Darn, that was my big hope for today's Nindies event. Getting more inclined to just pick it up on PC. Still, I'm grateful they put out this statement so folks like me won't watch the event and be disappointed.
Sounds like a pleasant game, if not one that'll get me to plunk down my cash when more interesting games are available (on Switch or elsewhere). Playing the demo, I ended up feeling pretty disappointed in the game's performance - I've been playing Planet Robobot recently and the polished, smooth feeling present there was not the same in the 30fps Star Allies.
It's discouraging that HAL wrung better performance out of the 3DS hardware than they could out of the Switch, particularly given that Star Allies isn't even running at 1080p. I'm no snob for tech specs, but the different game-feel between Robobot and Star Allies was jarring.
Very intriguing! This did not review particularly well when it initially released elsewhere, but perhaps the Switch version is an improvement. Even if the praise is down to particular interests of reviewers, I'm happy to see the game offering different strokes for different folks, so to speak.
Oh man, this is a drag. The premise sounded like it could have been the next Stalker, though the game's low profile suggested a rushed release. Thank goodness Nintendo Life is covering these games!
I adore the news channel, and visit it a few times a week! It's the kind of feature that I wouldn't have thought of, but is charming and offers that same sense of a connected virtual world that the Wii U's home page or the Spla2n plaza presents. The writing for articles is often quite engaging as well.
This is entirely understandable. Hat in Time took a good long while to make and it's possible that the dev want to move along to a new project rather than work on a port. Plus we've seen that more advanced indie titles struggle to make the leap at times due to their underlying programming not being a good fit for the Switch. I suspect that whatever this team makes next will get published on Switch and folks will just need to play Hat in Time on another platform. No worries.
I love the idea that Rain Games is working up, and they clearly have the dev talent to pull it off. After adoring World to the West, I'm eagerly anticipating this one!
DQ: Builders is the only definite upcoming purchase for me, but other contenders include Penny Punching Princess, Kirby Star Allies and The Longest Five Minutes. I'll be curious to see how those are reviewed
@GlutenFreeGamer Unfortunately, The Sexy Brutale is said to have some serious performance issues too. The studio has such ambitious, cool ideas but I'm looking forward to the day when they have the technical background to back it up.
@Razzy Haha, I fear you may be out of touch with modern American beer. It's very good, and absolutely rivals beer being produced in Europe. Just avoid the major breweries - Budweiser, Amstel, etc., yuck! - and you'll be fine.
As for this particular beer, I'll pick up a 6 pack the moment I see it. Baltimore's Heavy Seas Brewery produces a fantastic hazy IPA (I'm not sure what that means) called Alpha Effect and I'm excited to try out other beers bearing this... er, genre.
I'm very excited for this, and happy that Nintendo's been highlighting it in their official Direct communications. Day One buy for me, assuming that there aren't any catastrophic technical issues.
That is so, so, so cool. It's not something I'll be using, as it falls pretty far outside of my interests, but the concept is just utterly brilliant. Feels like an evolution to their work with augmented reality and motion controls. Fascinating stuff!
Argh, I was really hoping for 60fps given how well DS3 plays on PC. Such is life - I enjoyed it at 30fps on Xbox 360 in 2011 and I'll enjoy it just as much in 2018!
(Speaking as someone who hasn't ever seen a previous Gamespot Nintendo Direct tweet): it seems pretty odd for the tweet to indicate 45 minutes from now. Like, wouldn't it be more reasonable to state an hour? Or 'tomorrow,' or something like that? What a weird time to note.
Haha, as a professional archivist and historian I take exception to Aonuma's comments on history books. More seriously, it's hard to imagine caring about where a game fits in the timeline. It's fun to speculate about, of course, but ultimately inconsequential. I don't get the impression that the creators worry about it (though Hyrule Historia exists, so who knows?).
It's such a rich game at this point, I don't think any more content updates are needed. What is it - 15 fighters, 15 stages, multiple game modes, etc.? They even have events now, along with an 'achievement' system. I thought it was worth $60 in June and it's even more worth it now. I'm grateful that the support has lasted as long as it has, and I hope this frees up the team to get to work on ARMS 2
A surprisingly easy answer, given how many excellent games got published this year. Still, Breath of the Wild is an utter game-changer for me, and for my money the best game made since Super Mario World.
Sold! I will be pre-ordering this for the sweet discount. All the easier with a game that's known to be excellent (even if I've somehow missed it on previous hardware).
Oh cool! I recall seeing this coming to PCs and then forgetting the title (while still wishing that I had played the game). Will pick it up on Switch if the port is good.
