@LastFootnote Final Fantasy XII blows ZA out of the water. Rabanastre is a much more visually interesting and bustling city than Lumiose. And the buildings aren't just cubes with pictures of windows slapped on them!
Question Will you be picking up Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined in the new year?
Answer Since it will be on a GKC on the Switch 2 machine, I will only consider the Switch 1 version. But because Square Enix is not offering an upgrade path, I'll wait till the Switch 1 physical version is on sale.
I can deal with 30 FPS for a turn-based JRPG, but I can't deal with a GKC. So I'll give this a pass unless they do a true physical with someone like LRG down the line.
I wonder what they could be hiding to warrant not only a 2nd dedicated Air Riders Direct, but a 60 minute one at that. Top Ride? But I don't think that alone would carry a 60 minute Direct...
@Znake Well, if it makes you feel any better, it's a GKC anyways, so nothing is on the cartridge lol.
The silver lining is that eventually they may partner with someone like LRG to do a proper physical release, and that may have the performance fixes on the cartridge.
@jsty3105 I mean, they gave devs more choices on Switch 1. On Switch 1, they had 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB carts. Why not replicate those options at least? Why not literally just use existing Switch 1 cartridges to hold Switch 2 binaries? Sure, some games will need faster read speeds, so a new cartridge design is necessary to accommodate that, but why force non-demanding games to use that if they don't need it?
And they've already made it more complex for developers since apparently the Switch 2 cartridges, despite being faster than Switch 1 cartridges, are noticeably slower than micro SD express cards. So devs are already needing to theoretically* consider read speeds when considering whether or not to use a Switch 2 physical cartridge.
*In practice, we all know that the devs are just opting for GKCs cause they are cheaper so they make more money off each sale.
@Ziondood Hey Zion! Thanks for the followup and the transparency! Glad you asked the question.
I'm guessing their PR instructed them not to engage in any discussion about GKCs. They probably know that if they're honest and say it's just a business decision to increase profits it would make them look bad. And if they tried to add weird spin like NISA did ("We decided to release this title as a Game-Key Card on the Nintendo Switch 2 as we believed it was the most beneficial option for our customers."), it would look even worse.
I guess their refusal to respond at least tells us that they know people hate GKCs, but rather than attempting to control the narrative, they're just hoping it eventually blows over.
But here's my copium conspiracy theory: what if the reason they didn't wanna talk about it at all is cause they already have a full physical LRG release planned and it'll be announced next week at LRG3 and they don't wanna spoil the surprise?! One can dream...
I appreciate Zion asking a hardball question with the question about the frame rate issues in the demo. Hopefully they are true to their word and iron it out eventually.
Though I'm disappointed Zion didn't also ask about their decision to use a GKC for this game. Kinda surprised he didn't considering he made an entire video back when the port was announced lamenting it being on a GKC.
I'm hoping they eventually work with LRG to make a complete physical version with all the latest patches and DLC. That's the only way I'd ever buy this on Switch 2. It seems like a possibility since they worked with LRG in the past for physical releases for P3P and P4G. And Sega isn't opposed to re-releasing more complete physical versions of older games through LRG (they did this with Valkyria Chronicles 4).
@AG_Awesome Thanks for the tip about the Joylocks. I was eyeing those, but wasn't sure if you could use them without that shell. I'm not too keen on their shell cause then it forces you to use their special dock.
While not perfect, the Switch 1's ergonomics allowed me to play it in handheld for long periods of time with no issues. But unfortunately, the Switch 2 really doesn't feel comfortable for me to hold for long periods of time.
"The source also notes how this latest fix is an "interesting development" as it appears Switch games can be fixed for the Switch 2 at "any point"."
I'm assuming this just means that the devs released patches for these specific games to fix their Switch 2 issues, as opposed to Nintendo releasing fixes for their Switch 2 BC layer as part of a firmware update.
Anyways, glad to see that these games got fixed. I'm still really hoping for fixes for several other games: *Raiden III *Raiden IV *Strania *NieR Automata *Trails from Zero *Trails to Azure *Tokyo Xanadu
I also wish Nintendo had an up-to-date central list of all games with known BC issues. As an owner of hundreds of Switch games, it sucks having to type in each game I own one at a time to see if there are issues or not.
Also, as the Crossbell Trails games demonstrate, there are games with issues outside of the issues that Nintendo officially acknowledges.
I really hope they keep working on BC till all issues are fixed.
Rest in peace, Itagaki-san. 58 is just too soon. He left a major impact on the industry, for sure. Will have to play some Ninja Gaiden to honor his memory. A shame we never got any of the DoA fighting games on Switch.
@Jarodlaraus Are you implying that games like Street Fighter VI, Persona 3 Reload, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, etc... would be impossible to run on a Switch 2 cartridge?
GKCs suck. As one of a minority of Nintendo fans that actually did buy 3rd party games on Switch 1, I'm buying dramatically fewer games on Switch 2 because of GKCs.
@SpaceboyScreams You joke, but that's basically what we got with the atrocious English dub for Pokken Tournament! As someone who prefers English dubbed games and anime, this is one of the few games that made me Switch to Japanese due to how bad the English dub was.
@chriswashere313 Who says they need to have a voice track for each text language? It's fairly common for games to support less voice languages than text languages. For example, all the Fire Emblem and Xenoblade games on Switch only have Japanese and English voice options and many additional languages for text. That would be a perfectly acceptable starting point for Pokemon.
@Denoloco Don't insult the 360 like that: it had games that used geometry to model the sides of building instead of just flat tiling jpegs! The buildings are basically high resolution N64/PS1 assets.
