dartmonkey

Modest Tech: The NX Generation (Nintendo Switch)

Recommended Posts

On 9/28/2017 at 9:47 PM, miffy495 said:

I never played that and have never clicked with any golf games ever, having only even really tried a couple of the console Mario Golf games. Still, the idea of a sports RPG is intriguing to me. Is it worth a shot? What is the appeal/loop here?

 

On 9/29/2017 at 12:40 AM, Twig said:

It's a golf RPG. Stats. Quests. Equipment. Story. Exactly what it says on the tin!

 

It's pretty funny too.

 

If you don't like golf video games you won't like this.

 

Picked it up on a whim, just finished doing a few sidequests around the caveman courses. This game is SO DAMN GOOD. I laughed enough that my girlfriend gave me a dirty look (she's writing a paper in the next room) and the mechanics are very satisfying. I finished the intro 9 hole course with a -6 (six birdies, three pars), and like 4 of my birdies were chip-ins that feel really good to get. I am actually really bad at putting, I think. Any tips would be appreciated. I get that the slope impacts things, but is there any way to tell how much (aside from guessing) or is that just something you'll get a feel for over time?

 

I really like some of the weird challenges too. I just did that thing on the caveman course before I turned it off where you have to do the same hole 4 times, once only hitting fairway, once only hitting rough, once only hitting DEEP rough, and once only hitting sand traps. Playing an entire hole with the mindset of "THE FAIRWAY IS LAVA!" and having to just hop bunker to bunker was super fun and a really neat twist. Looking forward to playing a bunch more of this.

 

...for the record, I never said I didn't like golf video games, just that Mario Golf on N64 and GCN didn't click with me and those were all I'd tried.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well you did say you "have never clicked with any golf games ever". :P

 

I'm glad you like it! I finished it already 'cause I'm homestuck.

The upper right corner contains an arrow displaying the slope of the green once you get there. You mostly just need to get a feel for what that means through experimentation. If you do the minigolf thing in the starting course, you get a special putter that lets you curve. It makes putting way harder.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Golf Story seems fun and relaxing, which is just what I need right now. I haven't played much yet – I have finished a few quests in the caveman area – but I'm already hoping for a bit more variety in the side missions (so far most of them have been of the land a ball within this circle variety). It's not a huge issue, though, because I enjoy seeing my money and stats going up, and playing through the actual courses is quite fun. I also haven't touched the disc and mini golf stuff yet.

 

I would have played more of Golf Story if I hadn't bought Picross S at the same time. Whenever I launch the game, I end up playing for way longer than I would like to.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bought myself Mario XCOM for my birthday. Game does not disappoint, it's amazingly fun and kinetic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I spent a long time trying to convince myself I wanted a Switch for any reason other than gadget lust as I had a Wii U and already rinsed Zelda and Mario Kart but oh lordy there's a ton of great stuff on it right now. Picross S, Golf Story, Mario+Rabbids, Monster Hunter XX and I've just finished Splatoon 2. So much things.

 

Part of me really wants to save Odyssey for Christmas day and I just might be able to with the current backlog. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Does anyone have any recommendations on local co-op for my niece and I? She's 5 and a half, but pretty smart for her age. We were playing Snipperclips but some of the more dexterous puzzle solutions were a bit hard for her. I have Minecraft, but I need to get a second set of Joycons or a pro-controller to play local co-op. Ideally we would just be able to use a single Joycon as that fits in her hand perfectly, the two of them together are a little large. She loved Mario Kart but she really wanted to play together vs against each other. 

 

I'm thinking maybe Stardew Valley would be awesome for her as she seemed very keen on Minecraft but I don't think it has a co-op component yet. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Lego Worlds also supports local co-op but you do need a double set of joycons. My 5.5yo finds it a bit too tough still with the 2-stick controls.

 

Mario XCOM does have 2-player on a single set of joycons but it's a tad too violent for my tastes for kids.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am finishing up Mario + Rabbids, currently in the process of getting the final few perfect scores for levels and the ultimate challenges. Time for thoughts!

 

The game is really well paced and has a good length. One more world and I'd have gotten quite bored with it.

 

Looking back, I played 95% of the game with the standard team of Mario + Rabbid Peach + Rabbid Luigi. That is just such an unkillable setup (vampire + healing abilities) that I never bothered with the others. I sometimes switched it up with Rabbid Mario or Luigi Actual, but those felt less versatile. Specialists like Rabbid Yoshi or Peach - I just never found a good use for them. On the one hand, it's good that the game never enforces one over the other (save for a few moments when Luigi Actual's movement bonus is a MUST), but it makes it all too easy to stick with the team you like and never venture outside of that. That's also a personal flaw, I know. When something feels comfortable and good, I am loath to abandon it.

