dartmonkey

Modest Tech: The NX Generation (Nintendo Switch)

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Good to hear Breath of the Wild feels good. I'm hoping Snipperclips could be the way to get my wife interested in the console, too. Looks fun.

 

In the grip of new hardware fever, with my birthday approaching, and with March shaping up to be a month of long train journeys at weekends, I'm seriously thinking about jumping in day one. Reports say games are finally tied to your account, not the hardware.

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Snipperclips is US$20 I think so it's not a full-price game. I'm definitely picking it up when I get my Switch. I wrote up my own thoughts a few pages back but I really really enjoyed how much freedom the game gives you to do the puzzles. I was kinda worried it being a nintendo game would mean the solutions are kind of pushed at you. (I realise it is an indie game that was shown off a few years ago and now found a home on the Switch)

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Snipperclips for 25 - 30 Euro Onions would be a good deal and possibly launch day pick-up. Especially if it's on a game card, not downloadable. (I'd like to have as few games digital as possible, considering the limited storage space.)

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Aside from a few lucky souls who've had their preorders sent out early, it looks like Nintendo have started sending out consoles to games writers and outlets. Presumably most things will be 'bargod till release day. 

 

I'm a little worried that we've still heard nothing about Virtual Console. It suggests to me that you won't be able to re-download stuff bought for Wii U and 3DS, and that the position will be essentially the same as with those machines - you want it again, you buy it again, with (at best) a substantial discount. There might not even be a substantial back catalogue available at launch...surely they would have announced that by now, at least? Or are they just saving it up to give the preorders one last boost in the next week or two?  

 

From a certain business perspective, I can understand it: when I bought Super Mario Bros 3 on Wii U, I bought it with the understanding that I was getting one digital copy to play on one console. Much as I wish they would, I can't see them changing to a position of 'well, now you get an extra second digital copy for free for an entirely new platform!' - even though that would bring them closer to what Sony and Microsoft are doing in this space. Nintendo don't have much history in giving their stuff away, apart from the occasional time-limited sale or reward for loyalty (the 3DS Ambassador thing, that ridiculous deal where you got another game free for buying MK8).

 

I still probably won't buy one at launch. That could change so easily if they sorted the VC thing! But man, I keep taking longing looks at the hardware. And I just realised that Super Bomberman R has a two player coop campaign - that sounds ideal for playing at home with my partner. But is it actually gonna be a good game? I'll probably wait for the reviews to find out. Same with Zelda - I don't really expect Nintendo are going to screw it up, but I'm a little worried that it's so very unlike anything else they've ever made.

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That last thing is probably the most exciting thing about the new Zelda. There's a chance it'll be weird and maybe not quite so polished and within that margin lies exactly what could make it very memorable. Will it succeed? Who knows!

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If they have finally sorted the account/hardware link, I would love to go all-digital for the sake of space. BUT it would mean sacrificing physical deals, plus I'd be paying a premium because I'm in Euroland but my account is UK. So it's going to be a mix like the 3DS.

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http://www.perfectly-nintendo.com/nintendo-account-website-overhaul-new-features-friend-suggestions-parental-controls/

 

Also you can or have to set up a separate User ID now under your Nintendo Account.

 

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/02/its_time_to_claim_your_nintendo_account_user_id_for_nintendo_switch

 

So uhh we have NNID that connects Wii U and 3DS, then we have Nintendo Account that ties everything and now a User ID that connects to Switch?

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I just claimed 'dartmonkey', which involved resetting passwords. It wasn't available for my NNID. Boom.

 

So, as I understand it, the User ID is the tag assigned to your all-encompassing Nintendo Account which unites all the mobile and loyalty/coin gubbins, and will reign supreme on Switch and beyond. The Nintendo Network ID was specifically for Wii U, 3DS and Miiverse which will be phased out with those consoles. For the moment the NNID can be used (as can linked Facebook and Twitter acc logins) to sign in to your main Account if you don't remember your User ID/email and password combo (as I didn't.)

 

Bit of a mess, but should be streamlined from now on.

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I am particularly interested to see how Breath of the Wild compares to Horizon Zero Dawn, which is inexplicably as good as it seemed. I think Zelda games have been following rather than leading for a while now, and I'm hoping having a game that can be something of a comparison either highlights the strengths of the new Zelda, or finally convinces people that Zelda is no longer a top-tier franchise (and Nintendo will put their effort in Metroid? maybe? please? Samus?)

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So looks like Virtual Console won't be available at launch and all they are saying about it is that they will share more details "in the future". And there is already a game that is larger than the 32 GB available on the Switch which, to be fair, is only going to be an issue if you aren't buying physical carts (and aren't downloading much DLC).

