Nintendo Switch

[Anonymous81]

Yeah the event was terrible, the launch lineup is threadbare, and Nintendo remains the out of touch, idiosyncratic weirdo company on the block. That said... I still like a video game industry with a flawed, lost, at times maddeningly frustrating Nintendo making consoles in it, more than I do one where they've gone under like Sega.

To me, Nintendo is the last of the old guard. And as long as they're still at least making games I want to play... I'll be there. Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey are arguably their most ambitious games ever. That's saying a lot considering what they've done in the past imo.

It won't be enough to win back core gamers outside their established fan base, and this joycon gimmick certainly won't be enough to win over casual gamers. (I really, really wish Nintendo would recognize what everyone else does... that Wii was an anomaly, and they are NOT getting that "blue ocean" they garnered on it back. Those casual gamers have MOVED ON. They're never capturing lightning in the bottle twice.)

But, I'm a gamer, not a shareholder. All I care about are games, and they've already shown me three exclusives I consider must-have, and one non-exclusive that their platform will let me play on the go. (Which is great for me, because let me tell you... having a new Zelda game during one of my many hospital and/or dentist appointments? Will make life bearable, because I have anxiety attacks constantly at the doctor lol.)

So, I'm buying the thing.

But... do I think this might be the last console Nintendo ever makes? If they don't bring some MAJOR heat at E3... which I'm hoping they're holding back some games for ... and by MAJOR heat I mean more first party IPs people have wanted for ages, and MUCH broader third party support (right now the launch year lineup is LESS THAN WII U Had, that cannot bear repeating enough!) ... then... yes. Yes, I think it just might. Which, for all Nintendo's stumbles and flaws and failures, would be heartbreaking to me.

Every bit as heartbreaking as when the Dreamcast's failure sunk Sega. I hate those moments in gaming history. For all that we decry "gimmicks," time was, every console had a gimmick. Every console had its own spirit, feel, look, controller, and peripherals. Every console was its own animal. That's what a video game console WAS. It wasn't just another black box, PC-lite with powerful hardware that played mostly the same games, with just a smattering of exclusives here and there.

I feel that era has been on life support since the DC died... and while Nintendo's last few platforms have been abysmally painful at times, and shockingly out of touch... they've also felt like consoles used to feel to me. Quirky, fun, unique (even frustratingly different,) and while I know many won't agree, chocked full of exclusive first party IP I really enjoyed.

If we are witnessing the last desperate gasps of Nintendo as a platform maker, I won't applaud when they're gone. And I'll be very worried because while everyone assumes it would be a wonderful thing for them to go multiplatform... we all see how great that's worked out for Sega and its IPs.

ETA: The requirement to use a separate smart device for online functionality like voice chat and friends lists is just foolish on their part beyond words imo. I don't play online much with people so it doesn't affect me personally, but still. Wtf? It's meant to be a competitor to mobile devices... so naturally, they require a mobile device lmao.

[Sonikku]

What a disappointment. The GPU is so underclocked in travel mode it's sad. The performance and the battery life for the money looks like a terrible value. 1 2 Switch looks god awful, can't believe it isn't a free pack in and they want $60 for it. The online looks horrible. You have to pay for a service but only get to play the free monthly game for the month it's available? AND I have to use a smart phone?! God fucking damnit Nintendo. I can scarcely stand the self loathing I feel for myself right now as I push the preorder button for Breath of the Wild Special Edition at Best Buy.

[OL]

I'm confused by Super Mario Odyssey.
I mean, sure, it looks like the first Mario game in... well, ever, that I can look at and actually think "cool, I'd like to play that." That city area looks like something Sega would have made on the Dreamcast (maybe I'm crazy, but I saw shades of Sonic Adventure and Jet Set Radio).
But does it weird anyone else out that there are all these normal-proportioned people walking around... revealing that Mario himself must actually be some kind of deformed, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome-afflicted dwarf?
Why the feck does he look like that if everyone else is normal?

[Sonikku]

I'm confused by Super Mario Odyssey.
I mean, sure, it looks like the first Mario game in... well, ever, that I can look at and actually think "cool, I'd like to play that." That city area looks like something Sega would have made on the Dreamcast (maybe I'm crazy, but I saw shades of Sonic Adventure and Jet Set Radio).
But does it weird anyone else out that there are all these normal-proportioned people walking around... revealing that Mario himself must actually be some kind of deformed, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome-afflicted dwarf?
Why the feck does he look like that if everyone else is normal?

Yeah! He should look more like this.

I get what you're saying though.

[OL]

Actually, yeah, kinda. They're willing to make changes to Zelda's formula, so hey, why not?

It just occurred to me though, this stuff would count for Mario's entire supporting cast, too. Luigi might look even weirder than Mario around all these "normals," and even Princess Toadstool would look like a Betty Boop-esque freak.
Maybe that's what the Mushroom Kingdom actually is: a refuge for retarded kids. And that just makes Koopa/Bowser/whateverthefuck even worse, because he's kicking around a bunch of special needs folk.

[Jesse]

I felt the conference was meh. Mario looks neat as usual though definitely getting some Station Square vibes from the city area. I'm not a fan of Zelda so the only thing that piqued my interest was Mario and even that was to a point. Haven't played a Mario game or owned a Nintendo system since 64. I thought one of the funniest parts was when the EA executive was talking about FIFA coming to the Switch. I was surprised at the price for it. Definitely a wait and see approach to what the system looks like in 2018.

[Thief]

I'm confused by Super Mario Odyssey.
I mean, sure, it looks like the first Mario game in... well, ever, that I can look at and actually think "cool, I'd like to play that." That city area looks like something Sega would have made on the Dreamcast (maybe I'm crazy, but I saw shades of Sonic Adventure and Jet Set Radio).
But does it weird anyone else out that there are all these normal-proportioned people walking around... revealing that Mario himself must actually be some kind of deformed, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome-afflicted dwarf?
Why the feck does he look like that if everyone else is normal?