 

 

Why did the girl from the beginning never show up again at the end? I was expecting her to wrap the story up, since it so obviously starts in 'our world', or at least a Rabbid-infested human future.


Also a tad disappointing is that the anticipated difficulty spike never came. Reviews called the game pretty hard every now and again, but it was anything but. I breezed through the whole thing. I wonder if there is a hard cap on skill, regarding these systems. Once you've optimized your positioning and damage output, maybe there's just not a whole lot more in the way of strategy that they can implement before it just gets unfair? At the same time, some of the challenges had amazing movement-based puzzles, where you had to allow yourself to get smashed or thrown into just the right spot. Forcing you to do those tricks in battle might be way too chaotic and hard though, I don't know.

 

 

I think it's safe to say Ubi will release a Kingdom Battle 2 in a few years. They've got an amazing engine running (Snowdrop), the assets are easily reused and the game is I believe a big hit. Hopefully not too soon though: if I play another one in a year, I'll burn out on it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
55 minutes ago, YoThatLimp said:

She loved Mario Kart but she really wanted to play together vs against each other.

 

Overcooked is the game you want. I convinced my wife, who doesn't generally play games beyond Rockband, to try it one evening and she was hooked. We played it most evenings for the next two weeks! Simple controls, fun visuals and music, totally co-op. The later levels might be tough for her, especially if you're going for three stars, but it is the game you're after.

 

After we beat Overcooked I downloaded Death Squared to try and fill the void. It's the only other co-op game I could find. Haven't tried it yet but I'll let you know how it compares.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

They already have a season pass for Rabbids, so there's gonna be dlc.

 

Death squares is pretty good but will have you yelling at your friends!!! NO DO THIS NO DO THAT

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I doubt I'll go for the DLC. I had a perfectly good time with Mario + Rabbids, but am also happy that it's done. [Currently I can dream the battle music, it really gets its hooks into you in that 'Danny Elfman' kinda way.]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
22 hours ago, dartmonkey said:

 

Overcooked is the game you want. I convinced my wife, who doesn't generally play games beyond Rockband, to try it one evening and she was hooked. We played it most evenings for the next two weeks! Simple controls, fun visuals and music, totally co-op. The later levels might be tough for her, especially if you're going for three stars, but it is the game you're after.

 

After we beat Overcooked I downloaded Death Squared to try and fill the void. It's the only other co-op game I could find. Haven't tried it yet but I'll let you know how it compares.

 

Thanks, I might have to pick that up for next time. I'm a little worried about the dexterity required but I think that if we don't worry about star count we'll be alright. 

 

I think I agree with Roderick, I have had about enough of the game. I really enjoyed my 25 or so hours of it but I am ready to move on. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Questions for you Nintendo gamers:

 

1. Are there a lot of sales/discounts for Nintendo games? What's the situation like compared to Steam/PS4's Store?

 

2. What's the backward compatibility and HD-remakes-situation on Switch like? Any chance I could play Super Mario Galaxy on it at some point?

 

I haven't owned a Nintendo system since the original GameBoy, but Breath of the Wild, Oddysey, and Rabbids are making this new device very tempting. Also, I don't travel a lot, but when I do it would be nice to have something beefier than my iPad to play games on.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There is no backward compatability. Nintendo does rereleases/remasters all the time, but nobody knows how likely it is Galaxy would be one of them. Virtual Console is a thing that doesn't exist yet but will probably(?) roll out next year with their full online service. Whatever that entails.

Sales happen, but they're not one dollar for twenty game sales like Steam.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, but both of these answers are probably going to disappoint:

 

1. There are sales here and there, but it's nothing compared to what Steam and PSN do. Especially for first party games, which barely ever get discounted at all. If it was made by Nintendo (and let's be honest, if it's 3rd party and on multiple consoles, most people are going to play it on something else), you can expect to pay full price unless you're buying from a physical store.

 

2. Switch has zero backwards compatibility options right now. The only re-release I can think of off the top of my head is Mario Kart 8 (which is incredible, so that's good). Honestly, if you're interested in Back-compat, the WiiU is your place to go. You can get digital versions of almost everything you'd want to play from the NES, SNES, N64, GBA, DS, and Wii on there, and if you have a Wii disc you can just throw it in and it will work. It also has the HD remasters of both of the GCN Zelda games, which are very well done. On Switch the only thing that's happened so far are all of the Arcade Archives games that Hamster has put out independently, which means a shit ton of Neo Geo games and an upcoming handful of Nintendo's 80s arcade games (Mario Bros is out now, more to come).

 

I'm holding out hope that the Virtual Console will show up and give me all of the retro goodies I can handle. I even bought one of those 8BitDO pads in anticipation, what with the Switch not having a proper D pad. All that's been said so far is not a reason to be optimistic though.

