The Old Nintendo Megathread

[apsham]

I should be clear that I didn't think that the announcement was a joke - but for a long period of time an "XL" version of the 2DS seemed relatively pointless or just 'a tablet' - but the way it turns out.. I actually kind of like the design of that and I'm glad that units are still in production. I may end up picking up one of these down the line for when my original 3DS eventually bites the dust.

In other news - MARIO KART DAY.

[RPS]

So my partner has offered to buy me a Nintendo Switch for my birthday... but I am so on the fence about it. @Apsham, convince me to get it. Or not get it. Either or. 

[apsham]

Alright so.

Games

Right now what I consider universally appealing is Breath Of The Wild and now Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. If you had a modicum of interest in both of these titles I would say that it's a good call just flat out. You have the best single player experience I've had in a long ass time and then something that two people or more can easily do together and the best part is that the system by default comes with two controllers (that you can use with Mario Kart 8 straight out of the box) and while other games will need more control schemes, you're set right out of the box for that.

Outside of that you have some other really fun experiences like Shovel Knight and Snipperclips which are also two players on the joycons provided with the system, and then past that I'd call most other games niche or something that you might want to look into. Puyo Puyo Tetris just came out as well and that's supposed to be top notch for puzzle fans. Wonder Boy III is out as a remake and it's amazing/gorgeous. If you're more of a retro gamer I'd get on top of that too. That's for currently out stuff. 

On the horizon you have the second Splatoon which has received a lot of positive feedback from the test fires thy did, ARMS which will require a second set of nunchuks so if you get a Switch now you can enjoy it and pick up the other set closer to release date.

That's the major stuff I guess - I don't want to bog you down with Fall and Winter releases. There's probably a few things in between that you'd be interested in as well if you are seriously considering the console and you can find a release schedule on Wikipedia  like so if so.

Hardware

I'm super into the Switch and I don't even use it like Nintendo imagined you would - I barely play it undocked but when I do, it's an awesome experience whether you use detached joycons or hold it like a traditional handheld. I've never had an issue with battery with either the joycons or the console itself, as long as you dock it in the evenings you're usually good. Simple UI, simple design and the quality Nintendo build that you've come to expect.

I don't have children - but a lot of parents that I know are kind of iffy on letting their kids hold the console and I can see that, the screen can get damaged and that wouldn't be fun in the least.

Other Considerations

Things on the Switch look really good but it's never going to be top of the line graphics, especially with Microsoft moving forward this year with Scorpio, etc. But straight up the Switch is the 'gaming console' that everyone said they were dying for when comparing the PS4 and XBO.

My biggest concern that needs to be addressed is the lack of cloud saves, or even the ability to move save files to an SD card in case something happens to your Switch and you need to send it in for repairs. Some people get lucky and their progress gets saved, but I'm still paranoid of losing all my Zelda progress because of some flaw or fool mistake. I'm hoping that is a consideration moving forward. Otherwise I don't personally have many other issues with the console - the things that you saw about the consoles warping/joycons having some kind of structural flaw across the board, etc were either false or greatly exaggerated.

 

[RPS]

@Apsham, can someone use ONE joycon to play Mario Kart? Or do I need to buy a pro controller/second set of joycons to play Mario Kart? 

[Gabriel]

13 minutes ago, RPS said:

@Apsham, can someone use ONE joycon to play Mario Kart? Or do I need to buy a pro controller/second set of joycons to play Mario Kart? 

It was being advertised in a way that showed people using a single JoyCon, and Nintendo is trying to make multiplayer experiences as easy as possible, so I would imagine just the joycons are necessary.

[apsham]

32 minutes ago, RPS said:

@Apsham, can someone use ONE joycon to play Mario Kart? Or do I need to buy a pro controller/second set of joycons to play Mario Kart? 

So the system comes with two joycons - a left and a right. If you're playing by yourself you can:

- Hold one in each hand
- Put them on the grip and use it like a traditional controller
- Hold it sideways and use motion controls
- Buy and use a pro controller
- Buy a wheel accessory and slip it in - which is really the only practical way to use it motion controlled

If you want two players you have to hold it sideways since each person would have one of the joycons each. But the plus side to the wheel is that a lot of people are buying them because they consider them to be better grips for playing a two player or sideways held game like Shovel Knight vs. the attachment that comes with the system.

Buying a second set of joycons (so two, not an individual one) would allow for four players.

[zero]

Mario Kart is so great on Switch... and I played the hell out of it on Wii U. I haven't even touched Zelda yet, mainly just playing Shovel Knight and Mario Kart, but I'm the opposite of ApSham, I haven't played it docked once. I'm 100% handheld. 

[apsham]

I've played the Wonder Boy remake mostly handheld and I think when I get Tumbleseed it's going to be 100% as well. I think playing high fidelity 3D games on a handheld is freaking me out, haha.

[Bobfoc]

I've mostly played the Wii U on the tablet screen. I also use it to have Netflix on while I'm doing mindless admin. I'm sure I'd be in the 100% handheld camp too if I got a Switch.

[Skummy]

I played Zelda on the TV when I first got it, but just got used to playing handheld, and seemed to have the odd connectivity issue that lead to me using the handheld more often. The battery running out tends to help place an arbitrary limit on the amount of time I allow myself to waste on it, too!

I ordered Mario Kart last week, am half expecting it to have arrived by today. I have a friend coming round to give it a go whenever it shows up, so that will be my first time trying to play multiplayer on the Switch, and first time playing with a single Joy-Con, so we'll see how that goes. I kind of thing it would be a bit fiddly, but that I'd likely get used to it. The girl I'll be playing against is barely five foot tall, so her tiny hands will give her an advantage, I'm sure. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

 

Anyone playing Puyo Puyo Tetris? It's getting to the point where I suck too much at long-term planning in Puyo to progress much further in the story, and there doesn't seem to be a way to just play endless Tetris, but otherwise, it's great.

[RPS]

Waivered on the Switch for right now. I think I am going to wait for the first bundle. Right now I am finding my 3DS find for my commute but I am sure I will run through the games in the next 6 months and want to try the Switch. 

[apsham]

ARMs is getting a global test punch the next couple of weekends, I hope that I can actually catch it this time unlike the Splatoon test fires.

[apsham]

The Test Punch was really fun! I've had my fill playing last night and this morning but there are still four more times this weekend (next one starts in about an hour) and then some times next weekend to give it a shot. It's super fluid and I could see it being super fun with a group of people.

[TheWho87]

 

[apsham]

There was a Pokemon specific Nintendo Direct today that confirmed Ultra Moon & Ultra Sun for the 3DS along with eShop versions of Gold and Silver. The Switch will also be getting a deluxe version of Pokken Tournament.

[Bobfoc]

ARMS is getting some good reviews.

[apsham]

I played the Test Punch and it was actually quite fun - so I'm totally on board. Once I stop being so god damn broke, haha.

[RPS]

23 hours ago, Apsham said:

I played the Test Punch and it was actually quite fun - so I'm totally on board. Once I stop being so god damn broke, haha.

Looks exactly like the type of game that would be fun with the niece and nephew. 

[apsham]

Oh absolutely. Since we didn't get to touch on single player I dunno about that mode, but fighting against someone else is going to be pretty fun regardless of age or experience levels.

[Tyrone]