SillyG

I'm only interested in physical copies anyway, though the bundle would have been tempting in case I decide to grab another Switch 2 later on (I don't even have the one yet) for wireless multiplayer on the fly.

I never liked the pixel art on the NA boxes (or the GBA releases in the mid 2000s).

Japan easily wins these.

*free downgrade

I organised our local Celestial Research Day meetup in Pokémon Go earlier today, with 1/10 shiny odds for Solrock or Lunatone encounters in Field Research for 3 hours. I got three shiny Solrock (which we already get in Australia), and only two Lunatone.

Virtually dead turnout as it was bloody hot. Only a few of us regulars showed up as well as a couple of new players who I had never met before. Another couple of recent players had also shown up, but I had missed their WhatsApp messages until after the fact.

No shiny costume encounters, sadly. I caught a shiny Charjabug yesterday, but I still need another one as I want one to stay unevolved. Two of our players managed to nab Christmas tree Sudowoodos after raiding together. Still none for me. Got a 15/15/14, which isn't any consolation either.

I was on the light rail for much of the day to get away from the heat. A bit of a lonely day in the end. I kept playing until 7pm. (mainly to do as many local Chrissy raids as I could get my hands on; I need that Christmas tree Sudowoodo!!!!!)

Crappy, cringey game that will undoubtedly be released as a GKC. Hardest of passes from me, dawg.

For those interested, A-Train has a complete Japanese physical release (with English support), compatible with both the Switch 2 and original Switch models.

@BlackenedHalo : Surely any game of this kind made for such underpowered hardware would have to be a programmed-from-the-ground-up "demake" as opposed to a port utilising the base version's code, assets etc.

What was released on the DS as "Resident Evil: Deadly Silence", however, was a straight port, with some changes and additions.

@Burning_Spear : Inexcusably crap port + GKC = Sycophants bleating "arE yOu GoNNa cOmPLaiN aBoUt EvErY GaME!? ErMAGawwSh! u GuYS aRe sUcH dRAmA QuEEns!"

God forbid gamers have standards anymore.

Considering that the physical releases were already delayed so that the digital version could be released sooner, this is inexcusably pathetic, made worse by the fact that they lied, but "tee hee", blamed "internal comms fumble" for their shameless deception instead of, oh, I don't know, delaying the physical release instead of knowingly sending unfinished s*** to the assembly line.

And all for the inclusion of a tiny decades old ROM. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Higher game prices would be excusable if not for constant BS like this.

Looks like they cared more about stuffing all of that useless tat in the physical box than the one thing that an actual game collector ought to give a damn about: the actual game on the supplied media.

Pokémon City Safari Sydney this weekend. Bought my tickets for both days. It's the first real event to be held in Australia since the app was released over 9 years ago, so there was quite a bit of buzz around it. All over the city you could spot randos playing the game. 😅

Our local group mostly stuck together, which was nice. The weather was okay. Not too hot. All of my shinies were duds, and I hadn't caught nearly enough shiny donkeys. About 1,500 catches in total.

And I still need a shiny Unown B.

I need to clear out some storage in preparation for tomorrow. C'mon more donkeys!

Beautiful. Though I wish they were 100% done before actually releasing it. I hope to grab a reprint with everything on the cart, which should be a safe bet by the time I end up grabbing a Switch 2.

That's a super cute amiibo, but whether I will also buy the game will boil down to whether this gets a proper physical release (which I strongly doubt will materialise).

Anything CGI heavy now looks like AI slop. Looks like they would have needed a much higher VFX budget to shake off the is-it-or-is-it-not-AI look.

How the freak is Metroid Prime Hunters almost at the bottom?!

That's the game that introduced me to the franchise, firstly through the pack-in demo on DS (those were the days!), which contained exclusive maps/content that wasn't featured in the full game at all, and over a year after the DS's Australian launch, the full version would follow, and I remember buying it on day one.

Such an impressive achievement on such humble hardware.

@Gamebits : There always has been.

@PKDuckman : The licence might have been unreasonably expensive, and the "collection" having too niche an appeal to recoup its licensing costs after the first year of release (as whatever little interest this release would have attracted would have significantly dwindled by then).

Sure, it sucks, but it sounds like a gripe that should be leveled to the rights holders rather than LRG.

I can't agree with it being the worst by any stretch of the imagination, but this really should have been built into the Switch 2's firmware or otherwise made a free download.

@Pat_trick : As much as I want to (eventually) play Legends ZA, the fact that they set the game in a single city and still neglected to hone in on those micro elements to really bring every facet of the city to life is frankly pathetic.

