Topic: Nintendo Switch Discussion

Just arrived at the opulent Sniffit city in Paper Mario: TOK, after exploring the desert for a bit.

Too bad there are so many old school PM fans who won't give it the time of day, as at this point in time I think it's every bit as good as last year's big exclusives like Astral Chain & Luigi's Mansion 3 (may like it even more than LM3). Of course, it could get worse, but based on what other people who've played it have said, I don't think that's going to be the case.

Currently in a JRPG craze and the Switch is a really good place for that kind of games. I'm playing through Ys VIII and Dragon Quest III, which are both very fun games. Although I've read that DQ3 is considered to be a massive improvement compared to the previous two games, which is don't see at all since the game is basically more DQ2 but with a job system now.

I also saw that SEGA is having a huge sale on Switch right now and I'm really interested in trying out new franchises, especially when considering that SEGA has tons of them and I didn't grew up with their games so there are lots of series I still need to check out. First off, I think I'll be getting the AGES version of the first Phantasy Star since that's one series I'm really interested in and I've never played it before. If it tickles my fancy I might also buy the Sega Mega Drive Classics collection on Switch.

@LtSarge I can't reccomend the mega drive classics collection for switch, it has massive input delay on all button presses making games like sonic unplayable. Its just a cheap emulation job. I'd say the previous gen one was better for PS3 and 360 but I haven't put enough time into it to say for sure. I'd honestly reccomend just emulating the games on a computer or buying the game so you "own" the ROMs and just playing it on a computer instead if you still Wana give sega some money for it.

It sucks it's the cheapest but also most rubbish way to play these games on switch, it's almost like they want you to buy them individually in the ages range instead for 4x the price 🤔

@ralphdibny Spent the past 20 minutes after reading your post researching about this online and there does seem to be some input lag when playing e.g. Sonic compared to its AGES version. But honestly, I didn't notice that much of a difference and even if there is, I'm not buying the collection primarily for Sonic (I've already played the first two) but for the other games such as Phantasy Star 2-4. And those games are turn-based RPGs so they don't require precision when playing them.

The main reason why I want the Switch version is because I just wouldn't find any motivation playing these games on PS4/XB1. I just can't be bothered turning on a console and playing on the TV for a retro game, I much prefer to play these on a handheld device, especially the RPGs.

Even if the Switch version turns out to be very bad, I do have the PS3 collection as well and that one at least comes with Sonic 3 & Knuckles (and Ecco the Dolphin) so I'll just play games like those on there. But like I said, I can't be bothered turning on a console and sitting in front of the TV just to play a retro game, which is why I want to buy the collection again on Switch. The current-gen version does also come with Gunstar Heroes and ToeJam & Earl, which are another two games I haven't played yet but that I'm interested in. It sucks though that the Switch version is missing the two Wonder Boy games, although I might just want to play the remake of Dragon's Trap anyway, which is thankfully on the eShop.

I do appreciate you telling me this though! At least my expectations for the collection are matched now thanks to your input. It's awful though that sites such as Nintendo Life wrote a review for the collection and didn't even mention any input lag.

@LtSarge, Ys VIII is fantastic, one of my favorite JRPGs on the system alongside Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (plus the Torna expansion) & Final Fantasy X HD.

@LtSarge I know, and the review was written by Damo the king of emulation. it was a really weird review to be honest, nowhere near as detailed as his normal reviews of retro products.

I felt a bit bad after I wrote the original post because I didn't mean to piss on your bonfire so to speak but thought you should at least know. So I'm glad you did the research and have a more informed opinion on it. I did think the collection would be ok for the non reflex games but sadly I haven't got around to trying them myself!

I bought it for pretty much the same reasons tbh! Just wanted a decent collection of sega games to play in handheld. I read about the issues elsewhere but sorta thought if it was bad enough then Damo would've picked up on it in the review but clearly didn't in this instance.

I've heard the PS4 and Xbox one versions have the same issues as the switch versions. Also I didn't think the PS3 /360 collections had the lock on functionality for sonic 3 and knuckles, for some reason I thought that was limited to gamecube's sonic mega collection and the xbla/steam versions. I could be wrong though, I haven't read up on this stuff in a while!

@ralphdibny Turns out you're right, the lock-on feature isn't available in the PS3/360 collections. I thought they were, but according to a Google search they aren't. Regardless, at least Sonic 3 is on there, lol.

