Bought this Day 1 but still haven’t got round to it properly, too much IRL stuff to commit to a 100+ hour JRPG, but can’t wait to delve in. Love Xenoblade
It's a LOT better than it was at launch, and for £17 more it offers reasonable value to me personally. Still a shame that the collection grows so glacially. Obviously we've just had 6 GBA games added but typically it's 1 or 2 games every couple of months. But with their enviable back catalog Nintendo can do better.
I have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS... and that is perfect. I don't want or need the whole game spoiled for me, let me experience it in game. They teased just enough imho.
Yes, happily. But thankfully I don't have to as pre-ordered for £49.
The more pertinent question is "Would I pay £70/$70 for other Nintendo games?"
Much like Sony and MS it's just going to make me more selective about what games I do buy. Zelda, God of War, Starfield = all day 1 $70 fine. Many others will be wait for a sale. The trouble is Nintendo rarely do sales!
Pretty game, and i'm looking forward to it. But you set yourself up for a fall calling it "the most beautiful metroidvania we've ever played". We can only assume either
Really enjoying it on Xbox thanks to updated controls. Haven't played the Switch version yet as I let my Online Expansion Pass lapse (played everything I wanted to) but found the original controls a real struggle when I played it on N64 recently, felt so foreign and unintuitive.
BTW Time Extension (Nintendo Life's sister site for retro) has a lovely article on Goldeneye that tells a great story about development.
Article: Time Extension
@Rooty @Vordus Thanks for the added info, I fell off Undertale before I got that far, assumed it was the normal kill everything. I know Pacifist you have to go way out of your way to make it happen too.
RE: Megalovania and "it only plays right at the end of a Genocide Run when you take on Sans in the final battle"
I think the reality is that unless you follow a guide, or have heard spoilers, most people would do a genocide run as it's just normal RPG gameplay isn't it? Pacifist run is the irregular one that you kinda have to know about, the game doesn't tell you. EDIT: I'm wrong see below
...that's basically what the game did at the end. Raging
Kena: Bridge of Spirits: I tried playing on Master mode. It has to have some of the most unreasonably cheap and unbalanced difficulty spikes in any game ever. Boss jumps into the air, you roll away... and he tracks you midair and kills you in one or two hits. Brutally unjust. One of the few times i've ever given up on a game through sheer frustration.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: To be fair it's not the fault of the game design but I got to near the end of the game and then found my save had deleted, a known bug... 25+ hours lost. Thankfully it was a good enough game I played it again. On second thoughts perhaps the sequel frustrated me more through disappointment.
Sure there are many others i've purposefully blocked out of my mind.
EDIT: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (or any game with bad RNG) spending hours apon hours trying to get the last Blades through farming and then gatcha style RNG. Never got them.
Yes. For several reasons.
1) the hardware is struggling to run many ports
2) worse many ports are no longer even attempted or cloud versions offered instead
3) even some first party games or high end third parties look ROUGH. Pokémon, Bayonetta 3 etc.
4) the hardware is struggling with faults like joycon drift, joycons that come off rails etc.
5) steam deck shows what is possible for a handheld/docked hybrid. Frankly since I got my Deck the switch has been gathering dust for all but a few platform exclusives not least Steam won’t try and resell me the game in the next few years
Stunning! Still a wonder that this runs on Switch. Artistry and game play is more important than hardware power, but sadly few games hit near this high.
@sanderev That's always a shame. Though typically older games are less likely to work, but not always.
As you said proton support is increasing, and at a rapid rate.
Currently 2,665 games 'verified'. 6,976 games 'playable' with many more added daily.
Though I wouldn't always take Steam Deck 'verified' or 'playable' as a marker of if it will work, i've played many just fine that are marked as unsupported, but that too is a work in progress.
@sanderev I'd love to agree with you... but then we'd both be wrong. /jk
As a alternative to the Switch, a device that ONLY plays games this device IS a viable alternative, it plays games just great. The fact it does other things is beside the point.
@sanderev I'm well aware of that, but that's an entirely separate argument, it doesn't change the fact for gaming it's an "alternative to Switch", which is what I was responding to as you incorrectly claimed that was misinformation, it isn't.
It's a gaming PC, NOT A Switch alternative. Please, don't spread misinformation.
True it doesn't play some of the same games - those the cross over part of the Venn diagram is going to be pretty large - but as a portable device that plays games it absolutely is an alternative to the Switch, that ISN'T misinformation.