@martynstuff Nah, I've played SMT V. Waaaay better than Pokemon. Not even close.
SMT = Games designed with artistic integrity Pokemon = Corporate products in a multibillion dollar children's multimedia franchise designed to sell merch
It's like hydrogen bomb vs. coughing baby. (Pokemon is the coughing baby.)
@TheExile285 Based on Sega/Atlus's track record, they likely would not give owners of the original an upgrade path. They'd probably sell a totally separate Switch 2 version for $60 on a GKC.
Nope, I haven't bought a main series Pokemon game since Shield and this doesn't look appealing to me in the slightest.
I'm pretty much done with Pokemon now. It's clear quality is not a priority for TPCi and Game Freak.
Probably the only new game that could get me to throw some money at the series again would be a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. I'd trust Spike Chunsoft to do a good job with that.
@Vivianeat Yeah, I suppose if it was their support team, which helped with BotW and TotK, that would be fine. I just wouldn't want the main Tetsuya Takahashi team getting sidetracked with it.
@Member_the_game Hey bud, thanks for the response! I'm glad you appreciated my comment and understood my intentions. When I read the "toxic" part of your original comment, I (incorrectly) assumed you were lumping people like me in with obvious trolls or fanboys of other console who do actually wish to see Switch 2 fail just cause they're loyal to another console manufacturer or whatever. Gave you a <3 as well!
@Vivianeat I'm sure Monolith Soft would do a way better job than Game Freak, but I'd rather let Monolith Soft stick with their own IP and continue making artistic games than waste their time and talent doing cleanup on a corporate product in a children's multimedia franchise.
@Member_the_game On PS5, the discs do still at least contain the actual game most of the time. Though I agree, being forced to install is definitely a downgrade from true plug-and-play traditional physical releases. Still, I think that's a better compromise for cost/read speeds than GKCs. While storage space is still an issue (though less so on PS5 since storage is cheaper than on Switch 2), at least you do still own the games and are not dependent on a server to re-install them to your console in the future.
All that being said, my point is to just counter what you originally said. Nintendo may have given use "exactly what we wanted" in many ways, but there are a lot of catches, like the aforementioned loss of physical media for the majority of 3rd party games.
Another catch I really dislike is the mess of how upgrades are being handled for cross gen games. Many 3rd party games aren't offering upgrade paths and are forcing you to rebuy the game at full price if you want Switch 2 benefits (like Sonic X Shadow Generations or Suikoden I & II). While many new games are giving you an ultimatum between true physical ownership (Switch 1 version) and performance (Switch 2 version), as we see with Raidou, No Sleep for Kaname Date, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, Octopath Traveler 0, etc... Forcing me to double dip wouldn't be as bad if I could at least get the game complete on cartridge, but the only way I'd get on board with digital in this case is if I can get an extremely cheap (or even better, free) upgrade pack for my Switch 1 physical version.
There's also the technical shortcomings of the console. Like the screen not being able to do "real" HDR, or how the screen has a lower response time than even the Switch 1 screen. Not a good look for what is supposed to be a "premium" console with a premium price point. The battery life is also a noticeable step down from Switch 1. And despite the improved tech specs, we're still seeing lots of 3rd party games with performance issues, even with games that you would think would run at a locked frame rate on the hardware like P3R or Shadow Labyrinth.
The backwards compatibility improving framerate, resolution, and load times in certain games is my favorite feature of the console. But it's very disappointing how many of the games I own have bugs when running on Switch 2's BC, and Nintendo refuses to acknowledge some of the bugs and is not being very communicative about if/when they'll address the issues. It's also disappointing how games with 720p handheld modes on Switch 1 get stretched up to 1080p on the Switch 2's screen. Seems like there should at least be a pixel-perfect option to keep the games at 720p in a smaller portion of the screen. Or, as many other people have requested, the ability to force games to play in docked mode when in Switch 2 handheld mode in order to get higher resolution for games without a patch.
IMO, there's plenty of valid reasons for people to be disappointed with the Switch 2. Not everyone that has a complaint about the Switch 2 is a hater or a troll.
@Zaruboggan Yeah, I agree that the $70 price for digital feels a bit steep. I believe the original Dear Days was actually the first $70 (standard edition) Switch 1 game, beating Tears of the Kingdom to the market by a few months.
But I think the physical version is a steal at $46. I've played for nearly 100 hours so far and I've barely scratched the surface in terms of the card pool. I'm choosing to experience the cards in roughly release order, so I'm currently just focusing on the first 4 packs and trying to build decks for all the Vanguards in those packs. I'm having so much fun just doing free battles and learning the nuance of the combat system and deck building!
@Zaruboggan Hey, I'm the guy who recommended Cardfight Vanguard! If you like the classic Yu-Gi-Oh GBA games and Shadowverse (the Cygames TCG on Switch), I think you'll like Vanguard as well! It's definitely on the budget side though, so unfortunately there's no 3D world to walk around in (like in Shadowverse), it's more like a lot of the old handheld Yu-Gi-Oh games where between fights, you'll see an overhead map of the town, and there will be points of interest that you can select on the map to see a visual novel-style event scene, usually accompanied by a fight. But don't let that deter you, the core TCG gameplay is extremely fun!
For this next bit, I'll also loop in @LEGEND_MARIOID since they also expressed interest in Vanguard. There's actually a free demo for the original Dear Days on the eShop that you can check out to get a taste of the gameplay.
And if you're interested in purchasing Dear Days 2, something to keep in mind is while its $70 USD price tag on the eShop is a bit high, if you're comfortable with importing games, you can get the physical Japanese version (which has English on the cartridge) for only around $46 USD from Video Games Plus!
