Topic: Nintendo Switch Discussion

@ralphdibny Wow, you have done a thing I've never done, playing DS games on Wii U but people love it. It must feel like a Nintendo DS XXXL. Klonoa is also coming to Xbox, FYI. Mario Kart Wii is great, I agree. It's not very balanced and presents a whitish colour scheme but there are many circuits and even the SNES circuits are very well remade. I have to admit that the Wii Wheel works, somehow.

Now you mention your OLED TV, because I have an LG C9 55" and a Switch Lite, I considered getting the Nintendo Switch OLED but I can't find it anywhere. Some games look good on Switch Lite, e.g., Super Mario Sunshine (my favourite Mario 3D game) but others look a bit blurry to me, even if they're 720p, e.g., Mario Kart 8. I suspect that it's because of the lack of contrast and not because of the resolution. If I get a Switch OLED, I could play on the TV, too. It's pricey for what it is but all Switch consoles are and who knows if next year there will be an upgraded model...

@Banjo- yeah it's a tough one RE: the OLED. My brother bought one the other day from Argos though. Just days after asking me which console was the best value with my reply being "Switch is the worse value" 😅

I don't mean that horribly or anything. Just for me, the Switch has turned out to be my least played console. I wouldn't want to play any ports on it because I have the Xbox/PS4 to play them on with better graphics. More often than not, the Nintendo exclusives seem to be Wii U ports that I already own or ones I'm less interested in. Also the hardware is old but still at a premium price point. For someone only just getting back into games after a decade/2 decade lull, i'd argue that the Series S seems to be the best value. (I should say that I don't personally own a PS5, Series X or Series S)

Well worth checking out certain DS games on the Wii U. It's very cool for things like Mario Kart. Unfortunately, while they offered a fair amount of options in terms of screen layout, they gimped a lot of them too and could have gone a lot further. For example, DS games have to be played with the GamePad which is totally unnecessary for something like MKDS. You can't remap the controls either meaning that you have to reach up to L+R which is quite hard to do on the larger gamepad when your hands are positioned for using the D-Pad and face buttons. Playing in portrait automatically remaps the controls weirdly too which would have been easier to swallow if you could remap them yourself. It's cool that you could literally rotate a large monitor and play the games vertically on the big screen. Don't really fancy doing that on a thousand pound TV though 😅

@ralphdibny It's bad that you can not remap the controls for Nintendo DS games because you can do it for the other Virtual Consoles. I agree about Switch and it's not just that it's mobile technology that was already dated in 2017 by mobile standards but also the joy cons not attaching perfectly to the tablet, the joy-con drift, the joy-con size and the fact that the buttons are reversed compared to old Nintendo consoles and Xbox... On SNES, B is "accept" but it's in the same position as A on Xbox. On Nintendo 64, GameCube and Wii, the A button is the main one and it's "accept". Since Nintendo DS and Wii U, the accept button is on the right side. I tried swapping buttons in settings but confused me even more. This would not be an issue if games allowed button mapping but one thing I hate about Nintendo's games is that settings are usually non-existent, especially for sound, music and controls so there's little you can do and you have to play the way Nintendo think it's best, even it you don't like it.

@Banjo- ahh just switching between consoles is confusing for me 😅. I'm so glad my Switch asks me for a password before I buy anything as I've gotten more use to the PS/Xbox layout as of late.

I think I may end up buying all the DS games available on Wii U over the next few years just in case I ever want to play through any of the series and want a portable entry on the big screen.

I just wish there was a fully customisable DS (and 3DS) emulator (official or unofficial) that would let you connect the Wii U game Pad to use as the controller for the games that need the touch screen or even just in the stand as a second screen (for maps and stuff) while you use a normal controller and the TV for the action. (See what I mean about needing maximum customisation options?) I just love playing portable games on the big screen, even if they look like a pixelly mess 😅

@ralphdibny That is a great idea. It's the good thing about DS, 3DS and Wii U, that they have an extra screen. Well, there was Game Boy Advance-GameCube connection but barely a thing. Breath of the Wild would be better on Wii U if they didn't cancel the GamePad features that were already developed. I play the 3DS and DS games on 3DS but I see a lot of people that love playing them on Wii U, also the Game Boy Advance games so more customisation would be nice. The Nintendo scene is fascinating. The best console port of Super Mario 64 is the unofficial Nintendo 3DS one.

@Banjo- you can swap buttons as you like on system setting nowadays (I believe is a 2020 update)

@Banjo- I actually used to use that GBa connection thing to play the splinter cell games on GameCube. It would display the map on the GBA and I believe it would also do the sticky cam and control some bomb thing too

Another weird story I have is that I once bought something called The Blaze TV Tuner for the GBA and it had AV connections on it. Naturally I plugged in my GameCube and played Tony Hawk's 4 on the tiny screen. The novelty wore off quickly though and I returned it 😅. I wish I kept it now though, would love to attempt some Cube-ception by plugging it into the game boy Player and then back into itself 😂

I don't think I really followed the development of BotW much so I was really surprised when I was greeted with a black screen with the - symbol when I booted it up on Wii U. I definitely thought it would have had a map/inventory type thing. I ended up using a Pro controller to play most of it and getting out the game pad for the motion controlled shrines and that horseback archery stuff.

I am a big fan of the DS version of Mario 64 (again because I missed out on the original, I'm sure). Loved it and loved the added content too!

@ralphdibny I didn't know about that tuner! The Nintendo 3DS port of Super Mario 64 is based on the Windows version which is a native port. The DS version is fine and has extras but the controls were obviously downgraded, as well as the graphics.