There goes my dream for a Wario All Stars collection...

We got a 4/10 Skyrim port before GTA VI.

@Jeff2sayshi : Anniversary Edition only, I'm afraid. The Anniversary Edition is basically paid DLC for the original 2017 release, plus you have the Switch 2 Edition as further DLC (though the latter is available at no extra cost).

@PinderSchloss : Millions.

And while I'm keen on grabbing this eventually (hopefully a physical re-release with the DLC on the cart), this isn't a good look for the Pokémon brand. Being set in a single city would have been fine had they really honed in on those micro elements to really bring the city to life, but it just looks like a barren concrete jungle with almost nothing to do in it.

Legends Arceus did it better, with much more thought gone into its various environments/biomes, and they didn't hold the rest of the game hostage behind a $30 ransom either.

I'm not going to buy an expensive peripheral to play games that I can only rent.

Had they issued a physical cartridge with the headset, I'd have been all over this, but as it stands? Hell no.

Which is a shame, because I would have loved this otherwise.

There are seven Black Ops games now?! I must have been living under a rock.

Also a reminder that there hasn't been a single Call of Duty game on a Nintendo platform in over 12 years.

I'm surprised that we didn't even get barebones ports of older games on Switch.

Even the humble DS got no less than five exclusive games built from the ground up.

Metroid whenever I grab a Switch 2. Skyrim if it gets a properly physical Switch 2 release. And I'll consider Rogue Prince of Persia on Switch 1 (in the absence of a physical Switch 2 release). I don't understand why they didn't just make a Switch 1 version that plays with better performance/resolution on Switch 2 considering how small the game is.

@squisan : Bethesda games tend to go on sale every so often (and with substantial discounts too), so it's definitely worth waiting.

There better be Mega Dudunsparce X, Y, Z, and every other freaking letter in the Latin alphabet, Greek alphabet, Arabic alphabet, Cyrillic alphabet, and Standard Galactic Alphabet, or I'll friggin' riot.

@RumandCohibas : I think the modern DOOM games are crying out for native Switch 2 ports based on the original build rather than the Switch 1 versions with a mere performance boost.

@RiasGremory : hem hem

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is now available on Switch 2 for £52.99 (or your regional equivalent). Those with the Anniversary Edition already installed on Switch 1 can upgrade to the S2 version for free, or you can upgrade from the base game to the Anniversary Edition for £17.99.

The Anniversary Edition never got a physical release on Switch 1, so I would totally double-dip on an all-in-one Switch 2 physical re-release if one materialises.

Would you expect the average Tom, Dick, or Harry to be able to make any sense of it if Nintendo were to release exhaustively detailed notes on every little update that they make? I'm sure their work is tedious enough without also having to write up a press release that is of little interest (or relevance) to the public.

Plus, it's also suspected that Nintendo routinely tightens the security of their hardware (hence why the 3DS still receives system updates, however rarely), and it wouldn't be in their interests to reveal exactly how they are doing so.

But to your point, they should be more upfront when there are new QoL/compatibility improvements woven into system updates rather than leaving it to the end-user (and data miners) to discover them for the benefit of the rest of us.

This is my first time seeing the Japanese cover... and it's sexy as hell.

But I'm also so used to seeing the Western artwork (which we also got in Australia), that I'm inclined to default to that.

Both great covers though. A rarity in these surveys.

Regrettably, I skipped this back in the day. Perhaps I ought to finally grab a copy and finally experience the magic of rumble on the humble DS (I believe the only other compatible game I own is Super Princess Peach).

"Nintendo Switch 2 Editions" are the Wii U ports of this generation.

I wouldn't mind them so much if the games that have paid DLC would actually include the damn DLC on the cartridge, even if they have to charge more (cough BOTW & Animal Crossing).

It's the Community Day annual wrap-up weekend in Pokémon Go. One of our community ambassadors was unable to attend at the last minute, so I stepped in... but hardly anybody showed up. After spending some time with the few attendees, we boarded the light rail as it was quite hot. The other benefit of taking the light rail is the increase in spawns.

At 5:00, I ran into a few of the other players who had shown up a little later but hadn't caught up to the rest of us.

I won't be hosting tomorrow, but we'll be doing it all over again from 2:00 to 5:00. I'm torn as to whether I want to use my perishable incubators to get me to Level 75...

@Spider-Kev : I was subtly expressing solidarity with your (and a select few others) sentiment in the form of a movie reference that substitutes "Chinatown" with the people of Lot.

