Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@Ralizah honestly I agree, especially if it tanks the battery too. It's a tiny screen in the grand scheme of things I don't need 1080p. Especially if it makes some games look worse too.

@Pizzamorg How far are you into Three Hopes?

While I think it does a lot to flesh out the world, I think it really butchers the story in a lot of ways. In particular I find the game jumps into the war too soon and as a result I find people's motives aren't well explained. I also found Shez to be a very weak character personally, but I get the need to introduce a new self-insert. I still think it's a great game, just find the story to be a step down compared to Three Houses even if I appreciate the alternative canon.

Also re: Three Houses - I kinda get your point about missing things / needing a guide, but to me that's the charm of the game, really. The game is really set up for you to learn through multiple playthroughs, and I personally found playthroughs 2-3 or so to be miles better than my initial playthrough. You are totally expected to miss things in your first playthrough, much like how Persona isn't expecting people to 100% all content in the game. Totally get this is not for everyone though. Personally, the monastery is getting to know the characters is one of my favourite aspects of the game - I really didn't appreciate how pointless the Somniel from Engage felt in comparison.

@Buizel About sixish hours, I would say?

I do think this is a two things can be true thing, because a lot of what you say I don't disagree with, but I also don't really agree with either.

Like, those opening hours of Hopes feel very rushed, but I wonder if they just feel rushed because I watched these events play out once already so glacially in Three Houses, my brain has just decided Three Houses is the default speed.

But like I had no idea what Edelgard's motivations were in Crimson Flower in Three Houses, and I think about all the events in the first half of the game knowing the role she played in them and I just can't make sense of any of those actions, likewise almost all of the betrayals in Three Houses are meaningless because we spend zero time with any of the characters who betray us.

In Hopes, seeing characters like Jeritza and Monica get to be actual characters, Slither actually being in the story directly from the start rather than whatever Three Houses was trying to do with them, like all of those pacing decisions I just like a lot more. I have such a firmer sense of place, who everyone is, what motivates and binds people. I feel like Three Houses was like the footnotes of this story, then Hopes is the one filling in all the details for me, to create an actual complete feeling story.

Same with Shez, if you step back in the canon of gaming of all time, then sure Shez doesn't rank anywhere but Byleth isn't a character, not really, because it is impossible to be when your character has no voice. At least for me. Shez having a voice alone for me makes them a better character than Byleth like basically by default for my tastes.

Also, I think the difference with say Three Houses and a more conventional door close and open style route / choices game, is Three Houses is a fairly static three act story, once you are on your route track, so you can effectively miss out on the entirety of act 2, and act 3 still plays out unchanged.

You don't think about the content you're missing in say a BG3 or something, or at least I don't, because the story is flexible enough to adapt, and change shape, as choices are made, so things coherently flow from choice to choice to create a singular coherent story, that isn't reliant on the player doing specific things and responding to them doing it, even if they haven't.

Student X in Three Houses is going to lament the beautiful life your shared together in Act 3 whether they are Rank S or whether you spoke to them once one time in Chapter 2. The entire middle of Three Houses story is basically one giant, unguided, optional bundle of busy work that can be just entirely missed and leaves a gaping wound in the centre of this that cannot be retroactively closed, because so much of it is time gated. I just don't think this is a good style of storytelling, and I think it harms the argument of replayability, because this stuff only becomes more obvious the more you play it.

@Pizzamorg Great, and I guess you're doing the Black Eagles route again this time?

Note that my memory of Three Hopes is a bit hazy as I've not played it in three years though.