Though as other have said I wouldn't look past the £349 Steam Deck, best bit of hardware i've owned in years and basically everything I hope the Switch successor will be.
Frankly the Steam Deck has relegated the Switch to exclusives only.
This has highlighted how little I have played my Switch in 2022.
Still the Steam Deck makes me excited for the Switch successor and what could be achievable.
Mostly I've been catching up on Xenoblade DLC before #3 so my most played are:
1) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (For Torna which I didn't play at launch)
2) Xenoblade Chronicles 1 DE (For Future Connected)
3) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (only just started then got waylaid)
@nessisonett While amibo are just more plastic tat to me - who needs more clutter, or expense - I’m aware other people still love them. They will fly off shelves.
Two Xbox Elite Series 2 controllers? Nice. That control is truly the GOAT.
Great controller, terrible quality control. Almost every time it's mentioned people will chime in about how X/Y/Z broke and they are on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc.
For the few who got through unscathed though, I agree.
Impressive collection. Might even have mine beat, or pushing it close. Few too many dupes though
@zander_dale I sold my Wavebird a few years ago boxed for almost £100. Whilst it was a great controller and I liked having it that was too good an offer to pass up. Great piece of gaming history though.
I mean if Nintendo want to go extremely environmentally friendly, my suggestion is scrap the Switch and start back up the Wii U.
Wii U actually used around 32W in use on a TV whereas the Switch uses just 12W / 7W / 6W (og, revision, OLED). Benefit of designing around mobile use meant efficiency was key.
For comparison an Xbox Series X uses about 7.4 in rest mode and 170-200+W in use when gaming.
Mixed bag and poor pacing, but plenty of good stufftoo .
FAR too much farming (SIX announcements, though individually some of them looked good).
The new Fire Emblem looked weird (OK can't get past that awful character design).
But then there was Pikmin 4, finally!
Bayonetta 3 and it's coming next month
Octopath Traveller 2
Mario + Rabbids 2 (again after Ubi showing)
Ports of It Takes Two, Tunic, Tales of Symphonia
and of course Zelda. While the trailer (if you can even call it that) was exceptionally light both the name and date were all we needed... even if it's a whole 8 months away. (it was initially unveiled way back in 2019, so it's been a long long wait)
@infernogott 5 year old hardware? The hardware was almost 5 years old when it released
While they don't break this down specifically on their investor briefings of supplementary documents they're definitely making a tidy profit on each unit and have been doing so for a long time.
@Orokosaki This isn't Sony or Microsoft who do usually sell the console at an overall loss (including R&D, advertising etc. not just BOM) but then make it back on the software. Nintendo typically makes a profit on hardware too.
Honestly I think if you are reaching the limit of 2000 games you might want to rethink your life balance. I play far too much and have less than that across PS, Xbox and Switch.
Only dipped my toes in so far as have too much IRL stuff to be getting lost in a JRPG right now. But what i've played has been wonderful. Looking forward to delving in properly soon.
I've only played a handful of hours but already the voices repeat a LOT. Surprised they didn't just add more lines of dialogue, there aren't that many characters and it wouldn't have been much effort. Doesn't bother me much though, really feeling it so far.
“you will know the pain and suffering you caused the emperor and FIORAAAA!”
Shulk is usually quiet and well natured but part of what I loved about him is his passion when things got serious. When it was fight or flight this mild natured, kind character stood his ground and fought for his friends and loved ones. A well written and balanced protagonist, not your typical cool hero, and so much the better for it.
Comments 539
Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Version 1.3.0 Is Now Available, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Westy90 wrote:
That's exactly why I CAN'T start it. I know I will be all in. Need to clear some time in the near future. Enjoy mate.
Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Version 1.3.0 Is Now Available, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Bought this Day 1 but still haven’t got round to it properly, too much IRL stuff to commit to a 100+ hour JRPG, but can’t wait to delve in. Love Xenoblade
Re: Hollow Knight: Silksong Playtester Shares Small Update, Says It's "Worth The Wait"
As small as this statement is, that's good to hear. Can wait, but don't want to / take as long you need, but I wants it injected in my veins now.
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Switch OLED Rumour Resurfaces Online
I usually don’t like the look of these but there is a tangible benefit, they usually hold their value far more.
I ended up selling my Zelda themed WiiU years later for more than I bought it, which fully funded the Switch.
