@The Moog what would you say your must play games are on the switch? With Metroid Prime out, im seriously considering a small sale here to fund a switch, but I don’t know much about the game selection and how worthwhile it may be for me to invest in the system right now.
First off, i have a Switch Lite ... which a lot of Switch owners laugh at because its got a slightly smaller screen and is handheld only. But for me its perfect because I've always preferred handheld gaming. Its very comfortable to play and is a lot cheaper than the original Switch. I've seen many articles saying the Switch is only half-way through its lifespan, but i cant confirm that myself. The game selection is extensive especially for downloads, and they often have sales on hundreds of titles so you can pick up plenty of games for very reasonable prices a lot of the time. There are loads of third-party titles, and an impressive list of retro/classic arcade games too. Unfortunately, a lot of the physical games are limited edition, so if you miss the pre-order window you end up having to pay more for them on the secondary market. The mass release games don't have this problem of course (like Metroid Prime). Everything is always available for download though, and at a much lower cost than the limited carts. There are also the online apps for NES / SNES / GAME BOY / GBA etc but you have to pay an annual subscription for them, but they're pretty reasonable and there are a lot of classic games available. My most-played games so far (by a long way) are 'Breath of the Wild' which is frankly, fucking amazing. Its the best Zelda game i've played and i've played the majority of them over the years. I also play a bunch of the Hamster Arcade Archives downloads a lot, like 'Blazing Star' and 'Samurai Showdown' etc ... I think 'Metroid Prime Remastered' will be getting a lot of my attention too, as well as "Super Mario Odyssey' that i've only just bought.
@The Moog makes great points across the board - I do however recommend getting the dock version if you like to play on the big screen, I find it nice for large open-world games like Breath of the Wild (personal pref) + you still have the option to go mobile. + seconding the online apps for classic Nintendo systems - they just added Goldeneye with online VS mode! I just beat Tactics Ogre Reborn + Nier: Automata which I highly recommend both and are less than $40. Currently playing through Metroid Prime and it's fantastic, They've done a great job breathing new life into an older FPS + the sound design is really great. Also, I've been tracking games I want on dekudeals.com - have been able to score a bunch of physical titles on sale!
Yeah, its a fair point. A lot of stuff I play is retro, so the smaller screen is not really an issue, but I would like to play BOTW on a big screen (even though it still blows me away on the Lite). The sequel is out in a few months too. A few more games I love on the Switch, and play more than the others I have ... 'Hyper Light Drifter' is so atmospheric and stylish, but its pretty hard. I need to put more time into mastering the controls. 'Sega Mega Drive Classics' which has 50+ games on one cart. Some real classics and a bunch of unusual ones. Its a bargain that one. 'Street Fighter 30th Anniversary' and 'Capcom Fighting Collection' carts, which have a ton of arcade classics between them. Worms W.M.D is one I go back to frequently as well, they've kept the humour of the originals. It really makes me laugh when I'm playing it.
I’ve got one of the later street fighters on my ps5. And the sega classics bundle I believe. I do think if I get a switch that I’ll be grabbing a physical copy of hollow knight- my gosh do I love that game, and The fact that the PlayStation version is digital only bothers the collector in me. Lol.
Ugh - thanks a lot! I had no idea about these limited edition game cartridges. Or HLD. Or that HLD had a limited edition game cart that's sold out and only available on the aftermarket.
My friend got me hooked on Arknights for mobile. I don’t know why but I can’t resist gatcha games for very long.
Well, that one in particular gets reissued occasionally. I picked it up for retail after i thought i'd missed it. You have to pay more for it though because it comes with a 2-CD soundtrack, manual and keyring etc. The soundtrack is really great but i didn't need it on CD to be honest ... it will likely pop up on Amazon at some point for the original retail price. I know what you mean ... that was one of my disappointments with the Switch. The limited nature of some of the physical releases.
Just realised, Hamster have ported the second Yokai themed game i wanted to play that is featured in Hi-Score Girl. Its called 'JIKOGU MEGURI' (Bonze Adventure). Its from 1988, which is a year later than the other similar game 'YOUKAI DOUCHUKI' ... In this one you're a small Buddhist monk, the high priest bonze Kackremboh, who is on a perilous journey through the depths of Hell. I'm hoping this one is a bit easier than Youkai Douchuki, these old games are pretty tough. Fun, but tough.
