Nintendo Switch - Games You Can Play Right Now

As someone that wasn't so hot on the waggle-waggle of the Wii, I found it had a few games of a unique nature, but never as many as I loved on Xbox 360 or PS3. Dead Space: Extraction and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles were rail-shooters, I found Metroid Prime 3 to be the weakest of the Prime trilogy (because I'm classically contrarian like that), and when I look back on what I enjoyed on the system Super Paper Mario is actually the first game to come to mind. I never made it far in Super Mario Galaxy, and... well, I do have a fondness for Other M despite its flaws...

But I'm also thinking throughout the game's entire library. I bought the WiiU a year into its life-cycle, and it wasn't until after that Nintendo began releasing some of its best stuff. Wind Waker HD was a port and Wonderful 101 was the first title on the system I downright adored. Everything else came around year 2 or 3.

I believe the Nintendo Switch was released earlier than intended, though perhaps only by six-to-eight months. It wouldn't shock me to learn that the original intent was to launch with Mario Odyssey in Fall of 2017, but Nintendo made an executive decision to launch when they did for all of those business and investor reasons since WiiU was such a disappointment. So while the system is only almost two years old, it would have originally only been barely a year old.

Anywho, all of this is to say that a lot of those stand-out titles largely might not have shown up until after the system was 730 days old. We may see a lot more of those system-justifying games throughout 2019 and into 2020. Aside from Metroid and Fire Emblem, we're also getting an Animal Crossing and... there's a new Pikmin in development, right? So that's four varied titles right there.

I dunno. I guess I'm trying to say that it's pretty early in the Switch's life-cycle and we're comparing to the Wii, which was... how many years was that around? Six? Seven? That was a long generation...

I'm back again with another question about Xenoblade Chronicles 2... Basically, I've picked up on the fact that this game has gotten a lot of love from people here, but I'm just not feeling it...

So here's my very-well-put-together question: To the people who loved Xenoblade; is there a specific point in the game where it clicked for you that I should try to get to before I think about giving up? (In other words, if I don't love it by a certain point, is it safe to say it's not for me? And when is that point?)

I was enjoying it, but the little things that were annoying me seem to be becoming more prominent and are currently overshadowing the parts I liked... The fact it's so popular here makes me question if I'm missing something though.

How is Diablo on this thing? I've played several times and enjoyed it on pc. I enjoy the basic gameplay and am attracted to the idea of rather casual dungeon crawling as well as some couch coop with the missus. Would Diablo let me down?

Stevintendo wrote:

I was enjoying it, but the little things that were annoying me seem to be becoming more prominent and are currently overshadowing the parts I liked... The fact it's so popular here makes me question if I'm missing something though.

What are you referring to specifically? I don't know if there's a specific point where things clicked. It was a little slow going in the beginning, don't think anybody denies that. I would think by the second town/city you should have a pretty good idea what the game is like.

If you mention what you're not enjoying though, I'm sure we could say if it gets better or worse or what

polypusher wrote:

How is Diablo on this thing? I've played several times and enjoyed it on pc. I enjoy the basic gameplay and am attracted to the idea of rather casual dungeon crawling as well as some couch coop with the missus. Would Diablo let me down?

Diablo is great on the Switch. It's got all the classes, all the expansion content, seasons, basically everything you want. It doesn't have quite as many graphical doodads as the PC version, but it runs buttery smooth and you can play in bed. The UI and controls have been entirely redesigned for the console in a way that is smart and intuitive. You never feel like you're playing the lousy hand-me-down version of the game. And that's coming from a certified PC Master Racist who has put hundreds of hours in the PC version.

Citizen86 wrote:
Stevintendo wrote:

I was enjoying it, but the little things that were annoying me seem to be becoming more prominent and are currently overshadowing the parts I liked... The fact it's so popular here makes me question if I'm missing something though.

What are you referring to specifically? I don't know if there's a specific point where things clicked. It was a little slow going in the beginning, don't think anybody denies that. I would think by the second town/city you should have a pretty good idea what the game is like.

If you mention what you're not enjoying though, I'm sure we could say if it gets better or worse or what

Good point!