Finally, I'll link this 10 minute tutorial video that does a good job explaining the basics for how to play the TCG.
Really hope LRG puts this patch on the cartridge for their upcoming physical. Seems plausible since pre-orders went up only a week or two ago, so they likely haven't started putting data on cartridges yet.
@shoeses I'd imagine people that enjoy monster collecting RPGs and have access to other platforms are busy playing Digimon Story: Time Stranger. It looks far superior to Z-A.
I already imported the Asian physical several years ago. Not only do they have English on the cartridge, but the box art is also in English! In a way, the box art is even better cause it's completely free of a rating logo!
Only thing that would tempt me to get these again, would be if they put the most recent patch on the cartridge. If not, I'm perfectly happy with my Asian versions.
Still, appreciate Square Enix making the physical version available for a wider audience. Will be a sad day when Switch 1 finally dies and 3rd party physical releases like this become a thing of the past on Nintendo platforms.
@Edd-O Same, I had pretty much given up hope that they'd do one this year after they missed the usual June timing. Feels a bit weird now since they directly reference E3 with the name, but the show's at the end of October this year!
Ah, I see you're unable to dispute anything I said.
"While I bet if this was only a 60 gb game, they still would have used a keycard"
Probably, because, like I said before, GKCs are way cheaper than cartridges and they wanna make the most money possible. My point is that it is, in fact, technically possible to get this on a cartridge, SE just chose not to.
"I'm glad they didn't crunch it down. The loss of 40ish gb probably would have had a huge negative consequence."
Not really, I was totally content playing FFXII on the Switch after they shaved off 68% of the bloat from the PS4 version. No single game is worth nearly 100 GB, IMO.
If you care so much about getting the best technical experience, just get the PC version, then you won't have to deal with the Switch 2's crappy 30 FPS limit! With the advent of handheld PCs, you can even play it portable with the PC version. And when newer handheld PCs come out, you can use the built-in graphics settings to crank up the graphics. If you're gonna get it digitally anyways, just get it in the best digital ecosystem.
One of the unique selling points of Switch compared to handheld PCs was physical games, but Nintendo & 3rd parties are doing everything in their power to kill physical games on Switch 2.
@the_beaver I have not. It was just a general comment about the state of Switch/Switch 2.
In the last year or two of the Switch, it feels like almost every 3rd party port (and even some 1st party games) had performance issues. People kept saying, "man, we really need the Switch 2 ASAP so we stop having performance issues." But now that it's arrived while it did fix a lot of performance issues with Switch 1 games via BC, when it comes to new games, developers are chasing even higher visual fidelity targets, so it's a bit of a wash and we're once again seeing performance issues in almost every 3rd party port.
@Dang_69 They could have reduced the file size but chose not to because with a GKC, there is no incentive to reduce file size since they are just pushing the storage cost onto the consumer.
Square Enix reduced FFXII from 40 GB on PS4 to 13 GB on Switch 1, a roughly 68% reduction in file size. FFVII Remake Intergrade on PS5 is 90 GB, they'd only need to reduce that by 29% (less than half of the % reduction made to FFXII) to get it on a 64 GB cartridge. But they didn't even try and the Switch 2 version is basically the exact same size as the PS5 version.
They were planning to use a GKC from the start because of the cost of a Switch 2 cartridge, but personally, I would find a $50-$60 true physical release vastly more appealing than a $40 GKC.
And if they did that, they could still offer a $40 digital version for price-sensitive consumers. This is what Spike Chunsoft did for No Sleep for Kaname Date: both the physical Switch 1 version and the Switch 2 GKC (lol) cost $10 more than their digital counterparts.
I'm definitely a "hyper enthusiast, price-insensitive player" as I greatly exceed 12+ game purchases per year.
Though once Switch 1 is phased out, I imagine I'll drop down to the 4-5 purchases per year bucket since real physical options on Switch 2 are so limited thanks to GKCs.
@Edd-O Yes, SDOJ is my current most-wanted physical release from LRG! Since they did physical releases for all of Live Wire's previous shmup ports, it seems like they'll surely do it eventually... Maybe we'll see an announcement at their upcoming LRG3 event on Oct. 29?
I'm pretty content with my Japanese physical copies of DOJ and Esp Ra.De., but I would double dip if LRG does a physical release and they actually take the time to translate the text into English.
Glad this a getting a physical release! Yet another physical shmup for the collection!
Worth noting, to anyone interested in picking this up from LRG, this specific release is not open pre-order. There is a finite amount (yes, even for the standard edition) and they will be available on first-come, first served basis.
So if you're like me and like to wait as long as possible before putting in your LRG orders to bundle as many things together as possible to minimize shipping costs, might not be wise to wait long for this specific release.
@Hisui25002 I'm sorry, but if they can reduce the file size by 68% for FFXII, they can reduce the file size for FFVIIR by 34%.
The average gamer would be hard-pressed to notice the difference in quality going from DXT1 (4 bpp) to ASTC8x8 (2 bpp). The main people who would notice would be Digital Foundry when they zoom way in and compare still frames. I'd probably use higher quality compression for normal maps, though. But you can get away with crazy compression on albedo textures and even packed maps with PBR properties.
Also compression isn't the only trick they can employ. Simply cutting texture resolution in half would offer massive savings. Since cutting in half on each axis results in only 25% of the original area, the texture would only use 25% of the original memory.
Due to mip maps, you'd only be able to see the removal of the highest res texture in the mip chain if you park your camera right next to an object, which isn't terribly common in a 3rd person game.
Furthermore, the Switch 2 version is targeting lower internal rendering resolution anyways and uses DLSS to upscale, so reducing texture size would be barely noticeable in normal gameplay.
