Nintendo Switch - Games You Can Play Right Now

ClockworkHouse wrote:

On a scale of one to Journey, how much is it like Journey?

It's more like Abzu. The movement has a nice feel. Unlike both those games, this has platforming puzzles, but I don't know if that's enough to keep you interested. The art style, music, and control feel are a big part of the game. There isn't really any story other than some abstract emotional imagery.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

On a scale of one to Journey, how much is it like Journey?

It's more like Abzu. The movement has a nice feel. Unlike both those games, this has platforming puzzles, but I don't know if that's enough to keep you interested. The art style, music, and control feel are a big part of the game. There isn't really any story other than some abstract emotional imagery.

Agreed. It reminded me a lot of Abzu.

It definitely made me want to go back and replay Journey tho since I haven’t played that since it came out on PS3.

I have a feeling that if you aren’t motivated by the art, atmosphere and, ahem, journey of the game then you won’t like GRIS. It isn’t a walking simulator but it is less about platforming than it is about atmosphere.

Hmm. I got along okay with Abzu, and I like walking sims generally. I think my main complaint with Journey was that it was just trying way too hard to be profound and moving and special; it felt more than a bit up its own ass. Gris certainly looks interesting, and I don't mind it being on the lighter side of things mechanically, but I haven't been able to get a sense from the trailers if it's as shallow and manipulative as Journey.

There are a few moments where it shows you sad statue of girl that is sad and plays sad music to go along with it. There is essentially no story that it is trying to sell you on but it is playing a bit on melancholy to create the atmosphere it wants. I didn’t feel particularly manipulated by it.

The only thing that perked my interest was SkillUp described it as being a bit Metroidvania, in that it's one location you're gradually making your way through as you gain new abilities. Nevertheless, the art style and everything about it feels "Art School" to me and just isn't my aesthetic, so I'm taking the pass myself.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I think my main complaint with Journey was that it was just trying way too hard to be profound and moving and special; it felt more than a bit up its own ass.

Journey made me cry like a baby and probably was the most profound experience emotionally I’ve ever had playing a game, so they were right for some people at least.

Warriorpoet897 wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

I think my main complaint with Journey was that it was just trying way too hard to be profound and moving and special; it felt more than a bit up its own ass.

Journey made me cry like a baby and probably was the most profound experience emotionally I’ve ever had playing a game, so they were right for some people at least.

I loved Journey as well. I look at GRIS as a piece of interactive art more than anything and for me that appeals a lot.

It warms my heart to see that there is space here for people to not have enjoyed Journey. I really wanted to have the experience so many people had with it, but I just didn't!

Fibbage is worth the price of the first Jackbox party pack alone. Had a great time with the family over the weekend.

Yay Jackbox! really fun.

Firewatch is out.

I could do with some broad advice about how I should approach Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

I'm not far into it and I've been given a side quest that I'd like to complete but I seem to be significantly under-leveled. Is this the kind of game where I should grind for exp for a while to do side quests as I go? Or should I just focus on the main story, safe in the knowledge that I can come back and do side quests later?

You don't need to grind levels. None of the sidequests expire, and you'll get sidequests that you're not able to complete at the time you get them. My advice would be to push on in the main story until you at least have a full party and a good set of Blades for everyone. You won't get far in a lot of those sidequests without a reliable tank/healer/attacker setup.

Yeah you'll run into enemies 50 levels above you on the way between quests sometimes. Lots of things to come back and do later

I'm really glad that they did away with the expiring quests of the original Xenoblade. I totally understand why those were included the first time around (spoilers, basically) but I love that there aren't any points of no return in Xenoblade 2. You can literally fast travel away from the doorstep of the last boss fight to go spend another hundred hours doing side content.

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear! I was starting to stall a little as I looked for random encounters of a good level. I have gotten better at the combat systems, so it wasn't time wasted, but I'm glad to hear I can move on now. Thanks for the feedback!

I think I'm close to being able to hear myself away from Smash for an hour or two and Xenoblade is at the top of my list.

IIRC XC2 has side quests that would disappear if you did not start them, though.

I double-checked, and that's correct. There are three minor side quests very late in the game and one treasure trove that are missable. They're in chapter eight and tied to a specific location.

Spoiler:

They're all in Indol and are inaccessible after you are barred from going there. Everything else from Indol is moved to Leftheria or other islands.

I'm only on Chapter 3 so I'll try to remember to check that spoiler when I get to Chapter 8. I tend to at least check out any side quests I find on the map as I'm going anyway.

Turns out that once I got back into the main story it didn't take me long to get to the stage where I could do those side quests that i was struggling with before.

I've got a nice rhythm now whereby I play Smash if I'm handheld or know that I don't have long to play, and Xenoblade if I have the tv and know that I've got an hour to myself. It's working well so far.

Random observation about Xenoblade... Something about it reminds me of Skyward Sword of all things... I'm not sure if it's the tone of the music when you're just casually running around, or of it's the fact that I'm hanging out with a sentient sword, but I keep thinking about Skyward Sword during the quieter moments of Xenoblade.

So if you have received your Flip Grip and are into Pinball games. It looks like Zaccaria Pinball is offering a 27 table add-on for 99 cents. Also, if you have any Nintendo gold you can use it to purchase the add-on.

Nimcosi wrote:

So if you have received your Flip Grip and are into Pinball games. It looks like Zaccaria Pinball is offering a 27 table add-on for 99 cents. Also, if you have any Nintendo gold you can use it to purchase the add-on.