Spoiler:

Well from the start I thought Pyra's design was ridiculous, and I didn't like the way the camera framed her in cutscenes, but I figured I'd get used to it. I also thought it was a bit much that she and others constantly praise Rex so highly, but - again - I figured I'd just stop noticing that eventually.

Then there was a series of battles that started purely cause people can see Pyra's core crystal - even though she knew to cover it and disguise herself at the start of the game... Then there was this stupid scene where Tora tells Pyra that if she's going to being him tea then she needs to act more like a maid...and she goes along with it...

I feel like I getting into rant territory here...

So it's not like I think the game is badly designed or anything like that, there are just lots of little things that annoy me as the story progresses.

I liked when they introduced Mythra cause it seemed like she had a bit more personality and gave Rex some attitude, but it turns out she can't enter or leave a room without someone commenting on her body...

I like Nia though. Nia and Dromarch are cool. :)

Stevintendo wrote:
Spoiler:

Well from the start I thought Pyra's design was ridiculous, and I didn't like the way the camera framed her in cutscenes, but I figured I'd get used to it. I also thought it was a bit much that she and others constantly praise Rex so highly, but - again - I figured I'd just stop noticing that eventually.

Then there was a series of battles that started purely cause people can see Pyra's core crystal - even though she knew to cover it and disguise herself at the start of the game... Then there was this stupid scene where Tora tells Pyra that if she's going to being him tea then she needs to act more like a maid...and she goes along with it...

Yeah.... it is too bad they designed these characters.... with those costumes.

There was some discussion in the Xenoblade thread about another scene with Pyra and Tora as well. Pyra likes Rex and it's part of the game throughout but not really explored much further. Overall it doesn't detract from the game for most I think.

I feel like I getting into rant territory here...

So it's not like I think the game is badly designed or anything like that, there are just lots of little things that annoy me as the story progresses.

I liked when they introduced Mythra cause it seemed like she had a bit more personality and gave Rex some attitude, but it turns out she can't enter or leave a room without someone commenting on her body...

Yeah, annoying again, but Mythra is kind of a badass.

Definitely some common complaints, most are able to look past them.

hbi2k wrote:
polypusher wrote:

How is Diablo on this thing? I've played several times and enjoyed it on pc. I enjoy the basic gameplay and am attracted to the idea of rather casual dungeon crawling as well as some couch coop with the missus. Would Diablo let me down?

Diablo is great on the Switch.

Well, turns out it's not on sale anymore! Shoot. I've already bought the game twice and the first expansion once. Reluctant to spend 60 again.

Diablo is my most played game on the Switch so far. I played D3 on PC pre-expansion, just one character through the campaign. It was fun, but I'm way more into it now on Switch. Playing it some at home and then picking it up to play on the go is just great.

The Switch really solves my portable gaming conundrum. I have a New 3DS XL that I never play, because even if I throw it into my bag when I travel, when I have time to pull it out, I'm not yet invested in any of its games. And if I do start playing when away from home, I get back home and the game sits unplayed, and forgotten by the time I touch the system again.

Every portable system from here on needs this hybrid functionality. It's the first Nintendo system "gimmick" that legitimately is worth everyone copying. (Not that anyone else seems to be in the market for making portable console systems anytime soon)

Blind_Evil wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

I wish the library was as interesting as the platform.

I hadn’t given it much thought because I am so in love with my Switch, but there’s something to this idea. The Wii was a very weird console to have as an enthusiast, but it had a lot of “boutique” games for lack of a better term. I can’t think of any Switch analogs for No More Heroes, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Pandora’s Tower, Little King’s Story, Zack and Wiki, Fragile Dreams, etc.

There are a ton of great games on Switch, but not a ton that you can’t get elsewhere, I guess. Perhaps it’s down to how unique and uncompromising the design of the Wii proved out.

There's that. Nintendo's consoles have historically been home to all kinds of games and gameplay concepts that you couldn't find elsewhere.

But I also just meant that I can't seem to find anything I really want to play on the Switch. I got one and had what felt like a torrid, nine month love affair with it where I played through Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2 and Mario + Rabbids and a few others... and then I ran out of runway and haven't been able to get into much since.

