Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

In SM3DW, the difficulty definitely has an uptick when you reach post game. I doubt I'll do what's necessary to unlock Champion's Road (I wasn't able to clear Darker Side in Odyssey, which I hear is easier), but I'll see how far I can handle in post game before moving on to Bowser's Fury. I last beat ⭐-2 & unlocked the secret character.

Kinda disappointed in the final story boss. It's certainly not the worst final boss fight in the series, but I've never been a big fan of the "chase" style confrontations (I prefer an actual rumble, like in 64 or Galaxy), and up until then the game had completely forgone them, which I liked.

@RR529 I felt that way about the final boss fight back on Wii U. It just kinda ended with a bit of a whimper but then after I kept unlocking worlds I sorta felt that there might have been a better boss at the very end of Champion’s Road. Of course I never met the insane requirements to unlock it.

I’ve been giving A Link to the Past one last go through the Switch SNES app. I’ve tried about 4 or 5 times over the years to get into it but always bounced off. This time I’m actually enjoying it a lot more. I really haven’t been a big fan of 2D Zelda for a lot of my life but the Switch version of Link’s Awakening has been like a gateway drug for me.

I really liked World ⭐ in SM3DW, but it looks like World 🍄 is the point where they start padding things out by remixing earlier stages. They're still holding my attention though, so I'll see how far I can go.

@nessisonett Highly recommend A Link Between Worlds if you get the chance to play it. Easily my favorite of the 2D Zeldas.

The Oracle games are excellent as well. Honestly like them way more than Link's Awakening.

Still need to play The Minish Cap, though...

@RR529 Yeah, a lot of the special stages are harder remixes of earlier levels. They often feel different enough that they might as well be new stages. The level of diversity in stage themes is certainly eons beyond what you'd get with the 2D Mario games.

Are you going to collect all of the stamps, stars, and hit the top of every flagpole in anticipation of accessing World Crown and the final set of levels that go along with that?

@Ralizah A Link Between Worlds was honestly a massive let down for me when I got it back when it first released. That’s partly what put me off 2D Zelda as I didn’t like the wandering around the map. I think I got about halfway through it before giving up. Definitely one to go back to!

In other news, my younger brother’s several chapters ahead of me in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War now. Somewhat confusingly, I’ve ripped my repro cart to obtain the patched version of the game that’s readily available on the internet as if that suddenly makes a difference. I put it on my 3DS so that he could play it and it looks and plays great. I can totally see why Japan voted it their favourite in the series on a second playthrough, it’s incredibly unique while laying the foundations for Awakening and Three Houses and the plot is brilliant. It helps that I know what’s coming too, and to treat each chapter as several chapters from another game, instead of being frustrated by the length.

@Ralizah, yeah, at this point I might as well go for it, though I'm not going to pull my hair out trying to clear the penultimate level. I've collected everything in the 8 main Worlds & World 🍄, and only have a few outstanding collectables in World ⭐, so unless difficulty has a massive spike in World 🏵️ I think I should be able to access the final World.

We'll obviously need a more thorough analysis to really compare the different versions after the new ports release, but, at least visually, Crash 4 is impressively holding its own on Switch.

@Ralizah It’s only really the shadows which let down the Switch version visually, but that was to be expected. Let’s hope it performs well because Crash is hard enough without frame drops!

@nessisonett I remember, at least at launch, the performance on base PS4, and especially Xbox One was...let's say pretty bad.

IIRC PS4 could hit 60 but often didn't, at 1080p, Xbox was lower than 1080p, lower settings, and ran a lot closer to 40fps.

So if with tweaked settings and a 30fos limit this game can run at up to 1080p...I'm stunned, because something way more powerful than it struggles.

But I always get the impression later games for PS4 and Xbox One were more so built in mind for the updated systems, because the OG models really start to struggle in 2019 or so.

Tonight in SM3DW I went back and nabbed any collectables I missed (using Peach made collecting that one Green Star in the nighttime Creeper Plant level a lot easier), so I should now have everything before "Boss Blitz" completed.