It surprised me, not least as I didn’t even want the ugly (to me) thing, it was just the only one in stock 😂
Re: Nintendo Updates Its 'Switch Online + Expansion Pack' Trailer With New Footage
It's a LOT better than it was at launch, and for £17 more it offers reasonable value to me personally. Still a shame that the collection grows so glacially. Obviously we've just had 6 GBA games added but typically it's 1 or 2 games every couple of months. But with their enviable back catalog Nintendo can do better.
Re: New Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Trailer Shows A Flying Vehicle And Fresh Details
I have SO. MANY. QUESTIONS... and that is perfect. I don't want or need the whole game spoiled for me, let me experience it in game. They teased just enough imho.
Re: Poll: Would You Pay $70 For The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?
Yes, happily. But thankfully I don't have to as pre-ordered for £49.
The more pertinent question is "Would I pay £70/$70 for other Nintendo games?"
Much like Sony and MS it's just going to make me more selective about what games I do buy. Zelda, God of War, Starfield = all day 1 $70 fine. Many others will be wait for a sale. The trouble is Nintendo rarely do sales!
Re: Feature: Our Predictions For The February 2023 Nintendo Direct
Zelda: TotK, HK: Silksong, Metroid Prime Trilogy & 4, Mario Galaxy 2. If only 2 of those 5 happen i'll be in dreamland.
Re: Hands On: Afterimage Is The Most Beautiful-Looking Metroidvania We've Ever Played
Pretty game, and i'm looking forward to it. But you set yourself up for a fall calling it "the most beautiful metroidvania we've ever played". We can only assume either
Well click baited though
Re: Video: With 100 Days To Go, What Do You Want To See In Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?
@neonpizza Oh to be you right now and play BOTW again for the first time. Enjoy! it's an all time classic.
Re: Random: GoldenEye 007 Composer Reckons "Old Team" Would Have Done A Better Job On Emulation
Really enjoying it on Xbox thanks to updated controls. Haven't played the Switch version yet as I let my Online Expansion Pass lapse (played everything I wanted to) but found the original controls a real struggle when I played it on N64 recently, felt so foreign and unintuitive.
BTW Time Extension (Nintendo Life's sister site for retro) has a lovely article on Goldeneye that tells a great story about development.
Article: Time Extension
Re: Feature: Video Game Music That Didn't Need To Go That Hard
@Rooty @Vordus Thanks for the added info, I fell off Undertale before I got that far, assumed it was the normal kill everything. I know Pacifist you have to go way out of your way to make it happen too.
Re: Feature: Video Game Music That Didn't Need To Go That Hard
...talking of ...vania's most Castlevania's and Metroids are filled with music that slaps hard!
Re: Feature: Video Game Music That Didn't Need To Go That Hard
RE: Megalovania and "it only plays right at the end of a Genocide Run when you take on Sans in the final battle"
I think the reality is that unless you follow a guide, or have heard spoilers, most people would do a genocide run as it's just normal RPG gameplay isn't it? Pacifist run is the irregular one that you kinda have to know about, the game doesn't tell you. EDIT: I'm wrong see below
Re: Talking Point: What Is The Most Frustrated You've Ever Been With A Video Game?
@RaZieLDaNtE I was so frustrated I never played Soul Reaver 2. Or any LOK game again. (despite loving the series before that)
YOU were so frustrated you came out of Nosgoth and undulatingly merged with Sparda
Re: Talking Point: What Is The Most Frustrated You've Ever Been With A Video Game?
A few off the top of my head.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver: To be continued...
...that's basically what the game did at the end. Raging
Kena: Bridge of Spirits: I tried playing on Master mode. It has to have some of the most unreasonably cheap and unbalanced difficulty spikes in any game ever. Boss jumps into the air, you roll away... and he tracks you midair and kills you in one or two hits. Brutally unjust. One of the few times i've ever given up on a game through sheer frustration.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: To be fair it's not the fault of the game design but I got to near the end of the game and then found my save had deleted, a known bug... 25+ hours lost. Thankfully it was a good enough game I played it again. On second thoughts perhaps the sequel frustrated me more through disappointment.
Sure there are many others i've purposefully blocked out of my mind.
EDIT: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (or any game with bad RNG) spending hours apon hours trying to get the last Blades through farming and then gatcha style RNG. Never got them.
Re: Video: Does The Switch Actually Feel 'Old' Yet?
Yes. For several reasons.
