Roarsome

@geheimxy some people only play FIFA, some Fortnite, some Candy Crush, some World of Warcraft. Sad that they’re missing out on a wide range of amazing experiences but if they’re happy...

@geheimxy every teenage boy in the UK gets a copy of FIFA for their birthdays, which are obviously spread throughout the year keeping them high in the charts.

@vitelus boo. Do you know why?

Any chance we’ll see any of these in the UK? There are loads here that are on my wishlist!

Shout out to the music and sounds in this beautiful game. It really heightened the experience for me. The narrator especially is so damn poignant.

@S4ndm4n yep, Switch has picked up where Vita left off. They compliment a PS4 perfectly.

Switch even more so though as every few months we get a first party Nintendo release that reminds me all over again why I love gaming.

Unlike My poor Vita which was abandoned by Sony, like the parents that abdoned Haley Joel Osmont in that film AI.

A game like Assasins Creed wants to be played on the big screen to get the full experience. An Indie though, with its simpler graphics and sound, is fine on a smaller screen. So you may as well get it on the port device. There’s no compromise with an Indie in Switch, unlike say Doom.

I want to see some discounts on existing games exclusive to subscribers. Also, just give us one vaguely recent game on the virtual console! NES games are so dated.

What comes after December though...

Year one was the games that we held back from Wii U. Year two has been the Wii U port year. Year three is where things should really get interesting and the games hit their stride. I predict sales will tick along nicely and then get a big boost this time next year.

This will be especially so if they launch a new cheaper SKU, and a high end one. Loads of people will go out and buy a second console at the higher price point, and loads of kids will join in the fun at lower price point.

This game is incredible. I sunk so much time into it on Vita. I prefer it to Spelunky and the run where I beat the game was such a triumph. Hope it does well on Switch!

Sounds good. They clearly look at how well Disney makes use of its properties and want to emulate that.

They need to keep the flow of new IP going. Splatoon alone has so much more potential. But they have to keep trying new things in addition to Mario, Zelda, etc.

Not all of them will work but lots will, helping them to expand their universe of characters.

Especially as these open world games always have filler content like hunting or fetch quests perfect for small screen, before transferring to the big screen for the big story beats.

@Zuljaras yeah I have one. It is a marvel, but it doesn’t really work well or reliably enough sadly. It hangs too frequently. Would be fine in slower turn based games but the AC combat would be a nightmare on it.

I’d totally buy this if it came out in the UK. I have a PS4 but hardly play it due to competing demands on the TV. If I could play Assasins Creed on the sofa while the wife watches Bake Off, everyone would be happy!

It’ll have a larger screen that gets rid of much of the black bezel, better battery, thinner, lighter, better kick-stand, more on board memory.

All nice refinements but nothing that changes the games themselves performance wise and splits the player base. DS to DSlite.

I’m sure the ‘Pro’ (or ‘New’ knowing Nintendo) version will come later but I expect that’ll be a few years further down the line to give it a boost around year five.

@tomwinsagain right? Surely they will patch that out at some point. Bonkers leaving it permanently on screen.

This is shamefully bad clickbait guys. Come on, you’re better than this!

I honestly can’t see what people are upset about. The price is cheap, having a constant flow of new NES games to play seems worth it alone to me.

There’s 20 games at launch, plus three more each month. So by the end of the year there should be 50-odd games on there. For £20. That’s incredible.

Spacing them out gives new titles a chance in the spotlight each month too. For anyone even vaguely interested in gaming history and understanding the origins of the medium this is fantastic.

@NewAdvent thanks! Hopefully there’s a test smash weekend or two with a decent training mode to get to grips with things before I go online. Mario Tennis I went online and got absolutely destroyed several times before getting fed up. These really competitive games always have such a high level of entry. I can hold my own on Arms or Splatoon by I expect Smash to be too competitive to be fun to play as a novice.

@Nukuleardawg thanks for the response. There must be something about the gameplay though that makes it so compelling? It makes me feel old and confused when i watch videos of it!

Switch is my first Nintendo console since the N64. Can someone please explain the appeal of Smash Bros to me as I just don’t get it? I played the 3DS demo and was utterly mystified at what was going on. Is it more than a standard beat ‘em up? I’m genuinely keen to understand why the franchise means so much to so many!