 

Nintendo is fucking weird man. There are so many things about the Switch on a fundamental level that are just being handled in the strangest way. I'll still probably get one at some point down the road but I think I'll be happy getting my Nintendo fix from my WiiU for quite awhile still.

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I have a Nintendo Account now, with the name Roderick, but whenever I want to change the password it doesn't send me the verification email. Feels a bit buggy, to be honest. A very sparse-looking site, too, lacking any Nintendo polish.

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7 hours ago, Zeusthecat said:

So looks like Virtual Console won't be available at launch and all they are saying about it is that they will share more details "in the future".

 

Woof. What a weird thing to not have ready. It really feels like Nintendo has been caught off-guard by their own launch schedule.

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It's weird that many things in their ecosystem seems to be even less ready now in 2017 for Switch than in 2012 for Wii U.

 

So many questions and only one week to launch, also they have held no Directs where they would open up about all the open questions.

 

This really is not like I would've liked them to handle this. :(

 

But damn this video is great, Shibata is always awesome:

 

 

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All of this is entirely logical when you remember that there are literally three people working at Nintendo in their Kyoto head office. The rest is just empty, zen-like meditation space.

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6 hours ago, Kolzig said:

It's weird that many things in their ecosystem seems to be even less ready now in 2017 for Switch than in 2012 for Wii U.

 

So many questions and only one week to launch, also they have held no Directs where they would open up about all the open questions.

 

 

Yeah, I had a preorder I was undecided over until the embargo went up yesterday and I decided it was just too much of a risk right now. If they can't give me Virtual Console to help with the lean first few months or reassurance in plain language that they've sorted the account system out then I'm not giving them £300. I doubt I'm alone - hype for this is zero here and preorders are easy to come by. 

 

Wee bit concerned for the system already given they don't have much of a presence at retail currently to build on.

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Some previews apparently mention that the left joycon has sync problems. It loses connection sometimes. Most previews however don't seem to mention it. Something to do with the wifi/bluetooth signals in those reviewers homes?

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Yeah, Nintendo's going to patch that in the firmware on day one, apparently. At least, I hope it's not a hardware problem.

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Wow, that's even faster than the PS4, which is already super fast. NICE.

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Rad, that's one of my favorite features of the current gen consoles. Almost makes me prefer my PS4 to the PC, since it's so effortless to get back into a game.

 

A few previews have mentioned that the startup time and menu navigation is also really snappy, which is good to hear after the sluggishness on the Wii U (and to a lesser extent the 3DS).

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Pretty cool. This'll fill out the games roster nicely. Stuff I was especially happy to see in that Direct: Kingdom Two Crowns (was already interested in it on Steam, but it feels like a great fit on Switch) and Flipping Death. That last one has a distinct Scott Campbell aesthetic. Was he involved?

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It looks really similar in art style to their previous great game Stick It to The Man. Back when it was released on Wii U, I also thought it had that Psychonauts/Scott Campbell style. I doubt he was involved though, but it seems clear to me that Double Fine was their inspiration.

 

Huh, didn't even know they had developed a game called Zombie Vikings also. Similar art style there also.

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I think the Nindies stuff is another big difference between the Switch launch and the Wii U announcements. It seemed to take Nintendo years after the Wii U actually launched to build the relationships and trust and infrastructure required to get to this point; but now they're building on that, and coming out swinging. 

 

I'm well up for another Steamworld Dig, although it seems odd that they've decided to make a sequel to that and not Steamworld Heist: Part Deux.

 

Wargroove looks right up my alley, though I'm not super keen on the art style. But I suppose if Intelligent Systems won't make another GBA-style Advance Wars then someone else might as well have a go?

 

And of course the Switch version of Stardew Valley is basically the version of that game I've been saving myself for. Working on my town while out and about, then coming home and sharing what I've created with my partner on the TV - it sounds like the perfect platform for that experience. Between now and a proper Animal Crossing, this could clean house. 

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Overcooked and Stardew Valley are both perfect for Switch and seemed inevitable. I'm looking forward to seeing what the multiplayer will bring to the latter. I already have it on Steam but no doubt I'll get it for Switch just for the portable aspect - it's a great game to dabble in for an in-game day or two, i.e. a train journey.


Shakedown Hawaii is news to me, it looks bonkers and they've got the Cannon Fodder/Micro Machines feel spot on.


I loved everything about Steamworld Heist, then picked up Dig in a Steam sale and got bored of it quite quickly - so, mixed feelings about the new Image & Form game being a Dig sequel. Judging by the trailer it seems to have a bit more going on, so I'm hopeful.

 

In danger of losing track of all the 'Metroidvania' titles but I thought Dandara looked quite good. Another hardcore platformer that wasn't in that Direct is Celeste. It's worth watching the 10 minute gameplay video as well as the trailer for that to see more of the mechanics involved.

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