"Not to mention, the game has higher assets than XII"
That's exactly why there's more potential for savings. A 4094 texture at 4 bpp with mip maps is about 10.67 MB. Going down to 2048 is 2.67 MB. And going down to 1024 is 0.67 MB. Going from 4096 down to 2048 saves 8 MB, while going from 2048 down to 1024 saves 2 MB, yet both operations reduce the texel density compared to the original by the same factor.
"multiple voice lines uncompressed in different languages"
Audio compression says "hello!" Also, just put English on the cart for the US version and make the other languages available via a free download. That's what they did for the Star Ocean 2 remake.
"detailed particle shaders"
Particle shaders do not generally use much memory. The real memory hogs for shaders are for PBR surfaces with all the variants. But again, if the developer is competent, the memory footprint is still usually much lower than that for textures, audio, and pre-rendered video.
You are right about the price, though. Since they are only charging $40 for the game, a $16 cartridge would be a substantial cut into their profit margins. Still, I would find a $50 - $60 true physical version on a cartridge a much more appealing value proposition. If I wanted a digital version, I'd just get it on PC.
And there's no reason that they couldn't charge $40 for digital and $50-$60 for physical. That's exactly what Spike Chunsoft did for their recent release, No Sleep for Kaname Date. (Yep, even the GKC Switch 2 version costs $10 more than the digital version lol.)
@Hisui25002 I mean, according to the devs, read speeds were the main reason for using GKCs for the Switch 2 port.
But yes, now that I've demonstrated that the read speeds would have been sufficient, lets talk about file size.
You do realize that in the Switch era, devs would significantly optimize file size when porting to Switch, right?
For example, FFXII was about 40 GB on PS4, but only around 13 GB on Switch (a 68% reduction!). Like they did with FFXII, Square Enix could have easily optimized FFVII to get the game from 90 GB down to around 63 GB. They'd only need to reduce the file size by 30%, which is less drastic than what they did for FFXII.
The biggest files in games are usually textures, audio, and pre-rendered video. Fortunately, these are all trivial to reduce, either by compression or lowering resolution.
Switch and Switch 2 also support ASTC texture compression, which allows for pretty granular control over memory footprint vs. quality. With ASTC, you can go between 0.89 to 8 bits per pixel (bpp), whereas with DirectX, your options are much more limited as you basically just have DXT1 (4 bpp) for RGB and BC7 (8 bpp) for RGBA.
Square Enix just didn't bother to optimize file size this time cause they were already committed to using GKCs from the get go. With a GKC, there is no incentive to optimize file size, since you are just putting the storage cost on the consumer.
The real reason Square Enix decided to go with GKC is money.
Comments 432
Re: Opinion: Pokémon Legends Z-A Is The Creepiest Entry Yet, Not In A Good Way
@LastFootnote Final Fantasy XII blows ZA out of the water. Rabanastre is a much more visually interesting and bustling city than Lumiose. And the buildings aren't just cubes with pictures of windows slapped on them!
Re: Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined Producer Reckons We're Ready For Its Dark, Sorrowful Story
Question
Will you be picking up Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined in the new year?
Answer
Since it will be on a GKC on the Switch 2 machine, I will only consider the Switch 1 version. But because Square Enix is not offering an upgrade path, I'll wait till the Switch 1 physical version is on sale.
Re: Ninja Gaiden 4 And Ragebound Clash In Stunning New Artwork
Question
Would you like to see Ninja Gaiden 4 on Switch 2?
Answer
Only if it gets a true physical release. If it's gonna be on a GKC, then I'm not interested.
Re: Review: Persona 3 Reload (Switch 2) - A Great Remake, But Still Not Definitive
I can deal with 30 FPS for a turn-based JRPG, but I can't deal with a GKC. So I'll give this a pass unless they do a true physical with someone like LRG down the line.
Re: Nintendo Direct For Kirby Air Riders Announced For Thursday, 23rd October
I wonder what they could be hiding to warrant not only a 2nd dedicated Air Riders Direct, but a 60 minute one at that. Top Ride? But I don't think that alone would carry a 60 minute Direct...
Re: Atlus To Address Persona 3 Reload's Switch 2 Frame Rate Hiccups In "Future Patches"
@Znake Well, if it makes you feel any better, it's a GKC anyways, so nothing is on the cartridge lol.
The silver lining is that eventually they may partner with someone like LRG to do a proper physical release, and that may have the performance fixes on the cartridge.
Re: Nintendo Reportedly Increases Switch 2 Production To 25 Million Units For Year 1
@jsty3105 I mean, they gave devs more choices on Switch 1. On Switch 1, they had 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB carts. Why not replicate those options at least? Why not literally just use existing Switch 1 cartridges to hold Switch 2 binaries? Sure, some games will need faster read speeds, so a new cartridge design is necessary to accommodate that, but why force non-demanding games to use that if they don't need it?
And they've already made it more complex for developers since apparently the Switch 2 cartridges, despite being faster than Switch 1 cartridges, are noticeably slower than micro SD express cards. So devs are already needing to theoretically* consider read speeds when considering whether or not to use a Switch 2 physical cartridge.
*In practice, we all know that the devs are just opting for GKCs cause they are cheaper so they make more money off each sale.
(Btw, I appreciate your measured response.)
Re: Nintendo Today! Update Makes It Easier To Share In-App News
Gotta love DRM on your news lol
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Team Open To More DLC: "Tell Us What You Want"
I want Coldsteel the Hedgehog.
Re: Feature: "We Have Absolutely No Intention Of Neglecting Her" - Persona 3 Reload Devs On FeMC And Porting To Switch 2
@Ziondood Hey Zion! Thanks for the followup and the transparency! Glad you asked the question.