I thought her comments were pretty funny. I'm enjoying the game for what it is, but it's closer to standard mobile fare than the level of quality and content we'd normally associate with Nintendo. Not a bad thing, as long as they keep their top-notch stuff on the Switch and 3DS.
Woo, very excited for this one. I held off on the PC version to pick it up on Switch, since it feels like it should right at home there. I'm still holding out hope for 60fps (and will indeed opt for the PC version if it doesn't pull that off), and I don't think 600p will be an issue in handheld mode - Snake Pass dipped below that, if memory serves, and I thought that still looked good.
Oh wow, what a great idea! I haven't popped into ARMS for a couple of months, but I've been looking to return. Looks like tonight's the night. I'll be representing Team Spring Man (much as I like Ribbon Girl - they're all great, aren't they?).
Huh, this came out of nowhere for me! I'll have to wait at the moment, since I've been on an indie buying spree (Steamworld Dig 2, Lumo, Cat Quest and Kingdom: New Lands), but this sounds like it'll be up my alley during what I assume will be a winter lull.
Hooray! After a few high-profile performance flops recently, I was a little nervous, but will now be picking up Skyrim on Switch. I've actually been anticipating this for months, so it'll be fun to have another massive adventure to enjoy over the winter season.
Thanks for addressing the issue that I've been wondering the most about - handheld mode UI. So many developers get this wrong (including MonolithSoft in XCX), so it's very promising to hear that the issue has been resolved in XC2.
This is so disappointing. I'll be keeping my eye on other coverage and patches, but frame-stuttering is just something that I can't overlook (given an over-sensitivity to motion sickness). What a shame that they couldn't get it running well on the hardware, despite what has clearly been quite a bit of effort.
Thanks for sharing this. I'll sadly be passing on DOOM Switch, as sub-720p resolution and frequent sub-30fps framerate are not things I'm willing to accept in a full-priced game (or, to be honest, virtually any discounted game). I hope it does well to encourage more third party support, but I'll be eagerly awaiting Skyrim and confirmation that it runs/looks well on Switch.
I will definitely be picking this up. It really came out of nowhere for me, too, as I'd never heard of it until Gita Jackson wrote about it for Kotaku and now Nintendo Life published a positive review. Thanks for publicizing so many cool games that could easily fall between the cracks!
@crackafreeze If you haven't looked into it, I'd strongly recommend Nintendo Force magazine. I backed them on Kickstarter and get a jam-packed issue every other month. It's worth every penny (and you can opt for either a PDF, a physical magazine, or both!). Here's a link: http://www.nintendoforcemagazine.com/
Very excited for this game. Shame about the stutters, and I hope they iron them out ahead of a final release, but I'm still looking forward to it and will likely pick it up day-one, pending good reviews of the port.
I picked this up a couple weeks ago and have logged more hours into it than many other Switch and 3DS games. It's very tightly designed, always beckoning you to one more floor/room/session. I'd recommend it very highly.
@Zelda_Geek It's worth noting that there was a legit Star Fox project being developed for Virtual Boy: https://www.unseen64.net/2008/05/18/star-fox-virtual-boy/. It may well have simply been a tech demo, of course, like Mario 128 or the GC Zelda footage. That has no bearing on whether this new info is real or fake, and I think the ESRB info points in the direction of it being fake.
Super cool! I was not expecting to see a time when Nintendo users like me were offered this option (which is quite similar to the one I've heard about on the PS4 Pro). I'll definitely be playing in 720p with 60fps, as Hyrule Warriors looked gorgeous at that resolution and played beautifully too.
I won't be pre-ordering, just because I don't have the same confidence that I put in Nintendo for stable software, but this looks very promising. Assuming the press is good at release, I'll be picking up a copy. Haven't played the game since 2011, and I couldn't pass up a handheld version of one of the last generation's best RPGs.
It's very disappointing, though not unexpected. Nintendo has pretty consistently failed to understand their customers (at least in the West) for at least a decade now. I love their hardware and software, but their business moves are as inscrutable as an arts & entertainment company could be.
Comments 378
Re: Review: Detective Pikachu (3DS)
I've been excited for this since it originally released in Japan, so I'll be picking it up ASAP. So glad to hear it's an expanded version.
Re: Hollow Knight On Switch Not Part Of The Nindies Showcase, But Release News Is Coming Soon
Darn, that was my big hope for today's Nindies event. Getting more inclined to just pick it up on PC. Still, I'm grateful they put out this statement so folks like me won't watch the event and be disappointed.
