Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

The Switch is fine if it’s your only console, a lot of Nintendo fans haven’t had this level of third-party support before. Since I already have PlayStation and a laptop that I use probably the most for gaming, the sheer price of Switch games means that I’ll pretty much only buy exclusives. The exclusives I own are Mario Odyssey, BotW, Smash, Mario Kart, Astral Chain, Fire Emblem, Mario and Rabbids, Splatoon 2, Animal Crossing and TWEWY. Of those, only Mario and Smash are physical as they were both in bundles. Games like Kirby Star Allies, Yoshi, Pokemon and Paper Mario don’t appeal to me as I personally think the series were done better 15-20 years ago on inferior hardware. I’ve bounced off quite a few games on that list, either due to the game itself, my misgivings with the controllers or my issues with drift literally 4 or 5 months after getting the console. I just feel rather disappointed in the Switch as a package, the charm seems to have been sucked out of Nintendo’s approach to gaming and replaced with sterile bureaucracy. I still feel like I’m waiting for Nintendo to actually surprise me this gen, maybe bring back a dead IP or come up with a new one which isn’t a barebones multiplayer title.

We got a new TV for the living room, a pretty big one, so I decided to try out Astral Chain on it, which was... a mistake. I've never seen so many jaggies in my life! 😂 The game must have, like, no anti-aliasing whatsoever. Had a similar experience with NieR: Automata on PS4, although I think it's worse here.

I'll be sticking with handheld mode and small computer monitors for this one.

@Ralizah I thought it was just me being picky since I don’t play too many Switch games on the TV! Yeah, that one definitely looks rough on the big screen. It feels counterproductive to compare the picture to PS4 games to me but at the same time, it’s just so noticeable on certain games.

@nessisonett I know better than to play a Platinum Games title on a big TV. I had a similar "Eugh!" moment with NieR: Automata when I first got into the open world in that game. It's definitely not a resolution problem. The game is 900p. Maybe not the best resolution for a big 1080p TV, but I've played some really good looking games at that resolution, on and off Switch. DQXI on PS4 runs at that resolution, and it's a real looker. Hell, DQXI S at 810p with downgraded lighting still looks damn good on a TV.

I think the art style is a contributor as well.

The bigger problem for me with Astral Chain is... it's hard to explain, but the combat animation feels almost sluggish. I feel like I'm playing Monster Hunter or something. NieR: A and Bayonetta both have lightning fast action, but everything here feels like there's a delay, whether I'm attacking or dodging. Maybe it's just the framerate, but I've played other fast action games at 30fps (Ys VIII comes to mind), and those were fine, even if the animation itself wasn't super-smooth.

Maybe I just need to adjust to the game's combat flow. I like everything else: the visual style is interesting (if messy), the premise is cool, the setting is awesome, the music is catchy, etc.

@Ralizah I really love NieR’s graphics even if the performance is quite dodgy at times. Art style usually beats out resolution but there are exceptions, Wolfenstein 2 is seriously rough on Switch from what I’ve seen.

@nessisonett It's a fun game, but there is aliasing EVERYWHERE in the PS4 version of NieR. And the open world is very... well, it's clearly not a big budget game.

😂Yeah, I imagine Wolfenstein probably does look bad on Switch at 340p or whatever insanely low resolution it's running at. Weirdly, Yoshi's Crafted World looks pretty good despite being insanely low res (it can't even hit 720p when docked!)

@nessisonett @Ralizah Believe it of not I have played and beat both Doom 2016 and Wolfenstein 2 on the Switch. I have also beat the PS4 version of Doom. To tell that in the big screen the games look subpar would be an understatement. They are not "bad" by any means though just low res in some cases. Doom, I think, is slightly better that Wolfenstein 2. In portable mode things are better but not much. In the end of the day (after a myriad of patches) both games play well in portable mode. The dips below 30fps are not that frequent. They are better than some other conversions like ys viii that are way less demanding but are facing the same issues (I mean come on the switch port is almost the same as the Vita version).

Other major releases I have on switch are Skyrim and Diablo 3. Those, generally, perform well but are less demanding games overall.

I think comparing numbers of Switch exclusives and IP's etc. is no real indicator of output at all to be honest because of the nature of the games and resources used to make them.

Firstly, cutting edge AAA game development is taking longer and longer with each successive year. Insomnia have released less games than they did on the PS4 but each of these games takes longer to make. If you look at the complexity of say, TLOU2 with long cut scenes, very realistic phsyics, graphics, music, size of areas etc. It is a real industry problem to be honest - average dev cycle from conception to release is close to 3-5 years for a major AAA PS4/XB1/PC game.

On the other scale, Nintendo Switch AAA games are far less demanding technically and by design. While no doubt they take time, I would suggest a game like Yoshi's Crafted World has a far shorter turn around time than, say, Ghost of Tsushima.

Then you get into the whole developer size/cash flow/employee size. Some studios do nearly everything in house, some have the ability to access other studio resources etc. That's how EA etc. turn round games so quickly, they have a stack of support studios etc. Then there are elements like new engine development etc.