Good to know that the PS4/XB1 versions have the same issues, which means I'll be getting the Switch one primarily to play in handheld mode. It's only €20 anyway so I think it's worth the price of admission.

It's too bad that SEGA apparently hasn't released any new AGES titles on Switch. I've been playing the AGES version of Phantasy Star on Master System and thanks to the AGES mode (which lets you earn more EXP and money) the game is very enjoyable and holds up quite well. It's actually very good, so much so that I want to buy the collection on Switch so that I can experience the sequels as well. Weird that SEGA stopped making single-player games for this series as I'm not interested at all in Phantasy Star Online. Anyway, I would love to see them bring back other games but enhanced for a modern audience with options such as the AGES mode in Phantasy Star. I think I'd have a much better time experiencing these games like this.

Speaking of which, have you played any of the AGES titles? I'm really interested in checking out Wonder Boy: Monster Land since that game seems to be a Metroidvania and I'd love to play it in that case.

@RR529 Still haven't played Xenoblade 2 yet even though I own it. I want to experience this series in order even if they aren't sequential. Once I see Xenoblade 1 on Switch for a decent price (second-hand) I'll get it and play through that one first. I've actually played halfway through the 3DS version, which was good but now that there's a remake with better graphics, an epilogue and probably a bunch of other improvements, I think I'll just play that one instead. The Wii graphics are just absolutely atrocious lol.

@LtSarge my interest in phantasy star starts and ends with this amazing contraption for the GameCube that was used for online chat in PSO, I really want one of these!

That being said, I am a bit interested in seeing what the series is like. I'm a bit crap with RPGs to be honest, but the QoL features of the Ages version of phantasy star sound like they make it more accessible.

In terms of ages games, I have virtua racer because I was interested in the 8 player split screen, actually I'm not sure what the number was but it was a lot of players. So far I've had no luck actually getting a large group of my friends to sit around and play a polygonal racing game haha

I also have that G-Loc battle because the NL review for it mentioned that 360 rolling cab. I don't know why I bought the game considering it doesn't come with an amazing arcade machine but I still bought it. I got both games in various sales though for about £4 each.

I am generally more interested in the Ages games that haven't seen wide release before as I probably own like 5 versions of sonic 2. I'd love to see SegaSonic the hedgehog come to the range, the arcade game that originally played with a trackball and introduced ray the squirrel and mighty the armadillo to the world!

@ralphdibny Yeah there's definitely a huge potential for bringing back old games and giving them a fresh coat of paint with improved mechanics and features that make for a better experience today. I just can't imagine playing the first Phantasy Star without the boost in EXP and money, as well as going through the first-person dungeons without a map. Seeing as how I have no experience with Master System and Mega Drive titles (or any SEGA systems for that matter), I'm looking forward to seeing what more SEGA brings to the table. I mean, they have been releasing remakes/sequels to their franchises such as Wonder Boy III and Streets of Rage 4, which is super cool. I'd like to see more of that, perhaps a Phantasy Star 5 or something.

I gave it an honest shake, but there honestly wasn't anything in that Indie World that excited me. I do enjoy indies from time to time (Shantae & most Inti Creates games, for example), but they're not a regular part of my gaming diet.

@LtSarge I find master system and NES games to be really obtuse, they are just a little bit before my time so the nostalgia isn't there for me but I've given a fair few games a good crack but it has always been with modern features like save states at the very minimum

That being said, I do love super Mario Bros, albeit the SNES mario all-stars remake!

@ralphdibny Yeah same here. I can't imagine going back and playing most of these games on the original NES and Master System.

So I just noticed that Nintendo had added Donkey Kong Country on the SNES Switch Online Service and I remember that you can play these games' multiplayer online and so I decided to try playing DKC with a friend. It was surprisingly really fun! Granted you can't play two players simultaneously just like in the original game, but at least you're able to switch mid-game with each other so that both can play. We managed to finish the first three worlds and it's honestly a blast playing through this game with someone else. Hopefully Nintendo will add the other two SNES DKC games on the service as well!