Re: Review: Kirby Star Allies (Switch)
Sounds like a pleasant game, if not one that'll get me to plunk down my cash when more interesting games are available (on Switch or elsewhere). Playing the demo, I ended up feeling pretty disappointed in the game's performance - I've been playing Planet Robobot recently and the polished, smooth feeling present there was not the same in the 30fps Star Allies.
It's discouraging that HAL wrung better performance out of the 3DS hardware than they could out of the Switch, particularly given that Star Allies isn't even running at 1080p. I'm no snob for tech specs, but the different game-feel between Robobot and Star Allies was jarring.
Re: You Can Pre-Order the Splatoon 2 Pearl And Marina Amiibo Two Pack Right Now
Woohoo, thanks for the tip; just pre-ordered. Now I'll resume waiting on Nintendo to release a Judd/Li'l Judd Amiibo. C'mon guys!
Re: NIS America's Online Stores Hacked, Credit Card Details Compromised
@JayJ Yeah, it's always worth the (minor) hassle of entering your data each time so this kind of thing has a lower chance of occurring.
Re: Review: The Final Station (Switch eShop)
Very intriguing! This did not review particularly well when it initially released elsewhere, but perhaps the Switch version is an improvement. Even if the praise is down to particular interests of reviewers, I'm happy to see the game offering different strokes for different folks, so to speak.
Re: Peter Molyneux's The Trail: Frontier Challenge Is Out Right Now On Switch
I'm definitely looking forward to reading about this. It sounds kind of cool from the brief description, but it could also be hopelessly dull.
Re: Review: Radiation Island (Switch eShop)
Oh man, this is a drag. The premise sounded like it could have been the next Stalker, though the game's low profile suggested a rushed release. Thank goodness Nintendo Life is covering these games!
Re: Review: Little Triangle (Switch eShop)
The developer had a very cool AMA over on the Switch sub-reddit yesterday: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/80dv5w/amawe_are_dreamoji_and_cottongame_from_shanghai/#live. I'm glad to see the game reviewing well!
Re: The Nintendo Switch News Channel Took Almost A Year To Create
I adore the news channel, and visit it a few times a week! It's the kind of feature that I wouldn't have thought of, but is charming and offers that same sense of a connected virtual world that the Wii U's home page or the Spla2n plaza presents. The writing for articles is often quite engaging as well.
Re: A Hat In Time Developer Confirms The Time Travel Platformer Won't Leap Onto Switch
This is entirely understandable. Hat in Time took a good long while to make and it's possible that the dev want to move along to a new project rather than work on a port. Plus we've seen that more advanced indie titles struggle to make the leap at times due to their underlying programming not being a good fit for the Switch. I suspect that whatever this team makes next will get published on Switch and folks will just need to play Hat in Time on another platform. No worries.
Re: Review: Owlboy (Switch eShop)
Can't wait to play this one!
Re: Features and Release Window Revealed For Nintendo Switch Exclusive Shelter Generations
As long as the port's performance is good, I'll be picking this up on Switch. I've long meant to get around to it on PC but kept pushing it off.
Re: Rain Games Announces Its Next Game, Mesmer
I love the idea that Rain Games is working up, and they clearly have the dev talent to pull it off. After adoring World to the West, I'm eagerly anticipating this one!
Re: Guide: Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games And Accessories For February And March
DQ: Builders is the only definite upcoming purchase for me, but other contenders include Penny Punching Princess, Kirby Star Allies and The Longest Five Minutes. I'll be curious to see how those are reviewed
Re: RiME's Developer Has Been "Working Tirelessly" On A New Patch To Fix The Buggy Switch Port
@Ham-n-jam I wonder why Nintendo cares about patch size?
Re: RiME's Developer Has Been "Working Tirelessly" On A New Patch To Fix The Buggy Switch Port
@GlutenFreeGamer Unfortunately, The Sexy Brutale is said to have some serious performance issues too. The studio has such ambitious, cool ideas but I'm looking forward to the day when they have the technical background to back it up.
Re: Random: This Zelda-Inspired Beer Looks Like It Might Refresh The Parts Other Beers Cannot Reach
@quinnbad Hahaha, don't I look like a dope now! Oops. I don't know why I conflated it with Budweiser and Coors in my mind.
Re: Random: This Zelda-Inspired Beer Looks Like It Might Refresh The Parts Other Beers Cannot Reach
@Razzy Haha, I fear you may be out of touch with modern American beer. It's very good, and absolutely rivals beer being produced in Europe. Just avoid the major breweries - Budweiser, Amstel, etc., yuck! - and you'll be fine.