@Spider-Kev : Forget it, Jake. It's S&G.

I'm more nostalgic about games being included on the actual supplied cartridge/disc. It's ridiculous that we now have to make a song and dance about third party games not being on a GKC. Gimme the actual game over a manual anyday. Priorities, people.

Though I do miss the "new game smell" of DS manuals. Those were the days...

I think the 3DS/Wii U handled the transition well with electronic manuals for most, if not every game, though there must have been only a handful of times where I'd played a game throughout the Switch's lifespan where I had wished that there was a manual to consult. Yes, they're nice to look at, but I only ever seem to glance at manuals once (without actually reading the whole thing). Other than providing some in-universe related tidbits, they're a bit wasteful, really.

There is nothing as certain as a "careful assessment".

@yohn777 : The worst thing about all of that text is that it doesn't actually communicate that the cartridge is compatible across both platforms, only that it contains both the Switch base game and Switch 2 upgrade pack.

It's one of the stupidest and most obtuse ways that Nintendo could have communicated the fact that the cartridges are compatible across both generations of hardware without explicitly stating that fact. I think it would have been better to have a third cover template for such cross-generation releases (as opposed to cartridges that only work on Switch 2), and perhaps incorporate both the Switch and Switch 2 logos on the cover (or include a message like "Also Compatible with Nintendo Switch" akin to the covers of Game Boy Color games back in the day).

@shock_trooper : I was talking about the new mega form(s) coming to Pokémon Go, not transferring to Pokémon Home.

Now let's have that review of the Switch 1 version running on Switch 2!

@The_Nintendo_Expat : I don't quite understand why Nintendo even bothers with this stupidly communicated "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" nonsense, when they could have made a second banner or cover standard that would clearly communicate when a release is compatible across both consoles, and perhaps stick to just that one SKU for the purposes of any physical releases.

I suppose some may appreciate the slightly cheaper Switch 1 physical release, but if one intends to eventually upgrade, why bother with that when the Switch 2 cartridge offers the best of both worlds?

@Friendly : I don't understand why, if they have no plans to issue a proper Switch 2 release, to just make a Switch 1 version that performs better when played on the Switch 2 instead of a dedicated Switch 2 version.

Just a reminder that the Switch 2 cartridge is compatible on both consoles (to be fair, so is the Switch 1 version, but you won't get the Switch 2 enhancements when playing on the newer hardware).

Something to bear in mind if you eventually intend to upgrade to a Switch 2.

My shundo Lucario in Pokémon Go is so ready for this!

@rvcolem1 : Especially considering that an online subscription was required to play the damn thing!

Ooo, love the choices of Joy-Con 2 wheels! We haven't had this many options since the glorious Wii days. I look forward to grabbing them eventually (though I hope they come to Australia).

Gimme 4K and GameShare for classic DOOM!!!

Dynamax Lugia débuted in Pokémon Go this weekend. It's quite tanky and a pain to catch. Four ran from me... 😡 which cemented my decision to not bother spending a cent on this terrible event.

Will give it another try tomorrow, and there's also Pikipek Community Day taking place, which I intend to spend on the light rail, away from the heat, and hopefully some of the other local players will join me too.

I got Underground 2 and the OG Most Wanted via a Pizza Hut deal in Australia back in 2005 and 2006 respectively. From memory, the deal was AU$34.95, came with two pizzas, garlic bread, drink, and a game. The food alone would normally have set you back about $25, so the bonus game deal (which included options of Battlefield and Sims 2 games as well) was an absolute bargain, especially as the games were all recent releases, and would normally cost you at least $50 had you picked them up at the shops! (RRP was $89.95 for the games!)

Loved the games too, even though NFS wasn't the sort of series that typically piqued my interest. I later bought ProStreet on DS, the Most Wanted sequel/reboot thing on Wii U (at full price for a late port, and much of the DLC was never ported either), The Run on 3DS (which I had completely forgotten about and edited in), plus the dreaded "download required" Hot Pursuit remake on Switch. Fortunately most of the game actually was on the cart (if not the entire of the offline portion), but there was a 1GB download for some such reason (likely pertaining to online play), so the download warning seemed a little overblown, to be fair.

I wouldn't mind dipping my toes into a NFS game on Switch 2, but only if they bother to put the game on the cart.

@AussieMcBucket : That would be even more expensive than including the game on a proper cartridge in the first place. Switch cards should be cheaper to manufacture by virtue of them being ROM cartridges.