I think fundamentally Three Hopes does a terrible job of showing Edelgard's motivations, even compared to Three Houses. (Mild spoilers for her path, not sure if tag is necessary as it doesn't spoil anything other than the second act:) The game barely introduces the crests and even the church before she wages war on Foldan, so she more or less comes across as a power-hungry, war-waging tyrant, even in her own path. She states her motivation as eliminating a corrupt church and crest system but we see no convincing evidence that these things exist in Fodlan so everything she does comes across as unjust. And it's quite jarring how a large number of her recruits blindly support her in this cause (although not all of them). Although tbh I've never been a fan of Edelgard. Then you have the Golden Deer path, where (spoilers for Golden Deer in Three Hopes) this time Claude joins Edelgard for some reason...with no clear motivation or build-up. And unlike Edelgard, I don't think this move is ever really justified (other than trying to save his own skin in the war) so it is even more frustrating, esp. as Golden Deer had arguably the best path in Three Houses. The only path that I think comes on par with, or maybe exceeds, the original game is that of Blue Lions.

I don't disagree that some characters have been fleshed out a bit more in Three Hopes - that is one great thing about the game. However conversely I think some characters get shafted a bit - particularly the Knights of Seiros. I think generally the game's story suffers from lack of exposure to the Church, as it forms a crucial part of Three House's narrative. On the flip side, seeing the characters in this alternative canon helps us to see them in a new light.

As for Three Houses - I think this is where we just fundamentally disagree. I've not played BG3 so can't speak to that example in particular, but do understand that there's far more flexibility in the storytelling and choices made. That said, while the story in Three Houses is relatively "static" within the pathways, I do think the individual pathways have a lot to offer individually, and tell different parts of the same story. Again, I find this to encourage replays as you will never get the full picture from one pathway. Personally I find it to be one of the most replayable games I've ever played - but again, I totally get that this form of storytelling isn't for everyone.

Still, great to hear you're enjoying Three Hopes. I adore the Warriors spin-offs we've been getting this past decade or so, and am currently having a great time with Age of Imprisonment. I've always been an advocate for these games and would love for them to expand into some of my other favourite series (Mario, Pokemon, etc.)

@Werehog A lot to respond to! But most of the interactions between you and your partner are so very similar to me and mine. I guess there's a difference between the normal human who enjoys a game every now and then, and the crazies like us who hardly go a week without playing.

Hanging around these forums and other sites has always made me feel like a casual. Because I play fewer games than most here, and haven't achieved a Platinum for two years now.

But then there's most people, like my partner. They like a certain type of game every now and again, but they're probably like me with books: I enjoy them, but I don't read daily. Far from even.

They think GTA is too cynical. Which I can relate to, so I'll be playing that one on my own at some point.
We did play It Takes Two, which we liked, but the story we could hardly relate to. As partners we should definitely invest more time in each other, that I can relate. But we don't have kids and most likely never will. We're both not really the fighting types either. So, even though I wouldn't want to call my relationship perfect, it felt a bit awkward to be playing this hateful couple I guess.

I liked the Jurassic Park anecdote. Maybe more than anything because I just rarely share about gaming experiences with anyone ever.

I did get back into Metroid Prime, and actually dug it for a bit. Then I died because I got stuck in the environment, and lost over 40 minutes of progress. And then I got pissed at it again. It's a fun game potentially, though.

@Herculean Wow, you can last a whole week without playing a game...?!

But seriously, you're totally right. It's why I'm always wary when somebody calls themselves a "fan" of anything nowadays, because quite often they mean "I have a casual interest when I'm bored" more often than the decidedly more intense levels of borderline obsession I can (and do) display.

And there's a lot of space between those extremes, too. There's no need to play every release, and platinum trophies aren't everything! The fact remains, you care about gaming as a subject and participate in this forum. [starts thumping his desk] One of us, one of us, one of us...!!

That's actually a fair position to take on GTA. I certainly won't be playing it for myself, either. And it's a shame It Takes Two felt awkward for you both. Sometimes a great game (more effectively than a book or movie) can make you empathise with a polar opposite character or situation, but equally I've found that when they try but miss, they usually miss real wide. At least couch co-op seems like a popular sub-genre right now. Maybe there'll be something coming along soon that suits a little better!