Given the above, I hope there’s some non Smash Bros news, like a surprise announcement for an August or September game. Is there really going to be no flagship game for either of these two months? If so I predict a Smash Bros beta will be the big Sept game, behind the paid online service.

@FX102A the lack of interaction isn’t bothering me. I’m seeing it as eight independent stories. Yeah they fight alongside each other and there’s no real narrative reason for them to do so, but it makes the gameplay much more fun than if they were just on their own so who cares.

The eight short stories split into chapters make it perfect for handheld and docked play. Like Zelda’s Shrines and Odyssey’s Moons, the developers have thought hard about how to make it really well-suited to the Switch.

Also really shows third party developers that, like Mario + Rabbits, if they make the effort to develop an exclusive that really plays to the Switch’s strengths, people will support them and buy it in huge numbers. Fewer lazy ports, more original AAA exclusives.

We can all look forward to the inevitable sequel a few years from now where they build on the mechanics and address the only real criticism of the game, which is the lack of meaningful interaction between the characters.

20 hours in and it’s great so far. JRPGs have never clicked for me, but I don’t know what it is about this one. It’s very charming, and I love how every battle is a little puzzle to try and work out how to defeat enemies without them even getting a hit in.

No impressed at all with Switch year two. Smash, Tennis, Mario Party or Pokemon don’t hold any interest for me sadly.

Luckily for me I never had a Wii U and I still need to pick up Bayonetta and Donkey Kong. So it’ll be those two, Golf Story and maybe Octopath if that’s as good as the demo promises for 2018. But it’s disappointing there's no new 1st party release that interests me. Now PS4 on the other hand...

@Nix_coppa I mean, both great games and very different. Each to their own I guess! Rabbids has a real love and understanding of that ‘Nintendo’ spark that their best games have, and the gameplay has huge depth. Bring on the DLC!

Picked up Golf Story - loving it so far! Now anyone that hasn’t bought Splatoon or Mario+Rabbids, snap those two up immediately and put a big grin on your face.

So there’s Aces in June, Octopath in July, Mario Party in October, Pokemon in November and Smash in December. So expect some further updates during Treehouse over what the big titles will be for August and September...

Switch is my first Nintendo home console since N64, so I’m the guy that just wants all the ports. Hope there’s some new IP and some more story-focused games. Splatoon has been so successful they’ve got to be coming up with new things rather than just leaning on the older franchises.

All well and good, but you try but a copy of Tropical Freeze in the UK. Out of stock online at both Amazon and Argos. Not sold physically anywhere in my town. No wonder it’s plumetted down the charts.

@Heavyarms55 they’re part of the furniture. And if we didn’t have them we’d have to elect a head of state, which we’d inevitably mess up every few years. No one wants more politicians!

Come on now, for £18 this is a fantastic service.

I’d predict the majority of Switch owners have no idea what cloud saves even are. It’s only in the rare case a Switch breaks or gets stolen that it’ll even occur to many that it’s even an issue. If you lose your saves then either start again or move on, life’s too short to get upset about a game.

The people that care about cloud saves are the people that will happily pay to play online, and the people that will enjoy a Netflix style access to a classic library of games.

Imagine how fun it’s going to be when a new game is added, and the whole community is playing it together, competing for high scores. With virtual console there’s never a big wave of enthusiasm or interest for some niche NES game.

Their problem is they don’t have that many online games yet, in the same way PS4 will always have new CoD and Fifa to play online. I’ve fallen off Splatoon and that’s literally the only online game I haven’t sucked at.

For me it’ll all be about the game subscription. Will see what the other 10 at launch are and the pipeline of games to be added before deciding when to sign up.

I still have my original and the purple ‘color’ one. I would definitely buy a new classic release too as I am a complete sucker for these games. I love the game boy and it’s stupid nearly impossible to see screen.

Four games in the top ten is incredible, especially as two of them are over or nearly a year since their release.

The UK is all about PlayStation and Xbox and given how expensive Switch games are compared to the other platforms, Nintendo must be thrilled to bits.

Year one for Switch was amazing. Year two looks like it’s going to be awesome too.

So far; Kirby, Labo, Tennis Aces, Tropical Freeze, Octopath, Toad Treasure Tracker, Dark Souls, a big Splatoon 2 expansion, Okami. Then Yoshi and Smash Bros in the second half of the year. There will be more surprises too.