So I grabbed a switch a week or three back, and finished Metroid Prime over this weekend. It was as good as I remember- I got 87% without looking up the locations of any power ups online. I meant to start Mario Odyssey (it was a free download with the switch) but I was browsing the Eshop and ended up buying a few older games- The original DOOM, Portal companion collection (super wish they had a physical version of this) and a reverse horror game called “Carrion” it’s a 2d metroidvania style game where you play as a tentacle monster that has escaped its captivity in an underground bunker… the controls took some getting used to and they could have been tighter, but my gosh was it fun to play the monster; you’re given no background or direction. It’s just kill and try to escape. You’ll have to figure out some puzzles while avoiding the human containment teams. It was good stuff and it’s on sale for $8. It’s a quick game. I finished it in about 3 days but it was Well worth ilthe $8
Also @The Moog i am impressed that you play on a switch lite exclusively- I can barely use the switch in handheld mode, I’ve discovered I’ve become a bit farsighted as I’ve gotten older and I squint and struggle to focus on the moving graphics. I wish I could use it handheld. Maybe if I breakdown and get some reading glasses…
Wow, thats a quality game for a free download. It quickly became the best 3D Mario game i've ever played. I just defeated the giant robotic centipede and opened up 'New Donk City', which is my favourite level of the game so far. The care and attention put into Odyssey is impressive, the inventiveness of the levels and how well it controls, its so much fun. Throwing your hat and taking control of enemies (and some objects) is such a good game mechanic. I've got down to the planet but then i went back to other games. I never completed it on the Game Cube so it will be fun to do that this time. The improved graphics are impressive and the controls are much better too. Yeah, i downloaded DOOM 64 because i never got to play it back in the day, despite having an N64. I never even saw it for sale. Its great on the Switch, plays really well on the dual sticks. I remember my brother raving about Portal when it was new, so i'd like to play that one as well, now its on the Switch. Stephen Merchant voices the second Portal game so thats a bonus for me too. Yeah, i had to start using reading glasses a year or so ago. I use them for the Switch Lite too and its fine. Two games i bought recently. Nowadays i always research games, reading and watching extensive amounts of reviews before i buy them. So far i've not bought any duffers. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, which has two remastered ports of two old cult classics ... And ... Cotton Fantasy. I've really got back into shmups and this 'Cute 'Em Up' was a no brainer. Its fast and frantic and the graphics are superb. The Cotton franchise is 20 years old but of course i'd never heard of it until recently. In this one there are seven different playable characters and they each have different play styles, which adds quite a bit of variety to the game.
@The Moog the portal games are stupendous if you have never played them. They rank pretty high on my list of best games ever made. Especially portal 2. It’s a no brainer. Mario odyssey was part of the Mario day bundle sale when I bought the switch. I just started it yesterday and got past the tutorial level when I had to put the switch down for dinner. I can’t remember the last Mario game I played- probably one of the Mario Galaxy games or something on the GameCube. That was the last Nintendo system I owned. I took a look again at the arcade archive, and I could easily see myself falling down a hole of just purchasing a load of old games; but I’m going to try to play what I download and not make any expensive purchases until the queue is (at least partially) empty. shmups we’re never a thing for me, but I vaguely remember klonoa being a quality series when they were first new.
So I’m in the midst of playing through Super Mario Odyssey, this is probably the first Mario game I have played since Mario Galaxy? I’m guessing was on the Wii? Anyway, I’m on the moon part, and I realized something- I don’t particularly like 3D Mario games. And I think I realize why: I hate 3D parkour; especially with moving platforms, lava lakes, slippery ice or timed bits where shit disappears once the timers winds down… and this is like Nintendo’s stock and trade with Mario games. Give me a 2D game and I don’t mind any of this, but once there’s a moveable camera I just struggle to judge jumps and timing correctly. Hell, I struggle to run in a completely straight line in 3D games, so when I’m asked to scurry across a bridge that is about the width of Mario himself I have to slow to a crawl gently nudging the control stick and then recenter the camera and Mario and then repeat until I inch my way across… and it’s not fun. other aspects of this game are great- I love the bits where you transition to 2D to advance, or finding all the hidden purple coins… but the platforming over bottomless pits or lava just become tedious. also, I wish Luigi were in this. He’s my Mario brother of choice.