Yeesh, forty minutes is a lot of progress to lose! That's no fun. I'm glad to hear you were enjoying Metroid Prime more right before that, though. I'm curious as to whether you jumped straight back in the next day, or if you're somebody who needs to leave a frustrating experience like that for longer?

Metroid looks great. Locked 60fps, a clean image on a 4K screen, amazing use of HDR, some utterly transcendent art design... yeah, Retro did good with it.

Metroid's very nice. I don't have a 4K TV, but it still looks lovely on either the TV or handheld.

I've also been playing Pokémon Violet (after waiting for the Switch 2 patch) and it's one of the ugliest games I've ever clapped eyes on in places. It runs very well and is nice and clean and jaggy free, though. Quite a jarring contrast with Metroid!

I started and finished Bayonetta 2 while visiting my family for Christmas. A surprisingly short game, though I'm not one to get into all the post-game challenge stuff. I have to admit I feel a little disappointed. I played the first one at around the same time last year and had a blast with it. I absolutely fell in love with the campy nature of it to the point where it made me overlook and eventually enjoy the hack-n-slash gameplay. The character of Bayonetta and the ensemble around her were just such a delight. I'd only heard praise for the sequel about how it's a refined version of the first and how many people prefer it, so I did admittedly go into it with high expectations.

To some degree, I can understand what people meant with the refined nature of it. The combat feels more vast than ever in the different playstyles and opportunities it gives you, even if the main combat feels incredibly similar. I will say I'm not one to prioritise experimentation with different weapons and systems, so I stuck to what worked for me for most of the game. Therefore, deeper weapons or combat mechanics don't really do anything for me. That said, I was really not a fan of the Umbran Climax. It felt like an incredibly cheap move every time I pulled it off. I've seen people describe it as a activate-to-win button, and that feels pretty on the money for me. It definitely felt like it removed a lot of the tension of a fight, because instead of you having a dance of wits against the enemy, it was more about filling your magic meter to get the super attack.

It's actually gotten me to think about my gaming behaviour beyond this game, because I've always been someone who said to prioritise comfort over difficulty. I don't appreciate when a game is back-breaking difficult, because I'm ultimately here to have a fun time with my hobby. Failing is not fun for me. Perservering and ultimately winning is not an achievement to me. It's a nuisance where if it happens too often, I will feel nothing but resentful relief or frustation by the end of it. This is why I also always said I didn't mind it when a game would be classified as too easy. Easy just means none of the frustration with all of the reward to me... but this game had me thinking differently. I think, for the first time in all of my gaming life... this was too easy? The first game kicked my butt sometimes, but never quite to the point I got frustrated. It was perfectly balanced for me specifically there (aside from that one horrendous flying chapter). This one never kicked my butt except for one Muspelheim to the point I'd even say I started to miss the challenge. Maybe that's growth. I guess I'd have to experiment with that feeling further to see if I've really changed in viewing game difficulties.

My biggest disappointment, however, was the narrative and characters. Where the whole ensemble and storyline of the first felt chockful of ridiculous camp balanced with proper touching emotional beats, this one felt like it lost all of that. The presentation felt a lot less campy, which removed a lot of the charm that I came to love from the first. The emotional beats didn't really hit either, because all of them were centered around a new character I didn't really grow any fondness for over the course of the game. There's maybe one moment between Bayonetta and Jeanne that got to me a little, but that whole arc disappointed me. The fact that it set off the whole journey, but wasn't even really a major part of the actual conclusion felt so odd. Why did we go through that entire sequence of events only for it not to really matter? All it did in the end was made us lose valuable screentime with one of the major characters from the first. And that plays into probably the biggest issue for me. Bayonetta in the first was surrounded by a lively cast of characters who all had fun moments of their own... yet they're not present in this one for the majority of the game. Almost all of Bayonetta's interactions are limited to this one new character, who again, I really couldn't care less about.