Yeah, lots of them are ports. But I haven’t played a single one of those before. No one bought the Wii U, so these are essentially new games for many (most?) Switch owners.

Year three will likely bring new Bayonetta, Metroid and Pokemon releases.

By any measure, that will be a phenomenal catalogue of games after just a few years. Nintendo have done an amazing job of planning a non-stop software pipeline.

@Nomad 1 2 Switch is a game that hardly anyone visiting this website will care about. I got it at launch though and it goes down so well with non gamers. The marble count game blows peoples’ mind. The quick draw game is so easy to understand and instantly fun to play. It’s worth having as a party/family game, so I can see why it sells well. Should’ve been cheaper but you can say that about all Nintendo stuff!

Excellent results. Hope they unveil the next wave of big hitter games that will arrive later this year to continue the momentum. Labo sales will help guarantee that 2018 is even stronger.

Has Stardew Valley not been released in Japan? It’s such a perfect game on the Switch. It’s locked in a heated battle with Mario Odyssey and Splatoon for my attention.

Now a Stardew Labo tie in... now there’s an idea.

Ha, so many people on here will get mad at this. But THIS is Nintendo. I have a son and I cannot wait to play with these with him. It looks like magic. This will certainly take Switch to while new levels.

@FragRed yes, predictive test got the better of me once again.

So the big game each month for first half of 2018 could look like... Jan: Nintendo too bloated from Xmas blowout, still eating turkey leftovers, Feb: Bayonetta, March: Kirby, April: Mario Tennis (a guess, but would fit ‘Spring’), May: Dark Souls and Donkey Kong, June: Yoshi.

Not bad, but could do with one more big surprise. Pikmin 4? Presume Octopath Traveller will slot in somewhere too.

Am I missing anything?

@YummyHappyPills while those games you list will no doubt be great, none of them are big hitters like Zelda, Mario, Splatoon, etc.

Last year there was new console to properly unveil first, but why announce a year of software last year, then nothing for 2018 until now? Ideally you’d want a rolling schedule of imminent releases, medium term previews and longer term things. We have the long term stuff, but not much else.

I don’t doubt there is loads of exciting stuff that will hopefully be announced next week. But it’s just odd that we don’t know what the big tent pole releases are going to be over the next few months by now still.

They need to get on with it. Switch is completely absent from any ‘2018 most anticipated’ lists due to Nintendo’s secrecy. After being such a big part of the conversation last year they are losing crucial momentum going into 2018. I mean, they’ll be fine still. It’s just a shame is all. Lots of new Switch owners will currently be pondering what there is to look forward to.

For 2018 I predict... New Pikmin, a Skyward Sword remaster, some form of Assassins Creed, Super Mario Maker, Animal Crossing, Mario Odyssey DLC (seriously I’d happily pay for a new Kingdom a few times a year!), a Wii Sports style party game, and a new IP.

I hope they announce something soon though. Currently looking forward to Octopath Traveller... and that’s it! Yoshi and Kirby not really my thing.

If they ramp up scale they can soon drop the price. Once you get multiple units in one household, and once the inevitable version two ‘new’ Switch is realised and we all buy one again, then yeah Wii numbers aren’t unrealistic.

Surely no one will use it given it's so bad. The fact you can't turn off the screen while speaking is very daft, given how bad iPhone batteries are.

But if no one uses it Nintendo will either rethink it or drop it entirely in future games.

I just wish it let you talk to strangers. Would be good to chat to the random people you get teamed up with online to work together better.

I commute by train for about 35 mins each way every day so my Switch is probably 80% a portable for me. Fits fine in my satchel, or in the rucksack I often have to lug my work laptop around in, but it's in the official case with screen protector too (whys it garbage?!).

So for me, the battery life is plenty. I play about an hour each day, maybe after hour or so some evenings too while the wife watches some nonsense on TV before it goes back in the dock overnight. It's never run out of juice on me yet.

As an aside I really don't get the criticisms about it not doing Netflix and internet browsing. I have a smartphone on me at all times, as I'm sure nintendos market research showed the vast bulk of their customers do too, so why do I need a second device to access all these things?

Basically, I think it's bloody brilliant. If I never buy a never game for it I'm still happy with what I paid just for Zelda.