As for this particular beer, I'll pick up a 6 pack the moment I see it. Baltimore's Heavy Seas Brewery produces a fantastic hazy IPA (I'm not sure what that means) called Alpha Effect and I'm excited to try out other beers bearing this... er, genre.
Re: Feature: Conquering The Indie Mountain With Celeste Creator Matt Makes Games
I'm very excited for this, and happy that Nintendo's been highlighting it in their official Direct communications. Day One buy for me, assuming that there aren't any catastrophic technical issues.
Re: Feature: Shooting The Breeze With Chromagun Developer, Pixel Maniacs
Looks fantastic! Thanks for featuring it, and I'm looking forward to hearing how the game plays.
Re: Nintendo Announces Labo, A Range Of Interactive DIY Toys For Switch
That is so, so, so cool. It's not something I'll be using, as it falls pretty far outside of my interests, but the concept is just utterly brilliant. Feels like an evolution to their work with augmented reality and motion controls. Fascinating stuff!
Re: Praise The Sun! Dark Souls: Remastered Is Coming To Switch This May
@JaxonH Amazing - I was willing to pay $60, so woohoo!
Re: Praise The Sun! Dark Souls: Remastered Is Coming To Switch This May
Argh, I was really hoping for 60fps given how well DS3 plays on PC. Such is life - I enjoyed it at 30fps on Xbox 360 in 2011 and I'll enjoy it just as much in 2018!
Re: GameStop Tweets About Nintendo Direct, Then Quickly Deletes The Tweet
(Speaking as someone who hasn't ever seen a previous Gamespot Nintendo Direct tweet): it seems pretty odd for the tweet to indicate 45 minutes from now. Like, wouldn't it be more reasonable to state an hour? Or 'tomorrow,' or something like that? What a weird time to note.
Re: A Nindies New Year Sale Has Begun on Switch Today
That's a fantastic set of games. I'll be picking up Thimbleweed Park, since I think I have most of the rest already
Re: Breath of the Wild Developers Discuss the Zelda Timeline
@Zelda_Geek No spoilers
Re: Breath of the Wild Developers Discuss the Zelda Timeline
Haha, as a professional archivist and historian I take exception to Aonuma's comments on history books. More seriously, it's hard to imagine caring about where a game fits in the timeline. It's fun to speculate about, of course, but ultimately inconsequential. I don't get the impression that the creators worry about it (though Hyrule Historia exists, so who knows?).
Re: ARMS Version 5.0 Is The Last Content Update The Game Will Recieve
It's such a rich game at this point, I don't think any more content updates are needed. What is it - 15 fighters, 15 stages, multiple game modes, etc.? They even have events now, along with an 'achievement' system. I thought it was worth $60 in June and it's even more worth it now. I'm grateful that the support has lasted as long as it has, and I hope this frees up the team to get to work on ARMS 2
Re: Feature: Vote For Your 2017 Nintendo Life Game of the Year
A surprisingly easy answer, given how many excellent games got published this year. Still, Breath of the Wild is an utter game-changer for me, and for my money the best game made since Super Mario World.
Re: Mutant Mudds Collection is Out Soon With a Nice 'Early Birds' Discount
Sold! I will be pre-ordering this for the sweet discount. All the easier with a game that's known to be excellent (even if I've somehow missed it on previous hardware).
Re: The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker Will, Erm, Infect Switch Next Spring
Oh cool! I recall seeing this coming to PCs and then forgetting the title (while still wishing that I had played the game). Will pick it up on Switch if the port is good.
Re: Random: Model Chrissy Teigen Rants About Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp's "Jerks"
I thought her comments were pretty funny. I'm enjoying the game for what it is, but it's closer to standard mobile fare than the level of quality and content we'd normally associate with Nintendo. Not a bad thing, as long as they keep their top-notch stuff on the Switch and 3DS.
Re: Feature: Yooka-Laylee Jumps Onto Switch in December - We Learn All About It
@Switch_will_fail Oh no! I'd forgotten this. I'll still keep my fingers crossed, since the resolution has been dropped, but that's not promising.
Re: Feature: Yooka-Laylee Jumps Onto Switch in December - We Learn All About It
Woo, very excited for this one. I held off on the PC version to pick it up on Switch, since it feels like it should right at home there. I'm still holding out hope for 60fps (and will indeed opt for the PC version if it doesn't pull that off), and I don't think 600p will be an issue in handheld mode - Snake Pass dipped below that, if memory serves, and I thought that still looked good.