The highlights of the game were the very prologue and epilogue, which were the only moments that felt like they retained the silly, campy nature of the first as well as its fun cast of characters in prominent roles. I really don't understand what went wrong with the narrative in this sequel and why they chose to approach it like that. Did they tone down the campy nature of it due to it being a Nintendo exclusive now? Were they trying to reach a broader or more child-friendly audience? Why did they just remove all of the characters we came to love from the first from any prominent roles? Why did they make such a well-balanced difficulty curve in the first so incredibly easy in the sequel? It just seems to me like a bunch of problems that were predictable from the very planning stages. Is it still a fun time? Sure, it's not like I was bored. But did it come anywhere close to the heights of the first game for me? No, not at all.

Kinda late on this, but I'm super stoked that a new Paranormasight is coming out on Thursday on Switch! I absolutely loved the first one. Even though it's a horror game, the art style, setting and atmosphere were really cozy. Definitely the perfect game to play on a handheld while in bed. Hopefully the sequel will be just as good, if not better.

@LtSarge I was definitely intrigued by this one when it first came out! I haven't clicked the "Buy" button since, but I am pleasantly surprised to see it got a follow-up. Maybe all the more reason for me to go back to the original. They seem like rather niche experiences, but straight up my alley when it comes to the horror. Are they connected in any way or largely separate stories?

Rolled credits on Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. This was another game I had started all the way back in 2023 along with Xenoblade Chronicles, but fell out of it at the time all the same. Since I've been sick and mostly in bed anyway, it seemed about time to return to the other game I hadn't yet gotten around to continuing yet. Roughly 27 hours later and 41 hours total, I've finally beaten it! I say finally in an appreciative way, because I did really enjoy the game. I think it had a lot of charm and the gameplay was a great balance of challenging as well as casual. I wouldn't say I struggled with it at any point outside of a few battles here or there, but it never felt like the win was handed to me either. That was my main concern with it being both a Rabbids and Mario tie-in, which I assumed would lead to simpler gameplay and more child-oriented difficulty. The gameplay is actually surprisingly (to me) in-depth as well, with plenty of different fun combinations and techniques you can do to pull off fun stuff. Or get absolutely screwed over if your plan didn't work out exactly as you intended. The classic turn-based tactics formula!

I will say the Switch did a piss-poor job of running it, though. The framerate of the game was largely stable, but noticeably low. The visuals were expectedly colourful and pleasant to look at, but they seemed to be interrupted by a loading screen in about under a minute every time. The amount of loading screens in this game was ludicrous! I can't believe that even popping on the menu resulted in a loading screen of any measurable length of time. I don't know how much of it can be attributed to overly ambitious visuals, poor optimising or simply inoptimal engine work... but it definitely consistently put a dent into the experience. There were points where I dreaded being caught out by an enemy in the overworld I didn't want to fight only because I knew I'd have to go through multiple extended loading screens just to get out of it again. I'll say it's probably more on the part of the developers, since I know the Switch is capable of running games that are no doubt more demanding on it.

It's a shame that everywhere I read it hasn't sold well. I'd easily be up for a sequel if ever they decide to bring one out. I haven't played the first game, but if they expand on the formula as much as they did for this sequel by all accounts, I'm sure a third game could be a blast. I'd also do with getting myself a bit more Rosalina content, since she was the main reason I opted for the sequel in the first place! I don't own the season pass, so I haven't gotten through any of that yet. I fully plan to pick it up whenever it's next on sale, which knowing Ubisoft, could be any time now. Anyone else here played the game and/or the DLC? I'd love to hear some thoughts on whether the DLC is a worthy addition... or even just a good extension of the game.

I saw a local chain here is doing a clearance sale of Switch 1 games, and I just couldn't help but pull the trigger on the franchises I anyway plan to continue. As such, Bayonetta 3, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are on the way for the price of one full-price Switch game. A fantastic deal if I ever saw one with how greedy Nintendo is with its sales! I'll finally be able to make a start on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and finish it at some point this year. Very excited to see it appear in my mailbox!