I'm guessing their PR instructed them not to engage in any discussion about GKCs. They probably know that if they're honest and say it's just a business decision to increase profits it would make them look bad. And if they tried to add weird spin like NISA did ("We decided to release this title as a Game-Key Card on the Nintendo Switch 2 as we believed it was the most beneficial option for our customers."), it would look even worse.
I guess their refusal to respond at least tells us that they know people hate GKCs, but rather than attempting to control the narrative, they're just hoping it eventually blows over.
But here's my copium conspiracy theory: what if the reason they didn't wanna talk about it at all is cause they already have a full physical LRG release planned and it'll be announced next week at LRG3 and they don't wanna spoil the surprise?! One can dream...
Re: Feature: "We Have Absolutely No Intention Of Neglecting Her" - Persona 3 Reload Devs On FeMC And Porting To Switch 2
I appreciate Zion asking a hardball question with the question about the frame rate issues in the demo. Hopefully they are true to their word and iron it out eventually.
Though I'm disappointed Zion didn't also ask about their decision to use a GKC for this game. Kinda surprised he didn't considering he made an entire video back when the port was announced lamenting it being on a GKC.
I'm hoping they eventually work with LRG to make a complete physical version with all the latest patches and DLC. That's the only way I'd ever buy this on Switch 2. It seems like a possibility since they worked with LRG in the past for physical releases for P3P and P4G. And Sega isn't opposed to re-releasing more complete physical versions of older games through LRG (they did this with Valkyria Chronicles 4).
Re: Nintendo Reportedly Increases Switch 2 Production To 25 Million Units For Year 1
@jsty3105 Nintendo should have just made more cartridge options. Lower capacity and/or slower speeds to reduce cost.
Re: Two More Switch Games Have Received Compatibility Updates On Switch 2
@AG_Awesome Thanks for the tip about the Joylocks. I was eyeing those, but wasn't sure if you could use them without that shell. I'm not too keen on their shell cause then it forces you to use their special dock.
While not perfect, the Switch 1's ergonomics allowed me to play it in handheld for long periods of time with no issues. But unfortunately, the Switch 2 really doesn't feel comfortable for me to hold for long periods of time.
Re: Two More Switch Games Have Received Compatibility Updates On Switch 2
"The source also notes how this latest fix is an "interesting development" as it appears Switch games can be fixed for the Switch 2 at "any point"."
I'm assuming this just means that the devs released patches for these specific games to fix their Switch 2 issues, as opposed to Nintendo releasing fixes for their Switch 2 BC layer as part of a firmware update.
Anyways, glad to see that these games got fixed. I'm still really hoping for fixes for several other games:
*Raiden III
*Raiden IV
*Strania
*NieR Automata
*Trails from Zero
*Trails to Azure
*Tokyo Xanadu
I also wish Nintendo had an up-to-date central list of all games with known BC issues. As an owner of hundreds of Switch games, it sucks having to type in each game I own one at a time to see if there are issues or not.
Also, as the Crossbell Trails games demonstrate, there are games with issues outside of the issues that Nintendo officially acknowledges.
I really hope they keep working on BC till all issues are fixed.
Re: Team Ninja Founder And Industry Veteran Tomonobu Itagaki Has Passed Away
Rest in peace, Itagaki-san. 58 is just too soon. He left a major impact on the industry, for sure. Will have to play some Ninja Gaiden to honor his memory. A shame we never got any of the DoA fighting games on Switch.
Re: Nintendo Reportedly Increases Switch 2 Production To 25 Million Units For Year 1
@Jarodlaraus Are you implying that games like Street Fighter VI, Persona 3 Reload, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, etc... would be impossible to run on a Switch 2 cartridge?
Re: Video: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Official Side-By-Side Comparison (Switch 2, Xbox, PS5, PC)
Question
Will you be picking up this title on the Switch 2 when it launches early next year?
Answer
No, since it will release on a GKC, I have no interest in purchasing it.
Re: Nintendo Reportedly Increases Switch 2 Production To 25 Million Units For Year 1
All the Nintendo fanboys in the comments defending GKCs: "Won't someone please think about the billion dollar corporations!!!!"
Re: Nintendo Reportedly Increases Switch 2 Production To 25 Million Units For Year 1
GKCs suck. As one of a minority of Nintendo fans that actually did buy 3rd party games on Switch 1, I'm buying dramatically fewer games on Switch 2 because of GKCs.
Re: Poll: Is It About Time Game Freak Added Voice Acting To Pokémon?
@SpaceboyScreams You joke, but that's basically what we got with the atrocious English dub for Pokken Tournament! As someone who prefers English dubbed games and anime, this is one of the few games that made me Switch to Japanese due to how bad the English dub was.
Maybe not quite Chaos Wars bad, but close.
Re: Poll: Is It About Time Game Freak Added Voice Acting To Pokémon?
@chriswashere313 Who says they need to have a voice track for each text language? It's fairly common for games to support less voice languages than text languages. For example, all the Fire Emblem and Xenoblade games on Switch only have Japanese and English voice options and many additional languages for text. That would be a perfectly acceptable starting point for Pokemon.
Re: Video: Check Out Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Switch 2 Evolution In This Side-By-Side Comparison
@Denoloco Don't insult the 360 like that: it had games that used geometry to model the sides of building instead of just flat tiling jpegs! The buildings are basically high resolution N64/PS1 assets.
Re: The Next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial Is A Modern RPG Classic
@martynstuff Nah, I've played SMT V. Waaaay better than Pokemon. Not even close.
