Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@carlos82 Yeah I played Darker Sider yesterday and got to the bit where you play as the extendable leg onion thing, not sure how far through that was, but I hit a switch and a box knocked me into the lava (bit unfair to be honest!). I struggle a bit with the joycons so I'm going to go back to it once I get the pro controller. I'll probably take a heart upgrade buff in with me too.

@kyleforrester87 just beat the flying thing at the beginning where the goombas are for an extra heart, oh and by the sounds of it you have some way to go 😉

@carlos82 I figured about as much when it came to Rocket League. Main reason I want to get it is so I can play it with a few friends who have it on Xbox One.

@KratosMD Several people over at Nintendolife have confirmed that you can find people using a search function.

Yooka-Laylee comes December 14th, over 8 months since original release. Damn that's rough.

At least I finally get my backer copy now maybe? And no physical release either obviously.

DISASTER! I got a small scratch on my Switch screen. Actually looks more like a little dent. I think one of my cats has had a go at it because I've been extra careful. I thought it was a glass screen actually. Since learned it's plastic and soft as sh*t.

Bit of a bummer as no one likes a scratched screen but I try not to be too precious about this kind of thing. Ordered a glass protector for it anyway

@kyleforrester87 Can you imagine if it WAS glass screen built in? Imagine if you drop that.

Easy scratching, or watch it shatter into cracks and become unusable? You know, the iPhone way of dying

@YummyHappyPills I'll take glass over plastic anyday. I can proudly say I've never smashed a phone screen. Plus if it was glass and I did smash it I'd have no choice but to pay for a full repair. As it stands it's so minor it doesn't justify a £70 repair job, but it might still bug me.

@kyleforrester87 I'll take plastic with a screen protector on it before glass any day.

Becayse then it wont be scratched and if it does fall you wouldnt shatter a hypothetical glass screen. Just a protector.

And I have dropped my Switch a lot.

Well I should say its been placed on things, slid off and hit the floor popping the Joy-Con off

@YummyHappyPills Well yes plastic with a good quality screen protector is the way to go, but to be honest I'm used to my devices having scratch resistant glass screens so I just assumed the Switch's screen would be a bit hardier.

Never mind, though. Screen protector on the way so it shouldn't get any worse. It's unlikely to REALLY bug me but if it did i'd probably trade it in, cough up the difference and buy a new one :')

So I have been really torn on whether to get a Switch or not. On one hand I want Zelda, MK8, M + R & Super Mario Odyssey a lot and the price is not bad for 300 bucks but on the other hand I haven't played any games in years without trophies and not sure how replayability would be without. If I get a Switch how much do I need in additional accessories and what is battery life like when you're using as a hand held? Any advise would be helpful.

Replayability is the same, you just don't get an artificial pat on the back for doing stuff. Although, if it helps, a lot of games have in-game achievements.

You'll probably want a case and a micro SD card to expand your storage options. Otherwise... just get what you feel like. A screen protector is advisable, but not required (mine is naked right now, in fact!). It charges via USB-C, so if you have a portable battery and a USB-C cable, you can use that to charge your system when you out and about.

Really, it just depends on what your needs as a gamer are. Everything you NEED comes in the box.

And, as a handheld, the Switch can last anywhere from 2 to 7 hours while actively playing. It depends on the game. Most first-party titles like Zelda and SMO average around 3 - 3.5 hours on the handheld. Smaller titles last a lot longer (including Disgaea 5 Complete, which, despite being a PS4 port, gets 6 or 7 hours on a single charge).

@vegeta11 the lack of trophies has made zero difference to me in terms of replayability and Nintendo are very good at making games that you want to fully explore anyway. The battery life is pretty good for the quality of the games, at worst it'll be around 2.5 hours for something like Zelda or Mario, less demanding games add another hour or so.

As for accessories I'd go for a good carry case and screen protector for on the go as the only essentials, I would however recommend the Pro Controller (which is a great pad) and a stand as the one on the Switch is a bit unsteady, there is a really good Hori one which allows you to plug in the charger at the same time

@YummyHappyPills If that's depressing you have a very low bar for depression.

@vegeta11 It's funny you mention trophies, because the lack of trophies has really been bugging me. I hate the fact that it annoys me, but it does! After beating the first boss in Odyssey I literally waited for a trophy pop up. Sony have subconsciously conditioned me with sound and digital silverware . Think the last game I played that didn't have trophies was Football Manager 2013 on PC.

I do think the lack of trophies/achievements impacts the longevity of the game, for me anyway. I finished Odyssey with just under 200 moons, but I didn't see the point of going back and replaying worlds. It'll be interesting how I feel about Zelda, but at the minute I'm just getting lost in its world.

As for accessories...I use my Switch primarily as a handheld, so I only bought a microSD (64GB), a screen protector and a travel case.

