the less said about Starfox Zero's attempt to force innovation the better. What are these hardware innovations worth?

No, instead Nintendo should return to pushing games as a medium not through control gimmicks but rather depth of gameplay. Imagine how excited we would all be about the Switch if they had allocated resources to more power and performance over things like HD rumble. And having more power doesn't just mean better graphics, but more detailed gameplay and mechanics.

Nintendo has become too afraid to innovate their core franchises and has instead relied on control gimmicks in an attempt to make them feel different. I hope they can learn to move on from this.

Nintendo never learns when it comes to third parties. When was the last time Nintendo had decent third party support? Gamecube. When was the last time Nintendo had a console that was on par with others in terms of horsepower? Gamecube.

Nintendo needs to realise that developers don't want to stifle their creativity just to make sure it runs on a lower spec console. If a developer is used to working with more powerful machines which can run more advanced and more intricate games, why would they want to cap their original vision?

Having horsepower isn't just about graphics and never has been. Nintendo needs to realise this. They can innovate from WITHIN software, it doesn't always have to be with hardware. Nintendo will get third party support back when they make a system that can play the games on par with other systems. Simple as.

This is why it's so frustrating seeing Nintendo mistep, and it annoys me to no end when people say things like 'it's up to Netflix to ensure their app is on Switch'. No. No it's not. Just with like Wii U, Nintendo has proved itself incapable of doing business with other companies.

Which is a shame because the Switch is a good concept, but Nintendo is sending it out to die with no games/no standard features/premium price.

@Fuz why should people be quiet? Are you implying that only positive comments should be allowed? We're all on this website because we love Nintendo, it's painful to see them make so many mistakes. Why couldn't a Nintendo rep contact Netflix two months ago and ensure they have an app ready for launch?

And if it's all about ensuring it's an excellent game system, where are all the games? What have Nintendo been doing for the past two years? If they focused on making a amazing game machine, why are there only five games at launch?

You're right about one thing, history will tell us the mistakes that were made. And looking at other poor console launches tells us that history is going to repeat itself.

@thesilverbrick read your comments in Liz Lemon's voice 😂

Assuming Switch has gone down in price, I'll pick one up with this game.

@MarcelRguez Urgh. People like you are the reason the industry is the way it is. It was never a 'free' service. You are paying £60 for a game and then paying AGAIN just to access certain features of the game you already bought.

It's a scam and apologist pieces like this are the reason that the industry has gotten away with it for so long. It's like if you went to a restaurant, ordered a meal and were then charged extra for a plate so you could actually eat the meal.

@joealejos Um, they are for the people who appreciate the finer technical details of the games they play. Don't rag on people for that.

Another accessory to buy to get the full functionality of your £280 console. Great!

@FourBs no one is expecting anything for free. The thing is, you are already paying for the game. Why should you have to pay MORE just to access certain features? Especially if Switch games are costing £50-60. There is no justification for this.

It would be like paying for a meal at a restaurant and then being told you have to pay extra for a plate so you can actually eat it.

@Honelith but is it more advanced than a PS4? No, but it's much more expensive.

@ningeek185 I assume your comment is meant as sarcasm, as nothing about the Switch is advanced.

Not surprising. Non-competitive pricing and lack of value (PS4 + two game bundles often on sale for £200, currently £250), coupled with lack of software (didn't Kimishima report at the last investors meeting that they were holding Switch back until they had the software? Might have been in an interview) doesn't look good for the system.

It's almost like they learned nothing from the Wii U. Wii was a success because of affordable price (£180 in UK) and attractive bundled game (Wii Sports.) Switch has neither of those things and is very overpriced for the tech it's touting.

Love that pic of Alex with Chandra Nair. Remember him from the CUBE magazine days!

I pre-ordered from Amazon UK this morning but canceled like an hour ago, really not happy with Zelda costing £60 Nintendo. Will buy on Wii U for £35

SOS battles are great for getting IVs and natures! Wish they were a bit more consistent though, it's annoying when they call for an ally but one doesn't show.

Would it be possible to get a step-by-step guide on Festival Plaza if there isn't one already? Finding it really hard to get to grips with...

@DiscoGentleman lol it's called a discussion. What is wrong with wanting to stimulate discussion?

@Andrew_R_2000 why should NL report on that? Super Mario Frost Land? Mario Kart Switch It? Come on...

I still don't fully understand how to use Festival Plaza as intended. Apparently you can use it to get rare items and level up/EV train Pokémon but I don't understand how you get to that point.

Love the rest of S/M though.

I've seen both the Zelda and Pokémon ones, as well as Final Fantasy Distant Worlds a few years back.

I saw the Pokémon one in December just gone, and while it was very enjoyable I feel it and the Final Fantasy concert both share a common problem: not enough battle themes! The battle music is some of the most iconic music of any RPG so it surprised me that both concerts were so lacking.

Another thing that surprised me about the Pokémon concert was how empty it was. I went on the Tuesday and there really weren't that many people there. In contrast both the Zelda and FF concerts were full of screaming fans.

If you'd asked me before Christmas my hype level would be much higher, but now I'm in the 'not hyped but will watch with some interest' camp.