@ralphdibny So my copy of Sega Mega Drive Collection on Switch arrived today and I got the chance to check out some games, including Sonic. Honestly, I'm not experiencing much delay between when I press the button and when he jumps. I managed to get past Green Hill Zone in Sonic 1 and also the first section of Marble Zone and the controls felt fine, although he sometimes wouldn't jump when he was running too fast. Don't know if that's just how the game usually is or it's because of a slight lag that I'm not noticing. Either way, it's definitely doable without going insane or something. I also did download a patch before starting the collection, so maybe that fixed some issues?

A couple of things I noticed that are really nice features are first and foremost the fact that you can add more pixels to the graphics to make the games look much smoother and in general better. Sometimes the graphics actually look too good, especially in Sonic, lol. Also, I remember the PS3/360 collection having a save state feature and this collection has that as well on top of a rewind feature that we've seen in e.g. Rare Replay. That's seriously awesome because it's very annoying to for example miss a jump in Sonic, lose a life and then have to exit to the menu in order to go to your previous save state. Now you can just rewind at any time and that's super convenient. On top of that, you can also fast-forward the game, which can be useful in RPGs where you need to grind. These features alone make this collection worth owning, they're such useful additions.

Also, I noticed that the remake of Wonder Boy III is on sale now on the Switch eShop for €8, which is perfect timing! I can now have the collection as well as one of the missing Wonder Boy games but in remake form. Great stuff!

@LtSarge ah nice one! Yeah maybe the patch helps, not sure. But what you described is exactly what was too much for me, the jump button not reading when you are running fast. So instead of jumping to the next platform you end up Face planting into some spikes. I did sort of think about playing it that way but my conclusion was that playing it like that is basically just playing a completely different game. Like sonic the careful hedgehog or something haha

It was a bit fickle of me anyway, I judged the whole compilation based on that one game that I probably wasn't going to play again for the umpteenth time. I think I was just a bit wound up at myself that I didn't follow the advice outside of the NL community and trusted more in Damo's review based on his vast experience with emulation.

I think if I play sonic 1&2 again, I may just play the 3d versions on 3ds. I keep adding games to my 3ds backlog but I just never get around to playing them. I've been playing paper Mario sticker Star for about 4 years lol 🙈

That being said, I thought about what you said with regards to the rest of phantasy star being on the collection and decided to pick up the first one from the Ages line while it was in the sale. Though I still probably won't get around to playing it for yonks but ya never know! Picked up a couple other ages games too, Ichidant-R which id never heard of but sounded interesting and Gain Ground because I love me some Tate mode!

@ralphdibny Well the thing is that the later levels in Sonic 1 get more and more platforming oriented instead of emphasising speed. So at that point it doesn't really matter if there's a lag when running fast and jumping because you're never running in those levels, lol. I'm in Labyrinth Zone (which if I recall correctly is considered the worst zone in Sonic 1) and I'm definitely not looking forward to playing it, lol.

Nice to hear that you bought the first Phantasy Star and other AGES games. I sadly forgot to pick up Wonder Boy: Monster Land but I'll do that in the next inevitable sale. I've actually been playing Phantasy Star for over a week now (probably around a dozen of hours of playtime) and the game does hold up quite well thanks to the AGES features such as having a map for when exploring dungeons. Otherwise it would be very easy to get lost in them without one, especially in the later dungeons. I'm nearing the end of the game now though and it's been great fun, although I'm looking forward to finishing it since it's getting slightly repetitive now. I'm looking forward to checking out the other Phantasy Star games in the Mega Drive collection later on!

I honestly think that this collection will encourage me to play more Mega Drive games. For example, I decided to play through the first Golden Axe today and I managed to beat it as well. I've never played through this series before and it's actually a really cool and fun beat 'em up game. Although I've heard that it's tough as nails, so I'm glad that I could just rewind whenever I needed to. Anyway, I mentioned before that I've barely played any Mega Drive games so I'm looking forward to checking out series such as Shinobi, Shining Force, Streets of Rage, Gunstar Heroes and a bunch of other supposedly great games. It's amazing to me just how many fantastic exclusives SEGA has that are never given any attention these days but were all the rage back in the day. I think it would've been cool to have grown up in the early 90s with an SNES and Mega Drive and play all these amazing games.

@LtSarge yeah there's a lot of good mega drive games, most of the Disney ones are really highly rated too but only aladdin and lion king are available on switch, Mickey mouse castle and world of illusion are on the mega drive mini I think.