I can't afford to buy Red/Green right now, but I still plan to in a few years for sure.

I've never played them before tbh, but I did grow up on the Indigo League anime.

@Tjuz You should definitely check out the first game! To my understanding, these are separate stories.

Good job on Sparks of Hope! I still haven't played it yet, so it's unfortunate to hear that the game doesn't run in an optimal way. That's not enough to dissuade me as I thoroughly enjoyed Kingdom Battle, so I'm looking forward to giving it a go down the line.

I haven't played the DLC but I did buy the season pass for dirt cheap. It was only €3 when it was on sale, so I'd wager that whatever you get is worth it for that price.

Great haul there! Speaking of Xenoblade, I own all of the games on Switch (Xenoblade 1, Xenoblade 2, Torna expansion, Xenoblade 3 and Xenoblade X) and yet, I haven't played one single game, lol. I really have to start up the first game one of these days.

Really cool surprise with Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen coming out on Switch next week! I've been wanting to bring out my physical copies of the GBA/DS Pokémon games out of storage for weeks now, but now I think I'll just buy the game on Switch so that I don't need to bring more stuff to my apartment. I'm super excited to replay this game, it was the second Pokémon game I played as a kid. Hopefully Emerald is up next, as Sapphire was my first Pokémon game.

@LtSarge Seems like the sequel has been equally as well-reviewed as the first entry! We love to see a surprise, quality game being able to uphold that standard moving onto the next. I'll definitely give it a shot. Seems like a nice smaller series to get my teeth into.

Yeah, the performance issues for Sparks of Hope are unfortunate, but they're easy to look part if you enjoy the gameplay. If you've already had such a great time with the first, then I'd never tell you to let it dissuade you! I haven't played the first, so I can't really compare between the two outside of what I've heard second-hand. I tend to start with the first entry in a series as much as I can, but here with the story being inconsequential and Rosalina being featured in the second... I splurged on the sequel back then! I've heard some mixed opinions from fans of the first in terms of how the second feels though, while they all seem to recognise the gameplay is largely improved and deeper. I'd love to hear you thoughts if and when you eventually get around to it. I've heard good things about two out of the three DLCs and they seem like meaty enough additions, so that was definitely a worthy purchase for just three bucks! I'm hitting myself that I missed out on it.

Whaaat?! How do you own the whole Xenoblade franchise without having touched a single one? Next you'll tell me you even bought the digital expansion pass for XB3! I get that they're a big time investment though, if that has anything to do with what's kept you away. Took me a while to get through the first (through no fault of its own), but I'd say it was well worth it. If I can nudge you in any way to boot up that game sooner rather than later, then I will! Once again, I'd love to know your experience with it when you do try it out.

Enjoy Pokémon. I don't think I've played a single one in my lifetime, so while I don't share your excitement for the series, I understand the enthusiasm for a well overdue re-release! I hope it holds up in your brain compared to how you felt about it as a kid.

@Tjuz I'll keep you in mind whenever I get around to Sparks of Hope!

Well, I was not entirely truthful about my experience of the Xenoblade series. I did play through a good chunk of the first game on the 3DS, but stopped when I heard about the Switch remake. So I have experienced a bit of the series, and what I experienced was absolutely delightful, which is why I know that these games are worth getting.

The problem is that my go-to JRPG series right now is The Legend of Heroes. I just can't get enough of these games and they keep pumping them out, so it's hard for me to start up other JRPGs. But one of these days, I'll get to Xenoblade! I'll also keep you in mind whenever I get around to this series.