It's partly my tastes to blame: I don't play Smash, Pokémon, or Mario Tennis, so the first party releases of the last year (that weren't ports) have been completely uninteresting. And I had a string of indie purchases that likewise failed to excite—Hollow Knight, Celeste, Dead Cells, Into the Breach, Darkest Dungeon, The Messenger. Bust after bust after bust.

All the same, except for the Xenoblade expansion and a couple other things, my Switch has barely gotten played since March. I'm tempted to say that it's the most disappointing Nintendo console I've owned; at the very least, it's the one that's felt least essential.

Nimcosi wrote:

In lieu of XCOM, check out Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Which appears to be on sale for $20 at the moment.

I have that on my wish list. It doesn't look like it has the depth or endless replayability of an XCOM, but nonetheless, it's on the list to get at some point.

But a real port of XCOM or XCOM 2 (or X-Com!) would be an instant buy for me.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

But I also Hollow Knight, Celeste, Dead Cells, Into the Breach, Darkest Dungeon, The Messenger. Bust after bust after bust.

Wow those are some great games in that list. Not that there is nothing wrong with them but they are artistically rich with innovative game mechanics and genuinely fun gameplay. You're obviously entitled to your opinion but I'm curious what fell flat if you don't mind.

She's Clocky. This is normal.

That's why we love her.

She also loved many of the JRPGs on the 3DS. So far those kinds of games aren’t flooding the Switch the way they did the DS or 3DS.

DSGamer wrote:

She also loved many of the JRPGs on the 3DS. So far those kinds of games aren’t flooding the Switch the way they did the DS or 3DS.

I don't know that they will. Maybe they will, but the 3DS is a handheld with little power so it requires less manpower and assets to bring a project there to finish. Hopefully, the indie scene convinces some developers that putting out a game with less GRAPHICS! won't immediately doom it to failure.

polypusher wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

But I also Hollow Knight, Celeste, Dead Cells, Into the Breach, Darkest Dungeon, The Messenger. Bust after bust after bust.

Wow those are some great games in that list. Not that there is nothing wrong with them but they are artistically rich with innovative game mechanics and genuinely fun gameplay. You're obviously entitled to your opinion but I'm curious what fell flat if you don't mind.

Different things for each game. I agree that they're all artistically attractive and have some neat ideas, but they all failed to work for me on some fundamental level.

Hollow Knight is beautiful and atmospheric, and I like the fundamental mechanics of the game, but it ran into a lot of the same problems as Dark Souls for me: it felt like there were long stretches of the game where little to no progress was being made (helped in no way by the lack of detail in the map), and the checkpoints for bosses were far enough away from the fight—and the route back populated by tough enough enemies—that I'd often show up for the boss already frustrated and disadvantaged.

Dead Cells also had great art and a nice feeling to the movement, but my favorite part of Castlevania games is your growing familiarity with the castle itself, and Dead Cells chucks that by replacing the castle every run. Not only that, but it felt like a core feature of the game was accumulating upgrades to give you a leg up in your next run, and that's a feature of modern roguelikes that I've never enjoyed.

Into the Breach also had great art (I'm sensing a theme) and a cool premise. However, I found it to be a frustratingly limited tactical strategy game. The enemy's movements are inscrutable and random, making each of your turns solely reactive, like a complex game of whack a mole. You can't really think or plan three moves ahead. You play the turn in front of you and only that turn, and I just didn't enjoy that. (It also had the modern roguelike annoyance of buying upgrades for all future runs.)

Darkest Dungeon I tried hard to like, but the console interface is awful. It was clearly built for mouse and keyboard with clicks and hovers and all that, but instead of being rebuilt or rethought for console, the UI is just a byzantine maze of random button combinations. Maybe I'd have liked it on PC, but on Switch, I gave up quickly.

The Messenger is just a generic 8-bit platformer with bad controls and annoying boss fights. It sells itself with the time traveling Metroid x Ninja Gaiden conceit, but that doesn't actually start until halfway through the game, and by then I'd already gotten bored and frustrated.

Celeste is the only game I can't really explain why I didn't like it. It's beautiful, and the platforming challenges are well-designed. I just couldn't get into it at all.

