Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@KilloWertz I didn't miss out on Nintendo's older 3D home consoles, but I might as well have. I shamefully admit, for example, that I only used my N64 to play Pokemon spinoffs like Pokemon Stadium and Hey You, Pikachu! I was a little better with the GameCube, since I primarily used it to play horror games that were exclusive to the console. Admittedly, there weren't a lot of them, but REmake is still an incredible game, and Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was never ported to anything else. I hated (and, honestly, continue to dislike) the Wii, but it did eventually introduce me to Super Mario Galaxy, which revitalized my waning interest in both gaming and Nintendo at the time.

Thankfully, with a Wii U and a 3DS, I was able to explore the majority of Nintendo's back-catalog that I missed out on.

I did happen to entirely miss out on the PS3, but thankfully most of that system's best games were made available in remastered form on PS4. Although I fear I'll likely never end up playing Metal Gear Solid 4, as I'm not inclined to buy some ancient seventh gen console in order to play one game.

@nessisonett If I included emulated games as part of my 'backlog,' I'd probably lose my sanity.

I should use my Vita more before it craps out or something, though. Presumably it's not going to continue working forever.

@Ralizah At some point I'll subscribe to Nintendo Online and experience some of the back catalog that's available through there. The only still running franchises I remember experiencing on the NES were Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong.

I'll still subscribe at some point this week to get one or two of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 icons/avatars/whatever before it goes to the next batch, but I won't be playing any of the games on there anytime soon as I want to experience at least a portion of the Switch's catalog first. Some of them are doozies though of course (about to approach 60 hours and I'm on Chapter 10 in Xenoblade Chronicles).

Metal Gear Solid 4 was one of the primary reasons I bought a PS3. Obviously I wanted to experience Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, etc., but that was the game that really sealed the deal and got me to buy the MGS4 bundle. Didn't hurt that somebody I worked with all the time really wanted me to play it.

It's kind of a shame Konami ended up the way they are today, as it does really make it impossible to play the game legally on anything but a PS3.

@Haruki_NLI I feel like ballooning development budgets exacerbate existing tendencies toward design timidity, as the sales threshold for making a profit also increases, making it important not to stray too far from established expectations. Sony needs a middle tier where they can experiment more with different genres without having to worry about the detailing of peach fuzz on the hero's face, you know?

@KilloWertz I would have bought a PS3 if it hadn't been so damned expensive at the time. I don't necessarily regret jumping ship, though, as the 360 was actually the stronger overall platform that gen. Especially with Microsoft spending heavily on Japanese exclusives at the time.

I've waited long enough that I should probably just figure out a way to emulate it now. Konami, once the best publisher in the industry, is barely even a shadow of its former self, and with the bad blood that exists between them and Kojima, further positive engagement with the Metal Gear IP seems unlikely.

Assuming that cost isn't too much of an issue, I think having a Switch alongside a current/next gen XB/PS probably allows you to experience the best that gaming has to offer today.

@Ralizah I was the opposite. I started that gen with the 360 and then jumped ship to the PS3. I was into online gaming at the beginning of that generation after playing a lot of Halo 2 on the original Xbox, but that completely changed after getting the PS3. I haven't played much of anything online since.

Yeah, I don't see another Metal Gear game ever coming out. He seems to be done with the series regardless, but even if he was interested, it would take a miracle for them to ever sell it even though it's pretty much dead. I'd definitely consider an emulator at this point. It used to be on PS Now for streaming, but obviously it didn't carry over to the new PS Plus.

Against all of my better judgement I've just started Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and I'm really struggling to get into it. I love Xenoblade Chronicles. It was one my favourite Wii games and one of my favourite JRPGs and I love the Definitive Edition too. I never got around to 2 based partly on having a billion games to play and partly on having cringed at the character designs.

Anyway, here I am, and I don't know what it is but I can't get into this game. It's superficially similar enough to the original game that there's something there for me, but there's something about it that just isn't sitting right. I don't know if it's the different battle system, or perhaps the weird blades thing, or the character designs, or some combination.

I know one thing thought. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has the worst map/compass of any game I've ever played in my life. It's borderline antagnonistic.

@johncalmc I never got the sense from your posts that you were in any sort of headspace to enjoy the game to begin with. Just sell it and grab the third one. You'll miss a few references, but 99% of it stands on its own. The combat and environmental design are much closer to the original, but with improvements. Like actually being able to fight in the water, for one thing, and a robust navigational system that'll literally paint a line on the ground showing you where to go that can be turned on or off at will.

I actually love the dense, vertical map design of XC2, but I agree the in-game compass isn't up to the task of making it easy to navigate.

@Ralizah I think I'm struggling with JRPGs generally at the minute, particularly of the anime variety. I might have overdone it and I need some time away from them. I started Trails of Cold Steel 4 a while ago but only got seven or eight hours in and drifted away from it.

I think I'll get into XC2 eventually because there are elements of it that I like. I think the main character is fine and the music is great. And I don't get the battle system but it's not difficult so that's okay. I think it's honestly the map most of all that's putting me off. I never seem to know what it is that I'm doing and I have to look it up on a guide to perform even the simplest of tasks and it seems like it shouldn't be that way.

But I don't know. I defo won't sell it. I'm not the selling type. I'll either persevere and continue not liking it or persevere and warm to it or not persevere and leave it in the drawer for the next forty years. I suspect I'll probably get into it as long as I can get over that mad compass thing.

