Tell me about the Nintendo Switch

[VerbalPuke]

So...I want to get my kids a big surprise gift for Christmas. I'm kind of sick of my parents and that fucker Santa Claus getting credit for every awesome gift each year.

So I'm pulling the ace up my sleeve. The boys have wanted a Nintendo Switch for awhile.  

I mean beyond Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, what other games kick ass on the Switch? What are good multi player games? 

It only comes with one controller doesn't it? I'm thinking of buying a second one but not another kind that's for the portable gaming 

Any retro gaming/backward compatibility? 

Oh, they fucking love Pokemon right now, so what's the best Pokemon game?

Anything else I should know?

[Gabriel]

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 should be a good multiplayer grab for you if your boys are into superheroes. If you can find a copy, Super Bomberman R is really fun as well for multiplayer. The bulk of the games worth getting will revolve around Mario though, for sure. Kart and Party are both tons of fun. Odyssey is a great ode to Mario 64 and can be played multiplayer with one person controlling his hat.

The Switch comes with two Joycon controllers that can act as one controller when both connected physically to the Switch or physically to the Joycon gamepad holder. Depending on what types of games you end up with, I'd recommend either a second set of Joycons for up to 4 player support, or a Pro Controller, which is more in line with the Xbox style controller. I definitely use that for most single player games.

Nintendo Switch Online is pretty cheap, allows online play for games that support it, but also will give you access to a catalog of NES and Super Nintendo games. The collection rotates titles in and out, but it's still pretty cool. Other than that, no backward compatibility at the moment. There are rumors of Nintendo 64 games being made available at some point, but they've been rumors for awhile and nothing has happened yet... so, grain of salt.

[METALMAN]

My mum likes it

[Schlitzbrille]

Also good idea: Getting a much larger microSD card than you think you'll need so you can keep more games on the system if you go the download route.

System can support up to a 2 TB card, which to my knowledge does not exist yet in a legitimate card, plenty of fakes. Can get a 512 GB card starting at ~$90, slot is behind the kickstand.

[Bobfoc]

I mean beyond Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, what other games kick ass on the Switch? What are good multi player games?

You've got a few multiplatform games for multiplayer, like the Lego games, Overcooked and Stardew Valley, but there's also Super Smash Bros and Super Mario Party.

It only comes with one controller doesn't it? I'm thinking of buying a second one but not another kind that's for the portable gaming

Technically, it comes with two controllers because each little Joycon at the side of the handheld device can be used as an individual controller.

Any retro gaming/backward compatibility?

Switch Online, as said, has a library of NES and SNES games, and it's quite cheap. Other than that, there are some old games on the eShop, like Doom, and some previous-gen titles, such as Skyrim, Saints Row the Third, Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6 and LA Noire.

Oh, they fucking love Pokemon right now, so what's the best Pokemon game?

The Pokemon Let's Go games are great remakes of the original Red and Blue. You don't battle wild Pokemon and instead focus solely on catching them, but trainer and gym battles are still there. Pokemon Sword and Shield are standard Pokemon games that are coming next month.

Anything else I should know?

Most multiplatform games tend to be more expensive on the Switch. It's annoying, but there's something nice about having some games available to play in handheld mode. Other than that, bear in mind that the charging port is on the underside of the system, which means that you can't play in kickstand mode and charge at the same time. You can buy third-party stands that solve the problem quite cheaply, though.

[VerbalPuke]

Oh shit Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and the Lego Games sound perfect (granted I'll probably get the latest greatest Mario game for them).

[Lineker]

The new Pokemon games look amazing.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Yeah I've done a total 180 on them, they do look great. 

[Chris2K]

I can't speak highly enough of Super Mario Odyssey, it's so incredibly good.

Also already mentioned are Smash Bros and Ultimate Alliance which are both great, and of course there's Mario Kart.

[Kaney]

2 hours ago, Lineker said:

The new Pokemon games look amazing.

 

2 hours ago, Jericode said:

Yeah I've done a total 180 on them, they do look great. 

What's good with these ones? I was so bored with Sun/Moon and felt this would be me finally giving up on the series since I don't think it would be worth buying a Switch literally just for Pokemon and maybe Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Have they really stepped up a gear?

[VerbalPuke]

Follow up question, how do you like the JoyCon controller? You all said it supports 4 players. I guess, is it a nice controller at any...I guess size?