1) the hardware is struggling to run many ports
2) worse many ports are no longer even attempted or cloud versions offered instead
3) even some first party games or high end third parties look ROUGH. Pokémon, Bayonetta 3 etc.
4) the hardware is struggling with faults like joycon drift, joycons that come off rails etc.
5) steam deck shows what is possible for a handheld/docked hybrid. Frankly since I got my Deck the switch has been gathering dust for all but a few platform exclusives not least Steam won’t try and resell me the game in the next few years
Re: Random: It's Now Been 6 Years Since Zelda: BOTW's 'Switch Presentation' Trailer Released
Stunning! Still a wonder that this runs on Switch. Artistry and game play is more important than hardware power, but sadly few games hit near this high.
Re: Zelda: A Link To The Past Artwork "Brought To Life" In Absolutely Stunning Animation
Reminds me of the mostly awful 90s cartoon.
If they were to redo an animation I hope it would use any other style
Re: Epic Games To Pay $540 Million Over Allegations Of Privacy Violations And Unwanted Charges
@Benjamin_K Thanks for the info, appreciated.
Re: Epic Games To Pay $540 Million Over Allegations Of Privacy Violations And Unwanted Charges
So if the $245 is in refunds to customers, where is the $275 million penalty going?
Re: Video: A Closer Look At The Aya Neo Air, A Powerful Alternative To The Switch
@sanderev That's always a shame. Though typically older games are less likely to work, but not always.
As you said proton support is increasing, and at a rapid rate.
Currently 2,665 games 'verified'. 6,976 games 'playable' with many more added daily.
Though I wouldn't always take Steam Deck 'verified' or 'playable' as a marker of if it will work, i've played many just fine that are marked as unsupported, but that too is a work in progress.
Re: Video: A Closer Look At The Aya Neo Air, A Powerful Alternative To The Switch
@sanderev I'd love to agree with you... but then we'd both be wrong. /jk
As a alternative to the Switch, a device that ONLY plays games this device IS a viable alternative, it plays games just great. The fact it does other things is beside the point.
Re: Video: A Closer Look At The Aya Neo Air, A Powerful Alternative To The Switch
@sanderev I'm well aware of that, but that's an entirely separate argument, it doesn't change the fact for gaming it's an "alternative to Switch", which is what I was responding to as you incorrectly claimed that was misinformation, it isn't.
Re: Video: A Closer Look At The Aya Neo Air, A Powerful Alternative To The Switch
sanderev wrote:
True it doesn't play some of the same games - those the cross over part of the Venn diagram is going to be pretty large - but as a portable device that plays games it absolutely is an alternative to the Switch, that ISN'T misinformation.
Though as other have said I wouldn't look past the £349 Steam Deck, best bit of hardware i've owned in years and basically everything I hope the Switch successor will be.
Re: Feature: Nintendo Switch Year In Review 2022 - Our Most Played Games
Frankly the Steam Deck has relegated the Switch to exclusives only.
This has highlighted how little I have played my Switch in 2022.
Still the Steam Deck makes me excited for the Switch successor and what could be achievable.
Mostly I've been catching up on Xenoblade DLC before #3 so my most played are:
1) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (For Torna which I didn't play at launch)
2) Xenoblade Chronicles 1 DE (For Future Connected)
3) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (only just started then got waylaid)
Re: Kazuya & Sephiroth amiibo Release 13th January, Pyra & Mythra Arrive In 2023
@nessisonett While amibo are just more plastic tat to me - who needs more clutter, or expense - I’m aware other people still love them. They will fly off shelves.
Re: Random: Masahiro Sakurai Shows Off His Impressive Controller Collection
LillianC14 wrote:
Great controller, terrible quality control. Almost every time it's mentioned people will chime in about how X/Y/Z broke and they are on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc.
For the few who got through unscathed though, I agree.
Re: Random: Masahiro Sakurai Shows Off His Impressive Controller Collection
Impressive collection. Might even have mine beat, or pushing it close. Few too many dupes though
@zander_dale I sold my Wavebird a few years ago boxed for almost £100. Whilst it was a great controller and I liked having it that was too good an offer to pass up. Great piece of gaming history though.
Re: Shigeru Miyamoto, Creator Of Super Mario And Zelda At Nintendo, Turns 70
Deserves every bit of praise for the millions of people he’s given so much joy.