@johncalmc The XBC2 battle system totally is complicated, don't pretend it isn't. It is really good, though, I think I don't find the XBC3 one quite so involving. It is good though. Both have that whole rhythm aspect going on. XBC1 is super dull.

The getting lost thing is really frustrating but after a while you sort of get what is happening before the game can shaft you and it's not so bad. Actually, forgetting the map for a moment and actually taking a moment to stand still and study the landscape (if you can make it out in 480p) can help you navigate a little easier. I really found that on the second main Titan you visit. And at least fast travel is super quick so you can move to a more convenient waypoint if you go the wrong way.

My only real gripes with the game are all the annoying skill gates you come across, which can stop side quest progress in its tracks if you don't have the right blades, which themselves are RNG based. But there are so many side quests it's not really the end of the world, and it all helps pad out the endgame if you're enjoying the world so.. meh. Or "meh meh meh!" might be more appropriate.

@johncalmc The intricacies of the combat system take a while to fully open up. At the start, it's pretty basic. Once you understand how to use blade and driver combos, can reliably activate various elemental orbs to burst during chain attacks, and especially once Rex is able to switch between multiple different blades in battle, it's a much more involved (and fun, IMO) system. Feel free to ask for questions, as the game doesn't do a great job of explaining its various systems.

If you can manage to get into it, pretty much the entire second half of the game is really compelling. Even many people who hate XC2 are willing to admit it does a great job of building narrative momentum going into the last few chapters.

And the music IS really good, and only gets better as the game goes on. One of the strongest video game soundtracks in memory.

It's a flawed game, but what it does well, it does extremely well, which eventually won me over. I hope the same holds true for you.

@kyleforrester87 Still enjoying XC3? I'm mid-chapter six now. Actually got there about a week ago, but I've been swamped in side-quests. I ignored a lot of them in previous games, but I really enjoy the emergent narratives for each colony that arise from following their quest lines, so I'm trying to complete as many as possible in this game.

@kyleforrester87 I should clarify that I'm really not very far into it so so far it seems easy enough but I kinda don't understand what's happening. I'm just somehow winning 😂 at some presumably I'll hit a wall and have to try and understand what is happening

@Ralizah I’m really liking it but I am struggling to commit time to it. And when I do it’s like I only have an hour so I run around in circles, enjoy some views and make a bit of progress in a side quest. I’m chapter 3 still.

But I am really liking the world and the characters and plan on sticking with it, even if I am playing it still at Christmas.

Got Triangle Strategy to play afterwards I think, as far as gameplay goes, they would be good to play in tandem with one another, and I thought about doing that until I realised how stupid that was from a time perspective!

@johncalmc they really don’t explain parts of the battle system well at all, but it is worth researching how it works to get the most out of it. But you can also sort of muddle through without knowing it well too, which is sort of what I am doing with aspects of XBC3. And although I am making progress it’s kinda annoying, as you really want to know what direct effect you’re having on the battle with your inputs. I do plan on watching a few YouTube videos to better explain it once I get time.

Wasn't planning on buying this game anytime soon but its availability on the Switch has been surprisingly very low so I decided to order Digimon Survive. I wanted to get this game on Xbox but considering it's apparently more of a visual novel, I decided to get it on the Switch for portable play. Visual novels on consoles are a big no no for me.

Anyway, I love the Digimon franchise having grown up with the Adventure anime and I liked the first Cyber Sleuth game, so this should be an interesting title to play!

@ThereThere Yeh it has a really great back catalogue of retro titles, and the online service is fairly priced (IMO) if you have interest in a good selection of NES/SNES/N64 titles.

I think where the Switch can really shine though - is playing relatively new indie titles, with less demanding specifications etc. Hades is a good example, I got this on PS5 and Switch but played pretty much exclusively on Switch. A bit of minor lag at times, but very enjoyable otherwise. Other multi-platform games such as Hollow Knight, OlliOlli World and Dead Cells are good for Switch too.

Enjoy!

Saw that The House in Fata Morgana was on sale for 25% off and while that isn't much of a discount, I also had roughly €14 in gold points. So I figured why not, I'll buy this game. I've read that it's one of the best games/visual novels ever made or at least one of the most highly rated ones on Switch. Not to mention that there's like 50 hours of content and it's three games in one, so for the price I paid (which was €14) it was worth it even if gets a steeper discount in the future. Genuinely can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.

@Ralizah maybe you can answer this, when you do an offseeing for a random in the field, you get a little affinity, does that go toward whichever colony you are closest too..?

Edit: I answered my own question, yes it appears to give you affinity for the closest colony

@kyleforrester87 Yeah, I believe all of the husks in a given region give you affinity for a specific colony, since that's where you'd expect to find their dead.

@LtSarge I came across this game yesterday when looking through the top ranked Switch games on Meteoritic. Did you like the little bit you've tried of it so far? I'd consider getting it since it's on sale, and the physical version seems to be long gone since it was Limited Run Games.

@KilloWertz The House in Fata Morgana? I haven't started it up yet since it's such a meaty game. But from what I've heard of its premise, it sounds very interesting and it's gotten great reviews as well.

I have seen the game go on sale a couple of times now but I haven't seen it receive a higher discount rate than 25 percent so it could be a good idea to grab it now if you're interested in it.