Sakura

Um, still on Zelda here. Have my eye on lots of games coming soon, but nothing for me this week. Except BoxBoy.

I thought it was a solid Direct. There is third party support for Switch, though not the AAA mutliplats some are still wishing for. Perhaps some will come, but if those are what you want, you already know where to look.

The Splatoon mode reveal was very well done, a few games coming that I'm interested in and other games for other folks. Nice to see the 3DS still getting good support. Does kind of highlight how hard the Wii U has been dropped, though. I know it makes sense from a business standpoint, but ouch!

Wonder whether we'll get the corresponding StreetPass puzzle now.

Quirky is right up my street. As awesome as is the Switch, the 3DS is still my all-time favourite console, in large part because of the games. Just love it.

Yes please!

Definitely getting this. 3DS lives on.

@HSuzumiyaVI I just mean that if what you want to play is Overwatch, Red Dead Redemption etc, then the Switch is not the console for you (at least not yet). For too many it is defined by what is not available rather than for what is. I don't know how much truth here is to Nintendo gamers shunning third party; can't buy games if they're not released. However, the AAA market is struggling with production costs so sustainability may become an issue. Also, at this stage in the generation, 80 + million gamers have already chosen their console. Offering the same thing again would not make financial sense. Switch is different because it has to be, imo. Indies are some of my favourite games. I'd love Switch to have everything, but I just don't see it as a viable goal. Having enough would be more appropriate.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Have to agree, at least for the forseeable future. Anyone wanting to play the multiplats available on PS4/Xbone/PC will be disappointed in the Switch library for some time to come. Switch has a better chance than Wii U, but it's certainly not guaranteed to succeed with third parties just yet.

They're only just starting a programme like this now? Didn't Nintendo-hacking take off in the DS/Wii era?

@Anti-Matter Miitopia certainly has me intrigued, but definitely needing an English version. I like weird, but I need a little bit of sense

Arms seems like a game made especially for you. Really hope you love it.

Detective Pikachu western release? That weird Miitopia thing?

I have mixed feelings about StreetPass.

Certain games made very good use of it, like those listed in the article. The Plaza games were some of my favourite on the system.

But, trying to get those hits became Nintendo's biggest troll move (aside from Metroid and Mother3, perhaps). I'm still salty about that 999 999 hits accomplishment and Special Mii malarkey. So much time wasted.

Hmm, doesn't seem stable at all really; there must have been 20 exploits at this point. Only way to prevent security breaches is to not provide a doorway in...like on the Switch - no browser, no savedata. Just great.

@KirbyTheVampire Thanks for that. I have been wondering about Skyrim, now more intrigued.

When I recently contacted customer service here in the UK, I was told that cloud saves wouldn't be a thing until/unless Nintendo can make them secure.

I don't like our chances of ever seeing better data management if that is truly the case. Manipulation of savedata was a major exploit path for 3DS.

@MrGawain Rotfl

Miitomo is ironically kind of pointless in terms of collecting the points, though it's okay for what it is as a question/answer app.

It doesn't seem that it intrinscally offers much reward for most people, so the focus is on MyNintendo rewards, which are a bit meh because many people already have the games on discount or the games are available cheaper elsewhere.

@UK-Nintendo New rewards just added to MyNintendo. Not sure you'll be interested, but for 30 gold coins you can get Swapdoodle lessons. It's...something (if you have a 3DS).

Still nothing for Switch (couldn't they manage a theme even?), but some Metroid discounts. Is Metroid coming back or is it just a troll, celebrating a great franchise while not doing anything with it?

I don't mind Miitomo. Where else can I dress in just a loincloth?

@thesilverbrick They could make joy-con with analog triggers or they could allow gamecube controllers to function within VC software with an adapter like they did for the Wii U. Might not be too difficult to implement at all and if people already have the controllers, that might make it more attractive. Would be nice to have GC VC, for sure.

Well, that was a bit dumb perhaps, but I can see why as a person whose thing is modifying code to make it more open, he might be fundamentally opposed to using his knowledge to close down code. That might feel like a betrayal of prinicple to him and anything that affects a person's sense of identity is dangerous turf. Not a bad person to ask if you want to know where the vulnerable code is, I suppose, but unlikely to ever work out.