Happy birthday Miyamoto-sama
Re: Random: Halo Infinite Player Recreates Peach's Castle From Super Mario 64
"So long gay bowser" gravity hammer hit on the camper has me rolling. Well done.
Re: Random: Fans Believe They Have Found The Original Wood Used In Mother 3 Logo
Must have been an exhilarating search...
Re: Nintendo Highlights The Environmental Benefit Of New Switch Packaging
Bailey5000 wrote:
Wii U actually used around 32W in use on a TV whereas the Switch uses just 12W / 7W / 6W (og, revision, OLED). Benefit of designing around mobile use meant efficiency was key.
For comparison an Xbox Series X uses about 7.4 in rest mode and 170-200+W in use when gaming.
Re: Random: Lego Is Now Blocking Idea Submissions Based On The Legend Of Zelda
If LEGO wasn't so crazily priced for these tie in sets i'd be on board. But Horizon at £80, Bowser and the NES at £230 it's a hard hard NOPE.
Re: Random: Modder Creates Stunning Portable SNES, And We Want One
Removed
Re: Talking Point: Which Zelda Game Should You Play First?
A Link to the Past. A timeless classic.
Ocarina has aged quite poorly in many ways.
Breath of the Wild can make the other games seem worse. lol
Re: Random: Game Development Lecturers Are Already Showing Off Sakurai's Videos
Work done for them. Would be churlish not to include on the ground advice from an industry luminary.
Re: Talking Point: What Did You Think Of The Latest Nintendo Direct?
Mixed bag and poor pacing, but plenty of good stufftoo .
Re: Random: Masahiro Sakurai Now Has One Million Followers On Twitter
His YouTube channel is such a simple, brilliant concept. Short, informative, to the point videos about game design. Very well deserved.
Re: Tunic Is Confirmed For Switch, And It's Coming Very Soon
Brilliant, brilliant game. Hopefully it plays well on Switch.
Re: Pixel Art Metroidvania 'Lucid' Is A Stunning Homage To Celeste And Metroid
Looks lovely but 2024 is a looooong way off.
Re: Nintendo President Says Switch Production Is "Uncertain" Next Year
@infernogott 5 year old hardware? The hardware was almost 5 years old when it released
While they don't break this down specifically on their investor briefings of supplementary documents they're definitely making a tidy profit on each unit and have been doing so for a long time.
@Orokosaki This isn't Sony or Microsoft who do usually sell the console at an overall loss (including R&D, advertising etc. not just BOM) but then make it back on the software. Nintendo typically makes a profit on hardware too.
Re: PSA: Are Your Switch Games Disappearing? You May Have Too Many - But You Can Fix It
Honestly I think if you are reaching the limit of 2000 games you might want to rethink your life balance. I play far too much and have less than that across PS, Xbox and Switch.
How do you even find time to play that many?
Re: UK Charts: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Soars To Number One
Great to see Xenoblade doing so well. Like FromSoft and Elden Ring Being rewarded for years of top games. You love to see it!
Re: Mini Review: Turrican Anthology Vol. 1 - A Pricey Package Of Solid Run-And-Gun Classics
I would have been interested for a complete package but splitting it like this and making each overprices is a simple hard pass!
Re: Mini Review: Turrican Anthology Vol. 2 - Mega Turrican Steals The Show Amidst The Filler
I would have been interested at the right price/package. But splitting them in two is just a cheap move. HARD PASS!
Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Is UK's "Biggest" Physical Launch For The Series
Only dipped my toes in so far as have too much IRL stuff to be getting lost in a JRPG right now. But what i've played has been wonderful. Looking forward to delving in properly soon.
Re: Random: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Has Plenty Of Very Memeable Dialogue
@Friendly Didn't hear anyone complaining every time Ryu went "Hadouken" or "Shoryuken" every 2 seconds. lol
Re: Random: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Has Plenty Of Very Memeable Dialogue
I've only played a handful of hours but already the voices repeat a LOT. Surprised they didn't just add more lines of dialogue, there aren't that many characters and it wouldn't have been much effort. Doesn't bother me much though, really feeling it so far.
Re: Random: Xenoblade Chronicles' Shulk Cutscene Was Originally 'A Little Creepy'
Shulk is usually quiet and well natured but part of what I loved about him is his passion when things got serious. When it was fight or flight this mild natured, kind character stood his ground and fought for his friends and loved ones. A well written and balanced protagonist, not your typical cool hero, and so much the better for it.