Comments 2,256

Re: Talking Point: One Month On, How Did Nintendo's Switch 2 Launch Go?

somnambulance

@Oldstalk I definitely agree with you. There’s basically no timeline or updates for the console which makes the launch feel more frustrating. Trying to rely on the Nintendo Today app for updates is an awful shift in strategy. As much as the DK Direct was fantastic, it basically said “great looking game looks greater, but it’s right around the corner.” We need a line-up for the rest of the year. The PlayStation-esque strategy of silence and random trailer drops is ultimately not what I want out of Nintendo this generation.

Re: Talking Point: One Month On, How Did Nintendo's Switch 2 Launch Go?

somnambulance

I’ll say this: the Switch 1 was my favorite console of all time and I view the Switch 2 as an improved console in every single way. That said though, I don’t yet know if the Switch 2 will have the same impact as the Switch 1. When I got the first Switch, I was blown away game after game, from Puyo Puyo Tetris to Mario Odyssey to Mario Kart 8 to BotW to Golf Story to whatever else I played. The first full year of the Switch 1 was one of my favorite years in gaming and it wasn’t even my favorite year in the Switch 1 history (that was 2019, talk about a barrage of bangers that year, even if the games were more subtle).

That said, I… don’t really know what to play on my Switch 2 right now. I’m sort of done with the concept of the Switch being a port machine. I may be done on double dipping on games I bought in the last couple years elsewhere, you know? The “Witcher 3 is on Switch!?” novelty is gone. Mario Kart World might actually be my favorite Mario Kart, but I’m really casual on the series. I love the console, but I feel like I’m waiting for new experiences. With Donkey Kong, Metroid Prime, and Pokemon, along with Hades, Mina the Hollower, and Silksong among other games, I expect I’ll be really favorable of the line-up soon, but we’re just not there yet. I’m really happy I got the console, but I almost feel like it launched two months too early. Would be a 10/10 if the console would’ve launched with two more games I wanted to play, but 9/10 right now for the console just with a 7/10-ish launch.

Re: Poll: How Many Hours Have You Spent In Mario Kart World So Far?

somnambulance

@Suketoudara Yeah, I agree it’s the best single player Mario Kart game, but I still get sort of bored with it after prolonged play. I’m not a huge racing game person, so that could be why, but I’ll usually play MKW for about an hour at a time any time I play it. I just don’t suck into it like a proper single player game. Usually I’m playing the game with my wife and kids and I have the most fun with it doing that.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (5th July)

somnambulance

I should know later today if my PS5 is repairable after over a week of waiting for it now, so best case scenario, I’ll be picking it up tomorrow and playing some Death Stranding 2 finally!

Other than that, I’ve been out with family the last two days and today, so, while I do have my Switch 2 on me, I’ve not played it. I can see myself showing off Welcome Tour and Mario Kart World at some point.

Re: Poll: How Many Hours Have You Spent In Mario Kart World So Far?

somnambulance

I’ve played about 20-30 hours so far. My son has said it best, “It’s really good, but there’s only so much racing you can do before you want to do something else.” I’d rank it a 9/10 regardless of that. It’s my favorite social game in a good, long while. I just feel like I’m craving a single player game hardcore.

Re: Switch 2 Welcome Tour Developer Gets Officially Revealed

somnambulance

@beltmenot It’s a good game. It’s relaxing, calming, and demonstrates the unique features of the console in really effective ways. If it would’ve been a pack-in, it would’ve been 80+ on Metacritic and people would be talking about how it’s almost as good a pack-in as Astro’s Playroom and Wii Sports.

But it is a relatively cheap experience even so… it doesn’t deserve the negativity it’s getting. It’s not like it’s a full price game. I’ve spent $70 on games I haven’t liked and we all have. The less than $10 price of entry is cheaper than a meal in 2025.

Re: Best Mario Sports Games Of All Time

somnambulance

@John_Deacon Aces is among the most underrated Mario games of all time. Period. I love the game and every time I go back to it, I have so much fun and everyone I’m playing with is having so much fun. It’s just such a solid game and I’m surprised it’s not viewed as one of the best Mario sports games. I mean, sure the story isn’t much to write home about, but the match to match gameplay is potentially the best in Mario sports. For me, at least!

Re: Furukawa's Defence Of Game-Key Cards Ain't All That Convincing

somnambulance

@kmtrain83 The Xbox section at my local Walmart is now a glass case with consoles and some gift cards above it. They basically took its space for Switch 2 rather than expanding. Also, there were only rows for six Switch 2 games. Looking at current displays, I do think the Switch 1 may have more life in it than any of us would’ve thought. Also, there were no third party Switch 1 games being sold in store.

