Nintendo Switch Catch-All 2.0

ccesarano wrote:

I've seen a lot of people love and hate this Direct already, so I guess it depends on your feelings regarding what's shown. For example, it feels like PlatinumGames lost Bayonetta 3 somewhere under the abandoned source code of Scalebound and the piles of cash Square Enix is feeding them to make a live-service game. Metroid Dread is the closest thing to a surprise the level of Astral Chain, no news of a Fire Emblem Echoes, no Wind Waker or Twilight Princess ports, Breath of the Wild 2 is next year (because it's going to be all about the Switch Pro I'm telling you), no Splatoon 3...

Basically, the games shown work really well if you either play these sorts of party games with friends a lot, or have kids you play games with a lot. Personally, Metroid Dread was the only thing that tickled my fancy (Advance Wars isn't my brand of tactical, for some reason), but unless the Switch is your only platform and thus you're hyped for ports, there's honestly a sort of "gap" here in terms of type of content available.

It's weird when you consider how good a year 2018 was for the Switch (for some of us), and it's just sort of felt like it is treading water ever since. The system itself is a great concept but the software has just not been as strong as on WiiU from a first-party perspective. When Clock came around Clocking about the Switch, I was playing the optimist, but the more time has progressed the more I believe we're not seeing games because, as I've said before, the Switch came in hot and under-powered even for Nintendo, and now that time has passed they're holding projects for better hardware.

We basically bought a prototype, and dang if it wasn't a swell selling prototype. Problem is, Nintendo doesn't like to just do hardware upgrades like other platforms, so who knows if they'll find a way to screw up the follow-up system.

I think the Switch has been a much better console for those of us who skipped the Wii U and for whom all the ports are fresh. I’ve quite enjoyed the Switch, but most of my favorite games on the console are literally ports.

One thing I often wonder about is if a lot of what Nintendo is struggling with is literally the transition to HD. As much as I enjoy the Switch I still feel their output and the quality of that output was much stronger during the DS/3DS era. It also seems like they’re farming out games to other studios constantly or bringing in studios to help with games (Koei Tecmo with Fire Emblem) where they weren’t before.

Jonman wrote:
Keithustus wrote:

I just can’t do I-go, you-go strategy games much at all anymore

Dude, you need to play Into The Breach.

It's "you plan, but I'm a time traveler

Right, I shouldn’t have written that to imply I thought ITB was some kind of Advance Wars knockoff. I think my Hangup on ITB specifically is that it looks very, very much like the GBA and DS Advance Wars games I played far too much. The cartoony squares do me in. I have heard though that some people say you don’t even see the graphics after a few hours….so

With yet another recommendation, I’ll check if it’s in the current sale.

…it’s not. Last sale was Christmas.

My 2 Pro controllers aren't turning on the Switch. I could have sworn they used to. Is this a thing or am I just imaging that they did?

DSGamer wrote:

One thing I often wonder about is if a lot of what Nintendo is struggling with is literally the transition to HD. As much as I enjoy the Switch I still feel their output and the quality of that output was much stronger during the DS/3DS era. It also seems like they’re farming out games to other studios constantly or bringing in studios to help with games (Koei Tecmo with Fire Emblem) where they weren’t before.

That was definitely an issue with the move from Wii to WiiU, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's also an issue moving to the Switch. Them consolidating their handheld and console teams seemed like it'd result in a lot of great output, perhaps more than any prior console, but it's also possible that they've had to cut down on the number of projects they can tackle at once and therefore have had to consolidate, and the titles that do get greenlit are the sure sellers while the more niche stuff gets outsourced or less likely to get the thumbs up.

Again, though, I also think it really is that there's a bunch of stuff being held back until more powerful hardware, and people are correct in that Nintendo (and everyone) got hit by Covid hard. It's also possible that the backlash towards crunch is also having an impact, as studios may be taking longer while simultaneously working from home, and hence Microsoft's press conference feeling like it was at least 50% 2022 releases (that may be inaccurate, but it was startling how many games they showed that won't be seeing the light of day this year).

When I look at Capcom, for example, their output drastically reduced this generation as they began to re-evaluate their strategy. They really don't release as many titles as they did in the 360 and PS3 generation, and especially the generations before that. They now have fewer teams, but those teams have a greater number of people, and those games take more time to develop. That's the impression I get. Whereas Capcom decided not to outsource to other companies any longer (at least, outside of Japan), Nintendo is outsourcing to more third parties to assist or outright make their games (see: MercurySteam making Metroid Dread). In some ways I think this is a good approach, but I also miss them having a greater variety of those interesting spin-off concepts that birthed Hyrule Warriors and Tokyo Mirage Sessions.

Granted, they've also been doing this for a while. Namco was the developer on StarFox Assault on the GameCube, and I don't know how long Bandai Namco has helped with Smash Bros. Having the experience of other developers with Nintendo's oversight is probably a great way to get some top-notch titles that may be out of the experience or wheelhouse of the internal staff.

EvilDead wrote:

My 2 Pro controllers aren't turning on the Switch. I could have sworn they used to. Is this a thing or am I just imaging that they did?

Real Nintendo ones? They should, or at least mine does.

EvilDead wrote:

My 2 Pro controllers aren't turning on the Switch. I could have sworn they used to. Is this a thing or am I just imaging that they did?

I know this is a stupid question, but are they charged?

If they are, sometimes I gotta get closer to the system to get it to wake it up. I dunno why, it's weird like that. If moving closer to the system doesn't work, then try resyncing, maybe.

Yeah maybe plug them into the console and turn it on to make sure they are synced

They connect as soon as I turn on the power, using the button on the top of the Switch, so they are definitely synced.

what do you call the art style of the new Metroid and the Advance Wars remake? They share a .... the only word I can think of is style for the characters. Does it have a name?

