NotTelevision

Nintendo didn’t sell the Switch on the portability concept alone. 2017 was a great year for software on the platform. I bought the Switch to play Mario and Zelda- getting them portable was just the icing on the cake.

It’s not going to be easy to make these different systems feel natural and work together, while not forcing the player down a narrow linear path. Stardew accomplished it’s goals because of the sheer amount of content the game gradually reveals to the player, and how it lets you kind of do what you want with it.

This will probably be something to check out. At one time mobile games were actually really exciting, and Simogo was one of the reasons for that.

@Antraxx777 I just beat Lttp last night, and yeah some of those dungeons are pretty intimidating from a mechanical standpoint. The last three in particular and that ice one where you are sliding all around can get frustrating. But they are well designed I think. The point is that every dungeon is supposed to feel like a test of endurance, and it’s a fair challenge for the most part.

@Agramonte Good to hear that aspect of game design is being phased out. I might give Odyssey a shot when it gets around 20 bucks. Wasn’t super impressed with Origins, but I like Greek history a lot and I like that it includes a hands off option.

I’ll wait till Animal Crossing to get back into the whole life/farm simulator genre. I played one of these games and was worried that it would just be Harvest Moon with an RPG battle system shoehorned in. I wasn’t proven wrong.

@Agramonte The first 2 Shenmue games were really a revelation to me when I played them as a kid. Among my favorite games for many years, even though I don’t think they’ve aged that well.

I’m going to hold off on getting 3 until I read some reviews. One thing I still like about the first 2 games, is the sleuthing and finding your way around, as opposed to the modern open world cliche of putting all places of interest as dots on a minimap. I hope they keep that aspect the same.

@Kintypoo121 I agree about Demon’s Crest. A really great discovery. Fantastic soundtrack as well. It really made great use of the SNES’s audio capabilities and has a real choral and orchestral sound to it.

@Fake-E-Lee Yeah I love that aesthetic too. Looks very fire and brimstone medieval inquisition, instead of that Victorian gothic look of Bloodborne.

Yeah I knew this would be great. Very different from their previous game The Last Door, but it looks just as creepy. These guys really know how the crank up the dark and mysterious atmosphere in 2D games. Looking forward to this one.

It will continue to sell. A lot of people are getting a Switch this Fall to play the new releases, like Astral Chain.

This actually sounds like it could be educational. I’ll do more research on how it works. Took a bit of Python, but didn’t get super deep into it.

Japan wins this time. Much more memorable.

At any other time, I would have definitely picked up Hotline Miami. One of my favorite indie games. There is just too much coming up to dive back into that.

But if you haven’t played it, then you are in for a ride.

@Mgene15 Your photo has just reminded me of the game. Hope the next round of games for SNES online includes Legend of Mystical Ninja. Konami certainly doesn’t look to be doing anything with it.

Demon Crest, Yoshi’s Island, and ... A Link to the Past again. Had to do it before Link’s Awakening arrives and because I’m having a sort of “Year of Zelda” where I go back and replay a lot of the old titles.

Ohh yeah! And there is this little game called Astral Chain that people are talking about. It’s a new game that isn’t 30 years old that I’ll continue playing 😉

I don’t really understand why it requires so much thought just to allow different players on various platforms to play together. It’s an advantage for Blizzard to allow it and players win because they can play their friends who have other consoles.

If this is really about “well you have gyro aiming” then that’s sad. Just make it so players can select which platforms they want to challenge players on. Pretty simple I think, and you don’t have those guys whining they lost “because of the controller”.

I get it now. That “ring” represents the circle in the inferno for bad joycon. Eternal damnation for those that drift.

Either that or it’s some medieval torture device for them.

That’s my best guess.

@okeribok Yeah, by look like people in the video you mean really cool right? Your friends definitely won’t laugh at you if they come over and you are throwing around a plastic ring like an over caffeinated baboon.

Demon Crest was one game I never played on the SNES. Glad I tried it out because it is awesome. Combines elements of so many different games of the era, but really forges its own identity as well.

I think I saw it in the video store, but my Mom wouldn’t let me get it because she thought it looked sort of evil. Now the boys all grown up and can play Doom and Demon Crest, past midnight as well. 😈

@NintendoByNature Ohh yeah. I have the same feeling about Lttp. I’ve already played through four Zelda games this year if I include Cadence of Hyrule. I don’t need to play LttP, but it may be hard not to.

I’ve never actually played Link’s Awakening so I want to go into it not knowing anything. What I’ll do is play the one on Switch and then go back and play the other on Gameboy. At my parent’s house is still the original Gameboy from 1989, just gotta go dig that one out of the closet.

Yeah man but Super Metroid. One of my favorite games. Don’t be afraid to use a guide to get through some parts if you’re stuck. I like the GBA ones a lot , but SM feels so unpredictable in comparison. It’s the most tense of the 2d games for sure.

Ohh yeah, happy early birthday. I had to work all day on mine, so hope you have a better one.

@Patron Nice try, dude.

Great. Don’t need that gym membership after all.

@NintendoByNature Oh yeah good call man. Creature in the Well I’ve also been keeping an eye on, as it looks like a really interesting concept.

I’ve beaten Ori, so not going to double dip on that one, but enjoyed it for the most part.

