Nintendo Switch

[Vanimal46]

Anyone jumping on this? It looks like a lot of fun, especially the fact that you can take the tablet with you to game on the go. 

 

http://www.nintendo.com/switch/

[Mike Sixel]

hard to believe there is no video game thread here....nerds.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Not yet. Breath of the Wild is available for Wii U so I have no reason to buy a Switch now, maybe ever.

[TheLeviathan]

I'm sad Nintendo has forced me to a point where I may never play this new, amazing Zelda game.  It'll be the first Zelda game I may have to skip.

 

How did this company fall so far after the Wii dominated households just a decade or so ago?

[Vanimal46]

I'm sad Nintendo has forced me to a point where I may never play this new, amazing Zelda game. It'll be the first Zelda game I may have to skip.

 

How did this company fall so far after the Wii dominated households just a decade or so ago?

They never made advancements with their consoles, especially after Microsoft and Sony beefed up their consoles... I think the Switch is their last ditch effort to keep up with those companies.

 

If this fails, then Nintendo can always fall back on selling the licenses of their games to mobile, or Xbox/Playstation. They would make literal Brinks trucks full of money if they did that.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I'm sad Nintendo has forced me to a point where I may never play this new, amazing Zelda game.  It'll be the first Zelda game I may have to skip.

 

How did this company fall so far after the Wii dominated households just a decade or so ago?

Simply put, they can't get developers to make games for their consoles anymore.

 

The Nintendo first party titles are top-notch, as always, but there's little to explore past that point. I bought a Wii U four years ago and have played 3-4 games on it. All were stellar, but they didn't release quickly enough to keep me playing the system.

 

It doesn't help when they've let some of their best franchises - Metroid and Zelda, for starters - die on the vine.

 

Nintendo could print money if they released a modern 2D side-scroller Metroid game and sold it for $30.

[TheLeviathan]

I wish Nintendo would embrace basically making their own console to compete with PS4 and Xbox.  I appreciate their desire to innovate, but I also want to play Madden and Zelda on the same system.  That shouldn't be impossible.

[DaveW]

It's cool, I got one last week due to a partnership with Nintendo, I'm not a huge gamer but holy **** the switch is amazing.

[Vanimal46]

It's cool, I got one last week due to a partnership with Nintendo, I'm not a huge gamer but holy **** the switch is amazing.

Glad to hear it. It's certainly on my radar to buy. What games have you played so far?

[Vanimal46]

I wish Nintendo would embrace basically making their own console to compete with PS4 and Xbox. I appreciate their desire to innovate, but I also want to play Madden and Zelda on the same system. That shouldn't be impossible.

Agreed. I would LOVE if Nintendo made a multi-platform version of their games... Hopefully that happens in the future so we can enjoy MLB The Show, Madden, and Mario Kart on the same system.

[Vanimal46]

Simply put, they can't get developers to make games for their consoles anymore.

 

The Nintendo first party titles are top-notch, as always, but there's little to explore past that point. I bought a Wii U four years ago and have played 3-4 games on it. All were stellar, but they didn't release quickly enough to keep me playing the system.

 

It doesn't help when they've let some of their best franchises - Metroid and Zelda, for starters - die on the vine.

 

Nintendo could print money if they released a modern 2D side-scroller Metroid game and sold it for $30.

I don't blame the developers for not making the games. For example, Super Mario World. The tried and true way to make the game is for the screen to continue moving forward. Reacting to whatever is happening in the world they present. TUNNEL?! Maybe! Or a giant F'ing flame shooting flower jumps out of that tube...

 

Would an open world concept of Super Mario Brothers work? Is it feasible to do in VR,PS4,Xbox One, mobile?

 

Let's all hope they sell out and make first rate titles on easily accessible devices. Sigh, a mobile version of Mario Kart... DREAM IT!!

[TheLeviathan]

 

Agreed. I would LOVE if Nintendo made a multi-platform version of their games... Hopefully that happens in the future so we can enjoy MLB The Show, Madden, and Mario Kart on the same system.

 

Yeah, the Wii was my last attempt at being a Nintendo-only guy.  The gimmicky sports controls forced me to Playstation and I have never come back.  I'm guessing there are a lot of people like me over the last ten years.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Yeah, the Wii was my last attempt at being a Nintendo-only guy.  The gimmicky sports controls forced me to Playstation and I have never come back.  I'm guessing there are a lot of people like me over the last ten years.

I've always owned all the consoles - the PS4/XBO are the first I've skipped, largely due to age and a busy schedule - but I had the same issue with shooters.

 

Even though I've owned all Nintendo consoles, I've found myself playing them less and less because Nintendo has so drastically departed from what Sony and Microsoft are offering.

 

The Wii consoles were great for first party Ninty stuff but little beyond that. Occasionally, a great Rayman game or something of that ilk will pop up but those games are outnumbered approximately 10:1 by the Gears of Wars, Mass Effects, Last of Us, Uncharteds, etc. from Sony and Microsoft.

 

Though I tend to skew toward Microsoft because they make the best shooter controller by a country mile. Sony and their vertically-aligned sticks can take a hike. I don't like banging my thumbs together to strafe right and turn left at the same time.

[Mike Sixel]

I have somehow never really embraced video games. If there was only a really good RPG that was turn based......I'm a bit old school.

 

I really enjoyed the Wii games with the family. We used to play Mario Cart (Kart?) and tanks and other games, but you know, the boys played a lot, and it wasn't like I ever won......

[TheLeviathan]

 

 

The Wii consoles were great for first party Ninty stuff but little beyond that. Occasionally, a great Rayman game or something of that ilk will pop up but those games are outnumbered approximately 10:1 by the Gears of Wars, Mass Effects, Last of Us, Uncharteds, etc. from Sony and Microsoft.