@YummyHappyPills Ehmm why you so mad?
I did say I'm annoyed, by the fact that it annoys me.
I play a game for enjoyment not for the digital silverware, if I like a game enough I look up what else the game has to offer.
It's essentially a checklist. A good trophy list will have you experience everything the game has to offer.

Trophies are an added incentive. The visualization helps keep focus. It's a psychological thing. I don't think the majority of trophy enthusiasts play for their trophy level, they are just completionists.

In regards to Mario...I beat the game. I enjoyed the game, but I felt no need to go back to it.

I am not a trophy/achievement whore but I do find 'some' that will encourage me to revisit a mission or two after completion. There are the obvious trophies you get for finishing a mission/game and then there are some for beating the game on 'harder' difficulties and challenges within missions - like get 10 stealth kills/headshots in a row for example.

I don't necessarily want to play a game immediately after completing it. I don't finish a book and then start reading it again or re-watch a movie straight after either - I move on to the 'next' book/film/story to offer something new. Stories can lack the impact if you know exactly what happens next, how it ends etc and any 'plot twists' are not so impacting either so mopping up any trophies after is a reason to keep the game going beyond just beating it. If there isn't any trophy for beating the games on 'harder' difficulty settings then there is less incentive to try - not saying there is no incentive but constantly having to restart a checkpoint for example can get in the way of the flow of a story. This is often why you see difficulty setting descriptions like Easy being described as for those players interested in the Story primarily.

From my perspective, I won't beat a game purely for the trophy - the story and game-play is what drives me to the end but trophies may encourage me to revisit chapters or push myself to beat the game at the 'highest' difficulty setting. I don't usually bother re-playing the game on a 'newly' unlocked difficulty setting (only available after beating the game at least once) or a 'New game +' trophy for the same reason I don't replay stories immediately after beating a game. Maybe I will return at a later date but the draw of a 'new' story/experience usually is more appealing to me. However, if there are a few odd trophies that I may of missed - like those 'mission' challenges or get 'X' stealth kills, headshots etc then I will often replay certain parts before the game gets consigned to the shelf and move on to the 'next' game - so trophies can be an incentive to keep the game going beyond just 'beating' the story. Getting a Platinum is certainly not something I endeavour to achieve in 'every' game I own and some trophies I really won't bother with if I don't enjoy certain aspects or they are frustrating to get. I think they do add 'something' but I don't think they are 'necessary' either.

I never bothered to get all Stars in Mario64 - enough access and to beat the end boss and once done, that game was 'finished' for me. A trophy may well of given me a reason to get the rest...

@YummyHappyPills They arent worthless if you put value into them. @Fight_Teza_Fight has platinized Persona 5. The guys a gaming god with amazing skillz.

Trophies are a snapshot of your gaming history and accomplishments. Its all well and good saying x game is bad or x game is good. But if Teza advises me that x game is good/bad it holds more weight than someone who has no accomplishments in said game.

Trophies when done well are also a roadmap in the game to fully see everything. I had played ff10 a few times for years, it was only when checking on a trophy list I noticed I had always missed the celestial weapons. So thats another plus.

I understand the sentiment though, I play a variety of platforms and old skool games and wouldnt miss them as much as a trophy hunter like @booshy for instance. However trophies do have the added incentive to try out new mechanics and stuff which take you out of a comfort zone and challenge yourself.

Im playing pure chess right now and on various platforms have an elo rating of under 800 (im good but cant plan of the hoof 4/5 move sets using knights and bishops). Theres no way I would attempt to beat beater skilled opponents without added incentive as its crushing as Ive hit a glass ceiling and I couldnt comprehend how Im always out maneuvered even when playing it back. Yet earlier today I beat an 1100 elo computer player on my way to a trophy after studying mid game bishop knight attacks for the first time in years. Thats the power of trophies.

Anyways Switch.

@vegeta11 Really chuffed with my Switch, got it a month ago (tomorrow!) and it's an awesome machine. Maybe the best console I've owned. I didn't get any accessories - I use the joy cons in the cradle when playing docked. I will be getting a Pro controller though. Haven't even got a memory card yet - I've got just enough space for Mario Kart, Mario + Rabbids, Golfstory and Xenoblade on the 25gb built in space. Then I have Mario on cartridge and I'll get Zelda on cartridge, too. So as far as I'm concerned there's no need to spend a lot on extras, at least not right away.

Did order a screen protector today though

@YummyHappyPills The accomplishments in Mario do mean something of course they do. My point of view doesn't fall flat though, why do achievement / trophy websites have such a big following if there was no value in them? Arcade gaming for years succeeded on leaderboards. Trophies are an extension of that.

Also it does matter to me if someone is talking about a game mechanic, lets say - Beat a raid in destiny - only the person who has the trophy can actually comment properley on the raid. Thats not dumb, thats actually sensible. Theres a ton of billy bullshippers when it comes to gaming. I actually had a colleague in work telling me mgs pp was the worst ever, rubbish open world blah blah blah. Looked at his trophy list and he hadnt even played the game. So thats another positive.