Hollow Knight is definitely in the way of Megaman in terms of what it offers. You have to love refining your "level runs" in order to derive enjoyment from some of its challenges. For Clocky and many games, the enemies between the spawn point and the boss are frustrating roadblocks to the "real challenge." For many of those who love this title, all those enemies are sweet, sweet targets to practice on as an appetizer before the main course. In a pinch, these players will wander the map for no particular reason, just taking a swipe at anything unfortunate enough to be in their way.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

The Messenger is just a generic 8-bit platformer with bad controls and annoying boss fights. It sells itself with the time traveling Metroid x Ninja Gaiden conceit, but that doesn't actually start until halfway through the game, and by then I'd already gotten bored and frustrated.

I cannot remember who it was, but someone else I trust had also stepped away from The Messenger with a negative response. Ever since then I held back, but reading this just makes me glad I skipped it. Too many games to be playing.

LarryC wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

She also loved many of the JRPGs on the 3DS. So far those kinds of games aren’t flooding the Switch the way they did the DS or 3DS.

I don't know that they will. Maybe they will, but the 3DS is a handheld with little power so it requires less manpower and assets to bring a project there to finish. Hopefully, the indie scene convinces some developers that putting out a game with less GRAPHICS! won't immediately doom it to failure.

True. That’s why I personally believe there’s still a place in the market for a truly pocketable handheld. I’ll be sad when the 3DS is gone and no one is making that system.

I'm glad you confirmed what you said was true there, DS.

Citizen86 wrote:
Stevintendo wrote:
Spoiler:

Well from the start I thought Pyra's design was ridiculous, and I didn't like the way the camera framed her in cutscenes, but I figured I'd get used to it. I also thought it was a bit much that she and others constantly praise Rex so highly, but - again - I figured I'd just stop noticing that eventually.

Then there was a series of battles that started purely cause people can see Pyra's core crystal - even though she knew to cover it and disguise herself at the start of the game... Then there was this stupid scene where Tora tells Pyra that if she's going to being him tea then she needs to act more like a maid...and she goes along with it...

Yeah.... it is too bad they designed these characters.... with those costumes.

There was some discussion in the Xenoblade thread about another scene with Pyra and Tora as well. Pyra likes Rex and it's part of the game throughout but not really explored much further. Overall it doesn't detract from the game for most I think.

I feel like I getting into rant territory here...

So it's not like I think the game is badly designed or anything like that, there are just lots of little things that annoy me as the story progresses.

I liked when they introduced Mythra cause it seemed like she had a bit more personality and gave Rex some attitude, but it turns out she can't enter or leave a room without someone commenting on her body...

Yeah, annoying again, but Mythra is kind of a badass.

Definitely some common complaints, most are able to look past them.

Thanks for the feedback Citizen. This might be a game that I just take my time with and play in shorter chunks. Now that I think about it, my annoyance with it grew when I had a couple of days that allowed me to give it a good bit of time.

LeapingGnome wrote:

I'm glad you confirmed what you said was true there, DS. :lol:

I meant to quote Larry. That was an epic self-own.

ccesarano wrote:

I found Metroid Prime 3 to be the weakest of the Prime trilogy (because I'm classically contrarian like that)

Because of the game or the control scheme? I adore the Wii Remote + Nunchuck controls, but having played both Prime 3 and the original Prime with those controls I’d have to say the original is the stronger game. If the different control schemes don’t make much of a difference to you then “Prime 3 was the weakest” isn’t such a weird stance.

There sure is a lot of content in Mario Kart. 48 tracks? Damn.

It is the proper number of tracks to achieve rap superstardom.

Mario Party is pretty great, but not being able to turn off the bonus stars is baffling. I’m pretty much new the series, but I read that some of the previous MP games let you disable this. Kind of makes a lot of the strategy pointless because you can still win completely at random after a long, close game.

The bonus stars are the entire reason I won’t play Mario Party. They’re so frustrating.

Is it actually important who wins a game of Mario Party?

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Is it actually important who wins a game of Mario Party?

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/l3vRidFeUca8QZ9Be/giphy.gif)

I figured it was like a game of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me or Whose Line Is It, Anyway? where winning and score keeping aren't really the point.