I think Mario will be entering different worlds, and one of the worlds is modern day New York. That's why he looks so different, because Mario isn't from our world, and isn't exactly a human (in that sense). Think Kingdom Hearts.

[Rakim]

^ If only they would take the Kingdom Hearts style world hopping to the next level and instead of generic city and desert worlds made him visit the worlds of popular Nintendo(and if they can afford it Sega too) franchises of the past I would be in nostalgia heaven. Mario Odyssey does look great as it is though.

[drunkensailor]

controller looks terrible, a 32 gb harddrive in 2017 (I can't even write it down without my jaw dropping to the floor). the battery life (2 and a half fucking hours) is as short as the wii-u's. it's 80$ more expensive than the more powerful stock ps4 and you now have to pay for their shitty online gaming network. epic failure coming up gentlemen

[drunkensailor]

"Has Been Heroes"? Is that the new Travis Touchdown game Suda announced?

1 actual real game at launch, Zelda.. which comes out the same day on Wii U.. (wat)
[...]
Basically if you dont care about Zelda and dont already have a Wii U (which is bloody unlikely as hell if youre a zelda fan) [...]

If you take a look at this sales overview from IGN you can see that Skyward Sword sold way less than half as much copies as Twilight Princess - Nintendo lost a lot of Zelda fans by dropping two shit consoles in a row.

And well, not releasing Breath of the Wild for Wii U would have been a kick in the nuts of every loyal Nintendo fanboy that actually got that console, releasing it at a significantly later date would be kind of a punch in the face, too. It's a noble move that might cost them some early Switch sales I think.




All in all I gotta say I wish I could play those new Mario and Zelda titles, but I don't really care for the Switch as a system.

EDIT: Oh, one more thought: While a couple of interesting announcements were made, I think one that particularly stands out is a new version of Super Street Fighter II coming out for the Switch, completely with enhanced content and optional updated visuals. Might seem like something minor at first glance, but I believe something as easy to pick up and as beloved as this can do a lot to get the whole portable/multiplayer thing across and make the Switch's console specific features look more attractive. While at the same time also catering to the oldschool Nintendo gamer audience (a hell of a lot of people grew up with that stuff) that was already targeted with the NES Mini or Classic or whatever it's called recently. Unless I'm somehow totally off here.

EDIT 2: Final thought - too bad that whole Beyond Good & Evil soft reboot sequel situation is still a mystery.

yeah we sure as fuck need ANOTHER version of street fighter 2

also isn't it beyond a disgrace that ubisoft are releasing rayman legends on it AGAIN? the game was a f'n launch title for the wii u and has been hored to any other console before. and nintendo and ubisoft outing it like they are really supporting the switch...

[drunkensailor]

They showed very little, but in the first year they'll have splatoon 2, zelda, mario.

Even if you look today at ps4 and xbone, not sure they have games of the caliber of those last 2.

Hopefully third parties go with it, that will make or break the console.

PC and Nintendo for me this gen. And I say that as someone who has owned and enjoyed virtually every console ever, with the exception of Wii.

Sharing the feeling man. I'm still not sold on switch, but my laptop is like 5kg, so it would be nice to have another decently powered gaming platform. Specially since xbone and ps4 are just watered down pcs.

Those joycons, I don't want to say they're revolutionary, but are quite orgasmic, they're so packed with bullshit that there's a lot to love there.

ps4 has the last of us 2, bloodborne, yakuza 6 and uncharted 4 eat anything nintendo's for breakfast save perhaps the new zelda. although I haven't played an AAA zelda since link to the past.

also ps4's exclusive lineup looks very good with horizon zero down, but we have to wait and see how that will end up. the last of us 2 will 100% be ace of course

[drunkensailor]

And holy shit, the new Mario game looks like a bad Unreal Engine tech demo!

I stand by it. Maybe not every scene, but there are some real bad looking ones.

lol

what are you laughing about? he's right. most of it looked terrible like it could be done on a console at least 1 generation ago

[drunkensailor]

Once they gave 'Arms' a spotlight early in the conference I had to ask just what in the hell is going on? I expected so much more. It would have taken so little for me to pull the trigger and preorder one, but literally the only game out there is something I could get for a system I already have. $300 for the system and no game? Once I pick up a game and sales tax is added I'm going to be $400 in the hole. That's insane!

I think the Switch is a good concept. And given just how long Nintendo has had to focus on its launch I thought for sure they would knock it out of the park. What have your developers been doing the past two years? There hasn't been shit released on the Wii U in ages. What a joke. There is no way I'm buying this before 2018 unless they make a reflexive price drop like they did with the 3DS.

Also, paid online? That is a crime given the quality of Nintendo's online service this past decade. Can you imagine if the Wii or Wii U had paid online? I would have been livid if they tried to charge for the opportunity to play one of their six games that actually has online functionalities.

arms has to be the lamest excuse for a videogame I've seen in 20 years. the fact they even dared to show it and hinting you had to pay the full price for it instead of it being a pack in was even more hilarious

[Axm]

I like this kid lols. Come my child. I will teach you the ways of the Kutaragi.

[TwiceFriedRice]

And holy shit, the new Mario game looks like a bad Unreal Engine tech demo!

I stand by it. Maybe not every scene, but there are some real bad looking ones.

lol

what are you laughing about? he's right. most of it looked terrible like it could be done on a console at least 1 generation ago

Because he said it looked like a bad unreal engine tech demo. I'm not disputing that it doesn't look like a PS4 game on a technical level. But, if you think the game looks terrible, then you sir are a moron.