I really liked this shrine, though it was one I did early on with no power-ups and only 5 hearts so I made it harder than I should have for myself. Took me 2 days of play. The Hinox was a problem until I realised you can just slash the rope or shoot it with arrows and steal away with the orb.

The combat training shrine was way harder for me. I had to watch a video to see how to do it because at first, I was pressing the buttons but getting nowhere.

@galaia2004 Unfortunately not. The dock contains a proprietary chip involved in converting USB C input from the Switch to HDMI output. It's not possible to circumvent this (yet) so an ordinary cable willl not work, everything must pass through that chip.

I've been docking and undocking all the time with no issues. I have had scratches on 3DS near the hinges. I think it's more likely if a foreign body is accidentally introduced to the dock as I think that's what happened with my 3DS.

@rjejr I tried to find the thread where we were discussing Dimensions, but I couldn't. One the one hand it's disappointing because the core concept of mixing franchises isn't too bad, but I can't help but feel that the overall cost is just too high for what the game offers in terms of the gameplay mechanics. I guess I'll stick with the sets I've got or can pick up cheaply. Otherwise, waiting for an Undercover 2.

Undercover is a very good Lego game. There are rumours of the cancellation of Dimensions though, for anyone wondering on that one.

http://www.brickstolife.com/the-quiet-cancellation-of-lego-dimensions/

For anyone looking for a powerbank, I have the Anker 2100 USB C portable charger and can confirm that it charges the Switch from 15% (the level at which the console gives a warning) up to full while still actively playing Zelda. It's a huge chunk of weight though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00M0EWED0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My local Sainsbury's has nearly all the BotW amiibo and some of the amiibo from other Zelda sets too. Might be worth a look for some if you're in a store.

I'm disappointed that Archer Link doesn't have a bowstring. Otherwise, this seems a fairly useful implementation even if it takes half an hour to scan them all in every day.

I might agree that the cost of a cartridge may increase production costs a little, but not to the extent of the % increase for Rime. That's more likely a result of contracting out the Switch version, it seems to me. Ultimately, I'll decide with my wallet whether a game deserves its purchase price. And so will everyone else, I guess.

If I were Nintendo, I'd wait until a less-hackable browser was ready and simply replace the current one. The current one may not be significant in the long-term, simply providing an easy way to do the job it needs to do now without giving anything away about the browser they actually implement in the end. Could be not showing their hand too early. Also, if this doesn't lead to anything, then it's not worth very much, so how much security the rest of the Switch has is important too, including signature checks for the eShop.

Or could be a bit sloppy.

Cloud saves, streaming apps and a browser ought to be implemented asap, I believe, as a measure to prevent hackers feeling they have a legitimate reason to improve the user experience. After that, it becomes much clearer that hacking at that stage is aimed more squarely at piracy and limits the appeal (well, a little bit...)

I was a little disappointed at first by the graphics output to TV for this game; it looked so much better on the Switch screen. Then I changed the TV settings from the Switch menu and now it looks superb. Also helped massively with BotW. Those automatic settings must be more like standard settings. Set to my actual display and with full, games look so much better.

That's actually interesting to hear it seems engineered more like a laptop than a phone.

They might get a copyright strike for that chest opening soundbyte though. Nintendo still isn't playing nice with YouTubers.

@rjejr We have had a lot of Lego games. They're full of humour and generally well done. Plus, they're easy enough for me to complete (and that's a big bonus for me). City remains the best though, despite all the other franchises. More room to create a story that fits?

I've seen the Dragon films and enjoyed them. They were on over Christmas and I watched with family. Could be great as a Lego game. I know nothing much about Marvel, Batman etc. I haven't even seen Star Wars (any of them).

Box Boy demo certainly. Mario Sportstars is disappointing. As for the rest, if you're going to have a quiet week might as well make it follow the release of Zelda.