That's a good app on iOs. This secret history of Italian pinball. Spooky is my favorite table.

Kingdom: Two Crowns is fun but really quite buggy. There are save-file size problems that can bite you if you're using all 3 save files. There are pretty serious problems loading the state of your game when you come back to it, like failing to load the sky, showing one of the enemy portals as 'active' when you've already destroyed it, the game often messes up how your buildings should be unlocked and made available.

Then there are severe balance problems too, like in Winter you have virtually nothing to do but wait 16 game days for your farms and hunters to be able to work again. Pikemen are available only to the 'classic' medieval theme and can hunt fish in Winter for coin, but the Shogun theme doesnt get those, they get a worthless Ninja that costs you 8 coins and just kills a few enemies in the forest before disappearing forever. The hard-to-collect Hermits are suicidal, choosing to just wander outside your walls at night and get picked up by the enemy. One of the final 'shrines' (permanent upgrades to one of your features) in the game ruins the game by turning your knights suicidal. (Going off internet info for this last one, we havent gotten there yet and we dont intend to use the shrine)

The game was clearly rushed. Its going to be a solid game in a few months. Despite all this my wife and I are powering through, trying to clear the 4th and 5th Islands and declare victory over the game.

Nimcosi wrote:

So if you have received your Flip Grip and are into Pinball games. It looks like Zaccaria Pinball is offering a 27 table add-on for 99 cents. Also, if you have any Nintendo gold you can use it to purchase the add-on.

I'm not really into the older style of Pinball, but for $0.99 I could definitely appreciate some history. Thanks for letting us know!

Edit: The offer comes up in-game and takes me to the e-shop, but I just see $3 single tables and a few pricier bundles. Help?

A_Unicycle wrote:
Nimcosi wrote:

So if you have received your Flip Grip and are into Pinball games. It looks like Zaccaria Pinball is offering a 27 table add-on for 99 cents. Also, if you have any Nintendo gold you can use it to purchase the add-on.

I'm not really into the older style of Pinball, but for $0.99 I could definitely appreciate some history. Thanks for letting us know!

Edit: The offer comes up in-game and takes me to the e-shop, but I just see $3 single tables and a few pricier bundles. Help? :(

I went to the EShop page for Zaccaria Pinball and the 27 table pack was third in the list of dlc. Bought it right from there. Learned quickly that I apparently suck at pinball now.

Definitely not there on my end. Oh well, I bought it on PC and it's a whole lot prettier

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Awesome! I hope you enjoy it.

Just as an FYI, the expansion pass includes a standalone campaign called "Torna: The Golden Country". It's about 20 hours long, and it's available to play at any time. It doesn't share any save data with the main game, and it doesn't include most of the same characters, but it does have spoilers for the main game's story.

I think the developers recommend playing it between chapters 7 and 8 of the main game.

I just started this today, and frankly...I love it! I did not expect myself to do so, but really - this is great fun. Interesting locales, interesting lore, fun and complex systems and all in all, its just chips away at my day with greatness!

I still have issues with the skimpy outfits on what seems like pretty young women - But aside from that, I am loving it!

Has anyone here played Hands of Fate 2? I see it’s on sale, just not sure if I should wait for a deeper discount down the road.

I’m also really craving an xcom 2 type game on the switch. Anything out there scratch that itch?

ebarstad wrote:

Has anyone here played Hands of Fate 2? I see it’s on sale, just not sure if I should wait for a deeper discount down the road.

I’m also really craving an xcom 2 type game on the switch. Anything out there scratch that itch?

Mario + Rabbids is the only X-com style game I know on Switch. Good thing it's a really good game

Citizen86 wrote:
ebarstad wrote:

Has anyone here played Hands of Fate 2? I see it’s on sale, just not sure if I should wait for a deeper discount down the road.

I’m also really craving an xcom 2 type game on the switch. Anything out there scratch that itch?

Mario + Rabbids is the only X-com style game I know on Switch. Good thing it's a really good game

Cheers. I have the base game, and I like it, but I got tired of the stuff between fights. I might have to go back to it at some point.

This Is the Police 2 looks kind of xcom-y. Hard West is also supposed to come out for the Switch at some point...

ebarstad wrote:
Citizen86 wrote:
ebarstad wrote:

Has anyone here played Hands of Fate 2? I see it’s on sale, just not sure if I should wait for a deeper discount down the road.

I’m also really craving an xcom 2 type game on the switch. Anything out there scratch that itch?

Mario + Rabbids is the only X-com style game I know on Switch. Good thing it's a really good game

Cheers. I have the base game, and I like it, but I got tired of the stuff between fights. I might have to go back to it at some point.

This Is the Police 2 looks kind of xcom-y. Hard West is also supposed to come out for the Switch at some point...

The stuff between the fights is what has prevent me from playing in a while. The fights are good but the thought of the other stuff just makes me play something else.

ebarstad wrote:

Has anyone here played Hands of Fate 2? I see it’s on sale, just not sure if I should wait for a deeper discount down the road.

I’m also really craving an xcom 2 type game on the switch. Anything out there scratch that itch?

Terrific game. Card based choose your own adventure type of game. There are a series of quests that you use a customized deck to explore. When a story moment requires combat then the game shifts to a third person action game with Batman Rocksteady like combat. The combat is serviceable and my least favorite part of the game because failing the encounte can screw up a good run. If you successfully complete a quest then you usually get a few new cards for your deck.

Highly recommended.