 

 

...This sounds really down on the Switch. I still am absolutely in love with the console. I've been alternating between Rabbids and Golf Story as my main games over the past few weeks, with Picross thrown in here and there. Stardew Valley came out on Thursday as well, which is probably something else I'm going to have to check out soon. I'd been waiting for the Switch version since I was already late to the party on that one anyway and it seems like a great fit. It really is a great system, it just so happens that both of your questions have kind of bummer answers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 10/4/2017 at 9:43 AM, YoThatLimp said:

Does anyone have any recommendations on local co-op for my niece and I? She's 5 and a half, but pretty smart for her age. We were playing Snipperclips but some of the more dexterous puzzle solutions were a bit hard for her. I have Minecraft, but I need to get a second set of Joycons or a pro-controller to play local co-op. Ideally we would just be able to use a single Joycon as that fits in her hand perfectly, the two of them together are a little large. She loved Mario Kart but she really wanted to play together vs against each other. 

 

I'm thinking maybe Stardew Valley would be awesome for her as she seemed very keen on Minecraft but I don't think it has a co-op component yet. 

 

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is excellent for local co-op, and from what I've played of it, the Switch port is pretty solid. It might be a little complicated, but there's an easy mode and you can kind of set your own pace if things get too hectic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, rohlfinator said:

 

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is excellent for local co-op, and from what I've played of it, the Switch port is pretty solid. It might be a little complicated, but there's an easy mode and you can kind of set your own pace if things get too hectic.

Just yesterday played through almost the entire game with a group of my friends and I second this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the answers, miffy and Twig!

 

13 hours ago, miffy495 said:

I'm sorry, but both of these answers are probably going to disappoint

 

Hmm yeah, that's more or less what I was expecting really. Still interested in the Switch tho. I think the main thing holding me back at the moment is feeling like I have too many games to play on the systems I already own, and getting yet another one would be plain irresponsible!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There's been an avalanche of great stuff released recently and it's growing every week. Not great if you suffer from backlog anxiety but it's a good problem to have.

 

Re. sales, they usually come in the 10/20% off or 'Buy X, Get Y for 50% Off' varieties. I got Puyo Puyo Tetris 20% off, which brought it down in line with physical. Indies are routinely discounted (especially now as the shop is filling up), though it will be a couple of years before first party offers or a Selects line.

 

Having said all that, I wouldn't hesitate to jump in. Even with the caveats, it's a really great system. And that backlog will only get bigger! ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I bought Golf Story on a whim and I've been enjoying it a lot more than I expected too given almost 0 interest in golf or golf games. It kind of reminds me of the Mario & Luigi games a bit, but if all the combat were converted to golf.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, tabacco said:

I bought Golf Story on a whim and I've been enjoying it a lot more than I expected too given almost 0 interest in golf or golf games. It kind of reminds me of the Mario & Luigi games a bit, but if all the combat were converted to golf.

 

 I played a bunch of this game on a plane yesterday, and I concur. I think that the addition of being able to tee up from anywhere on the map is a fantastic idea, as is the sheer variety of game modes that I've encountered. Also, it's really very, very unapologetically Australian. Also, I was really happy to find the precision mode to help make individual shots, as well as the like, ability to nudge a shot left and right with the control pad.

 

I also grabbed Picross S for my flight, and if you like Picross, here is more Picross. It's cheap, and addictive, and I was even ok with the lack of touch-screen controls for it. People here, it seems like, have also been into it, and it's definitely worth just having on the system. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh, I am hopelessly addicted to all forms of Picross. Didn't even figure it was worth mentioning that it was an instant buy for me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Considering this surprising wave of Switch ports, another couple of crazy ideas entered my brain. Digital Foundry took a look at Cuphead and suggested it could scale well to Switch. The devs confirmed although they own the IP, the first game is a MS console exclusive. But besides waiting for a sequel, there's still hope: either they release a GOTY Cuphead Retribution Redux: Mugman's Revenge OR (and this got me thinking) Microsoft allows them to release a straight port. Which might sound implausible...but is it? Is it? Really?...

 

Nuts to it - Cuphead is going on my wishlist. Doom's getting ported ffs!  It's got Minecraft. It could signal a move from MS to putting out some select Switch titles!!...

 

Look, it's all about Banjo. All I want is Banjo-Kazooie on Switch. Lego Worlds reminded me how great Nuts & Bolts was, and I need the originals too. Phil Spencer seems like the best shot of this ever happening and it happened on the GBA. Work out something with the Goldeneye rights, people. Make it happen!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nuts & Bolts WAS great and it's still a huge shame how much shit it got.

 

I'd buy it again. Never did finish it. Got rid of my 360 before I could.

 

But also good luck with that haha.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you've got an Xbone, just grab Rare Replay. It's still great on there, and the whole package is awesome.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now