Re: ARMS Gets a Switch News Post Gift to Promote First 'Party Crash'
Oh wow, what a great idea! I haven't popped into ARMS for a couple of months, but I've been looking to return. Looks like tonight's the night. I'll be representing Team Spring Man (much as I like Ribbon Girl - they're all great, aren't they?).
Re: Review: Gear.Club Unlimited (Switch)
Huh, this came out of nowhere for me! I'll have to wait at the moment, since I've been on an indie buying spree (Steamworld Dig 2, Lumo, Cat Quest and Kingdom: New Lands), but this sounds like it'll be up my alley during what I assume will be a winter lull.
Re: Review: Lumo (Switch)
This looks great! When will the parade of excellent indie titles cease, haha.
Re: Video: Digital Foundry Gives Its Full Analysis of Skyrim on Nintendo Switch
Hooray! After a few high-profile performance flops recently, I was a little nervous, but will now be picking up Skyrim on Switch. I've actually been anticipating this for months, so it'll be fun to have another massive adventure to enjoy over the winter season.
Re: Preview: Returning to a Strange Universe in Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Thanks for addressing the issue that I've been wondering the most about - handheld mode UI. So many developers get this wrong (including MonolithSoft in XCX), so it's very promising to hear that the issue has been resolved in XC2.
Re: Review: RiME (Switch)
This is so disappointing. I'll be keeping my eye on other coverage and patches, but frame-stuttering is just something that I can't overlook (given an over-sensitivity to motion sickness). What a shame that they couldn't get it running well on the hardware, despite what has clearly been quite a bit of effort.
Re: Digital Foundry Gives Its Full Analysis of DOOM on Nintendo Switch
Thanks for sharing this. I'll sadly be passing on DOOM Switch, as sub-720p resolution and frequent sub-30fps framerate are not things I'm willing to accept in a full-priced game (or, to be honest, virtually any discounted game). I hope it does well to encourage more third party support, but I'll be eagerly awaiting Skyrim and confirmation that it runs/looks well on Switch.
Re: Review: Moon Hunters (Switch eShop)
I will definitely be picking this up. It really came out of nowhere for me, too, as I'd never heard of it until Gita Jackson wrote about it for Kotaku and now Nintendo Life published a positive review. Thanks for publicizing so many cool games that could easily fall between the cracks!
Re: Switch Player's Next Issue Is Packed With Super Mario Odyssey Goodness
@crackafreeze If you haven't looked into it, I'd strongly recommend Nintendo Force magazine. I backed them on Kickstarter and get a jam-packed issue every other month. It's worth every penny (and you can opt for either a PDF, a physical magazine, or both!). Here's a link: http://www.nintendoforcemagazine.com/
Re: Hands On: RiME Lights Up On Nintendo Switch
Very excited for this game. Shame about the stutters, and I hope they iron them out ahead of a final release, but I'm still looking forward to it and will likely pick it up day-one, pending good reviews of the port.
Re: Review: Quest of Dungeons (Switch eShop)
I picked this up a couple weeks ago and have logged more hours into it than many other Switch and 3DS games. It's very tightly designed, always beckoning you to one more floor/room/session. I'd recommend it very highly.
Re: Random: Someone Claims to Have Unearthed Star Fox: Red Zone Virtual Boy Assets
@Zelda_Geek It's worth noting that there was a legit Star Fox project being developed for Virtual Boy: https://www.unseen64.net/2008/05/18/star-fox-virtual-boy/. It may well have simply been a tech demo, of course, like Mario 128 or the GC Zelda footage. That has no bearing on whether this new info is real or fake, and I think the ESRB info points in the direction of it being fake.
Re: You'll Be Able To Sacrifice Resolution For Frame Rate In Fire Emblem Warriors On Switch
Super cool! I was not expecting to see a time when Nintendo users like me were offered this option (which is quite similar to the one I've heard about on the PS4 Pro). I'll definitely be playing in 720p with 60fps, as Hyrule Warriors looked gorgeous at that resolution and played beautifully too.
Re: Digital Foundry Comes Away Very Impressed With Skyrim On Switch
I won't be pre-ordering, just because I don't have the same confidence that I put in Nintendo for stable software, but this looks very promising. Assuming the press is good at release, I'll be picking up a copy. Haven't played the game since 2011, and I couldn't pass up a handheld version of one of the last generation's best RPGs.
Re: Soapbox: The SNES Classic Edition Pre-Order Farce Proves Nintendo Hasn't Learned A Thing
It's very disappointing, though not unexpected. Nintendo has pretty consistently failed to understand their customers (at least in the West) for at least a decade now. I love their hardware and software, but their business moves are as inscrutable as an arts & entertainment company could be.