@hellopike did you ever play New Super Mario Bros on Wii? Pretty sure it came out after Galaxy (I never played Galaxy). It's a 2D platformer, and basically an amazing update of the original SMB game. I remember having SO MUCH fun playing that game. Having recently bought a Switch, and the Nintendo Pass thing or whatever it's called, I've been slowly making my way through all of the SMB games, and beat 2 for the first time! I'm currently on the last level in 3, and really looking forward to playing Super Mario World once I beat 3. It's kinda crazy how well some of these old games hold up.
I haven’t played the new super Mario bros. Maybe I’ll give it a shot next, I’m sure it’s on switch, right? Regarding that online pass- I’m sure I’ll sign up at some point because it’s not a bad price for a year given the large library of games; but damn I wish they’d release some of those nes games as physical releases… I’d spend more money for $20-25 for physical releases of some of those old games (or even digital downloads) just to have them as opposed to signing up for a yearly service… for example, I just found out that there was a “Record of Lodoss War” Metroidvania put out in 2021- it’s on sale for $8 on the Eshop, but I’m going to grab the Japan only physical release on eBay for $30 because I want the physical cartridge.
I'm not sure - I haven't seen it, but I haven't really explored the e-shop. Same!! I really don't like XaaS subscriptions - I like to own the media I consume.
Yeah, fair enough. I've been enjoying Odyssey, but the only parts I don't enjoy are the butt-clenchingly vertigo-inducing, bottomless-void traversal. Still, I'd recommend sticking it out to 'New Donk City'. Its a lot of fun. Anyone else interested in the imminent release of 'Tears of the Kingdom'? ... I'm still midway through BOTW, so I will probably hold off and play it later. It won't stop me reading and watching stuff about it online though.
Oh yeah. I think I’m pretty far along now- I’m on the moon, but there is a dungeon and it’s all lava with moving platforms and I believe I’ve just about reached the tipping point of more frustrating than fun. The lava wouldn’t be so bad, but the fact that when Mario gets burned he starts to run wildly around makes it doubly difficult to jump back up on the moving platform. The lava might as well just kill you instantly at that point. I haven’t played any Zelda since windwaker. No twilight princess, no breath of the wild. Eventually I’ll get around to them. I bought the portal companion collection on sale at the Eshop so they’ll be next. I haven’t played either portal game since PS3 so it’ll be a fun revisit. Then probably that Lodoss War game. Record of Lodoss War was an ova anime series from the eighties and one of the first I saw as a teen. Really influenced my early ideas of high fantasy, so to have a metroidvania game based on the ip is super interesting to me.
Yeah, I hear ya. I know what you mean about that aspect of 3D platforming. Its not as precise as 2D. Yeah, I loved Wind Waker and would like to play the HD remaster of it someday. I didn't really like Twilight Princess, it was too much on rails for my liking. BOTW is so beautifully done I was hooked very quickly. Totally reawakened my love for Zelda games ...
Same! I'm looking forward to playing it next winter! I still need to beat the electric dromedary, and then it's on to Gannon. But I'm taking my time, trying to get my various armor beefed up, and clearing out some side quests.
Yep, pretty much what I'm doing. Of course, I randomly chose the camel divine beast first but it turned out its the hardest of all of them to beat. The boss kept kicking my arse and I gave up. I'm currently trying the big bird beast because its supposedly the easiest. At least there are warp points once you've gained entry to them, so you can come back when you're stronger, and try again.
I guess I just lucked into saving the hardest for last! I think I did elephant, then lizard, then bird. Before the camel I've been hoping to find an electric shirt to pair with my hat and pants, but so far no luck.
Yeah, i've not got any of the rubber anti-shock armour but i do have the Topaz earrings (not sure how much protection they provide on their own though). You can always cook up some food for temporary anti-shock properties anyway. I'd like to complete the climbing gear set, and one of the people in Tarrey Town (when you complete the side quest) has them for sale but they are super expensive. * edit I've just realised the guy in Tarrey Town also has anti-shock clothing and some other specialised stuff. You have to start the 'Hylian Homeowner' side quest and then complete the 'From the ground up' side quest for these to be available. They're too expensive though, probably worth finding them some other way!
I beat Mario Odyssey last night with 263 moons. So now I’ll be running around unlocking as many costumes as I can while I collect moons. I have access to the dark side of the moon and the mushroom kingdom- are there any other kingdoms to unlock? I know at some point early in the game I had to choose between a fork in the road, and I don’t remember what the kingdom options were and if the game ever circled back around to those kingdoms I didn’t initially choose.