Re: Furukawa's Defence Of Game-Key Cards Ain't All That Convincing

somnambulance

Isn’t the more fleshed out story that the third parties are basically the ones utilizing the game key carts because it was requested for there to be a middle ground?

Let’s be real: outside Nintendo consoles, few people are buying physical in 2025, so Nintendo probably used the game key carts as a compromise to get more third party games on the console. This isn’t Nintendo being anti-consumer. Rather, it’s them trying to do business with third parties that are less interested in creating physical products in a space where the physical storefront shrinks year-to-year. Let’s remember that we are the niche when it comes to physical media.

Re: 27 Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 Games We're Excited For In 2025

somnambulance

The second half of 2025 is stacked for me and I’m buying everything on the Switch for the most part:

Donkey Kong
Misc A Tiny Tale
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Drag X Drive
Shinobi
Terminator 2D
Final Fantasy Tactics
Pokémon
Mina the Hollower
Hades 2
Hollow Knight Silksong
Kirby Air Riders
Metroid Prime 4
Witchbrook

Splatoon Raiders this year too if it’s a 2025 game!

And if it comes this way, I’m getting Metal Gear Solid Delta on Switch 2 for sure.

Man, I want a Direct, but I’m already thinking I might have a wishlist I can’t keep up with and backlog for the first time since 2021. I know a lot of people are lamenting the release schedule, but I literally want first party Nintendo games and solid indies again. My happiest gaming days were the early Switch years (and childhood!) and this was Nintendo’s strategy and I’m happy they’re doing it again. The first half of 2025 has sort of been the worst gaming has been in a decade for me, but it truly seems like the year will flip into a classic by the end of the year.

I just want release dates, so I can pick and choose what I get, fix my budget, and start preordering things.

Re: Poll: What's Your Switch (2) Game Of The Year So Far?

somnambulance

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is by far the best game I’ve played on Switch this year. Surprised it’s getting so little fanfare, honestly. Mario Kart World and Welcome Tour are the best Switch 2 games yet.

I suspect the best is yet to come on Switch this year though: Donkey Kong, Metroid, Pokemon, Hades, Silksong, Witchbrook, Terminator, Ragebound, Shinobi, and Mina the Hollower (and whatever else may release). I know lots of people thought the first half of the year was stacked, and yet it felt barren and weak for me… but holy cow, that second half of the year speaks my language.

Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (28th June)

somnambulance

My PS5 is still at the repair shop and I have to work this weekend, so, as much as I’d love to play Death Stranding 2, I will not be doing so. I guess I’ll play… I dunno. I’m sort of burnt out Mario Kart World, but I don’t really have anything else new to play on my Switch 2 for now. Hopefully my PS5 is repaired next week or else it’s a long wait for Donkey Kong, especially when Death Stranding 2 is out. That was basically the first game that I was really looking forward to this year too…

Re: Feature: Every Switch 2 Launch Game, Ranked

somnambulance

This an absolute nonsense list. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 does NOT deserve a 4/10! That’s downvoting a good game because it’s a barebones port. Meanwhile, I’m sure the pricing trolls downvoted Mario Kart. And get outta here with Zelda. These games are Switch 1 games and I don’t care about the upgrades. Of course they’re better for that, but they’re the same games. Might as well have the GameCube games ranked.

That said, it’s been a weak launch for the console, in my opinion, FOR SOFTWARE. The hardware is fantastic and I wish I had more to new things to play on the console. Mario Kart is the only essential title on the console at launch, in my opinion, though Fast Fusion and Welcome Tour and maybe Deltarune are in my top 10 this year so far (with Split Fiction).

Re: Opinion: I Never Felt True Nostalgia Until I Played GameCube On Switch 2

somnambulance

I felt a little similar with the SNES and N64 apps, but yeah… I totally agree. There’s something about this era that hits me too.

For some reason, Soul Calibur 2 really makes me feel this weird surge of youth too. I never even owned the game, but I rented it a couple times and played it with so many people (on PS2, Xbox, AND GameCube… had to try all the characters and that was the era where friends would buy other consoles, so you could all try everything, you know?). I really miss a cousin of mine that I’d grown distant from every time I boot up the app.

Oh, one more thing, I’ve got to say that Wind Waker on GC in 2025 somehow still looks fantastic! I like the GC era, but let’s be real: the era has dated looking games. Wind Waker is a real piece of Nintendo magic. It feels more modern (outside the camera controls) than it has any right to feel. It’s incredible.