As the big Nintendo fanboy that I was, I read all the Iwata Asks as they were released and also additional interviews in magazines, etc. That's how I know most of the odd stuff I know about Nintendo. Breath of the Wild included GamePad features. When the game was finished, they started porting it to Switch. They spent a whole year doing so, delaying the Wii U version while making the Switch port. In the meantime, they removed the GamePad features of the Wii U version, not because they didn't work but because they didn't want Wii U players to have useful features that Switch players wouldn't have. Ouch. In spite of that, I bought the Wii U version and although I don't think it's a good The Legend of Zelda game, I beat it 100% except for Koroks. I also used the pro controller. What is the point of using the GamePad? As you said, some shrines ask you to grab de GamePad and it was very useful for the horseback archery challenges.

@Beagle Maybe been a pound or so cheaper, but bear in mind that any 'physical' versions are likely code-in-a-box now if that's an issue.

So I finally was able to find an OLED Switch at my local Target last week so I was able to replace my stolen Switch. As a result I have been playing alot of Switch games lately.

Mostly been playing New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe. Maybe it cause I haven't played alot of the NSMB series, I played and beat NSMB and NSMB2 on DS and 3DS but I didn't really play NSMBW or NSMBU much. Oddly enough I did have NSMBU on the Wii U as that came with my Wii U but I didn't play it much, but I am enjoying NSMBU Deluxe on the Switch. Currently I am World 4 and I am just getting that Super Mario World feeling from this game. My biggest gripe is the change to the swimming mechanics which has lead to a few clumsy deaths.

As far as The Switch goes, I am loving the OLED screen and definitely a big improvement when in handheld or Tabletop mode.

New tracks in MK8D are great. As I generally like the more urban set courses like "Toad's Turnpike", the real world inspired courses like "Paris Promenade" & "Tokyo Blur" endeared themselves to me pretty quickly (and they're made much more interesting due to the alternate routes). "Ninja Hideaway" has a ton going on & is great itself though.

Graphically I think they look fine. They've definitely gone with a bit of a simpler style than the base game, but as someone who has had played Tour a few months, I think the lighting and added textures make them fit here just fine. I even jumped between core game tracks & the new DLC tracks from time to time, and the difference (while there) wasn't enough to feel jarring to me. I think "Shroom Ridge" was probably the most noticable in this regard, but once I got racing it wasn't a big deal.

Kirby & the Forgotten Land was fantastic. Definitely the best game I've played this year (though the only other things I've played have been either older or more "B" tier, like Lego Builder's Journey, Gun Gun Pixies, Ys: Memories of Celceta, & Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal), so even after completing it I'm still in a Nintendo mood so I bought Mario Golf Super Rush. Never played any of the other Mario Golf games, so it won't have any particular expectations to live up to.

Finished up Golf Adventure in Mario Golf Super Rush today. Mixed opinions on it overall, mostly because I don't think I'm a big fan of Speed Golf and almost every round was some variation of it (even with Cross Country Golf, I think the biggest problem is that they put a timer on it), however I did find myself enjoying the target challenges in each area (though most were optional), as well as the boss fights. The hub areas were cozy as heck, too.

I thought I was going to get a bit of a break in Wildweather Woods when one of the Toads said they don't play Speed Golf there due to things being so wet, then (other than the three hole practice round) it was all freakin' Speed Golf!?

Tangently Switch related...

I've heard of animal crackers in your soup, but Animal Crossing in your ramen? That's a new one!

It even came with a sticker (which I haven't yet opened)...

...and a villager bio under the lid.

Pretty good Direct all things considered.

Looking forward to Fatal Frame, Tales of Symphonia, Return to Dreamland, & of course Zelda!

Kinda funny though, I was watching it on mute at work & I maybe took 2-3 calls throughout the entirety of the show, then the Zelda trailer started playing & I got 5 calls right on top of each other, lol.

@RR529 solid direct imo even though never that really talked to me. I am definitely getting Mario rabbids, Zelda and FF VII but those were all already announced. All the rest I don't like tactics games (tried fire emblem and FF tactics in the past and just get bored which is strange as I love turn base RPG..., Octopath traveller disapointed me storywise and this does not appear to solve it, life sim are a big no in my book, tried atelier ryza 2 and did not like it, tried pikmin and also not to my taste, same for the combat of tales series, etc..

Finally finished XC3 up this afternoon (nearly 150 hours)! The finale was absolutely epic, but these game companies need to get together and agree on some sort of cap for how many phases a JRPG final boss should have, lol. I was so overleveled it wasn't hard, but it took me nearly 2 hours because it was so long (granted, a ton of that was cutscenes, but still).

Stellar Direct!

Haven't touched my Switch since I finished up XC3 months ago (aside from a few brief sessions trying out the new MK8D tracks as they come out), but between Prime Remastered, Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe, Tears of the Kingdom, & Pikmin 4 it looks like it might be commanding a fair amount of my time from now through the summer.

@RR529 Glad you liked it! I think it was very interesting, and def would try the new NSO additions (never had a GBA, so those Zelda titles are for me).

I will buy (eventually, maybe in a sale or on physical as I have a huuuge backlog to clear) Metroid Prime as I never played back in the day or the Prime trilogy on the Wii.

I've read some fellow gamers saying that yesterday's Direct was an evidence that we are entering the final phase of the life cycle of the Switch. I really don't see it that clearly, IMO (although, yes, it was heavily drenched in nostalgia with all those remasters/ports and only two brand new first party games - namely, Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4). But I came back recently to Nintendo only because of the Switch, so what do I now?

On a side note, I was a little disappointed (even if there wasn't any indication of it being present in the Direct) because there were no news about the Sparks of Hope DLC. I sincerely hope Ubi hasn't canceled or delayed it, following the news about the game not selling as they wanted.