Next time I'll tackle "Boss Blitz" and then hopefully be able to access the final world.

Over the last week or so I have treated myself to two limited edition games - Lonely Mountains Downhill and Creaks. I normally dislike the cost and the 'sold out in a second' of some of the limited games suppliers but these came from Super Rare games and the stock on these titles held out for some time and are relatively cheaper than ordering from the US with postage etc (both a little over £30).

Oddly, I never played these on the Switch but on Xbox and Apple Arcade respectively so looking forward to having a play around.

I've completed SM3DW entirely with three of the characters now. I'm getting closer to 100%ing it with every single character.

Also, STILL haven't touched Persona 5 Strikers. Not out of disinterest, but just because things haven't lined up that way. And because I keep dipping into the weird, beautiful world of Gnosia.

@RogerRoger GAME online can be competitively priced at times, but most of the time I find they are not far off RRP. I've been toying with getting the game myself, but was put off with some of the performance issues reported in handheld mode. Hope your partner enjoys it when he eventually gets round to playing it!

In SM3DW I cleared "Boss Blitz" on my second try & accessed the final world!

The last Captain Toad level was easy enough, though I don't think I have what it takes to beat Champion's Road (I keep stalling out at the section with the alternating "beat blocks"). Getting at least this far is worth it though just to be able to hear the Observatory theme again!

I think I'm about ready to try Bowser's Fury.

Started Bowser's Fury yesterday & already managed to clear it today! Still have nearly half the shines to collect though, so I'm not putting it down yet.

Awesome final fight though. Definitely made up for the average confrontation within 3D World proper.

Almost done with Gnosia now.

The game has done a better job feeding my hunger for a new Zero Escape game than Zero Time Dilemma ever did. It's all there: the engaging, diverse cast of characters; the strong sexual tension (although this game does a better job of it, as there's no sexual harassment like in VLR); the mind-bending overarching plot; the fascinating bits of larger worldbuilding; hell, even the main aspect of the gameplay, which involves forming alliances and/or tactically selling people out to achieve your goals, is reminiscent of VLR. It's a pity this game has caught on more.

That's not to say there aren't faults. Progressing in this game, even if you use a guide, would still involve a lot of RNG that leads to quite a bit of repetition and narrative wheel-spinning. And the early game, before you start learning skills, kinda sucks, as you're largely at the mercy of larger group dynamics. Things become far more tactical and interesting once you start jacking up your stats and learning skills.

But the good parts of this game are really, really good. I hope the developer's next game is set in this same universe.

Absolutely insane to think four people made this game. It feels very high-end.

I beat Atelier Ryza 2 on the Switch and immediately started the PS4 Pro version. I really think that they did a good job in this port. The only that is very noticeable are the load times. The PS4 version looks a bit cleaner and sharper but since I played the game in the Switch Lite I am not sure if the TV version looks sharp.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Neo Geo Pocket collection in the Switch eshop. I was thinking of snagging a copy.

The Rolling Island in Bowser's Fury can bite me. It took me at least 20 times to reach the lighthouse on that one, as it never really seemed consistent at what angles you could stand on the platforms & I seemed to always fall down at some point along the way falling down at an angle I seemed to have no problem with elsewhere (and the fact that Bowser had a tendency to wake up about halfway through on most attempts didn't help).

Luckily I managed to nab all the red "cat coins" across my various attempts, and the fury block & timed platforming challenges weren't that hard, but the last Shine on the island is one of those Key challenges, which I feel is going to be nigh impossible.

Just had a mini meltdown while attempting to beat Mothula in A Link to the Past. Ended up resorting to save states so I didn’t need to walk to the boss every single time only to die. I did beat the boss in one life though, I didn’t use save states during the fight as personally I’d find it a bit cheap. Apparently you’re supposed to use potions and stuff in this game but I’d need to go find the Witch’s House, wherever that is.