Re: Random: Switch 2 Ad Claims Metroid Prime 4 Is "Out Now"

somnambulance

@Grumblevolcano Drag X Drive, Kirby, and Metroid don’t have release dates, and Hades and Silksong don’t either. Those five titles alone are Direct worthy. There’s been rumors that we have two more first party games slated for the year that aren’t announced yet, but they’re just rumors right now and who knows if Splatoon Raiders is part of that. I expect the next Direct we receive will be massive, but the only question right now is when it will happen. Hopefully I’m not getting myself hyped for a B-tier Direct like the Direct before the Switch 2 Direct!

Re: Random: Switch 2 Ad Claims Metroid Prime 4 Is "Out Now"

somnambulance

@Grumblevolcano The difference between this year and 2022 though is that the Switch 2 released and, from the data we’ve seen thus far, nothing is currently selling on the platform outside MKW and potentially Cyberpunk to expectations. Now’s the time to drop announcements to generate excitement again. With a good Direct and DK, Nintendo’s poised to dominate 2025, honestly.

That said, it seems Nintendo is trying to push their Nintendo Today app, so you may be right and they’re just going to use that app to announce things like they did for Splatoon Raiders, but, to me, it felt like that announcement was more muted for that approach.

Re: Random: Switch 2 Ad Claims Metroid Prime 4 Is "Out Now"

somnambulance

@Duncanballs It certainly feels like a full fat Direct is sort of necessary, as great as the DK Direct was. I mean, what is Summer 2025 release game Drag X Drive getting its own Direct too or something? We’re halfway through June. A summer 2025 release doesn’t feel as real anymore. I miss the golden era of gaming news when we knew more release dates months ahead of time. I’m wondering what needs to line up for them to say here’s a full Direct. There’s rumors that Hades 2 is about ready and Silksong’s about ready (allegedly). Third party ports aren’t selling, so it’s time to make some money, Nintendo, and let us buy some games!

Re: Third-Party Launch Games On Switch 2 Reportedly Sold "Very Low Numbers"

somnambulance

For me, there just aren’t any ports I’m interested in at the moment. The console basically launched with Mario Kart World, Welcome Tour, and Fast Fusion for me. I feel like I’m in a weird position where I want to buy games, am ready to buy games, but there’s nothing I want to buy. There’s 6-8 games I know I’ll buy this year yet to come out, but… man… That’s all first party Nintendo and indies and I feel like I’m waiting.

Re: Switch 2 Sets "All-Time" Launch Record For Video Game Hardware In The US

somnambulance

@rvcolem1 @MeatSauce @Rebusmind No regrets on the early purchase, but I do find myself wondering when the Direct will be because I want to try new things. I’m loving Mario Kart so far, but it’s a multiplayer game, you know? I’ve almost bought Bravely Default and Deltarune a couple times now, and I’m just like… Why? Lol. I know I’d probably get 10 hours into both of them most likely and then something I’d want more would get announced.

Re: Switch 2 Sets "All-Time" Launch Record For Video Game Hardware In The US

somnambulance

@rvcolem1 Man, I search for Direct news every day. As much as I love the console, i find myself wanting more right now. I feel like I’m ready to buy like 4 or 5 games just to buy more games and I don’t want to be foolish because I’m itching to buy! I have this feeling I’m not going to be able to resist Drag X Drive for no reason except that it’s new. I’m ready to budget my time and money for the year! Let me do it, Nintendo!

It just sort of feels weird that Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is my top played game on the console so far as much as I like the game a lot.

Re: Review: Mario Kart World (Switch 2) - The Perfect Introduction To A New Console Generation

somnambulance

@Gedrick Different strokes for different folks I suppose. Personally, I like the lack of traditional laps, as it gives the game more variety and makes the game stand out not just from previous Mario Kart titles, but other racing games.

With regards to pricing, the internet fixated on price for the game, so whether or not price is a factor mentioned in reviews, I’ve noticed that it’s more likely that, with reviewers I follow at least, if they were making content upset about the price prior to review, it’s more likely that they were to give a more critical review whether they brought up price or not. If this was a $60 release, I suspect this game would’ve been 90+ on OpenCritic. Price has certainly affected reviews in 2025, for better and worse.

Re: Review: Mario Kart World (Switch 2) - The Perfect Introduction To A New Console Generation

somnambulance

@Gedrick The only reasons it’s got a mixed response is the initial price point sticker shock and the fact that it’s literally competing against the most content rich Mario Kart game of all time in MK8 Deluxe+DLC. I got the game at $80 and it’s hard to be too critical on the game, in my opinion. It’s just good, clean fun that’ll continue to deliver for years to come, I’m sure. It’s potentially the best base experience we’ve yet received in the Mario Kart series and it’ll likely develop with DLC down the line like MK8. I do think part of its challenge too is being the fact that it’s basically launching the Nintendo Switch 2 as a solo flagship title.