I don't like it BTW but it definitely notice it.

farley3k wrote:

They share a .... the only word I can think of is style for the characters. Does it have a name?

"Mobile game" is what I see people usually call it.

Lower fidelity? I'm really not sure what your comparison point is other than "these games aren't the bestest graphics that the bestest hardware can possibly bestest". They're two very different aesthetics and color palettes, with Metroid being "more realistic" but still not quite there while Advance Wars looks closer to toys or cartoon characters in 3D. Because you're looking at them zoomed out most of the time, the models are often given fewer details than games where the camera would constantly be closer. This is the case with Age of Empires 4 and other RTS or strategy games.

I... really don't get how you can compare what Advance Wars is doing to what Metroid Dread is doing, but I'unno, complainers gonna complain.

I thought Advance Wars looked fine as cartoony toys. The third game would look hella stupid in that style though.

Metroid Dread looked ... okay. I think it's a lack of horsepower that's the problem there. For a game called "Dread" it sure lacked it in the art style.

Stop-motion inspired?IMAGE( https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UZ52ur9bg2o5CJFT25UVq7PBRGc=/1400x1050/filters:format(jpeg)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22129186/Rudolph_02.jpg)

Also for what it’s worth on Metroid, the Metroid teaser at the final bit of the Paper Mario Origami King reveal kind of nailed it.

A bit of all these but it is distinctive and I am not in love with it.

Part of what bothers me about the Advance Wars look is that they could have updated the graphics and still kept things in 2D. They could have created more refined pixel art or they could have gone with the same graphic style they used in the CO art. Instead I feel like they've opted for something bland and kind of same-y with discount mobile games.

It's also clear to me that they're using Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine on Switch has a tendency to turn out games that have a glossy, bland look that I struggle with personally. I struggled with Link's Awakening, I struggled with Yoshi's Crafted World and this is giving me the same vibes. I don't like it at all set next to the hand-drawn art of the previous games in all those series.

Advance Wars probably would have looked better with cel-shading instead of the art being used. Looking at comparison screenshots between the new game and the old, they've largely kept the same shapes and colors as the GBA games, but without the thick bold lines of the sprites, the 3D just... blends. There's not as much contrast or shading. This is also probably an issue of trying to keep the same color palette as on the GBA, as GBA games were typically using really bright colors to combat the lack of the original system's backlit screen.

Advance Wars could really use those thick, bold outlines for cel-shading to add a sense of contrast. Or to have selected a better shader or something rather than going for accuracy of color palette.

Metroid Dread is different, though, and I get what people mean when they say it doesn't really look dreadful. I'm a biased fanboy so I can't say I'm evaluating without instant favor, but I actually like the sterile look to the environment. It has contrast in its colors, but that sterile look honestly feels different than the franchise usually does. I'm digging the difference, but I also imagine we've only seen a portion of the map and will have more to see as the game progresses. There's a potential thematic purpose for the sterile look to the environment, and regardless of the aesthetic, everything looks smooth and well animated in motion. At the very least, it looks like it feels wonderful to play, and that's what I care about most.

So there's my two cents circa 1976 pre-inflation.

I think Metroid Dread looks fine to. That reminds me that I need to finally play Samus Returns.

Metroid Dread (and Samus Returns) is made by a different studio as well. So there's a running theme of Nintendo farming these projects out, because they don't have the bandwidth to make as many HD games as they did hand-drawn games. I think in that case, though, MercurySteam earned the benefit of the doubt.

I don't think Nintendo wants to do Metroid.

Really, we just need more cel-shaded games that deliver the way that the Dragon Ball Z games do. I was commenting to my wife about how those games capture the anime look so very well in a way most / almost all others do not.

DSGamer wrote:

I think Metroid Dread looks fine to. That reminds me that I need to finally play Samus Returns.

Come on man, it was my 2017 GotY #2 because BotW of course

Stele wrote:
DSGamer wrote:

I think Metroid Dread looks fine to. That reminds me that I need to finally play Samus Returns.

Come on man, it was my 2017 GotY #2 because BotW of course

Well, if it's in that rarefied are, then...

Joking aside, I hold all of your opinions in high regard and it's on its way from Amazon, actually.

Apologize if this has already shown up here (I don’t see it on this or immediate prior pages), but I am just astounded that people have this much talent and passion and do this for fun (and YT likes and ad revenue). How has Nintendo or some big studio not sucked this guy up for 40+ hours a week?

I started to watch that, lost track of time and was almost late for work.

SMT V Collectors Edition preorder went up today for... $120!

Probably doesn't come with any of the DLC.

Soundtrack and art book. No DLC.

Of course not. Wouldn't be Atlus if they didn't try and extract every last penny from their fans.

(The game might not have DLC planned. When we hear word on that I will eat crow.)

Call me crazy but I would expect a statue be included for that price. Does that collector's edition speak to anybody?

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Call me crazy but I would expect a statue be included for that price. Does that collector's edition speak to anybody?

Me, but what it's saying is "I've sold out already"

Reviews for the new Mario Golf are dropping, and it sounds like it’s just okay. A lot in the 6-8 range.

https://www.gamespot.com/amp-article...

Yeah, the reviews are to be expected: "New mode cool! Not enough courses."

Such is the life of a sports game. They do something cool, but everything has to have more than prior entries.

Mario Golf reviews are in. They're not bad, but I was expecting better based on what has been shown. It looks to be on par with how Tennis was received.

It sounds like the major knocks are lackluster story mode and very limited course selection. A limited story mode puts it in wait for sale territory for me.

Edit: Reviews covered above. I should have refreshed the page before posting!