@LtSarge Ah, that makes your attachment to the brand and willingless to buy each entry definitely make more sense! Probably a good shout you waited for the Switch remaster, since I've heard it adds plenty of quality of life improvements. I have no clue if I would've reacted the same to the more rudimentary 3DS/Wii versions. I think I made great usage of the additions to the game and can't imagine playing it without them! Is the fact that you already played a chunk of it holding you back as well? I know it would for myself, since I hate to replay anything I've already experienced.

I had to google The Legend of Heroes only to find out it's the Trails games! I've never touched one myself, but I've been tempted by the remake from last year. You're not lying that they keep pushing them out though. Since they haven't been fully on my radar previously, I had no clue that they release one every one or two years. Did you play and enjoy the remake?

@Tjuz It's interesting that you bring that up, because it has somewhat affected my decision to start it up. But I think it's been so long since I played the first game that everything will feel fresh again.

Nope, I haven't played the remake of Sky chapter 1 yet but I have the game! I finished Daybreak last month, which is the 11th entry in the series, and I have the 12th (Daybreak 2) as well as the 13th games lined up. I'm pondering if I should play Sky chapter 1 or Daybreak 2 next but I can postpone that decision as I think I need a break from this series.

While it sounds logical to start out with the remake of Sky 1 as it's the first game in the series, it's also one of the recent games and most mechanically evolved. It's going to be hard playing the Sky games and then going to the Crossbell titles (4th and 5th entries), which are not only graphically outdated but also mechanically unimpressive in comparison.

If that doesn't bother you though, then definitely give Sky 1 a go! This series is just something else. Even if there are many entries, you'll get easily engrossed and blast through one game after the other.

Finally went ahead and finished Metroid Prime 4 yesterday after pausing my playthrough for a few months (been a crazy period for me; recovering from a surgery now has given me space to dig back into gaming).

Overall, while I think people were exaggerating the extent of the problems, and that it'll likely be re-evaluated as being better than it was given credit for... I do kinda agree that the desert and the characters are both problems with this game.

In terms of the desert, I think the big issue is that it's poorly implemented, because there's almost no point in exploring it until the very end of the game, which makes running around that area a massive slog. The desert and green crystal stuff would've been much less obtrusive if they'd made it where you utilized that space more fully throughout the game as you were driving between dungeons.

The structure of it is also problematic. Going from one area to another is SUCH a slog. Fast travel of some sort would've alleviated so many headaches associated with having to go back and forth between the major in-game areas. WHY do I have to drive all the way across the desert back to Fury Green, enter the cannon, watch the unskippable cutscene, skip the skippable ones, run back through multiple rooms, wait for Myles to talk to random characters and slowly saunter his way back to the table, listen to more dialogue... every single time I get a decent shot upgrade? In the grand scheme of things, it's probably minor, but it's aggravating, and that aggravation stacks on top of other issues I already have with the game.

And that's the thing: the characters aren't as bad as people made them out to be, but they also add annoyances to the game, from the upgrade process to having to babysit these people during the final boss fight and actually losing because they're too stupid to get out of the way of clearly telegraphed attacks by Sylux. I'm not against the idea of a Metroid game having a cast, necessarily. I'm not a "muh isolation" chud who acts like the series hasn't evolved since the first entry, but if they ever make another Prime game, they need to integrate the cast in less obtrusive ways.

And what's it all for? MEGA SPOILERS: The end of the game is literally Samus abandoning these people to a doomed fate on some far off alien planet after Sylux pops up again out of nowhere. I suppose it's meant to be a tragic turn of events, which I'm not necessarily opposed to, but it just came off as random and depressing instead, making the game feel sort of pointless.

And that all sounds intensely negative, but... I mean, I think it was a pretty good game overall. Definitely not my favorite Metroid game, but it's beautiful, controls very well, really shows off what the system can do, has some great dungeons, and overall is a good time. I think its reception is largely a victim of the internet culture war against Nintendo atm, and over time it'll be re-evaluated.

A flawed experience, but one I'm willing to play again, and I do hope we see more Metroid Prime at some point.