It’s going to be hard to pass on Castle Crashers at that price as well. It’s a really fun game and even better with friends over.

Thanks for letting me know about those other games. I think I’ve heard of Jet Kave on this site, but anything Donkey Kong I’m down for.

I’m getting Link’s Awakening as well. Going to be the next big one for me.

So yeah juggling all these games, the SNES ones, and Astral Chain...
I might just leave poor Link on the shelf for a while and awaken him in October . I never thought I’d say that, but I really want to give that game my 100% attention and not think about needing to divert my attention from it.

Btw, sorry I’m strapped for cash as well. 😅

It makes sense that they would include someone from an SNK fighting game. I mainly know Terry from watching other people play those games in the arcades. I think they should include more down the line.

I thought the Terry reveal was the best so far. So clever and it really captured spirit of those cutscenes in SNK games.

@NintendoByNature Sorry to burden you with more choices, but have you seen Blasphemous yet? It’s a season of hard choices, but that one looks really promising. Like Bloodborne and Castlevania had a bloody beautiful baby.

@holygeez03 I’m not sure gyro would really add anything to the game. I guess touch screen controls would be nice since a lot of the game is navigating a crew manifest, but it’s not necessary.

@BionicDodo For real. In some ways this was the biggest announcement of the entire direct along with Overwatch. Not for me, but in terms of converting people who never considered owning a Nintendo console to purchase one, it’s a huge win. When people talk about getting quality 3rd parties on board for the Switch, they are talking about getting games like this.

@brandonbwii They mean Pillars of Etenity 2. Only the first game has been released.

@NintendoByNature Yeah I’m not ashamed to say that when I thought of Link to the Past and saw “rewind” feature, I immediately thought about fighting that stupid worm and rewinding every time I fall through the floor. 😄

More “not all games on the cart” controversy on the way. Honestly, I would have just bought Black Flag as a separate digital purchase.

This didn’t surprise me, but hey more Doom is always good news. It’s crazy that you’ll be able to play almost the whole Doom series portably now.

Really one of the best adventure/puzzle solving games of all time. Can’t recommend this one enough. Totally absorbing.

@dystome I know. I’m going to be beating Super Metroid and Link to the Past again. These new fangled entertainments can wait 😂

Great lineup! This is about the best start one can ask for. You already get the three most acclaimed games on the system.

It’s ok. I know the next great Bubsy game is coming. It may be 30 years later, I may be dead, the world may be nuked beyond recognition- but it will happen.

But what about the loner who bought a 3ds but doesn’t have a phone, computer, iPad, or Switch. How are they going to watch The Quartering now?

@Giygas_95 You are either into this sort of game or not. This is the kind of RPG that is meant to relax the player. The monsters just stand around and wait for you to attack them, and the battles practically fight themselves. The characters and humor are very Japanese, circa 1986.

You either see this as a homecoming, or as traditional to fault and lacking in urgency.

I’m cool for whatever. Something Metroid and SNES games for the subscription service is the only thing I wanted that wasn’t shown at E3. I’ll just hope for that. If not there are already enough games to play so, no big deal.

Still no looking at NintendoLife on your Nintendo Switch. Ohh well...

I don’t think Konami has it in them to make another great game in any of their well known franchises. Maybe later, but right now I feel like it may be better for them to make more of their back catalogue available. I would love to re-experience MGS games and more Castlevania of course.

@JRJalapeno Maybe you’ll get lucky and that gray will turn to yellow, like my SNES. 😜

@Alucard83 Yeah if this was them saying, no more Castlevania on the Switch I’d be upset. Still a chance to see that one in a 2nd Anniversary Collection. Hopefully next year... or with Konami, maybe never. Who knows.

If they wanted to do this, it would have happened a long time ago. It’s a shame for people who like sports games, to be limited to just a few on Switch. I would buy some if they didn’t try to nickel and dime the player so much.

@invictus4000 FFVIII won’t get a physical release, so it’s not on this list.

I’m actually excited for Blasphemous, coming up in about a week. Looks really promising. That one and Link’s Awakening will be my Sept. games.

I like the cartoony look of the Japanese box art the best. The self satisfied look on Mega Man’s face for the NA one is priceless though.

@JasmineDragon I’d say the Wii was far worse in that regard because a lot of the shovelware came exclusively to the system, and wasn’t dropped on PS, XBox.

Still the GC had those horrible theme park tie-in games. One of them involves you wandering around picking up garbage. I guess it’s only right for a game that’s trash, involves the player throwing it away.

@ComposedJam I would agree with you. The gameplay and puzzles are pretty basic, compared to past entries in the series.

Although it captures something so well, that no game really has been able to capture as fully. That idea of being a child and coming up with a grand and colorful world for you to explore. It’s like going to the beach as a kid, seeing islands and seagulls in the distance, and imagining taking a sailboat to explore the world. WW fulfills that concept as well as Link to the Past did for venturing off into a mysterious forest.

@Anti-Matter You should try out Wind Waker, if you haven’t given it a go. I know you aren’t really into Zelda, but I know you like cute games and WW is both cute and endearing. The puzzles and combat are also probably some of the most approachable in the series as well. And that Great Sea theme... don’t get me started on that...