I used to love streets of rage, golden axe was good too but I preferred SoR at the time. Sega doesn't seem to care about bringing old games and series back for new entries unfortunately. They often leave it to third parties to do it. I'm not sure if they commission the games or the third parties approach them and they're just like "uh yeah might as well". Stuff like sonic Mania, streets of rage 4, wonder boy. They do have a lot of modern games that they put out though which I guess must be reasonably successful enough for them to not need to revisit their old IPs except for ports.

I'm a big fan of platformers so super Mario world, donkey Kong country and super Mario all stars made the Snes my preferred console in retrospect, also I just love super Mario kart but another of my favourite games is actually Sonic 3+ Knuckles on the mega drive. Either way they are two of my favourite consoles!

With Paper Mario out of the way I decided to nab a couple of Indies as a palette cleanser, in the form of A Short Hike & Gato Roboto.

Already played through A Short Hike (which is true to it's name), which was an absolutely lovely time. May goof around in it a bit more before putting it down though, to see if I can get any extra Golden or Silver feathers.

@RR529 Gato Roboto is a good game. Nothing amazing or anything but I enjoyed my time with it. Luckily it's on Game Pass so I didn't have to pay anything for it.

I've been really regretting buying numerous indie games on Switch, such as The Messenger, now that I've seen that they're on Game Pass. I'll most likely stop buying indie games completely since they'll probably just get added on GP eventually.

There's a thread over on NL asking what your top 10 Switch games are, so I figured for fun I'll copy & paste what I wrote there.

It's too hard to make an actual top 10, so I'll make two alphabetical lists. The first a detailed list of my 10 top shelf games, then 10 honorable mentions that just miss out.

• Astral Chain - I was brought in by the great art aesthetic & sci-fi world, stayed for the varied gameplay on offer headlined by it's deep combat (including great bosses), but also enjoyed the stealth & detective sections.
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - The best pure 2D platformer I've played in ages. Spent a lot of time as a kid playing the original DKC, and this is a worthy modern follow-up.
• Final Fantasy X HD - This was one of the three games that got me into JRPGs back in the day, and it's held up impeccably. I was as hooked now as I was back then, and it has one of gaming's greatest love stories as far as I'm concerned.
• One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 - I'm not a big One Piece fan (give me Dragon Ball, InuYasha, or Rurouni Kenshin any day), but I picked this up on a whim after enjoying the two Nintendo Warriors games, and fell in love. There's just something about it that makes it fun to play, and it's become my go to Warriors game, and one of my go to time killer games.
• Super Mario Odyssey - With large creative worlds to explore & the versatile capture mechanic, this game was pure magic to experience. I mean you get to smash things up as a T-Rex, scale a Japanese Castle, and fight a ferocious dragon, and I haven't even mentioned New Donk City.
• Super Smash Bros Ultimate - I love Smash, but I usually don't have anyone to play with, so the meaty single player modes on offer quickly made this one of my favorites in the series, and my favorite fighter on Switch. With every playable character returning, plus some new fan favorites, it truly feels like a celebration of all things Nintendo, and maybe even the Japanese gaming industry as a whole. I do miss trophies, though.
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Torna) - A grand JRPG epic with a fantastic world, great characters, deep combat, and a great romance at it's center (and hey, I like the typical "waifu" character design, fite me!). While Torna, which is pretty much a full game in it's own right, is a sombre prequel with refined combat.
• Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Not much to say about this one that hasn't been said already. It's an absolutely gorgeous game that's just fun to get lost in and explore. Finding a new shrine or scaling the next tower are moments of joy, while this version of Hyrule is beautiful.
• Zelda: Link's Awakening - Say what you will about what is essentially a spruced up Game Boy game, but sometimes it's nice to go back to something simpler. It's one of those games that really reminded me of the reasons I am a gamer, and had a smile from start to finish. I had played the original on 3DS VC without it leaving much of an impact, but this remake is one of my favorite Zelda titles.
• Ys VIII - With an engaging "Metroidvania" structure, slick combat, and an ancient mystery, this quickly became one of my favorite JRPGs on the system, and it stands out even today as one of the best games on the system, IMO. I loved the little sense of community you built up with the other castaways too.

Honorable Mentions: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Daemon X Machina, Devil May Cry HD, Fire Emblem Warriors, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, Luigi's Mansion 3, Okami HD, Onimusha Warlords HD, Paper Mario: the Origami King, Shining Resonance Refrain