SMT = Games designed with artistic integrity
Pokemon = Corporate products in a multibillion dollar children's multimedia franchise designed to sell merch
It's like hydrogen bomb vs. coughing baby. (Pokemon is the coughing baby.)
Re: The Next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial Is A Modern RPG Classic
@TheExile285 Based on Sega/Atlus's track record, they likely would not give owners of the original an upgrade path. They'd probably sell a totally separate Switch 2 version for $60 on a GKC.
Re: Poll: So, Will You Be Getting Pokémon Legends: Z-A?
Nope, I haven't bought a main series Pokemon game since Shield and this doesn't look appealing to me in the slightest.
I'm pretty much done with Pokemon now. It's clear quality is not a priority for TPCi and Game Freak.
Probably the only new game that could get me to throw some money at the series again would be a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. I'd trust Spike Chunsoft to do a good job with that.
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Pokémon Legends: Z-A
@Vivianeat Yeah, I suppose if it was their support team, which helped with BotW and TotK, that would be fine. I just wouldn't want the main Tetsuya Takahashi team getting sidetracked with it.
Re: Switch 2 Named One Of The Best 'Entertainment & Gaming' Inventions Of 2025
@Member_the_game Hey bud, thanks for the response! I'm glad you appreciated my comment and understood my intentions. When I read the "toxic" part of your original comment, I (incorrectly) assumed you were lumping people like me in with obvious trolls or fanboys of other console who do actually wish to see Switch 2 fail just cause they're loyal to another console manufacturer or whatever. Gave you a <3 as well!
Re: Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Pokémon Legends: Z-A
@Vivianeat I'm sure Monolith Soft would do a way better job than Game Freak, but I'd rather let Monolith Soft stick with their own IP and continue making artistic games than waste their time and talent doing cleanup on a corporate product in a children's multimedia franchise.
Re: Rumour: Assassin's Creed Shadows On Switch 2 May Clash With Metroid Prime 4
Hmm... real physical Metroid Prime game vs. fake physical AssCreed game... Such a tough choice... /s
Re: Switch 2 Named One Of The Best 'Entertainment & Gaming' Inventions Of 2025
@Member_the_game On PS5, the discs do still at least contain the actual game most of the time. Though I agree, being forced to install is definitely a downgrade from true plug-and-play traditional physical releases. Still, I think that's a better compromise for cost/read speeds than GKCs. While storage space is still an issue (though less so on PS5 since storage is cheaper than on Switch 2), at least you do still own the games and are not dependent on a server to re-install them to your console in the future.
All that being said, my point is to just counter what you originally said. Nintendo may have given use "exactly what we wanted" in many ways, but there are a lot of catches, like the aforementioned loss of physical media for the majority of 3rd party games.
Another catch I really dislike is the mess of how upgrades are being handled for cross gen games. Many 3rd party games aren't offering upgrade paths and are forcing you to rebuy the game at full price if you want Switch 2 benefits (like Sonic X Shadow Generations or Suikoden I & II). While many new games are giving you an ultimatum between true physical ownership (Switch 1 version) and performance (Switch 2 version), as we see with Raidou, No Sleep for Kaname Date, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, Octopath Traveler 0, etc... Forcing me to double dip wouldn't be as bad if I could at least get the game complete on cartridge, but the only way I'd get on board with digital in this case is if I can get an extremely cheap (or even better, free) upgrade pack for my Switch 1 physical version.
There's also the technical shortcomings of the console. Like the screen not being able to do "real" HDR, or how the screen has a lower response time than even the Switch 1 screen. Not a good look for what is supposed to be a "premium" console with a premium price point. The battery life is also a noticeable step down from Switch 1. And despite the improved tech specs, we're still seeing lots of 3rd party games with performance issues, even with games that you would think would run at a locked frame rate on the hardware like P3R or Shadow Labyrinth.
The backwards compatibility improving framerate, resolution, and load times in certain games is my favorite feature of the console. But it's very disappointing how many of the games I own have bugs when running on Switch 2's BC, and Nintendo refuses to acknowledge some of the bugs and is not being very communicative about if/when they'll address the issues. It's also disappointing how games with 720p handheld modes on Switch 1 get stretched up to 1080p on the Switch 2's screen. Seems like there should at least be a pixel-perfect option to keep the games at 720p in a smaller portion of the screen. Or, as many other people have requested, the ability to force games to play in docked mode when in Switch 2 handheld mode in order to get higher resolution for games without a patch.
IMO, there's plenty of valid reasons for people to be disappointed with the Switch 2. Not everyone that has a complaint about the Switch 2 is a hater or a troll.
Re: Community: 32 Switch Games We Missed, As Recommended By You
@Zaruboggan Yeah, I agree that the $70 price for digital feels a bit steep. I believe the original Dear Days was actually the first $70 (standard edition) Switch 1 game, beating Tears of the Kingdom to the market by a few months.
But I think the physical version is a steal at $46. I've played for nearly 100 hours so far and I've barely scratched the surface in terms of the card pool. I'm choosing to experience the cards in roughly release order, so I'm currently just focusing on the first 4 packs and trying to build decks for all the Vanguards in those packs. I'm having so much fun just doing free battles and learning the nuance of the combat system and deck building!
Re: Switch 2 Named One Of The Best 'Entertainment & Gaming' Inventions Of 2025
@Member_the_game 99% of 3rd party games getting fake physical GKC/code-in-box releases is not what I was asking for.
Re: Switch 2 Named One Of The Best 'Entertainment & Gaming' Inventions Of 2025
"the on-device 7.9-inch HDR display runs handheld titles at 1080p and 120Hz"
In theory. In practice, I think the only games that can hit those numbers are 2D indie games.