@rjejr It would have to be an inelegant software solution, but I don't think it will happen because the portal interaction is a key mechanic. I wish there were a software only version, but it would be too messy. Will probably be a dock only game, if they bother to port. Another game like Lego City would be perfect though. Just get rid of the figures altogether, but keep the same basic plot somehow. Undermines the whole point of Dimensions as it is now, but I'd be up for that.

I'm hoping that Dimensions does the same thing with Lego figures, but not sure that's going to happen. Got into Dimensions despite myself. Year 2 just too full of nostalgic franchises. Really expensive though so I'm using Nectar point events, Tesco vouchers, BOGOF, second hand...

What a pair of melons you have, Alex.

Some of the puzzles remind me of point-and-click games and that's an excellent thing. You have to think about what items you have and you can interact with them and the environment to find a solution. I don't know how they top this version of Zelda in terms of pure gameplay. That's the issue when making a definitive version, I suppose.

If I were to be generous to Nintendo, I might say that being a totally new type of product, the list of known issues for such a device is not yet established.

That might be too generous though. I would also say that a fair few of the issues reported should really have been caught in pre-production and QA testing.

What matters now is Nintendo's response. Swap out faulty units quickly and perhaps revise the dock slightly for future production runs.

Would be interesting to know the percentage of units with issues. What's the actual extent of the problems?

I've had no issues whatsoever. Loving the Switch and BotW is superb.

Well-played, Nintendo.

I can't see it on mine. I can see something, but not read it. Photographer needs a bonus.

Weirdly expensive considering there's no AC adapter. Apparently, the USB connector in the dock must have some kind of security chip because the dock is the only way to output to TV. I wonder if that's to stall security breaches or just keep things proprietary. Making it so expensive is really not endearing.

@Marios-love-child I had a small issue at first because I put in my NNID (like I've been doing for years on 3DS and WiiU) and not the new username that I set up for the Nintendo Account, which was itself based on the NNID. NNID is still linked to that same account, but username is different. If it's not that, then maybe a call to Nintendo. I thought all this was supposed to be getting easier?

Always good to hear from Allbran!

@erv There's this guide. It has some details, if not everything.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/5sz91o/a_guide_to_switch_carrying_cases/

Well, there may be some hope... Switch rewards, you say?

Miitomo is also getting some Switch items.

https://miitomo.com/en/collaboration/170303_switch/

Wonder why they never used that FE artwork that was datamined. Thought that would be a wallpaper for sure.

@Menchi187 Well, if we're being THAT pedantic, it would be more correct to say "game card" without the capitals, but I don't really care. If a term exists in common usage, then semantics are irrelevant.

The Guardian and The Telegraph call them cartridges. This very site called uses the term "cartridge" as well as "game card."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/02/nintendo-switch-game-cartridges-taste-bitter

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/03/02/nintendo-switch-game-cartridges-taste-revolting/

It will be a lonely Pedant's Revolt.

@Menchi187 cartridges

Not à la cart?

No-one does missed opportunity like Nintendo.

Any scope for using GC controllers with an adapter? There are those USB ports.

@BionicDodo Thanks for that! That looks like a good deal. Definitely getting Snipperclips, just not sure I really need/want the extra controllers.

@gamermole The Joy-Con Snipperclips bundle is a March 10 release. I don't think pricing has been announced yet, but I'm not really expecting a discount for the bundle. Can't find it anywhere yet.

I pre-ordered from GAME this time around, but in-store; I'd never do online for a large purchase. I actually had pre-orders at a few places, but GAME rang me up after the January presentation to confirm everything when I was in hopsital and unable to do so in person. Decided to keep my order with them because of the service I had received.

Nindie support confirmed, then (awesome!), but what about the offerings from MyNintendo? They have to offer something for Switch, right? Would be nice to keep the hype rolling if tomorrow the new rewards are decent.

Yeah, I won't hold my breath... but still a tiny part of me willing them to not drop the ball. Keep it coming, come on...

I really liked Stick it to the Man, so this looks right up my street.

I expect there to be many who will disparage the Switch because it has so many Nindies, but these smaller titles add so much value for me.