So it is really hard to count different excluses and so on. I think the key indicator is that all three brands have invested into a lot of first party content, it is really all about the variety and ouput of that content. For example, I am not a racing fan so Forza games on XB1 don't interest me so when I think of XB1 exclusives, I sort of mentally filter them out but for others, these are a reason they buy XB consoles.

I kinda have to agree with @KratosMD here. The total number of exclusives don't really matter to me. It's the quality ones, the games I'd like to play. And that's very personal for everyone of course. I'm not even going to touch on stuff like Flip Wars and Jump Rope Challenge. Games like Mario Tennis look cool, but I wouldn't pay more than €30 for those. And Nintendo has a lot of ''filler'' titles that don't feel like they're worth the full price they're asking IMO.

I only play so many games a year, and I prefer action-adventure titles. So it's the Marios, Zeldas and Metroid I'm looking for.

So far on Switch I have Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Link's Awakening, Pokemon Sword and Animal Crossing. I already have Breath of the Wild on Wii U by the way, and considering that game is still €60, I'm not going to double dip anytime soon.

I was thinking of getting Luigi's Mansion 3, but I'm sure how much I'd like it. I think the first one was good, as in a solid 7/10, but not outstanding to me. Maybe I'll consider it someday. Same with Origami King, it looks better than Color Splash, everyone seems raving about it, but I don't see how it addresses the criticism I had with Color Splash, so I'm not willing to take a bet for €60.

I'm still holding out for BOTW2, Metroid Prime 4 and Pikmin 4. But I know I'll be waiting a long time.

I would also like to see some big new IP from Nintendo. ARMS didn't grab my attention because it was mostly an online experience without a proper campaign like Splatoon has. But I don't know. It feels like it's time for a big new Nintendo IP that's on the same calibre as Zelda or Mario. If Sony can pump out multiple big budget IP in a single generation, then surely Nintendo can manage to release one, right?

Nintendo is better at iterating on older ideas than it is creating completely fresh takes, so I genuinely don't care about new I.P.s. If anything, I like the reliance on older properties, since there's always a level of familiarity present, even when they radically change up the game design of a series like Zelda or Fire Emblem. The primary criticism of them that I have is that they allow non-blockbuster franchises to go dormant for WAY too long. Stuff like Pikmin, Metroid, Golden Sun, etc.

@belmont I'm not much for shooters on consoles in general. They're better on Switch thanks to the usual inclusion of gyro aiming, but gyro at 30fps doesn't feel ideal, and I can easily set up gyroscopic control when playing on my PC.

Moreover, short, cinematic games aren't really a good fit for a portable console, IMO.

@KratosMD I don't think that's it. I think they see themselves a bit like the Disney of games, and I think they just want to rely on Mario & co a little too much, just to keep it in our mindset. That's why they'd rather release 2-3 Mario games each year than one Metroid game every 10 years or so. Especially now they're going into theme parks and films, I fear that they'll be relying on a handful of IPs to make that all happen. It's probably easier to sell the same thing again once something is popular. Just look at Pokemon.

@Ralizah Splatoon feels very fresh and new. And I just like exploring new worlds. I'll be as excited as anyone else for the next Mario or Zelda, but a new franchise can be just as exciting.

It's one of my biggest fears for the PS5, nothing but sequels for the first couple of years. And I'll be the first one to buy HZD2 and God of War 2 when they come out. But I really appreciated all the new franchises during the PS4's lifespan, so I'd like to see that again. All I'm asking from Nintendo is 1 new franchise

@Octane Sure. Splatoon is cool, and I'm glad it exists. But, IN GENERAL, their new properties are usually not as good as their established ones. Splatoon was an exception, like Pikmin. A 'once in a generation' sort of exception.

The thing is: we've gotten new IPs this gen.
ARMS is new
1, 2, Switch is new
Ring Fit Adventure is new
Astral Chain is new (Platinum developed it, but Nintendo owns the I.P.)

@Ralizah Yeah I guess.

However personally I don't really count stuff like 1, 2, Switch. That just a minigame compilation. Ring Fit is a gimmicky exercise game. And ARMS is neat I guess, character designs at least, but it's missing a meaty single player element, there's not enough for me to care.

And I can't get into most of Platinum's games, they're in a category on their own

But hey, I'll take a Pikmin 4 as well!

@Octane Ring Fit Adventure is an RPG, with leveling, skill growth, side-quests, (limited) exploration during levels, boss battles, item crafting, unique NPCs, etc. It's also a shockingly effective workout.

I'm gutted that we probably won't see this in the West. I LOVE Monster Rancher 2.

@Ralizah True, I guess I don't give it enough credit. But I already do enough exercise, I don't need my games to be a workout

It's also quite expensive because it includes the ring controller.

@Octane That's fair. It has been consistently difficult to find a copy since covid started, anyway. I'm really glad I obtained a copy before all this went down.

@Ralizah You know it’s bad when Ring Fit provides a more substantial and deep RPG experience than the latest Pokemon and Paper Mario 😉

@nessisonett lol

I won't defend Pokemon, but The Origami King is an excellent game. It's just not trying to be an RPG. It feels more like some weird Zelda spinoff with puzzle combat.

@Ralizah Paper Zelda would be cool. We’ve had the yarn concept go from Kirby to Yoshi so a full Zelda game embracing the art style wouldn’t be too big a leap.