Re: Takashi Iizuka Explains Why Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Was Delayed On Switch 2
Please be 60 FPS, please be 60 FPS, please be 60 FPS...
Re: Community: 32 Switch Games We Missed, As Recommended By You
@Zaruboggan Hey, I'm the guy who recommended Cardfight Vanguard! If you like the classic Yu-Gi-Oh GBA games and Shadowverse (the Cygames TCG on Switch), I think you'll like Vanguard as well! It's definitely on the budget side though, so unfortunately there's no 3D world to walk around in (like in Shadowverse), it's more like a lot of the old handheld Yu-Gi-Oh games where between fights, you'll see an overhead map of the town, and there will be points of interest that you can select on the map to see a visual novel-style event scene, usually accompanied by a fight. But don't let that deter you, the core TCG gameplay is extremely fun!
For this next bit, I'll also loop in @LEGEND_MARIOID since they also expressed interest in Vanguard. There's actually a free demo for the original Dear Days on the eShop that you can check out to get a taste of the gameplay.
And if you're interested in purchasing Dear Days 2, something to keep in mind is while its $70 USD price tag on the eShop is a bit high, if you're comfortable with importing games, you can get the physical Japanese version (which has English on the cartridge) for only around $46 USD from Video Games Plus!
Finally, I'll link this 10 minute tutorial video that does a good job explaining the basics for how to play the TCG.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Re: Hand-Drawn Platformer 'Ruffy And The Riverside' Gets 60fps Update On Switch 2
Really hope LRG puts this patch on the cartridge for their upcoming physical. Seems plausible since pre-orders went up only a week or two ago, so they likely haven't started putting data on cartridges yet.
Re: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Switch 2 And Switch Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed (US)
@shoeses I'd imagine people that enjoy monster collecting RPGs and have access to other platforms are busy playing Digimon Story: Time Stranger. It looks far superior to Z-A.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Switch 2 Trailer Introduces Shinra, The Turks & Avalanche
@Dang_69 Thanks
Re: Final Fantasy VII / VIII Remastered Twin Pack And IX Switch Physical Releases Confirmed For North America
I already imported the Asian physical several years ago. Not only do they have English on the cartridge, but the box art is also in English! In a way, the box art is even better cause it's completely free of a rating logo!
Only thing that would tempt me to get these again, would be if they put the most recent patch on the cartridge. If not, I'm perfectly happy with my Asian versions.
Still, appreciate Square Enix making the physical version available for a wider audience. Will be a sad day when Switch 1 finally dies and 3rd party physical releases like this become a thing of the past on Nintendo platforms.
Re: Switch 2 Launch Title Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Updated (Version 1.0.2), Here Are The Patch Notes
Question
Have you tried out this game on the Switch 2 yet?
Answer
No, since it is on a GKC, I will not purchase the Switch 2 version. I'll stick with the original on my 3DS machine.
Re: R-Type Delta: HD Boosted Is Getting A Sweet Physical Edition For Switch
@Edd-O Same, I had pretty much given up hope that they'd do one this year after they missed the usual June timing. Feels a bit weird now since they directly reference E3 with the name, but the show's at the end of October this year!
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Switch 2 Trailer Introduces Shinra, The Turks & Avalanche
@Dang_69 "You're overreating."
Ah, I see you're unable to dispute anything I said.
"While I bet if this was only a 60 gb game, they still would have used a keycard"
Probably, because, like I said before, GKCs are way cheaper than cartridges and they wanna make the most money possible. My point is that it is, in fact, technically possible to get this on a cartridge, SE just chose not to.
"I'm glad they didn't crunch it down. The loss of 40ish gb probably would have had a huge negative consequence."
Not really, I was totally content playing FFXII on the Switch after they shaved off 68% of the bloat from the PS4 version. No single game is worth nearly 100 GB, IMO.
If you care so much about getting the best technical experience, just get the PC version, then you won't have to deal with the Switch 2's crappy 30 FPS limit! With the advent of handheld PCs, you can even play it portable with the PC version. And when newer handheld PCs come out, you can use the built-in graphics settings to crank up the graphics. If you're gonna get it digitally anyways, just get it in the best digital ecosystem.
One of the unique selling points of Switch compared to handheld PCs was physical games, but Nintendo & 3rd parties are doing everything in their power to kill physical games on Switch 2.
Re: Review: Little Nightmares III (Switch 2) - A Missed Opportunity For Couch Co-op That Plays It A Little Too Safe
@the_beaver I have not. It was just a general comment about the state of Switch/Switch 2.
In the last year or two of the Switch, it feels like almost every 3rd party port (and even some 1st party games) had performance issues. People kept saying, "man, we really need the Switch 2 ASAP so we stop having performance issues." But now that it's arrived while it did fix a lot of performance issues with Switch 1 games via BC, when it comes to new games, developers are chasing even higher visual fidelity targets, so it's a bit of a wash and we're once again seeing performance issues in almost every 3rd party port.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Remake Switch 2 Trailer Introduces Shinra, The Turks & Avalanche
@Dang_69 They could have reduced the file size but chose not to because with a GKC, there is no incentive to reduce file size since they are just pushing the storage cost onto the consumer.
Square Enix reduced FFXII from 40 GB on PS4 to 13 GB on Switch 1, a roughly 68% reduction in file size. FFVII Remake Intergrade on PS5 is 90 GB, they'd only need to reduce that by 29% (less than half of the % reduction made to FFXII) to get it on a 64 GB cartridge. But they didn't even try and the Switch 2 version is basically the exact same size as the PS5 version.
They were planning to use a GKC from the start because of the cost of a Switch 2 cartridge, but personally, I would find a $50-$60 true physical release vastly more appealing than a $40 GKC.