[Ruki]

14 minutes ago, VerbalPuke said:

Follow up question, how do you like the JoyCon controller? You all said it supports 4 players. I guess, is it a nice controller at any...I guess size?

I like the joycon when it's a full controller: https://images.app.goo.gl/o5tJKFFnqed7KaQe9

 

It's ok when you have them separated. It's small, so it's not the most comfortable.

[VerbalPuke]

Alright so I'm sorry, one more question, good bad or indifferent to buying games used on the Switch? Just because it seems like I can't find as many cheap (debating on one of the really good ones or just getting two cheaper but still good ones for variety and because I have three kids). 

[Ruki]

1 hour ago, VerbalPuke said:

Alright so I'm sorry, one more question, good bad or indifferent to buying games used on the Switch? Just because it seems like I can't find as many cheap (debating on one of the really good ones or just getting two cheaper but still good ones for variety and because I have three kids). 

I buy most of my games used, no issues!

[VerbalPuke]

Welp..

I ordered one. And a pro controller. And Super Mario Odyssey. And Marvel Ultimate Alliance. 

Picking games is hard. I almost went with Lego Ninjago to save money and figured it would still be a fun multiplayer, but then I figured fuck it, may as well get Ultimate Alliance since I think my youngest son will appreciate that more. 

[JasonM]

Finally, check reviews of any games you might be interested in buying because there are a lot of terribad ports on the Switch, and it'll save you money and your kids dissapointment.

[MDK]

13 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

I mean beyond Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, what other games kick ass on the Switch?

[VerbalPuke]

6 hours ago, Jasonmufc said:

Finally, check reviews of any games you might be interested in buying because there are a lot of terribad ports on the Switch, and it'll save you money and your kids dissapointment.

Honestly,  I'm probably not going to be buying anything that isn't exclusive to the Switch. I got my PS4 for the other stuff. 

3 hours ago, MDK said:

Wait.

What game can I be a duck with a knife?I'll buy every copy.

[MDK]

17 minutes ago, VerbalPuke said:

Wait.

What game can I be a duck with a knife?I'll buy every copy.

Untitled Goose Game: Tactical Honking Espionage.

Honk Honk, motherfucker. 

[RPS]

23 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

I mean beyond Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, what other games kick ass on the Switch? What are good multi player games? 

Pokemon Let's Go (Pikachu or Eevee, plus the incoming Pokemon Sword/Shield games), Smash Bros, Splatoon 2, Minecraft, Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League, Mario Maker 2, Mario vs. Rabbids, Dragon Quest XI are the bigger studio releases that I like in addition to BOTW and SMO. In terms of indie games, Dead Cells, Binding of Isaac, Wargroove, Steamworld Quest, Cuphead, and Slay the Spire.

There is also a shit load of dirt cheap mobile ports and party games you can pick up cheap. My kids love a game called Party Golf. I paid 3$ for it. 

23 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

It only comes with one controller doesn't it? I'm thinking of buying a second one but not another kind that's for the portable gaming 

So the Switch as a different amount of variety as it pertains to controller.

You can play every game (with like one or two exceptions) with split joycons (aka, a joycon in each hand). It also comes with an accessory to put your joycons together like a controller. Some games allow you to play with a single joycon (like Smash Bros or Mario Party). This is not the most ideal way to play games. Joycons are quite expensive. 

You can also buy wired or wireless controllers. I bought my kids two wired controllers that were third party. Paid 30$ CAD for them. They are shaped like a Gamecube controller. They work perfectly for my 7 and 5 year old. Got the girl Peach and the boy Pikachu. The wireless pro controller is much more expensive. The wired controllers plug into your Switch dock in a USB, but I believe there is only two USB plugs for the controllers. 

 

23 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

Any retro gaming/backward compatibility? 

Online Switch (19$ a year) comes with Nintendo and Super Nintendo games and the ability to play online. 

23 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

Oh, they fucking love Pokemon right now, so what's the best Pokemon game?

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu is super cool and can be played two player. 

18 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

Follow up question, how do you like the JoyCon controller? You all said it supports 4 players. I guess, is it a nice controller at any...I guess size?

The joycons are super tiny. They are very kid friendly, awful for adults. 

 

6 hours ago, VerbalPuke said:

Honestly,  I'm probably not going to be buying anything that isn't exclusive to the Switch. I got my PS4 for the other stuff. 

 

My PS4 playing time basically stopped the second I got my Switch. When you play the Switch handheld, you will say "why the fuck can every game not be on the Switch?" It is the perfect gaming system.