I got bored of waiting an brought myself a new PS4 with two games for £200 and have since been enjoying the likes of Overwatch, Final Fantasy and Battlefront. I don't think Switch is going to give me those experiences and I'm not overly impressed with the software that Nintendo put out on Wii U. Much less compelling titles than Wii/GC and lack of variety.

If Switch can give me those experiences, Nintendo has waited too long to tell me that. I'll wake up at 4am (srsly Nintendo?) for the presentation but I won't be buying one until at least Christmas 2017.

I'm sorry but those who say they've already pre-ordered with GAME or whoever haven't actually pre-ordered anything. You'll still have to go in and confirm your bundle/sku by which point they can still tell you they've already filled preorders.

I honestly don't understand people who 'preorder' for vague, non-specific things like the Switch will be until January 12th.

I'm guessing the 47% who voted 'same as 3DS' in the poll are all 3DS owners anyway, so the results are kind of pointless. If Mario won't sell for $10 this game has no chance.

I honestly don't think this year is going to go well. Switch isn't going to be compelling enough to bring third parties back and I have serious concerns about the specs behind the system.

That said I think Switch can do well if Nintendo markets it correctly, but I'm certain we'll be plagued with artificial stock shortages. I've had enough of the Nintendo rat race and won't even be bothering to pick a Switch up (won't be joining the pre-order rush) until at least Christmas.

So lemme get this straight, there were giving out 3DSs and Mario Maker on the plane as a way to combat boredom, but rather than give a physical/pre-loaded copy of the game they instead gave people a voucher to download it from the eShop. Which they wouldn't have been able to do because they were on a plane.

@abbyhitter gosh the amount of ignorance in your comments in astounding

'deeply study'???

Mate, it's blatantly obvious how Switch benefits Pokémon, in the concept trailer we already saw multiple Switches connecting. There is literally zero difference between having Pokémon on 3DS and having it on Switch.

Except, perhaps, that you'll have to make the games look less ugly.

Do other N64 games suffer from the dead zone issue? I've been having some problems with Wave Race, but it's been so long since I played the original version I can't tell if it's exclusive to VC. Quite annoying.

@rjejr Pokémon is owned by Nintendo (TPC) and they would have overseen production. Remember the news story of Iwata working on Pokémon Go on his sick bed? It's as much a Nintendo game as Hyrule Warriors or Other M.

Not sure whether this is a good thing, depends how they implement it. Have 100 new mon spawning could be potentially game breaking. Would be impossible to catch a significant amount of the same mon for evolution. Will have to see how they do it...

Eh...never used them before but at that price, I'll bite. Can always cancel and pre-order somewhere else should better deals/bundles pop up.

@Peach64 eh, the 3DS had an awful launch, which is why they infamously brought the price down only a few months later.

@thepeterwright no one quality checks for any console, all they do is check it runs and that it doesn't infest the console with viruses or something.

@CrazedCavalier Fates doesn't have interesting maps. It has slow, boring maps. Having to move single file through a forest, receiving spike damage if you're not on one of the three immune squares? Getting blown about by wind every turn? Having to wait several turns just to move your army across a chasm on a platform? Fates is a snore fest.

@Frank90 why do you think this? The maps are more gimmicky and many are hugely unpredictable (how are you supposed to know when Camilla is going to use the dragon vein??), the support conversations are dull and are far too repetitive, the story is rather dull and soooo many chapters are uninspired filler (even within the last 5 chapters) and there isn't effective use of the 3D effect (I remember several chapters in Awakening which feel incredibly immersive due to clever use of the 3D effect; this isn't the case with Fates.)

I'm interested to hear why you think Fates is better, because I'm within the last few chapters of Revelation having played both Birthright and Conquest, and it is such a boring drag. The story could easily have been combined into one game for a much stronger, more exciting and less predictable experience. The only reason I'm finishing it is so I can buy Pokemon in good conscience knowing I have nothing else to play.

Well done all around! Looking forward to picking my copy up tomorrow and seeing if it's worth all the hype...

It'll be a hard sell without new characters. A few I'd like to see are Bomberman, Rayman, Inkling plus a few new 'baddies' (the roster is rather thin on these) like Robotnik.

I really don't get why everyone loves the game library so much...a Mario game, a Pikmin game, a Mario Kart/Party game, a Donkey Kong game, a Smash Bros game, a Kirby game, a Star Fox a Yoshi game...it's just such a bland selection. Nothing really innovative or genre pushing. No experimentation at all. What's more, a few of those titles (Star Fox, Kirby, Mario Party) are much more lackluster than previous entries.

For me, there's three standout titles on the Wii U: Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X (although again, not as good as it's predecessor) and Pokken. It was also nice replaying WW and TP with the graphics cleared up a bit, but aside from that, I really don't think the Wii U library is that impressive at all.

Finally, a mainline Pokemon game on the TV! Will defo double-dip and pick this up

I'd like to imagine she's a hardcore retro gamer at heart with a SNES hooked up in every room, ready for a round of Super Mario Kart wherever she is.

But it's most likely Mario Kart Wii/DS she's referring too. Can't really see her having much time to game!

If they ran a version of this in the UK I know my friends and I would defo be down!!