 

Mass Effect may have been what finally killed my Nintendo loyalty.   I held on to the Wii long enough to play Twilight Princess and that was the end of it.

[PseudoSABR]

 

I have somehow never really embraced video games. If there was only a really good RPG that was turn based......I'm a bit old school.

Torment: Tides of Numera came out the other day and it's been well-reviewed.   I picked it up but only played for less than an hour.

 

You might also like the X-COM games, alien-invasion turned based game.  

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Let's all hope they sell out and make first rate titles on easily accessible devices. Sigh, a mobile version of Mario Kart... DREAM IT!!

The problem with mobile is that if a game is complicated enough to require pressure-sensitivity - as Mario Kart does - it's going to either suck or be a dumbed-down version on mobile.

 

Having no physical feedback or pressure-sensitivity holds back mobile from being a good gaming experience for games more complicated than Doodle Jump.

 

I love Mario Kart. It's a super-competitive game when playing with people who are good at the game. It simply wouldn't be the same with a binary on/off gas pedal. Even tapping a mobile screen to emulate pressure doesn't work well, as there's no physical feedback on the button, which limits responsiveness. Instead of resting your finger on a physical button, you have to hold it off the screen entirely. It's slow, awkward, and counter-intuitive.

 

We take for granted how much feedback we get from a physical button, much less a pressure-sensitive button.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Torment: Tides of Numera came out the other day and it's been well-reviewed.   I picked it up but only played for less than an hour.

 

You might also like the X-COM games, alien-invasion turned based game.  

 

Yup, I knew that was coming. I'll be looking at it for sure. Monte is one of my favorite designers. Still kicking myself for not buying the Ptolus book in hard cover.

[nicksaviking]

Naiveté Alert: So how many pieces of hardware do you need for this thing? It looks like some kind of Nintendo/Wii console + some kind of hand-held tablet + this "Switch" thing to use them together. Is that right? Plus all the games? Man, all this stuff has to cost an arm and a leg.

[iTwins]

I'm interested, but got burned a bit on the Wii U (awesome for Mario Kart...and...yeah that was about it). The "all in cost" is quite high right now, after factoring in additional accessories, games - etc. I'm hoping to see the Switch get some package deals (pro controller thrown in, or Zelda: BOTW) before I take the plunge. 

 

Horizon: Zero Dawn is scratching the Zelda itch right now anyway. 

[Vanimal46]

 

The problem with mobile is that if a game is complicated enough to require pressure-sensitivity - as Mario Kart does - it's going to either suck or be a dumbed-down version on mobile.

 

Having no physical feedback or pressure-sensitivity holds back mobile from being a good gaming experience for games more complicated than Doodle Jump.

 

I love Mario Kart. It's a super-competitive game when playing with people who are good at the game. It simply wouldn't be the same with a binary on/off gas pedal. Even tapping a mobile screen to emulate pressure doesn't work well, as there's no physical feedback on the button, which limits responsiveness. Instead of resting your finger on a physical button, you have to hold it off the screen entirely. It's slow, awkward, and counter-intuitive.

 

We take for granted how much feedback we get from a physical button, much less a pressure-sensitive button.

 

These are all great points that I did not think about when it comes to mobile games... One bad thing about not being technical! But you're right, I would not like a dumb-downed mobile version of these games. Sounds like we're limited to consoles in order for them to work the way they're intended to. 

[TheLeviathan]

Not only screw mobile, I want side scrollers back!  

 

That or I guess I can just dust off the Genesis again....

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Not only screw mobile, I want side scrollers back!  

God, yes, so much.

 

If you haven't played them already, there are several Castlevania games for the DS (playable on 3DS) that are fantastic.

 

Oh, and New Super Mario Bros 2.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Torment: Tides of Numera came out the other day and it's been well-reviewed.   I picked it up but only played for less than an hour.

 

You might also like the X-COM games, alien-invasion turned based game.  

 

The X-COM reboots were very well done.  I play them on Steam though. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

FTR, Breath of the Wild is probably the best Zelda game since OoT. Its learning curve is a bit too steep and they allow a bit too much freedom without warning that "YOU WILL DIE HERE" but it's bloody fantastic.

[Vanimal46]

Happy National Mario Day! Now I want to find a SNES and play Super Mario World... Damnit. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm at the point of Breath of the Wild where I could go beat the game any time I wanted... yet I'm reluctant to do so.

 

It's perhaps the finest open world game I've ever played. Unlike most open world games, you never find yourself looking for something to do and it's not repetitive because the mini dungeons are puzzles, not non-stop fighting.

 

If you want to fight, you go do that. If you want to explore, you go do that. If you want to quest, you go do that. If you want to dungeon crawl, you go do that.

 

And the art direction is maddeningly good. It's basically a Studio Ghibli video game.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Happy National Mario Day! Now I want to find a SNES and play Super Mario World... Damnit. 

Dunno if you've kept up with Mario games recently but between the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS, there are a slew of really good Mario games, both 2D and 3D.

[TheLeviathan]

 

I'm at the point of Breath of the Wild where I could go beat the game any time I wanted... yet I'm reluctant to do so.

 

It's perhaps the finest open world game I've ever played. Unlike most open world games, you never find yourself looking for something to do and it's not repetitive because the mini dungeons are puzzles, not non-stop fighting.

 

If you want to fight, you go do that. If you want to explore, you go do that. If you want to quest, you go do that. If you want to dungeon crawl, you go do that.

 

And the art direction is maddeningly good. It's basically a Studio Ghibli video game.

 

Teasing bastard....

[Mike Sixel]

Planescape Torment, enhanced edition....coming in 2 weeks. I never played the first time. Might need to buy a new iPad just for this....

 

edit: Or, i could use an actual PC and mouse and monitor.....