And if they did that, they could still offer a $40 digital version for price-sensitive consumers. This is what Spike Chunsoft did for No Sleep for Kaname Date: both the physical Switch 1 version and the Switch 2 GKC (lol) cost $10 more than their digital counterparts.
Re: Poll: How Many New Games Do You Buy In A Year?
I'm definitely a "hyper enthusiast, price-insensitive player" as I greatly exceed 12+ game purchases per year.
Though once Switch 1 is phased out, I imagine I'll drop down to the 4-5 purchases per year bucket since real physical options on Switch 2 are so limited thanks to GKCs.
Re: R-Type Delta: HD Boosted Is Getting A Sweet Physical Edition For Switch
@Edd-O Yes, SDOJ is my current most-wanted physical release from LRG! Since they did physical releases for all of Live Wire's previous shmup ports, it seems like they'll surely do it eventually... Maybe we'll see an announcement at their upcoming LRG3 event on Oct. 29?
I'm pretty content with my Japanese physical copies of DOJ and Esp Ra.De., but I would double dip if LRG does a physical release and they actually take the time to translate the text into English.
Re: R-Type Delta: HD Boosted Is Getting A Sweet Physical Edition For Switch
Glad this a getting a physical release! Yet another physical shmup for the collection!
Worth noting, to anyone interested in picking this up from LRG, this specific release is not open pre-order. There is a finite amount (yes, even for the standard edition) and they will be available on first-come, first served basis.
So if you're like me and like to wait as long as possible before putting in your LRG orders to bundle as many things together as possible to minimize shipping costs, might not be wise to wait long for this specific release.
Re: Review: Little Nightmares III (Switch 2) - A Missed Opportunity For Couch Co-op That Plays It A Little Too Safe
"Performance on Switch 2 features frame drops and grainy visuals"
Oh boy, it's gonna be a long generation.
Re: Atlus Rules Out Persona 3 Reload Switch Port
@Hisui25002 I'm sorry, but if they can reduce the file size by 68% for FFXII, they can reduce the file size for FFVIIR by 34%.
The average gamer would be hard-pressed to notice the difference in quality going from DXT1 (4 bpp) to ASTC8x8 (2 bpp). The main people who would notice would be Digital Foundry when they zoom way in and compare still frames. I'd probably use higher quality compression for normal maps, though. But you can get away with crazy compression on albedo textures and even packed maps with PBR properties.
Also compression isn't the only trick they can employ. Simply cutting texture resolution in half would offer massive savings. Since cutting in half on each axis results in only 25% of the original area, the texture would only use 25% of the original memory.
Due to mip maps, you'd only be able to see the removal of the highest res texture in the mip chain if you park your camera right next to an object, which isn't terribly common in a 3rd person game.
Furthermore, the Switch 2 version is targeting lower internal rendering resolution anyways and uses DLSS to upscale, so reducing texture size would be barely noticeable in normal gameplay.
"Not to mention, the game has higher assets than XII"
That's exactly why there's more potential for savings. A 4094 texture at 4 bpp with mip maps is about 10.67 MB. Going down to 2048 is 2.67 MB. And going down to 1024 is 0.67 MB. Going from 4096 down to 2048 saves 8 MB, while going from 2048 down to 1024 saves 2 MB, yet both operations reduce the texel density compared to the original by the same factor.
"multiple voice lines uncompressed in different languages"
Audio compression says "hello!" Also, just put English on the cart for the US version and make the other languages available via a free download. That's what they did for the Star Ocean 2 remake.
"detailed particle shaders"
Particle shaders do not generally use much memory. The real memory hogs for shaders are for PBR surfaces with all the variants. But again, if the developer is competent, the memory footprint is still usually much lower than that for textures, audio, and pre-rendered video.
You are right about the price, though. Since they are only charging $40 for the game, a $16 cartridge would be a substantial cut into their profit margins. Still, I would find a $50 - $60 true physical version on a cartridge a much more appealing value proposition. If I wanted a digital version, I'd just get it on PC.
And there's no reason that they couldn't charge $40 for digital and $50-$60 for physical. That's exactly what Spike Chunsoft did for their recent release, No Sleep for Kaname Date. (Yep, even the GKC Switch 2 version costs $10 more than the digital version lol.)
Re: Atlus Rules Out Persona 3 Reload Switch Port
@Hisui25002 I mean, according to the devs, read speeds were the main reason for using GKCs for the Switch 2 port.
But yes, now that I've demonstrated that the read speeds would have been sufficient, lets talk about file size.
You do realize that in the Switch era, devs would significantly optimize file size when porting to Switch, right?
For example, FFXII was about 40 GB on PS4, but only around 13 GB on Switch (a 68% reduction!). Like they did with FFXII, Square Enix could have easily optimized FFVII to get the game from 90 GB down to around 63 GB. They'd only need to reduce the file size by 30%, which is less drastic than what they did for FFXII.
The biggest files in games are usually textures, audio, and pre-rendered video. Fortunately, these are all trivial to reduce, either by compression or lowering resolution.
Switch and Switch 2 also support ASTC texture compression, which allows for pretty granular control over memory footprint vs. quality. With ASTC, you can go between 0.89 to 8 bits per pixel (bpp), whereas with DirectX, your options are much more limited as you basically just have DXT1 (4 bpp) for RGB and BC7 (8 bpp) for RGBA.
Square Enix just didn't bother to optimize file size this time cause they were already committed to using GKCs from the get go. With a GKC, there is no incentive to optimize file size, since you are just putting the storage cost on the consumer.
The real reason Square Enix decided to go with GKC is money.